MARK CANHA

In the hallways and meeting rooms of Resorts World, baseball general managers are starting to weigh bigger bets than the wagers placed on tables and machines in the casino downstairs.

Pete Alonso launched a tiebreaking homer and Jacob deGrom pitched well enough to help save the New York Mets’ season with a 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres that evened their wild-card playoff series at one game apiece.

The New York Mets set a major league record with 106 hit batters this season when Mark Canha was plunked twice and Luis Guillorme once in a 6-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The New York Mets are going to need a lot of ice baths after this year. Mets batters have been hit by 106 pitches this season, breaking the modern-day record.

Jacob deGrom struck out 13 batters — the most ever for a Mets pitcher who threw five or fewer innings — but didn’t factor into the decision.

Edwin Díaz struck out Gavin Lux on a 102.8 mph fastball to escape a jam in the eighth inning, and the New York Mets beat the major league-best Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3.

Aaron Judge hit a 453-foot drive halfway up the bleachers for his 48th home run and added an RBI single during a seventh-inning rally, boosting the Yankees past the Mets 4-2 for a two-game sweep in a Subway Series both teams hope was a World Series prelude.

Banker-turned-reliever Nate Fisher found out the hard way that baseball really is a numbers game.

Mets reliever Nate Fisher pitched three scoreless innings of relief in his major league debut after working at a Nebraska bank a year ago, Mark Canha hit two homers and drove in five runs and New York rallied past the Philadelphia Phillies 10-9.

Max Scherzer tied a season high with 11 strikeouts over seven innings and the New York Mets beat the sloppy Atlanta Braves 6-2 to complete a doubleheader sweep.

The first-place New York Mets have acquired outfielder Tyler Naquin and left-handed reliever Phillip Diehl from the Cincinnati Reds in a trade for two teenage minor leaguers.

Eduardo Escobar hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer that capped a four-run, first-inning rally, and the New York Mets beat the Yankees 6-3 in a rare Subway Series matchup of first-place teams.

Pete Alonso hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off Joe Musgrove and had four RBIs to retake the major league lead, leading the New York Mets over the San Diego Padres 8-5.

Yordan Alvarez homered twice off Carlos Carrasco as the Houston Astros jumped on him early and held on for a 5-3 win over the New York Mets Wednesday.

Francisco Lindor homered after being surprised by his mom’s first visit to see him at Citi Field, Pete Alonso slugged a grand slam during an eventful sixth inning and the New York Mets beat the Miami Marlins 10-4.

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the season with an all-time high $310.6 million payroll for purposes of the luxury tax and are on track to pay a record tax of nearly $47 million.

Hours after the Mets learned Max Scherzer will join fellow ace Jacob deGrom on the injured list, Pete Alonso kept New York rolling with a two-run homer in the 10th inning for a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Max Scherzer pulled himself from a start with discomfort in his left side before the New York Mets finished off an 11-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Taijuan Walker pitched seven no-fuss innings and the New York Mets remained unbeaten in 10 series this season, cruising past the sloppy Washington Nationals 4-1.

The New York Mets erased a six-run deficit in the ninth inning, capping the rally with Starling Marte’s tiebreaking double to beat the flabbergasted Philadelphia Phillies 8-7 Thursday night.

The New York Mets’ hit-by-pitch frustrations boiled over when reliever Yoan López threw a pitch near Nolan Arenado’s head, sparking a benches-clearing brawl that led to Arenado’s ejection in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 10-5 victory.

Pinch-hitter Dominic Smith hustled for an infield single that drove in two pivotal runs, and the New York Mets capitalized on an uncharacteristic error by Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado to rally for five unearned runs with two outs in the ninth inning of a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Carlos Carrasco pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in almost three years, leading the New York Mets over the San Francisco Giants 6-2.

Max Scherzer pitched no-hit ball into the sixth inning of his anticipated home debut and the New York Mets rode their $130 million ace to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants for a doubleheader sweep.

Sergio Alcantara snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the seventh inning, Ketel Marte added an RBI double and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the New York Mets 3-2.

The Twins are hoping for good news on Byron Buxton after he injured his knee Friday and was sent for an MRI.

Mets outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Mark Canha have been placed on the injured list after a New York coach tested positive for COVID-19.

Nelson Cruz hit his 450th home run and added a tiebreaking two-run single in three-run eighth inning that lifted the Washington Nationals over the Mets 4-2 and prevented New York from an opening four-game sweep.

Francisco Lindor wasn’t the franchise-altering shortstop the New York Mets were hoping for last season.

Many familiar faces with impressive resumes are in new places following one of major league baseball’s wildest free agent frenzies.

Major League Baseball payrolls dropped 4% in 2021 compared to the league’s last full season, and the $4.05 billion total was the lowest in a fully completed year since 2015.

Buck Showalter has been hired as manager of the New York Mets, bringing him back to the Big Apple to take over his fifth major league team.

The New York Mets have bolstered their lineup with three free-agent deals, adding speedy center fielder Starling Marte to go along with Mark Canha and All-Star infielder Eduardo Escobar.

Mark Canha hit an RBI single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Oakland Athletics again beat Houston with their final swing, edging the AL West-leading Astros 4-3.

Luis Torrens hit a tiebreaking two-run single, Chris Flexen pitched neatly into the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners swept a quick two-game series against the Oakland Athletics with a 5-1 win.

Josh Harrison hit a two-run single, Starling Marte added an RBI double, and the Oakland Athletics beat the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Friday night.

Buried in last place in the NL East, the Miami Marlins have made an impact on the AL West race with two trades.

Yordan Álvarez hit two homers and drove in five runs, José Altuve drove in the go-ahead run with a single, and the Houston Astros rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics 9-6 for their fifth straight win.

Sean Manaea pitched six innings of two-hit ball, and the Oakland Athletics handed Arizona its 19th straight road loss with a 4-0 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Martín Maldonado homered and drove in three runs, helping the Houston Astros beat the Oakland 8-4 to move ahead of the Athletics for the AL West lead.

Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer and the Oakland Athletics won their 13th straight game, building a big lead early and beating the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 on a rainy night.

The Oakland Athletics earned their 12th consecutive victory --- their longest winning streak in almost two decades --- defeating the Baltimore Orioles 3-1.

The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit to beat the Twins 13-12 when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning.

Jason Castro homered in his first start back with Houston, and the Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 9-2 on Sunday to complete a four-game sweep.

Oakland Athletics' Chad Pinder, right, celebrates with manager Bob Melvin after the Athletics defeated the Houston Astros in Game 3 of a baseball American League Division Series in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. And just in case Laureano's words did not get the message across, he ripped a double as the A's got a pair of sacrifice flies in the eighth to rally past the Houston Astros 9-7 on Wednesday and avoid elimination in their AL Division Series. “It was awesome.”Houston leads the best-of-five series 2-1 and can advance to its fourth straight AL Championship Series with a victory in Game 4 on Thursday. Pinder hit a first-pitch slider to the opposite field for Oakland's fifth homer, a drive chased by right fielder Kyle Tucker until he ran out of room at the short wall. Houston took a 7-4 lead with five runs in the fifth, when the Astros sent 10 batters to the plate.

Houston Astros' Carlos Correa, left, celebrates with George Springer after they defeated the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of a baseball American League Division Series in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – A home run derby broke out during a hot, dry day at Dodger Stadium, and suddenly the Houston Astros have their swing and swagger back. “When you get the leadoff guy (Springer) getting on base every single time, good things are going to happen. Altuve's line-drive single to left scored Maldonado and Springer to put the Astros back in front, 6-5. Chris Bassitt put the potential tying and go-ahead runs on in the fifth with back-to-back singles by Springer and Altuve.

Oakland stopped a nine-game losing streak in winner-take-all postseason games, a major league record that dated to the 1973 World Series. “I woke up this morning feeling like this was going to be a hard game and it was a hard game,” Melvin said. The low-budget A's had not captured a winner-take-all postseason game since beating Hall of Famer Willie Mays and the New York Mets. That prompted White Sox star Tim Anderson to say, “I guess they haven’t done their homework.”“It’s a tough one to swallow but we've got to keep going,” Anderson said. HURLING ITThe 17 pitchers, nine by Chicago, were the most in a nine-inning postseason game.

Now, the slugging A's are right back in a familiar fall position: one winner-take-all postseason game with the season on the line. Semien and Davis connected early and Oakland's bullpen barely held off José Abreu and the Chicago White Sox late for a 5-3 win Wednesday that sent the AL playoff series to a deciding Game 3. The White Sox went 14-0 in the regular season against left-handed starters and beat southpaw Jesús Luzardo in the playoff opener. “I'm pretty sure we're pretty dang confident in anyone we throw against the White Sox,” Bassitt said. He went just 3 for 18 against the White Sox last season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers pose for a photo after the Dodgers clinched the NL West title with a 7-2 win over the Oakland Athletics in a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, in Los Angeles. The Dodgers clinched the NL's top postseason seed and eighth straight division title Tuesday night with a 7-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics. “To fast forward a couple months and be crowned NL West champs is a credit to everyone. Los Angeles came into the day with a magic number of two and got help with the Angels’ 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres. ATHLETICS ADVANCEThe A’s have a team text thread they used to celebrate clinching their first AL West title since 2013 during their off day Monday, when the Mariners beat Houston.

Sean Manaea carried a perfect game into the sixth inning en route to winning his fourth straight start, Matt Olson hit a two-run homer and the Oakland Athletics beat the stumbling Houston Astros 3-1 on Thursday. Well-played series.”The division-leading A's (27-15) moved 6 1/2 games ahead of second-place Houston in the AL West. Oakland had four games postponed and is 5-3 since resuming play last Friday against the Padres. Today was disheartening because we hit a lot of balls hard off Manaea," Houston's Josh Reddick said. “It's been very heartbreaking but we have to keep moving forward.”FIVE GAMESThis marked the 15th five-game series in Oakland history.

(AP Photo/Michael Wyke)NEW YORK All 30 major league teams played on the same day Saturday for the first time since July 26. The most recent was a Mets-Yankees game Aug. 23 following positive tests for a Mets player and coach received Aug. 20. The entire league was supposed to play Tuesday when the Mets returned to action, but a Yankees-Braves game in Atlanta was postponed by rain. Additionally, a game between the Angels and Astros in Houston was postponed Wednesday due to Hurricane Laura. The league said Friday that 84 of 90,888 samples tested for the coronavirus this season have returned a positive result, which is 0.09%.

Robbie Grossman singled home the winning run with two outs in the 13th inning to give Oakland a 3-2 victory over the Astros on Friday night. Corban Joseph singled leading off the bottom of the 13th against Cy Sneed (0-1) and was sacrificed to second. Canha hit his 18th homer in the second, and Semien added his 20th on a 2-0 pitch from Verlander in the sixth. Unhappy AltuveJose Altuve went 1 for 6 but the Astros second baseman was particularly unhappy with plate umpire Tripp Gibson after flying out in the 10th. Armenteros has been in the minors since July 22 because Houston had no need for a fifth starter.