The Indians endured some shaky relief from Chris Perez in the ninth inning to post a 6-5 victory Thursday night in Minnesota and hold their grip on the second AL Wild Card spot.

Mariano Rivera pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings in his final Yankee Stadium appearance but his final moments in pinstripes won’t be about stats. They will be about the emotional end of a storied 19-year career in the Bronx, when after recording four outs, the legendary closer was removed from the game by longtime teammates Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter.

Jurickson Profar hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Rangers a 6-5 victory over the Angels on Thursday night. The Ranger remain one game back of the Indians for the second AL Wild Card.

There was no save to record, not even a lead to protect, as Mariano Rivera jogged to the mound at Yankee Stadium for the final time in a 4-0 loss to the Rays. This was still the moment they had all come to witness, Rivera’s last appearance in pinstripes.

Over the years the Rays have been witness to Mariano Rivera’s greatness, and on Thursday they paid tribute to the greatest closer in history as he made his final appearance at Yankee Stadium. Three times the Rays stood outside their dugout to take part of the huge ovations accorded Rivera before, during and after he retired the four hitters he faced in the eighth and ninth innings of Tampa Bay’s 4-0 win.

When they defeated the Chicago White Sox, 3-2, on Thursday night, the Royals marked their 84th victory — their highest win total in 20 years, since posting an 84-78 record in 1993.

Just enough offense and a healthy dose of Alex Cobb led the Rays to a 4-0 win over the Yankees on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.

Jason Heyward’s leadoff homer sparked a five-run first inning that lifted the Braves to a 7-1 win Thursday night, pulling them even with the Cardinals with three games to play for the best record in the National League at 94-65. Heyward finished 5-for-5 with four extra-base hits, accomplishing both feats for the first time in his four-year Major League career.

Judging from the flurry of reactions in and around Major League Baseball on Thursday commending Bud Selig for an astonishing run in which he modernized the game and emboldened it as a social institution in more ways than any of his predecessors, it’s clear that he will be missed greatly.

There is one real way to measure leadership. Are things better now than they were when the leader took over? In the case of Commissioner Bud Selig, the answer is a resounding yes, on all fronts.

Cleared by doctors after Wednesday’s MRI and CT scan, Andre Ethier resumed working out on his injured left ankle with the team on Thursday.

Braves catcher Brian McCann exited Thursday night’s 7-1 win over the Phillies in the second inning because of some tightness near his right groin muscle. But early indications are that he could return to action this weekend, or at least by the start of next week’s National League Division Series.

The Dodgers’ top three starters will get final tune-ups for the playoffs this weekend against the Rockies, with Clayton Kershaw pitching on Friday night, Zack Greinke on Saturday night and Hyun-Jin Ryu on Sunday.

Indians center fielder Michael Bourn sat in front of his locker inside the visitors’ clubhouse at Target Field on Thursday afternoon, his right wrist wrapped and his name absent from Cleveland’s starting lineup.

Mets third baseman David Wright left Thursday’s game in the third inning after being hit in the helmet with a pitch by the Brewers’ Johnny Hellweg. Wright stayed on the ground for several moments before walking off the field.

Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez drew a one-game suspension from Major League Baseball for his role in inciting a benches-clearing incident Wednesday night in Atlanta.

If the Rangers would need to play a tiebreaker game on Monday to decide one of the American League Wild Card spots, manager Ron Washington doesn’t plan to move Martin Perez out of that start.