BALTIMORE: Chris Tillman took a three-hitter into the eighth inning and the Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night in a game that featured an on-field confrontation between the teams’ managers.
With the victory, the Orioles moved within 1 1/2 games of idle Tampa Bay for the second AL wild card. The Yankees fell three games behind Tampa Bay.
Tillman (16-5) allowed two runs and four hits in seven-plus innings. He walked none and struck out nine, matching his career high.
Both dugouts emptied briefly after the first inning, when Orioles manager Buck Showalter angrily exchanged words with Joe Girardi after the Yankees manager apparently said something to Baltimore third base coach Bobby Dickerson. Showalter had to be restrained by home plate umpire Ed Hickox.
Alex Rodriguez hit his 652nd homer.
Indians 4 Royals 3: In Cleveland, Ubaldo Jimenez struck out 10 in seven innings and Asdrubal Cabrera, Yan Gomes and Carlos Santana each hit solo homers, leading the Indians to a win over the Royals in a matchup between two teams in the thick of the AL wild-card chase.
The Indians, who won despite having only five hits, stayed even with Baltimore, 1 1/2 games back of Tampa Bay for the second wild-card spot. The Royals dropped to four games behind the Rays.
Jimenez (11-9) allowed one unearned run and didn’t walk a batter. The right-hander left with a 4-1 lead after throwing 99 pitches, but Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer off Cody Allen in the eighth.
Royals starter Ervin Santana (8-9) gave up the three homers.
Twins 6 Angels 3: In Minneapolis, Trevor Plouffe had two hits and drove in the tying and go-ahead runs as the Minnesota Twins snapped a 10-game home losing streak with a victory over the Angels.
Plouffe’s two-run, two-out double in the fifth inning tied the game 3-all, and his bases-loaded sacrifice fly off Cory Rasmus (0-1) in the seventh put the Twins ahead as the Twins won at home for the first time since Aug. 15, avoiding the longest home losing streak since the franchise started in Washington in 1901.
The home skid was the Twins’ longest since moving from Washington in 1961. The Senators lost 10 straight home games in 1957.
Casey Fien (4-2) earned the victory with a scoreless seventh.
White Sox 5 Tigers 1: In Chicago, Chris Sale gave up a run and four hits in eight innings, denying Max Scherzer his 20th win, and Miguel Cabrera was ejected in the first inning as the White Sox beat the Tigers.
Sale (11-12) won for the fifth time in six decisions.
Scherzer (19-3) gave up five runs and six hits in four innings as he lost consecutive starts for the first time this season after Boston beat him Sept. 3.
Astros 6 Mariners 4: In Seattle, Jonathan Villar’s two-run single highlighted a four-run ninth inning as the Astros rallied to beat the Mariners in front of the smallest crowd in Safeco Field history.
Abraham Almonte hit his first major league homer, a two-run shot in the seventh inning, to give the Mariners a 3-2 lead. Seattle reliever Charlie Furbush got out of a jam in the eighth, but in the ninth the Astros broke through.
Danny Farquhar (0-3) walked Marc Krauss and Carlos Corporan with one out, and Jimmy Paredes’ run-scoring single tied the game at 3. Villar then gave Houston a two-run lead with his hit to center.
Interleague
Pirates 1 Rangers 0: In Arlington, Texas, clinching their first winning season since 1992, rookie right-hander Gerrit Cole had a career-high nine strikeouts over seven innings to outpitch Yu Darvish and lead the Pirates to a victory over the Rangers.
The Pirates (82-61) didn’t get a runner to second base against Darvish (12-8) until Marlon Byrd’s two-out double in the seventh. He came home when Pedro Alvarez followed with a double.
Pittsburgh had lost a season-high four games in a row since getting their 81st victory last Tuesday at Milwaukee to guarantee their first non-losing season in more than two decades.
Darvish is 0-3 his last five starts, all Rangers losses. The Japanese right-hander struck out six while allowing one run and four hits over seven innings.
Tillman, Orioles top Yanks in contentious game
Tillman, Orioles top Yanks in contentious game
San Francisco 49ers launch Nextgen Flag Football program in UAE
DUBAI: The San Francisco 49ers launched on Monday their NextGen Flag Football program to introduce the game into school curricula in the UAE.
The US team are collaborating with GEMS Education, the largest network of schools in the country, serving 125,000 students. The program was rolled out to select GEMS schools earlier this year, with plans for more to join in January 2026.
The program will equip participating schools with gear, curriculum resources, and coaching support, to help teachers integrate flag football into their physical education lessons, the team stated in a press release.
The team added: “At the end of each season, the program will culminate in a flag football tournament, bringing together participating schools to compete and demonstrate the skills developed in their classes.”
The launch follows several 49ers flag football clinics at GEMS schools earlier this year, including the first event of its kind hosted by an NFL team in the UAE at GEMS World Academy Senior School.
During these events, 49ers representatives trained more than 24 physical education teachers in the fundamentals of coaching flag football, before leading hands-on sessions with students.
Participants took part in NFL-style practice drills, played introductory flag tag games. There was a special appearance from the 49ers’ mascot, Sourdough Sam, who attended to cheer on the students.
Justin Prettyman, executive director of the 49ers Foundation, stated: “We’re thrilled to launch NextGen Flag Football and to work with GEMS going forward.
“By introducing students to the fundamentals of flag football, we’re not just teaching a game; we’re helping them develop teamwork, confidence, and leadership skills that will last a lifetime.”
Jay Varkey, deputy CEO, GEMS Education, stated that they are committed to providing students “with a truly holistic education that nurtures not only academic excellence but also character, teamwork, and resilience.
“Our collaboration with the San Francisco 49ers reflects this vision, bringing world-class sporting expertise into our schools through the NextGen Flag Football program.
The launch of NextGen Flag Football in the UAE reflects the 49ers expanding international footprint under the NFL’s Global Markets Program.
In March, the team was awarded activation rights in the UAE, building on its program in the UK and Mexico, where local fanbases have grown by more than 50 percent, the team stated.
Since 2021, the 49ers have hosted over 50 community events across those regions.
