MLB: Yankees, White Sox, and Padres advance; Phillies stay alive

The New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, and the San Diego Padres advanced Wednesday to the second round of the Major League Baseball playoffs, while the Philadelphia Phillies tied their wild-card series against the Atlanta Braves.

The Yankees sealed their wild-card series (2-0) against the Boston Red Sox with a resounding 9-2 victory at Yankee Stadium and will face Tampa Bay in the next round.

The White Sox, who had received a letter of support from Pope Leo XIV, wrapped up the best-of-three series in just two games and advanced to face Cleveland in the American League Division Series.

But their Chicago neighbors, the Cubs, were swept 2-0 in the series by the San Diego Padres, who won 4-1 at home at Petco Park.

The Phillies, meanwhile, had to come from behind to secure a 4-3 victory over the Braves, tying the series at one win apiece. The decisive game will be played on Thursday.

Chicago struck early against the Astros with an explosive four-run first inning. Sam Antonacci led off the game with a double and scored on a single by Kyle Teel.

Andrew Benintendi drove in another run, and Miguel Vargas also crossed home plate before Benintendi extended the lead with another hit.

Houston responded with solo home runs by Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith, and José Altuve to cut into the lead and stay in the game.

However, the White Sox sealed the victory in the sixth inning. Chase Meidroth hit a three-run home run over the left-field fence to extend the lead.

"That's what it's all about... Giving the guys the win—there's no better feeling in the world," said Meidroth.

The Yankees, who won 9-0 in Boston on Tuesday, earned another decisive victory at their Bronx stadium, clinching a spot in the division series against Tampa Bay.

Outfielder Cody Bellinger provided the game's defining moment by hitting a three-run home run in a sixth inning in which the team scored six runs, giving the Yankees an 8-1 lead.

The Phillies stay alive

In Atlanta, Philadelphia tied its National League wild-card series at 1-1 with a 4-3 victory in ten innings.

The Phillies rallied in the eighth inning with back-to-back home runs by Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper to tie the score at 3-3 and force extra innings.

Harper redeemed himself after failing to catch a deep fly ball in the seventh inning, a play that allowed the Braves to take the lead.

"It's obvious that I probably should have caught that ball in right field, so I had to step up for my team at that moment," Harper said.

In the tenth inning, Alec Bohm hit a two-out home run over the right-field fence to drive in the go-ahead run.

The winner of the series between Philadelphia and Atlanta will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-five series beginning Saturday.

In a late game on Wednesday, San Diego advanced to a five-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers after defeating the Chicago Cubs.

Xander Bogaerts and Ethan Salas scored runs that gave San Diego a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and a two-run home run by Gavin Sheets sealed the win after a single by Nico Hoerner briefly narrowed the gap.