Commissioner Bud Selig, who changed the face of Major League Baseball while leading the sport into an era of unprecedented popularity and prosperity, will formally step down from the office in January 2015.

When Brian McCann returned to Turner Field on Thursday afternoon, he remained confident that he reacted appropriately to Carlos Gomez’s animated home run trot that led to a benches-clearing confrontation with the Brewers on Wednesday night.

Cal Ripken Jr. and Ron Darling will join play-by-play man Ernie Johnson as the lead broadcast crew when TBS begins its postseason telecasts next week, and Thursday was the annual conference call in which the analysts address a wide array of Major League Baseball topics while the network introduces its latest bells and whistles.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said on Thursday that he is “absolutely” considering having Mariano Rivera make an appearance in the outfield this weekend against the Astros in Houston, though he has not decided yet when or under what circumstances.

A sampling of reaction regarding the announcement by Commissioner Bud Selig that he will retire from office in January 2015.

Under his leadership, Commissioner Bud Selig has guided the baseball industry to many successes.

The rival Pirates and Reds will meet this weekend, with the series winner likely hosting Tuesday’s NL Wild Card Game.

Bud Selig’s legacy is about as uncomplicated as it gets. He’s the best Commissioner baseball has ever had. Is that uncomplicated enough?

Thanks to Beat the Streak in a Day — one of MLB.com’s fantasy games — $5.6 million could become a part of your reality in just a several-hour span today.

Long after Wade Miley threw six shutout innings in San Diego, Didi Gregorius delivered an RBI triple in the 12th inning, Arizona’s Major League-record 78th extra frame of the season to give the D-backs a 2-1 win over the Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday.

Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched seven strong innings and rode home runs from outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp as the Dodgers edged the Giants Tuesday night, 2-1.

Veteran Bruce Chen yielded four runs in five innings and the offense was held in check as the Royals’ playoff hopes took a major hit with a 4-0 loss to the Mariners on Tuesday night.

With the Blue Jays and Orioles game going 10 innings on Tuesday, a new record of 238 extra-inning games was set, surpassing the all-time high of 237 set in 2011.

The Tigers secured a trip to the postseason for the third straight season on Tuesday night with a 4-2 victory over the Twins at Target Field. Their magic number to clinch the AL Central remains at one because of Cleveland’s dramatic win.

The A’s had a chance to end Tuesday night tied with the Red Sox for best record in the American League, but Oakland watched its sweltering offense go mute in a 3-0 loss at Angel Stadium.

As the Pulse of the Postseason pounded on the last Tuesday of the regular season, Jason Giambi’s 42-year-old swing kept the Tribe in control of an AL Wild Card spot, and Michael Wacha of the Cardinals flirted with history.

The quest to win 100 games — something no Red Sox team has done since 1946 — disappeared into the thin air of Coors Field amid an 8-3 loss to the Rockies on Tuesday night at Coors Field.