Rangers hire Skip Schumaker as manager on four-year deal  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — The Rangers hired Skip Schumaker as their manager, agreeing Friday night on a four-year contract with the former National League Manager of the Year.  —  Schumaker's deal was announced after Chris Young …

Clayton Kershaw to pitch out of bullpen in NL Division Series against Philadelphia  —  PHILADELPHIA — Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw will pitch out of the bullpen in the NL Division Series against Philadelphia.  —  A three-time Cy Young Award winner, the 37-year-old left-hander is set to retire at the end of the postseason.

Kirk homers twice as Blue Jays end playoff skid by thumping Yankees 10-1 in Game 1 of ALDS  —  TORONTO — Alejandro Kirk and Vladmir Guerrero Jr. powered the Toronto Blue Jays to yet another home win over the New York Yankees, snapping a postseason losing streak that stretched back almost a decade.

Fast start propels Brewers to 9-3 victory over Cubs in NLDS opener  —  MILWAUKEE — Jackson Chourio sparked Milwaukee's fast start at the plate, and Freddy Peralta delivered a steady performance on the mound.  —  The Brewers looked more than ready for October.

Mariners ace Bryan Woo left off ALDS roster  —  The Mariners will begin their playoff push against the Detroit Tigers without their young ace.  —  Bryan Woo, out for the past two weeks with pectoral inflammation, has been left off the Mariners' 26-man roster for the American League Division Series …

Ohtani's pitching leads Dodgers to Game 1 win despite 4 strikeouts at the plate  —  PHILADELPHIA — Shohei Ohtani struck out not once, twice, three times but four — four! — straight times and almost snuffed a late Dodgers rally.  —  The Oh-4 nearly cost Los Angeles.

McKinstry lifts Tigers over Mariners 3-2 in 11 innings in ALDS opener  —  SEATTLE — Zach McKinstry singled home the tiebreaking run with two outs in the 11th inning and the Detroit Tigers outlasted the Seattle Mariners for a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of their AL Division Series on Saturday.

Cam Schlittler's playoff gem for Yankees against rival Red Sox prompts Aaron Boone to say ‘A star is born’  —  NEW YORK — Cam Schlittler's key to putting Boston Red Sox bats to sleep was his own slumber.  —  Making only his 15th major league start, Schlittler struck out 12 in eight dominant innings …

Braves GM Anthopoulos says he has no list of candidates as he begins search to replace Snitker  —  ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Saturday he hopes to move quickly as he begins his search for a successor to Brian Snitker as manager but that he has not conducted any interviews.

Phillies selling nine bite-sized hot dogs, nine tiny beers to help fans complete 9-9-9 challenge  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies want to fuel their fans on a postseason run with a bit of gluttony through a small-scale twist on the popular 9-9-9 challenge.

What I'm Hearing on A.J. Brown's future, J.J. McCarthy's status and MetLife turf  —  NFL panic season has arrived early.  —  It's only Week 5, barely October; the leaves on the trees in my northern New Jersey backyard are still green, and already we've got everyone acting like it's January.

Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler takes down hometown Cleveland Guardians in Wild Card Series clincher  —  CLEVELAND — Dillon Dingler grew up rooting for the Cleveland Guardians.  But in Game 3, he sent them home.  —  Playing in the ballpark where he attended many games as a youngster …