BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 11: Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox talks to the media prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday, September 11, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
We’ll know exactly what the Red Sox postseason roster will look like soon enough. But since half of New England is under water right now and there was no Red Sox game yesterday to discuss, let’s talk about it anyway.
Thanks to the injuries to Willson Contreras and Mickey Gasper, there are an uncomfortable number of question marks in the roster at this point. We don’t even know who the starting first baseman will be.
For this exercise, I’m assuming that Contreras isn’t healthy enough to make the cut. I’m also assuming the Sox carry 14 position players and 12 pitchers, which is what most teams do in the Wild card round.
Let’s take a look.
Catchers
2 Locks: Adley Rutschman, Connor Wong
The Mikey Gasper injury is bad for Red Sox fans and for fans of the poetry of baseball. But for Connor Wong, it may be the thing that got him onto the playoff roster.
Infielders
4 Locks: Caleb Durbin, Trevor Story, Nick Sogard, Isiah Kiner-Falefa
With Mickey Gasper having been ruled out and Willson Contreras looking unlikely, the infield bats are suddenly looking pretty weak. And while the importance of defense can be magnified in October, I’m not sure a glove-first infield of Durbin-Story-IKF-Sogard has enough offensive juice in it to take on the Yankees.
Romy Gonzalez has not contributed to this Red Sox season at all. But he’s healthy, he has produced in AAA, and with the Yankees’ tough lefties, he’s needed more than ever. Remarkably, Romy is going to be the primary first baseman this series. And if the 2026 Red Sox have any magic fairy dust left, look for him to be the one sprinkled with it.
I’m expecting Monasterio to make the cut but probably not contribute in any way while Sogard and IKF split duties at second. Nate Eaton’s speed and defensive flexibility make him a mighty tempting option for the last spot on the roster, but he might get passed over in favor of a surprising outfield option.
Outfielders
5: Locks:Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jaren Duran, Jahmai Jones
Question Marks: Braiden Ward, Nate Eaton
Jones, Anthony, and Duran will cycle through the DH/LF spots.
Does Braiden Ward get the final roster spot and make his MLB debut in the postseason? He’s the closest thing the organization has to a guaranteed stolen base, and as Red Sox fans know, sometimes you really, really need a stolen base in October.
Starting Pitchers
3 Locks: Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez
This is only part of the roster that is written in stone. Thankfully, it’s the most important part of the roster.
In a short series you don’t need too many arms. The Sox could probably get away with just 8 relievers, but they put 9 relievers on the Wild Card roster last year, so let’s assume they will again this year. That leaves just 3 spots from that group of question marks — and, man, question marks is absolutely the right term to use here.
The left-handed middle relief looks like a potential problem. Jake Bennett got his first taste of bullpen work on Friday and it went down smooth. Given his contributions to the team this year, I think he’ll get the nod. But I’m not sure how the team will use him. He has no experience as a true, one-inning reliever and, since he’ll be called on to start in the next round should they advance, he’ll need to keep his arm stretched out to some degree.
Miller, Gamboa, Moran, and Burgos all have their issues. Miller and Moran have gotten the bulk of the innings, but can we trust either one of them to throw strikes when it counts? If you can’t — and if you’re not sure about using Bennett to get one tough lefty in a tight spot as opposed to throwing multiple innings — then who do you turn to? Maybe there really is a non-romantic need for Garrett Crochet on this roster after all. I’m giving the final three spots to Bennett, Moran, and Crochet. Let’s see what you got in the tank, big man.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 26: Ronny Mauricio #0 of the New York Mets celebrates a solo home run in the ninth inning during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meet the Mets
In the penultimate game of a season to forget, the Mets had themselves a satisfying 7-1 victory over the Nationals. Jonah Tong pitched five innings of one-run ball while striking out nine, and the Amazins slugged three homers—including two from Ronny Mauricio, one from both sides of the plate.
“He’s been great, probably my favorite manager to play for,” said Bo Bichette about Andy Green. The installment of Green as the permanent manager may play a role in Bichette’s decision whether to opt out, writes Max Goodman of NJ.com.
The Phillies, hanging onto their playoff lives, got pummeled by the Rays 12-1 at Citizens Bank Park. However, the Diamondbacks remained one game behind Philadelphia by losing to the Padres 10-7 in a wild back-and-forth affair in San Diego. By winning, the Padres secured the No. 4 seed in the NL and will host the Cubs in the Wild Card Series. Meanwhile, the Phillies’ postseason hopes come down to the season’s final day. If either the Phillies win or the Diamondbacks lose, the Phillies will hold onto the final Wild Card spot in the NL. If the Diamondbacks win and the Phillies lose today, the Diamondbacks will snatch the last playoff berth from the Phillies.
The Texas Rangers placed third baseman Josh Jung on the 10-day injured list with a broken right hand yesterday with two games remaining in the regular season. He was hit in the hand by Twins starter Joe Ryan in yesterday’s game.
With an 11-5 victory over the Royals yesterday, the Guardians clinched the AL Central—their third straight division title.
In a historic moment, Christian Yelich was named captain of the Brewers.
Well folks, the final game of the 2026 regular-season schedule has finally arrived.
On Sunday afternoon, the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates will face off at Comerica Park for the final time this year, officially marking the end of summer for Major League Baseball fans. The good guys have already won the first two games against their designated interleague rivals and are looking to complete the sweep in front of the home crowd.
For Detroit, right-hander River Ryan will make his second start wearing the Olde English D, while fellow righty Jared Jones makes the 21st of his sophomore campaign. The latter has had a spectacular September, posting a 1.08 ERA and 0.78 FIP over his last four games stretching across 25 innings, allowing 12 hits and four walks while striking out an eye-popping 35 batters en route to three personal wins; his team lost the fourth.
Take a look below at how they match up as we prepare to say goodbye to the current campaign.
Detroit Tigers (76-85) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (81-80)
Time (ET): 3:10 p.m. ET Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 162: RHP River Ryan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Jared Jones (5-6, 3.87 ERA)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during the first inning of a game against the San Francisco Giants on September 26, 2026 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
After a long marathon to the finish line, the Dodgers wrap up their regular season Sunday afternoon against the San Francisco Giants, looking to win their 100th game for the first time since 2023.
On the penultimate game of the season, Blake Snell wrapped up his final tune-up on Saturday, tossing four shutout innings while striking out three and not allowing a walk in the Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the Giants. It was Snell’s first start since exiting early against the Cincinnati Reds on September 16, but Saturday proved that Snell is ready for October, with added extra time being a an added bonus for the left-hander.
There were some issues that only limited Snell to less than half of Saturday’s contest, but he is looking forward to at least a week’s worth of rest to perfect his craft heading into October, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“Really encouraged by it, and just happy to get my legs underneath and get going and completely move past the groin,” Snell said. “I mean, it felt great today, and the velo was good. And was inconsistent — I’ve got to figure my body out a little more, but I got a week to do so, and I’m really looking forward to that.”
Shohei Ohtani has performed decently over his four games since being activated off the injured list, but the team is optimistic that the best is yet to come, per Mirjam Swanson of the Los Angeles Times.
“I hope that’s a sign of things to come,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Even … taking the first slider from Robbie Ray [on Wednesday] for a ball got him into a good count. Whereas the last couple weeks, [it was] really hair on fire, swinging and chasing. It’s a hard way to make a living that way, right?”
Both Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott are lock-ins for the postseason bullpen, with the former hoping to revamp his ferocity out of the bullpen and the latter looking to make his first big statement with the Dodgers in the postseason, per Dylan Hernandez of the California Post.
Per Scott: “October is about winning every single game. It really doesn’t matter what roles you get asked to do. Just go out there and do it.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 08: A general view of the empty stadium before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park on September 08, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
Today is the final day of the San Francisco Giants’ 2026 season. So today I would like to do something similar to what we did yesterday and pick our favorite highlight of the season, strictly based on memory.
And as I mentioned yesterday, the time will come for real evaluations and player reviews and further introspection. But this is not that time. This is the time to remember the season that was and pick the moment that stands out most to you as the highlight of the year.
I know, the pickings were a bit slim but the season was not devoid of highlights. I would know, I wrote about them every week! There were grand slams, walk-offs, splash hits, well-pitched games, and many other moments worth remembering.
I think my pick has to be the April 25th 6-2 win over the Miami Marlins. I can’t narrow it down further than that, because the whole game was my highlight of the year.
And I will admit that I am extremely biased because I was at this game in the best seats I’ve ever had in my life. I brought my best friend with me and it was her very first in-person game and we could not have asked for a better one. The weather was great, we celebrated Brandon Belt, and the Giants remembered that they were allowed to score runs and not also give them all back. It was about as picture perfect of a baseball game as one could ask for and we had an absolute blast.
What is your pick for Highlight of the Year?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants play this final game of the year this afternoon at 12:05 p.m. PT.
That was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad time to drop a doubleheader. The two losses by the scores of 4-3 and 2-0 tells us two things: that unless the Red Sox have weak hitters, the Cubs pitching staff had its strong moments, but there is no way they can carry the team by themselves; and that the Cubs’ offense has collapsed at the worst possible moment.
Clay Holmes didn’t pitch horribly in the opener, but it wasn’t up to the standards we have seen from him since he arrived in Chicago. Keeping his pitch-count down, Holmes threw 78 pitches, 50 for strikes. But he only lasted 4.1 IP, having allowed three runs (two earned), five hits, three walks with three strikeouts. He left the game with two on and the Cubs up, 3-1. Caleb Thielbar did what he does best — promptly gave up a two-RBI single to tie the game at three. After getting the last out in the sixth, Aaron Civale gave up a one-out triple in the seventh, followed by an RBI-double to put Boston up, 4-3. The Cubs went down in order the last two innings for the loss.
David Peterson was fantastic in the nightcap, putting up five innings of shutout ball on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Javier Assad took over and came out very strong — in his opening frame in the sixth, he struck out the side. In the seventh, he retired the Red Sox in order. In the eighth, he gave up a walk.
Ryan Rolison inherited the runner, added a walk himself and gave up a two-run double. Game Over.
Peterson didn’t deserve the no-decision. Assad didn’t deserve the loss. And, hopefully for only one day, the Cubs’ faithful didn’t deserve the display of hitting in the doubleheader. Fourteen runners were left on base over the two games.
Tyrone Taylor had a first-inning RBI-double and Miguel Amaya a two-RBI double in the second for a 3-0 lead in the opener. And that was it for the rest of the two games. Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch (who was 4-for-7 in the two games) and Nico Hoerner each had a pair of singles in the nightcap, which was most of the game’s offense.
The Cubs are no longer in control of their playoff destiny. I hope it’s as soft a landing as possible.
I appreciate your reading.
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Sam Caulder (North Side Baseball): Ian Happ, Tyrone Taylor Are Forming Cubs’ Perfect Playoff Platoon. “The Cubs have two outfielders whose strengths and weaknesses line up almost perfectly. As such, Ian Happ and Tyrone Taylor could form an ideal platoon in the postseason.”
Sam Caulder (North Side Baseball): Is the Cubs’ Bullpen Good Enough for October? “The Cubs have some bullpen arms trending in the right direction as the playoffs approach. Still, Chicago’s late-game pitching doesn’t quite feel where it needs to be with the Wild Card round just days away.”
Connie Curtis Crayton (December 18, 1914 – June 25, 1985), known as Pee Wee Crayton, was an American R&B and blues guitarist and singer. Crayton was born in Rockdale, Texas. He began playing guitar seriously after moving to California in 1935, later settling in Oakland. While there, he absorbed the music of T-Bone Walker, who taught Crayton the basics of electric guitar work. Crayton developed his own unique approach.
In 1948, he signed a recording contract with Modern Records. One of his first recordings was the instrumental “Blues After Hours”, which reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart late that year. In 1950, Crayton and his Orchestra performed at the sixth Cavalcade of Jazz concert, held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles and produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. on June 25. Featured on the same day were Lionel Hampton, Roy Milton’s Orchestra, Dinah Washington, Tiny Davis and Her Hell Divers, and other artists. 16,000 were reported to be in attendance.
It is thought he was the first blues guitarist to use a Fender Stratocaster, playing one given to him by Leo Fender. His opening guitar riff on the 1954 single “Do Unto Others” was “quoted” by John Lennon in the beginning of the B-side single version of “Revolution” released by The Beatles on Apple Records in 1968. Crayton’s album Things I Used to Do was released by Vanguard Records in 1971. He continued to tour and record in the following years.
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“In any fight, it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s gonna win that inch. And I know, if I’m gonna have any life anymore, it’s because I’m still willing to fight and die for that inch because that’s what living is!”
The Cleveland Guardians are Champions of the American League Central once again.
To the Colorado Rockies, thank you.
A team that never quits often finds themselves successful, but it doesn’t happen overnight. A culture, a standard, a lifeblood are cultivated through years of consistent professionalism and leadership. The Cleveland Guardians prove exactly that. Stephen Vogt has become the only manager in the history of a baseball club that’s played professionally since 1901 to lead his team to three straight postseasons to begin their tenure, and even Vogt will tell you that, to a degree, he’s picked up where Terry Francona left off.
2013 sparked a new hope. I was 15 at the time, and this fanbase had just endured eight years of endless hopelessness. Cliff Lee may have won the Cy Young in 2008, but C.C. Sabathia getting traded signified the beginning of the end of a window that opened when I was eight years old. Seeing Sabathia lead the Brewers to the NLDS felt as if I was having my team’s moment stolen from me. Just the year prior, the World Series was mere innings away. I didn’t know it would take six years for my team to even get back to the Postseason.
I had gone from a squeaky little fourth grader to a voice cracking sophomore in that span. Beau Mills, Lonnie Chisenhall, Alex White, and Drew Pomeranz made up Cleveland’s first round picks before I even got to junior high. Needless to say, things were bleak on the Corner. Little did I know, the future of the franchise would change in 2011, thanks to Chris Antonetti and a skinny high school shortstop named Francisco Lindor.
Back to 2013. Terry Francona takes over, and the city of Cleveland never looks back. How could it feel all so simple? Culture is not something that can be defined because no two winning cultures in sports are established the same way. For me, I always defined culture by the faces that created it and what they embodied. Playing sports throughout the years at school meant that I knew it all started with the coach. The buy-in, the consistency, the will to work hard…it all started with the man at the top. That was Tito. By the time I got to high school, my infatuation with statistics turned into a love of data and analytics in the world of baseball, so Chris Antonetti became the face of this new side of a sport I loved to play and now loved to analyze.
2014 came around, and I stared down the barrel of figuring out what to do with my life. College applications to Youngstown State and Kent State and everywhere in between flooded the mailbox, and while the uncertainty of my future loomed, one certainty I could count on was that every fifth day, Corey Kluber was going to go 6+ innings and lock down a win. That was our culture, and we rode it all the way to Kluber’s first of two Cy Young awards. Do you remember where you were on July 30, 2014? I do. A Speedway gas station off Lincoln Way and Genoa, fresh off of open gym. I would get back in my truck and listen to our greatest storyteller, Tom Hamilton, call the last few innings of the greatest pitcher’s duel of all-time: King Felix versus Corey Kluber.
Kluber had yet to be crowned the ‘Ace’ of the staff despite pitching like one for three months, but Cleveland had traded Justin Masterson earlier in the day to the Cardinals, paving the way to Kluber becoming the head of the rotation, and he never looked back. A fifth inning double from Yan Gomes was the only scoring provided, and Kluber did the rest. Robinson Canó’s 2-out single in the fourth inning provided the Mariners a baserunner. It was the last one they’d get. For 5.1 innings, Corey Kluber painted a masterpiece. A Dustin Ackley groundout to Kip would end it.
A complete game shutout. 85 pitches. Corey Kluber threw the greatest Maddux in history, and he did it in high socks, just like the rest of his teammates, to honor Justin Masterson. That’s culture.
Remember that C.C. Sabathia trade? How could you forget. Remember who we got back in that trade? Michael Brantley made sure you didn’t forget. Brantley’s 2014 was not a season I fully appreciated at the time, but I look back at it now and realize exactly what it embodied. Brantley was the consummate professional at-bat, and by ‘14, he had a few full seasons under his belt. Brantley led by example (all the way to a top-3 MVP finish), and he set the standard for newcomers to reach to be a true contributor to a ball club in need for offense.
The 2014 team didn’t make the postseason, but it felt different. However, by June just the next season, it started feeling like that magic was gone. On June 13, they sat 29-32. They couldn’t score enough runs, and the team felt stuck. By July 14th, the magic was back.
Francisco Lindor rounding first after his first MLB hit, heading for second, and tripping and falling is engrained into my brain forever. We’re 13 years into his career, and I still vividly remember where I was. Perhaps it’s because my family had just graduated televisions to our first ever, state of the art, modern flat screen, and seeing it blown up on a 70-inch screen made it feel as if the dirt was flying at me. Perhaps it was seeing the first glimpse of the smile that would take over the city as he playfully blamed Miguel Cabrera for tripping him, but baseball was fun again from that moment on, and it hasn’t stopped since.
Through 2015, the pieces were falling into place. Kluber, Carrasco, and Danny Salazar fronted the best starting rotation in the AL, and that former skinny first round shortstop was having a rookie campaign for the ages. Lindor finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, and he had more than established himself as a building block for the city and the organization. Outside of Lindor and Brantley, however, the offense didn’t have much punch. To the fans watching every day, new blood was needed, and we were tired of seeing this tiny 5-foot-9 utility guy get everyday chances. Where is Tyler Naquin, dammit?
So, naturally, not a lot of attention was getting paid to an underperforming player on an underperforming team, but if you asked Terry Francona, he’d tell you that 21-year old was one of their best players, and he was on the verge of becoming special. Tito was something else, huh?
That 21-year old with a .478 OPS posted a .775 OPS across his final 50 games. He only had three career home runs heading into August. He hit five across those final 50. If you were paying attention, a breakout was happening, and the only thing that stopped it was the end of the season.
Enter 2016. By the middle of June, the now 22-year old continued to be his hot finish to 2014, becoming an extra-base machine hitting over .300, and he was even hitting towards the top of the order, but finding him everyday at-bats was a struggle sometimes. Needing to find a solution to that problem, the baseball gods called upon the only man capable of solving it: Mike Trout.
On a June 12 game in Anaheim, Trout drilled a hanging Danny Salazar changeup right at third baseman Juan Uribe. Uribe, who was flirting with a .600 OPS at the time but was too shy to go up and say hello, took it right to the…lower body. To Uribe’s credit, he finished out the game, but he wouldn’t play again for nearly a week. Francona, in a bind, had to move some pieces around. Who does he call on? Our scrappy, do-it-all utility player.
10 years later, I’m staring down the barrel of turning 30. I now get to cover the game I love, and it’s all because of that 22-year old stepping in for Juan Uribe at third base in a pinch. That third baseman has now played in more games than anyone in the history of Cleveland’s franchise. Nobody in club history has finished inside the top-5 for MVP more. Only Jim Thome has hit more home runs, only Kenny Lofton has stolen more bases, only Earl Averill has driven in more runs. We all knew about 500 words ago that I’m talking about José Ramírez, and we all know that there is no decade-long run of seven AL Central titles, a shot at a World Series in 2016, The Streak in 2017, or three straight division titles in 2024, 2025, and 2026 without him.
2026 has not been the season that José Ramírez envisioned. A broken hamate bone has led to his worst offensive season as a full-time big leaguer, but his impact has never been felt more. Breakout seasons from Angel Martinez and Brayan Rocchio can largely be contributed to their efforts to improve at the plate, but without José’s leadership every single day, it never happens. Ramírez embodies everything it means to represent the city of Cleveland. He’s done it better than anyone else ever has in this city. Cleveland has seen its football team pack up and leave overnight and LeBron leave twice, but not José. He wound up taking less money to ensure he’d still be here, and now, he’s on the cusp of yet another deep October run because he wants to bring a championship to a city he proudly calls home. That isn’t just culture; he is The Culture.
Sure, Stephen Vogt inherited a great situation, but it’s been far from easy. Between having to glue and paste pitchers together to form a usable pitching staff in 2024, to the Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clasé gambling scandal that nearly sunk 2025, 2026 has almost felt uneventful in comparison, but Vogt has still been faced with enormous obstacles to overcome. Clasé’s absence was still felt early in the season as Cade Smith’s early season struggles left few options to turn to late in games. Offensively, Vogt was given no reinforcement financially, and he was left to rely on rookies Chase DeLauter and eventually Travis Bazzana to fill in and immediately contribute just to get this team back to the postseason. Nobody told him Parker Messick would be vying for the Cy Young.
DeLauter battled through endless injuries just to get to Cleveland, and he’s on the cusp of posting the highest wRC+ from a Cleveland rookie since integration. Bazzana endured what felt like an endless slump through the dog days of the season, and he turned it into a white hot September with multiple big swings to keep this season alive. Stephen Vogt was given the keys to a luxury car, and he’s only improved upon it despite limited money supplying the help. Vogt has been managing the youngest roster in baseball seemingly every season until now, and he’s proven to be a true leader of men, just ask Austin Hedges.
You cannot attempt to define culture, you can only hope to be able to recognize it when it’s here. The Guardians are back in the Postseason, and the future feels incredibly bright on the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario. I was born into the renaissance of Cleveland baseball in the late 1990s, but I truly believe I have lived through its greatest era, and if not for just the city, for Hammy and José and all the names and faces that helped build this over the last 13 years, let’s win the whole f****n thing.
And that won’t be the only difference from last season because Laviolette, the winningest American-born coach in NHL history, has inherited an aging team in transition, one he and his new staff have immediately tried to put their stamp on.
“The coaching changes brought a lot of excitement,” goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. “It’s new drills, new systems, so it kind of makes everyone turn on their brain and challenge themselves, which is fun for guys at this level.”
Not all of the changes are positive, however.
Kings coach Peter Laviolette stands in the team's locker room at their practice facility in El Segundo in June. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
For the first time in 20 years, the Kings are starting a season without Anze Kopitar, the franchise leader in games, assists and points and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That has left a big hole on the ice and in the locker room, where Kopitar’s leadership was invaluable.
Also gone are wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jeff Malott, who left as free agents, and center Trevor Lewis, who retired. High-scoring winger Kevin Fiala, meanwhile, will miss the first couple of months, at least, after experiencing a setback in his return from a gruesome leg injury sustained at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
That could hurt Laviolette’s effort to transform the Kings from the defense-first system they’ve been for years into a quicker, more aggressive offensive-style team. The Kings, whose scoring has declined in each of the last four seasons, had just 225 goals in 2025-26, fourth-fewest in the NHL, while the power play converted fewer than 18% of its chances, fifth-lowest in the league.
Two of the key pieces in turning that around will be forwards Adrian Kempe, who led the team in scoring the last three seasons, and Artemi Panarin, who had his best offensive season under Laviolette with the New York Rangers, scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24. The Kings are also counting on young forwards Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere, both 24, to take the next step in their development.
For Laferriere, change has been the main constant in his time in Los Angeles.
Kings right wing Alex Laferriere shoots in front of Philadelphia right wing Travis Konecny on March 19. (Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
“This is going to be my fourth year with my fourth different coach,” said Laferriere, who had career highs in goals (21), points (44) and average TOI (18:18) last season. “It kind of reminds me a little bit of my rookie year. It kind of gives me that fresh slate, just trying to prove myself and try to gain the coach’s belief.”
In the dressing room, the Kings have given Kopitar’s crown to defenseman Drew Doughty, who will take over as captain in his 19th NHL season. At 36, he’s the third-oldest player on one of the NHL’s oldest teams and the last holdover from the 2014 Stanley Cup team.
“I’m not changing anything about myself when it comes to leadership,” he said. “I’ve been a leader on this team for a long, long time and been the loudest voice in the locker room and the guy that people come up to.
“One thing I will change: I always had Kopi as kind of the even-keel guy, where my emotions kind of go up and down. I’m going to be more aware of that and try to keep more of an even-keel.”
Whether a new coach, a new system and a new leader will be enough to get the Kings to the playoffs for a sixth straight season remains to be seen.
Laviolette, a Stanley Cup winner with Carolina two decades ago, has missed the postseason just three times when he’s been behind the bench the whole season. But the makeover he faces with the Kings is shaping up as one of the most challenging of his career, and most of the preseason prognostications have the Kings failing to make the cut.
If Fiala comes back early and healthy and if the team adapts quickly to the change in style, those predictions may prove overly dire. If not, the transition to the Laviolette Era could be more difficult than expected.
And that won’t be the only difference from last season because Laviolette, the winningest American-born coach in NHL history, has inherited an aging team in transition, one he and his new staff have immediately tried to put their stamp on.
“The coaching changes brought a lot of excitement,” goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. “It’s new drills, new systems, so it kind of makes everyone turn on their brain and challenge themselves, which is fun for guys at this level.”
Not all of the changes are positive, however.
Kings coach Peter Laviolette stands in the team's locker room at their practice facility in El Segundo in June. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
For the first time in 20 years, the Kings are starting a season without Anze Kopitar, the franchise leader in games, assists and points and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That has left a big hole on the ice and in the locker room, where Kopitar’s leadership was invaluable.
Also gone are wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jeff Malott, who left as free agents, and center Trevor Lewis, who retired. High-scoring winger Kevin Fiala, meanwhile, will miss the first couple of months, at least, after experiencing a setback in his return from a gruesome leg injury sustained at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
That could hurt Laviolette’s effort to transform the Kings from the defense-first system they’ve been for years into a quicker, more aggressive offensive-style team. The Kings, whose scoring has declined in each of the last four seasons, had just 225 goals in 2025-26, fourth-fewest in the NHL, while the power play converted fewer than 18% of its chances, fifth-lowest in the league.
Two of the key pieces in turning that around will be forwards Adrian Kempe, who led the team in scoring the last three seasons, and Artemi Panarin, who had his best offensive season under Laviolette with the New York Rangers, scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24. The Kings are also counting on young forwards Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere, both 24, to take the next step in their development.
For Laferriere, change has been the main constant in his time in Los Angeles.
Kings right wing Alex Laferriere shoots in front of Philadelphia right wing Travis Konecny on March 19. (Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
“This is going to be my fourth year with my fourth different coach,” said Laferriere, who had career highs in goals (21), points (44) and average TOI (18:18) last season. “It kind of reminds me a little bit of my rookie year. It kind of gives me that fresh slate, just trying to prove myself and try to gain the coach’s belief.”
In the dressing room, the Kings have given Kopitar’s crown to defenseman Drew Doughty, who will take over as captain in his 19th NHL season. At 36, he’s the third-oldest player on one of the NHL’s oldest teams and the last holdover from the 2014 Stanley Cup team.
“I’m not changing anything about myself when it comes to leadership,” he said. “I’ve been a leader on this team for a long, long time and been the loudest voice in the locker room and the guy that people come up to.
“One thing I will change: I always had Kopi as kind of the even-keel guy, where my emotions kind of go up and down. I’m going to be more aware of that and try to keep more of an even-keel.”
Whether a new coach, a new system and a new leader will be enough to get the Kings to the playoffs for a sixth straight season remains to be seen.
Laviolette, a Stanley Cup winner with Carolina two decades ago, has missed the postseason just three times when he’s been behind the bench the whole season. But the makeover he faces with the Kings is shaping up as one of the most challenging of his career, and most of the preseason prognostications have the Kings failing to make the cut.
If Fiala comes back early and healthy and if the team adapts quickly to the change in style, those predictions may prove overly dire. If not, the transition to the Laviolette Era could be more difficult than expected.
Ducks star Leo Carlsson controls the puck during a playoff game against the Edmonton Oilers in April. Carlsson signed a five-year, $90-million contract during the offseason. (Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
Joel Quenneville had one mission when he took over as coach of the Ducks last year: get them back to the playoffs.
He did much better than that. The Ducks scored a franchise-record 273 goals, spent much of the season atop the Pacific Division and knocked off the powerful Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights, the eventual conference champions, in the second round.
All of which raises a question for Quenneville and the Ducks coming off a summer of upheaval and turnover: What can they do for an encore?
“Expectations are going to be higher across the board,” said Quenneville, whose team opens the season Friday in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights. “That’s healthy. But at the same time, it’s an everyday thing that that challenge is going to be out there.”
Before Quenneville arrived, the Ducks stumbled through a franchise-record seven straight losing seasons. Now many of the players in his locker room are thinking beyond just making the postseason.
“The culture change, we can really feel it,” goaltender Lukas Dostal said. “What we did last year, obviously we want to improve and move even further.
“You don’t play hockey to just think like ‘OK, we want to make the playoffs.’ You want to go as far as possible. So the sky’s the limit. I really trust this team.”
“At the end of the day, you want to win a Stanley Cup,” added new captain Mikael Granlund. “You have to have that one goal. We’re going to do everything we can to be better than last year.”
Many Ducks are certainly going to be better paid than last year. General manager Pat Verbeek had no choice but to overspend on center Leo Carlsson, signing him to a five-year, $90-million contract after the Flyers offered Carlsson the same deal. The 21-year-old, who had a career-high 29 goals and 38 assists last season, is the NHL’s highest-paid player this season.
Verbeek also re-signed restricted free agents Cutter Gauthier, (six years, $81 million) and Pavel Mintyukov (five years, $36 million) and gave center Tim Washe a $9-million contract extension. Gauthier led the team with 41 goals and 69 points last season.
“It’s a sign you’re doing something correctly,” Quenneville said of his players being rewarded. “But at the same time, I don’t think we change too much our demands. They know we work on a meritocracy and the better you do, the more you’re going to play.”
Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov passes against the Utah Mammoth on March 20. (Melissa Majchrzak / Associated Press)
All that spending left the team with nothing to offer veteran winger Chris Kreider, who was released this summer, joining an exodus that included key defensemen John Carlson, Radko Gudas, Olen Zellweger and Jacob Trouba.
The Ducks will also be without forward Troy Terry, who averaged 24 goals over the past five seasons, until well into the winter as he recovers from hip surgery.
As a result, the Ducks start with several new pieces up front and thin experience on the blue line, which isn’t a good look for a team that gave up 288 goals last season, fourth-most in the NHL.
Despite the additions of veterans A.J. Greer, a Stanley Cup winner in Florida who was acquired to add a physical presence in the attack, and Nick Jensen, 36, who was signed to stabilize the defense, the Ducks will once again have one of the youngest rosters in the NHL. But Quenneville has a history of turning young teams into champions. Nineteen years ago he took over a Chicago Blackhawks team that was the youngest in the league and led it to the conference final. A year later that team captured the Stanley Cup, the first of three Quenneville won in Chicago.
For the Ducks to match that, their summer additions will have to add up to more than the subtractions. And the investment Verbeek made in Carlsson, Gauthier and Mintyukov will have to pay off. What’s certain, however, is after last season’s breakthrough, the Ducks won’t be sneaking up on anyone.
“We made it a little harder for ourselves,” Washe said. “We’ve got a little target on our back.”
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 26: Manager Stephen Vogt #12 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates clinching the American League Central Division title after defeating the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 26, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians have won the AL Central for the 14th time and third straight year.
Zack Meisel had a nice article about the division win, including an interesting note about an advantage the Mets found against them in August as they heard pitch calls through Nathaniel Lowe’s Pitch Com. Meisel also had a more introspective piece on the guys who got the Guardians to this point.
It will be fun to see the hangover lineup today. I would guess Jose, Rocchio and DeLauter get the break today. We will see who else does. Parker Messick will start but I imagine he will throw about three innings.
Thank you, Colorado Rockies, and Ryan Feltner and Hunter Goodman especially. Here is a Rockies’ charity should you wish to express appreciation.
Like the Guardians, the @Rockies have a charitable foundation supporting disadvantaged and at-risk youth.
The AL West race comes down to today. If the Astros beat the A’s, they are in. If they lose and the Rangers also lose to the Twins, they are in. The last NL Wildcard comes down to today. If the Phillies beat the Rays, they are in. If they lose and the Diamondbacks lose to the Padres, they are in. But, the Diamondbacks would be in with a win and a Phillies loss.
Updates from the final round of county cricket games Get in touch with Tanya on email or comment BTL
Caught at long on, aiming for the rope, and finishes one run short of Joe Clarke in the highest run-scorers of the year league. Handshakes from Pope and Worrall as he walks off with no fuss.
Somerset, 731 all out, have a first-innings lead of 301. Do Surrey have one last collapse in them?
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 26: Patrick Bailey #16 of the Cleveland Guardians is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 26, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With more nasty weather thrashing the East Coast, the Yankees did not play today—meaning all eyes could shift to the rest of the league. New York doesn’t have anything more to play for, but that was far from the case for many of their AL contemporaries. One division was finally decided on this penultimate day of the regular season, while the other may just come down to the very last out.
The Rangers, with no choice but to take the division if they wish to play in October, had to wait through a two-hour rain delay to get started at Target Field. But their bats were very much alive despite the tardy first pitch. In the second inning, they strung together five consecutive two-out hits off Bailey Ober—four of which were doubles—to take a 4-1 lead. Danny Jansen and Jake Burger added solo homers to give Nathan Eovaldi quite the early cushion.
Eovaldi was making his first start since coming off the injured list on September 12. To that point, he’d made a couple relief appearances as manager Skip Schumaker looked to ease him back in. Tonight, he pitched into the fifth inning before entering a jam and departing—a subsequent double play ensured he’d leave with just the one run allowed on four hits. The bullpen allowed just one more run the rest of the way as the Rangers held serve in their battle for the AL West crown.
Cleveland Guardians (85-76) 11, Kansas City Royals (68-93) 5
Kansas City got off to a hot start against Tanner Bibee, grabbing three runs in the opening frame. Jac Caglianone picked up his 30th double of the season to bring in one of those runs to put Cleveland in an early hole. But in characteristic Guardians fashion, they punched right back. Catcher Patrick Bailey atoned for a costly first-inning throwing error with a game-tying two-run blast down the line, then a sinking Steven Kwan liner eluded a diving Isaac Collins in left field for a run-scoring triple to put Cleveland on top as they looked to keep pole position in the AL Central.
As Bibee settled in, Chase DeLauter tacked on a solo shot in the third—his 16th. After that, all was quiet until the top of the sixth, when Travis Bazzana tripled and was brought home on a sac fly from Nathaniel Lowe. All six runs—albeit only two of them earned—were surrendered by Michael Wacha, who grit his teeth through 6.1 innings in his final start of the year. In so doing, he passed the 200-inning mark and finished with a 3.32 ERA.
The Royals threatened to make it a ballgame in the bottom of the eighth, closing the deficit to 7-5. But that just set the stage for another massive inning from the Guardians offense in reply. Bailey and Rocchio hit back-to-back jacks—their second of the night apiece—and Cleveland added two more runs to seal the deal. Slade Cecconi speedily recorded the final three outs, and with a near-simultaneous final out from the Rockies on the South Side, the never-say-die Guardians clinched their second straight division title.
Colorado Rockies (58-103) 9, Chicago White Sox (83-78) 3
No matter how bad your record is, you can still make a difference in the postseason picture. Just look at the Rockies. Despite marching to their fourth consecutive hundred-loss season, Colorado crushed the White Sox’ hopes of winning the AL Central with a complete offensive effort. Like the Royals, they started with a three-spot in the first, but instead of coughing the advantage up immediately, they added to it with a long Hunter Goodman home run—the 40th of the year for the powerful catcher.
The White Sox trailed 5-3 entering the eighth inning, but got runners in scoring position to bring the tying run to the plate with nobody out. In this high-leverage spot, they needed some quality at-bats. What they got instead was a three-pitch strikeout from Sam Antonacci and a first-pitch grounder to second from Colson Montgomery for an inning-ending double play. Woof.
From there, the Rockies provided the punishment, scoring four runs to take a 9-3 lead. Goodman smashed another homer, this time a three-run shot, to provide the finishing blow. Chicago’s last hurrah came in the form of an Andrew Benintendi three-run homer to get those runs back, but Jordan Romano retired the next three batters in order to consign Chicago to the Wild Card series against the AL West winner.
Tampa Bay Rays (98-63) 12, Philadelphia Phillies (87-74) 1
Don Mattingly, with his Phillies in freefall, was looking for a spark from his longest-tenured player. He gave the ball to Aaron Nola on two days’ rest and gave the 33-year old every opportunity to turn back the clock when his team needed it most.
It didn’t take long for the decision to look more like wishcasting than solid managing. The Rays, unsentimental as they are prolific, pummeled Nola right out of the gate. Junior Caminero reached the 100-RBI mark with a two-run homer, his 42nd of the season. Not content to stop there, Victor Mesa Jr. and Richie Palacios clocked back-to-back doubles to some early boo birds at the Bank. Nola, unsurprisingly, did not take the mound for the second inning as the listless Phillies offense was already stuck in a 3-0 hole.
If ever a stirring comeback would be authored at the Bank, it was not gonna be tonight. The Rays took advantage of more dysfunctional pitching, piling on with four runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth for a gruesome 10-0 scoreline. Yandy Díaz and Mesa Jr. grabbed three hits, Palacios plated four runs, and the Phillies lost an unsightly game. Thing is, the Diamondbacks also lost, meaning that if they can find a way to win tomorrow, they’ll make the postseason after all that hullaballoo. If being the operative word there. And even if they do—is anyone in Eastern PA and South Jersey excited for a prospective Wild Card Series with this group?
While the Rangers won earlier in the night, the Astros control their own destiny. As long as they keep pace with their cross-state rivals, the tiebreak will deliver them the AL West title. They took an important step towards doing that with a blowout victory in West Sacramento.
Isaac Paredes fired the opening shot with a home run in the first inning. Jeremy Peña followed with a two-run tater—his first of a pair on the night—out to center in the third inning, then the presumptive AL MVP continued to put the finishing touches on his incredible season. Yordan Alvarez throttled a ball from poor Jack Perkins, who thought he had strike three on the previous pitch. Instead, Alvarez’ three-run missile—his 42nd long ball—opened the game up at 6-1.
As former Yankee prospect Hayden Wesneski limited the Athletics to two runs on six hits in seven innings, Houston added to their comfortable margin, finishing with 13 runs on 16 hits. So, this surreal AL West race will come down to the final game of the season. If the Astros win, they’re in. If the Rangers lose, Houston wins on the tiebreak. And if Houston falls, a Texas victory in Minnesota will vault them ahead on the final day.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 23: Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after scoring off a single hit by Andruw Monasterio #32 (not pictured) in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park on September 23, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Boston Red Sox punched their postseason ticket a while back, but the seeding and matchup were technically unclear until the Red Sox beat the Cubs on Friday afternoon. Now it’s official: the Red Sox have the No. 5 seed and will face the No. 4 Yankees for a best-of-three series in the American League Wild Card in New York.
This is the matchup everyone had been expecting. In fact, the series is a rematch of the 2025 Wild Card, right down to the Yankees’ homefield advantage. After winning Game 1 last year, the Sox went down quietly.
Do-Over and Shot at Redemption
The Sox now have the do-over they wanted. To make the most of it, they will need to wake up the offense, which has gone largely quiet in the latter part of the regular season.
One question mark is whether Willson Contreras will be ready for Tuesday’s opener—or any of the Wild Card Series. Ahead of the last series of the regular season, he called his hit-by-pitch hand injury “really concerning.”
Though the Yankees won the 2026 season series against the Red Sox, 7-6, the Sox kicked off their historic summer surge by sweeping the Yanks over four games at Fenway Park. They went on to notch a 15-game winning streak, as well as the winningest month (21-4) in franchise history. However, in the final regular-season meeting between the two, the Yankees prevailed, 16-1.
Payton Tolle will be a big part of their shot at redemption. He got a taste of the postseason in 2025 as a reliever; he faced and retired one Yankees batter. In 2026, he will likely start either Game 1 or Game 2 and has a much more impressive resume this time around.
We will update this post with starting times when they are announced.
Sep 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; From right to left Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott and Trea Turner and Alec Bohm look on during a pitching change during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
My god, I can’t even talk about the Phillies right now. They are Rockies-level bad right now.
