THREE UP
The Padres won the NL West with a 7-6 victory over the Diamondbacks despite struggles from closer Trevor Hoffman. The Padres were up 7-0 after a six-run fourth inning. Up by three, Hoffman gave up consecutive homers to Chad Tracy and Conor Jackson before retiring the side.
With a roster loaded with ex-Chicago players (Nomar Garciaparra, Greg Maddux, Kenny Lofton), the Dodgers made a 17-game improvement and clinched the NL wild card with a 4-3 win over the Giants. The Padres won the head-to-head tiebreaker for the division crown.
Freddy Sanchez hit sharp singles in his first two at-bats to finish with a .344 average, becoming the first Pirate to win the NL batting title since Bill Madlock in 1983. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, but it’s special,” said Sanchez, who beat out the Marlins’ Miguel Cabrera by five points.
THREE DOWN
The Astros made a tremendous run at the NL Central in the final 1 1/2 weeks, nearly erasing an 8 1/2-game deficit, but their ride ended in Atlanta as the Braves took a 3-1 victory despite mustering just three hits against six pitchers. Lance Berkman made the last out meaning . . .
. . . The Cardinals won the division title despite ending the season in a 3-9 tailspin and a 5-3 loss to the Brewers. With the Cards down 5-0 in the fifth inning, the fans suddenly erupted, starting the Braves’ trademark Tomahawk Chop as they learned that the Astros lost.
The season of Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis ended prematurely. Manager Joe Girardi pulled Willis in the second inning against the Phillies because of a sore left triceps. “Skip didn’t want to risk it, which is understandable,” Willis said.
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Compliled by Mike Pankow
