Ventura's gem eliminates Twins from playoff contention

The Minnesota Twins' surprising season came to an unofficial close Saturday, and all it took was a career performance from Yordano Ventura.

Ventura matched a personal-high 11 strikeouts over seven dominant innings, limiting the Twins to just four hits and one run during the Kansas City Royals' 5-1 victory at Target Field. The 24-year-old right-hander carried a no-hitter into the fifth before wrapping up his season with his third straight quality start.

The Royals' win - which helped them keep pace in the battle for the American League's top record - eliminated Minnesota from postseason contention. Kansas City led Toronto by a half-game ahead of the Blue Jays' game at Tampa Bay.

The Twins entered the day needing to win their final two games to potentially force an improbable three-way tiebreaker for the AL's second wild-card spot. The Astros currently lead the Angels for the final wild card by a half-game after Los Angeles' stunning comeback victory over Texas on Saturday.

Minnesota mounted a ninth-inning rally, but Wade Davis struck out Eduardo Escobar to end the Twins' season with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate. Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Twins guaranteed themselves their first winning record in five seasons.

"A winning attitude came back," outfielder Torii Hunter told reporters after the game. "These guys gave it their all and tried to prove the critics wrong. And we pretty much did that."

The Twins' improbable run this season was backed by a strong first half that saw them nine games over .500 at the All-Star break and poised to challenge for their first trip to the postseason since 2010. Paul Molitor's group struggled down the stretch, however, going 34-38 during the second half to slowly fall out of the playoff race.

"I had a heck of a lot of fun," Molitor, a first-year manager, said. "It was a learning year for me. The curtain came down so to speak but it was a pretty good show."