"You start back in February and the goal is to go play in October and go win a championship," New York manager Aaron Boone told YES Network near the dugout at Target Field after the game, which brought the Yankees to 87-63. "And we've checked that first box and have that opportunity now, and obviously there's a lot of important games still in front of us here the rest of the way, but we're excited that we'll be able to take our shot. Feel like the group's coming together at the right time, but today's a good day."
The Tampa Bay Rays lead the American League East by 3.5 games, but the Yankees have a chance to take the division with next week's four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
They do so with Aaron Judge, who homered in his sixth game back from a three-month absence on the injured list, among those entering the mix as the Yankees ramp up against the Twins (70-80).
"It's one thing as a team we try to talk about every series ... as we get down the stretch -- just clean up the little mistakes, trying to fin-tune the situational hitting," Judge said. "So, I was just trying to do a job there. You've got guys on base, guys in scoring position. Either move 'em over or drive 'em in. So, I'm just happy to drive in add more runs there and let our pitchers do the thing."
What makes the 2026 Yankees different from New York's World Series contenders of the past decade?
"Got a lot of grit," Judge said. "Even going into tonight's game -- Twins put some good at-bats against us. They go up 2-1. The offense wasn't really going. But we found a way to fight back there."
Entering Tuesday's 7:40 p.m. start in Minnesota, continuing the three-game series with the Twins, the Yankees possess the AL Wild Card's first spot by a sizable margin over the Boston Red Sox (82-68) and Cleveland Guardians (76-75).
"It's what you've got to deal with as a major league club," Boone said. "We've certainly had our fair share (of adversity) this year, and I feel like the guys have persevered through that to this point. "There's a lot of grit in there with these guys, which I love. And we're used to playing in tight, difficult situations, and hopefully that's something that serves us well in the month of October."
ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 14: Seattle Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) dives safely to third base during an MLB baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels played on September 14, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Angels 6, Mariners 4
The Big A: Cal Raleigh, +0.09 WPA The Big F: Kade Anderson, -0.19 WPA
CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 2: A high home general view of Wrigley Field during a night game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on August 2, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s another week here at BCB After Dark: the coolest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so happy you decided to stop by. Come on in. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last week I asked you who you thought should be the National League Rookie of the Year. There didn’t seem to be much debate as 71 percent of you voted for the Reds’ Sal Stewart. St, Louis second baseman JJ Wetherholt came in second with 21 percent.
Here’s the part with the music and the movies. You’re welcome to come join us there.
Next week will mark the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane, so it might be a good time to go back and remember his genius. In 1965, just two years before his death, Trane released his best-selling album and the one that many consider his masterpiece: A Love Supreme. In fact, it’s considered among the top jazz recordings ever made.
This is a music video that his estate made earlier this year to go with “Part 1—Acknowledgement,” the first track on A Love Supreme. Besides Coltrane on tenor sax, this number features McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on double bass and Elvin Jones on drums.
Most of this video was shot at the famous Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey, where A Love Supreme was recorded with the aid of engineer Rudy Van Gelder.
First off tonight, I want to acknowledge the passing of legendary designer and costumer Bob Mackie (gift article) at the age of 87. As someone who grew up watching Cher and Carol Burnett on television, some of my earliest memories included his work. Of course, the Mackie-designed dress that Burnett wore in her “Went with the Wind” parody is still today one of the greatest visual jokes ever committed to television. Burnett’s line of “Thank you. I just saw it in the window and I couldn’t resist it” just took the bit up to 13. That dress now belongs to the Smithsonian.
Of course, Mackie didn’t just dress Cher and Burnett. As the obituary notes, he also designed outfits for Tina Turner, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Liza Minelli and others. Pretty much every star from that era wore Bob Mackie clothes and pretty much every designer since then has been influenced by him one way or the other.
Costume designers are an underrated and under appreciated part of movies and television. Often they work in anonymity. But Bob Mackie, along with Edith Head, were two designers who became household names anyway.
Now on to tonight’s movie.
You Never Can Tell is a 1951 movie, written and directed by Lou Breslow, that stars Dick Powell as a dog. No, really. Wait. It gets even better.
King, played by Hollywood veteran Flame, is a German Shepherd war hero who inherits six million dollars from his eccentric owner. So far, so good. Peggy Dow (who, according to IMDB.com, is still with us at 98) plays Ellen Hathaway, the old man’s secretary who is placed in charge of the dog. She also stands to inherit the money when King dies.
Charles Drake plays Perry Collins, who served in the K-9 Corps with King, shows up at Ellen’s door wanting to reconnect with King. He also immediately starts wooing Ellen and the $6 million he controls.
King, of course, turns up dead by poison. He goes up to animal heaven where he asks the lion named Lion who runs the place to return him to earth to solve his murder. King’s wish is granted and he is sent back to earth as private investigator Rex Shepard. A filly named Golden Harvest goes with him as his trusty secretary, Goldie Harvey (Joyce Holden).
Of course, Rex/King knows who killed him, he just has to find a way to prove it to humans.
That set up is pretty much all you need to know. Rex is a dog in Dick Powell’s body. Rex is both a dog and a tough-as-nails Sam Spade-style detective with a trusty secretary, who is also a horse. He needs to solve his own murder. He likes to eat kibble and dog treats and curl up onto his late-master’s favorite chair. He likes his hamburgers raw.
Much of the humor revolves around Powell and Holden acting like animals in human bodies. Powell does incorporate a lot of dog-related behavior, like the way he scratches his nose. Holden’s Goldie speaks with a thick Kentucky accent. She likes to go to track and she makes a lot of money betting on her granddaughters. Despite being in a human body, Goldie can still run 35 miles per hour.
We find out very quickly who the killer and the answer is not a surprise. The only suspense becomes how a dog is going to prove it. As a noir satire, You Never Can Tell is fine but a bit tame. It’s silly fun, but if you want a tighter noir satire, you want the Carl Reiner’s Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.
Still, You Never Can Tell is one of those bonkers concepts that make watching it worthwhile. Powell and Holden really do get a lot of milage out of the ridiculousness. While the noir satire isn’t sharp, it is present and kind of clever. Overall, You Never Can Tell is the kind of movie that if you described the plot to me, I’d say “There’s no way I’m not watching that.” Luckily, the film didn’t make me regret that instinct.
I couldn’t find any trailers or scenes for You Never Can Tell, but it is available to watch until September 23 on the Watch TCM app if you have a cable or satellite subscription to TCM.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
It has been suggested by some that grabbing the third Wild Card spot in the National League is preferable to the first one. Quite honestly, it’s something that I’ve considered as well. I don’t think it’s controversial to say that the Brewers look like the best team in the National League. They have the best record. The Dodgers still look formidable, but they also look flawed and injured. The Braves are comfortably in the three slot as the division winner with the worst record and that seems unlikely to change.
Right now, the Cubs are the first Wild Card team. If they hold that position, they’ll open the playoffs with a best-of-three series at home against the second Wild Card, which is likely to be the Phillies. It could also be the Padres.
Were the Cubs to win that first series, they would then play the Brewers in a best-of-five series, with Milwaukee hosting games 1,2 and 5. In other words, just like last year.
However, were the Cubs to fall to the third Wild Card, they would play a best-of-three series in Atlanta and then face a Dodgers team that looks more vulnerable in the second round.
To be clear: NO ONE IS ARGUING THAT THE CUBS LOSE GAMES ON PURPOSE. For one, two bad things could happen if they do. The first is that they only fall to the second Wild Card, which would mean the same matchups except no games at Wrigley in the first round. The other bad thing is obvious: the Diamondbacks get hot and the Cubs miss the playoffs altogether.
However, it does seem like putting off a possible matchup with the Brewers until the Championship Series (with the chance that Atlanta, San Diego or Philadelphia knocks them out in the Division Series) is preferable to facing them in the Division Series. And it does seem like the Dodgers are a better matchup for the Cubs than the Brewers are. Just compare their record this year against LA and Milwaukee.
Of course, the problem with finishing third would be that the Cubs would have to win two out of three games on the road in the Wild Card series to get to either the Brewers. Maybe that makes a difference. Maybe it doesn’t make enough of a difference.
So with the caveat that the Cubs should try to win every game, would you feel better if the Cubs secured the first Wild Card or the third? (The second is definitely bad.)
Thanks for stopping by tonight. We’re glad to have you stop by. Please get home safely. Tell your friends about us. We won’t bug you with an annoying survey to fill out. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 14: Elly De La Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds gestures as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park on September 14, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds lost again on Monday night, this time back home in Great American Ball Park. It came at the hands of the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers, and the loss officially eliminated the Reds from postseason contention with roughly two weeks of games left to be played as they finally dipped to 10 games under .500.
Of course that’s how this season’s final nail was hit.
Anyway, while the Reds lost 4-1 after Tarik Skubal sliced and diced their eyeballs all night, at least superstar Elly De La Cruz managed to show the rest of the world that he, at still just 24 years of age, is about to be the single most dominant force on a baseball diamond for a handful of years.
He just recently wrapped up a stretch of homering in five straight games. If how hard he hit his 457 foot blast out of GABP tonight is any indication, he may well be en route to finishing the 2026 season as a whole on a similar tear.
About three hours before the first pitch of his first game at Citi Field as a visiting player, Pete Alonso walked into the batting cage outside the Mets clubhouse, on the home side. Visiting players rarely, if ever, wander that deep into enemy territory. But, as became clear immediately, this was no usual visiting player.
“The [redacted] polar bear!” Francisco Alvarez exclaimed, his gerund of choice not fit for print.
He opened his arms wide and gave Alonso a hug, which is exactly how everyone at Citi Field treated him Monday.
The irony, of course, almost goes without saying: The only people at Citi Field who seemed to think the Mets were better off without Alonso were the ones who made the decision not to pursue him in free agency.
In the baseball sense, that is settled business now. Alonso is the heart and soul of the Orioles now. He will be for the next four seasons. The Mets failed to fill the void, if it were possible that anyone not named Pete Alonso could fill that void at all. Maybe no one could.
Because in the emotional sense, nothing about Alonso’s departure is settled business. The grief has not been processed. Acceptance has not yet grown roots.
The front office was wrong. The 2026 Mets were not better without Pete Alonso. And the 2026 Mets were always going to be judged on whether they were better without Pete Alonso. The original skeptics are credible critics, for the moment.
Alonso has already answered several sessions worth of questions about the Mets’ unwillingness to negotiate for his return. His answers to Monday’s were sparklingly diplomatic, honed and practiced. For example: He said he did not take it personally when the Mets didn’t chase him this winter.
“When you have a really good opportunity, you have great dialogue, you don’t necessarily want to, kind of, ruin that. So for me, I didn’t want to look anywhere else because Baltimore was putting in a tremendous effort,” said Alonso, who then emphasized how happy he is as an Oriole.
“Two things can be true at the same time: I’m very happy and appreciative of my time that I spent as a Met, and I’m beyond grateful and appreciative of the Baltimore Orioles.”
When he took the field for batting practice, fans in Alonso jerseys cheered. When he stepped in the cage during batting practice, they cheered again. They roared when his name was announced in the starting lineup, then chanted it for several seconds.
When the national anthem was over, they chanted his name again, even though he was not on the field.
When he finally took the field to stretch, they chanted his name again, at which point he tipped his cap to the crowd -- only to have the game production team press play on his tribute video. This required him to tip his hat again.
Alonso stepped in the box and the crowd stood until he tipped his helmet to them. They chanted his name for most of his at-bat. After he popped out, they cheered to “Fire Stearns.” And when a ground ball up the line got by current Mets first baseman Brett Baty, they cheered “Pete Alonso” again.
“It’s one of those that, you see him on the other side like, ‘Wow, those are great numbers. That’s Pete Alonso,’” Francisco Lindor said after the game.
“But at the same time, you look in our clubhouse and you say, ‘The guys that we have are capable of helping us win games. We haven‘t stayed healthy and we haven’t put the season together.‘ As a person, I do miss him, for sure.”
While the Mets have struggled, Alonso is not exactly cruising to the postseason, either: His Orioles, though technically still alive for the third American League Wild Card spot, are three games out with 11 games to play.
Alonso went 0-for-3 with a walk Monday. He did not subject Citi Field to the torture of watching his 300th career homer come for another team, though he still has two games to do so.
No, on Monday night, the baseball fates had another twist in mind: When his Orioles took the opener 2-1, they officially eliminated the Mets from postseason contention.
MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Judge hit a three-run home run that capped a six-run eighth inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 8-3 Monday on a night they clinched their 61st postseason berth and ninth in 10 seasons.
Judge had been 3 for 20 with 11 strikeouts since returning last week after missing 84 games because of a fractured rib. Judge hit a cutter from A.J. Minter 415 feet into the second deck in left field for his 18th home run this season, his first since May 24.
His drive came a few minutes before Detroit beat Toronto, clinching a playoff berth for the Yankees.
New York (87-63) has won six of seven and moved a season-high 24 games over .500. The Yankees are 3 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay (90-59).
Josh Bell homered off Tim Hill (5-2) and Emmanuel Rodriguez had a two-run triple for the Twins, who have lost eight of 11 while fading from postseason contention.
José Caballero hit a go-ahead homer in the third inning and a single off Andrew Morris (4-8) that tied the score in the eighth. Ben Rice added a two-run bloop single and, after a Cody Bellinger infield single, Judge elicited a hearty roar from the large contingent of Yankee fans with his no-doubt drive.
Austin Wells homered in the ninth. John Schreiber earned his second save with 1 1/3 hitless innings.
In his second-longest start since being acquired from Baltimore Aug. 1, Minnesota’s Dean Kremer allowed two hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings. New York starter Will Warren scattered five hits and struck out six over 5 2-3 innings in his fourth straight strong outing — third start.
Up next
New York LHP Max Fried (4-4, 2.73 ERA) and Minnesota RHP Bailey Ober (7-5, 4.28) start Tuesday.
Teoscar Hernández, right, celebrates with teammate Kyle Tucker after hitting a two-run home run during the fourth inning of the Dodgers' 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. (Jeff Dean / Getty Images)
The Dodgers celebrated clinching a postseason berth with a champagne toast. Simple. Restrained. Leaving room for larger celebrations to come.
“The message was, ‘We haven’t come close to playing our best baseball yet,’” manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Reds on Monday. “And here we are with 12 games left, getting a ticket to the postseason. And that says a lot about this entire organization. And just to finish strong.”
It marked the Dodgers’ 14th straight playoff berth, tying a record set by the Atlanta Braves from 1991 to 2005.
“It’s different than anything I’ve experienced, for sure,” Tarik Skubal said of the understated celebration. “But I think it just speaks to the people in this room and what they expect out of this team. That was cool. A little toast and move on. Forget it happened. We’ve got more to accomplish.”
Most teams don ski goggles to celebrate with champagne and beer showers. The Dodgers will save the messier celebration for clinching the division. Their win over the Reds (70-80) trimmed that magic number to three.
It was fitting that Skubal, the Dodgers’ big trade-deadline acquisition, was on the mound for the clincher. He’s progressively improved in his eight starts with the Dodgers. And on Monday, he breezed through seven shutout innings, allowing just four baserunners (three singles and a walk).
“I think a lot of the struggles have been me versus me,” Skubal said. “Thinking too much out there, not competing the way I know how to compete. Just thinking too much about pitch selection at times and trying to be too fine and not challenging guys.”
He has grown more comfortable with the pitching coaches and his catchers, and it has brought out a better version of him. Skubal seems to be peaking at the right time — just as Roberts hoped for the team as a whole.
Even after clinching the division likely this week, the Dodgers (91-59) will be playing for seeding, aiming for at least a first-round bye.
“It’s always helpful in the sense of giving your guys a break to reset,” Roberts said. “But given all the tax and where our guys are health-wise, to get that week would be huge. So we’ve still got to play well to finish out the season to get to that point.”
The position-player group has been hit the hardest down the stretch.
Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (right biceps and left knee), center fielder Andy Pages (left hand fracture) and backup catcher Dalton Rushing (sprained right elbow) are on the IL. First baseman Freddie Freeman was out of the lineup Monday managing right knee soreness, and second baseman Miguel Rojas was playing through shoulder soreness after aggravating a longstanding partial tear in a labrum.
“You’ve got to give credit to the front office,” said Teoscar Hernández, who hit a two-run homer Monday. “They put together a really good team, [a] deep team that has a little bit of too much of everything. A lot of pitchers, a lot of position players here, players that can play all over the field. We’re one of the oldest teams. We know [injuries] are going to happen throughout the season. So, we’ve just gotta be ready, and the team has to be ready, and everybody else.”
Here are more specific injury updates provided by Roberts:
— Ohtani is set to hit off a tee Tuesday. Up until this point, he’s been working out, lifting and undergoing treatment.
— Pages hit softer balls Monday and will advance to hitting baseballs in the cage Tuesday. “He’s trending really well,” Roberts said.
— Freeman is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday, but Roberts will continue to keep a close eye on him. “Where we’re at in the season, an IL is not an option in the sense of — I personally don’t think we have a better option,” Roberts said. “So I don’t think it needs to be 10 days. But could it be more than one? That’s a fair question. And I’ve got to talk to the training staff, Freddie, and ultimately make that decision. But I don’t think IL would make sense at all.”
— Rojas did not receive a cortisone injection as he had initially predicted when he hurt his shoulder Sunday. But he said it’s still a possibility as he manages pain in his shoulder. The Reds have left-handed starters scheduled for two of the four games, making Rojas’ right-handed bat valuable.
“Right now it’s front of mind, it’s not great,” Roberts said of the Dodgers’ injury situation. “But I will say this: Once you get to October, athletes have a magical way of feeling better. It happens every single year, where there’s that extra adrenaline that athletes get when you get to the postseason.”
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 14: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrates his three-run home run as he rounds the bases against the Minnesota Twins in the eighth inning at Target Field on September 14, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Coming into Monday night, the Yankees were one win away from officially clinching a playoff berth. While that’s obviously not the end goal of their season, getting into the postseason is the first step. They’re now there.
Officially, the clinching came prior to the Yankees’ game ending, as the Blue Jays losing to the Tigers was also enough to get the job done. However on the field, the Yankees got the job done too, eventually.
On the mound, Will Warren was pretty good but deserved better. He ended up going 5.2 innings, allowing two runs — both of which ended up unearned — on five hits and two walks. Thanks to some iffy defense and the offense struggling, he left the game in line for the loss, before the offense responded just in time. Thanks to a six-run eighth inning that included Aaron Judge’s first home run since returning from the injured list, the Yankees flipped the game back in their favor. They didn’t need the win to pop the champagne, but it still feels better to get in with it, as they downed the Twins 8-3.
After both teams failed to capitalize on some early runners, the Yankees broke the deadlock in the third. With two outs, José Caballero just cleared the left wall at Target Field for a solo home run, putting the Yankees up early.
On the mound, Warren was mostly very solid. He ended up giving up the lead in the sixth, albeit with some defensive miscues that weren’t entirely on him. After Warren got the first out of the inning, Ryan McMahon let a Kody Clemens grounder through his legs for an error. Warren then got the second out, brining Josh Bell to the plate. Bell hit a liner to a leaping George Lombard Jr., who got a glove on the ball, but couldn’t complete the catch. The ball got past him into center field, moving Clemens to third. That one was ruled a single as opposed to an error, as it would’ve been a very nice play had Lombard completed it.
That brought us to the most frustrating part of the inning. Emmanuel Rodriguez was up next, and he dropped in a hit that would’ve scored one run no matter what. However, Spencer Jones then made another miscue — another not ruled an error — while attempting to field the rolling hit. The ball went off Jones’ glove and ended up rolling to the warning track. Not only did the one run score, but Bell came all the way around from first, with Rodriguez going to third on what was ruled a triple. Two runs scored on the play and after all Warren’s pretty good work, he left trailing, as Aaron Boone went to the bullpen after that. Yes, both balls that Lombard and Jones misplayed were decently hit, but they still felt like plays that should’ve been made.
The Yankees coughing up those two runs would’ve been way less of an issue had they not been shutdown by the quite meh Twins’ starter Dean Kremer. In 5.2 innings, Kremer allowed just that one run on the Caballero homer, and allowed just one other hit in total.
The offense finally got something going again once the Twins turned to their bullpen. With reliever Andrew Morris on the mound, Lombard led off the eighth inning with a double, and a Ryan McMahon infield single put runners at the corners. Two batters later, Caballero picked up his second RBI of the night with a single.
Then following a double steal, Ben Rice punched through a single to score two and give the Yankees the lead back. The big blow was still yet to come, though. After Cody Bellinger beat out the throw on an infield single, Judge came to the plate. While he has a couple hits since returning from the IL, Judge has not looked like the “Aaron Judge” we all know…until know. Judge demolished a A.J. Minter offering out to left field for his first home run since returning, giving the Yankees a decent cushion.
The Twins got one run back in the bottom of the eighth when Bell homered off Tim Hill, but Austin Wells answered with one of his own in the top of the ninth. John Schreiber finished things off in the ninth and the Yankees could officially celebrate.
With the Bombers now in the postseason and still trying to track down the Rays in the AL East, the Yankees and Twins will continue their series tomorrow night at 7:40 pm ET. Max Fried and Bailey Ober are expected to be the starting pitchers for that one.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 14: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies reacts during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Monday, September 14, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
POSTGAME UPDATE: Manager Warren Schaeffer said Goodman “jammed his thumb and will be evaluated tomorrow.”
UPDATE 8:56pm MT: The Rockies broadcast confirmed that Goodman was lifted with “right thumb soreness.”
Colorado Rockies starting catcher Hunter Goodman left today’s game against the San Diego Padres in the top of the seventh inning.
The rockies All-Star catcher hit a triple, and it appears he may have suffered a thumb injury on the slide.
CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 14: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs hits a two-run home run in the sixth inning during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday, September 14, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Lawrence Brown/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
You know, there was probably a version of this game where the Braves scripted things to work Reynaldo Lopez and AJ Smith-Shawver for only a set number of batters each, and things ended up fairly exciting. That wasn’t what happened, though. The Cubs jumped over Lopez akin to what the Rays managed in his return from the Injured List, and the Brave never caught up, despite bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth.
Lopez really didn’t have much. He lasted just three innings, spanning 17 batters, and managed a 2/2 K/BB ratio with a grounder rate of about 30 percent. He got through the first fine, but the second featured the sequence of double-single-strikeout-walk, loading the bases for Carson Kelly. The Chicago catcher made weak contact on an elevated slider, but it was too weak to turn into a double play, scoring the first run of the game. If the Braves were desperate, maybe, maybe (but probably not) they’d pull Lopez here. But, Lopez stayed in against presumptive NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong, and what resulted was a weak flare on an outside changeup that plated two more runs. Lopez stayed in for the third, where a leadoff walk, and a later single and double made it 5-0 in favor of the Cubs.
That was it for Lopez, and Smith-Shawver took over. He got a fair bit of his defense but wasn’t walking anyone and the game clipped merrily along… until he was left in to face Crow-Armstrong a second time, and, well, a two-run homer transpired. Smith-Shawver actually ended up finishing the game, tossing five innings… but he managed a 1/3 K/BB ratio in his final 12 batters (as well as said homer). I guess the Braves saved the bullpen and managed to confine the Lopez-and-Smith-Shawver win expectancy wound to a single game, but… why?
Maybe because the offense was once again, not much of one. Sure, by the end of the game they managed to tally eight hits and five walks, but they had just one extra-base hit and hit literally 70 percent (okay, 69.6 percent) of their batted balls on the ground. They hit into three double plays, which pretty much killed any shot of a comeback.
First, the Braves did little against David Peterson, who put up a 7/3 K/BB ratio in six innings. Peterson finally departed after a leadoff single by Michael Harris II in the seventh. In came Javier Assad, and Mauricio Dubon greeted him with a grounder that Alex Bregman made a good play to snag, but then bounced the throw, putting runners on the corners. After Austin Riley popped out, Sean Murphy brought in the first Atlanta run with a slow forceout at second. The Braves then benefited from Mike Yastrzemski battling Assad for seven pitches before launching a two-run homer, but got nothing else.
In the eighth, Drake Baldwin got a single off Ryan Rolison, who then walked Matt Olson on four pitches. That brought up Ozzie Albies, but his descent into an unfathomably bad September continued as he hit a weak grounder to Bregman that nonetheless became a twin killing. Harris couldn’t bring in Baldwin, either.
So, that brought us to the ninth, with trade pickup Ryan Zeferjahn trying to preserve a four-run lead. He did, in the end, but the Braves got two grounder singles before Zeferjahn struck out Murphy and walked Yastrzemski. That rolled the lineup around to the top of the order and Ronald Acuña Jr., who hit the ball very hard but unfortunately too low and too close to Nico Hoerner, who turned it into a game-ending double play. Oh well.
The division lead drops to 4.5 games, as the Phillies are idle today. The Dodgers won, but I think the Braves have largely written off one of the top two seeds, hence the Lopez-and-Smith-Shawver show today. Martin Perez has apparently been moved up to start tomorrow, where he’ll face old friend/foe Kevin Gausman.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 14: Jose Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees celebrates his solo home run as he rounds the bases against the Minnesota Twins in the third inning at Target Field on September 14, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the Minnesota Twins hosting the New York Yankees tonight, it gives me the opportunity to use one of the few jokes I know (mine being a more dry, sardonic sense of humor): What’s the difference between a Yankees fans and a dentist? One roots for the Yanks—the other yanks for the roots. Make sure to tip your server—I’ll be here all night.
Sadly, that was the only humor present in Twins Territory for this misty/rainy/soggy loss to the Manhattan Island minions.
After Twins SP Dean Kremer corralled Aaron Judge into a T1 inning-ending double play, B1 began promisingly with a Luke Keaschall walk and a Brooks Lee single off NYY bump-er Will Warren. Alas, neither runner advanced ninety feet come inning-close.
Despite striking out the New York side in T2, Kremer hung a curveball to Jose Caballero in T3 and the sphere didn’t stop sinking until it found the LF flowerage. 1-0 NYY.
B5 looked promising to get the bottom of the line score off goose eggs—a (rare) Victor Caratini infield single followed by a clean base knock from Ryan Kreidler. But before one could say “ducks on the pond”, Walker Jenkins whiffed after failing to lay down a sac bunt and Keaschall grounded into a 6-3 Twin(s)-killing.
In B6, yet another potentially rally—runners at the corners, two outs—hinged on a precipice. Well, that is until Emmanuel Rodriguez roped a clean hit to CF scoring Kody Clemens. When NYY CF Spencer Jones squatted to snatch the sphere, it squirted by him, allowing Josh “Gonna Need Some O2 In The Dugout” Bell to chug all the way from first base to a Twins lead! 2-1 MIN.
The Hoff(man) was not hassled in T7, thanks in large part to a nice sliding foul-ball catch from Emma in LF.
The same could not be said for Andrew Morris in T8: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER (Caballero RBI single). The young fireballing reliever’s end-of-season slide continues. 2-2 tie.
Enter A.J. Minter—exit the lead: a double steal—without a Ryan Jeffers throw—followed by a bloop single by Ben Rice. 4-2 NYY.
Enter Aaron Judge—exit the competitive portion of this ballgame. 7-2 NYY.
A Bell Blast (TM) allowed for some first base side celebrations in B8. 7-3 NYY.
An Austin Wells homer in T9 off Tommy Nance only served to annoy me insomuch as it made me check all the numbers in this recap when I wanted to cash in the chips. 8-3 NYY.
Postponing my late-evening plans further, the Twins staged their obligatory ninth-inning comeback—which of course ended in the obligatory GIDP from Clemens.
Your Final: New York Yankees 8, Minnesota Twins 3.
New York’s American League squad clinches a playoff berth in Minnesota. Same as it ever was.
Zach’s Zealot(s)
Justin Morneau & Trevor Plouffe in the TV booth: Two of my all-time favorites and their rapport is great even in what has become a lost season.
Zach’s Zombie
The soggy, wet weather. A light rain/mist was falling for large swaths of this contest, making life miserable for those non-Mallards still motivated to get out to the ballpark for a lost cause.
Your 2026 breakout White Sox player came through once again, to stack runs against Cleveland. | Chicago White Sox
In the most critical September series in recent White Sox history, bloodshed was expected during the division duel. Maybe a few words would be exchanged, some ugly small-ball, or perhaps even a brawl harkening back to the José Ramírez-Tim Anderson scuffle. None of that happened. Instead, the Sox pocketed the series opener with a decisive triumph over the Guardians, 7-3.
Frames one through three were slow on both sides, with meager threats made, but nothing serious. Then the fourth inning came, and it reminded everyone why the Sox have struggled to score recently. Gavin Williams hit Munetaka Murakami to grant a free pass to the coldest hitter on the crew, and Andrew Benintendi followed with a single to center that awarded him and Murakami two bases after a close outfield throw to third. With ducks on the pond and no outs, there’s no way the Sox would come out of the inning scoreless, right?
Let’s not jump to conclusions — this is still the Sox we’re talking about. Tristan Peters struck out, but Colson Montgomery was hit by a pitch, juicing the bases just in time for Chase Meidroth to ground into a force out at home plate.
That left one out for Braden Montgomery to do damage with the sacks packed. Surely, a run will come from a guy who hasn’t had a hit since September 9. In four quick pitches, Montgomery struck out, swinging:
Fortunately, the baseball gods gifted the Sox an opportunity for redemption. And this time, they didn’t waste it.
Benintendi’s leadoff single set the stage for a grueling, 18-pitch at-bat from Peters that included 12 fouls. He ended up three pitches short of tying the MLB record for pitches seen in an at-bat.
But Tristan’s relentlessness paid off, as Williams was run off the mound and the runs started churning. Colson drove in the first … on an errant throw from first base that should’ve lit the fuse on a double play had it not bounced off Peters’ helmet:
Once again, Peters emerged as the offensive force needed to kick this team back into gear. In the space of three outs, Chicago went through three Cleveland arms, tore through 54 pitches, and put up six runs. Miguel Vargas rediscovered his power with a two-run blast, while Murakami and Braden struck out each for their third time. In other words, everything was back to normal.
If six runs weren’t enough, Benintendi added a seventh for good measure in the ninth. Although Murakami and Braden continued their disappointing slumps at the plate, at least the rest of the lineup picked up the slack.
And just like the good ol’ days this summer, the pitching backed up the bats. Sean Newcomb got in and got out in a swift first inning before passing the torch to Sean Burke. Seeking redemption for getting pushed around by the Bucs in his last outing, Burke twirled five shutout innings, fanning four and only allowing four hits. Burke’s one unearned run came in the sixth after an embarrassing fielding error from Colson on a pop-up, but the sixth-inning storm well offset this mistake.
Although a pair of runs slipped past Trevor Richards in the ninth, the Sox showed that they won’t go down without a fight. There’s plenty more where that came from, Cleveland. Tonight, the White Sox asserted that they are here to stay, and the AL Central will need to be pried from their hands.
MVP Miguel Vargas: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, HR, SB
Runners-Up Sean Burke: 5 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 4 K Andrew Benintendi: 3-for-5, R, RBI Tristan Peters: 0-for-3, R, 18-pitch BB that sparked the sixth-inning breakout, HBP, K Hagen Smith: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K Chase Meidroth: 1-for-4, R, RBI, K
Cold Cats Colson Montgomery: 0-for-4, R, 3 K, E and additional pop-up misplay
The Yankees opened a three-game series at the Minnesota Twins with an 8-3 win Monday, highlighted by a six-run eighth inning in which RF Aaron Judge hit his first home run since he returned from a three-month stint on the IL. In doing so, New York (87-63) clinched a postseason spot.
Takeaways
RHPWill Warren was on his game as he continued a strong stretch over the past month in a game where the Yankees struggled offensively and defensively. Warren allowed two unearned runs in 5.2 IP, scattering five hit while striking out six and walking two on 92 pitches (58 strikes). Only one run of support -- and 3B Ryan McMahon's costly one-out error during Kody Clemens' at-bat, which kept the sixth inning going when Warren would have otherwise been through clean between Brooks Lee's leadoff groundout and Ryan Jeffers' strikeout -- prevented Warren (10-6, 3.89 ERA) from earning his 11th win this season. CF Spencer Jones did Warren no favors during Emmanuel Rodriguez's left-center gapper with two outs in the sixth inning when Jones misplayed the ball at the warning track and allowed Josh Bell, who previously reached on a two-out single, to score from first base while Rodriguez legged out a triple.
Ninth-batting 2BJosé Caballero stepped up with a third-inning solo shot -- his 14th home run this season -- to put the Yankees in front before delivering again on an eighth-inning RBI single through the middle that scored SS Greg Lombard Jr. from third base and tied the game at 2-2. September has not been kind to Caballero, who entered Monday with one hit in 16 at-bats, but he gave the lifeless Yankees a pulse before they mounted their late-game breakthrough against the Twins (70-80).
Ben Rice, who led off the game with a walk, built off his sixth-inning single and Caballero's aforementioned knock in the ensuing at-bat. With Anthony Volpe -- pinch running for McMahon, who followed Lombard's leadoff double by singling on a groundball to short -- and Caballero in scoring position, Rice's one-out poke past the Twins' tightened infield put gave the Yankees their first lead of the game.
They built on Rice's 91st and 92nd RBI of the season two at-bats later when Judge followed LF Cody Bellinger's single and snapped an 0-for-10 skid with a three-run homer to left field that cushioned the Yankees' 7-2 lead. More importantly for Judge, who is in his sixth game back from an IL stint that sidelined him from May 31 until last Wednesday, he went deep for the first time since May 24. With 12 games left, the Yankees need the best possible version of Judge -- who has 18 home runs and 41 RBI over 65 appearances this season -- entering October.
The Yankees are 3.5 games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays, who were idle Monday but remain atop the AL East with two weeks left. New York, as mentioned, clinched a spot in the playoffs while it extended its lead for the first Wild Card spot with the Boston Red Sox (82-68) and Cleveland Guardians (76-75) rounding the American League race. The Yankees secured a spot in the playoffs, but they need to keep their record within striking range before next week's four-game series against the Rays (90-59) from Tuesday through Friday at Yankee Stadium.
Who's the MVP?
Caballero, whose first multihit performance since Aug. 30 -- a 3-for-5 effort in the Yankees' 16-1 win over the Boston Red Sox -- kept New York alive before Rice and Judge broke Monday's game open.
Another 7:40 p.m. game at Target Field in Minneapolis with New York LHP Max Fried (4-4, 2.73 ERA) and Minnesota RHP Bailey Ober (7-5, 4.28 ERA) set to start Tuesday.
Judge, who missed three months of the 2026 season with a fractured rib, hit a three-run home run off of Minnesota Twins left-hander A.J. Minter in the eighth inning of an 8-3 win on Monday, Sept. 14. It was Judge's first round-tripper since May 24 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Judge now has 18 home runs in 65 games played this season.
Since his return to the Yankees' lineup on Sept. 8, Judge had gone 3-for-17 in five games played before clobbering a cutter from Minter into the third deck at Target Field in Minneapolis on Monday.
The Yankees entered Monday needing a win over the Twins or loss by the Toronto Blue Jays against the Detroit Tigers to clinch at least a wild card berth. Detroit closed out a 6-5 win moments before the Yankees defeated the Twins, making the Yankees the second American League team to secure a playoff spot.
Why Aaron Judge missed 84 games
Judge said the injury traced back to a diving play in Houston in late April. He played through rib and shoulder discomfort for about a month before the team finally shut him down May 31. He was hitting .248 through 59 games at the time – a career worst – with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs.
The Yankees without Judge
In the 84 games Judge missed, the Yankees scored 4.06 runs a game and hit .227 as a team with a .681 OPS. With him in the lineup for 59 games, they averaged 5.17 runs and hit .243 with a .770 OPS. Basically, that's the difference between an average offense and one of the best lineups in the league.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 14: Pitcher Jonah Tong #21 of the New York Mets pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Citi Field on September 14, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As you may have heard, Pete Alonso returned with his new team to Citi Field tonight, and the Mets lost to the Orioles 2-1. Although Jonah Tong pitched admirably, the Mets could not capitalize on their six hits and left nine runners on base.
After Jonah Tong struck out Dylan Beavers to lead off the first inning, Alonso stepped up to thunderous applause, cheers, and chants of his name. He flied out to Carson Benge in right field, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd. Tong then retired Gunnar Henderson as well for a 1-2-3 start to his day. In the bottom of the inning, Francisco Lindor walked to lead off, but Juan Soto popped out, and Bo Bichette grounded into a double play for the second and third outs to end the inning.
At the top of the second inning, Jackson Holliday looped a one-out single into right field. He reached second on a passed ball by Francisco Alvarez, which had popped out of Alvarez’s glove. It proved costly when Heston Kjerstad drilled a double into right field past Brett Baty. The ball made a weird hop past Baty, and Holliday scored the first run of the game. When the Mets came to bat in the second, they loaded the bases with two outs. Marcus Semien drilled a single down the left-field line, and then A.J. Ewing and Baty walked. Unfortunately, they were all stranded when Alvarez struck out on a foul tip for the third out, and the second inning ended with the score Orioles 1, Mets 0.
Alonso drew a two-out walk in the third inning, but was stranded there when Tong struck out Henderson. At the bottom of the third, Juan Soto smacked a one-out single into right field. Benge sneaked a single past third base, but both runners were again stranded when Jared Young grounded out for the third out. At the top of the fourth inning, Holliday hit a ground ball straight to Semien, but Semien could not get it out of his glove in a timely manner, and Holliday made it to first base safely. He was stranded as well, though. At the bottom of the inning, Ewing drilled a home run into right field. Alvarez smacked a ground ball to third base that Coby Mayo initially fielded but bobbled, allowing Alvarez to reach base safely on an infield hit. However, he was also stranded when Lindor struck out, leaving the score Mets 1, Orioles 1, at the end of the fourth inning.
To lead off the fifth inning, Colton Cowser hit a single that Semien knocked down but couldn’t get to first base in time. The next three batters went down in order. Soto walked to lead off the bottom of the fifth and, with two outs, stole second base. Young also drew a walk, but Semien grounded out to end the rally attempt there. Tong came back out for the top of the sixth inning and only needed six pitches to retire the three batters he saw. Josh Walker replaced Brandon Young for the Orioles at the bottom of the sixth, and he also worked a 1-2-3 inning. The score remained 1-1.
Jonathan Pintaro replaced Jonah Tong in the seventh inning. He allowed a lead-off double to Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who drove the ball into left field. However, Pintaro retired the next three batters in order to keep the score tied. The Mets batters went down in order at the bottom of the inning. Dedniel Núñez replaced Pintaro to pitch the eighth inning and allowed a soaring home run to Henderson with two outs. Mayo then belted a single into left field before Holliday grounded out to end the top of the inning. At the bottom of the eighth, Benge led off with a single into center field. Nobody else could build on it, even with Mark Vientos pinch-hitting for Young. As a result, the Mets again stranded a base runner to end the eighth inning. The Orioles led 2-1.
Kodai Senga came out for the ninth inning, and he struck out Encarnacion-Strand for the first out. However after that, he gave up a single to Kjerstad and another to Cowser. Ewing could not field the ball cleanly on the single to Cowser, and Kjerstad advanced to third on the error as well. However, Senga struck out the next two batters to end the top of the ninth and give the Mets a chance. In the bottom of the inning, Baty flied out, Alvarez grounded out, and Lindor flied out to end the game, Orioles 2, Mets 1.
The Mets will see the Orioles again tomorrow for the second game of the series. Sean Manaea will face off against Shane Baz. First pitch is at 7:10 PM.
