MLB

Edinson Volquez and the Kansas City Royals shut down the Toronto Blue Jays offense, kicking off the American League Championship Series with a 5-0 win Friday.

Alcides Escobar led the way offensively for the Royals with two of the team's eight hits. Five different players also came through with an RBI in a balanced offensive effort. Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada allowed three of the five runs in 5.1 innings and came away with the loss.

The Texas Rangers went from posting the American League's worst record to winning the AL West in the span of one season thanks in large part to a surprising offensive surge.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner tied an MLB record for most doubles in a postseason series, smacking his fifth and six two-baggers of the National League Division Series during Thursday's 3-2 Game 5 loss to the New York Mets, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Jeopardy! ended its Friday night edition with a Major League Baseball-related question that might have stumped even the most diehard fans.

Can you guess the correct answer?

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Just days after the Texas Rangers were eliminated from playoff contention, the team revealed third baseman Adrian Beltre has a torn ligament in his thumb.

Continue for updates.

The MLB Playoffs have reached the Championship Series and the matchups in the American and National Leagues have been set.

Before we delve into the top 10 players remaining, let's set the ground rules.

The Kansas City Royals have taken Game 1 of the American League Championship Series with a 5-0 win over visiting Toronto.

Kansas City scored twice in the third inning on a pair run-scoring hits, upped the lead to 3-0 in the fourth on Salvador Perez's solo home run and then added two more in the eighth for insurance.

Edinson Volquez threw six shutout innings for Kansas City, while Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson and Luke Hochevar followed to combine on a three-hit shutout. 

Marco Estrada took the loss for Toronto, allowing three runs in 5.1 innings.

Bat flipping isn’t for everyone.

On Friday, Toronto Mayor John Tory impersonated Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista with a toss of his own.

It was as weak as you could imagine.

Some poor guy had to shuffle through the pool to retrieve it, though it should've been left in there—never to be tossed again:

By now, you've seen Kyle Schwarber's behemoth of a home run in the Chicago Cubs' series-clinching win in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.

Here's a different look—in flipbook form.

Four teams remain in the MLB playoffs, and no matter who wins, it will be a celebration a long time coming.

The Toronto Blue Jays won a World Series in 1993, making them the most recent champions of the four squads left in the 2015 race. The New York Mets (1986) and Kansas City Royals (1985) have each been waiting a long time as well, although nothing compares to the Chicago Cubs with a drought since 1908.