MINNEAPOLIS -- The Detroit Tigers were soaked in the joy of another division title, jumping around in their matching, drenched T-shirts when Torii Hunter darted from the room. Baron Davis Jersey . He came back a few seconds later, bear-hugging an important piece of the party: manager Jim Leyland. "I got Skip! I got Skip! I got Skip!" Hunter yelled. The gruff old skipper was smiling wide, and he even did a little dance before retreating to his office. The Tigers were sure having fun, and they want to throw a bigger celebration next month. Max Scherzer earned his 21st win and the Tigers became AL Central champions for the third straight year by beating the Minnesota Twins 1-0 on Wednesday night. "I just dont think people realize how hard it is to win," Leyland said before Hunter nabbed him. The 68-year-old managers voice cracked several times as he fought off tears during his postgame interview. Hunters single followed a leadoff triple by Austin Jackson in the first inning, and that was all Scherzer (21-3) and the Tigers needed. "For us to be able to do it three straight years now is really special and a testament to the talent in our clubhouse," Scherzer said. Scherzer gave up two singles in seven innings. Jose Veras and Drew Smyly teamed up for the eighth and Joaquin Benoit worked the ninth for his 24th save in 25 tries. A few dozen Tigers fans in attendance at Target Field cheered from their seats while Miguel Cabrera and his teammates mobbed Benoit in front of the mound after he struck out Josh Willingham to end the game. The celebration picked up even more in the clubhouse, where the Tigers sprayed sparkling wine all over each other and started smoking cigars once the bottles were empty. Scherzer spun one more solid start for the AL Cy Young Award voters to consider, except for the season-high six walks and 123 pitches. He struck out 10 and lowered his ERA to 2.90, ensuring hell finish the season with the most wins in the major leagues. Jordan Zimmermann, the next closest, has 19 for Washington. "Twenty-one wins. We call him Black Jack," Hunter said, ski goggles resting on the top of his head. Second-place Cleveland beat the Chicago White Sox, but the Tigers maintained their 4 1/2-game lead. The Indians control the second AL wild-card spot. Kevin Correia (9-13) did his best to give the Twins a chance, giving up seven hits and one run over seven innings to finish his first season with the Twins with a 4.18 ERA. "They earned it. They did a great job this year," Correia said of the Tigers. The clear favourites to win the Central again after getting swept by San Francisco in last years World Series, the Tigers havent had a losing month this season. They tightened their grip on the division with a 12-game winning streak shortly after the All-Star break. Cabrera has followed his Triple Crown season with another spectacular year despite persistent midsection injuries. The supporting cast of Prince Fielder, Omar Infante, Jackson and Hunter has helped Detroit stay one of baseballs best-hitting teams. The rotation has been even better. Anibal Sanchez and Scherzer have turned star right-hander Justin Verlander into an afterthought at times, and Doug Fister and Rick Porcello are two of the best fourth and fifth starters around. The bullpen, shaky at the start, has been more stable with Benoit as the closer. Now its on to the post-season, where the Tigers have had some success under Leyland but still fell short of the ultimate goal, the teams first World Series title since 1984. They were American League champions in 2006 and runners-up in 2011. Its still too early to tell which team the Tigers will play in the division series, but they werent worried about that on Wednesday. "When we started in spring training, it was almost like the only thing we could do was fail. People had such high expectations," Leyland said. "I talked about that and said, Dont get caught up in the expectations. Get caught up in how youre going to live up to the expectations." Scherzer struck out four straight in one stretch. The first hit, by Chris Parmelee in the fourth inning, was a slow roller that didnt reach third base. Scherzer snagged it but had no play, grimacing about the blemish on the scoreboard. He retired the next batter on an infield popup. Then in the fifth after a single and a walk with one out, Scherzer went to a 3-1 count on Brian Dozier, who has quietly become perhaps this depleted Twins teams best hitter with Justin Morneau now in Pittsburgh and Joe Mauer recovering from a concussion. Scherzer struck out Dozier on a mid-80s mph slider and watched catcher Alex Avila fire a perfect throw to third base that caught Alex Presley stealing. Scherzer pumped his arm as he walked off the mound. NOTES: Leyland said he hopes SS Jose Iglesias (left hand) will play Friday in Miami, where Porcello (13-8, 4.38 ERA) will pitch against RHP Tom Koehler (4-10, 4.45 ERA). ... With the Tigers losing their DH for the weekend, Victor Martinez could catch some and give Fielder a few innings off at 1B, Leyland said. Bill Walton Jersey . Braves reliever David Carpenter was also fined for throwing at Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson in the same game, which featured several ejections, including Colorado manager Walt Weiss. Ivica Zubac Jersey .com) - The fading Ottawa Senators have a chance to make up some ground in the playoff race on Tuesday night as they play host to the New York Rangers. https://www.cheapclippersonline.com/ . No pretty goals on this night, just get to the front of the net and fight for a chance.ARCADIA, Calif. -- Gary Stevens had never won the $5 million Breeders Cup Classic in his long career. Kathy Ritvo came close a year ago with Mucho Macho Man only to settle for second. The veteran jockey and the trainer who got another chance at life after a heart transplant in 2008 teamed up with the hard-knocking horse to win by a whisker Saturday. Mucho Macho Man edged Will Take Charge in a photo finish decided by a nose, making Ritvo the first female trainer to win North Americas richest race at a Breeders Cup that began tragically with the death of a horse in the first race. "I didnt know the photo was as close as it was," said Stevens, who was 0-for-14 in the Classic. Stevens capped his comeback at 50 in stellar fashion, surviving a photo finish in the Classic after winning the $2 million Distaff with Beholder on Friday for a sweep of the biggest races at the two-day world championships at Santa Anita. Ritvo became the fifth female trainer to win a Breeders Cup race and got to celebrate a year after seeing Mucho Macho Man finish second by a half-length to winner Fort Larned. "Thrilling," she said. First, though, Ritvo had to sweat out the results. Mucho Macho Man stretched his neck to hold off Will Take Charge, trained by 78-year-old Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. "I was just hoping he got it," Ritvo said. "When I saw Gary shake his stick, I was confident. He ran a fantastic race." Game On Dude, the 8-5 favourite who was 5-0 this year, finished ninth on his home track for trainer Bob Baffert and co-owner Joe Torre, the retired Dodgers and Yankees manager. Baffert had an up-and-down day. His filly, Secret Compass, broke her leg in the opening Juvenile Fillies race and had to be euthanized. Then he won two races before Game On Dude lost as the favourite for the second straight year. "When I saw him going real fast on the backstretch, I knew I was in trouble," he said. "Then when Mike (Smith) asked him, there was nothing there. You always feel bad when you get beat, but I feel worse for the horse." Fort Larned wound up fourth. Mucho Macho Man ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.72 and paid $10, $4.60 and $3.60 as the 4-1 second choice. The victory likely earned him champion older male honours and may get him consideration for Horse of the Year honours, which Game On Dude could have wrapped up with a win. Current Horse of the Year Wise Dan repeated in the $2 million Mile, winning by three-quarters of a length under Jose Lezcano, a late replacement for Velazquez. He paid $3.60 to win as the 4-5 favourite. Will Take Charge returned $7.20 and $4.80. "Its just a heartbreak that he lost," said Lukas, who won his only Classic in 1999 with Cat Thief. "He did everything right. The jump after the wire we got him." Declaration of War was another head back in third and paid $4.80 to show. Stevens and Mucho Macho Man started moving on the outside around the stretch turn and went after the leaders. They got in front coming out of the turn for home, with Stevens urging the 5-year-old Mucho Macho Man on with a right-handed whip. "They give me a free roll around the far turn," he said. "I think that might have been the winning move." Ritvo, a 44-year-old mother of two, waited six months for a new heart in 2008. Mucho Macho Man first put her in the national spotlight two years ago when he ran in all three Triple Crown races, including third in the Kentucky Derby. "Kathy Ritvo is one of the most underrated trainers in the thoroughbred industry,&qquot; said Finn Green, racing manager for Mucho Macho Mans owners Dean and Patti Reeves. Clippers Jerseys China. Lukas put Stevens on Oxbow in the Preakness in May, and they won. "Gary is riding in a zone," the trainer said. "I think we jump-started him in the Preakness pretty good." Last Gunfighter was fifth, followed by Palace Malice, Paynter (trained by Baffert), Flat Out, Game On Dude, Moreno and Planteur. The 30th Breeders Cup got off to a troubling start, with a rare disqualification in the opening race and Secret Compass euthanized because of a broken leg. The $2 million Juvenile Fillies went from strange to tragic over several minutes. The DQ was announced after a green screen went up in a spot approaching the final turn to shield injured Secret Compass from the crowd. "When you lose a horse like that, it just took all the wind out of our sails," Baffert said. "Ive never had something like that happen on a big day. Were all still in shock." John Velazquez, who rode Secret Compass, had emergency surgery to remove his spleen after internal bleeding was discovered shortly before he was to be released from a Pasadena hospital. Ria Antonia finished second but was declared the winner of the 1 1/16-mile race after Shes a Tiger was disqualified by the stewards. They ruled that Shes a Tiger and Stevens drifted out late, bumped Ria Antonia and Javier Castellano, slowing her momentum. It was the first DQ of a winner since the inaugural 1984 Juvenile Fillies race in which Frans Valentine won and later was placed 10th. "This is heartbreaking," said Jeff Bonde, who trains Shes a Tiger. Sent off at 32-1 odds, Ria Antonia paid $66.60, $29.80 and $17.40. The winning time was 1:43.02 and the margin was a nose. Shes a Tiger returned $6.40 and $4.80. Rosalind paid $6.80 to show. Running third at the time, Secret Compass front legs collapsed, slamming Velazquez hard into the dirt. Bafferts 2-year-old filly was euthanized after sustaining a lateral condylar fracture, according to on-call veterinarian Dr. Wayne McIlwraith. "It is the worst type of injury we get, unfortunately," he said. Velazquez was to ride in all nine Breeders Cup races, but he was replaced by other jockeys. Baffert was smiling later when 10-1 shot New Years Day rallied on the rail to win the $2 million Juvenile by 1 1/4 lengths. The colt paid $23 to win, with jockey Martin Garcia earning his first Cup victory. But the trainers emotions were raw. "Just the win is exciting, but in the back of my mind, Im thinking about that filly," he said. Baffert and Garcia also teamed to win the $1.5 million Sprint by a neck with Secret Circle. Baffert earned his third win in the Juvenile, whose winner is typically tagged as the early Kentucky Derby favourite. His other entry, Tap It Rich, finished fifth. Havana, the 5-2 favourite trained by Todd Pletcher, was second. Strong Mandate, trained by Lukas, was third. After the early drama, 3-2 favourite Dank restored order by winning the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf by a half-length over Romantica. Ridden by Ryan Moore, Dank ran 1 1/4 miles in 1:58.73 and paid $5, $3.40 and $2.80. Another favourite, 3-1 Groupie Doll, won the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint for the second straight year by a half-length. Mizdirection defended her title in the $1 million Turf Sprint for co-owner Jim Rome, the sports talk host. She ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:12.25 under Smith, who extended his record for most Cup wins by a jockey to 20. He won two races on opening day Friday. ' ' '