Man alleged to have tossed beer during Jays game comes forward  —  The man alleged by police to have hurled a beer can at a Baltimore outfielder during Tuesday's dramatic playoff between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Orioles has come forward.  —  “I contacted Toronto police earlier this evening …

Bumgarner's Arm, Gillaspie's Homer Lift Giants Past Mets  —  (The Sports Xchange) - Conor Gillaspie broke a scoreless tie with a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning on Wednesday as Madison Bumgarner threw a four-hit shutout as the Giants beat the New York Mets 3-0 in the NL wild-card game.

Memory Lane: Francona Faces Past as Indians Meet Red Sox  —  CLEVELAND — When Terry Francona looks across the diamond at Boston's dugout, the Indians manager will have emotions to suppress.  It won't be easy.  —  He's got friends over there — one of his closest in manager John Farrell …

Nats' Scherzer Wants to Do ‘Exact Same Thing’ vs. Dodgers  —  WASHINGTON — Max Scherzer remembers being urged to try to slow everything down for his postseason debut five years ago.  —  Take an extra breath, they said.  Be calm as can be, they said.  Dial down the intensity, they said.

Brian Cashman not expecting free agent splash but stresses need to ‘fortify’ Yankees' pitching staff  —  The Yankees' offense was the biggest problem in 2016, but when Brian Cashman sits down with the rest of the front office in the coming days and weeks to formulate a winter plan …

Something Borrowed: Who to Root for If Your Team Made You Blue  —  Who to Root for If Your Team Made You Blue  —  The Wildcard round is in the books.  The Division Series loom.  And fans of 22 teams sit at home, wondering who they can squint at and see something recognizable as their own.

Brad Ausmus Returning as Detroit Tigers' Manager in 2017  —  DETROIT — Brad Ausmus will return next year for a fourth season as manager of the Detroit Tigers.  —  The team announced Wednesday that it is exercising the 2017 option on his contract.  Detroit was eliminated from playoff contention Sunday …

MLB average attendance drops 1.1 percent; still 11th-highest  —  NEW YORK — Major League Baseball's average attendance dropped 1.1 percent this season but still was the sport's 11th-highest.  —  The 30 teams combined to draw 73,159,044 fans and average 30,169, the commissioner's office said Tuesday.

Athletics Outright Matt McBride, Chris Smith  —  The A's announced this afternoon that they've outrighted catcher Matt McBride and right-hander Chris Smith off the 40-man roster.  Both well-traveled minor leaguers have enough professional experience to elect free agency.

Pirates Acquire Brady Dragmire From Blue Jays, Designate Phil Coke  —  The Pirates announced that they've acquired right-hander Brady Dragmire from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash.  In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, lefty Phil Coke has been designated for assignment.

MLB Rumor Central: Carlos Martinez, Cardinals interested in extension?  —  Expect the St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Carlos Martinez to work on a contract extension in the coming months, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  —  “That is the plan …