The Hanshin Tigers dominated the Yakult Swallows with a 9-1 victory, narrowing the gap in the Central League standings to 2.5 games behind the Yomiuri Giants. Teruaki Sato's grand slam highlighted a six-run fifth and sixth inning, while Jeremy Beasley secured the win by allowing only one run over five innings. In the American League, the Detroit Tigers edged ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card race thanks to Parker Meadows' ninth-inning grand slam that led to a 4-3 win against the Padres. The Tigers and Red Sox are now tied with the Seattle Mariners at 70-70, all trailing the Kansas City Royals for the final wild-card spot. The Royals recently ended a seven-game losing streak with a win over the Indians, maintaining a five-game lead over the three-way tie for the wild-card. As the postseason approaches, teams like the Orioles, Guardians, and Astros remain in strong contention for playoff positions.