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Keep nodding, Andrew: Painter crafts ‘career-altering' outing in must-win spot
Keep nodding, Andrew: Painter crafts ‘career-altering' outing in must-win spot originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
ATLANTA — Picture this.
You’re a 23-year-old rookie starting pitcher, a former first-round pick and the most highly anticipated pitching prospect the Phillies have had in years.
Your first stint in the majors didn’t go how anyone envisioned. Your second offered a much better glimpse of why everybody had been waiting. Then October arrives and all you hear about is pitching out of the bullpen.
With a fastball that can touch triple digits and a changeup that has transformed your arsenal, maybe that sounds like a pretty good place to let it eat. You’re available in Game 1, perhaps even to close it, but your name is never called.
Then your team needs you the next day with its season on the line. You enter a tie game in the eighth inning.
And your first six pitches are balls.
Gulp.
OK, you can stop using your imagination.
That was Andrew Painter on Wednesday afternoon at Truist Park, where the rookie delivered three scoreless innings in the Phillies’ 4-3, 10-inning win over the Atlanta Braves to keep their season alive.
“Obviously nerves getting to me a little bit at first,” Painter said. “I was super amped up. I was just trying to throw everything as hard as I could.”
The situation did little to calm him down.
Austin Riley opened the eighth with a four-pitch walk. Yes, that Austin Riley, who had buried the Phillies with a go-ahead three-run homer less than 24 hours earlier. Painter then missed with his first two pitches to Michael Harris II.
Six pitches. Six balls.
Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham came strolling toward the mound as Truist Park reached one of its loudest points of the afternoon.
The Phillies had already experienced enough emotional whiplash. Defensive mistakes by Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm helped Atlanta score twice in the seventh, putting Philadelphia six outs from elimination. Then Kyle Schwarber and Harper went back-to-back in the eighth to tie it.
Now Painter was having trouble finding the strike zone.
J.T. Realmuto kept his message simple.
“You got here, so you gotta trust your stuff here,” Realmuto recalled telling him. “You’re plenty good enough to get this guy out.”
Painter finally threw a strike to Harris. Then he turned to the pitch that has helped make him a different pitcher since his return to the majors.
The changeup.
Painter began pre-gripping the circle change in his glove this season, a similar concept to what he had done with his splitter. But while he believed the splitter grip had begun affecting the quality of his fastball, the changeup has become the complement that helps everything else play.
He buried one to Harris.
Ground ball to Bohm. Force at second. Back to first.
Double play.
Exhale.
“I think once I got that first strike in there, I was able to kind of ease in and it gave me a little bit of peace of mind,” Painter said.
The very next pitch produced a Sean Murphy pop-up in foul territory.
Painter’s first six pitches were out of the zone. His next three produced three outs.
“That double-play ball was huge for him, and that just sent him on a roll,” interim manager Don Mattingly said.
There would be no traditional closer waiting behind him.
Jhoan Duran was unavailable after throwing 27 pitches across two innings in Game 1, Mattingly confirmed afterward. The Phillies hoped to have him for Thursday’s deciding Game 3.
Wednesday belonged to Painter.
He returned for the ninth and recorded a groundout and flyout before Drake Baldwin singled with two outs, bringing the potential winning run aboard. Painter went right after Ozzie Albies, eventually muscling a 99.9 mph fastball under his hands for a harmless fly ball.
In between outs, Painter kept nodding on the mound.
It was a small gesture that pointed to something much bigger.
The Painter who arrived in the majors earlier this season didn’t always look this comfortable. He struggled badly during his first stint, with the first inning becoming a recurring problem. His fastball didn’t play the way the Phillies expected. His command disappeared too often. A rookie who had dominated almost everywhere before reaching the majors suddenly had to deal with failure on the sport’s biggest stage.
The Phillies sent him back to Triple-A.
And, as Mattingly put it, they didn’t send him there for one tune-up start.
“He had to go down and earn his way back,” Mattingly said. “If he wouldn’t have been pitching good, he wouldn’t have found his way back.”
Painter went to work.
Mechanics. Pitch mix. Sequencing. Figuring out what made the best version of a 6-foot-7 right-hander with some of the best raw stuff in the organization.
“I was kind of just figuring out who I was as a pitcher and learning through the failure,” Painter said. “I think we did a lot of good stuff down in Triple-A, whether it was mechanically, pitch mix, sequencing, just trying to figure out what made the best version of myself as a pitcher.”
The result has been a pitcher who carries himself differently.
“He went down, he didn’t complain, he went to work, kept pitching,” Mattingly said. “Went down, went to work, came back. He’s been a different guy.”
Wednesday offered the strongest evidence yet.
Painter remained in the game as it moved to the 10th. Then Bohm sent a two-out fly ball the opposite way. It kept carrying until it rattled beyond the right-field wall.
4-3.
Painter heard the reaction from the tunnel and emerged knowing the next three outs belonged to him.
“Knowing that three outs was going to get that job done,” he said, “letting everything loose, everything I had in the tank, just emptying it.”
Those three outs weren’t going to come easily.
Painter surrendered two singles, sandwiched around a pair of strikeouts.
Two outs. Two aboard.
The Phillies’ season was still one swing away from ending.
Painter attacked Dominic Smith with two changeups before reaching 0-2. Then he fired a fastball toward the inside corner.
Strike three.
At least Painter thought so. Smith challenged.
Painter was already walking toward the dugout, tapping his head to signal that he wanted Realmuto to challenge right back.
“He looked more sure it was a strike than I was, to be honest,” Realmuto said.
The review showed Painter had painted the corner. Game over.
Painter later described his reaction a little differently.
“I don’t know. That’s just kind of where my finish takes me,” he said. “I wanted the challenge. Kind of just blacked out in the moment.”
Harper loved what he saw.
He had watched Painter take moments throughout the outing to collect himself, including late in the game when the rookie stepped off, grabbed the rosin bag and deliberately tried to slow everything down.
“It kind of fired me up because he was able to slow down the moment,” Harper said.
His description of Painter’s entire performance was even more succinct.
“Absolute dawg mentality.”
Realmuto went even further.
“That’s a career-altering performance, in my opinion,” he said. “The amount of confidence that you can gain from that…”
Painter had never made a true relief appearance before Wednesday. He acknowledged that he had been pacing around the bullpen during Game 1, preparing for a role completely foreign to him.
This time, when the phone rang, he emptied the tank.
Thirty-seven pitches. Three innings. Three strikeouts. No runs.
His first postseason appearance ended with the 23-year-old closing an elimination game.
“I didn’t think I was going to be closing a game in the playoffs,” Painter said. “But I think I’m capable of a lot.”
That might be the biggest thing the Phillies learned Wednesday.
They spent much of the year figuring out exactly what Painter was capable of. In Game 2, with no Duran and no room for error, they asked him to find nine outs in a role he’d never truly handled before.
He did.
And with another elimination game coming Thursday, someone asked the rookie whether 37 pitches might prevent him from doing it again.
Painter smiled.
“Everything on the line,” he said. “Luzardo would make fun of me if I didn’t. I’m 23; he says I should be good every day.”
The Phillies live another day.
Apparently, Painter might pitch another one, too.
Yankees announce record-breaking lineup for AL Wild Card Series Game 2
The lineup for the Wild Card Series elimination game is set, and the Yankees are making headlines by starting eight left-handed hitters, not including switch-hitters, for the first time in MLB postseason history.
Ben Rice takes the leadoff spot after a record-breaking Game 1 performance against the Red Sox. He went 4-for-5 with two home runs, including an electrifying eighth-inning grand slam, and drove in six runs. It’s also worth noting that his fellow Massachusetts native Cam Schlittler also showed Boston no mercy, pitching six and a third scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts to completely shut down the offense.
Cody Bellinger, who went 1-for-4, will bat second followed by Luis García Jr. in the hole. He’ll start at first for Game 2 over Paul Goldschmidt, who went 0-for-3 with two walks and a run scored on Tuesday night. Spencer Jones will take the cleanup spot after going 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk in the Game 1 blowout win. He’ll be playing right field alongside Trent Grisham, who made his return in Game 1 after being reinstated from the IL.
Gleaming in his postseason debut, going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs, George Lombard Jr. is the perfect segue to cruise into the bottom of the order and the lone right-handed hitter in the starting nine. Jazz Chisholm Jr. will start at second over Anthony Volpe, who gave a promising performance in Game 1.
Grisham, who was sidelined most of September with a hamstring injury, is going back to his comfort zone at center and will take the seventh spot in the lineup. He’ll be followed by Austin Wells, who went 1-for-3 with two hits and identical RBIs on Tuesday night. Ryan McMahon will round out the order and start at third over Amed Rosario, who struck out in three pitches from Payton Tolle in the second.
As confirmed ahead of the postseason matchup, Max Fried will start on the mound as the Yankees go for the sweep.
Here’s a look at the Red Sox lineup, which puts former Yankee Jahmai Jones in the leadoff spot. It’s a real blast from the past since he used to lead off for the Pinstripes not too long ago.
With a win over the Red Sox on Wednesday, the Yankees will advance to face the Rays in the ALDS. Don’t miss a second of the action and tune into NBC at 8 p.m. EST.
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The Padres 2026 postseason feels different
October is a magical time for Major League Baseball. Every postseason team has a legitimate shot to win a World Series title. Whether you are the prohibitive favorite or the longest of long shots, the stakes remain the same.
It is still hard to imagine the San Diego Padres hosting a Wild Card Series at Petco Park, especially after Las Vegas sportsbooks gave them a seven percent chance of playing in October. But this year’s postseason feels different from past playoff appearances.
A tale of two halves
Is the 2026 roster better than past playoff teams? Tough to answer, but this group has risen off the mat to become a club no one wants to meet in the postseason.
Before the pomp and circumstance associated with Opening Day began, the Padres had to subtract two important pieces from the starting rotation: Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. Finding suitable replacements became an agonizing, summer-long task.
A.J. Preller, Friars President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, deserves praise for bolstering the starting rotation. All the talk before the trade deadline was the Padres acquiring a starting pitcher. The addition of Robbie Ray and Casey Mize immediately raised postseason expectations to a season high.
The Friars struggled badly in the first half, saddled with one of baseball’s worst offenses. Each game felt like a continuation of the run-scoring troubles that plagued them a season ago. The club limped into the All-Star break with a 48-49 record.
No one expected much from the Padres in the second half, but the lineup flipped the script and led the team to a shocking 39-12 run.
Veteran leadership key to turnaround
What changed?
It is impossible to predict a locker room’s reaction to player moves made at the trade deadline. The additions confirmed Preller’s belief in the roster holdovers. They began to believe in themselves and gained the confidence to climb back in the Wild Card chase.
And 17 wins in their final 20 games put an exclamation point on the Padres’ remarkable regular season. They finished at 91-71, clinched the four-seed, and continue to play in front of the Friar Faithful.
The club’s veterans were the foundation for the dramatic second-half turnaround. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Ty France have become a sounding board for the younger players. Team manager Craig Stammen fully trusts his veterans, as they kept the team afloat during the first-half struggles.
Adding Dustin Harris to the lineup has added another dimension to the offense. The youngster has fit comfortably in the No. 2 spot in the batting order. He finished the regular season hitting .322 in 28 games with San Diego.
Often, Harris starts an inning by getting on base. His base-running skills allow him to take an extra base before coming home on a hit by the heart of the order. He also plays a solid left field, showing good range on balls hit to the gap.
Harris has stabilized the left-field platoon, despite San Diego being his third major league stop this season.
Yes, the 2026 Friars are a different team. The front office tinkered with the roster; the team took off and never looked back.
Let’s see what happens.
Bryce Harper atones for game-changing gaffe with HR to tie Braves-Phillies
Editor's note: Get live updates on Phillies vs. Braves NL wild card Game 2 action here.
For the second game in a row, postseason chaos has ensued late at Truist Field.
Behind masterful pitching performances from Tyler Mahle and Cristopher Sánchez, a 1-1 deadlock between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies was broken on what appeared to be a game-changing gaffe in the bottom of the seventh by Bryce Harper in right field.
With runners on first and second with one out, catcher Drake Baldwin got just under a sinker inside from Sánchez. The ball pulled into right and looked like it would be a routine flyball for Harper, but the Phillies slugger ran a little too far in front of it – and realized it a second too late. He tried to jump back to make the catch, but the ball rolled off the tip of his glove and onto the grass towards the wall as Sean Murphy scored on what was officially ruled an RBI double by Baldwin.
That. Just. Happened!#LetItFlypic.twitter.com/qtePObgSvZ
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 30, 2026
Matt Olson then made it a two-run game on a sac fly that chased Sánchez from the game, but the Phillies would respond in the eighth on back-to-back homers from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper to tie it all up at 3-3.
So perhaps Harper's outfield gaffe wasn't as game-changing as it seemed, especially considering what Harper can do with a bat in his hands.
BRYCE HARPER
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2026
BACK-TO-BACK
THIS GAME IS TIED pic.twitter.com/fiIJdIM4oz
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryce Harper atones for game-changing gaffe with HR to tie Braves-Phillies
Red Sox lose key player but slugger makes wild return from injury to replace him
NEW YORK — Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is out for the remainder of the playoffs after aggravating a hand injury in two at-bats during Game 1 of the American League wild-card series, manager Chad Tracy said before Game 2 on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
Replacing him on the roster for the do-or-die Game 2 is a massive surprise: Curtis Mead, who has not played since suffering a fractured left wrist in his Red Sox debut July 27, when he was struck by a pitch in a game against the Athletics in West Sacramento.
That injury came just a day after Mead was acquired from the Washington Nationals for left-hander Connelly Early - who, oddly enough, started and lost the decisive Game 3 of this wild-card series a year ago.
Since that fateful night in Yolo County, Mead has been diligently working his way back, but couldn't quite recover before this series started. Then, Anthony's hand worsened and the Red Sox needed a body.
Mead took batting practice off a Trajekt machine for the first time Saturday and Monday, and then faced live pitching for the first time Tuesday. And that was enough for the Red Sox to activate him.
"Honestly, it’s not ideal, right?" Mead said of his accelerated and abbreviated rehab timeline. "But with the injury to Roman and even Mickey (Gasper) and guys banged up, I feel like I can contribute. I think watching the team and the runs they went on in July and August, I felt pretty good about them and us going deep in the playoffs.
"I was hoping to be ready on this timeline."
Anthony was limited to 55 games due to the injury this season. He was driven from Yankee Stadium to Boston after Game 1, arriving in the middle of the night, and received more imaging Wednesday morning, which Tracy said revealed further damage to the hand. Anthony returned to Yankee Stadium three hours before Game 2.
The Red Sox replaced Anthony on the roster with Curtis Mead for Game 2 of the best-of-three series, automatically Anthony out for the AL Division Series.
“He’s going through it right now, mentally,” Tracy said of Anthony. “I texted with him. He wants to be out there with the guys.”
Against Yankees left-hander Max Fried, Boston will start Nate Eaton in left field and Jahmai Jones at DH.
“He’s a really good player,” Tracy said of Anthony, “but the show goes on. We need to win two in a row.”
Mead, whose parents are in Australia and won't be able to make it to Yankee Stadium, talked frequently with Anthony as both recovered from their maladies.
"I saw Roman last night and saw his pain. I was quite interested in his return to play and the sort of things he was feeling, how long it took him to get up to speed," says Mead. "I feel horrible for him, but glad I can step in and kind of contribute."
Red Sox starting lineup for Game 2
- Jahmai Jones (R) DH
- Adley Rutschman (S) C
- Willson Contreras (R) 1B
- Wilyer Abreu (L) RF
- Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF
- Caleb Durbin (R) 3B
- Nick Sogard (S) 2B
- Trevor Story (R) SS
- Nate Eaton (R) LF
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Red Sox lose key player but slugger makes wild return from injury to replace him
Islanders 2026 First-Round Pick Off To Strong Start In SHL
TORONTO -- In the summer of 2025, the New York Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick, Victor Eklund at No. 16, and Kashawn Aitcheson at No. 17, adding three strong players to Isaiah George, Cole Eiserman, Danny Nelson, and Co.
Flash forward to now, and Schaefer is entering year two after winning the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie.
Eklund, who played one game for the Islanders -- Game No. 82 -- before the 2025-26 season ended, made the team out of training camp.
George, who didn't make the Islanders out of training camp, is still just 22 years old and is very much seen as part of their future.
Aitcheson and Eiserman were part of the last cuts this training camp, as they are closer than they appear.
But there's another prospect who just adds to the excitement surrounding this club's bright future.
Left-side defenseman Malte Gustafsson, whom the Islanders selected 13th overall this past summer, is playing in the SHL. He is someone who could be playing for the Islanders come season's end, as we saw with Eklund.
Malte Gustafsson, who the #Isles selected 13th overall this past draft — with Bartner there as a witness — is playing top-pairing minutes in the SHL this season and has looked incredible.
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) September 30, 2026
With the way Kashawn Aitcheson played at camp and what Gustafsson is showing, the future… https://t.co/qVMoAF4h25
Gustafsson recorded three assists in 27 games last season for HV71 Jonkoping.
This season, in four games, the 18-year-old has recorded three assists, matching his season total. He is playing on the top pair, but the 6'4, 200 lb defenseman looks much stronger and that's something Islanders fans should be excited about.
Where things stand with Pistons, Jalen Duren: Weight clause removed from offer
Thursday, Oct. 1, is the deadline.
That is the day Jalen Duren must decide whether to accept the qualifying offer and play for $9.6 million this coming season, which would make him a free agent after the season. Or, he could accept the five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed offer that the Pistons reportedly have on the table. That offer no longer includes a weight clause, reports Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson at The Athletic.
Per league sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as negotiations continue, the weight clause initially proposed as part of the Pistons' five-year, $200 million offer is no longer part of the talks. The clause was never put in writing.
As of now, Duren, 22, is the talk of Pistons training camp but is not there.
The weight-clause drama speaks to the bad blood in these negotiations, at least from Duren's perspective. What was the point of Detroit even suggesting a weight clause? Duren, whatever one thinks of his value as a center, has never been in anything but impeccable shape and takes great care of his body. Usually, these clauses are reserved for players where that has been an issue in the past, but that hasn't been the case with Duren. What was the point of bringing it to the table in the first place?
Detroit technically could push back the Oct. 1 date to accept the qualifying offer (as far out as March 1, if they want), but with Duren not in training camp now, that would be highly unlikely. At media day Monday, Detroit president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said Duren has "until Thursday" to make his decision.
Duren, coming off an All-NBA season in which he averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game and served as the Pistons' defensive anchor in the paint, was eligible for up to five years, $287 million. However, after Duren struggled on both ends during the playoffs, averaging 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, with a negative plus/minus, his contract value dropped. At least in the eyes of the Pistons, who also are looking ahead with Ausar Thompson getting an extension and, eventually, Cade Cunningham getting another one.
It took most of the summer for the Pistons to get to a five-year, $200 million offer, or an average of $40 million a season. It probably didn't help the Pistons' case that Houston just gave Amen Thompson — an elite young player but not yet an All-Star — five years, $208 million in his recent extension.
Duren's ultimate leverage is taking the $9.6 million qualifying offer. While technically that would make him a free agent at the end of the season, in practice it would force the Pistons to trade him at the deadline — and the qualifying offer comes with a no-trade clause. Duren could only be traded to a place he wanted to go, which means a team willing to pay him. Sacramento and Milwaukee are known to be interested (Atlanta and Washington are rumored as well), but if Duren actually hits the trade market more teams will step up. However, base-year compensation rules would apply to any sign-and-trade, making that kind of deal incredibly difficult to pull off. Any Duren in-season sign-and-trade (to any team) is going to involve multiple players and very possibly three or more teams.
Teams reportedly asked the Pistons this summer if they would consider a sign-and-trade for Duren, but Detroit quickly shot them down — they want to keep him. He's still a core part of a 60-win team from a season ago.
One other longshot option, Duren could do nothing on Thursday, signing neither the qualifying offer nor the Pistons offer. However, that means the qualifying offer goes away, and Duren would have to reach a deal with the Pistons, who would have more leverage and little incentive to increase their offer.
If Duren signs the qualifying offer, the most any team can offer him next season is a four-year, $176 million max contract. That would mean over the next five years, he would make a total of about $1.1 million less than the Pistons current offer. It's basically a financial wash.
If Duren really passes on $200 million, it speaks to just how disrespected he felt by the process and how badly he wants out of Detroit. That said, this contract is his first shot at real generational wealth, and leaving it on the table is a massive risk.
Celtics notice Jayson Tatum leadership leap to begin camp
BOSTON — Jayson Tatum organized the workouts in Los Angeles that many of the Celtics’ players attended last month in an effort to get a head start on building chemistry between a new-look roster on and off the court. The roughly week-long trip to the west coast included Tatum and LA native Paul George, who returning players Payton Pritchard, Jordan Walsh, Sam Hauser and more received the opportunity to get to know before they all converged on Boston in September. It also gave Mike Conley Jr. his introduction to his new team.
“From the outside looking in, I always thought he was one of the best players in the league,” Conley said. “Getting to know him now, he’s a guy that I feel like is really coming into his own as a leader, a guy that’s ready to make a jump, I think after the last couple of years with the injury.”
“He called everybody and said, let’s go workout, let’s go meet,” Conley recalled. “Let’s spend about 7-8 days out there, go golf, go out to eat. I feel like he’s setting up all kinds of things off the court. He’s bringing in huddles after practices. After every workout we we have, he has something to say, calling guys out, just really taking ownership of the situation, so that’s big.”
The newest Celtics see a vocal and involved Tatum through their first impressions of him, and Joe Mazzulla left room on media day for Tatum’s voice to grow into his 10th season. Tatum typically leads quietly by example, teammates have long observed, through his work ethic, consistent availability and versatile and unselfish approach to the game. Mazzulla said on Wednesday that he wants Tatum to continue that approach on the floor. Off it, Jaylen Brown’s absence leaves a void where he embraced an outspoken approach to leadership.
Payton Pritchard noticeably spoke out more often about play style preferences, things that the team has to do better while accepting various roles to make the team work. Mazzulla, the tone-setter in many ways, stressed a culture of connectivity since the offseason, acting on it through his trips to Nashville, Spain, Portugal, Dallas, Iowa and more. He also planned the Charleston, South Carolina trip that the team will take as part of camp next week, sensing a new-look team needed the bonding time after nearly a decade since Brad Stevens’ Newport, Rhode Island trip tipped-off Tatum’s rookie season.
Conley also plans to act as an extension of the coaching staff, pulling teammates aside whenever he sees something, but the Celtics want Tatum to embrace his standing as one of the league’s best players.
“We need him to come in with a high level of effort, a high level of attention to detail and competitiveness on the defensive end,” Mazzulla said. “Reading the game every possession, giving the game and the possession exactly what it needs all the time and playing with a high level of confidence.”
“When he’s at his best, our team’s at its best. Nothing changes in that. It’s been that way for a long time. It’s gotta stay that way.”
Tatum’s emergence into camp came at a time of sweeping change in the organization and inherent consolidation around him following Brown’s departure through an offseason trade. That’ll create a before-and-after storyline, highlighting the differences between George’s dynamic as a teammate in Brown’s place, how the team operates stylistically and the general vibes around it. Tatum and Brown certainly gained breathing room on and off the court following the 2023 Marcus Smart trade after playing alongside and leaning on him for leadership early in their careers. For the first time, Brown leaving centers the team around Tatum.
He’s not looking at it that way, however, stressing the importance of everyone across the roster in his comments at media day. Tatum paid respects, again, to Brown for the time they spent together and emphasized that his camaraderie with George stems from the fact that he idolized the veteran growing up watching him star for the Pacers. Other teammates have shied away from drawing comparisons to the state of the team before and after Brown.
Conley, obviously not present until this year, still sensed that Tatum begins this season wanting to prove something. It’s his first full season back from his Achilles tear, and he’s reflected on the perspective nearly losing his career gave him. He reached 80% this year and now has the chance, with expectations relatively lower for the Celtics compared to their championship-chasing seasons, to power them back to that level, help teammates grow and expand his game.
“This is 9-10 years in the league and if you take a 30,000 foot view on just his career, he’s accomplished a lot,” Mazzulla said on media day. “He’s been through a lot of experiences. That phase of his career, being coached by Brad, coming in as a rookie, going through all those Eastern Conference Game 7s and all those journeys, and then being coached by Ime, getting to the Finals … getting hurt and the process of coming back … every experience has to make you better and get you closer to the person and player that you’re trying to be.”
“I think he does a great job of learning from those. This is the next step. This is the next phase of that.”
Boston Celtics Daily Links 9/30/26
HeraldHow Jayson Tatum showed leadership after Celtics’ Jaylen Brown trade
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Why Thursday Is So Important For Payton Pritchard’s Celtics Future
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Daulton Varsho Undergoes Wrist Surgery
Today, the Houston Astros announced that CF Daulton Varsho underwent left arthroscopic wrist surgery yesterday. This procedure will sideline him for the remainder of the 2026 season. Varsho is a free agent at the end of the season.
Varsho’s time with the Astros was unremarkable. He batted only .172 in 41 games for Houston, spanning 151 AB. He hit 5 HR and drove in 14. He also posted a paltry .224 OBP and a “sub-Maldy” .535 OPS.
At this point, it is unlikely Varsho is a member of the Astros in 2027.
It was recently revealed that Varsho had been dealing with a wrist issue since before the team acquired him at the deadline, and was attempting to play through it. Eventually, it became too much discomfort for him to tolerate.
Astros vs. White Sox ALWC Game 2 Game Discussion: 9/30/2026
WILD CARD SERIES, GAME 2: The Houston Astros (0-1) will host the Chicago White Sox (1-0) for a do-or-die Game 2 of the 2026 AL Wild Card Series today at Daikin Park. The Astros look to extend their season with their ace RHP Hunter Brown (6-4, 3.19 ERA) on the mound opposite RHP Sean Burke (11-7, 3.34 ERA) and the White Sox.
TODAY’S PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Hunter Brown is a perfect 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA (10ER/37.2IP) in six career starts against the White Sox, including two starts this season. Brown and today’s White Sox starter RHP Sean Burke matched up on July 25, 2026 at CWS, with Brown (0ER/7IP) beating Burke (2ER/6IP) in a 4-1 Astros win. That win sparked a strong finish for Brown, as he went 5-3 with a 2.67 ERA (20ER/67.1IP) in his final 12 starts of the season.
IN THE POSTSEASON: The Astros are making their 19th postseason appearance in club history in what is the 65th year of the franchise that began in 1962. This season marks the 14th time in club history for the Astros to enter the postseason as a division winner. The Astros have won three different divisions in their history, the NL West (1980, 1986), NL Central (1997-99, 2001) and AL West (2017-19, 2021-24, 2026).
SINCE 2015: After a one-year hiatus, the Astros are back in the postseason for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons (dating back to the 2015 season). The Astros join the Dodgers and Yankees as the only teams in the Majors to qualify for the postseason in at least 10 of the last 12 years.
POSTSEASON VETS: Since 2015, the Astros have played more postseason games (106) and have earned more postseason wins (62) than any other AL club. The Astros are 62-44 in that span for a .585 winning pct. in the postseason.
THE WILD CARD: The Astros are playing in the Wild Card round for the fourth time in their history. The Astros entered this series 3-2 all-time in the Wild Card round, dispatching the Yankees in the one-game playoff in 2015, sweeping the Twins in the 2020 Wild Card Series and getting swept by the Tigers in the 2024 Wild Card Series.
THE PEACOCK BROADCAST: This series will be exclusively televised by Peacock/NBCSN. Tom McCarthy will serve as play-by-play man alongside analysts Geoff Blum and Steve Stone. Adam Ottavino and Britney Eurton will work sideline duties for the telecast.
TODAY’S POSTGAME SHOW: Following every game of this Wild Card Series, Space City Home Network will air a live 30-minute postgame show, which will be hosted by Kevin Eschenfelder and Todd Kalas. The show will be hosted from the SCHN set on the center field concourse.
ABOUT GAME 1: The Astros dropped Game 1 of the Wild Card Series last night, losing to the White Sox, 6-3. Both teams went with bullpen games, with the Astros using eight pitchers, including RHP Miguel Ullola (1ER/3IP), who worked the bulk innings. PH Nelson Velázquez homered for the Astros, marking just the fourth pinch-hit home run in Astros postseason history and the first since IF Chris Burke hit one in Game 1 of the 2005 NLCS at STL.
VS. THE WHITE SOX: The Astros and White Sox are meeting each other for their third all-time postseason series against each other, the others being the 2005 World Series and the 2021 ALDS. The White Sox swept the Astros in 2005, while the Astros dispatched the Sox in 2021 in four games. History aside, the Astros went 5-2 against the White Sox this regular season, including a 3-1 record at Daikin Park.
AT THE HELM: Astros manager Joe Espada has guided the Astros to the postseason in two of his three seasons as the Astros manager since taking over before the 2024 season. Espada has posted a 256-229 regular season record in his three years as the Astros manager and ranks ninth in club history in managerial wins.
ABOUT THE ROSTER: The Astros Wild Card Series roster includes 12 pitchers and 14 position players. Prior to this series, 13 players on the roster had no postseason playing experience, including five position players and eight pitchers. In addition to their active roster, the Astros are carrying 16 players with them throughout the postseason on their Taxi Squad.
GOIN’ DEEP: The Astros hit 226 regular season homers as a team this year, which were the most in the Majors. The last time the Astros led the Majors in home runs was in 2000, when they hit 249 homers. The 2026 Astros also led the AL in SLG (.417) and OPS (.732).
THE CASE FOR THE MVP: DH Yordan Alvarez is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award. Alvarez led the AL in OPS (1.033), slugging percentage (.601), OBP (.432), batting average (.316), total bases (341), walks (109), IBB (33), WRC (154), OPS+ (192) and extra-base hits (77). He also ranked second in RBI (106), second in hits (179), tied for second in home runs (42), tied for third in runs (105), and tied for fourth in doubles (34).
COMING UP BIG: 2B Jose Altuve ranks second in postseason history in HR (27), second in runs (89), third in hits (118), tied for third in extra-base hits (48), sixth in games (106) and seventh in RBI (56)
THE FIREMAN: LHP Josh Hader converted all 26 of his save chances this season. He is the seventh pitcher in MLB history to post 26-plus saves without a blown save. The last Major Leaguer to do so was RHP Ken Giles in 2018 (26 SV).
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2020 – The Astros dispatch the Twins in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series by a score of 3-1 at Target Field. RHP José Urquidy (1ER/4.1IP) started for Houston, while RHP Cristian Javier (0ER/3IP) earned the win.. Tied 1-1 in the 7th, SS Carlos Correa connected for a solo homer to put the Astros ahead. The win advances the Astros to a meeting with the A’s in the ALDS.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, September 30, 4:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Peacock/NBCSN
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 HD2 FM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Roman Anthony expected to miss rest of Red Sox postseason with new hand injury, might need surgery
NEW YORK (AP) — Roman Anthony is expected to miss the rest of the postseason for the Boston Red Sox because of new damage to his right hand sustained in an AL Wild Card Series opener against the New York Yankees.
It is not yet clear whether he will need surgery. Anthony was sidelined from early May to late August with an injury to the same hand.
“We did everything we could to be back this year and play, which we did,” Anthony said Wednesday in the tunnel outside the Red Sox clubhouse at Yankee Stadium before Game 2. “Going forward, we haven’t really even talked about it today.”
Batting leadoff as Boston’s designated hitter in his playoff debut Tuesday night, Anthony struck out in both of his at-bats against Cam Schlittler, then was removed for a pinch hitter with the Red Sox trailing by two runs in the sixth inning of a 9-0 loss.
Boston manager Chad Tracy said Anthony felt discomfort in his right hand after a couple of checked swings.
“After I came back, the hand was never really fully 100%,” Anthony said. “For me it was to a point where it was tolerable and I was taking certain swings that were sketchy and I was still able to come back and recover enough to just be in there every single day. But ultimately I just took a few swings here recently where that wasn’t the case.”
The team sent Anthony to Boston in a car after the game. He arrived about 3 a.m. and had new MRIs on Wednesday morning.
“Additional damage to some muscles in his wrist that weren’t there before,” Tracy said.
The 22-year-old Anthony returned to Massachusetts because the medical staff there was familiar with his injury from earlier this season.
“My thoughts are kind of all over the place,” he said. “Feelings and emotions of, you work all this year to put yourself in a position to just be good enough to go in the playoffs and for this to happen, it just doesn’t feel real.”
Anthony wasn’t sure whether the injury is something he’ll have to manage going forward.
“Given the point where we were at this year and all the different things that I tried and the different shots that I took and the routes that I went, I think — never really rested a ton, right? — so I don’t necessarily know the answer to that,” he said. “Once we saw it today, it was more so about like, all right, this is what it is. You can’t go. It’s not in the team’s best interest for you to play tonight. So get back there. Root your guys on and be a good teammate. And then once, like I said, once we get past the series, it’ll be one of those things where we reassess regardless of what happens and kind of go from there.”
Anthony missed 101 games from May 5 to Aug. 29 with the earlier injury to his hand.
“There’s been periods of time since he’s come back where he’ll get a zinger and feel something. And then it dissipates and we’re good to go,” Tracy said. “That’s not been an uncommon occurrence since he’s come back. But yesterday, as you went through those two at-bats, it got worse.”
The club announced Anthony was diagnosed with a right hand strain, and Major League Baseball approved a Red Sox roster substitution. Anthony was replaced on the Wild Card Series roster by infielder Curtis Mead, obtained from Washington in late July for pitcher Connelly Early.
According to MLB rules, Anthony is ineligible to return until the American League Championship Series — if the Red Sox advance that far.
“I’ve been experiencing some things with the swings and the check-swings over the past six weeks. Last night just felt a little bit more intense, a little bit more worse than past swings that have been lingering a little bit longer than the ones I was used to,” Anthony said.
“It was just super alarming and it got to a point where it was tough to grip a bat. I knew then and there that this was a little bit more similar to the one earlier in the year. That’s why we decided to go get imaging.”
Mead got hit by a pitch in his first game with the Red Sox at the Athletics on July 27 and was placed on the injured list with a broken left wrist. He hasn’t played in the big leagues since.
Mead was on the bench for Game 2 against the Yankees. Jahmai Jones was set to hit leadoff as the DH with the Red Sox one loss from elimination, followed in the batting order by catcher Adley Rutschman, first baseman Willson Contreras, right fielder Wilyer Abreu, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, third baseman Caleb Durbin, second baseman Nick Sogard, shortstop Trevor Story and left fielder Nate Eaton.
Sonny Gray was set to start on the mound for Boston against one of his former teams. Left-hander Max Fried was scheduled to pitch for New York.
One of baseball’s premier prospects when he debuted in the majors last year, Anthony batted .245 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a .735 OPS in 55 games this season.
“Hopefully he’s going to be healthy for next year,” Abreu said. “It’s a big loss for us, but we still have to play the game and try to win the game today.”
Roman Anthony out of Red Sox lineup in Game 2 of Wild Card Series against Yankees after hurting hand
NEW YORK (AP) — Roman Anthony was not in the Boston Red Sox lineup for Game 2 of their AL Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night, a day after leaving the opener because of hand pain.
Batting leadoff as a designated hitter in his playoff debut Tuesday, Anthony struck out in both of his at-bats against Cam Schlittler before getting lifted for a pinch hitter with his team trailing by two runs in the sixth inning of a 9-0 loss.
Boston manager Chad Tracy said Anthony felt discomfort in his right hand after a couple of checked swings. The 22-year-old Anthony missed 101 games from May 5 to Aug. 29 with an injury to the same hand.
“He’s obviously coming off that. You’ll get a zinger every once in a while where you feel something — it’s fine, it goes away,” Tracy said. “Today some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable."
Jahmai Jones was set to hit leadoff as the DH with the Red Sox one loss from elimination, followed in the batting order by catcher Adley Rutschman, first baseman Willson Contreras, right fielder Wilyer Abreu, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, third baseman Caleb Durbin, second baseman Nick Sogard, shortstop Trevor Story and left fielder Nate Eaton.
Sonny Gray was set to start on the mound for Boston against one of his former teams.
One of baseball’s premier prospects when he debuted last year, Anthony batted .245 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a .735 OPS in 55 games this season.
Where to watch Red Sox vs. Yankees Wild Card Game 2 for free: Time, livestream
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One win down, one to go.
The AL Wild Card series continues tonight, Sept. 30 as the Yankees go for the series-clinching victory.
Last night, the Bronx Bombers won Game 1, 9-0, largely thanks to designated hitter Ben Rice’s huge night. Rice had four hits and six RBIs in the win, which he capped off with an eighth-inning grand slam.
“I’ll remember getting a ‘W’ versus the Red Sox — there’s nothing better than that,” Rice said after the game. “I’ll remember Cam [Schlittler, who struck out 10 over 6 1/3 scoreless innings] going out there and just being lights out, like he always is. I’ll remember the atmosphere. It was just an awesome night.”
Tonight, Max Fried will be on the mound as the Yankees try for the sweep.
If the Yankees win tonight, they’ll advance into the ALDS and head to Tropicana Field for a best-of-five series against the Tampa Bay Rays, who finished atop the AL East and finished the regular season with the best record in the league (98-64).
Here’s how to tune in to the Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series without cable.
Yankees vs. Red Sox start time
Game 2 of the Yankees-Red Sox AL Wild Card series is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET tonight, Sept. 30.
How to watch Yankees vs. Red Sox AL Wild Card Game 2 for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream Yankees vs. Red Sox for free.
DIRECTV is our favorite service for trying live TV for free. Right now, you can take advantage of a five-day free trial before saving $30 on your first month. We recommend the Choice plan, which includes NBC as part of its 125+ channel options.
Red Sox vs. Yankees Game 2 starting pitchers
Sonny Gray (18-5, 2.72 ERA) will start for the Red Sox. Max Fried (5-5, 2.80 ERA) will be on the mound for the Yankees.
Red Sox vs. Yankees AL Wild Card schedule
All times below are listed in ET.
- Game 1: Yankees 9, Red Sox 0
- Game 2: Sept. 30, 8 p.m. (NBC)
- Game 3: Oct. 1, 8 p.m. (NBC)*
*if necessary
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