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No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Oregon all moved up a spot in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday, giving the Pac-12 two top-five teams for the first time since the final ranking of the 2016 season.

Georgia remained No. 1 as the two-time defending national champions have been for 24 straight polls, dating back to the middle of last season. The Bulldogs received 52 of 62 first-place votes.

Michigan returned to No. 2 following a week at No. 3 and received 10 first-place votes after beating Ohio State 30-24 in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

The Buckeyes slipped from second to No. 6, clearing the way for Washington to reach its best ranking since finishing the 2000 season at No. 3 and setting up a top-five matchup with Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game Friday in Las Vegas.

The final Pac-12 championship game in the conference’s current form before 10 members leave for other Power 5 conferences will be its first matching top-five teams.

The last time there were two Pac-12 teams in the top five of the AP poll was 2016, when USC finished No. 3 and Washington No. 4. The last time it happened during the season was Oct. 6, 2013, when Oregon was No. 2 and Stanford was fifth.

No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Alabama held their places Sunday. Missouri moved up one spot to ninth and Penn State to No. 10.

The same eight teams have been the top eight in the country for five straight weeks, with the only loss among those teams during that span being Ohio State’s to Michigan.

The last time there was no team turnover in the top eight for that long was during Weeks 11-15 in 2008. That year, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, USC, Penn State, Utah and Texas Tech held the top eight spots in some order for five weeks.

Among the top eight teams, there are only four losses, one each for Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Alabama. Of those four losses, three have come to other teams in the top eight: Oregon lost to Washington, Ohio State lost to Michigan, and Alabama lost to Texas.

Texas’ loss came to No. 12 Oklahoma. Extend it out to the top 12 to include No. 11 Ole Miss and the only loss to a currently unranked team among that group is Oklahoma’s to Kansas.

MOVING IN; MOVING OUT

NC State and SMU made their Top 25 debuts this week, raising to 44 the total number of teams to be ranked for at least a week this season.

Falling out for the first time was Tennessee, which finished its regular season 8-4 with a victory over Vanderbilt after barely hanging on at No. 25 last week.

Kansas State also dropped out again after losing a high-scoring game in the snow to Iowa State.

CONFERENCE CALL

Five teams from non-Power 5 conferences in the AP Top 25 is the most since the final 2021 poll.

SEC: 5 (Nos. 1, 8, 9, 11, 13)
Pac-12: 4 (Nos. 3, 5, 14, 21-tie)
Big Ten: 4 (Nos. 2, 6, 10, 18)
ACC: 3 (Nos. 4, 15, 21-tie)
Big 12: 3 (Nos. 7, 12, 19)
American: 2 (Nos. 17, 25)
Conference USA: 1 (No. 20)
Sun Belt: 1 (No. 24)
Mid-American: 1 (No. 23)
Independent: 1 (No. 16)

RANKED vs. RANKED

No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 1 Georgia: SEC championship in Atlanta

No. 18 Iowa vs. No. 2 Michigan: Big Ten championship in Indianapolis

No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 3 Washington: Pac-12 championship in Las Vegas

No. 15 Louisville vs. No. 4 Florida State: ACC championship in Charlotte, North Carolina

No. 19 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Texas: Big 12 championship in Arlington, Texas

No. 25 SMU at No. 17 Tulane: AAC championship in New Orleans

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Arraez holds on to deny Ohtani the Triple Crown

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Arraez holds on to deny Ohtani the Triple Crown

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani came up short in his bid to become the first National League player to win the Triple Crown since 1937.

Ohtani, who led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs this season, was trying to chase down Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres for the batting title Sunday afternoon.

But Arraez went 1-for-3 before exiting Sunday’s 11-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks to end the regular season with a .314 average and place himself on the verge of wrapping up his third straight batting title. Marcell Ozuna (.304) of the Atlanta Braves has a slight mathematical chance with his team slated to play a doubleheader Monday against the New York Mets to complete the regular season.

Once the season is officially over, Arraez can set history by becoming the first player in major league history to win the batting title in three straight seasons with three different teams.

Arraez exited shortly after hitting a double into the right-center field gap in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game. It was his 200th hit of the season, the second straight campaign in which he reached that milestone.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 and stole his 59th base in the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. He finished the season at .310.

“I didn’t think about the Triple Crown or how close I was to it today,” Ohtani said through a translator. “Today, I was focused on having quality at-bats.”

Joe “Ducky” Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals was the last NL player to earn the Triple Crown. He batted .374 with 31 homers and 154 RBIs in that 1937 season.

The last American League player to earn the Triple Crown was Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers in 2012. He batted .330 with 44 homers and 139 RBIs and was the first player in either league to have a Triple Crown season since Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox in 1967.

Arraez won the 2022 AL batting title with the Minnesota Twins and the NL crown last season with the Miami Marlins. The Padres acquired him from the Marlins in early May.

Arraez will be the first San Diego player to win the batting title since Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn in 1997. That was the last of eight batting crowns for the legendary Gwynn.

The NL batting champion award is named after Gwynn.

Ozuna was hitless in four at-bats Sunday when the Braves lost 4-2 to the Kansas City Royals. He will need to go 9-for-9 Monday to raise his average to .31466 and pass Arraez (.31397).

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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MLB playoff tracker: What’s at stake in Monday’s Mets-Braves doubleheader

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MLB playoff tracker: What's at stake in Monday's Mets-Braves doubleheader

The final weekend of the 2024 MLB regular season is over — but wins for the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets paired with an Atlanta Braves loss on Sunday means we get a bonus Monday of playoff-impacting baseball.

While those three teams battle for the final two wild-card sports, the remainder of the playoff field is set. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have the top seeds in the National League and the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres have the next two seeds. In the American League, the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians have the top seeds, with the Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals joining them.

Where do the current playoff matchups stand? What does the playoff schedule look like? We have everything you need to know as the regular season comes to a finish.

Watch: Mets-Braves doubleheader, starting Monday at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Key links: Full MLB standings | Wild-card standings | Passan’s World Series prediction


Who will secure the final two playoff spots?

There were several potential outcomes depending on the results of Sunday’s games, but with the Braves falling to the Royals and the Mets and Diamondbacks notching wins over their respective opponents, both games of Monday’s doubleheader between Atlanta and New York will take place. The winner of the first game of the doubleheader is automatically in. If the loser of the first game wins the second, that team is in as well and the D-backs would be eliminated. However, if either the Mets or Braves are swept in the doubleheader, that team would be out and the Diamondbacks would be in.


Who is in?

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers clinched the season’s first playoff spot, when they secured the NL Central crown for the third time in four seasons.

New York Yankees

The Yankees clinched a playoff spot on with a win against the Seattle Mariners and followed by clinching the AL East title.

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Minnesota Twins and followed by clinching the AL Central crown.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers clinched a playoff spot with their 20-4 blowout win over the Marlins and have won the NL West title for the 11th time in 12 years.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies clinched their third straight playoff spot with a win over the Mets on Friday night. With a win over the Cubs on Monday, they clinched their first NL East title since 2011.

Houston Astros

The Astros beat the Mariners on Tuesday to clinch their fourth consecutive AL West division title.

Baltimore Orioles

With a win over the Yankees and the Twins’ loss to the Marlins, the Orioles clinched a playoff spot.

San Diego Padres

With a game-ending triple play to seal their win against the Dodgers, the Padres clinched their spot in the postseason.

Detroit Tigers

By handing the White Sox a record 121st loss, the Tigers ended their 10-year postseason drought.

Kansas City Royals

The Twins’ loss on Friday clinched the final AL playoff spot for the Royals, their first since 2015.


What are this October’s MLB playoff matchups as it stands now?

American League

Wild-card round: (6) Tigers* at (3) Astros*, (5) Royals* at (4) Orioles*

ALDS: Tigers/Astros vs. (2) Guardians*, Royals/Orioles vs. (1) Yankees*

National League

Wild-card round: (6) Mets at (3) Brewers*, (5) Braves at (4) Padres*

NLDS: Mets/Brewers vs. (2) Phillies*, Braves/Padres vs. (1) Dodgers*

* — Clinched playoff spot

Tiebreakers

If Atlanta and New York tie, the Braves currently hold the tiebreaker by virtue of a 6-5 edge in the head-to-head season series (with two games remaining).

In the event of a two-team tie involving the D-backs for the NL’s final playoff spot, the Mets and Braves both hold the tiebreaker because they won the season series.


Breaking down the AL race

The Yankees fended off the Orioles in a battle for the AL East crown — though, Baltimore also clinched a playoff berth — while the Guardians and Astros both also clinched division titles. Two more AL Central teams — the Tigers and Royals — round out the field. Here are the odds for the AL playoff squads for every round:


Breaking down the NL race

While the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks battle for the final playoff spots, the Dodgers, Phillies, Brewers and Padres prepare for October. Milwaukee clinched the NL Central crown and Philadelphia cruised to a division title in the NL East. Los Angeles beat San Diego in the final matchup of the (regular) season to clinch its 11th NL West title in the past 12 seasons, with the Padres going on to secure the 4-seed. Here are the odds for the NL playoff squads — as the playoff picture currently stands — for every round:


Playoff schedule

Wild-card series
Best of three, all games at better seed’s stadium

Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 1
Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 2
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 3*

Division series
Best of five

ALDS
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 7
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 9
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 10*
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 12*

NLDS
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 6
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 8
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 9*
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 11*

League championship series
Best of seven

ALCS
Game 1: Monday, Oct. 14
Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 15
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 17
Game 4: Friday, Oct. 18
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 19*
Game 6: Monday, Oct. 21*
Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 22*

NLCS
Game 1: Sunday, Oct. 13
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 14
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 16
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 17
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 18*
Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 20*
Game 7: Monday, Oct. 21*

World Series
Best of seven

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 25
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 26
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 28
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 29
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 30*
Game 6: Friday, Nov. 1*
Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 2*

Note: If both LCS end by Oct. 19 — meaning neither series lasts longer than five games — the World Series will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 22

* If necessary

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Twins president: Baldelli to be back as manager

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Twins president: Baldelli to be back as manager

Rocco Baldelli will return next year as manager of the Minnesota Twins despite a late-season collapse that left the defending American League Central champions out of the playoffs.

President of baseball operations Derek Falvey confirmed Sunday before the team’s last game that Baldelli’s job is safe. The Twins were 12-26 in their past 38 games entering the finale.

The 43-year-old Baldelli has managed the team to three division titles in six seasons with Minnesota. His overall record was 457-412 going into the final game.

Falvey also said he was expecting to return for a ninth year with the Twins in 2025.

Baldelli acknowledged Saturday that he has heard the boos and “Fire Rocco” chants but said he respects Twins fans and added that they “have a right to feel almost any way they choose.”

Players have backed Baldelli throughout.

“I don’t think it’s super fair to put everything on him,” pitcher Bailey Ober told reporters Saturday. “Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. If the players hear [the chants], I don’t think anyone’s agreeing with that. It’s like, seriously, can’t you see what’s going on? He’s not the one at fault for this mishap that happened.

“We’re the ones performing out there and didn’t get the job done. He’s putting out the lineups, and we’re trying to do it. I feel like most of the blame should be on the players.”

Added shortstop Carlos Correa, who missed 53 games with a foot injury: “If you have anybody to blame, blame me for going down for two months and not being a part of the team. I think that’s one of the main reasons.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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