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

If that was the end for Max Scherzer, he went out exactly how you’d expect.

The 42-year-old three-time Cy Young winner emptied the tank in what could have been the final start of his Hall of Fame career Sunday, throwing 114 pitches over seven innings in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 5-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

And he did it on just three days’ rest.

The eight-time All-Star allowed just one earned run on six hits, walked one and struck out seven in his final appearance of the 2026 season.

“That was amazing,” Scherzer told reporters postgame. “The adrenaline starts kicking in, the fans start getting in, and that’s when I could start feeding off of the crowd here at the Rogers Centre. I really could just reach back and just felt like I was unlimited.”

The game also prompted one memorable scene for the final chapter of Scherzer’s career.

While already at over 100 pitches on the afternoon, Blue Jays manager John Schneider walked toward the mound as if he were finally coming to take the ball.

Scherzer quickly turned him away, which popped the audience at the Rogers Centre.

Schneider instead turned around as the former ace powered through the rest of inning.

“If that doesn’t sum up Max Scherzer, I don’t know what does,” Schneider said afterward.

Classic Mad Max.

He finished the inning and walked off the mound to a standing ovation, tipping his cap as teammates waited for him outside the dugout.

It looked like a farewell, and it might have been, though nothing is yet official.

Scherzer has not announced his retirement and said Saturday that he will wait until the offseason before deciding whether to return for a 20th major-league campaign.

“I’ve talked to everybody in my inner circle, and we all kind of feel the same way,” Scherzer said. “We don’t need to make a decision today. Get to the offseason and just see how things unfold.”

He also noted MLB’s forthcoming contentious labor negotiations between the league and the Players’ Association, which has left many predicting a lockout at least to begin the 2027 season.

“We’ve also got a lot of uncertainty next year with all the labor issues,” Scherzer said, “so you just don’t know how the season’s going to happen or unfold, or what opportunity is going to be in front of me.”

Scherzer’s seven strikeouts brought him to 3,557 on his career, ninth-most in MLB history and three behind longtime teammate Justin Verlander, who made the final start of his own career Saturday.

The game Sunday marked Scherzer’s 501st appearance and 492nd start.

He ended the 2026 season with a 5.74 ERA and a 4-9 record on the year.  

A year after Dan Wilson led the Mariners to the American League Championship Series, he is out as manager of the club. 

Wilson had announced that he would not be returning to manage the club after the Mariners’ season-finale win over the Angels. 

“This season has been very difficult, and of course the results have not been what any of us had expected,” Wilson said. “As a result, it was concluded that today is my last day as manager of the Seattle Mariners.”

The Seattle Times reported that Wilson informed the Mariners he was moving on prior to the start of Sunday’s game. 

The team also confirmed the change in a statement released on Sunday evening, thanking Wilson for his time with the team and saying that after “much discussion” between president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and Wilson, “it was concluded that a new direction is best for 2027 and beyond.”

“I want to thank Dan for his efforts over the past two years and specifically recognize his role in our club advancing to Game 7 of the ALCS in 2025,” Dipoto said in a statement. 

“I’ve appreciated the opportunity to lead this team the past two years,” Wilson said in a statement. “While this season has not gone the way any of us expected, I’m proud that the players in the clubhouse showed up each day to try and compete and battle in each game they played. I’m confident that the 2026 season doesn’t accurately reflect the talent, passion and desire of our players and know that bright things are ahead for this group.”

Wilson had been a catcher for the Mariners during his playing career and took the role of manager after Seattle let go of Scott Servais in the midst of the 2024 season. 

The 57-year-old helped Seattle reach the ALCS while finishing the regular season 90-72 and winning the American League West. 

The Mariners did not play to the same level of success in 2026 and missed the playoffs with a 76-86 record. He went 187-171 overall.

Wilson said postgame that the club has some interest in moving him to a different role in the organization and he would discuss it with his family.

Through the ups and downs of a full 162-game season, it’s still hard not to be romantic about baseball.

As this afternoon’s game put a bow on the 2026 Colorado Rockies season, we want to hear about the things — big or small — that are on your mind. With the team marking a 15-game improvement and with several young players emerging as core lineup pieces, there were plenty of fun moments and strong individual or team performances.

As we head into the long offseason and immediately start the countdown to spring training, which 2026 memories are sticking with you?

• Is it an overall performance? Like Hunter Goodman’s hot start into the home run race, TJ Rumfield making a name for himself in the Rookie of the Year conversation, or Tomoyuki Sugano mastering Coors Field early in the season and getting up to double-digit wins.
• Maybe it’s a specific game or milestone? Back to Goodman, seeing him hit his 40th (and 41st) home run yesterday was big. Jake McCarthy had a day back on August 8th, becoming one of a few players with four hits, two homers, and two stolen bases in a game. Connor Norby notched his first career grand slam in the 13-1 win over the Washington Nationals on August 26th. The Rockies being on the right side of a 20-burger was nice too, when they beat the A’s 23-9 out in Las Vegas on June 14th.
• Maybe an overall vibes thing? The emergence of the purple home run jacket was a great time.
• Was it a Coors Field memory? Attending both the Larry Walker and Todd Helton statue unveiling games are up there for me, as is getting one last hot dog combo from Diamond Dawgs before Joyl Watkins’ retirement after being a ballpark staple for 31 years.

Let’s dwell on some of the good things from the year. Give us your favorite memories, moments, performances, and players in the comments!

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

Twins 6, Rangers 4

• And that’s that.
• I wrote that Saturday’s win against the Twins was a reminder of what the Rangers can look like when they are playing well.
• Sunday’s season finale, though, was a reminder of what the Rangers looked like overall in 2026.
• The starting pitcher struggling physically, unable to give you innings.
• A makeshift bullpen leaned on too heavily, that ultimately couldn’t get the job done.
• A starting lineup missing a couple of key bats, that was quiet for much of the game before rallying late, only to see the comeback fall short.
• Having a chance until the end against underwhelming opposition, but still not being good enough.
• It was a minor miracle the Rangers were still in the race until the end. Not just in the race, but in control of their own destiny with a week left to go.
• And they lost two consecutive series against teams playing out the string.
• The Rangers never quit. You had guys playing hurt, guys battling to get back, a flawed team that hung in there and didn’t give up.
• They just weren’t good enough, even in a division where no one finished above .500.
• MacKenzie Gore hit 94.4 mph with his fastball, averaging 93.2 mph. Chase Silseth touched 97.5 mph with his fastball. Robert Garcia’s fastball maxed out at 94.6 mph. Tyler Alexander touched 92.2 mph with his sinker. Jakob Junis’s fastball hit 93.8 mph. Jordan Montgomery reached 92.6 mph with his sinker. Cody Bradford’s fastball maxed out at 90.0 mph.
• Brandon Nimmo had a 105.7 mph single. Elias Diaz had a 104.1 mph home run. Corey Seager had a 104.0 mph home run. Ezequiel Duran had a 101.1 mph groundout.
• 162 down, and none to go.

When news that Mariners manager Dan Wilson would not return in 2027 broke on social media, a significant portion of the fanbase was ecstatic, seeing Wilson as one of the primary culprits in the team’s dreadful season where they fell significantly short of expectations. (The portion that wasn’t celebrating was mostly complaining that the move didn’t also include firing Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto.)

But the mood inside the clubhouse was very different.

“I really haven’t wrapped my mind around it yet,” said Cal Raleigh.

Players were alerted that an announcement might be forthcoming when they got their daily schedule texted to them with an added team meeting prior to Sunday’s series finale, which the Mariners won 7-3. Wilson managed the game, knowing it was his last, including two mid-inning defensive changes to allow fan appreciation moments for both J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena, both of whom are set to become free agents this season.

Postgame, he read a statement to the media in which he called it a “very difficult day” – a variation on the oft-memed Wilson phrase “tough one tonight” – and said he was still processing the decision.

“We love this city, we love the community, and we appreciate the organization for what it has meant to the family since coming here as a player in ‘94,” said Wilson, on behalf of himself and his family.

He wasn’t the only one still processing the decision. Bryan Woo, normally one of the most eloquent clubhouse interviews, was uncharacteristically fragmented in his thought process.

“You build a relationship with a guy like that,” said Woo. “It’s really difficult to see him just wear everything this year. I know just by the interactions afterwards and right now, kind of, everyone’s going through the shuffle. The interactions with him and seeing the relationships that he meant to everyone in this clubhouse and the building…yeah, it’s hard to describe.”

“You never want to see people you love struggle, but people that you also know are very high character people, people that you know are about the right things, it goes hand in hand.”

Raleigh was more blunt.

“I feel terrible. I feel responsible. I think every guy in this clubhouse does,” said Raleigh.

For as shell-shocked as players seem to be, though, for most of them, this isn’t their first time seeing a manager fired. They understand the business of baseball.

“It’s a business, and that’s unfortunately what happens when you don’t perform,” said Raleigh.

“Big league managers, you wear so much of what goes on throughout the season,” said Woo. “If the team does well it’s because of the players; if the team struggles it’s because of the coaches or the managers. He wore it so much this year, and it’s tough, man…I think we as a group, we failed him much more than he failed us.”

Taking a slightly different approach on the business side of baseball, Julio Rodríguez took aim at those who consider themselves armchair managers.

“It’s a tough job. I feel like we can all just sit on the couch and think, oh, we can do this, we could have done that. There’s always a lot of things around that. But I think he’s a great guy who helped us get better in different ways. And I will always have love for him, the person that he is.”

Wilson, for his part, didn’t seem surprised, although he was visibly emotional, holding back tears while giving his statement.

“I’ve been in baseball a while, and this is what happens. Managers shoulder the blame, shoulder the responsibility. This is obviously difficult, and my family and I are still processing it.”

Him and his players, both. Today is for processing. Eventually, much further down the road, Wilson will look towards his future – he said there have been discussions of him remaining with the Mariners in a role, maybe similar to the player development work he was doing earlier – and the players will learn who their new manager will be. They hope whoever it is, that person will share some of Dan Wilson’s qualities.

“He always treated me with respect,” said Julio. “That’s how he was with the guys. I’m just happy I got to know him better as a manager and a person too, and I wish him the best.”

When Bryan Woo was asked about his favorite quality about Dan Wilson, he was quick with an answer.

“His authenticity. His genuineness.”

“The only thing that you can ask for in terms of a relationship like that is truth, and that’s what you got from him every day. I don’t want fluff. I don’t want bullshit. I want the truth, whether I like it or not, and he’s always there to give it to you. That’s a huge part. I think it is for everyone, but for me specifically, I just want truth. Whether I like it or not, or whether anybody hears it and they like it or not, that’s a big pillar for sure.”

For the youngest player in the clubhouse, losing the only big-league manager he’s known hits a little differently.

“It’s sad,” said Cole Young. “I had a lot of fun playing for him. Playing for him – it made me want to go out there and give it my all, every single pitch. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out, but I can say I gave it my all and tried my hardest.”

For the player who has arguably the deepest connection with Wilson, Cal Raleigh has a different set of feelings to process, losing both his long-term coach and likely his longest-tenured teammate in J.P. Crawford.

“You spend so much time with these people and you invest yourself in them – Dan, J.P., these are all people I’ve known since I’ve gotten into the organization. It’s hard. It’s hard turning that page. Both these guys have meant so much to us, and it’s just…yeah. It’s hard.”

It has been a hard one this season. Hopefully whoever takes up the helm of the listing SS Mariner next year has an idea for how to get back on course – but in a way that still feels authentic and genuine, respects the players as people, and inspires players to want to go out and give their all and try their hardest, and doesn’t mind shouldering the blame when and if things go wrong. Tough job tonight (and every night).

The Mets' 2026 season is a difficult one to analyze.

A year that started with World Series aspirations for a roster led by veterans devolved to the point where then-manager Carlos Mendoza was fired at the end of June -- a month before a major trade deadline sell-off jettisoned not only pending free agents but players who were under contract beyond 2026.

Injuries (especially ones to Juan Soto andFrancisco Lindor) were one of the main reasons the season spun out of control, and the freak injury to Clay Holmes in May when the team was starting to find its footing was an extra twist of the knife. 

But in addition to the injuries was a whole lot of underperformance and sloppy play. And there were questions in the aftermath regarding whether the Mets simply underwent too much change between 2025 and 2026 -- not just in terms of the players who were brought in but the mostly new coaching staff that oversaw them. 

A silver lining was the team's inspiring late-season performance, which coincided with Andy Green taking over as manager (interim and then full-time) and the club having somewhat of a new identity as Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing emerged as key contributors, Zac Thornton made an impact in the rotation, and Kodai Senga shifted to a late-inning relief role. 

As the attention shifts to the offseason, president of baseball operations David Stearns and the front office will attempt to assemble a roster that can get New York back to the postseason for the first time since a magical NLCS run in 2024. 

Beyond player moves, there are other key storylines to keep an eye on, including a potential lockout that could begin on Dec. 1.

Here are five things to watch...

Is Tarik Skubal a target?

The Mets' failures in 2025 and 2026 can be traced back to a number of things, but chief among them was a lack of starting pitching depth.

It's the main reason the 2025 season went haywire, and it helped cause an insurmountable hole to dig out of in the first few months of 2026.

Heading into 2027, the Mets have two young, homegrown, high-upside locks in the rotation (Nolan McLean and Christian Scott), one veteran who profiles as a potentially solid back-end starter (Sean Manaea), and one intriguing option coming off a successful first taste of the majors (Zac Thornton). There's also Jonah Tong, whose upside remains high despite an up-and-down 2026 campaign. 

It can be argued that in the last two offseasons, the Mets have left themselves one starting pitcher short. So an ideal scenario this time around would be adding two rotation cogs, including one who can profile at the very top of the staff.

Luckily for the Mets, one of the best pitchers in baseball will be a free agent this offseason.

Skubal, who was traded from the Tigers to the Dodgers during the year, will be entering his age-30 season in 2027 and will not be attached to a qualifying offer, perhaps making him a perfect fit for the Mets.

In the past, Stearns signing the top pitcher on the market (who might get the biggest deal ever for a starting pitcher when it comes to both average annual value and total dollars) would be a major upset -- Stearns' reluctance to shell out long-term contracts for starting pitchers 30 or older is real. But Skubal is the kind of pitcher you make an exception for. And Stearns is entering a prove-it offseason.

Perhaps it would take a nudge from owner Steve Cohen for the Mets to go all-in on Skubal, but it's hard to argue against a serious pursuit.

Who's on first?

One offseason removed from letting Pete Alonso leave to sign a five-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles, the Mets will once again attempt to replace him.

Jorge Polanco, who was signed last offseason to be part of the solution when it came to making up for Alonso's production, had an injury-riddled year that required season-ending ankle surgery. Polanco has one more year on his deal but is a major question mark, possibly making him a DH-only option next season -- if his health allows.

The Mets could possibly turn to Jared Young at first base, but his lack of power (just nine home runs in 103 games in 2026) and struggles against left-handed pitching (.606 OPS against lefties in 2026) are two reasons why that might not be ideal.

With the Mets not having any first base prospects close to contributing in a serious way, their best bet could be the free agent or trade market.

Of the big league free agent crop, the most intriguing option could be Ty France.

But the highest-upside option is 27-year-old star Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, who is expected to be posted this offseason.

The labor battle and possible fallout

Barring an unexpected breakthrough in CBA negotiations, the owners will lock out the players on Dec. 1.

This could have massive ramifications both before and after.

The expectation of the lockout beginning on Dec. 1 could set off a rash of free agent and trade activity between the end of the World Series and Nov. 30, potentially changing the dynamic of the offseason.

Then there's the result of the expected lockout.

While it would be a huge surprise if the players acquiesce to a hard salary cap, it's likely that the new CBA will have stiffer penalties for teams that exceed the luxury tax thresholds.

That would have an impact on teams like the Mets, Dodgers, and Yankees, and add another wrinkle to this offseason.

The bullpen plan

The Mets traded pending free agent lefties Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter at the deadline, but didn't stop there, as they also dealt Luke Weaver (under contract through 2027) and Huascar Brazoban (under team control through 2029).

With the back end of the bullpen gutted, it provided runway for rookie Nate Lavender and 29-year-old Daniel Duarte to shine. Meanwhile, Dedniel Núñez rounded back into form after some early hiccups following his return from Tommy John surgery. So the Mets have some strong options as they rebuild the relief corps.

It remains to be seen how Senga will be deployed next season, but it's hard to envision a more sensible thing than keeping him in a relief role, where his fastball-ghost fork combo plays up.

Then there's Devin Williams, who has two years remaining on the contract he signed last offseason and might be best suited for a setup role.

As is the case with the rotation, the Mets could use an anchor in the bullpen. Beyond Adrian Morejon, the free agent class isn't rich with elite back-end arms, so New York might have to get creative.

Coaching staff changes coming?

Speaking last week while announcing the removal of Green's interim tag, Stearns said the future of the coaching staff would be discussed after the season.

Of the new coaches added ahead of the 2026 campaign, pitching coach Justin Willard, hitting coach Troy Snitker, and bench coach Kai Correa were the most high-profile.

Since those coaches were hired before Green, and given the early struggles that doomed the Mets' season, it's fair to wonder if there will be changes.

WASHINGTON — Bo Bichette knows the first half of this season was played, but maybe for good reason he doesn’t recall many details.

“It’s all a blur,” the Mets third baseman said before his team concluded the season with a 6-4 loss to the Nationals on Sunday.

The Mets finished 74-88, last in the National League East, and were all but eliminated from the postseason race by late June, prompting manager Carlos Mendoza’s firing. The Mets improved after the All-Star break — and particularly following the Aug. 3 trade deadline, under new manager Andy Green. The question is, can the 27-22 post-trade deadline surge serve a building block for next season?

“It’s what you take away from it culturally and individually,” Green said. “You can’t play with the weight of unmet expectations on your back and expect good baseball to happen. I think you have to take that with you into next year. I think you have to take a resolve that we’re not going to be in this spot again.”

Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Luke Weaver, A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley, Huascar Brazobán and Tyrone Taylor were key names for the Mets when the season began. All were traded as part of an overhaul that allowed the Mets to receive a better look at players such as Jonah Tong, Nate Lavender and Daniel Duarte, among others.

And a rookie class highlighted by NL Rookie of the Year candidate Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing and Nolan McLean solidified. “I think that this [winning] has gotten us a lot closer, and it feels much more like a team,” Ewing said. “It feels like this is a family.”

The Mets will have pitching holes to fill in the offseason and questions persist about first base, but Bichette (who can opt out) sees a team that possesses a solid nucleus.

“We’ve proven that this group has enough talent to compete with anybody,” Bichette said. “But obviously it’s different doing that for an entire season. But I think this team has proven that it has everything it needs to win. I think that the organization, the fans, should feel really good about the team.”

Green noted that players pulled for each other. Such camaraderie was evident with young pitchers who were removed from the game returning to the dugout rather than retreating to the clubhouse.

“The guys jelled together with each other,” Green said. “You’re talking about a group that top to bottom genuinely likes playing baseball with each other and had a good time in the second half. That’s a productive thing to have. It’s not always necessary that you love everybody you work with to be productive, but it is a good thing that’s going on in there.”

Even so, the Mets are absent from the playoffs for a second straight year despite having the second-highest payroll in the game in both seasons.

“I think the bitter taste that exists in every player’s mouth right now should drive us to a very productive offseason, so I think you can take little bits and pieces from each one of those things that set you up better for success next year,” Green said. “Ultimately, it’s individual ownership over a collective goal that we need to take from here.

“We’re counting on each person in that clubhouse, every veteran to perform at their best level, every young guy to take a step forward, every coach to get better, me to get better. I think we’re collectively looking at life that way. We’re going to be counting on everybody.”

It wasn’t pretty, but the Astros are back in the postseason. 81-81 was good enough to win the American League West for an eighth time in 10 years, so now the Astros will host the Chicago White Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting on Tuesday.

The Astros will have to submit a 26-man roster Tuesday morning, and there will be some difficult decisions. Complicating matters further, the team doesn’t have a general manager, so who gets final say if there is a disagreement over who should be carried?

Here’s my pass at projecting the 26 players Joe Espada will have at his disposal:

Pitchers (12)

Hunter Brown, Hayden Wesneski, Peter Lambert, Ethan Pecko, Miguel Ullola, Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu, AJ Blubaugh, Bennett Sousa, Bryan King, Logan VanWey, Josh Hendrickson

Most teams carry 12 pitchers on their Wild Card Round roster. Some teams will carry as few as 11 pitchers, including the 2024 Astros, and there might be one team that carries 13. 

I have the Astros carrying 12, mostly because it looks like Game 1 will be a bullpen game after the team elected to use Peter Lambert for two innings on Sunday, and it’s not exactly easy coming up with 12.

Enyel De Los Santos and Cristian Javier are ineligible because of their recent placements on the injured list, while Ronel Blanco is ineligible after he was optioned to Triple-A before Sunday’s game. 

The last spot came down to Hendrickson and Tatsuya Imai. Hendrickson, who made his major league debut this week, threw pitches of significance, while Imai did not, so Hendrickson gets the nod.

Catchers (2)

Yainer Diaz, Cristian Vazquez

No explanation needed. 

Infielders (6)

Christian Walker, Jose Altuve, Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes, Nick Allen, Raynel Delgado

Outfielders/DH (6)

Yordan Alvarez, Cam Smith, Taylor Trammell, LaMonte Wade Jr., Nelson Velazquez, Lucas Spence

11 of the 12 were easy picks. Remember, Daulton Varsho is ineligible because he was placed on the IL this week, while Jorge Barrosa is ineligible because he joined the organization after the September 1 deadline. The last spot came down to Delgado and Joey Loperfido. I went with Delgado for two reasons:

1. Insurance for Isaac Paredes, who wasn’t moving great on Sunday after fouling a ball off his knee on Saturday. Delgado would give Espada a little extra flexibility to run for Paredes late in games, while still having Nick Allen available as a replacement for Jose Altuve.
2. The Astros might want to use Allen as a bat off the bench. He doubled in his only at-bat on Sunday, a game he entered slashing .333/.371/.491 in the second half. He posted a .308 batting average with an .821 OPS against lefties for the season, and he was 2 for 5 with a walk as a pinch hitter. He would seem to be a much better option against lefties than Nelson Velazquez.

We got extra baseball on the final day of the season — which afforded the Giants relief pitching enough space to revert to their well-established baseline. The story for 9 innings was that Game 162 was the least 2026 Giants game of the 2026 season, mostly because of how well pitched it was. Tied in the 9th, the romantics allowed themselves to daydream, envisioning a big fly, a slow rising final shot for Mike Krukow to narrate, his third home run call in 36 years as a color-analyst. 

That’s not the world we live in. A walk-off send-off blast just isn’t reality — at least not this year, not for this version of the Giants. Christian Koss, though he circled the bases in the 8th, thinking he tucked a solo shot inside the left-field foul pole, the call was walked back and ruled foul upon review. That phantom 2-1 lead faded from the board, like it never happened, like it wasn’t even close. 

That moment was the death rattle. The last, belabored gasp of this season. A home run turned into strike one. Strike two and strike three followed soon after. A couple innings later, with the Giants down to their final out, Koss was at the plate again, trying to swing out of a four-run hole.  

What was an uncharacteristically impressive all hands on deck performance by the bullpen for 9 innings went up in flames in the 10th. Two quick outs were followed by two quick cement mixers served up by Duncan Davitt and annihilated by Alex Call and Andy Pages. 

Before that four-run nail-in-the-coffin, the mighty Dodgers had been subdued by nine different arms. A slew of slingers picked from scrap heaps and called in from far off fields on the farm went off script and held their own.  

Carson Seymour didn’t give a homer in the 1st. Sam Hentges, in maybe his best moment in a Giants uniform, stayed focused and cut through the hubbub of Tony Vitello’s ejection by getting Mookie Betts to swing through an elevated fastball before fanning Freddie Freeman to end a threat in the 3rd.

Jonah Cox went horizontal behind Braxton Roxby to steal a single from Freddie Freeman in the 5th. Marcelo Mayer’s slick pick punctuated Jason Foley working around a lead-off double by Tommy Edman in the 7th.     

LA had gone hitless in 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position. They managed just six hits and one run, unearned on a sacrifice fly way back in the 4th.

Unfortunately, one run, on a first career RBI single by Scott Bandura, was all the Giants offense could manage against the parade of LA relievers as well.

Opportunities to add on presented themselves, but Bandura’s knock was San Francisco’s only hit with a run in scoring position in ten at-bats. Singles by Bo Davidson and Victor Bericoto to lead off the 4th went nowhere. In the 7th, Marcelo Mayer’s first hit as a Giant set-up runners at the corners with nobody out, but another opportunity to inch out ahead slipped away as both Drew Cavanaugh and Turner Hill fell victim to Bobby Miller curveballs.

The second-coming of Camilo Doval carried the tie through to the bottom of the 9th, putting himself in line as the pitcher of record if the bats were to come alive before the 27th out. They didn’t, and by that time, all the pitching good will had been spent. Never give a good team more chances to beat you. The Giants did, and the Dodgers said thank you kindly and claimed their 100th win of the year while handing San Francisco their 97th loss. 

This is the first time in their 144 year history that a Giants team has finished a season with a 65-97 record. It’s their worst finish since 2017’s 98-loss season.

Today marks Jon Rauch’s 48th birthday.

Rauch served as our closer in the 2011 season, but it was a challenging year for him. He posted a 4.85 ERA with 11 saves (and 5 blown saves) over 53 games, surrendering 11 home runs in 52 innings. He issued 14 walks and struck out 36 batters in those 52 innings—numbers that fell short of expectations for a closer.

He missed time due to an appendectomy and torn cartilage in his right knee.

Still, he was easily the most intimidating reliever we’ve ever had. This was his most memorable moment as a Blue Jay:

At 6’11” and 290 pounds, I certainly wouldn’t have wanted him charging at me. John Farrell, not a small man himself, looked small trying to pull Jon away from the umpire.

It’s unfortunate that the most remembered moment from his 11-year career was so uncharacteristic for Jon, but such is life.

Rauch enjoyed an 11-year MLB career, playing for seven teams. He appeared in 556 games—just 11 as a starter—compiling a 3.90 ERA and recording 62 saves. His best stretch came with the Nationals, where he posted a 3.24 ERA in 245 games over five seasons.

Happy birthday, Jon. Hope it’s a great one.

Len Matuszek celebrates his 72nd birthday today.

It’s understandable if you don’t remember his time as a Blue Jay. The Jays acquired him at the start of the 1985 season, and he played 62 games, hitting .212/.259/.318 with 2 home runs while splitting time between DH and first base.

In early July, he was traded to the Dodgers for Al Oliver. At 38 and nearing the end of a stellar 18-year career, Oliver didn’t fare much better, filling the same role as the left half of a DH platoon. He hit .251/.282/.374 with 5 home runs. That year, we made the playoffs for the first time, ultimately falling to the Royals in 7 games in the ALCS. Al had an outstanding series, batting .375/.444/.500.

Matuszek played seven seasons in the majors with the Phillies, Blue Jays, and Dodgers. Over 379 games, he hit .234/.309/.405—not the production you hope for from a first baseman.

Happy birthday, Len. Hope you have a great day.

Jason Phillips turns 50 today.

Jason served as our backup catcher from 2006 to 2007, appearing in 80 games and hitting .219/.271/.302 behind Gregg Zaun.

He enjoyed a seven-year MLB career, hitting .249/.314/.370 with 30 home runs in 465 games, playing for the Mets, Dodgers, and finishing with the Jays in his last two seasons. I recall him as a good person and a solid defensive catcher who could also handle first base.

He later worked as a bullpen catcher for us in 2016 and also coached in the Yankees’ minor league system.

Happy birthday, Jason.

Matt Shoemaker celebrates his 40th birthday today.

You know the story: Matt made five terrific starts with a 1.57 ERA before tearing his ACL, ending his season. If you need a reminder of the play (there’s a reason teams hesitate to involve pitchers in rundowns):

In 2020, Matt appeared in six games, posting a 4.71 ERA and missing a month of the shortened season with a shoulder injury.

Shoemaker signed with the Twins last winter, but things didn’t go well. After 16 appearances and an 8.06 ERA, he was released on August 6th. Soon after, he signed a minor league deal with the Giants.

Matt has pitched nine seasons in MLB, recording a 46-41 record and a 4.24 ERA across 128 games (115 starts).

Happy birthday, Matt. Hope it’s a great one.

WASHINGTON -- Maybe someday, if all goes to plan, the last few months of the 2026 season will read more as a preamble, rather than a coda.

Yes, missing the playoffs was a failure -- an unthinkable one, especially given it happened last year, too. Teams with the Mets’ payroll and star power and aspirations cannot miss the postseason two years in a row during the expanded postseason era. Publicly and privately, everyone in the Mets organization seems to agree about that.

Last year, they tried to address those failures by changing almost everything. This year, the emergence of some productive young outfielders, several promising young starters, and a more refreshing clubhouse dynamic mean this time, there is plenty worth preserving.

“We have some good pieces,” Francisco Lindor said. “Our relationships grew. Guys are getting used to being in New York. The coaching staff that was their first time coaching in the big leagues, now it will be year two. I think we are moving forward … I think we’re going to be in a much better spot.”

Almost every member of the Mets lineup that took the field for the final game of the 2026 season will more than likely be on their roster in 2027. In fact, unless someone is traded, every player in the Mets starting nine is under contract next year except for Bo Bichette.

Bichette has been noncommittal about whether he will opt out of his three-year, $126 million dollar deal, though he has been effusive in his support for new managerAndy Green and -- at the risk of sounding like someone who has spent too much time poring over the Zapruder film -- did not linger for any particularly emotional goodbyes Sunday afternoon.

“It’s going to mean a lot [to have him back in the lineup],” Juan Soto said when asked what it would mean to have Bichette back. “Definitely in the lineup, you want a guy who is like Bo who can drive the ball everywhere on the field, he can drive some guys in. It’s gonna be special. Tough year, first year in New York, but I think it’s going to be better for him the next couple years.”

If Bichette does opt in, the Mets’ projected lineup next season will probably look very much like their projected lineup for much of the last two months. The main difference would likely come on the right side of the infield, where the Mets could easily be comfortable with Jorge Polanco and Jared Young competing for first base at-bats initially, presuming both recover from their season-ending injuries.

A second difference could form at second, which has belonged to Marcus Semien for most of this season. Green made clear Sunday that the veteran must improve on his .214 average and.619 OPS to maintain his hold on it.

“Marcus and I talked at length the other day, and I think the crux of what he shared is that he believes much better baseball is inside of him than what’s come out of him,” Green said. “He wants to hold himself to that level of a standard and understands that has to happen to get the level of consistency he’s gotten from at-bats this year.”

A variety of young players will be in the market for second base at-bats in Semien’s place, including not-so-young Brett Baty, whose late-season surge provided reason to believe he might finally validate the Mets’ years of faith in him. But Baty’s tenure is also emblematic of the Mets’ recent willingness to bet players whose track records have not established them as sure things.

They do not seem willing to make the same mistake with their pitching staff next year. Green made clear Saturday, for example, that Jonah Tong’s hopeful September does not mean he will get innings for the Mets in April.

“Been forthright with him: What does an organization desperately need to win a World Series?” Green said. “You need guys that are six and seven starters that start the year in Triple-A that can come up and dominate. You don’t win a World Series with only five starters.”

Well, if the 2027 Mets are going to feature more than five starters not named Jonah Tong, as was the implication, they are all but certainly going to be shopping for some big-name starters this winter.

Whether they will chase Tarik Skubal with all Steve Cohen’s financial might is currently unclear. But clearly, they are planning for their rotation to look different next season than it did at season’s end.

Since they traded away several top relievers at the deadline, the Mets will probably need help in the bullpen, too. But after the emergence of middle-inning candidates like Kodai Senga and Nate Lavender, plus the planned return of Devin Williams, that unit will probably be somewhat familiar next year, too.

“I think we have everything that we need,” Soto said. “Just got to add a couple pieces in the offseason, and I think it’s going to be even better of a team.”

The obvious question, of course, is whether a team that finished 14 games under .500 should really plan to improve significantly without a major remodel. Perhaps, someday, if everything goes to plan, they will be able to say they spent the 2026 season undergoing just that.

On the final day of the Major League Baseball regular season in 2026 the Cincinnati Reds got to play the heel for a future Hall of Famer, one who may well have thrown his last big league pitch against them. They even made him look like his old self even though that had rarely been seen through his latest injury-plagued year.

Max Scherzer buzzed balls past Cincinnati batters into the 8th inning, fanning 7 in a turn back the clock outing that saw him inch just behind Justin Verlander on the all-time strikeout list. The veteran Toronto Blue Jays righty threw 114 pitches in an era where only he and Verlander still remember starting pitchers doing such things, and Toronto’s offense (5 runs) was more than enough to back him in a 5-1 Blue Jay victory.

It tied a bow on a horribly disappointing season for both clubs, who’ll each miss the playoffs.

For the Reds, they’ll finish in last place in the NL Central with a 75-87 record.

Sal Stewart slumped to the finish line so badly over the last two weeks that a) he didn’t end up leading the league in RBI and b) someone else will likely win the National League Rookie of the Year Award – the latter dinging the Reds future given the draft pick compensation (and bonus pool money) that comes with winning these days.

Elly De La Cruz crossed into the 30-30 threshold just barely, and heads into arbitration on the heels of his best overall season. He’s suddenly going to be incredibly not-cheap anymore, and that paired with dwindling team control and Cincinnati’s frugality means we get our first real taste of how the Reds will attempt to build around a star that’s actually making more than league-minimum.

Hunter Greene effectively missed all of this year, and he’ll effectively – if not definitively – miss all of next year. Don’t let the length of his absence go unmentioned when recapping just how far into the depths this franchise has fallen.

A non-descript, straightforward loss on Sunday is pretty much the most apropo way this season could possibly conclude. This team was bad, not in an epic sense but in a ‘line up with 10 men across from a side with 11 and try to run the ball’ sort of way. They have a couple very talented players but not nearly enough mediocre players, the purely awful among them more than enough to overcompensate for the brilliance of the few.

Their pitching staff at the start of the day was the second-worst by expected ERA. By the time the dust settles and today’s offensive marks are tallied, they might finish with the worst wRC+ offensively (the entered the day at 91, which was in a three-way tie for worst). They ranked among the very worst teams in several defensive statistics, too, meaning this season gets filed as a failure on all three of the most pertinent fronts that exist in this sport.

Still, it appears there’s no overhaul on the horizon. At least, not among those who make the decisions, and the idea that they’d make radical changes to their years-long slow-build project seems outlandish.

This was the Cincinnati Reds. These are the Cincinnati Reds. I’m not sure what more we should have expected.

The first season as a MLB manager for Tony Vitello was filled with "strikes and gutters" he said. In other words, there were good times and bad, ups and downs.

The San Francisco Giants concluded their disappointing season finishing with a 5-1 extra-innings loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, wrapping the season with a 65-97 record. But Vitello went out with frustration.

The Giants skipper was once again ejected from the ballgame in the top of the third inning after arguing a Mookie Betts check swing. It was called a ball, Vitello thought it should've been a strike and he let umpire Ryan Blakney know about it.

He sprang from the dugout immediately as the call went in favor of the Dodgers. As fast as Vitello could get to the field, Blakney was just as quick to kick him out.

In the final game of the year, No. 162, Vitello was handed his seventh ejection of the season, a league-high.

KRUK AND KUIP: Baseball's legendary Bay Area duo makes final call for Giants

Vitello isn't satisfied with the result of the regular season, he said.

"I think improvement is needed. There's a lot of information," Vitello said. "Information is power. You got to take it and you got to make it useful."

Year 1 is in the books. It's all a part of the growth process for San Francisco.

John Healy saw Ted Williams play left field at Fenway Park in the 1950s. He watched his beloved ‘Sawx’ end the Curse of the Bambino in 2004. But on Sunday, Sept. 27, he watched something he never could have imagined he would see.

Sunday morning, Healy got up early and drove the two hours from Ft. Myers to St. Petersburg and watched the Red Sox play Game 162 from an aisle seat five or six rows behind the dugout at Tropicana Field. He paid $32.

"It can't be any more fun than this," Healy said.

The game was supposed to be played Saturday night at Fenway. A nor'easter weather pattern heading for New England changed that, and Major League Baseball moved the game to St. Petersburg. It was the first time the Red Sox played a home game anywhere but Fenway since the 2019 London Series. The Cubs have been through this before, back in 2008, when Hurricane Ike pushed two games of their series in Houston to Milwaukee’s Miller Park.

 The Red Sox were still the home team. They just dressed in the visitors' clubhouse and used the visitors’ dugout that they are used to as the Rays division rival.

"I'm sure Tampa maybe doesn't want us in their locker room," Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said with a laugh.

Tracy said the Red Sox knew early last week this could happen. They'd made their peace with it. It still felt off."It's still strange," he said. "You're at the Trop. You're the home team."

The Rays' clubhouse staff had some fun with it.

They turned the Rays’ digital clubhouse sign into a welcome sign for the Cubs that featured the team logo and Wrigley Field ivy. The note on it read, "Hope you enjoy your short stay at Tropicana Field." The video scoreboard, new this season, was Fenway green and showed the score in the old-school fashion of the iconic Boston ballpark. The scoreboard played the traditional “Coming to America,” “Tessie,” and “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of the eighth for Red Sox fans.

Still, nothing was normal about this Game 162.The Cubs and Red Sox team planes landed in Florida early Saturday morning. For the Cubs, who face a cross-country flight to San Diego for the wild card round, it was “not great,” said right fielder Michael Conforto, “but what can you do?”

He had packed for this road trip his fall clothes for Boston and a potential wild card game in Philadelphia or San Diego. The Cubs didn’t pack for the beach, so the unexpected off-day on Saturday was spent resting at the hotel.

While the players rested, Rays head clubhouse manager Tyler Wall was supposed to be in Philadelphia with his team over the weekend. When word started spreading that the game might land at the Trop, he asked his staff if anyone had plans. Then he flew home before the Rays played Friday to get the place ready.

They cleared out every locker. Everything the Rays players left behind went into boxes or racks.

"The biggest part of it was honestly flipping our clubhouse, emptying it out, just to make it a blank slate," Wall said.The Cubs brought their home clubhouse guys and a bat boy. Their truck backed in around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. The Rays' crew was still unpacking it close to 5.

"The Cubs would have done this for us. The Red Sox would have done this for us," Wall said. "So we're happy to help."

Before the 3:05 p.m. first pitch, the Rays clubbies and Cubs clubbies posed for a “team picture” together out on the field to mark the occasion.

Despite being eliminated from postseason contention weeks ago, the Los Angeles Angels did have something to play for down the final stretch of the regular season.

The Angels, one of the worst franchises in the big leagues over the last 15 years, somehow were the only team in MLB history to never lose 100 games in a season. They fought admirably to avoid that fate, but their 7-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners in their final game of 2026 ultimately sealed it.

But looking ahead to the offseason, there's a real sense that brighter days are ahead in Anaheim.