Worldwide Sports News

Maybe it’s counterintuitive, but this is the happiest game thread I’ve written all year. You’d think there would be a bit of a letdown, going from what could have been the most dramatic Game 162 in team history to what amounts to a meaningless tune-up game.

That’s not the important part. My Sunday coverage meant that almost every regular game I did this year was the final game of a series, in one way or another. This is the last game thread of the last series of the last week of the 2026 season. Usually, that means one thing and one thing only.

But things are not usual, and with a feeling that would have been unimaginable six months ago, we can say for certain that this will not be the final game thread of 2026 on South Side Sox. And I can say for certain that I’ve never been close to this happy to write a preview of any Sox game in the month of September.

Not to sound too much like Bill Simmons, but in my head, I’m queuing up the great final battle scene of Return of the King and imagining Aragorn riding a horse rallying his troops. It’s the culmination of the ultimate comeback story. We’ve watched our protagonist move from among the last descendants of an ancient bloodline reduced to wandering in the wilderness, to the top of his old society. He was leading his army into near-certain death, sure, but goddamn if he wasn’t going out as the King of Gondor.

There will be a final game thread on South Side Sox. The ride will eventually end, whether we’ve enjoyed it or not. But it is not THIS day. I see in your eyes fear of a Houston Astros team currently in their Western Roman Empire phase and a Texas Rangers team that’s scored the fewest and allowed the most runs of any (potential) playoff qualifier. Maybe it’s justified, and the season will end by Thursday. But it is not THIS day, and when that day comes, they’ll go out as a playoff-caliber team.

“Wandering in the wilderness” is a truly generous way to describe the White Sox in recent years. When the Ancien Régime was finally deposed in 2023, we were dreadfully made to understand that the team’s next phase involved a competitive window opening in 2027, making it more than a decade of descending from “mired in mediocrity” to “mired in record-setting awfulness.” I was in such denial that I thought Luis Robert Jr. could still help form the nucleus of the next Sox team that would play meaningful September baseball.

And yet, here they are. A playoff team, arriving on the big stage somehow even earlier than expected despite a less-than-24-month-old nadir of a depth that shocked even our greatest cynics. If the White Sox are Aragorn, they’ve got their army, and they’re marching on Mordor. Even if it’s minuscule, there’s always a chance that Frodo could still make it to the top of the mountain. Ceiling be damned, the important thing at this point is that they’re there.

The 2026 White Sox: So remarkable that there is, in fact, a there there.

I almost forgot that a game is still happening. Here are nine guys that may or may not be looking forward to playing baseball this afternoon:

Here are nine more guys who may or may not be relieved that this is the last time they have to play baseball for about 120 afternoons:

Kyle Freeland is like if Jordan Lyles became a local legend instead of the great journeyman of the 2010s. First pitch is at 2:10 p.m. CT from Rate Field (in what could, however, be the last home contest of the year). Standard broadcasts will be available on CHSN (TV) and ESPN 1000 AM (radio). We’ll see you there!

It’s a common misconception that we can’t see the stars during the day because the Sun is too bright, the relative luminosity of our proper-noun Sun overpowering the distant, cold light of the rest of the galaxy’s stars. It seems intuitive – the human eye is limited in the range of the light spectrum it can distinguish at once, and exceptionally good at adjusting to levels of ambient light. You can’t see a candle if it’s in front of a spotlight, for example, and our pupils contract and dilate in the dark and the light.

The difference is slight, but it’s a different concept – it’s actually the sky that washes out the stars until night falls. The Sun’s light hits the atmosphere, the layers of gas that makes our planet inhabitable, and it scatters, creating a strong, cohesive blanket of diffused light that hides the stars from us.

The overall suckiness of this 2026 Mariners team has felt like a relentless sun beating down on us, meeting and scattering across the atmosphere of a unyieldingly and increasingly foul discourse. To be clear, I can’t say that I 100% blame The Discourse – between players playing hurt, underperformance from stars, performance from reinforcements, concussions, managing decisions, on and on and on, there has been plenty of fuel for the fire. But this year, it’s felt like the little moments of joy, the stars of this season, have felt few, far between, and hard to see.

In the final weekend of the season (for Seattle, at least), both the Mariners failure to make the playoffs and the farewell festivities for Rick Rizzs have shone brightest. The fact that this is likely our farewell to J.P. Crawford, Mariner, has felt a little bit lost in the scatter.

We got to go to the game last night in person, only our second game of the year (I once again publicly manifest a high-speed rail between Bellingham and Sodo), and as we sat down, I realized that more likely that not, this was the last time we’d see J.P. Crawford play as a Mariner, in person.

I had the same thought as he came to the plate in the seventh inning and tapped it with his bat: this was the last J.P. AB we would get. I hoped it would be a good one.

When he launched that ball, into the right field stands a couple of sections over from us, deep into the night sky, it felt for just a moment like he was launching us out into space, above the atmosphere, where we could still see the stars, where we could still feel joy at a ballgame, where baseball could feel like this again. He brought us one last moment of magic in a mundane season. He, like he has since 2019, made Seattle baseball fun.

The time for full J.P. tributes will come. But today, I’m still basking in the joy of that perfect home run.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Last October, Cam Schlittler ended the Red Sox's season. On Tuesday night, the Wapole, Mass. native gets the first crack at doing it again.

The Yankees will start Schlittler in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, manager Aaron Boone announced Sunday. Max Fried starts Game 2 on Wednesday. Gerrit Cole pitches Game 3 on Thursday if the series gets that far.

The Yankees took their time getting here. For most of the last week, they debated holding Schlittler for Game 2 to go easier on his arm, with Fried or Cole opening.

Schlittler went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA this season. He struck out 239 in 193 ⅔ innings over 33 starts and held hitters to a 0.92 WHIP. No Yankees pitcher had posted a lower ERA since 1978. He's the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award.

Boston has already seen what he can do in this series. Last October, he struck out 12 over eight scoreless innings in the deciding game in the Bronx. That was Game 3. The Yankees needed it because Fried lost Game 1, and they came back behind Carlos Rodón and Schlittler.

Our starting pitchers for the Wild Card Series: #RepBXpic.twitter.com/ZksaF8SH0t

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 27, 2026

This time Fried pitches second. Injuries have broken up his season, and he hasn't thrown more than 100 pitches in a game since May. Rodón (7-3, 2.67 ERA) is left out of the wild card rotation. That could line him up to open the AL Division Series, and he could help out of the bullpen before then.

The winner gets the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Schlittler said after his last regular-season start that he wanted Game 1. So did everyone else.

"Who wouldn't want to start the first game?" he said. "I feel like the whole pitching staff deserves it."

The Red Sox hadn't named their starters as of Sunday. Chad Tracy said before Boston's finale in St. Petersburg that he had a decent idea of his plan.

"But we're not going to reveal it just yet," he said.

Get Yankees-Red Sox playoff tickets

Yankees vs Red Sox schedule

Wild card series at Yankee Stadium. Game 3 time subject to change.

• Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29 – 8 p.m. ET – buy tickets, NBC & Peacock
• Game 2: Wednesday – 8 p.m. – buy tickets, NBC & Peacock
• Game 3*: Thursday – 8 p.m. – buy tickets, NBC & Peacock

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees rotation vs Red Sox revealed for MLB playoff series

Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.

Francisco Lindor has added another milestone to his already impressive resume. 

The Mets' star shortstop smacked the 300th home run of his career, going back-to-back with Ronny Mauricio in the top of the second on Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park. 

Lindor has seemingly been pressing since toeing the mark after cracking two as part of a monster game a couple of weeks ago in the Subway Series, but he was finally able to reach it on the final day of the season. 

He used a September power surge to get there, lifting seven in the final month of the year. 

Of his 300 career dingers, 292 have come as a shortstop, with the other eight coming while serving as the DH. 

The only two players in MLB history with more home runs as a SS are Cal Ripken Jr. (345) and Alex Rodriguez (344). 

"We know how rare [300 HR's] is in baseball, but even how rarer it is as a shortstop," manager Andy Green recently said. "We know what he’s battled through in the times where he hadn’t performed up to expectation in his own mind, and he always comes back and performs no matter what.

"You look up at the end of the year, and that’s exactly what Francisco Lindor does -- we’re well past a decade in his career right now, and it’s really, really special what he’s been able to do at this level."

300 HOME RUNS FOR FRANCISCO LINDOR! pic.twitter.com/k5Y8v3fuNf

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 27, 2026

Today marks the final game of the 2026 season for the Cincinnati Reds who, with 86 losses already on their ledger, have clinched a last place finish in the National League Central division and have once again missed the playoffs.

Surprisingly, it’ll be the final game of the season for the Toronto Blue Jays, too. After coming within earshot of a World Series title just last season, their season collapsed early and often and they, too will wrap up today with no postseason play on their docket.

What remains to be seen, though, is whether today marks the final game of something else, too.

Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer will get the ball to start today for Toronto, and this may well be the final game in which he plays. Just yesterday his former teammate (and fellow future Hall of Famer) Justin Verlander pitched for the final time for the Detroit Tigers, and Verlander now sits just one spot ahead of Scherzer among the Top 10 strikeout leaders of all time.

In fact, if Scherzer were to fan 11 Reds today, he’d pass his old teammate on the all time list. So keep that in mind when you watch the Reds flail at the plate today.

Lefty Brandon Williamson will start for Cincinnati today, while Sal Stewart will try to homer often enough to a) raise his season OPS back into the 800s and b) catch the MLB RBI lead on this final day.

First pitch is set for 3:07 PM ET. Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin:

Texas Rangers @ Minnesota Twins

Sunday, September 27, 2026, 2:10 PM CDT (KRLD 1080 / Rangers Sports Network)

Target Field

LHP MacKenzie Gore vs. RHP Dean Kremer

Go Rangers!

Today, we’ll test one of the great questions in our beautiful game.

Jimmy got this wrong, of course (as he did so many things). There is so much crying in baseball. I don’t know that I’ll cry for Randy—it still feels like a dream that he ever even became a Mariner. But for sure, I will cry for J.P. and for Rick. In fact, when I think of J.P. Crawford, one of the moments that always comes to mind is baseball crying.

The JP Crawford interview with @AngieMentink after that game gets me every time pic.twitter.com/CpCO09E6YN

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) December 4, 2023

That was five years ago. It’s hard to believe how much has happened with the Mariners since then and how central J.P. Crawford has been to all of it. He’ll start at shortstop today, as he has more times than anyone else in a Mariners uniform.

Lineups

News

Kade Anderson’s x-rays came back negative after taking a comebacker off his throwing arm in the fourth inning last night. He’ll have more imaging done to make sure they didn’t miss anything, but he said he knew immediately that although it hurt like hell, it didn’t break anything. He also said this isn’t the first time this happened to him: he got hit hard once like this in college, so he pretty much knew what to expect and didn’t freak out when his arm went dead.

I’m glad to know at least one person was not freaking out about this because I sure as hell was.

Game Info

Hooooooo boy. Around here, we refer to 710 as Old Reliable, but they’re actually not that reliable. Today, for instance, the ostensible “Seattle Mariners Radio Network” will bump the Mariners over to 770 in favor of the Seahawks. But we all know what we’ve really meant by Old Reliable. Rick Rizzs’s final call will also be simulcast on the tv broadcast for the ninth inning. There is so much crying in baseball.

Thank you, Rick Rizzs. 🎙️

⚾️: 12:10 p.m. (vs. Angels)
📺: https://t.co/tDzsuKLgRe
📻: 770 AM KTTH (@SeattleSports)
📝: https://t.co/YFHx3AwjHYpic.twitter.com/7mNKJWy5QC

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) September 27, 2026

First pitch: 12:10 PDT
TV: Mariners TV
Radio: 770 am and mariners.com

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers, September 26, 2026, 3:10 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are wrapping up the regular season as they take on the Detroit Tigers in game 162.

Jared Jones (5-6, 3.87 ERA) is making the start for the Pirates. Jones has made 20 starts this season, bouncing back after missing the entire 2025 campaign due to injury. His ERA is lower than it was in his rookie year in 2024, and the Pirates have seen signs of growth that could carry him toward being part of the rotation in 2027. In his last start on September 22, Jones pitched 7 scoreless innings, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 9 in a 2-0 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. Jones would love to finish off his season with a great start.

River Ryan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is getting the start for the Tigers. He was in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ minor league system for the last couple of years before being traded for Tarek Skubel in early August. He was called up on September 21 and pitched three innings, striking out three against the Washington Nationals. Now, he will get one more shot before the Tigers head into the offseason.

Location: Comerica Park, Detroit, MI

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Jared Jones (5-6, 3.87 ERA) vs. River Ryan (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

BD community, this is your gameday thread for today’s game against the Detroit Tigers. Chime off in the comments section below.

The sun has finally risen on the last day of the last day of the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season. Today marks Game 162 of 162 an the Colorado Rockies are in the South Side of Chicago for one last game against the White Sox.

The Rockies played spoiler last night, handing a loss to the White Sox while also handing the American League Central to the Cleveland Guardians. Now the Rockies seek to end a rough September, a long campaign, and their fourth consecutive season with 100 or more losses on a high note with a win this afternoon. Should the Rockies emerge victorious, it will be their first series win since the beginning of the month.

On the mound today for the Rockies—and perhaps making his final start for his hometown team—is left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland. It has been a long and difficult season for the 33-year-old from Denver as he has dealt with injuries and poor performances. His 6.58 ERA in 25 starts is the second worst figure of his career—trailing only a miserable 2019 where he struggled with mechanical issues and spent time in Triple-A Albuquerque.

Freeland gave up five earned runs on nine hits his last time out against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. Should this indeed be the last time we see him suit up for the Rockies, it would be nice to see him end things with a good outing.

Toeing the rubber for the White Sox this afternoon is left-handed veteran Anthony Kay. Kay, 31, is bringing his first full MLB season since 2023 to a close. He spent the 2024 and 2025 campaigns with Japan’s Yokohama DeNA Baystars.

Kay owns a 4.53 ERA in 32 appearances—30 of which were starts—for the White Sox this season. In 153 innings he has 125 strikeouts to 54 walks, though there is some wildness in him. Kay currently leads the league in hit batters with 25. His primary pitch is a sweeper that he backs up with a mid-90s four-seam fastball and a sinker. He also throws a cutter, a changeup, and a traditional slider. This will be Kay’s first time facing the Rockies in his big league career.

First pitch: 1:10 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

White Sox SB Nation:South Side Sox

Lineups:

162/162 pic.twitter.com/Skx3MUavqW

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 27, 2026

Last one of the regular season ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/rKKDB0mynx

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 27, 2026

---

---

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Arizona Diamondbacks (86-75) at San Diego Padres (90-71), September 27, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

---

Game 162. pic.twitter.com/eBXlSS9FHf

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 27, 2026

Leave it all out there. pic.twitter.com/sBoYV1pw37

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 27, 2026

---

Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
• Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
• Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our thread

We made it folks! The final game of the season is upon us. The A’s are set to suit up one final time this season, taking on the Astros to wrap up the year. The A’s stand at 64-97, sitting in fourth place in the AL West and with the second-worst record in the American League. That’s where they’ll sit this offseason but if the team can end the year with a win that’d send us into the offseason on a high note. Let’s finish the year with a 65th win in front of Sacramento.

As for Houston, this isn’t just any game for them. They still have not clinched a spot in the postseason as they enter today tied with the Texas Rangers at 80-81 atop the AL West. Thanks to them owning the tie breaker the Astros control their own fate: win and they’re win. The Rangers will be watching this game and rooting for our A’s, hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive. They need to pair their own win with an Astros loss to make it to October. In a way it’s up to the A’s which Texas team goes to the postseason. Which would you prefer to allow to stay alive a bit longer? Either is a bad pick.

Taking the ball today in the final to start things off is right-handed reliever Seth Johnson. That means we’re looking at a bullpen game today. Johnson as you may remember was the lone acquisition at the mid-season trade deadline, coming over from Philadelphia in exchange for outfielder Colby Thomas. Johnson has split time between the big league club and the Aviators in the two months since joining the organization, posting a 6.89 ERA in 11 appearances at the big league level. We shouldn’t expect more than an inning or two out of the righty this afternoon, and from there it’ll be all Kotsay mixing and matching.

Here’s the final A’s lineup of the 2026 season:

game 162. pic.twitter.com/2kZYpFrs5b

— Athletics (@Athletics) September 27, 2026

Not how we thought the last lineup of the season would look but six months of baseball will grind down plenty of teams. It’s been the typical lineup here down the stretch and they’ve been servicable, especially since the return of Langeliers. We’ll also get to see infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer one more time this afternoon, and it’s a great sign and he’ll be able to put that nasty injury he suffered fully behind him heading into winter. And another good sign, catcher Brian Serven is back in there after taking a ball of the face earlier in the week.

The Astros meanwhile, with their season on the line, have right-hander Peter Lambert taking the ball this afternoon. Lambert has been a godsend for the Astros this season. An offseason pickup from Colorado, the 29-year-old has broken out with a 3.87 ERA in a team-leading 28 starts, solidifying a shaky Astros rotation. Houston isn’t in contention or anywhere near the top of the division without his emergence, and he’s a likely option for Game Two if the Astros advance to the playoffs.

And Houston’s starting nine:

Astros 9/27

J. Peña SS
Y. Alvarez DH
I. Paredes 3B
J. Altuve 2B
Y. Diaz C
C. Walker 1B
L. Spence CF
C. Smith RF
T. Trammell LF

P. Lambert SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 27, 2026

Time to finish the season. Wrap it up with a win, boys. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast

Happy Sunday, folks! It’s the last day of the regular season (probably), and everything is weird in Red Sox world.

For starters, the game is being played in Tropicana Field due to a Nor’easter in New England. It was the right call to move the game because there’s zero chance they would have had a window to play in Boston today, but the game ultimately didn’t need to be played at all. Against all odds, the Red Sox and the Cubs are both locked into the fifth seed, so this game counts for pride and pride alone. Unless the two meet in the World Series, in which case it counts for home field advantage. Let’s not worry about that right now, though.

For other starters, Tanner Houck is back! He’s starting his first game since last May. Houck probably won’t figure into the postseason at all, but it’s nice to see him back out there.

We’ve got injury news too! Willson Contreras and Ceddanne Rafaela are both in the lineup today, a positive sign for the postseason, although I’ll be closely watching how Contreras swings as he grinds through his injury. Tyron Guerrero was also placed on the injured list, a huge blow to the bullpen ahead of the playoffs. Wyatt Olds took his spot, while Nate Eaton replaced Mickey Gasper.

If meaningless baseball at a neutral site isn’t your thing, how about games with real playoff implications? The Astros and Rangers are tied for the top spot in the American League West, with Houston owning the tiebreaker. The Astros are starting Peter Lambert, who just threw 62 pitches on Thursday. Personally, I’d rather the Rangers make the playoffs because I don’t want to see Yordan Alvarez, but pitchers taking the ball on short rest is always cool.

In the National League, the Phillies are in a tailspin but control their own destiny. They’re in with a win, but if they lose a fifth straight game and the Diamondbacks pull out a win, they’ll fall out of the playoff picture on the last day of the season. There’s some weather at play in Philadelphia as well, so that’s something to keep an eye on.

That’s a whole lot of preamble before a meaningless regular-season Red Sox game. It’s a great day to stay inside and watch all the sports, so get your TVs out, your beers in the refrigerator, and find a nice spot on the couch for the rest of the day*.

*If you don’t have other responsibilities.

First pitch at 3:05 pm on NESN and WEEI

Lineups

Game No. 162 pic.twitter.com/wuLRQkLDAF

— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 27, 2026

162.

Watch the game live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/DznoPr22cA

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 27, 2026

Texas Rangers infielder Cam Cauley has been recalled from AAA Round Rock, the team announced today. To make room for him on the active roster, the Rangers have optioned DH/catcher Logan O’Hoppe to AAA Round Rock.

Cauley gets called up due to Nicky Lopez having a foot issue that resulted in him leaving last night’s game. Cauley gives the Rangers a second reserve infielder, along with Cody Freeman.

If you didn’t realize O’Hoppe was on the roster, that’s because he was added yesterday, with Josh Jung being placed on the 15 day injured list with his fractured hand.

Robby Ahlstrom was also recalled prior to yesterday’s game, taking the place of Gavin Collyer. Collyer had been recalled on Wednesday, with Winston Santos having been sent down.

Game 162 of the 2026 baseball season has arrived, and the Phillies’ situation is clear: If they win, they make the playoffs. If they lose, they have to hope the Padres can defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks allowing the Phillies to back into the final Wild Card spot.

The good news for the Phillies is that Zack Wheeler is scheduled to start. The righthander is 13-5 with a 3.06 ERA on the season.

He’ll be opposed by Nick Martinez. The veteran righthander is wrapping up his best season with a 15-5 record and 2.94 ERA.

Game time is 3:05 PM and will be televised locally by NBCSP.