PHOENIX (AP) — Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker had the thousand-yard stare of a man who had been through an emotional roller coaster on Sunday afternoon — and he was on the winning side.
“That was probably one of the top two or three most draining games I’ve ever been a part of,” he said with the slightest hint of a grin after the Braves finished a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays in 11 innings.
Welcome to September baseball.
The playoff races, particularly in the National League, look like they could be barnburners over the final three weeks. In the NL, the San Diego Padres, Diamondbacks, Mets and Braves are in a four-team scramble with only three wild card spots available.
Here's a look at the upcoming road for the four teams after Sunday's games:
The AL playoff race isn't quite as hot and heavy at the moment, but it wouldn't take much for that to change. The Minnesota Twins have a 3 1/2 game lead over the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners for the final wild card.
The Boston Red Sox are four back while the Tampa Bay Rays are five behind.
Also of note, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles are locked in a fight for the AL East. The Yankees currently have a half-game lead. The winner will likely get a bye for the first round of the playoffs.
The White Sox recently hit the 110-loss threshold for the season. That's a lot of misery, but not totally uncommon. There are three other teams that have had at least 110 losses in a season since 2021. Who are they?
Mets third baseman Mark Vientos had one of the big moments of the past week when he clubbed a two-run homer in the 10th inning to lead New York over Cincinnati on Friday. It was an exclamation point on a sneaky good season from the 24-year-old. He's batting .284 with 24 homers.
Here are a few other young hitters having under-the-radar productive seasons.
The Athletics (112 losses in 2023), the Orioles (110 losses in 2021) and the Diamondbacks (110 losses in 2021).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Arizona Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith, right, celebrates after his three-run home run against the Houston Astros with Eugenio Suarez during the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale throws in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sep. 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
New York Mets' Mark Vientos reacts after hitting a two-run walkoff home run during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy" Combs was expected to appear before a federal judge in New York on Tuesday after his indictment on undisclosed criminal charges.
The music mogul was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
The indictment detailing the charges was expected to be unsealed Tuesday morning, according to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.
Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse. He has denied many of those allegations and his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty. Agnifilo said he would “fight like hell” to try and get his client released from custody.
Agnifilo said he didn’t have details on the indictment, but that Combs knew it was coming and had relocated to New York two weeks ago in anticipation. Of Combs, he said, “His spirits are good. He’s confident.”
Combs, 54, was recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop before a flood of allegations that emerged over the past year turned him into an industry pariah.
In November, his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years. She accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fueled settings.
The suit was settled in one day but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor. After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it.”
Combs and his attorneys, however, denied similar allegations made by others in a string of lawsuits.
Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Cassie, said in a statement Tuesday that “neither Ms. Ventura nor I have any comment.”
“We appreciate your understanding and if that changes, we will certainly let you know,” he added.
A woman said Combs raped her two decades ago when she was 17. A music producer sued, saying Combs forced him to have sex with prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to “terrifying sexual encounters,” starting when she was a college student in 1994.
The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie and Lampros did.
Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has gotten out of legal trouble before.
In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a Manhattan nightclub shooting two years earlier that injured three people. His then-protege, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges and served about eight years in prison.
This story has been corrected to show that Combs' age is 54, not 58.
Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
FILE - Host Sean "Diddy" Combs presents the revolt black excellence award at the Billboard Music Awards, May 15, 2022, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment
FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
