By The Associated Press

A look at what’s happening around the majors Wednesday:

TRY AGAIN

Luis Severino gets a wild-card do-over when he starts for the Yankees against Oakland in a winner-take-all matchup. Severino allowed three runs and got just one out in last year’s wild-card game against Minnesota before New York rallied for an 8-4 victory. Severino was chosen over J.A. Happ and Masahiro Tanaka despite a second-half slump.

“I think he’s equipped in so many ways to handle this, and perhaps most importantly, he’s equipped with amazing stuff and the ability to dominate big league hitters because he’s such a talented pitcher,” manager Aaron Boone said.

The A’s will counter with a bullpen game, beginning with reliever Liam Hendriks — among the more unlikely postseason starters ever. Hendriks was waived off the 40-man roster in June, spent two months in the minors, then emerged in September as Oakland’s go-to “opener” to cover for an injury-decimated rotation.

Hendriks (0-1) will be just the fourth pitcher to start a playoff game after a regular season of no wins, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The previous three missed most of their seasons either to serve in a war or because of injury.

DOUBTFUL DANSBY

Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson appears to be a longshot to make the team’s roster for its NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Swanson partially tore a ligament in his left hand on a swing against the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard on Sept. 24. He had pain when he tried to swing a bat Saturday in Philadelphia and received more treatment Tuesday, remaining inside while his teammates were on the SunTrust Park field.

TWIN CITIES SEACH PARTY

Minnesota is looking for a new manager a day after firing Paul Molitor. Chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine cited a pursuit of more productive player development for their younger players. The move comes amid struggles for Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, players long targeted as franchise cornerstones.

BATTING AVERAGE SINKS

NEW YORK (AP) — The big league batting average dropped to its lowest level since 1972, strikeouts topped hits for the first time and defensive shifts increased by another 30 percent while innings and pitches per starting pitcher dropped again in a another baseball season of rapid change.

The batting average fell seven points to .248 in the regular season that ended Monday, down from a Steroids Era peak of .271 in 1999.

Strikeouts set a record for the 11th straight year, increasing by 1,103 to 41,207, and topped hits (41,019) for the first time in big league history.