He may not be a “King” quite yet, but Felix Hernandez closed strong Sunday, pitching 8 2/3 innings and allowing just four hits as the Mariners beat Texas 4-2. Hernandez just missed his second complete game of the year, the other coming April 11.
Cardinals outfielder Skip Schumaker made a strong case for a roster spot next season, going 5-for-5 in Sunday’s 6-5 win over the Pirates. Schumaker hit .333 in 88 games. “I’m just happy it ended the way it did for me,” Schumaker said.
Kansas City designated hitter Mike Sweeney, who may have played his final game Sunday with the Royals, took out a full-page ad in the Kansas City Star thanking the fans and club “for all the love you’ve shown me through the years.” The Royals drafted Sweeney in 1991.
THREE DOWN
On the biggest day of the season for the Mets, Tom Glavine pitched one of his worst games, allowing seven runs in the first inning of an 8-1 loss to the Marlins. The seven runs matched a career high set in 1996. Earlier in the year, Glavine won his 300th game.
The season couldn’t end soon enough for the Baltimore Orioles, who lost 10-4 Sunday to the Yankees to close with 28 losses in their last 39 games. Since winning the AL East in 1997, the Orioles have had 10 straight losing seasons, finishing 69-92 this year.
Atlanta’s Chipper Jones went 0-for-3 in a 3-0 loss to the Astros, conceding the batting title to Colorado’s Matt Holliday. “I have submitted my body of work for the season,” said Jones, who finished with a career-best .337 average. Holliday is hitting .340.
