MAX Scherzer earned his 200th career win by tossing six perfect innings on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) as the visiting New York Mets clinched a playoff spot by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2.
Pete Alonso hit a monstrous three-run homer in the fourth inning to spark the fifth straight win for the Mets, who remained a game ahead of the second-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East. The Brewers fell 2 1/2 games behind the idle Philadelphia Phillies in the race for the third and final NL wild-card spot.
Scherzer (10-4), who missed the previous 15 days with a left oblique injury, struck out nine while throwing only 68 pitches. He is the 120th pitcher to record 200 wins but just the third active pitcher to reach the milestone, joining former teammate Justin Verlander (243 wins) as well as Zack Greinke (223 wins).
Brewers starter Corbin Burnes (10-8) allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four over 5 2/3 innings.
In other games, it was the Astros 4, Rays 0; Braves 5, Nationals 2; Guardians 11, Twins 4; Mariners 9, Angels 1; Tigers 11, Orioles 0; and Marlins 10, Cubs 3.
Astros 4, Rays 0
Jose Altuve hit his major-league-leading 11th leadoff homer, Luis Garcia fired five shutout innings and Houston clinched a second consecutive American League West title by beating Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
In his 86-pitch start, Garcia (13-8) used his quirky, rocking windup to hold the Rays to just two hits. Alex Bregman finished 2-for-4 with a two-RBI double as the Astros breezed to their eighth win in the past nine games.
Harold Ramirez went 3-for-4, but the Rays mustered just five hits. Over six innings, Rays starter Drew Rasmussen (10-6) allowed four runs on six hits.
Braves 5, Nationals 2
Kyle Wright earned his major-league-leading 19th victory and Atlanta topped Washington for its ninth straight home win.
The Braves improved to 11-3 against the Nationals this year. The home winning streak is the team’s longest of the season and the longest since the club’s modern-era record of 13 in 2019.
Wright (19-5) pitched six innings and allowed two runs on eight hits. Travis d’Arnaud and Eddie Rosario each had two hits and an RBI. Nationals starter Cory Abbott (0-3) yielded four runs on six hits in four innings.
