The Phillies announced their first changes following Wednesday’s season finale at Nationals Park, where they informed bench coach Pete Mackanin, hitting coach Greg Gross and first-base coach Sam Perlozzo they will not be back in 2013.

Major League Baseball today announced game times for a potential AL East Tiebreaker game on Thursday, the inaugural Wild Card games presented by Budweiser on Friday and the pair of Division Series-opening Game 1s, involving the Detroit Tigers in the American League and the Cincinnati Reds against the San Francisco Giants in the National League.

Davey Johnson said he left Wednesday’s game against the Phillies early because he felt numbness in his left leg, which was later diagnosed as a nerve issue after he underwent a series of X-rays.

Facing an early four-run deficit, the A’s didn’t flinch, putting up six runs in the fourth on the way to a 12-5 win over the Rangers on Wednesday to clinch their first AL West title since 2006.

A Josh Hamilton error led to the decisive runs Wednesday as the Rangers let an early four-run lead slip away en route to a 12-5 loss that gave the A’s the AL West title.

For more than a week, manager Davey Johnson kept saying he wanted right-hander Edwin Jackson to get his 10th victory of the season, and Jackson did just that as the Nationals secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by defeating the Phillies, 5-1, at Nationals Park on Wednesday afternoon.

The 2012 playoffs will feature new commentators in the booth, new tools to analyze the game and a new postseason format altogether.

Miguel Cabrera came into Wednesday’s season finale with a Triple Crown firmly in his grasp and on pace to become just the ninth player to hit at least .330 with at least 44 homers and 137 RBIs in a season.

Manager Ron Washington said Yu Darvish will be the Rangers’ first starter in the playoffs, whether it’s the American League Wild Card game on Friday or an AL Division Series game this weekend.

Eleven-year-old Riley Kuehn skipped school on Wednesday, knowing there was a chance to witness history at Nationals Park. The beloved Teddy Roosevelt mascot had been mired in a 525-race losing streak in the stadium’s Presidents Race, held in the middle of the fourth inning of every Nationals home game.

For the first time since 2003, both the A’s and Giants qualified for the postseason, which means the always-busy Bay Area will be even more exciting this weekend.

As the Braves completed the regular season with a 4-0 win over the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon, a couple of their veterans closed a chapter of their lives.

Left-hander Travis Wood allowed one run on three hits in 6 1/3 strong innings, and helped his own cause with a two-run single, but took a no-decision after a late Astros rally. However, Bryan LaHair gave the Cubs a 5-4 walk-off win with a single in the ninth after homering in the second.

Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson will throw out the first pitch before Game 3 of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park, according to a baseball source. The Nationals have yet to formally make an announcement.

Even with the Nationals’ youth being one of their most prominent season-long storylines, Davey Johnson has no concerns about his team’s perceived lack of postseason experience.

Chipper Jones’ pinch-hit single to lead off the sixth inning of Wednesday afternoon’s 4-0 win against the Pirates fittingly closed yet another chapter in the storied career he has had with the Braves.

Rays starter James Shields became the sixth pitcher since 1918 to strike out 15 batters, issue no walks, surrender at most one run and allow at most two hits in a game. He is the first pitcher to take the loss in such a game.