Indians slugger Mike Napoli absolutely crushed a breaking ball from Minnesota right-hander Tyler Duffey to open the fifth inning of the Tribe’s 5-4 victory Friday night in Minnesota.

The Red Sox staked their claim to first place in the American League East by soundly outplaying the Blue Jays in almost every facet of the game during their highly anticipated series opener on Friday night.

Kris Bryant, taken by the Cubs as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 Draft after the Astros passed on him with the top pick, clubbed a two-run homer in the fifth inning to back seven scoreless from Jon Lester to send the Cubs to a 2-0 win over the Astros.

About halfway down the third-base line, still laughing in disbelief that his first career walk-off home run even landed over the fence, Trea Turner took off his helmet and tossed into the air before he was mobbed by his teammates at home plate.

Rick Porcello had just won his 20th game, a marvelous accomplishment for any pitcher, let alone one who had never had more than 15 victories in a season.

Danny Salazar’s electric right arm appears to be on the fritz again. During Friday night’s game against the Twins, the Indians pulled Salazar from his start after he complained of tightness in his right forearm.

Victor Martinez’s go-ahead home run in the eighth off Orioles reliever Brad Brach nullified Baltimore’s game-tying rally in the top half, sending Detroit to a 4-3 win Friday night at Comerica Park.

Were the Cardinals, the Giants or even the Marlins playing their best ball down the stretch, the Mets’ situation might not be as rosy as it currently appears. To be clear: the Mets are in sole possession of the second National League Wild Card spot because they have played superlatively in recent weeks. But they’ve also had plenty of help from their foes. In that sense, the eighth inning of Friday’s 6-4 win over the Braves was in many ways a microcosm of their last three weeks

For much of the second half of the season, the talk surrounding the Red Sox’s ascension has been centred on the breakout season of American League MVP candidate Mookie Betts, the consistency of Rick Porcello and the ageless dominance of David Ortiz.

When Jose Fernandez struck out the side in the seventh inning in the Marlins’ 4-1 win over the Dodgers on Friday night, not only did the All-Star right-hander match a personal record, but he also made a statement.

In order to even their series against the Brewers and keep pace in a crowded National League Wild Card race, the Cardinals supported their most reliable starter with their most reliable form of offense. With all of their runs coming via third-inning homers, the Cardinals flipped a three-run deficit into a 4-3 win at Busch Stadium on Friday.

Every loss at this point puts a dent in the Pirates’ postseason aspirations, and the Reds were all too pleased to provide the latest ding. It came in the top of the ninth inning, when Jose Peraza’s sacrifice fly gave Cincinnati a 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh on Friday at PNC Park.

Victor Martinez hadn’t hit a home run since Aug. 23. Brad Brach hadn’t given up a lead or put the Orioles behind since July 24, and hadn’t given up a lead-changing home run since June 10. And yet, Martinez hit the go-ahead homer in a 4-3 Tigers win on Friday.

The return of Clayton Kershaw lasted three innings on Friday night, and the Marlins were able to do enough early damage to give Jose Fernandez some breathing room. Fernandez did the rest, turning in arguably his best outing of the season.

The tightest pennant race in baseball is on display this weekend as the Red Sox and Blue Jays battle for control of the American League East in Toronto.

Clayton Kershaw’s return from a back injury in Friday’s 4-1 Dodgers loss to the Marlins lasted three innings, as he was removed after allowing two runs and throwing 66 pitches (46 strikes).

These threads looked just as great back in the 1980s as they do now.