CHICAGO -- Wrigley Field was dark and empty when a loud cheer reverberated throughout the neighborhood surrounding the iconic ballpark.While the Chicago Cubs decided to delay their party, their long-downtrodden fans were ready to celebrate.Chicago wasted its first chance to clinch the NL Central title when pinch-hitter Scooter Gennett delivered a tiebreaking, two-run double in the seventh inning Thursday night, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-4 victory. But St. Louis 6-2 loss at San Francisco completed the Cubs season-long dominance of the division.It appeared manager Joe Maddon and his players were long gone when the West Coast game wrapped up. But the final out in San Francisco touched off a celebration in Chicago that included honking horns and chanting in the streets.This is just the first step, Maddon said before the Cardinals lost. I mean, we have much larger baseball fish to fry in our skillet.The Cubs (93-53) were hoping to begin a 10-game homestand with a boozy celebration of their first division title since 2008. But Keon Broxton homered and Orlando Arcia drove in two runs for Milwaukee, making Chicago wait a little while longer.Now the party shifts to Friday, right after the Cubs afternoon start against the Brewers. It might be a bit anticlimactic for Maddon and Co., but they took all the drama out of the division race long ago.Led by a stellar pitching staff and MVP contenders Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Chicago got off to a sizzling 25-6 start. After stumbling into the All-Star break, the Cubs pulled away with a 22-6 August that turned the NL Central race into a mere formality.But the division title is not how this group of Cubs will be judged, not this year. After running roughshod over the rest of the majors for most of the season, they are trying to end the franchises famous championship drought that goes all the way back to when the Cubs beat the Tigers in the 1908 World Series.Weve got a lot ahead of us. We really do, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said before the loss to Milwaukee. It kind of all boils down to how you perform in October.Its only the fourth time the Cubs have reached the postseason in consecutive seasons. They got in as a wild card last year and made it to the NL Championship Series before they were swept by the New York Mets.The offseason additions of Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward only added to the anticipation for the Cubs loyal fan base, and they have delivered up until this point. But many of those same fans also were around for the last division title, when the 2008 Cubs won 97 games and then were swept by the Dodgers in the division series.Theres no team Id rather be going into October with, Epstein said. But there are never favorites in October the same way there are in the regular season.Jorge Soler hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, who had won three of four. Mike Montgomery pitched six solid innings and helped himself with a tying single in the fourth for his first career hit.Justin Grimm (1-1) replaced Montgomery in the seventh, and the Brewers put runners on first and third with one out. Gennett, batting for Jimmy Nelson (8-14), blooped an 0-2 curveball into the corner in left for a 5-3 Milwaukee lead.I was just trying to put the ball in play, Gennett said. Hes a guy who throws a lot of curveballs so its important not to get too big or try to do too much. Its really just, get a good pitch to hit and put it in play.The Cubs got one back on Heywards RBI double in the eighth, but Tyler Thornburg threw a called third strike past pinch-hitter Willson Contreras with runners at the corners to end the inning.Thornburg also worked the ninth for his 10th save in 15 chances.It was just a flat-out good ballgame, Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. Obviously, with where theyre at, there was great energy in the park tonight.TRAINERS ROOMBrewers: RHP Michael Blazek (right forearm strain) threw a simulated game. Counsell would like to get Blazek into some games before the end of the season, but said theres no rush. The goal with Mike is just to go into the offseason healthy, Counsell said.Cubs: RHP Pedro Strop, who tweaked his right groin while working his way back from arthroscopic left knee surgery, threw a bullpen and said it went well. Hes getting close, Maddon said. Its not far off.UP NEXTMaddon likely will rest several regulars when the series resumes Friday afternoon. RHP John Lackey (9-8, 3.35 ERA) is scheduled to face Brewers RHP Chase Anderson (8-11, 4.53).---Follow Jay Cohen at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Blank USA Jersey . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. Lindsey Horan USA Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. http://www.officialsocceruswntshop.com/ashlyn-harris-usa-jersey/ . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. Hailie Mace Jersey . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Lynn Williams Jersey . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. NEW YORK -- Starlin Castro was at the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday night when Baltimore finished a 4-0 win at Toronto, eliminating the Yankees from postseason contention.Knowing New York had failed to reach the playoffs for the third time in four years, the mind of Yankees manager Joe Girardi immediately shifted attention to 2017. He removed CC Sabathia after one more batter and pinch ran for Brett Gardner in the eighth when Girardi didnt like the way the speedy outfielder was running.Its kind of how Im wired, and you start thinking about, OK, what do we need to do? Girardi said.Sabathia (9-12) allowed one run and four hits over a season-high 7 1/3 innings for his first win in a month and finished with a 3.91 ERA, his lowest since 2012. Playing his final game at Yankee Stadium, Bostons David Ortiz was honored in a pregame ceremony, struck out, walked and ended the series 0 for 10 with four strikeouts.But the Yankees thoughts were on another subpar season. They have not won a postseason game since Derek Jeter broke an ankle in the 2012 AL Championship Series opener.After a 9-17 start, the Yankees did not get back above .500 until June 10. They were 53-53 when they brought up rookie catcher Gary Sanchez on Aug. 3 following the trades of Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran and Ivan Nova.Most Yankees fans looked to the future.Everybody gave up on us, shortstop Didi Gregorius said. I think we scared everybody, actually, to be honest, because nobody expected us to be all the way here.Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin were promoted 10 days later on the morning Alex Rodriguez was released, and they homered back to back in their first big league at-bats. The Baby Bombers began to climb the standings, pulling within one game of a wild-card spot on Sept. 10.But even with Sanchez hitting 20 home runs in his first 51 big league games, they faded from contention with a 3-11 skid that included a four-game sweep at Fenway Park.New York (83-76) trails Baltimore and Toronto by four games for the ALs wild cards with three games to play. A final three-game series against the Orioles wont have much significance for the Yankees.Its pretty quiet in there, probably the quietest Ive ever seen after a win, Girardi said. There were some good things that happened, but in the end we fell short and we didnt have a successful season.Sabathia, who struggled to reinvent himself at age 36, left to a loud ovation, ending a six-start winless streak and improving to 2-2 despite a 2.37 ERA in his final eight starts. He compensated for a drop in fastball velocity by developing a cutter this season and pitched with better location using a brace on his surgically repaired right kneee.ddddddddddddhat cutter is a game-changer for him, catcher Brian McCann said. When youre changing identities and who youve always been as a pitcher and to have the success he had was great.Coming back from a 2015 season that ended with a trip to an alcohol rehabilitation center, Sabathia made 30 starts and stayed healthy except for a short disabled list stint caused by a groin strain. His $25 million option for 2017 becomes guaranteed if he is not on the DL Sunday because of a left shoulder injury.The way I was able to pitch and use all my pitches and make this new style work for me is definitely encouraging, Sabathia said. We used it a lot, had some weak contact, a lot of double plays.Playing against his former team, Jacoby Ellsbury hit an RBI double in the fifth off Henry Owens (0-2) for a 2-1 lead. The Yankees padded the margin in the sixth on a blustery night when Robby Scott walked Austin with the bases loaded, then threw a wild pitch that scored Chase Headley. Aaron Hicks added an RBI double in the eighth.Xander Bogaerts hit his 21st homer for Boston (92-67), which is competing with Cleveland (91-67) and Texas (94-65) for the ALs best record and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. A day after clinching the AL East, the Red Sox rested second baseman Dustin Pedroia, first baseman Hanley Ramirez, right fielder Mookie Betts, catcher Sandy Leon and third baseman Brock Holt from their starting lineup.New York hopes its young players can spark a rebound similar to Bostons.Coming into spring training next year, were expecting to win. Were not expecting to rebuild, McCann said. These guys are going to play big roles and theyre ready for it.A-ROD WATCHAlex Rodriguez is expected to start work as a Yankees instructor at the teams minor league complex, where Orlando Hernandez arrived Thursday.TRAINERS ROOMYankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (forearm) threw a bullpen session and said he could start Saturday against Baltimore. Manager Joe Girardi said he had not made a decision. ... 1B Greg Bird (right labrum surgery) had an RBI double and struck out twice in four at-bats against Philadelphia prospects in his first Instructional League game in Tampa, Florida. He went 0 for 2 in an intrasquad game Monday. ... RHP James Kaprielian, selected in the first round of the 2015 amateur draft, is scheduled to pitch in the instructional league against Toronto on Friday, his first outing since he went on Class A Tampas DL in late April with an elbow flexor strain.UP NEXTYankees: Michael Pineda (6-11) is to start Friday against Baltimore. Rain is possible. ' ' '