A day-by-day guide to the athletics action in the Qatari capital

It has been a long season but now it is finally time for the IAAF World Championships.

When speaking to athletes during the course of this year, a recurring theme has been the balancing act involved in peaking for a moment which falls significantly later in the calendar than usual. It is a difficult trick to pull off but it would appear many have managed to do it. The recent Diamond League finals were evidence of that and there are rivalries and contests to savour right across the coming days of competition in Doha.

Here we take a day-by-day look through the world championships schedule.

Make sure you check out the September 26 edition of AW magazine for our full guide to the action, including rankings, news, interviews, facts, stats and more. A digital edition is available to buy and download here.

The dedicated Doha 2019 section of our website can be found here.

Live results | Final entry lists

Timetable

(UK times in brackets)

Day one – Friday September 27

16:30 (14:30) M Long jump – Qualification
16:35 (14:35) M 100m – Preliminary round
16:40 (14:40) W Hammer – Qualification Group A
17:10 (15:10) W 800m – Heats
17:30 (15:30) W Pole vault – Qualification
18:05 (16:05) M 100m – Heats
18:10 (16:10) W Hammer – Qualification
18:40 (16:40) W High jump – Qualification
18:55 (16:55) W 3000m steeplechase – Heats
19:25 (17:25) M Triple jump – Qualification
19:45 (17:45) M 5000m – Heats
20:35 (18:35) M 400m hurdles – Heats
23:59 (21:59) W Marathon – Final

The first medals of the championships will be claimed in the women’s ‘midnight’ marathon, which starts at 23:59 local time to try and avoid the worst of the heat out on the roads of Doha. “The overwhelming thrust of this is the welfare of the athletes,” said IAAF president Seb Coe in the pre-event press conference. “We are monitoring this very closely.”

Bahrain’s Rose Chelimo defends her title and goes up against athletes including Kenya’s two-time winner Edna Kiplagat. Britain is represented by Tish Jones and Charlotte Purdue.

Day two – Saturday September 28

16:15 (14:15) M Discus – Qualification Group A
16:30 (14:30) W 100m – Heats
17:15 (15:15) M 800m – Heats
17:30 (15:30) M Pole vault – Qualification
17:45 (15:45) M Discus – Qualification Group B
18:05 (16:05) M 400m hurdles – Semi-final
18:45 (16:45) M 100m – Semi-final
19:15 (17:15) W 800m – Semi-final
19:25 (17:25) W Hammer – Final
20:00 (18:00) X 4x400m relay – Heats
20:40 (18:40) M Long jump – Final
21:10 (19:10) W 10,000m – Final
22:15 (20:15) M 100m – Final
23:30 (21:30) M 50km race walk – Final
23:30 (21:30) W 50km race walk – Final

There are six titles to be won on day two, including in the men’s 100m and women’s 10,000m.

The women’s hammer and men’s long jump are up first, with Luvo Manyonga defending his title against world indoor champion Juan Miguel Echevarria, before the women’s 10,000m, which will not feature Britain’s Eilish McColgan after she chose to contest only the 5000m in Doha. Steph Twell will be pulling on the GB vest as she races over 25 laps of the track before switching her attention to the Frankfurt Marathon.

British champion Ojie Edoburun is joined by Adam Gemili and Zharnel Hughes – who are both entered for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m triple in Doha – for the shorter of the sprint events. USA’s Christian Coleman leads the world rankings with 9.81.

Again, to avoid the worst of the heat, the two 50km race walk events start at 23:30 local time, with Cameron Corbishley and Dominic King in action for GB.

Day three – Sunday September 29

20:05 (18:05) M 200m – Heats
20:40 (18:40) W Pole vault – Final
21:20 (19:20) W 100m – Semi-final
21:45 (19:45) M Triple jump – Final
21:55 (19:55) M 800m – Semi-final
22:35 (20:35) X 4x400m relay – Final
23:20 (21:20) W 100m – Final
23:30 (21:30) W 20km race walk – Final

Day three sees five finals take place. After qualification on Friday evening, British record-holder Holly Bradshaw could be among those going for the medals in the women’s pole vault in what she believes to be one of the most open ever competitions.

The men’s triple jump is set to see USA’s Christian Taylor and Will Claye fight for victory and behind them there looks to be another battle for bronze. Britain’s Ben Williams believes he will be among those fighting for a medal in a season which has seen him add 53cm to his personal best.

The final of the inaugural world mixed 4x400m relay takes place, while Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith could claim a first of three medals as she targets the 100m, 200m and 4x100m triple in Doha. Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson and multiple global medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica are among her competition.

Road action continues with the women’s 20km race walk.

Day four – Monday September 30

16:30 (14:30) W Javelin – Qualification Group A
17:05 (15:05) W 200m – Heats
18:00 (16:00) W Javelin – Qualification Group B
18:20 (16:20) W 400m – Heats
20:05 (18:05) M 110m hurdles – Heats
20:30 (18:30) W High jump – Final
20:50 (18:50) M 200m – Semi-final
21:15 (19:15) M Discus – Final
21:20 (19:20) M 5000m – Final
21:50 (19:50) W 3000m steeplechase – Final
22:10 (20:10) W 800m – Final
22:40 (20:40) M 400m hurdles – Final

There are six gold medals to be won on day four, in the women’s high jump, men’s discus, men’s 5000m, women’s 3000m steeplechase, women’s 800m and men’s 400m hurdles.

Authorised neutral athlete Mariya Lasitskene hopes to become the first three-time world high jump champion but faces competition from Ukraine’s Yuliya Levchenko. Morgan Lake jumps for GB.

Doha will offer the first world 5000m final since 2005 without Britain’s 10-time global gold medallist Mo Farah. All three Ingebrigtsen brothers – Henrik, Filip and Jakob – are entered, while Britain’s team includes Andrew Butchart, Ben Connor and Marc Scott.

The women’s steeplechase features Kenya’s world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech and three British athletes – Elizabeth Bird, Rosie Clarke and Aimee Pratt.

South Africa’s three-time world champion Caster Semenya will not race for a fourth 800m gold following the IAAF’s new rules on female classification. USA’s Ajee’ Wilson leads the entries with 1:57.72, with Brits Alexandra Bell, Shelayna Oskan-Clarke and Lynsey Sharp hoping to be in action, should all have gone to plan in the earlier stages.

The men’s 400m hurdles is one of the most highly-anticipated events of the championships and the final takes place on day four, where defending champion Karsten Warholm, who sits second on the world all-time list, will likely go up against two other athletes who join him in the top four on the global all-time rankings – Rai Benjamin and home favourite Abderrahman Samba.

Day five – Tuesday October 1

16:30 (14:30) M Hammer – Qualification Group A
16:35 (14:35) M 400m – Heats
16:50 (14:50) M High jump – Qualification
17:30 (15:30) W 400m hurdles – Heats
18:00 (16:00) M Hammer – Qualification Group B
18:15 (16:15) M 3000m steeplechase – Heats
20:05 (18:05) M Pole vault – Final
20:50 (18:50) W 400m – Semi-final
21:20 (19:20) W Javelin – Final
21:35 (19:35) W 200m – Semi-final
22:10 (20:10) M 800m – Final
22:40 (20:40) M 200m – Final

Four titles are to be won, in the men’s pole vault, women’s javelin, men’s 800m and men’s 200m. USA’s defending champion Sam Kendricks will be looking for gold again as he goes up against Poland’s Piotr Lisek and European champion Armand Duplantis of Sweden, with Britain’s Harry Coppell aiming to make the final.

Nijel Amos stormed to the top of the world 800m rankings with his 1:41.89 in Monaco for the fastest time recorded since the London 2012 Olympics. USA’s Donavan Brazier will be another one to watch and British athletes Elliot Giles, Kyle Langford and Jamie Webb will be looking to make the final.

What will Noah Lyles do in Doha? The American clocked 19.50 at the IAAF Diamond League meet in Lausanne and seeks a first senior global title. Also in 200m action in Doha are Britain’s Miguel Francis, Adam Gemili and Zharnel Hughes, with Francis having clocked 19.97 this year and British champion Gemili and European 100m champion Hughes hoping to be back in action after racing the 100m.

Day six – Wednesday October 2

16:35 (14:35) M 100m – Decathlon
16:45 (14:45) W Shot put – Qualification
17:05 (15:05) W 100m hurdles – Heptathlon
17:30 (15:30) M Long jump – Decathlon
17:35 (15:35) W 1500m – Heats
18:00 (16:00) W Discus – Qualification Group A
18:15 (16:15) W High jump – Heptathlon
18:25 (16:25) W 5000m – Heats
18:50 (16:50) M Shot put – Decathlon
19:25 (17:25) W Discus – Qualification Group B
20:05 (18:05) M (110m hurdles – Semi-final
20:30 (18:30) W Shot put – Heptathlon
20:35 (18:35) M 400m Semi-final
20:40 (18:40) M High jump – Decathlon
21:05 (19:05) W 400m hurdles – Semi-Final
21:40 (19:40) M Hammer – Final
21:50 (19:50) W 200m – Heptathlon
22:35 (20:35) W 200m – Final
23:00 (21:00) M 110m hurdles – Final
23:15 (21:15) M 400m – Decathlon

Combined events action gets under way on day six, with both the heptathlon – set to feature a battle between Olympic and defending world champion Nafi Thiam and Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson – and decathlon taking place.

The three finals are the men’s hammer, featuring Poland’s defending champion Pawel Fajdek and Britain’s Commonwealth champion Nick Miller, plus the women’s 200m and men’s 110m hurdles. In the 200m, Elaine Thompson is fastest of the entries after world leader Shaunae Miller-Uibo decided to focus on the 400m. Behind her on the rankings are Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Dina Asher-Smith, who both also contest the 100m. Asher-Smith is joined in racing the 200m in Doha by team-mates Beth Dobbin and Jodie Williams.

Olympic champion Omar McLeod of Jamaica will defend his world 110m hurdles title against entries including Britain’s Andrew Pozzi.

Day seven – Thursday October 3

16:35 (14:35) M 110m hurdles – Decathlon
16:40 (14:40) W Triple jump – Qualification
17:30 (15:30) M Discus – Decathlon Group A
18:15 (16:15) W Long jump – Heptathlon
18:35 (16:35) M Discus – Decathlon Group B
19:05 (17:05) M Pole vault – Decathlon Group A
19:20 (17:20) M Shot put – Qualification Group A
20:05 (18:05) M Pole vault – Decathlon Group B
20:10 (18:10) W Javelin – Heptathlon
20:40 (18:40) M Shot put – Qualification Group B
22:00 (20:00) M 1500m – Heats
22:05 (20:05) M Javelin – Decathlon Group A
22:35 (20:35) W Shot put – Final
23:00 (21:00) W 1500m – Semi-final
23:10 (21:10) M Javelin – Decathlon Group B
23:50 (21:50) W 400m – Final
00:05 (22:05) W 800m – Heptathlon
00:25 (22:25) M 1500m – Decathlon

Day seven will see the conclusion of the heptathlon and decathlon, with two other finals – the women’s shot put and 400m – taking place. Gong Lijiao defends her shot put title and Britain’s Sophie McKinna will hope for another PB performance, while Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo will look for her first world gold after 400m silver and 200m bronze medals. Emily Diamond and Laviai Nielsen race for GB.

While Nafi Thiam and Katarina Johnson-Thompson are set to fight it out in the heptathlon, the decathlon features France’s world record-holder Kevin Mayer and Britain’s Tim Duckworth.

Day eight – Friday October 4

20:05 (18:05) M 1500m – Semi-final
20:15 (18:15) M High jump – Final
20:40 (18:40) W 4x100m relay – Heats
21:00 (19:00) W Discus – Final
21:05 (19:05) M 4x100m relay – Heats
21:30 (19:30) W 400m hurdles – Final
21:45 (19:45) M 3000m steeplechase – Final
22:20 (20:20) M 400m – Final
23:30 (21:30) M 20km race walk – Final

Day eight sees six finals, with the men’s high jump – featuring home favourite Mutaz Essa Barshim – kicking them off. Next up is the women’s discus before the women’s 400m hurdles, where world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad and her US team-mate Sydney McLaughlin, the world under-20 record-holder, will be in the spotlight.

The men’s steeplechase is another open event, with Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali leading the entries with 8:04.82.

Michael Norman goes in quickest in the 400m with 43.45 ahead of his US team-mate Fred Kerley’s 43.64, with Matthew Hudson-Smith and Rabah Yousif racing for GB. The men’s 20km race walk gets under way at 23:30 local time, with GB represented by Tom Bosworth and Callum Wilkinson.

Day nine – Saturday October 5

16:30 (14:30) M Javelin – Qualification Group A
17:15 (15:15) W 100m hurdles – Heats
17:50 (15:50) W Long jump – Qualification
18:00 (16:00) M Javelin throw – Qualification Group B
19:55 (17:55) W 4x400m relay – Heats
20:05 (18:05) M Shot put – Final
20:25 (18:25) M 4x400m relay – Heats
20:35 (18:35) W Triple jump – Final
20:55 (18:55) W 1500m – Final
21:25 (19:25) W 5000m – Final
22:05 (20:05) W 4x100m relay – Final
22:15 (20:15) M 4x100m relay – Final
23:59 (21:59) M Marathon – Final

The penultimate day of action features seven finals, including the men’s shot put, women’s triple jump, women’s 1500m, women’s 5000m, both 4x100m relays and the men’s marathon.

Yulimar Rojas defends her triple jump crown against Olympic champion and two-time world winner Caterine Ibarguen. The women’s 1500m features a few question marks as world leader Sifan Hassan is yet to decide whether she will race the event following the 10,000m and British record-holder Laura Muir is continuing her comeback after injury, while Genzebe Dibaba was a late withdrawal due to plantar fasciitis. Sarah McDonald and Jemma Reekie join Muir on the GB team, while Jessica Judd, Eilish McColgan and Laura Weightman race the 5000m.

The men’s marathon sees defending champion Geoffrey Kirui and Britain’s world fourth-placer Callum Hawkins in action, while the men’s 4x100m squad goes in as defending champions.

Day 10 – Sunday October 6

19:02 (17:02) W 100m hurdles – Semi-final
19:15 (17:15) W Long jump – Final
19:40 (17:40) M 1500m – Final
19:55 (17:55) M Javelin – Final
20:00 (18:00) M 10,000m – Final
20:50 (18:50) W 100m hurdles – Final
21:15 (19:15) W 4x400m relay – Final
21:30 (19:30) M 4x400m relay – Final

The last seven titles to be claimed are in the women’s long jump, men’s 1500m, men’s javelin, men’s 10,000m, women’s 100m hurdles and both the 4x400m relays.

After leaping 7.16m, Germany’s Malaika Mihambo will look to continue her superb season in the long jump, with Abigail Irozuru, Shara Proctor and Jazmin Sawyers all hoping to make the final and USA’s Brittney Reese going for a fifth world outdoor title.

After racing the 5000m, Jakob and Filip Ingebrigtsen are due to take on the 1500m, with Neil Gourley, Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman the entries for GB.

Should all go to plan for them in qualifying, the men’s javelin will see Germany’s Johannes Vetter, Andreas Hofmann and Olympic champion Thomas Rohler competing, while the men’s 10,000m features Uganda’s world cross country champion Joshua Cheptegei and Ethiopia’s two-time world 5000m medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet.

Jamaica’s Danielle Williams and Janeek Brown lead the 100m hurdles entries list with respective times of 12.32 and 12.40, ahead of USA’s world record-holder Kendra Harrison who has clocked 12.43 this year. GB’s Cindy Ofili continues her comeback after injury.

Allyson Felix, who had her first child in November, could win a record-extending 17th world medal as she forms part of the US 4x400m squad.

TV guide

A list of broadcasters per territory can be found here.

Fans in the UK will be able to follow BBC coverage, with the team including Olympic and world champions Michael Johnson, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Denise Lewis and Daley Thompson plus triple jumper Naomi Ogbeta to offer a ‘current athlete’s perspective’.

Details of BBC coverage can be found here.

Jack Carty will start at fly-half as Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt makes four changes for his side's Pool A match against hosts Japan on Saturday.

Johnny Sexton is not included in the squad, having been taken off in the win over Scotland with a thigh niggle.

Rob Kearney and Keith Earls return to the back three as Jordan Larmour and Andrew Conway make way.

Chris Farrell partners Garry Ringrose in midfield as Peter O'Mahony is fit to start in the back row.

Centre Robbie Henshaw is again not included in the matchday 23 having picked up a hamstring injury in the first week of training in Japan.

However, Joey Carbery is set to return to action as he is named on the bench following his recovery from an ankle injury sustained in Ireland's first warm-up game against Italy in August.

Twenty-seven-year-old Carty made his international debut as a replacement against Italy in this year's Six Nations.

The fly-half followed up a strong season at Connacht with an impressive showing in Ireland's warm-up games, including a man-of-the-match display against Wales in Cardiff.

Sexton relinquished place-kicking duties during the first half of Ireland's 27-3 victory over Scotland but remained on the field until the 59th minute.

There is no place for Bundee Aki, despite the centre being passed fit after coming off early against Scotland, although O'Mahony has recovered having gone through HIA protocol.

Schmidt has resisted the temptation to keep Conway and Larmour in the side after the duo performed well in Yokohama, and reverts to his favoured back three with Kearney and Earls joining Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale.

Japan bench captain Leitch

The hosts overcame a shaky start to secure a bonus-point win over Russia in the tournaments curtain raiser last Friday.

Captain Michael Leitch is a shock omission from the Brave Blossoms' starting XV to face Ireland.

Instead, head coach Jamie Joseph opts to bring fit-again Amanaki Mafi into the back row, with flanker Lappies Labuschagne taking over as skipper.

Mafi's inclusion for Leitch, which sees Kazuki Himeno move from the back of the scrum to blind-side flanker, is one of three personnel changes in the pack.

Koo Ji-won comes into the front row for Asaeli Ai Valu as Luke Thompson replaces Wimpie van der Walt at lock.

Wing Lomano Lemeki also makes way as Rhoyei Yamanaka comes in at full back with Will Tupuo moving to the left wing.

Ireland: Kearney; Earls, Ringrose, Farrell, Stockdale; Carty, Murray; Healy, Best, Furlong, Henderson, James Ryan; O'Mahony, van der Flier, Stander.

Replacements: Cronin, Kilcoyne, Porter, Beirne, Ruddock, McGrath, Carbery, Larmour.

Japan: Yamanaka; Matsushima, Lafaele, Nakamura, Tupou; Tamura, Nagare; Inagaki, Horie, Koo, Thompson, Moore; Himeno, Labuschagne, Mafi.

Replacements: Sakate, Nakajima, Ai Valu, van der Walt, Tanaka, Matsua, Lava Lemeki.

Carlos Vela scored his 30th goal of the season, and Diego Rossi connected on the go-ahead score in the 70th minute as LAFC clinched the 2019 MLS Supporters' Shield with a 3-1 victory Wednesday over the visiting Houston Dynamo.

LAFC midfielder Eduard Atuesta put the game away with a goal off a direct free kick in the 82nd minute when he curled a shot from just outside the corner of the penalty area into the right side of goal.

LAFC (20-4-8, 68 points) finally clinched the best record in the league, in just its second season, by ending a five-match winless streak. The team did have four ties during that stretch but had not won since Aug. 21 against San Jose.

Vela became just the second player in MLS history to score 30 goals in a season as he moved one away from the record set by Atlanta United's Josef Martinez last season. Vela became the first player in league history with 30 goals and 15 assists in the same season.

LAFC seemed doomed to another tie, which would have left them just short of clinching the Supporters' Shield. But Rossi scored an opportunistic goal late in the second half off a diving header.

Dynamo defender Maynor Figueroa tried to clear a ball out of the Houston penalty area, but the ball hit off the crossbar and came back onto the field. Rossi went with a diving header off a high bounce and beat Dynamo goalkeeper Joe Willis for his 16th of the season.

Vela scored a goal in his seventh consecutive game when he converted on a penalty kick in the 23rd minute for a 1-0 lead. Lee Nguyen earned the attempt when he was fouled in the penalty area by Houston's Kiki Struna.

The Dynamo (11-17-4, 37 points) tied the score 1-1 in the 28th minute on an LAFC own goal. Struna directed a loose ball in the LAFC penalty area toward goal. The ball was cleared off the line by LAFC's Mohamed El-Munir, but it rebounded off goalkeeper Tyler Miller and into the net.

With two games to play in the regular season, LAFC are now three points behind the New York Red Bulls' MLS record of 71 points in a season set last year.

South Australia 5 for 177 (Cooper 52*, Nair 2-42) beat New South Wales 173 (Nevill 40, Richardson 3-25, Mennie 3-39) by five wickets

Incisive opening spells from Kane Richardson and Joe Mennie helped South Australia to a bonus-point five-wicket win over New South Wales at Allan Border Field.

The new-ball duo made the most of the helpful bowling conditions early after captain Jake Lehmann won the toss, taking three wickets each to dismantle the New South Wales top order.

They slumped to 5 for 27 in the seventh over and could only manage to post 173. South Australia veteran Tom Cooper steered the chase with a patient, unbeaten half-century to ensure they never lost wickets in clumps. They won with 11 overs to spare to secure the bonus point and leave New South Wales winless after two matches.

The toss was vital given the overhead conditions and the ball duly darted around in the first hour of play and made life difficult for the batsmen. But four of the first five players dismissed were guilty of pushing with hard hands well in front of their front pads.

Jack Edwards and Daniel Hughes both inside-edged booming drives, Moises Henriques was pinned lbw by a hooping inswinger, Kurtis Patterson nicked a peach from Mennie and Nick Bertus chopped on defending off the back foot.

Peter Nevill and Daniel Sams were forced to rebuild and produced 54-run stand, but scoring with fluency was difficult. Arjun Nair and Sean Abbott provided handy contributions down the order however New South Wales were bowled out inside 39 overs.

The chase was not as simple as it appeared as the sideways movement gave way to some variable pace and bounce.

Callum Ferguson got away to a brisk start striking four boundaries in 22 before edging Abbott to slip. Alex Carey, promoted to open in the absence of the injured Jake Weatherald, looked in complete control cruising to 36 before feathering an under edge flailing at a wide delivery.

Lehmann and Cooper broke the back of the chase from there before Lehmann was undone by some extra bounce from Nair to be caught behind for 37. There were some late wobbles with miscues from Harry Nielsen and Alex Ross keeping, but Cooper closed out the contest by reaching his second straight half-century.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson insisted all offseason that he would be running less.

After three games this season, Jackson offered another revelation.

"I hate running," Jackson said. "Only if I have to, but my job is to get the ball to the receivers, the tight ends, running backs. If I have to run, I'll do it, but I'd rather just sit back and pass it. I like throwing touchdowns instead of running them."

In three games, Jackson is averaging 33 passes and just nine rushes per game -- which is down from his 17 carries per game as a starter last season.

Jackson still has confidence in his rushing ability. In Sunday's loss at Kansas City, he scored a touchdown by faking out one defender and spinning past another to reach the end zone.

"I only could run it. There was no one open," Jackson said. "I had to make him miss. I'm one-on-one. I like my chances over anyone one-on-one."

Jackson is on pace to gain 917 yards rushing, which would rank as the fourth-most by a quarterback. When Jackson takes off, he often creates highlights with his ability to sidestep, fake out and hurdle defenders.

"He's wild, man. He's amazing," running back Mark Ingram said. "I don't think there is anything like him in the league, as far as just extending plays and being able to juke defenders. He's special. He can extend plays and buy time for us to get open, receivers to get open, or him take off and run at the last resort and juke people, spin around people, make people fall."

Jackson has made dramatic improvements as a passer this season. In the season opener, he became the youngest player ever to record a perfect passer rating. Jackson then set a team record for most touchdown passes in the first two weeks of a season (seven).

Entering Week 4, Jackson has the NFL's fifth-best passer rating (113.9).

SEATTLE -- Zack Greinke came within two outs of pitching the third no-hitter by the Houston Astros this year, losing his bid on a single by Seattle rookie Austin Nola in the ninth inning of a 3-0 win over the Mariners on Wednesday night.

Greinke (18-5) was in complete control while trying for his first career no-hitter. He drew cheers from the orange-shirted Astros fans when he took the mound to begin the ninth and retired Tom Murphy on a grounder.

Nola, in an 0-for-16 slump, was up next and dumped a liner into shallow left-center field. Center fielder Jake Marisnick made a diving attempt but came up well short and pounded his fist on his leg.

Greinke gave up another single to Tim Lopes and was replaced after throwing 108 pitches. Will Harris got his third save, striking out Shed Long and retiring J.P. Crawford on a lineout.

Houston posted its franchise-high 104th win and moved one step closer to home-field advantage throughout the postseason. The Astros nearly became the first team in major league history to throw three no-hitters in a season, while Seattle barely avoided becoming the first team to be no-hit three times in a year.

Greinke struck out nine and walked one. His performance put a capper on Houston's mastery of the Mariners as the Astros finished the year 18-1 against Seattle.

Part of that dominance was the Astros combining to no-hit the Mariners on Aug. 3. That game was started by Aaron Sanchez and included contributions from Harris, Joe Biagini and Chris Devenski.

Justin Verlander also threw a no-hitter earlier this month against Toronto.

Greinke saw a no-hit bid earlier this season against Washington broken up in the seventh inning. After that no-no disappeared, Greinke said, "I don't really think about [no-hitters] that much. I just assume I'll never throw one.''

"Just probably be more hassle than anything,'' he said.

Anyhow, he almost did, finally.

Until Nola's hit, the closest Seattle came to a base hit was Omar Narvaez's line drive back up the middle with one out in the eighth inning. Greinke, a five-time Gold Glove winner, got his mitt up in time to make the grab and keep the no-hitter intact.

The right-hander mixed a well located fastball all night, with a selection of off-speed pitches that left the Mariners whiffing at air. The All-Star lost his perfect game in the sixth when he walked Dee Gordon, ending his streak of consecutive innings without a free pass at 29⅓. He got out of the inning with a double play. His final strikeout came on a 64 mph off-speed pitch to Kyle Seager to end the seventh inning.

Houston got all the runs it needed in the first inning. George Springer singled to lead off the game against Yusei Kikuchi. Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez followed with RBI doubles for a quick 2-0 lead. Kikuchi (6-11) settled down and held Houston scoreless over the next five innings, striking out four with no walks.

Kyle Tucker made it 3-0 with a solo home run in the top of the ninth.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: There is growing concern about SS Carlos Correa's tight lower back. Correa missed Tuesday's game after the long flight from Houston. He expected to be ready for Wednesday, but was unable to play and won't suit up for the first game of series against Los Angeles on Thursday because of a late arrival. Correa, who returned from the 10-day injured list on Sept. 17, said he would play if the Astros were in the playoffs.

"I think it is smart for us to play it more cautiously,'' Houston manager AJ Hinch said. "I'll feel better when he's on the field. There's a certain timing and rhythm and playing that he needs to do to make us all feel better. He played very well when he was active a few days ago.''

UP NEXT

Astros: LHP Wade Miley (14-6, 3.91 ERA) will take the mound in the first game at the Los Angeles Angels.

Mariners: RHP Felix Hernandez (1-7, 6.51 ERA) will make likely his final start for the Mariners after 15 seasons in Seattle.

On Sept. 5, the Milwaukee Brewers lost 10-5 to the Chicago Cubs in the first game of a four-game series in Milwaukee. They were 7½ games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central with 23 games left and five games behind the Cubs for the second wild-card spot -- tied with the New York Mets, with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies ahead of them. Their playoff odds with 23 games remaining, according to Baseball-Reference.com: 3.1%.

Their odds of winning the division? Less than 0.1%. Not less than 1%. Less than one-tenth of 1%.

Here we are, 19 games later, and the Brewers not only have clinched a playoff spot -- they did that by beating the Cincinnati Reds 9-2 on Wednesday -- but they are just 1½ games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. Miracle of miracles, after 17 wins in those 19 games, the Brewers now have their sights on a division title. What a story that would be.

Consider some of the most famous September comebacks in baseball history and where those teams stood with 23 games left:

1938 Cubs: 4 GB
1951 Giants: 5 GB
1964 Cardinals: 5 GB
1973 Mets: 5½ GB
1978 Yankees: 3 GB
1995 Mariners: 5½ GB
2007 Phillies: 5 GB (but 7 GB with 17 left!)

The Brewers have a chance at history -- and those final three games of the Cubs series early in the month got everything going. Given the Cubs' lead at the time in the wild-card race, it was the turning point in the season for both clubs.

In the Friday game, Christian Yelich hit a three-run home run off Cole Hamels in the third inning, and Zach Davies and three relievers combined for a three-hitter in a 7-1 victory. On Saturday, the Brewers won 3-2 as Yasmani Grandal tied it with a home run in the eighth and Yelich hit a two-out, walk-off double in the ninth. On Sunday, the Brewers scored five runs in the fourth off Jon Lester -- Tyler Austin hit a three-run homer -- on the way to an 8-5 victory.

Let the good times roll. Just like that, the Brewers were hot and the Cubs were reeling. Milwaukee went into Miami and swept a four-game series, although Yelich went down for the season in the first inning of the second game when a foul ball cracked his right kneecap. The Brewers lost 10-0 in St. Louis but won the next two games. They beat the San Diego Padres in three of four, swept three from the Pittsburgh Pirates and have now taken the first two from the Reds. The Brewers have scored 103 runs in going 17-2 (5.4 per game) and given up only 53 (2.79 per game). Through Sept. 5, the Brewers ranked 18th in the majors with a 4.65 ERA. Since Sept. 6, they rank first with a 2.54 ERA.

"We had another great September," Lorenzo Cain said after the game. "Back-to-back years we had great Septembers. We're back in the dance again and it's find a way to get to the World Series and win it all."

Yelich, the possible NL MVP until his injury, was on hand to celebrate. "Everybody stepped up. It's a true sense of a team," he said as teammates dumped champagne over his head. "We never really cared what our odds were all year, nobody cares about that. We know what we were capable of as a team. We have a lot of talented players and the guys stepped up huge and did a great job. We managed to string them together when it counted, like we did last year. It was somebody different every night."

At one point, manager Craig Counsell took the floor and pointed around the entire clubhouse: "Take a look," he said. "This is what a team looks like."

"They're going to the postseason!" #MKEHistory pic.twitter.com/Hnz0vkw7jx

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 26, 2019

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— Christian Yelich (@ChristianYelich) September 26, 2019

Can the Brewers catch the Cardinals? Do you believe in momentum? Ryan Braun said they still have their eyes on more wins -- not just potential home field for the wild-card game against the Washington Nationals, but the division title.

The tricky issue: How many resources do you expend trying to avoid that wild-card game? Winning the division is huge, but the downfall of burning through Josh Hader and the rest of the bullpen is that you fight to get to a tiebreaker game on Monday, lose that, and then you have a fatigued pitching staff for Tuesday's wild-card game -- when it appears you'll face Stephen Strasburg, with Max Scherzer potentially in relief.

The Brewers have one more game in Cincinnati on Thursday afternoon, then three in Colorado. The Cardinals are off Thursday and host the Cubs for their final three. The Cubs have lost eight in a row and figure to be playing with the emotional urgency of a sloth, but maybe they'll show up to give their rivals some competition. The Rockies are bad and playing out the string. I'd call those matchups a toss-up.

The Brewers are lined up with Chase Anderson, Davies, Brandon Woodruff and Adrian Houser for their final four games. But, really, Counsell is almost managing every contest like a bullpen game these days. The expanded rosters allow him to pull his starters and go early and often to his pen. In September, a Brewers starting pitcher has gone more than 4⅓ innings only eight times in 23 games, more than five innings only three times (twice by Jordan Lyles) and never more than 6⅓.

The Cardinals have Dakota Hudson, Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright slated for their final three games. Keep in mind, however, that red-hot Jack Flaherty also could start Sunday on regular rest.

The Cardinals, of course, are hoping for the best-case scenario: clinch before Sunday, so they don't have to worry about using Flaherty and have him ready to go in Game 1 of the division series against the Braves. My guess is if they're leading by one game on Sunday that they stick with Wainwright and hope to win. If they're tied with the Brewers heading into Sunday? That might force their hand to go with Flaherty to try to win the division title or at least force a tiebreaker on Monday (if both teams win).

If the Brewers do get to a Monday tiebreaker? Lyles' turn would be up, the guy they picked up from the Pirates at the deadline who has gone 7-1 with a 2.45 ERA since the trade -- a deal that didn't exactly rock the news wire at the time but proved to be maybe the biggest pickup of all at the trade deadline.

And if back on Sept. 5 you were told that Jordan Lyles would be in line to potentially start a game to give the Brewers a division title? No, you're right: Nobody would have told you that.