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Ahhh, late September. There’s really nothing like it. The kids are back at school, the Browns aren’t dead yet (sometimes), Tom Hamilton’s voice gives me the chills much like the end of summer breeze does and I’m a week away from dusting off my Fall collection of hoodies and jeans (even though I’ll be ready for sleeves and then get hammered with 85 for a week straight and I sweat my tail off one last time before the season changes). A tradition like no other!

In recent years, we’ve added a tradition to this time of year. A heightened defense system and need for historical accuracy. It hasn’t really come from us though, has it? No this tradition comes from our neighbors. Some right across Lake Eerie, many much further North, but more recently, a thirsty crowd 350 miles West.

Brayan Rocchio has hit CLE’s 103rd walk-off home run in the Progressive Field/Jacobs Field era. 📊

CLE has 11 more walk-off HR than any MLB team since 1994 (Athletics, 92).

MAGIC at the corner of Carnegie & Ontario. 🪄#GuardsBall | @CleGuardianspic.twitter.com/RY4tjf6066

— Luke Potosky (@LukePotosky) July 3, 2026

That’s right, it’s the time of year when the rest of the AL Central starts to whine about the Cleveland Guardians. “Oh they’re so lucky, they play a disgusting brand of baseball, just look at that run differential, BLARGHAGHRHH”. And while I could write an entire article on why the team thats won this division 4 of the last 5 years including 3 straight is probably more “good team” than just lucky every year, I’d rather actually just look at the history of this division. Because one number has been discovered by our Southside friends in their pursuit to “GOTCHA” us…

“1948”

Congratulations! The ultimate trump card! And what does that win him Johnny?!?! A shorter conversation!

Well done White Sox fans. You’ve discovered the fact that Cleveland is currently riding the longest World Series draught in MLB. And YOU, yes you of all fan bases, think it’s the conversation ender. The Ace up the sleeve. The Triple Dog Dare Ya, if you will. If there’s any talk going on, any smack or trash or linguistics if any kind that you don’t like, the fans of the franchise that has won 3 Playoff series in 100 years (thats right, 2005 is quite literally all you have but we will get to that later) and went through an even longer stretch waiting for their’s can just say “1948” and that should do it. We just have to stop talking on the spot because even though none of us have won recently, ours is further back. Forget all the times with a winning record, making the Playoffs or winning the division. To get Cleveland fans, the ONLY thing that matters is Ring culture. From a White Sox Fan!

Sorry, but I just don’t agree. It’s one thing if you’re the defending Champ and you want to talk the talk. Be my guest! You earned it. But the Royals just left the 10 year threshold and the Sox just passed 20. Hardly a position to be in when telling us to kiss the ring, right?

Now, I don’t make the rules on who is allowed to talk what. Recently I’ve seen people suggest you can’t talk if it didn’t happen in your life. There’s definitely some merit to that, but also a lot of weird crossovers. Like, a 22 year old ChiSox fan can talk trash to a 22 year old Angels fan, but the younger 20 year old ChiSox fan can’t talk that to him, especially when the 30 year old Angels fan is about to enter the chat? Not to mention, if this is being done online (where most of the trash talk exists), there’s rarely any rules or curtesy anyway.

So, what logical argument ~should~ you bring to the table when discussing ball with Neanderthals (note, I’m not calling all these fans Neanderthals, just the ones that won’t carry a conversation or argument past four digits)?… How about facts? The stats? The complete history of the AL Central- the one crown the five* of us fight for every summer for 162** games since 1995***?

(***Note, technically the AL Central began in 1994. But since that season was shortened by a Strike we won’t count that- even if all signs were pointing towards a division title (2nd and charging at the time).***)

(**Twice in this span we did not see 162 games thanks to shortened seasons, 144 in 1995 and 60 in 2020, not to mention any season ending with 161 games thanks to rain outs and no reason to make them up**)

(*Also Note: the Tigers joined the division, taking Milwaukee’s place, 3 years after the others, so they will have less chances to win it, and thus, deserve that one note on the record*)

So, Guardians fans, here are 5 other spoons of sugar you can deliver your divisional friends and foes to help their medicine go down.

5- Identifier of Good vs Bad: a .500 record

This is hardly a show stopper or even conversation starter, but it’s a little tidbit that could help slow the roll of a nasty uneducated youngling. Cleveland has gone .500 or better in the AL Central 22 times in the 32 year history, over 2/3 of the time. Chicago is actually the next closest with 16, Minnesota shortly after with 15 (both .500 or better about half the time) while Detroit and Kansas City bring up the rear at 11 and 7, respectively.

Again, this isn’t the Hammer in the argument. But it’s simply a nice reminder that one of these teams gives their fans winning baseball 2 out of every 3 years, and when you play 162 of these a year and just want to follow a team thats competing all summer, thats a great start.

4- When are we awful?

Let’s face it, a big part of the baseball season is just giving us something to watch. I can’t imagine going into a year like, no offense, the Marlins or Rockies do all the time, where you just know you’re gonna be bad. Seriously, I can’t imagine it because the Guardians have never finished last in the division. In fact, they haven’t even finished in 4th since the Manny Acta days. That’s right, Cleveland has the least amount of both 4th and 5th place finishes in the division. Bottoming out in Cleveland is a few games under .500 and finishing in 3rd place while the next wave of young talent gets their feet wet. It’s a great spot to be in and one no one else can relate to.

Last place finishes;

CLE-0

CWS-3

MIN-8

DET-8

KC-13

Fourth place finishes;

CLE-5

DET-5

MIN-6

CWS-7

KC-8

Bottom line here is that in addition to the success, Guardians are rarely giving you a summer not worth watching. Which, ya know, is pretty cool.

3- The 90 Win season

I think this is a SUPER underrated one. Even though there are a few outliers (2000, 2005 and 2019 Tribe alone) 90 wins is typically the breaking point for a really good team, and back when we had 4 Playoff spots, was typically a must-have for October baseball. Now, things have changed a bit, but the 90 win mark is still one I strive for each year, knowing that it’ll typically mean a really good team from start to finish.

And in the Central, this is one mark the Guardians OWN over everyone else

90 Win Seasons:

CLE-14

MIN-6

DET-4

CWS-4

KC-1

The Guardians at 14 are just one shy of the rest of the division combined, at 15. They even won 100 games in a season that was shortened to 144 games. This is so uncompetitive in the division, that the only real competition for year-in-year-out top success would be the Yankees and Red Sox in the entire American League. Boston has 1 more such season than the Guardians have at 15; Yankees have the most with 23.

2- Playoff appearances & Series won

This one can be a little tricky, as while Cleveland is yet again dominant in this area, this is where you get into the frustrating part of the conversation.

In the 32 years since having at least 3 divisions Winners and a Wild Card make the Playoffs, the Guardians lead the way with 16 Playoff appearances. They’re also ahead in playoff series wins, suggesting not only do they make the playoffs a lot (literally every other year) but they aren’t having empty runs of in-and-out.

American League Central in the Playoffs

Just in case anyone wants to talk luck pic.twitter.com/xWq54hlpRs

— #TheJAKE (@JakerBrahney) September 30, 2026

Side note- it’s remarkable how the teams with a ring in this division would be the last ones you’d guess mathematically to have one. Credit to the Royals and White Sox, for taking advantage when they did get there. But outside of those very brief windows they have almost no success at all. Like I mentioned earlier, the White Sox 3 series wins all came in 2005, that is, unless they take care of business in Houston tonight…

1- American League Central Titles

Voila, the crowning achievement of the Cleveland Guardians and formerly Indians. They have won this division 14 times when the next closest is Minnesota with 9.

Let's relive the division title just one more time. 😏#GuardsBall | #StandGuardpic.twitter.com/XYm1w8pGNz

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 28, 2026

Finishes by team, in order 1st-5th

Cleveland: 14, 7, 6, 5, 0

Minnesota: 9, 5, 4, 6, 8

Chicago: 4, 11, 7, 7, 3

Detroit: 4, 6, 6, 5, 8

Kansas City: 1, 3, 7, 8, 13

Many will probably laugh at this because winning the division is just step one (sometimes an unnecessary step with the wild card) towards the ultimate goal, but you cannot tell me that these things don’t matter. Did you see the faces of those Guardians popping champagne? It’s been 3 years running of this stuff for some of them and it is still not old at all. They put their bodies on the line and their lives on hold so they can play 162 games a summer. It’s a commitment unlike any other in North American sports and they should be rewarded for being the best at it amongst their rivals. I know the other fanbases enjoy it when they finally get the chance! Even if that’s a ways back…

So what does this all mean? I throw a bunch of meaningless stats out there that would suggest this team has somewhere between 2-4 rings in the last 32 years, and yet, we are still without one in probably all of our lifetimes. Is it fair? No, not really, but that’s sports. All it means to me is that, we get to root for a team that is constantly positioning themselves TO win it. So even though it doesn’t or hasn’t worked out for us yet, we are spoiled to have a team that’s always doing what it takes to get to the Dance, even if we still haven’t taken home the date. And when the day comes when it does happen, it’ll be so much sweeter. Hopefully Tom Hamilton will be on that call as well.

It's been impossible to sleep ! Flashbacks of that David Fry home run keep hitting me like a freight train. INJECT THE HAMMY CALL STRAIGHT INTO MY VEINS !!! #ForTheLandpic.twitter.com/IQJs0ftm7o

— Mike (@MIKE_CAVS_UK) October 18, 2024

Last week, I released my 2026 Twins Minor League Awards, so go check that out if you haven’t! This week, I am continuing to recognize the top performers in the Twins organization with an all-system team, building a roster of the top minor league performers in the Twins system this season.

In order to qualify for a certain position, the player must have played at least a third of their games at the position this season. Players must still have prospect status and be under the age of 27.

Position Players

Catcher: Khadim Diaw (A+, AA)

476 PA | .306/.417/.452 | 130 wRC+ | 9 HR | 14 SB

First Base:JP Smith II (A, A+)

443 PA | .235/.359/.450 | 112 wRC+ | 22 HR | 8 SB

Second Base: Ramiro Dominguez (A, A+)

450 PA | .239/.351/.413 | 105 wRC+ | 12 HR | 27 SB

Third Base:Brandon Winokur (A+, AA)

575 PA | .252/.337/.427 | 96 wRC+ | 21 HR | 30 SB

Shortstop: Marek Houston (A+, AA)

554 PA | .312/.392/.455 | 120 wRC+ | 12 HR | 50 SB

Outfield: Walker Jenkins (A, A+, AAA, MLB)

324 PA | .323/.417/.559 | 151 wRC+ | 14 HR | 17 SB

Outfield: Luis Fragoza (FCL, A, A+)

339 PA | .313/.408/.542 | 148 wRC+ | 14 HR | 24 SB

Outfield: Caden Kendle (FCL, A+, AA)

349 PA | .330/.407/.572 | 146 wRC+ | 16 HR | 19 SB

Utility: Ben Ross (AA, AAA, MLB)

502 PA | .273/.379/.500 | 125 wRC+ | 20 HR | 20 SB

Many of these guys were talked about constantly throughout the season, but I wanted to highlight 19-year-old Ramiro Dominguez, who was able to hang in Single-A this season after successful rookie ball campaigns in 2024 and 2025. He is a smaller guy at 5’9” who runs well and covers a lot of ground with sound infield defense. There is limited raw power, but Dominguez combines above-average contact rates with elite AirPull rates, allowing him to hit 12 homers and 26 doubles this season as a teenager.

While all of the outfielders played under 100 games, their complete dominance at the plate was impossible to ignore. They are all at different stages of their careers, with Luis Fragoza putting his name on the map in Single-A, Caden Kendle breaking out in Double-A, and Walker Jenkins making the majors and continuing to look like the elite prospect he was drafted as. There was less offensive production from the infield group, but they provide a lot of value in the speed and defense departments. Khadim Diaw continues to look like a big league prospect with potential for a fun catcher/outfield utility profile and a steady, reliable bat.

Pitchers

Starting Pitcher: RHP Merit Jones (A, A+)

112.1 IP | 4.17 ERA | 4.54 FIP | 117 K, 43 BB

Starting Pitcher: RHP Riley Quick (A, A+, AA)

81.2 IP | 4.74 ERA | 4.94 FIP | 110 K, 48 BB

Starting Pitcher: RHP Adrian Bohorquez (FCL, A+, AA)

59.2 IP | 3.02 ERA | 3.92 FIP | 69 K, 32 BB

Starting Pitcher: RHP Justin Mitrovich (A, A+)

73.2 IP | 3.42 ERA | 3.39 FIP | 83 K, 37 BB

Starting Pitcher: RHP Reed Moring (A, A+)

83.0 IP | 3.58 ERA | 4.10 FIP | 86 K, 28 BB

Relief Pitcher: RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto (A+, AA, AAA)

70.0 IP | 3.73 ERA | 3.62 FIP | 95 K, 26 BB

Relief Pitcher: RHP Michael Hilker (A, A+)

64.1 IP | 2.86 ERA | 4.08 FIP | 73 K, 27 BB

Relief Pitcher: RHP Mitch Mueller (A, A+, AA)

62.2 IP | 4.45 ERA | 4.00 FIP | 79 K, 22 BB

The pitching side of the organization lacked big names as some of the top arms spent most of the season in the majors, while others dealt with injuries. Merit Jones wasn’t talked about much, but he put together a rock solid season on huge volume in his first year as a pro. He led the system in innings pitched at 112.1 and racked up 107 strikeouts, and he is a fastball away from having legitimate MLB starter stuff. Justin Mitrovich and Reed Moring showed plenty of promise in their first professional season, both possessing an intriguing mix of stuff and pitchability. Riley Quick and Adrian Bohorquez have work to do in the command department, but they both showed off some of the most dominant stuff in the organization.

On the reliever side, Paulshawn Pasqualotto was one of the most dominant pitchers in the org, striking out 32.9% of batters. Michael Hilker’s outlier fastball with elite carry in the low 90s carried him to a 2.75 ERA in Single-A. Mitch Mueller ran out of gas in the final weeks, but he previously looked unhittable at High-A and Double-A in his first year of full-season ball. None of these guys came into the pros with expectations, but they are building successful professional careers and all have a real chance to make it to the majors.

Despite all of the things that have gone wrong for the Orioles these last two seasons, one player stands out as a resounding success. Trevor Rogers came to Baltimore in a 2024 trade with the Marlins that, at the time, left many fans scratching their heads. Now, as he is on the precipice of free agency, most would give anything to keep him around a while longer.

Rogers’ brilliance in 2025 is well documented at this point. By the time he stood on a big league mound for the first time that season, the Orioles campaign had already gone sideways. The team had tumbled down the standings, and their manager had been canned. But that didn’t stop him from being, arguably, the best pitcher in the league from late May through the end of the year. Across 18 starts he compiled 1.81 ERA over 109.2 innings, even earning some down-ballot Cy Young consideration.

That performance earned Rogers the designation of Orioles Opening Day starter and de facto “staff ace” going into the 2026 season, ahead of a healthy Kyle Bradish and the recently acquired and extended Shane Baz. The hope was that this trio would lead the O’s back to the postseason, where they would be a tough matchup for any offense.

Obviously, the postseason part of the outlook never materialized. And there was certainly room for improvement from Rogers, which will be discussed. But in general, the big, lanky lefty was pretty darn good again for this Orioles team.

Rogers’ top line numbers for the season are pedestrian. Over 169.2 innings he had a 4.03 ERA, 101 ERA+ and went 10-11 across 30 starts. His bWAR for the year sat at just 2.2. Not bad. Not great.

But digging deeper reveals that Rogers’ struggles were almost entirely confined to a six-week span of the season. From April 14 through May 29, he had a 10.01 ERA over 29.2 innings and seven starts. In that span he struck out 14 while walking 13 and allowing eight home runs. He also had an IL stint in that time that ran from April 26 through May 11 for the flu. It’s reasonable to wonder how that sickness had been impacting him in the starts leading up to the IL stay, and then how long it took for him to truly feel like he was 100%.

His first three starts of the year were impressive. He tossed seven shutout innings on Opening Day against the Twins, and then allowed four runs total over his next two outings, which spanned 12 innings. Then came the aforementioned slump. The month of May saw his walk rate spike to 9.2%, his strikeout rate fall to 12.6%, and just about every other metrics you could imagine trended in the wrong direction.

Starting in June through the end of the season, however, Rogers was back to being nearly as good as he was for all of 2025. He tossed 121 innings and made 20 starts in the final four months of the season, pitching to a 2.90 ERA/2.89 FIP over that time with 119 strikeouts, 21 walks, and 11 home runs allowed. He saw batters swing and miss more often month to month, peaking at 28.2% in the month of September. He walked fewer and fewer, giving up free passes just 1.7% of the time in the season’s final month. And gave up weaker and weaker contact, once again reaching his best mark right at the end of the season.

So, what happened? Most noticeable was a change in velocity. Rogers added three ticks to his fastball as the season wore on, from an average of 90.5 mph in April to 93.4 mph in September. Much of that improvement was seen early on, from April to May, but he even added one mph from May through the end of the season.

Other characteristics of his pitches saw improvement throughout the year as well. That includes spin rate. Each of his offerings added spin from the April/May timeframe through the end of the season.

Perhaps because of the added velocity and spin, Rogers felt more confident and got more aggressive throughout the season. In April, just 44.2% of his pitches were in the strike zone. That number crept up throughout the year, peaking at 56.4% in July but staying right about there and finishing at 55.3% in September.

It’s a formula that seems simple on paper. Throw harder. Be more deceptive. Pound the strike zone. But it only works if the pitcher has the right kind of “stuff” to keep opposing hitters off balance. Rogers, when he is on his game, is capable of doing just that.

That is why back in early August, it seemed like Rogers would be one of the most logical Orioles players to get traded at the deadline. The team had failed to live up to expectations again, and had admitted as much when they moved on from Adley Rutschman and Tyler Wells, two players under team control for 2027. They also dealt Taylor Ward, a pending free agent. So it stood to reason that Rogers, a left-handed starter worthy of pitching postseason innings and out of contract in just a few months, would be an easy one to move, and it’s possible that the Orioles would have gotten a decent haul in return.

But the hours ticked away. Rumors connecting him to other teams were almost non-existent. And when the deadline passed, he remained in Baltimore. Rogers himself was surprised, saying at the time “Honestly, I was waiting for the call.” Yeah, join the club, Trevor.

Why exactly the Orioles made that decision remains unclear. Mike Elias has said several times, including at his season-ending press conference, that the team “would love for [Rogers] to stay,” which is the same thing he said about Rutschman just weeks before sending him to a division rival.

Now, it should be said that holding onto Rogers did help the Orioles stay in mathematical contention for a playoff spot right up until the final week of the season. Without him, the final few weeks of the season would have been less interesting. But it would have been more consistent with the team’s overall approach to the deadline to trade Rogers for prospects and then seek him back out in free agency if they love him so much. Instead, they likely have to settle for draft pick compensation if/when he signs elsewhere.

Rogers has been reciprocal in his appreciation of the franchise. He said in late September that he “would love to be back here.” Back in July he said that “[The Orioles] are going to be number one on my list. Whether they’ve heard it or not heard it, they know how much I like it here.”

That is all very nice to hear, and it seems genuine. But what most often happens in these situations is that the player signs with the team that offers the most money. The Orioles were aggressive last offseason, signing Pete Alonso to a big contract and reportedly pushing the Phillies to best their offer to Kyle Schwarber before that. Starting pitching has been something that Elias has preferred to trade for, while free agent arms tend to settle for one-year deals in Baltimore. Pushing to re-sign Rogers would be a deviation of their norms, though it is easy enough to argue that the front office is due for a different approach anyway. And it does seem as though the Orioles were serious about re-signing Corbin Burnes ahead of the 2025 season, though they were never particularly close to a reunion there.

Speculation about what sort of deal Rogers can expect this offseason is difficult at this point. Some of the biggest spenders are still playing games right now, and the ongoing labor discussions add an opacity to what is possible. Last offseason saw 30-year-old Ranger Suárez ink a five-year, $130 million deal with Boston while 32-year-old Framber Valdez got three years, $115 million from the Tigers. Rogers, who will play the entire 2027 season as a 29-year-old, lacks the track record of those two, but is younger and has been great lately, so it is possible ends up in that same neighborhood.

This was an important season for Rogers. Hitting the open market after one solid season is nice, but it looks even better as a follow-up to his 2025 campaign. On top of that, the 169.2 innings he threw were a career high, and it seemed like he was getting stronger as the year went on. The offseason ahead is an uncertain one for everyone associated with Major League Baseball, but regardless Rogers has set himself up to get a nice deal heading into the 2027 campaign, and if he does it will mean the Orioles have a massive void to fill.

The Red Sox may have snuck into the the playoffs in the worst American League of our lifetime, but they never made it to October. As the calendar flips to baseball’s most prestigious month, we now know Fenway Park will once again sit silent for the fifth consecutive postseason. It’s the longest drought we’ve ever seen in the Wild Card era, and the real measuring stick that separates the contenders from the pretenders in the expanded playoff format.

Failing to reach the bar that should be considered the bare minimum for this franchise has sadly become the new norm, but there’s something especially repugnant and appalling about this particular conclusion to the season I’m still trying to wrap my brain around. Everything sucks right now! — Both in the immediate, and on the horizon.

As we pick up the pieces, sadness and anger are sharp and palpable this morning, but the uneasiness and confusion that make up those components are still hard to process. So instead, disgust and uncertainty rule the day; and even before the fog of last night’s disaster has fully lifted, it’s clear these emotions are not going to be temporary. The darkness is rising like menacing mountain in front of us, promising to deliver a period of awful that will define the coming weeks, months, and maybe years.

Normally, when a season ends, it comes with the typical melancholy of needing to wait until spring. But this year, with a lockout looming, we don’t even know when regular season baseball will be played at Fenway Park again. (Let alone postseason baseball, which is the thing we’re truly starving to see and just had ripped away from us again.)

But even if we somehow get good news on the lockout front of this layered cake of crap, are we even sure the Red Sox are going to move heaven and Earth in response to this week’s embarrassment in New York? Historically, this wouldn’t be a question, but last year, the season ended in the Bronx because the Sox didn’t have enough firepower in the lineup, and they somehow ended up right back in the same spot 12 months later with Nate Eaton and his career .601 OPS once again in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the Wild Card series.

It’s not just that this series sucked, it’s the discomfort of knowing the response to it is probably also going to suck. We are living in an entirely different Red Sox universe than we were 20 years ago, and it’s categorically worse in almost every way.

Speaking of which, Willson Contreras had some interesting comments after the game last night:

Willson Contreras just heavily insinuated there is too much data being used in the Red Sox organization. Asked if Red Sox pulled Sonny Gray too early, he twice did the “lips sealed” motion.

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) October 1, 2026

So, we’ve got a star player criticizing (and correctly I might add) the team’s overreliance on data when it comes to decision making in a do-or-die playoff games, and we’ve got Sonny Gray, who was right in the middle of last night’s questionable decision to remove him after just 4.2 innings saying this:

Sonny Gray: “I would’ve liked to have been trusted in that moment.”

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) October 1, 2026

When Sonny Gray was asked if the Red Sox were a destination he'd want to return to…

"I don't know." pic.twitter.com/YBWE1SRZth

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) October 1, 2026

What an absolute waste of Sonny Gray’s ability to pitch deep into games! Not only did the Sox waste it last night in a game they had to win, but they also kind of screwed up any inside track they might have had to land him with a mutual option before we plunge into the depths of the offseason.

Pretty much the only thing the Red Sox made certain going into the winter is that they extended Craig Breslow and Chad Tracy, which while designed to cerate some stability, also has the potential to backfire in spectacular fashion, particularly after what we saw the last two nights in their first playoff games working together.

And amid all this fog, something else happened this week that might be even worse. Roman Anthony is once again injured.

Chad Tracy on Roman Anthony: "He was sent back last night after leaving the game. We sent him back to Boston for extra, additional imaging which actually revealed some new strains to different muscles in his wrist in addition to exasperating the old injuries. It’s not great."

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) September 30, 2026

In many ways, this piece of uncertainty hits the hardest. Something is clearly wrong when a 22-year-old hitting phenom keeps getting hurt swinging a bat. It feels increasingly likely that his elite swing speed is the very thing that breaks him, and I’m not sure how you fix that.

But to cut to the chase, this news on Anthony sours even the most obvious beacon of hope Sox fans can cling to for whenever baseball returns. Roman Anthony is supposed to be the future, the thing we can dream about in future summers, the guy in the middle of the next great run of Red Sox teams, and now, there’s a real chance the injury bug is just going to drag him into its lair and ruin something spectacular. It just sucks for both him and us!

Last night, he was one of the last guys to leave the dugout, just staring into the abyss of the repulsive present and uncertain future confronting both him and the team.

Roman Anthony is one of the last players in the Red Sox dugout. pic.twitter.com/QA7BOxC1k1

— Nicole Menner (@NicoleMenner) October 1, 2026

Oh, and to make matters worse, it’s going to be a long, long time before we get an answer on what Anthony’s future health might hold, because not only does he need to play for an extended period of time to prove he can kick this thing, but we don’t know when the next time he’s even going to get a chance to do that.

This series in New York ruined the 2026 season, the looming lockout threatens to ruin the 2027 season, and the Anthony news threatens to already blow an early hole in the 2028 season and beyond.

We are staring at a wall of shit, and I just wish I knew when it was going to get better. It’s October 1st, and I already wish we were on the exact opposite end of the calendar on April 1st, only this time, there’s no guarantee baseball will even begin again when we get back to that date. And from there, the future of the young core looks less certain than ever.

Man, it’s bleak out there!

With only one more wild-card series to wrap up, Major League Baseball's division series is starting to come into focus.

Four division winners secured spots by earning byes as their league's top-two seed, and three teams have since joined them by wining in the wild-card round. Only one spot remains to finish out the full bracket of the division series, which is a best-of-five series that begins Saturday, Oct. 3.

Here's a look at the teams that have clinched division series berths, the clubs still fighting to advance and the latest 2026 MLB playoff bracket.

What teams have clinched spots in ALDS and NLDS?

• Chicago White Sox
• Cleveland Guardians
• Tampa Bay Rays
• New York Yankees
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• Milwaukee Brewers
• San Diego Padres

Which teams can still reach ALDS and NLDS?

• Braves and Phillies tied 1-1 in NL wild card series

Which teams are in ALDS?

• Tampa Bay Rays (East winner, No. 1 seed)
• Cleveland Guardians (Central winner, No. 2 seed)
• New York Yankees (Wild card, No. 4 seed)
• Chicago White Sox (Wild card, No. 6 seed)

Which teams are in NLDS?

• Milwaukee Brewers (NL Central winner, No. 1 seed)
• Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West winner, No. 2 seed)
• San Diego Padres (Wild card, No. 4 seed)

2026 MLB playoff bracket

National League wild card round

Best of 3, seeds in parentheses

• Philadelphia Phillies (6) at Atlanta Braves (3), Series tied 1-1
• Chicago Cubs (5) at San Diego Padres (4), Padres win 2-0

National League division series

Best of 5

• Philadelphia/Atlanta winner vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (2)
• San Diego Padres (4) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (1)

National League championship series

Best of 7

• Philadelphia/Atlanta/Los Angeles vs. San Diego/Milwaukee

American League wild card round

Best of 3, seeds in parentheses

• Chicago White Sox (6) at Houston Astros (3), White Sox win 2-0
• Boston Red Sox (5) at New York Yankees (4), Yankees win 2-0

American League division series

Best of 5

• New York Yankees (4) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (1)
• Chicago White Sox (6) vs. Cleveland Guardians (2)

American League championship series

Best of 7

• New York/Tampa Bay vs. Chicago/Cleveland

Print out a bracket and let the games begin!

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What MLB teams are left in the playoffs? ALDS, NLDS fields takes form

Meet the Mets

Jared Young is recuperating at home from his scary collision with Nolan McLean, but he is hoping to put that all behind him and get ready for next year.

The Mets are facing a critical offseason and will have some questions to answer as they prepare for next season.

Around the National League East

The Braves had a chance to eliminate the Phillies but they allowed Philadelphia to tie the series up with an extra inning loss.

Alec Bohm’s go-ahead home run in extras helped the Phillies stave off elimination in the Wild Card series.

Nationals’ catcher Riley Adams has decided to become a free agent.

Around Major League Baseball

The Yankees blew out the Red Sox to sweep the series and move on to the ALDS.

The White Sox defeated the Astros 7-3 to win their first playoff series in 21 years.

The Padres eliminated the Cubs with a 4-1 win.

After Hunter Goodman and the Rockies defeated the White Sox, which allowed the Guardians to clinch the division, Cleveland fans have donated more than $20,000 to Goodman’s charity of choice Clothes to Kids Denver.

The Acuña brothers became the first pair of brothers in MLB history to have multiple steals in the same postseason.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Allison McCague wrote the last Position Player Performance Meter of 2026.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1973, the Mets defeated the Cubs on the last day of the season to clinch the NL East pennant.

Three sweeps, and one winner-take-all Game 3.

That's how the 2026 MLB wild card round has played out. Now, all the cards are on the table as the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves face off one more time to determine the final team to advance to the division series.

Each of the first two matchups was decided by a game-winning home run − Atlanta winning the opener on Austin Riley's three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth, and Philadelphia prevailing in Game 2 on Alec Bohm's 10th-inning solo blast.

Who will be the hero in the deciding game between these two NL East division rivals? We'll find out tonight.

Phillies vs Braves predictions

• Bob Nightengale: Phillies 5, Atlanta 3 – The stars saved the Phillies’ season in Game 2. They’ll do it again, with Aaron Nola on the mound and Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber providing the fire power. 
• Gabe Lacques: Braves 7, Phillies 6 – One more bullpen pratfall does in the Phillies for good.
• Steve Gardner: Phillies 5, Braves 3 – Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola (or both) keep the Braves bats quiet just long enough for the Phillies to eke out the win.
• Jesse Yomtov: Phillies 6, Braves 2 – Phils build a big enough lead early that their bullpen can't blow it and hang on to win their first playoff series since 2023.

How to watch Phillies vs Braves Game 3

• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• TV channel: NBC
• Live stream: Peacock

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Phillies vs Braves predictions: Who we see winning NL wild card Game 3

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As the Los Angeles Dodgers await the outcome of the final game between the Philadelphia Philles and Atlanta Braves to see who they will face in the NLDS, the team is busy working on keeping their bats and arms fresh and ready for the road to a three-peat that lies ahead.

As Bill Plunkett of the OC Register notes, the last two championship wins were won mainly on the backs of the pitchers – the bullpen in 2024, and key starters in 2025. Could this finally be the year that the Dodgers win it by having their offense outslug the other teams?

“It would be nice to slug our way to a World Series one of these years,” third baseman Max Muncy joked on the eve of another postseason run. “We can’t keep letting the pitchers take all the credit, right?”

The offense has looked better in the month of September, and they hope to continue that and have those that weren’t hitting join those that are. Plunkett has more thoughts from the players on how they’re looking to perform in the playoffs here.

As Bill Shakin of the L.A. Times notes, the last two World Series runs have had signature moments from Freddie Freeman, and ponders if this playoff run will have the same.

“My body feels good,” Freeman said. “I think that’s the main thing. I feel like it’s in a good spot to be able to do the work and hopefully fix my swing and everything that’s been going on the last couple months.”

Shakin goes on to cover Freeman’s lackluster second half, and has more quotes from the man himself here.

As the team moves into its newest playoff era, one player is contemplating the end of his own. Miguel Rojas announced at the beginning of the season that he would be retiring at the end of this season. Now, he’s not quite so sure. Maddie Chen of the L.A.Times talks about how Rojas is facing the possible end of his career.

“From this moment on, it will be kind of like a day-to-day thing,” he said. “And you might get to know that I’m stepping away from the game in an Instagram post, or from me just saying goodbye on a video. I don’t know. I don’t know how it’s going to be, but at this moment, I’m not 100% [certain].”

SAN DIEGO — There was San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., with sunglasses on his face and a cigar in his mouth, dancing in the middle of the clubhouse with Padres new co-owner Kwanza Jones.

There was former All-Star center fielder and San Diego native Adam Jones, flying in from Barcelona, Spain, to hang out with shirtless former teammate Manny Machado in the middle of the champagne-soaked, music-blaring, cigar-scented party.

There was Padres starter Walker Buehler with a beer bong, taking turns drinking from it and pouring it on the heads of his teammates.

The Padres, believing this is the best team they’ve built for October in perhaps three decades, danced, partied and sprayed champagne Wednesday night into the wee hours after winning 4-1 to sweep the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-three wild card series.

The Padres talked about their domination of the Cubs, suffocating their high-powered offense to such an extent that the Cubs produced only one extra-base hit in 18 innings. The Cubs became only the third team in the last 100 years to lead MLB in runs scored and then be limited to one or no runs over a two-game span in the postseason, joining the 1983 Baltimore Orioles and the 1940 Cincinnati Reds.

They whispered about this being one step closer to facing their menacing neighbors to the north, knowing the World Series goes through Los Angeles, where the Dodgers have won the last two titles.

And they spoke in reverence about the team they now need to beat to get where they want to go for the first time in their 58-year history: The Milwaukee Brewers, that lovable little team in the Midwest, who just so happened to have won more games than any team in baseball the past two years, 97 games in 2025 and a franchise-record 103 games this season.

Yes, even though the Padres are the hottest team in baseball – winning 19 of their last 22 games and having just swept the Brewers at San Diego's Petco Park in August – the Brewers are going to pose a problem.

Potentially a big one.

"They’re a huge challenge, they’re the best team in baseball," A.J. Preller, Padres president of baseball operations, told USA TODAY Sports. "You look at their record, year in and year out. They’ve got the two-time manager of the year (Pat Murphy), who’s a force in the dugout. They’ve got the No. 1 pitcher in the game (Jacob Misiorowski). Their roster is loaded.

"They’re the best team in baseball for a reason, and it’s going to be a big challenge for us, for sure."

The Brewers, just like the Padres, have yet to win a World Series title in their franchise history, too. They’ve won the NL Central title four consecutive years, five of the last six years, and have reached the postseason seven times since 2018. But they haven’t reached the World Series since 1982.

Now, it will be a matchup of two of the greatest small-market success stories in baseball, beginning Saturday, Oct. 3, in Milwaukee, with the winner awarded a date in the NL championship series against either the Dodgers or the winner of the Philadelphia-Atlanta wild card series.

The Padres, after thoroughly embarrassing the Cubs, now want to make sure the Brewers have a lone postseason series, too, on their road to a brown and gold October.

"Milwaukee has been the best team all year," Padres manager Craig Stammen said. "They just win. That’s what they do. And they do it a little bit different than everybody else. They don’t hit home runs, but they’ve got a lot of speed, a lot of athleticism, and have got a great pitching staff.

"We're going to have to play our best, just like we did against the Cubs, to knock them out."

Certainly, the Padres, with a payroll about $80 million higher than the Brewers, have the bigger and richer stars, living in million-dollar homes on Coronado Island and driving Bentleys, while the Brewers are the blue-collar grinders driving pickup trucks, with their luxury items being a deer stand in the woods.

The Padres have five players on their roster who are earning at least $20 million a year, with three – Tatis, Machado and Xander Bogaerts – having contracts worth at least $280 million. The Brewers have only two players earning $20 million – Christian Yelich and Brandon Woodruff – and Woodruff is injured. Yelich is the only player on the team with a contract guaranteed for more than $95 million.

Yet, year after year, the Brewers are in the postseason, only to be knocked out when the stakes are the highest.

"Obviously, the Brewers are a No. 1 seed for a reason," said Padres DH Gavin Sheets, who hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the fourth inning to break open the game. "They're a great team. They've got great arms. We've played them strong all year, and we know what they offer. Obviously, you've got Misiorowski in Game 1, who's a great pitcher.

"Top to bottom, they're a solid, solid team."

The Brewers don’t have the big-time stars, they don’t hit home runs, they won’t dazzle you, but, oh, can they ever play baseball.

"They play a different brand of baseball than most teams we’re used to facing," Padres veteran pitcher Joe Musgrove said. "You know, they move guys over. They play small ball. They play hard. It’s going to be a tough task in front of us because we got a good group in here, and we’re every bit as confident as they are."

The key, says Ruben Niebla, Padres pitching coach and associate manager, is keeping their leadoff hitters off base. Pete Crow-Armstrong, who’ll likely be the unanimous NL MVP winner, reached base only once the entire series, on a walk. Alex Bregman never reached base at all.

Now, it’s up to the Padres’ vaunted pitching staff to make sure they shut down the Brewers’ leadoff hitters, too, before they create havoc on the bases.

"They’re a dangerous team," Niebla said. "It’s their athleticism. The way they play the game, the ability to run, the way they bunt, the hit and run, the way they play defense. The pressure they put on the pitcher.

"We have to control the running game, control the counts, control the leadoff hitter. That’s important, because once their leadoff hitter is on, they’re much more dangerous."

But, of course, what the Padres have more than the Brewers is a world of momentum, playing their best baseball since July 24, going 41-18 to not only win a wild-card berth, but the home-field advantage in the first round as the top wild-card seed.

"Momentum’s the biggest thing in baseball," Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill said. "It doesn’t matter whether it’s a regular-season game or a postseason game. Momentum is everything. We know they’re a good baseball team. They play the game to win. But you know what? We’re a pretty good baseball team, too.

"We know they won a lot of games, but the record doesn’t translate to the postseason, so we’re both going in clean."

The Padres have played with urgency throughout September, fighting just to get into the playoffs, and now with a brief two-day break, they believe they’ll still have all of the momentum on their side.

"We're going to start in Milwaukee, it's going to be just like here," Sheets said, "it's going to be rocking. But I think there's some momentum that gets built when you play these two games. I think you gain a lot of momentum from a series like this."

Besides, the way the Padres are playing these days, anything less than a World Series berth would be a gut-wrenching disappointment. They believe they can beat anyone, at any time, and yes, even those bullies up the I-5 Freeway.

"We’re not done!"’ Padres third baseman Machado said. "We’re not done! We’re going to continue to fight to bring a championship to the city of San Diego."

The Padres' only regret is that Peter Seidler, their beloved late owner who passed away in 2023, is not around to see this.

"He’d be really proud what this team continues to do," Preller said. "He used to always talk about one day the baseball gods will smile upon us. Hopefully, we’re getting closer to that moment."

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Best team in baseball' awaits after Padres finish celebrating wild card win

Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series between the Yankees and Red Sox was, at one point, much closer than the final 9-0 score suggests. It wasn’t until the seventh inning that New York was able to build a three-run lead over their archrivals. Turns out that given how dominant starting pitcher Cam Schlittler was, they didn’t even need that many runs.

As Jack Curry stated, Schlittler literally and figuratively threw Boston a curveball by adding more hooks to the mix and throwing off their game prep and rhythm at the plate. He wrapped up his night by tossing 6.1 dominant, scoreless innings with just two hits and a walk, striking out 10. Schlittler, however, wasn’t the only star of the Bronx night. Fellow homegrown players Ben Rice, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, George Lombard Jr., and Spencer Jones were all over the box score and the action, too.

You can very well say that the Yankees’ homegrown talent can make or break their postseason run. They will certainly represent the backbone of it, particularly if they advance and they can add three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge to that group.

Rice put on the fireworks by going 4-for-5 with a double, two homers, two runs, and six RBI. That’s 11 total bases and a triple shy of the cycle for those counting at home. Most of his hits were clutch, too: his first-inning two-bagger put a runner in scoring position with one out, his solo blast in the fifth doubled the Yankees’ lead, his seventh-inning single drove in Spencer Jones and made it a 3-0 ballgame, and his eighth-inning grand slam put it out of reach for Boston. Not bad for a night’s work.

But there’s more. George Lombard Jr. went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the Yankees, too, injecting some life into the middle of the lineup. He was also sure-handed defensively, boosting his confidence ahead of what’s coming.

Anthony Volpe started at second base and had some very well-hit batted balls, going 1-for-3 on Tuesday night. He also put down a perfect sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the eighth to move runners to second and third base when the game was 4-0, and the team was looking for insurance runs. Whether or not you agree with the strategy of giving away an out, the execution was perfect.

Then, you have the eighth- and ninth-hole hitters, both homegrown, too: Spencer Jones and Austin Wells. They combined to go 3-for-6 with three runs, two RBI, and a walk. The outfielder went 1-for-3 and crossed home plate twice with one base on balls in a start against a lefty, and the backstop went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI. Wells actually drove in the first run of the game, and Jones scored the third one in the bottom of the seventh on Rice’s single.

The homegrown stars played a flawless game. No fielding errors, steady defensive play, and a bunch of timely hits. If they keep playing like this while getting enough support from the rest of the roster, the Yankees will be very hard to beat. Of course, there is — hopefully at least — a lot of baseball to be played, and one game doesn’t tell the whole story. It did tell us, however, that these guys mean business, and that they are prepared to leave it all on the field.

Now that we know the Yankees’ postseason run advances past the Red Sox, the hope is that fellow homegrown players Judge and Will Warren play a big role, too, in addition to the aforementioned names. The talent that the Yankees have drafted and developed in-house can, evidently, be very impactful in the outcome of short postseason series.