Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

Superstar captain Aaron Judge was absent from both the Yankees lineup and the pregame player-by-player introductions due to a calf injury, which kept him off the team's Wild Card roster. 

Slugging DH Giancarlo Stanton and CF Trent Grisham were available off the bench to pinch-hit, but both remain somewhat sidelined by injuries of their own.

With lefty hurler Payton Tolle starting for the Red Sox, two everyday lefty batters (Luis Garcia Jr. and Ryan McMahon) were benched in favor of righty platoon options (Heliot Ramos and Amed Rosario).

Ramos, Rosario, and the three lefty pinch hitters, who were eventually subbed in (Grisham, Garcia Jr., and McMahon), batted a combined 0-for-7 on the night.

None of it mattered.

The Yankees offense knocked Tolle out of the game in the fifth inning, then proceeded to bludgeon Boston's bullpen and cruised to a commanding 9-0 win to take Game 1 of their best-of-three Wild Card series.

Ben Rice will steal the headlines with his two home runs - including a late grand slam to put the game well out of reach - and six RBI. However, multi-hit nights from George Lombard Jr. and Austin Wells in the bottom half of the Yankees batting order deserve plenty of plaudits as well.

Lombard made his playoff debut in front of a frenetic crowd in the Bronx, and delivered with a terrific 3-for-4 night at the plate, coming around to score two runs.

"It's really cool," the 21-year-old said following his first taste of postseason baseball. "It's definitely an honor and I have to pinch myself every now and then, but we know what the goal is and we know what we're all trying to do as a group."

Wells, meanwhile, drove in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly, finishing his night having gone 2-for-3, plus a walk for good measure.

"The runs added up there at the end, but I think the guys did a great job of extending the lineup," said the catcher postgame. "Great at-bats up and down [the lineup], waiting for great pitches, being stubborn in the box, getting into some of their bullpen guys."

Wells, of course, struggled mightily during the regular season with a career-worst .624 OPS, but has looked much more poised at the plate lately.

With both Stanton and Judge missing from the Yankees lineup in 2026, the team was just 52-43.

In those games, the Bronx Bombers hit for a .690 OPS and tallied a shade over 4.2 runs scored per game. For reference, across the 2026 regular season, MLB teams averaged a .718 OPS and 4.48 runs scored per game.

 If Wells can tap into his form from years prior this fall, and if Lombard's unflappable plate approach carries onward, they could be real X-factors to ignite a Yankees offense, which had been searching for answers without their big boppers in the lineup.

"We'll have a chance to close it out [in Game 2], but it's one win," concluded manager Aaron Boone. "We got the blinders on, but it's a confident group."

"If we can play our game, we can beat anyone."

BEN RICE BRINGS THE HAMMER DOWN!

A grand slam and the Yankees lead 9-0! pic.twitter.com/42w0x95BAD

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

NEW YORK — Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony left Game 1 of the American League wild card series against the New York Yankees in the fifth inning, and his availability for Game 2 is uncertain.

Anthony, the leadoff hitter, struck out to start the game, but whiffed again when he came up in the third; he was replaced by pinch hitter Andruw Monasterio in the top of the sixth inning.

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy revealed what led to the decision to remove Anthony, who had his hand wrapped during his at-bats, and said that this latest injury was different from the one that put him on the injured list earlier in the year.

"There were a couple of check swings in each of the at-bats that bothered it. And swinging through the last second at-bat, swinging through, like, after the check swings, he still felt discomfort on the swings," Tracy said.

"I don't know yet. We're still talking through. The game just ended but it's difficult. Obviously it flares up on him and becomes uncomfortable, and you have to make a move there. So we'll see what the next steps are, but yeah, it was difficult."

You never know who you're going to catch at a baseball game, let alone the wild card series.

Petco Park in San Diego seats up to 39,860 and during Game 1 of the National League wild card series between the Padres and Chicago Cubs, one of those in attendance was longtime Cubs fan Bill Murray.

Murray can't be happy right with what's going on in San Diego. The Cubs were down 4-0 in the top of the fifth inning.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado homered in the first inning to get things going. In the third inning, Machado hit a RBI double that brought home Tatis. Xander Bogaerts sent a blast 399 feet to left field to give the Padres a 4-0 lead.

All the while, the Cubs were still searching for their first hit.

Murray, 76, is from Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and has been a Cubs fan ever since. Murray made a career as a comedian and actor, widely known for starring in films such as Ghostbusters, Stripes, Caddyshack and Scrooged. He also made an appearance in the 1996 film Space Jam, alongside Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes.

Murray's ties with Chicago sports goes way back. He's a full-time Chicago fan, especially the Cubs.

During the 2016 World Series between the Cubs and Cleveland, Murray had a memorable moment where he led fans at Wrigley Field in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch.

Murray witnessed the Cubs' 2016 World Series title, which broke a 108-year drought.

Murray has to hope that the Cubs can muster up some magic in Southern California sooner rather than later.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Longtime Cubs fan Bill Murray seen at NL wild card game at Petco Park

That game, SUCKED!!!!!! It started as a genuinely disappointing evening and then morphed into a level of disaster I haven’t seen from the Red Sox in New York on a single night since the pre 2004 days. Just a complete flaming train wreck in every way possible!

The entire lineup looked like trash, Payton Tolle was outdueled by Cam Schlitter, the Sox were using low leverage relievers in the late innings, and if all that wasn’t enough, Roman Anthony left the game in the top of the sixth inning, with (potentially) yet another non contact injury that involved him simply swinging a bat.

This is horrible news for the night, horrible news for the series, and probably horrible news for the big picture (but we’ll have plenty of time to get into that in the coming months).

For now, all we know for certain is this was a complete debacle from soup to nuts, and we might as well jump right into the studs (LOL) and duds.

Studs (really scrapping the bottom of the barrel here)

Adley Rutschman: Ten pitch base hit in the first inning, and he generally put in more competitive at bats than anybody else, even with a pair of strike outs.

Nick Sogard: For his defense. A beautiful double play in the seventh inning didn’t make a lick of difference in the outcome of tonight’s game, but at the time, it did force the Yankees to use Paul Blackburn for five outs. It also should have forced them use use David Bednar to close things out, but we’ll get to why that didn’t happen below.

Duds (Pretty much everybody)

The entire lineup (outside of the first inning at bat by Rutschman): Just a complete dogshit performance by all the bats tonight! Strikeouts galore, no real approach, and they didn’t even come close to sniffing a run. Not only did they get shut out, but they only got one man to second base. Abysmal!

Alec Gamboa: Faced four guys, didn’t get any of them out. Took a bad situation when he entered in the seventh and made it even worse.

Brayan Bello: When Bello entered the game, there was still a chance the Yankees would need to use David Bednar in the ninth. That all melted away on on this Ben Rice grand slam, which was his second home run and fourth hit of the night.

Any good news?

Not really. Since this best of three Wild Card format was implemented in 2022, there’s been 16 of them. So far, the winner of Game 1 has gone on to win 15 times. However, the one time it didn’t happen was last year when the Red Sox blew a 1-0 lead. At least now, the Sox have a chance to turn the tables (if you really, really want to look on the bright side).

Of course, that’s going to require them figuring out how to hit Yankee pitching, which they haven’t done in earnest for a year and a half.

As we saw in last year’s Wild Card Series matchup against this very Red Sox team, winning Game 1 — even in a best-of-three series — doesn’t actually guarantee you victory. However, you’d still rather win it than not. You’d also especially rather win it in fairly easy fashion and leave your opponent looking for answers. While there’s still one more game to win, the Yankees couldn’t have gotten this year’s Wild Card Series off to a better start.

A year after shutting down Boston in a memorable AL Wild Card Series Game 3, Schlittler put in another gem, this time around in Game 1. Over 6.1 innings, Schlittler allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out 10 batters. No Red Sox batter even got beyond first base while the Yankees’ ace was in the game.

As for the offense, they were dealing with a pretty good pitcher themselves in Boston’s Payton Tolle. While they eked across one run against the lefty, once they got into the Red Sox bullpen, the floodgates opened. Led by a massive game from Ben Rice — four hits and six RBI — the Yankees crushed Boston’s bullpen for eight runs. What was once a pitchers’ duel morphed in to a laugher, the Yankees pulling away late to take Game 1 of the series 9-0.

While the Yankees couldn’t cash in on a Rice double in the first inning, they did get on the board in the second. After George Lombard Jr. singled after working the count, Anthony Volpe recorded a single two batters later. There was some consternation that Lombard was held at second on the single, but it didn’t end up mattering in the end as Austin Wells singled two batters after that, semi-comfortably scoring Lombard.

The Yankees had some other slight opportunities against Tolle, but weren’t able to cash in. With two outs in the fourth, Chad Tracy made his move to the bullpen, brining in Erik Miller for Tolle. The Yankees took immediate advantage of that, as Ben Rice took a Miller offering deep to dead center field. It cleared the fence and went into Monument Park to double the Yankees’ advantage.

Despite being up over 100 pitches, the Yankees brought Schlittler back out for the seventh. He got one quick out, but then gave up a single to Wilyer Abreu for just the second hit of the day for Boston. That’s what brought Aaron Boone out of the dugout to go to the bullpen. Paul Blackburn came in and got Ceddanne Rafaela to ground into an inning-ending double play, with the throw just beating Rafaela to the bag.

While that seventh inning didn’t see Boston draw closer, it did hammer home the need for insurance runs. They Yankees went on to get some in the bottom of the frame. Singles from Spencer Jones and Wells and a walk from Paul Goldschmidt loaded the bases before Boston had recorded an out. Rice then added another RBI, this one just a single that scored a run. Luis García Jr. was then sent up as a pinch-hitter and looked like he might’ve plated another couple by poking through a single. However, a great diving stop by Red Sox second baseman Nick Sogard instead turned it into a double play. Another run did score, but it prevented the Yankees from putting up an even more crooked number for the inning.

Blackburn remained in for the eighth and threw another scoreless frame. He did allow the first Boston runner to reach scoring position when Trevor Story doubled, but he stranded him there to keep the shutout intact.

After getting robbed of some further insurance in the seventh, the Yankees got plenty more in the eighth. After George Lombard Jr.’s third hit of the day, the Yankees again benefited from some walks, as Ryan McMahon and Jones reached base on them. Wells then hit a semi-deep fly ball to right field that was enough for Lombard to tag up and score. Following a Goldschmidt walk to reload the bases, Rice delivered the killer blow. He added to his big night with a grand slam to put the game out of reach.

With the 1-0 edge, the Yankees will go for the series victory tomorrow night, also at 8:00 p.m ET. Max Fried for the Yankees and Sonny Gray for the Red Sox are expected to be the starting pitchers.

Box score

Cam Schlittler authored another playoff gem against Boston and Ben Rice had four hits, including a grand slam and a solo homer, as the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 9-0, Tuesday night in Game 1 of their AL Wild Card Series. 

Here are the key takeaways...

-Schlittler has now made two playoff starts against the Red Sox and has allowed no runs and just seven hits in 14.1 innings. He’s struck out 22 and walked only one. In six career starts against Boston, including the postseason, he has a 0.47 ERA, allowing only two earned runs in 38.2 innings.

-Schlittler’s strengths are his three fastballs – a four-seam, a cutter and a sinker – and they were in fine form Tuesday. The first pitch he threw in the game lit up the scoreboard radar gun at 101 miles per hour and he used his heaters and their differing movement patterns to flummox the Red Sox. But his curveball was also a weapon. He jacked up its usage – most of the season it was at 10 percent of his arsenal, but it was nearly three times that on Tuesday – and it was a fine finishing pitch. He completed four of his 10 strikeouts with the pitch and felt so good about it he occasionally threw it twice in a row. Overall, Schlittler got 24 swings-and-misses during his outing, according to Baseball Savant, an indication of how dominant he was.

-Schlittler needed 22 pitches to navigate the first inning, mostly because of a 10-pitch battle with Adley Rutschman that ended up with a one-out, bloop single. Schlittler then retired the next 13 batters before issuing a two-out walk to Jarren Duran in the fifth. Schlittler iced Trevor Story on a harmless fly to center to end the inning, threw a 1-2-3 sixth and then the Yankees had a decision to make. The last pitch of the sixth, a cutter that wiped out Rutschman for strikeout No. 10, was Schlittler’s 107th, matching his career high attained in his dominant start against Boston to close out the 2025 Wild Card Series. Aaron Boone sent Schlittler out to start the seventh and he got one out before giving up a single to Wilyer Abreu. Then Boone came to get him and Schlittler departed to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 48,437, many of whom were chanting “M-V-P, M-V-P.”

-With Aaron Judge not on the roster for this series because of a calf injury, the Yankees perhaps needed a hitter to step up, and Rice did just that on Tuesday. He was 4-for-5 with six RBI and all four of the hits were clocked at 106.4 miles per hour off the bat or harder. The grand slam off Brayan Bello was 108.6 mph. Between Rice and Schlittler, a big night for the Yanks' Massachusetts natives against the Olde Towne Team, eh?

-The Yankees have a lefty-leaning lineup, but they’ve been successful against left-handed pitching this year. Southpaw Payton Tolle started for the Red Sox and the Yanks’ victory means they are 36-20 in games started by left-handers, including the regular season. Lefty hitters helped Tuesday night. Austin Wells, who batted .122 against lefties, knocked in the first run with an RBI single and Rice delivered insurance with his 12th homer against a lefty pitcher this year. He also hit a 110-mph double off Tolle. He hit the grand slam off righty Brayan Bello.

-The Yanks didn’t get anything out of their first three at-bats with runners in scoring position, but cashed their fourth with a hit from a perhaps-unlikely source: Wells. With two outs in the second inning, Wells swatted a single into right field to score George Lombard Jr. from second base for a 1-0 Yankee lead. Wells had a poor season offensively and was particularly bad against left-handed pitching, going 11-for-90 against lefties.

-The Yanks were set up for damage in the fourth inning when Lombard reached on a tough chopper to third that was scored a base hit. Amed Rosario followed with a walk on a 3-2 pitch that became ball four when he successfully challenged the original strike call. But things flattened from there, even as Boston started its bullpen churning. The Red Sox clearly thought Anthony Volpe would bunt, because they slid their corner infielders in. Volpe swung and fouled out and then Spencer Jones hit a soft liner to the left side that Caleb Durbin easily snared. Lombard got too far off the bag at second and Durbin threw over for an inning-ending double play. After two more failed at-bats with runners in scoring position, the Yanks were only 1-for-7 in such situations early.

-Tolle lasted 4.2 innings for the Red Sox, allowing just one run and five hits – four singles and Rice’s first-inning double. He walked one, struck out four and threw 83 pitches (58 strikes). Boston manager Chad Tracy took Tolle out with Rice waiting to hit. In came fellow lefty Erik Miller and Rice punished the Red Sox, smashing a 423-foot homer over the center field wall that was clocked at 108 miles per hour off the bat. Rice’s longball, the second postseason home run of his career, gave the Yanks a 2-0 lead that seemed much wider because of the way Schlittler was pitching.

-Rice later added an RBI single in the seventh inning and the Yanks got a fourth run on a double-play grounder, too. In the eighth, Wells made it 5-0 with a sac fly and Rice connected for his slam in that inning, too, a 408-foot drive.

Game MVP

Schlittler. He threw 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and a walk. The Red Sox never got a runner past first base against him. He struck out 10 and threw a career-high 117 pitches, 77 of them for strikes. Boston’s 1-2-3 spots in their lineup were 1-for-9 against him with seven strikeouts.

Highlights

Cam Schlittler starts Game 1 off with a K pic.twitter.com/u3VdvJxsFU

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

Three strikeouts for Cam Schlittler in the first after a successful Austin Wells ABS challenge pic.twitter.com/V7X44ouZ3j

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

Four strikeouts for Cam Schlittler in 2 innings

He’s generated 11 swing and misses pic.twitter.com/pLHesL783f

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

George Lombard Jr. singles in his first postseason at-bat pic.twitter.com/0OfOKFWzcc

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

Austin Wells opens the scoring in Game 1! pic.twitter.com/11NGVmZyZ6

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

Cam Schlittler is up to 6 Ks in 3 innings in Game 1 pic.twitter.com/RyWngkIWhC

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

BEN RICE. 2-0! pic.twitter.com/PgXWZtTKcI

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

Cam Schlittler. pic.twitter.com/8SRIIYJ654

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

Paul Blackburn gets the double play! pic.twitter.com/gO4HizgMa9

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

Ben Rice with an RBI knock to make it 3-0! pic.twitter.com/Dv4DfM4Wyo

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

Nick Sogard with the diving stop to start the double play, but Austin Wells comes into score to make it 4-0 pic.twitter.com/jHJI6ym9Tc

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

Another RBI for Austin Wells on a sac fly pic.twitter.com/YPhYsoqNC1

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

BEN RICE BRINGS THE HAMMER DOWN!

A grand slam and the Yankees lead 9-0! pic.twitter.com/42w0x95BAD

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 30, 2026

Up next

The Yankees have a chance to sweep the best-of-three series against their archrivals on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.

Max Fried takes the mound for New York, squaring off against former Yankee Sonny Gray, who enjoyed an excellent 2026 regular season with Boston.

Ben Rice turned Game 1 of the American League wild card series into a laugher with his two-out grand slam in the bottom of the eighth against the Boston Red Sox, his second home run of the night in the New York Yankees' 9-0 win.

The Yankees led 4-0 heading into the bottom of the eighth and pushed a fifth run across on Austin Wells' sacrifice fly. But Brayan Bello walked Paul Goldschmidt to load the bases again, bringing up Rice. The All-Star fell behind 0-2 but worked Bello to a full count before driving the sixth pitch of the at-bat over the wall, sending Yankee Stadium into a frenzy.

Rice hit 41 home runs in the regular season and had a solo homer off left-hander Erik Miller in the bottom of the sixth inning that had extended the Yankees one-run lead to 2-0.

Rice guys finish blast. pic.twitter.com/afe7NqeqKB

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 30, 2026

Cam Schlittler is going to win the American League Cy Young winner in November, and likely garner MVP votes while he is at it. 

But if the Yankees ace is going to keep pitching like this against the Red Sox in the postseason, they are going to start naming babies and streets and everything else after him around these parts. 

And Ben Rice may not be far behind. 

Schlittler and Rice, the sons of Massachusetts, continued to torment their hometown team and carry the Yankees, combining to run away with a 9-0 win over the Red Sox in Game 1 of the AL wild-card series on Tuesday night at a boisterous Yankee Stadium. 

Schlittler struck out 10 across 6 ¹/₃ shutout innings, all of which came in a tight game before Rice helped blow it open — his grand slam in the eighth inning providing the knockout punch on his second home run and fourth hit of the night. 

“The job’s not done,” Schlittler said. “We’ve got to get another win [Wednesday]. But it’s very well known that if you want to be a legend, which is obviously the goal, you’ve got to do it in the postseason. 

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

“So go out there and have dominant starts and put the team in a position to win. And that’s kind of the most important thing. I thought a lot of guys today did a great job of that.” 

The flame-throwing, 25-year-old Schlittler, who mixed in more curveballs than he has in any start of his career, allowed just two singles and one walk. After throwing his career-high 117th and final pitch of the night in the seventh inning of what was then a 2-0 game, he walked off to “MVP” chants and a thunderous standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 48,737. 

After dominating the Red Sox in a clinching Game 3 of the AL wild-card series here last year — tossing eight shutout innings with 12 strikeouts to announce his arrival on the big stage — Schlittler delivered yet again on Tuesday to give the Yankees a chance to finish off the sweep Wednesday when they hand Max Fried the ball against Sonny Gray. 

Rice, who like Schlittler (and Anthony Volpe, who also enjoyed a strong night) was signed and scouted by Matt Hyde, led the Aaron Judge-less offense with four of its 12 hits — matching the same number of hits he had across six playoff games last year – while driving in six runs. 

“I’ll remember getting a ‘W’ versus the Red Sox — there’s nothing better than that,” Rice said. “I’ll remember Cam going out there and just being lights out, like he always is. I’ll remember the atmosphere. It was just an awesome night.” 

What threatened to be the Yankees’ kryptonite coming into the series — the Red Sox’s parade of lefty arms — proved to be their offensive key to Game 1. Their left-handed hitters (Rice, Cody Bellinger, Spencer Jones and Austin Wells) went 7-for-13 against three Red Sox lefties, including starter Payton Tolle, who lasted just 4 ²/₃ innings. 

Making matters worse for the Red Sox was the fact that they lost one of their best hitters, Roman Anthony, to a recurrence of his hand injury in the middle of Game 1 that threatens his availability the rest of the series. 

Schlittler came out firing, striking out three in the top of the first inning — two on his curveball, foreshadowing how important it would be for him on the way to a career-high 24 whiffs — on a night when he lowered his career ERA to 0.47 in six starts against the Red Sox. 

The bottom of the Yankees’ lineup started the scoring in the second inning, which George Lombard Jr. led off with a single — becoming the youngest player (21 years, 119 days) in franchise history to record a hit in his playoff debut — before Volpe roped a one-out single of his own. 

Then with two outs, Wells lined a left-on-left single through the right side for the 1-0 lead. 

Rice, who crushed 41 home runs during the regular season but cooled off some during the summer months when Judge was out with a broken rib, greeted lefty reliever Erik Miller in the fifth inning with a solo blast into Monument Park to double the lead. 

Paul Blackburn relieved Schlittler in the seventh inning and rolled a double play ball to erase the inherited runner. But from there, the Yankees added on against the Red Sox bullpen, scoring twice against lefty reliever Alec Gamboa before Rice blew it open in the eighth, a fitting exclamation point on a night that belonged to him and Schlittler. 

“Pretty remarkable,” manager Aaron Boone said. “For them to go out and have that kind of night together to start this postseason, pretty amazing and kind of hard to grasp a little bit, frankly. But I’m certainly glad we have those two.”

The Red Sox looked lost at the plate against Yankees ace Cam Schlittler Tuesday night, and then saw one of the club’s budding stars exit early.

Roman Anthony was unexpectedly lifted for pinch hitter Andruw Monasterio in the top of the sixth inning after striking out in his first two plate appearances in Boston’s 9-0 loss in Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Yankees.

After the defeat, manager Chad Tracy told reporters that Anthony’s right hand “flared on him” after a check swing.

Tracy added that it was “hard to say” whether Anthony would play in Wednesday’s Game 2 or not.

Anthony was seen flexing his right wrist in the dugout after his first-inning strikeout but stayed in for another plate appearance before he was removed.

“That’s not a good sign,” ex-Red Sox infielder Lou Merloni said during the NBC broadcast.

Merloni referred to an at-bat in Boston’s regular-season finale on Sunday against the Cubs in which Anthony appeared to experience discomfort in his right hand.

“There was a check swing [in Sunday’s game], where we weren’t sure what we were seeing,” Merloni added. “It looked like he was shaking it out a little bit. Obviously, [he] hasn’t been right and there’s something going on with it.”

The 22-year-old missed 107 games after sustaining an injury, which was initially reported as a wrist issue but later called a ring finger ailment, and experiencing a myriad of setbacks during his rehab.

In 55 games this season, Anthony hit .245/.339/.396 with just five homers and 15 RBIs.

It was not the type of season either side envisioned after Boston inked Anthony, considered one of baseball’s top prospects, to a historic $130 million deal shortly after his MLB debut.

HOUSTON — In Tuesday’s Game 1 of the American League wild-card series, Chicago White Sox rookie left hander Hagen Smith found himself in uncharted territory: making his first postseason start and facing the reigning AL batting title winner.

He didn’t blink.

Smith spun three scoreless innings and helped the White Sox deliver a deluxe version of a bullpen game in a 6-3 win over the Houston Astros at Daikin Park, putting Chicago on the precipice of advancing to the AL Division Series for the first time since 2021.

“It was awesome,” Smith told USA TODAY Sports. “From the first day out here, the guys on the team have just been awesome. It’s super fun to show up every day and just play with them, so I was really happy to go out there with them.”

Facing a Houston lineup known for its power, Smith surrendered two hits, singles to Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith, and stifled one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball. AL MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez went 0-for-2 with two groundouts against Smith.

“He's a great hitter,” Smith said of Alvarez after the game. “Obviously, when you look at the scouting reports you kind of circle him as one of the guys that you try not to let him beat you. And, yeah, just trying to go to go out there and do the same thing I always do. Just not make the moment too big for that certain hitter, and just try to attack him with my strengths.”

After Smith’s start, the White Sox used three relievers – Jordan Hicks, Sean Newcomb and David Sandlin – as a bridge to closer Grant Taylor. Taylor secured seven laborious outs, the biggest among them when he stifled a Houston rally in the eighth inning by striking out Yainer Diaz, who represented the potential tying run with two on base and two outs.

You could say the White Sox holy rolled the Astros in Game 1 of the American League wild-card series, taking advantage of the divine intervention that one of the club’s biggest fans sent their way before the game. 

Pope Leo XIV sent a letter of support to the White Sox, which the team shared on social media hours before the American League Chicago team went on to defeat Houston 6-3 at Daikin Park on Tuesday  

“As I have noted, sport can truly become a school of life, where all can learn that abundance does not come from victory at any cost, but from sharing, from respecting others and from the joy of walking together,” the first American Pope wrote to White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. 

Pope Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, hails from the Windy City and has made his White Sox fandom known since being elected pontiff in May 2025. 

View this post on Instagram

Then known as Father Bob, the Pope attended the White Sox’s World Series opener in 2005 when they played the Astros, sitting in section 140, Row 19, Seat 2 to watch as the White Sox won 5-3. 

It’s the White Sox first postseason appearance since 2021 and followed three consecutive 100-loss seasons

“In this spirit, it is my hope that the White Sox will continue to foster bonds of friendship and solidarity among people, and thus bear hopeful witness to the possibility of living and working together in peace,” the Pope’s letter, dated Sept. 5, continued. “With these sentiments, I willingly invoke the Almighty’s abundant blessings upon you and your loved ones.”

The letter was sent to the White Sox in response to the team’s promotion on Aug. 11, when fans at that game received Pope hats with the team’s logo.

One was delivered to Pope Leo by Chicago native Father Tom McCarthy in August. 

Pope Leo was likely very happy with the result on Tuesday as his beloved White Sox moved one step closer to advancing, with Colson Montgomery hitting a solo home run and Sam Antonacci driving in a pair of runs in the Game 1 victory. 

Game 2 takes place on Wednesday in Houston.

Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker has never shied away from just how bad his performance at the plate was for much of his first season in Los Angeles.

For the first five months of the season, when he’d show brief glimpses of progress before sinking back into an extended slump, Tucker’s .683 OPS was the third-worst among Dodgers hitters with at least 100 plate appearances, better than only Hyeseong Kim and Kyle Freeland, who both spent time in triple A.

In September, however, he found a sustainable adjustment. He fixed his bat path, extending through the ball more consistently instead of pulling off of it. He posted a .889 OPS in September, on par with his four straight All-Star seasons before signing with the Dodgers.

Now, all of a sudden, he looks like a potential difference-maker in the postseason.

“The last month or so is more or less what I expect out of myself,” Tucker said in a recent conversation with The Times. “The biggest thing is we have an opportunity now being in the playoffs to win another World Series. Once the playoffs start, you can forget about any stats or personal numbers. The only one that really matters is the win column. So that’s just what I’m gonna try and contribute towards.”

The Dodgers offense had a lot of success stories like Tucker’s in the final month of the regular season. He helped carry the offense, along with Teoscar Hernández and Mookie Betts, who turned around their seasons down the stretch, and Will Smith, who returned from the IL and quickly found his home run swing.

The Dodgers’ starting rotation is their biggest strength going into the postseason. But the offense’s performance against elite pitching, and the bullpen’s execution in tight games, could make or break a series.

Here’s how some other key players are trending going into the postseason:

Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani: Fortunate to have the bye

Ohtani returned from the IL with five games left in the season, and he went five for 21 with one extra-base hit.

All indications from general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts in video conference calls before the Dodgers’ closed workout Tuesday were that Ohtani was feeling good physically.

“I feel confident that you’re going to see the best version of Shohei of the last two months,” Roberts said. “I know that’s sort of a low bar given his injury, but I do think that he’s as healthy as he’s been in quite some time, and every day from the training staff, it keeps getting better. So, number one, he’ll be a threat being in the lineup, but I do think that the performance piece will be what we’re hoping for.”

First baseman Freddie Freeman: Ice cold

Freeman, who pushed through a bout with tendinitis in his right knee earlier this month, hit just .184 in September and went 0-for-7 in his last two games.

On Tuesday, Freeman said he had no pain in his knee. But finally acknowledged that the injury could have affected his swing mechanics, while again emphasizing that he wouldn’t use that as an excuse.

Freeman has a plan for the bye week that he hopes will set him in the right direction for the playoffs.

“I’m going to hit on the field every day,” he said Sunday. “I already know how my Tuesday is going to go. There’s going to be a lot of blocked balls to left [field], a lot of flares into left. I’m hoping as Tuesday goes Wednesday, I’ll come back and those will be put down a little more. Thursday they’ll be moved over to shortstop and by Friday I will be feeling good. That is how my head is thinking right now.”

Center fielder Andy Pages: Out of the gate running

It was hard to predict how the center fielder would look at the plate when he returned from a fracture in his left hand. He recorded a 1.181 OPS in six games and homered twice in the final regular-season series against the San Francisco Giants.

Read more:The Dodgers have an old roster. But that isn't necessarily a drawback in October

“He went into last October really scuffling, and it sort of bled into October,” Roberts said over the weekend. “Where, I think right now he feels really confident, swinging the bat well, and the hope is that this one bleeds into October as well.”

Reliever Edgardo Henriquez: Healthy

Henriquez is “trending really well” after throwing live batting practice, Gomes said. If this week continues to go smoothly, the flame-throwing right-hander is expected to be on the NLDS roster.

“Given the body of work, what he’s done, the unique skill set,” Roberts said, “could be huge for us — will be huge for us.”

Reliever Edwin Díaz: Strong finish

Díaz made five appearances after his latest return from the IL (neck). He gave up just one hit in those games, with a 52.9% strikeout rate.

Read more:Dodgers Debate: Who do the Dodgers want in the NLDS?

“I don’t know if we could have asked much more out of Edwin,” Gomes said. “Felt like each outing was more and more sharp and looking more like himself. So feel that he’s in a great place right now. Stuff out of hand is as good as it’s been all year. And we know that he has pitched in the hottest of hot games in the past and in any role, especially in the postseason. So he’s looked great, and glad that he’s in the position that he’s in and was able to bounce back after the IL stint.”

NLDS weather: Sweltering

Los Angeles’ weather forecast for this weekend, when the Dodgers are set to host the first two games of the NLDS, shows temperatures reaching the high 90s. The Dodgers are scheduled to play Game 2 at 5 p.m. on Sunday. But Saturday’s game time will depend on the results of the wild-card round. First pitch for Game 1 could be at 1 p.m. or 6 p.m.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Athletics third baseman Zack Gelof has sued the Detroit Tigers over an injury he sustained during a 4-1 loss on July 9 at Comerica Park, according to a Sept. 28 court document filed with the Wayne County (Michigan) Circuit Court.

In addition to the Tigers, Ilitch Holdings Inc. and the Detroit-Wayne County Stadium Authority were also named as defendants.

Gelof, 26, was playing left field July 9 when Tigers outfielder Zach McKinstry hit a fly ball into foul territory in the bottom of the third inning. Gelof made a sliding catch to get McKinstry out, running his legs into the stands in a section covered by fencing. After the play, the A's infielder was clearly in pain, holding onto his knee.

A's outfielder Zack Gelof is suing the Detroit Tigers because he missed games in July and August after injuring his knee sliding into a metal fence pic.twitter.com/h35jDfz23h

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 29, 2026

Gelof's right knee struck an "exposed, dangerous metal-fence on the side wall that protruded into or alongside the playing area" that tore through his uniform and caused a laceration in his kneecap that narrowly missed a patellar tendon, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says Gelof immediately felt significant pain and did not play the rest of the game. He was placed on the A's 30-day injured list following the collision.

"(The Tigers) knew or should have known that professional baseball players routinely run and slide at high speeds into foul territory while attempting to catch baseballs," the lawsuit says. "Padding and protective measures in an MLB ballpark exist for a reason."

The Tigers declined to comment on the matter, according to the Detroit Free Press, a part of the USA TODAY Network.

"We are aware of the lawsuit and do not comment on pending litigation," the Tigers said in a statement Tuesday, Sept. 29.

The lawsuit described the fence as "exposed" and "rigid" with "sharp metal components capable of causing serious injury." The lawsuit also alleges that there was "insufficient padding or other protective material covering the fencing" and "inadequate clearance or runoff space between the playing area and the fencing."

Tigers left fielder Riley Greene "acknowledged to reporters that the specific area along that wall is made of metal and can be quite unforgiving during a hard slide," the court documents said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A's infielder Zack Gelof sues Detroit Tigers over knee injury

Who you gonna call?

Well, it appears the Cubs summoned Ghostbusters star Bill Murray to Petco Park Tuesday for Game 1 of the National League wild-card series against the Padres. Murray was spotted in the crowd as a sea of yellow dominated the seats in San Diego.

Murray is a lifelong Chicago fan and has famously said he was “baptized a Cubs fan” since birth. At Wrigley Field, he is a regularly attendee and has been seen signing during the seventh-inning stretch and celebrating wtih the team.

Murray celebrated the team’s historic 2016 World Series championship, where he even joined the players in the locker room with champagne. The legendary actor even traveled to Japan for last year’s season opening series at the Tokyo Dome between the Cubs and Dodgers.

On Tuesday, Murray was locked in for the wild-card series. He likely wasn’t very happy with how the first inning panned out for Chicago as Padres ace Michael King had an impressive 1-2-3 inning and Fernando Tatis Jr. proceeded to homer on the first pitch off Matthew Boyd in the bottom half of the frame.

Regardless of the outcome, Tuesday’s playoff atmosphere was electric in San Diego as fireworks flew before first pitch and the crowd was already raucous before the game began.