SAN FRANCISCO — If it is an even-numbered year, the San Francisco Giants find their way into the playoffs

San Francisco made it on the final day of the regular season, securing the second NL wild card with a 7-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of their rival.

Denard Span hit a two-run triple among his three hits, and Buster Posey drove in three runs and had three hits.

San Francisco, which won Series titles in 2010, ‘12 and ‘14, plays at the defending NL champion New York Mets on Wednesday night in the NL wild-card game, with the winner advancing to a Division Series against the Chicago Cubs. Madison Bumgarner, the 2014 World Series MVP, will face Noah Syndergaard.

Los Angeles, the NL West champion, plays Washington in the Division Series.

Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully ended his 67-year career, calling his final game 80 years to the day after he fell in love with baseball walking home from school.

Midseason acquisition Matt Moore (6-5) allowed one run and three hits in eight innings as San Francisco (87-75) reached the playoffs for the fourth time in seven seasons. The Giants began the day one game ahead of St. Louis.

The Dodgers got a scare when center fielder Joc Pederson came up slowly after diving to try for Brandon Crawford’s RBI single in the eighth.

San Francisco’s fate came down to Game No. 162, just as it did in 2010. That year, Jonathan Sanchez pitched them Giants past San Diego for the division title. and San Francisco went on to win the franchise’s first World Series since moving West in 1958.

After an up-and-down second half and a series of bullpen meltdowns since the All-Star break, San Francisco delivered an impressive offensive performance against Kenta Maeda (16-11), who surrendered five runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings.

San Francisco has won 16 of its last 20 home meetings against the Dodgers.

Third baseman Conor Gillaspie went over a railing and TV camera and into the photo well to snag Chase Utley’s foul popup to begin the third.

“A superior catch, tumbling over the railing,” declared 88-year-old Scully. “Gillaspie refused to quit, eyes riveted on the ball … all’s well that ends well. The Giants are pumped.”

NEW YORK — Matt Wieters homered from both sides of the plate, Kevin Gausman gave Baltimore a clutch pitching performance and the Orioles snagged a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season by beating the New York Yankees 5-2 Sunday.

Baltimore will play at AL East rival Toronto in the wild-card game Tuesday night for a chance to face AL West champion Texas in a best-of-five Division Series.

Zach Britton got five outs and finished perfect in 48 save chances this year with a 0.54 ERA. Wieters had four RBIs and Gausman (9-12) was charged with two runs in 7 1/3 innings as the Orioles closed with their seventh victory in nine games to reach the postseason for the third time in five years.

Seeking their first World Series championship since 1983, the Orioles (89-73) barely celebrated on the field after Britton struck out Brett Gardner to end it. Several players hugged each other behind the mound, but others simply walked out of the dugout and formed the customary handshake line.

Back in their clubhouse, however, manager Buck Showalter and the Orioles broke into a raucous party complete with spraying beer and champagne.

In his final game before retiring, New York slugger Mark Teixeira went 0 for 3 and showed off his Gold Glove form with a couple of slick plays at first base. Honored during a 12-minute ceremony and feted with several gifts before the game, he was removed with one out in the top of the seventh inning so he could soak up the cheers while he walked off the field, fully composed as he hugged his teammates one at a time.

“Mentally and emotionally, I kind of prepared for it,” Teixeira said. “It wasn’t as weird as I thought it would be.”

Teixeira tipped his cap to the crowd of 33,277 as it offered a standing ovation. He patted his chest with his glove and said, “Thank you.”

And with that, one of baseball’s most prolific switch-hitters said goodbye to the game.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more but a win,” Teixeira said. “I got a chance to say goodbye, which was very important.”

Braves keep Tigers out of playoffs, say goodbye to Turner Field

ATLANTA — The Detroit Tigers were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday when Julio Teheran matched a career high with 12 strikeouts and Freddie Freeman hit a first-inning sacrifice fly that led the Atlanta Braves to a 1-0 victory in the last game at Turner Field.

While the Braves focused on sending their home of 20 years out in style before moving to a new suburban stadium in 2017, the Tigers were looking to extend this season with a victory.

They needed to win, hope that either Baltimore or Toronto lost, and then win a makeup game against Cleveland on Monday in order to force a tiebreaker for an AL wild card.

Instead, Detroit lost its second straight against the last-place Braves. It didn’t matter, anyway, as both the Orioles and the Blue Jays won.

Atlanta was never a playoff contender but is feeling a lot better about its prospects heading to SunTrust Park. After an 18-46 start that included the firing of manager Fredi Gonzalez, the Braves went 50-47 the rest of the way under interim manager Brian Snitker, who might have done enough to keep the job in 2017.

Teheran (7-10) lasted seven innings, giving up three hits and a walk before a sellout crowd of 51,220 that included former President Jimmy Carter and Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, who threw out ceremonial first pitches in unison.

Justin Verlander (16-9) allowed six hits in seven innings, walked one intentionally and struck out eight.

Jim Johnson, who agreed to a two-year contract extension before the game, worked the ninth for his 20th save in 23 chances. He ended Detroit’s season by fanning former Braves outfielder Justin Upton on a called third strike with a runner aboard.

ST. LOUIS — A win on the final day of the season was not enough for the St. Louis Cardinals, who missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

Matt Carpenter homered and Randal Grichuk keyed a six-run seventh-inning with a two-run double to lead the Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-4 Sunday.

But the Cardinals (86-76) were eliminated while still on the field when San Francisco (87-75) beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 and earned the second NL wild card.

St. Louis outfielder Matt Holliday was brought into the game momentarily to play left field in the ninth inning. He was given a standing ovation and taken out before the first pitch. The Cardinals announced Friday they plan to decline his 2017 option and allow him to become free agent.

St. Louis was a big league-best 100-62 last year but lost to the Chicago Cubs in the Division Series. The Cardinals never led the NL Central at any point this season and finished with a losing record at home (38-43) for the first time since 1999.</s>ATLANTA -- Walter Banks posed for pictures, caught up with old friends and turned a bit wistful as he remembered all the good times as an Atlanta Braves usher.

It was time to say goodbye.

Again.

The Braves played their final game at Turner Field on Sunday, ending a run that lasted a mere 20 seasons with a 1-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. They'll be moving to a new stadium in the suburbs next season.

A sellout crowd of some 50,000 turned out for the occasion, while Banks manned his usual position in the box seats near the Atlanta dugout, not far from former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn.

Banks was wearing a Braves jersey with No. 51 on the back, marking his seasons of service with the team going back to its move from Milwaukee in 1966.

"You save the best to the last," he said. "No matter if they win, lose or draw, you'll always remember this day."

Banks spent 31 seasons working as a Braves usher at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium -- though, he was quick to point out, it was actually 32 since he started in 1965 when the Triple-A Crackers called it home while the Braves spent a lame-duck season in Wisconsin.

"I've met so many people, so many friends," he said. "A lot of people, I won't get to get see anymore."

Banks was on hand for the Braves' final game at their previous home in 1996. The following year, the team moved next door to Turner Field, which began life as the main stadium for the Atlanta Olympics before it was converted into a baseball park.

Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium was imploded, clearing the way for a parking lot that served its replacement.

That was an easy move for Banks and other longtime stadium employees. He's not sure he'll be heading to SunTrust Park, which is only about 15 miles away in the Cumberland section of the city but isn't served by Atlanta's rapid-transit system.

"If they get transportation, it would be a lot better," Banks said.

Atlanta's trio of aces from its golden years at Turner Field, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, threw out the ceremonial first pitches for the final game played at the stadium. Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports

The Braves marked the final game at the ballpark affectionately known as "the Ted" -- a nod to its namesake and former Braves owner Ted Turner -- with a rousing ceremony honoring their all-time Turner Field team.

One by one, they trotted in through an opening in the center-field wall, beginning with Chipper Jones. He took his former position at third base, followed by shortstop Rafael Furcal, second baseman Marcus Giles, first baseman Adam LaRoche, left fielder Brian Jordan, center fielder Andruw Jones, right fielder Gary Sheffield and catcher Javy Lopez.

Finally, the all-time pitchers were introduced -- three of them. Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz strolled out together in their familiar Braves jerseys, the crowd saving its biggest cheer for the remarkable trio. They anchored the team through much of its unprecedented run of 14 straight division titles, the last nine of which came after the move to Turner Field.

Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz were fittingly given the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitches in unison -- or, actually, the last pitches. They were joined on the mound by another Hall of Famer, former Braves manager Bobby Cox.

A giant American flag was unfurled across the outfield during the national anthem, which was capped off by two military jets roaring overhead on an unseasonably warm afternoon.

Tim Landrey was among those attending the final game, bringing along his 12-year-old son, Jack.

Landrey moved to Atlanta in 1996 and has been a Braves fan ever since.

"I wanted to be part of this last game," he said while watching batting practice.

Landrey, who lives in the suburbs north of Atlanta, is eager to attend games at the new stadium. He said it will be a bit closer to his home and there will be more to do at the mall-like complex adjacent to SunTrust Park, which will include restaurants, retail shops and a hotel.

The Braves had long complained that the city never followed through on plans to bring development to the struggling neighborhood that surrounds Turner Field. They cited that as a reason for moving, along with some $400 million in public funds that Cobb County kicked in for the new stadium.

"I'm looking forward to going to Braves games and hitting a restaurant or a bar before or after the game," Landrey said. "It's something to do as opposed to just coming here, so it's a good move for the Braves."

Turner Field is barely older than Braves rookie shortstop Dansby Swanson, who was born in 1994 in suburban Kennesaw and has fond memories of cheering on the Braves as a child.

"It's a little bit surreal," Swanson said. "This was pretty much my whole life, what I can remember. You can't really put it into words. I don't know if I've even allowed myself to think about what's going on today and this whole year."

Swanson is glad he made it to Atlanta this season, giving him a chance to take part in the Ted's finale before moving on to a new era, one that he's expected to be a huge part of after several years of painful rebuilding.

"That was the goal coming in," Swanson said. "I wanted to close out the old one and help open up the new one."</s>A look at what’s happening around the majors today:

San Francisco holds a one-game lead over St. Louis for the last NL playoff spot going into the final day of the regular season. Matt Moore starts at home for the Giants vs. the Dodgers, and a win gives them the second NL wild-card slot. In St. Louis, Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals need to beat Pittsburgh and hope for a Giants loss to force a one-game tiebreaker.

Baltimore, Toronto and Detroit all have a chance to win an AL wild-card berth going into the last day.

Adding to the final-day drama: Every game in the majors is scheduled to start within 10 minutes of each other.

Famed announcer Vin Scully calls his last game when the Los Angeles Dodgers wrap up the regular season in San Francisco. The 88-year-old Scully began doing Dodgers game in 1950 when he joined Red Barber and Connie Desmond in the Brooklyn radio and television booth. The Giants plan to simulcast his call of the third inning on their TV and radio affiliates.

The Atlanta Braves play their final game at Turner Field, called “the Ted” by fans in a nod to past owner Ted Turner. Chipper Jones got the first hit when the former Centennial Olympic Stadium opened for big league baseball in 1997. We’ll see who gets the last hit when Detroit visits Atlanta in the finale. Next year, the Braves will play in the suburbs at SunTrust Park.

Mark Teixeira will be honored with a pregame ceremony before winding up his big league career when the Yankees host Baltimore. A three-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove first baseman, the 36-year-old has hit over 400 home runs with Texas, Atlanta, the Angels and Yankees. Popular with teammates and fans, Teixeira was among the most durable players in the majors until injuries took their toll in recent seasons.

David Ortiz, Ryan Howard and Matt Holliday will likely play for the last time in the regular season in the uniforms they’ve worn for so long. Ortiz is retiring after this year with the AL East champion Red Sox, the Phillies aren’t expected to bring back Howard and the Cardinals plan to buy out Holliday. All three stars are expected to get big ovations from home fans.

Several front-line starters around the majors will be prepping for their postseason assignments. David Price (17-9) pitches for AL East champion Boston against Toronto, while Kenta Maeda (16-10) goes for the Dodgers in San Francisco. Meanwhile, right-handers Kyle Hendricks (16-8, 1.99 ERA) of the Cubs and Max Scherzer of the Nationals (19-7, 2.82, MLB-best 277 strikeouts) make their closing arguments for the NL Cy Young Award.

In what will be Washington’s first — and last — entirely meaningless game of 2016, Max Scherzer is eyeing his second 20-win season and an NL Cy Young Award to add to the 2013 AL honor he won for Detroit while going 21-3. “That’s been the pinnacle for pitchers ever since I was in the game — and long before me. It would be forever: ‘He’s a 20-game winner,'” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. Expounding on how he views pitchers’ stats, Baker said: “People put a lot of emphasis on ERA, which is good, but I put emphasis on wins for a guy that knows how to win, whether it’s 7-6 or whether it’s 2-1. Certain guys know how to win.”

In Tampa Bay’s finale at Texas, 27-year-old righty Chase Whitley is set to extend the Rays’ majors-leading streak of 398 straight starts by a pitcher under 30. Whitley hasn’t started a big league game since having Tommy John surgery in early 2015.

Versatile veteran Martin Prado is getting a new role with Miami for the final day of the regular season — player-manager . Prado will play third base and take managerial duties from Don Mattingly in the finale against Washington, something the Marlins can do because the game has no meaning to either team. Other players will fill the role of pitching and hitting coaches, though those appointments were yet to be made as of Saturday night. “He’s got have his crew,” though, Mattingly said.</s>Atlanta (CNN) The first pitch was thrown by Atlanta Braves starter Julio Teheran to Detroit Tigers leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler at 3:13 p.m ET, with the game-time temperature at 80 degrees.

And with that, it was the start of the final goodbye to Major League Baseball in downtown Atlanta.

On Sunday, the final day of the MLB regular season, the Braves and fans bid farewell to Turner Field, the team's home since 1997, with a 1-0 win against the Tigers.

"There's a sentimental significance behind it," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "This place holds a lot of really good memories for a lot of people, and it's great to go out like that."

Teheran pitched one of his finest games, going seven innings and giving up three hits, one walk and no runs. He struck out 12, tying his career high. Freddie Freeman drove in Ender Inciarte on a first-inning sacrifice fly.

"Being the last game ever at Turner Field, it's kind of an emotional thing," Freeman said. "I've spent seven seasons here, my big league debut and everything. I'm always going to remember this place. It has a lot of special moments and memories for me. I'm just happy we won the last game."

The stadium is named after CNN founder Ted Turner, who owned the Braves from 1976-1996.

The Braves never won a World Series at the stadium nicknamed "The Ted." The lone title for the franchise in Atlanta was won next door at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1995. That stadium was imploded on August 2, 1997, and is now a parking lot.

In 2013, the Braves announced they were leaving Turner Field for a new stadium to be built in Cobb County, northwest of the city. At the time, Club President John Schuerholz said that Turner Field needed "hundreds of millions of dollars of upgrades. Unfortunately, that massive investment would not do anything to improve access or the fan experience."

In 2014, Turner showed his displeasure with the Braves' move to the suburbs, making a point that the new ballpark isn't in Atlanta.

The Braves will vacate Turner Field in December, when their contract with the stadium expires. Their new home, SunTrust Park, is scheduled to open in 2017.

After the Braves leave, work will start on converting Turner Field into a football stadium for Georgia State University, which bought the site from the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority for $30 million, with the hopes of it being ready for the 2017 season.

The proposal is pending review and approval from the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

The plan also includes a baseball complex, retail, residential and student housing.

The Braves, finishing last in the National League East Division, were one of the worst teams in baseball this season, although the team did play well down the stretch, winning 12 of their final 14 games.

Many games at The Ted were sparsely attended this year, but it was tough finding an empty seat Sunday. Turner Field was packed. The announced attendance was 51,220, the third sellout at the ballpark this season.

In the pregame ceremony, the Braves introduced the All Turner Field Team, with the likes of Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones entering from center field to huge ovations. Glavine, Smoltz and Maddux, all in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, threw out ceremonial first pitches. Another hall-of-famer, Bobby Cox, represented the All Turner Field Team as manager.

A huge flag was unfurled for the playing of "America the Beautiful." Military jets flew over the stadium during the singing of "The Star Spangled Banner."

Fans cheered Teheran as he struck out the side to open the first inning, an inning in which Teheran said he was feeling a lot of emotions of the crowd and the former players in the pregame ceremony.

"It was really special to see, the crowd looking for a win," Teheran said. "That's the way we all wanted to finish and close this book. I'm proud of myself and the job that I did."

Up went a roar for Inciarte's lead-off base hit. After Freeman drove him in, the Tomahawk Chop was in full force.

In the stands, former President Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn, longtime attendees at Braves games, were captured on the kiss cam in the fifth inning, sparking cheers.

Before the sixth inning, Cox peeled off the number "1" at the left-field wall, where the number of games left at The Ted had been posted. He revealed a sign for SunTrust Park, with the words "Opening Day April 14, 2017." The fans cheered, though not quite as loudly as for the Carters on the kiss cam.

In the top of the ninth with two outs, the Tomahawk Chop broke out for a final time with Braves closer Jim Johnson on the hill and Justin Upton at the plate. It continued throughout the at-bat.

And on a 3-2 count, the final out at Turner Field was recorded: Johnson struck out Upton, cementing a win for Turner Field's final Braves game. It was 6 p.m. ET.

Finally, at the postgame ceremony, the greatest former Brave of them all, Hank Aaron, threw out the final pitch. He held home plate in his 82-year-old hands, pushing it up into the air.

Then he boarded a bus on the field. He and the dish were off for SunTrust Park.

Home plate was heading to its new home.</s>ATLANTA (AP) — Turner Field has aged well. It’s got all the expected amenities of a modern big league ballpark, from luxury boxes to a mammoth video board to the restaurant that hovers above right field to concession stands selling all manner of food and drink.

Want a gourmet steak sandwich? Step right up. Craft beer? No problem. Hash browns from local favorite Waffle House? Make ’em scattered and smothered.

Of course, at 20 years old, it’s not exactly a baseball relic.

But its time in the big leagues is over.

The Braves are heading to the suburbs next season, trading the ballpark affectionately known as “the Ted” — a nod to former owner and namesake Ted Turner — for 41,500-seat SunTrust Park , hastily being assembled some 15 miles away as part of a mall-like complex that will generate even more money for the team.

“It’s a little weird,” Atlanta catcher Tyler Flowers said. “But that’s kind of the modern day. Everybody has the expectation of the newest and biggest and baddest and greatest thing.”

Even with a plethora of new facilities that have popped up around Major League Baseball, 13 of 29 ballparks are older.

At least two teams — Oakland and Tampa Bay — would gladly take Turner Field over their current stadiums.

“I love this place,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, gazing out from the home dugout during the final week of the season. “I think it’s one of the best ballparks in the National League.”

Not surprisingly, the move has sparked puzzled reactions around the country and plenty of debate in Atlanta, especially since it goes against the trend of teams moving closer to the inner city, not farther away. Turner Field is located just south of downtown, within site of the state Capitol at essentially the geographic center of the sprawling metropolitan area and the junction of three major highways, but the Braves say they will be closer to the bulk of their fan base in the mostly white suburbs north of the city.

Cobb County’s decision to fork over some $400 million in public funding to help build the new stadium, with only minimal debate and no vote of the electorate, helped send its top official, Tim Lee, to defeat in his re-election bid. There are fears of hellish traffic, since Cobb has a limited bus system and isn’t served by Atlanta’s rapid transit system, and concerns that the Braves are cutting themselves off from large portions of the gridlocked metro area.

There’s no turning back now, though.

Only 11 stadiums in the sport’s modern ballpark era hosted fewer major league seasons than Turner Field, and seven of those — from still-in-use Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to Houston’s long-forgotten Colt Stadium — were merely temporary homes for transplanted teams or expansion franchises. As for the others, Miami’s newly renamed Hard Rock Stadium and Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium were more suited for football and quickly faced calls to be replaced, while Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium and Washington’s RFK Stadium both lost teams to other cities.

None of those was an issue at Turner Field. But the Braves complained that promised development in the low-income neighborhood around the stadium never materialized, leading team officials to explore other options. Not long after the city of Atlanta reached a deal to build a new retractable-roof football stadium for the NFL’s Falcons, the Braves stunningly announced in November 2013 they were moving to the ‘burbs, having pulled off secret negotiations that caught nearly everyone off guard.

Turner Field will apparently live on in some downsized form, thanks to an expected deal in which the city will sell the stadium and adjacent land to Georgia State University and a development company. The plan is to convert the Ted into a 30,000-seat football stadium for the Panthers’ fledgling program (perhaps with a new corporate name to help defray costs) and surround it with dormitories and athletic facilities, as well as private housing and retail space.

In a way, the next phase will take the park back to its not-so-deep roots. Transformation was the plan all along.

Turner Field began its life as Centennial Olympic Stadium, an 85,000-seat facility that hosted track and field as well as the opening and closing ceremonies at the 1996 Summer Games. Muhammad Ali — stricken with Parkinson’s disease, his hands trembling as he held the torch — memorably lit the cauldron to start the games. Michael Johnson ran to a world record in golden shoes. Carl Lewis capped his brilliant career with the last of nine gold medals.

But the stadium was designed with baseball in mind, in hopes of avoiding the sort of white elephants that have plagued Olympic cities before and since. As soon as the games ended, work began to convert Turner Field into the 50,000-seat home of the Braves. By the following spring, it carried a new name and was ready for opening day.

In contrast to today’s 90-plus-loss team, those Braves had been to four of the previous five World Series, winning it all in 1995 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. They would never reach those heights in their new digs, even while winning nine more NL East titles through 2005 to extend their unprecedented streak of division championships to 14 in a row.

The Braves played only one World Series at the Ted, getting swept by the New York Yankees in 1999. Bitter disappointment became par for the course in October, along with a reputation for not selling out playoff games. They lost 12 of 17 postseason series, including the last eight. Their playoff record was 15-23, including 2-9 in decisive games played at home. Turner Field was the place where other teams came to celebrate, including the Chicago Cubs in 2003 after clinching their first postseason triumph in 95 years.

There were a few highlights for the home team. Most notably, Game 6 of the 1999 NL Championship Series.

After going up 3-0 on the New York Mets, the Braves lost two straight games at Shea Stadium and returned home suddenly on the ropes. The pressure only intensified when they blew an early 5-0 lead, falling behind in the eighth and 10th innings. But Atlanta rallied both times, and won in the 11th when Kenny Rogers walked Andruw Jones with the bases loaded for a series-clinching 10-9 victory.

Chipper Jones will always remember getting the first hit at Turner Field.

“That ball is still on my mantel,” said Jones, who retired in 2012 after a career spent entirely with the Braves.

Now, it’s time for the final hit.

After Sunday’s last game against Detroit, the Ted will be nothing but a memory.

Far sooner than anyone would’ve expected.

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .
The Atlanta Braves play their final game at Turner Field. They now move to the new SunTrust Park for the 2017 season.