Category: MLB

NEW YORK — Remarkable what two playoff games can expose.

In this blink-and-you-missed-it American League wild-card series that pitted the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees against each other for the second consecutive year, the Yankees’ pair of victories – 9-0 in Game 1 and 9-2 in Game 2 Wednesday, Sept. 30 – illuminated the significant gulf between the 93-win Yankees and 87-win Red Sox.

That was obvious enough when the home team shut out the visitors for the first 14 innings of the series.

Yet for the Red Sox, these two games felt heavier, that they weren’t actually right there with the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, the East trio looking down on the flailing plebes dotting the rest of the AL.

More: MLB should be terrified of Yankees without Aaron Judge

No, after the Red Sox mismanaged and meekly hit their way out of Yankee Stadium and into a winter of indeterminate length, a deeper question must be pondered:

Was their feel-good, improbable summer of winning simply a mirage?

Now, they certainly weren’t as bad as the 10-17 club that got World Series-winning manager Alex Cora fired in April. And absolutely not as good as the guys who went 26-5 across June and July and posted a 15-game winning streak as they went from the cellar to firmly in control of the second AL wild card.

But the questions they have going into a likely lockout-extended winter are many, and significant.

Can Roman Anthony stay healthy?

The hitting prodigy they signed to a $130 million extension just weeks into his career aggravated and worsened a hand sprain that affects his wrist, as well. He played in just 56 games this season.

Is there anywhere close to enough offense in this organization?

Red Sox club president Craig Breslow bemoaned the many injuries bedeviling his club late in the year as he broke down Anthony’s hand/wrist issue Wednesday. Yet Triston Casas, Anthony, Mickey Gasper and Eli White likely would not have made a material difference in this series.

Kind of like sot spots in their lineup manned by Nick Sogard, Nate Eaton and Jahmai Jones in Game 2, along with their feast-or-famine third baseman, Caleb Durbin.

Is Tracy championship-caliber as a dugout leader?

The amount of unforced errors he made were staggering for just a two-game series. Hooking lefty Payton Tolle after 4 1/3 innings and veteran right-hander Sonny Gray after 4 ⅔ were the type of overanalyzed, front-office driven game calls that are a pox on the game.

Believe it – there were plenty of first-guesses on these calls before Erik Miller gave up the crucial Ben Rice Game 1 home run, and then almost exactly by Cody Bellinger’s crucial RBI single in Game 2 – both hits extending Yankee leads from 1-0 to 2-0 in taut pitching duels.

The veterans in the clubhouse were not pleased.

“I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order for a third time. I think that’s a fact,” says Gray, who won 18 games for Boston and worked six or more innings in 22 of his 29 starts.

“I would’ve liked to live or die with me in that moment. I felt strong, confident.”

Nope, 4 2/3 innings was enough for him on this night, with Tracy explaining that because the Red Sox didn’t have a comfortable lead, “you feel like you’ve got to be aggressive and go.”

To Erik Miller?

First baseman Willson Contreras, a longtime catcher, made a “zip-my-lip” gesture when asked about some of the maneuvers. Yet he said plenty.

“It’s not enough when you have talent, or data, or computers telling you what to do. This is baseball,” Contreras told reporters. “The data is here to help us.

“But you need experience and to bet on your guys to win games.”

Instead, Tracy and the staff that helped him game prep put all their chips on Miller two nights in a row. And inserted recovering ace Garrett Crochet into the sixth inning after that – and he looked like he hadn’t pitched since April 25, which he hadn’t.

No outs, four earned runs, 8-1, go home.

Heck, Boston’s top set-up man , Garrett Whitlock, didn’t even appear in the series until they were seven runs down in an elimination game. The definition of poor managing.  

That said, Tracy deserves a fair amount of slack. Almost every rookie playoff manager – from Dave Roberts to A.J. Hinch to Aaron Boone – gets schooled in their postseason baptism. Tracy can get better, and October gaffes don’t cancel out the respect gleaned as Tracy earned the permanent manager tag.

The grander question remains what the organization will look like under Breslow, who on the same day as Tracy was anointed permanent manager had his contract options picked up through 2030. It was a vindicating moment for Breslow, who took significant heat for firing Cora in April.

The Hot Sox Summer put those memories in the rear view. Yet the offensive deficiencies resulting from Alex Bregman’s departure surfaced at the worst possible time.

How will Breslow navigate roster-building in the post-lockout landscape? How many coaches who came with Tracy in the April staff blowout will be retained, and who will decide on staff composition?

Will playoff games be lost because of the type of tortured, seemingly overanalyzed decisions that took the team’s fate out of the hands of Tolle and Gray and into Miller’s?

No, there’s plenty of potential pitfalls for a club that hasn’t won its division since 2018.  

Perhaps this season truly was a steppingstone. Yet as they cleared out of Yankee Stadium, there was an unsettling feeling that a summer hot streak was as good as it gets for the Red Sox.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Was Red Sox summer of love a mirage? Yankees beatdown exposes Boston | Opinion

Thanks to a pair of emphaticvictories over the rival Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Series, the Yankees punched their ticket to their eighth Division Series in the past decade. The parameters of how to get to the ALDS have evolved some since that streak began in 2017 (when they won a memorable one-game playoff against the Twins), but the Yankees have found their way there more often than not.

This will be the Yankees’ third consecutive ALDS trip. In 2024, they had the first-round bye, and though there were some nervous moments, they ultimately handled the upstart Royals in four games before eventually falling to the Dodgers in the World Series. Last year, they were shunted to the Wild Card Series and had to win twice against Boston before they could face the upstart Blue Jays, who narrowly beat them out for the AL East crown. That put them on the back foot, and most of the team didn’t play particularly well in a four-game loss.

The story for 2026 is quite similar to the one for 2025, as the Yankees were again the preseason favorites for the AL East, only for the surprising Rays to usurp them for the division and force them to fend off the Red Sox to survive the Wild Card round. Well now we’re here, and though the Yankees have to cut through that path to make it back to the Fall Classic, the opportunity is there for the taking.

This is just the second time that the Yankees and Rays have ever squared off in October, with the only other occasion being an ALDS loss in 2020 that saw all five games played at empty Petco Park in San Diego due to COVID restrictions. Since fans will actually be at these games—including the Yankees’ first official postseason trip to Tropicana Field—this will be a much more representative series.

It seems likely that the planned Game 3 starters for the Wild Card Series, Gerrit Cole, will get the ball in the ALDS opener at the Trop on Saturday against the Rays’ ace, righty Drew Rasmussen. The Yankees’ own No. 1, Cam Schlittler, will be able to come back on normal rest for Game 2. Beyond that, including captain Aaron Judge’s possible availability? Stay tuned.

We’ll have more on this ALDS battle in the coming days, but here’s what we know about the tune-in info for the best-of-five as of late on September 30th.

How to watch Yankees vs. Rays in ALDS

Game 1

Date: Saturday, October 3
First Pitch: 6:30 p.m. EST
Channel: TBS/truTV
Streaming: HBO Max
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Game 2

Date: Monday, October 5
First Pitch: 8 p.m. EST
Channel: TBS/truTV
Streaming: HBO Max
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Game 3

Date: Wednesday, October 7
First Pitch:not yet announced
Channel: TBS/truTV
Streaming: HBO Max
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Game 4*

Date: Thursday, October 8
First Pitch:not yet announced
Channel: TBS/truTV
Streaming: HBO Max
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Game 5*

Date: Saturday, October 10
First Pitch:not yet announced
Channel: TBS/truTV
Streaming: HBO Max
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

*if necessary

NEW YORK — Aaron Judge always has the best vantage in any room, one of many perks that standing 6 feet, 7 inches affords a man. And as Wednesday turned to Thursday and September gave way to October, he could be found near the back of the New York Yankees’ clubhouse, watching the champagne shoot and the beer fly in the room before him.

The New York Yankees celebrated this conquest – a two-game sweep of the rival Boston Red Sox in their American League wild-card series, capped by a 9-2 Game 2 rout – in the usual fashion, albeit a bit abbreviated. The lights came on before midnight, halting the party and reminding them there’s a plane to catch and an AL Division Series matchup with the division champion Tampa Bay Rays on deck.

Beyond surviving and advancing, though, there was something grander to celebrate: The Yankees played a postseason game without Judge for the first time since 2015 – and not only did they move on, they flourished.

Judge, their three-time AL MVP, sat out from June through mid-September this year due to a rib fracture. The Yankees won 93 games, anyway.

Judge suffered a calf strain in the final week of the season and, through gnashed teeth, sat out this wild-card series as his comeback attempt fell just short.

More: Bellinger caught first pitch from his dad then sent Yankees to ALDS

The Yankees put on a punishing display of all-around excellent baseball without him, crushing the Red Sox by an aggregate 18-2 score over the two games and certainly making the Rays sit up in their easy chair and take notice.

Until ALDS Game 1 Saturday at Tropicana Field, the Yankees, their fans and the news media will engage in two more days of will-he-or-won’t-he, right up until ALDS rosters are released. Even with a little liquid courage – most of it worn on the skin rather than down the gullet – Judge stopped well short of predicting his availability.

“I’ll be ready,” he said, “as fast as I can.”

Judge loves to play coy, though he’s not nearly as good as it as he probably believes. Yet he could not suppress his satisfaction at the manner in which “his boys,” if you will, fileted the Red Sox:

Starting pitchers Cam Schlitter and Max Fried combined to give up one run in 12 1/3 innings, and their staff held the Red Sox scoreless the first 14 innings of the series.

Shortstop George Lombard Jr. had four hits in the two games, the first Yankee since, yes, Derek Jeter to record four hits in his first two playoff games.

Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice, the lineup bulwarks in a Judge-less Yankee universe, combined for three home runs and 10 RBIs; each had crucial fifth-inning hits on consecutive nights to turn a 1-0 Yankee lead to 2-0, only to follow with back-breaking bombs later.

And the Yankees ran wild in Game 2, stealing four bases, Spencer Jones keying a six-run sixth inning by lumbering down to first after striking out on a passed ball. They laid down  bunts for base hits, guided line drives into the outfield rather than swinging wildly for the fences and strafed the Red Sox bullpen.

At 34, Judge is more than a decade older than some of his teammates. And sitting out this series gave him the chance to contextualize what he saw, a 10,000-foot view that looked downright picturesque.

“It’s incredible to see the resilience out of those kids,” says Judge. “It doesn’t matter the situation. Guys are stepping into bigger roles and accepting it and owning the moment.

“We all talked about it before this series started: The teams that play the cleanest baseball are going to be the ones who win these series and move on. That was our main goal. If we could clean up our bunting stuff, our baserunning stuff, our defense, moving guys over.

“These two games here, guys came up with some big hits for us. Guys got put in some tough situations and prevailed. I think we’re just going to really lean on those situations and take it into a tough opponent in Tampa.”

Wanna talk about a contrast? How about the way the Yankees went out in 2024, getting punked by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a five-game World Series defeat, losing Game 5 when Judge dropped a fly ball, a gaffe he said would “stay with me until I die.”

Well, the tables have turned.

These Yankees played excellent baseball, a byproduct of a deep roster that can morph into whatever manager Aaron Boone needs it to be.

Consider that in that 2024 Series, the left side of the infield was Anthony Volpe at shortstop and Jazz Chisholm at third, a combo that combined for a key error in that decisive Dodgers rally.

In 2026? They are a second-base platoon, Volpe yielding to Lombard and remaking himself into a utilityman after a humbling stint in the minors.

In Game 2, Chisholm got the start as Boone rolled out a lineup with eight left-handed hitters. It is what they can do with a roster this deep and Boone is pushing all the right buttons even in the face of significant injuries.

“It’s taken all of us, in that regard, to overcome the challenges. We’ve found a way to thrive with a hand behind our back and (Boone) is a big part of it,” says former Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole, who will start Game 1 of the ALDS. “Brian Cashman is a big part of that, too. You’ve got to go out and buy the tools.

“The roster looks really good at this point. We’re very competitive and we have a lot of different ways we can beat you.”

Aaron Judge injury prompted change

That wasn’t the case in 2023, when the season went south after Judge suffered a significant toe injury and was limited to 106 games. The Yankees went 82-80 and stayed home for the playoffs.

“Aaron has been hurt for a good portion of the year,” says Cole, “and we still figured out a way to play good baseball. I think we’ve learned some things from it.”

And gained some talent from it. Judge’s injury prompted Cashman to acquire outfielder Heliot Ramos and infielder Luis Garcia Jr. at the trade deadline. Garcia ripped a fourth-inning homer in Game 2 to break a scoreless tie. He had three hits, and is perhaps best emblematic of the club’s depth that Cole can only laugh when he notes they have three first basemen – Rice, Garcia and Paul Goldschmidt – somehow on a 26-man roster.

“It’s a great spot to be here, in this moment,” says Garcia, who had not played in the postseason until this series.

Even better if No. 99 is around for the next one. Judge had been largely invisible this week, opting not to get introduced on the baseline before Game 1. Yet he let himself get drilled with booze along with his teammates, even if he did not tangibly contribute.

“I’m wearing a Yankees uniform. I’ve got NY on my chest,” says Judge. “When the Yankees win, we all win. Doesn’t matter if you played, didn’t play, got the game-winning hit, pitched a shutout.

“We’re all wearing NY and we’re all celebrating together.”

And perhaps Judge will be playing with his boys come Saturday. If not, well, October is a long month. And the view from Yankee Stadium only looks better and better.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB should be terrified of Yankees as Aaron Judge gets ready 'fast as I can'

Luis Garcia Jr. was not a perfect fit for the Yankees when they traded for him. 

They needed an offensive catcher and relievers, and maybe a guy who could hit more than the people they had playing third, depending on one’s perspective. But a lefty-hitting first baseman with defensive limitations? They already had a few of those. 

And yet, with a Division Series bid at stake against their most ancient rivals, Garcia delivered a resounding fourth-inning homer that broke a scoreless tie -- exactly what the Yankees needed. He finished with a three-hit night. 

“My mom has a good saying. She’s always telling me never stop dreaming,” Garcia said through an interpreter before the game. “…Having this opportunity to be here, being able to go out there and be part of the playoffs, go out and represent the Yankees, it feels great. And just hoping that I'm able to go out there and do the little things that can help us keep winning.”

Luis Garcia Jr. home run! 1-0 Yankees lead!! pic.twitter.com/m33ErQtpLW

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 1, 2026

When the Yankees weighed options at the deadline, they had a perfectly functional first base situation that centered around Ben Rice and made room for Paul Goldschmidt against tough lefties. With Giancarlo Stanton on the way back from injury, they did not plan to have at-bats to spare at designated hitter, so they looked ill-equipped to navigate a logjam.

But Garcia was the best bat available -- at least of those players who were actually traded -- so they added him to a lineup that sometimes resembled a revolving door, but sometimes would need to revolve around him.

Garcia seemed to adjust to New York quickly. He was born here and grew up a Yankees fan, so playing at Yankee Stadium was aspirational, not intimidating. The 26-year-old isn’t the type to stress much anyway. His demeanor is as easy as his swing and just as level. He hit .290 with an .842 OPS in August. He did not look overwhelmed.

Then, just as the Yankees began their final push for the postseason, Garcia stumbled into a vexing slump. He hit .105 with a .255 OPS and no extra-base hits in their last 10 games. The contact savant struck out 11 times in 38 at-bats. He pinch-hit in Game 1, his first career postseason at-bat, and grounded into a double play.

Aaron Boone chose to hit him third in Game 2 of his first ever playoff start anyway. And with the game still scoreless in the fourth, he clicked. He pulled a homer to right center that gave the Yankees the lead before singling twice more – once to left, once to right, a perfect display of the evolution that has turned him into a crucial piece of a World Series contender.

In the early years after the Nationals signed him, Garcia earned comparisons to Juan Soto, not necessarily because of his style, but because of his talent. Then, as now, Garcia had incredible bat-to-ball ability -- a smooth flick of the wrists he designed to mirror Robinson Cano and succeeded.

But through parts of six major league seasons, some of which Nationals officials later admitted probably came before he was ready, as they filled needs instead of prioritizing development, Garcia never quite emerged as the star he seemed capable of being. He hit for a high average as a Nationals regular over the last three seasons, but he settled for hitting pitches because he could get his bat on them instead of prioritizing clobbering.

That changed this year when an overhauled Nationals coaching staff and front office encouraged him to choose more pitches he could drive while also helping him use his lower half to move the bat instead of just relying on his hands.

“I think the biggest difference has to be using my back leg in a better way to help me generate more bat speed. Previously, since I think I was able to use my hands, the quickness of my hands and rely on that more,” Garcia said through an interpreter. “But I worked really hard on incorporating my lower part of the body, especially my back leg, and I think that's what helped me get to where I am today.”

Garcia’s average bat speed jumped dramatically, from 72.4 miles per hour in 2025 to 74.3 miles per hour in 2026 – a jump that moved him from the 98th fastest in baseball into the top 50. He started pulling the ball in the air far more than he ever had before, and damage followed: Garcia’s .831 OPS was the highest of his career by more than 50 points.

“Part of his success this year is he’s a more mature player today,” said Amed Rosario, who played with Garcia in Washington in 2025. “He’s made adjustments over the years, and it’s showing. The talent is there, but I think that’s why he’s having such a great season.”

Rosario said he tried to help ease Garcia’s transition to the Yankees -- one Garcia admitted he was anxious about in the hours after being traded.

“All the teammates that you're leaving behind, all the relationships you've built over the years, you're leaving behind and you're starting from zero,” he said. So coming in, you feel a little afraid, if you will, that you have to do that over again. But I can tell you that from the moment that I walked into the clubhouse, that went away, that fear went away very quickly because the guys make me feel as part of this team immediately.”

Now, Garcia looks at home in New York, where he is surrounded by family so much that he said recently it reminds him of being in the Dominican Republic.

“The energy we have in this team, the fans, the clubhouse, everything that is part of this team, it’s a great spot to be here at this moment,” Garcia Jr. said after the game.

As his interpreter shared his answer, Rosario and a handful of teammates interrupted. It was time to shower the newest Yankees hero in Budweiser and champagne.

As the only Major League Baseball wild card series that didn't end in a sweep, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies will play their winner-take-all Game 3 in primetime on Thursday, Oct. 1.

The NL East rivals had played the opening game (2 p.m. ET) of MLB's quadruple-header on Tuesday and Wednesday – and were penciled in for the same in Game 3 – but the other three series wrapping up in two pushed the lone game back to 8 p.m. ET.

Atlanta won the opener at Truist Park, rallying on Austin Riley's clutch three-run homer in the eighth inning, but Philadelphia survived Game 2 with its own late heroics, getting back-to-back home runs from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the eighth inning to tie it up. Alec Bohm's solo home run in the top of the 10th gave the Phillies the win, forcing the decider in Georgia.

The winner of the Braves-Phillies series will head to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers in the best-of-five NL Division Series, which begins on Saturday, Oct. 3.

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: Where to watch Phillies vs Braves game today: Time, schedule and TV channel

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It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. But it’s over.

The Cubs lost Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series 4-1 to the San Diego Padres. The Friars advance to the Division Series and eliminate the Cubs, 2 games to 0.

The Cubs came out just as mildly as they did in Game 1 with the team going down in order, striking out twice, in the first inning. Cubs starter Kevin Gausman, pitching with an injured left, non-throwing shoulder, got off to a better start than Matthew Boyd the game before, retiring the Padres in order in the first.

The problems started in the second inning for Gausman, who allowed a leadoff double to Ty France down the left field line. Next up, Jackson Merrill hit a slow roller to shortstop Dansby Swanson who had no choice but to eat the ball, putting runners on first and third and no outs. After Merrill stole second, Xander Bogaerts singled to right field to make it 1-0. Next up, a sac fly by rookie catcher made it 2-0. Gausman then got a pair of ground out to stop the bleeding, but with the Cubs offense stuck in park, 2-0 seemed like a tall mountain to climb.

But the Cubs did have chances. Matt Shaw walked and Carson Kelly singled to lead off the third inning to put runners on first and second with no outs. But Dansby Swanson struck out, Pete Crow-Armstrong popped up and Alex Bregman flew out to end that rally before it even got started.

The Cubs would finally break through, sort of, in the fourth inning. After Michael Busch flew out to start the inning, three straight baserunners would reach for the Cubs, leading to their first run of the series. Seiya Suzuki singled, Ian Happ walked and then Nico Hoerner singled home Suzuki.

At that point, Padres manager Craig Stammen pulled Pivetta in favor of Bradgley Rodriguez. He shut down the Cubs and they could not push the tying run across the plate, even after Kelly was hit to load the bases with two outs.

But the Padres struck back in the bottom of the fourth. After Bogaerts doubled with one out, manager Craig Counsell went to the bullpen and Daniel Palencia. Palencia struck out Salas, but then pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets crushed one 394 feet deep into the right field bleachers to make it 4-1. Honestly, it wasn’t a bad pitch. Palencia threw Sheets a 101 mile per hour fastball low and inside. But Sheets was ready for it and clobbered it.

Against the strong Padres bullpen, that was all they needed.  After Rodriguez, the Padres got one inning out of Jason Adam, two out of Adrian Morejon and one out of Mason Miller. Miller struck out Ian Happ and then gave up a double to Nico Hoerner, But Miller struck out pinch-hitter Michael Conforto and got Carson Kelly to ground out to short to end the game and the Cubs’ season.

It’s not hard to see what went wrong for the Cubs in this series. The team didn’t hit. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman and Michael Busch went a combined 0 for 20 with a walk. After three hits on Tuesday, the team only managed five hits tonight and the first extra base hit didn’t come until Hoerner’s double in the 9th. Of the Cubs eight hits in this series, Nico Hoerner had four of them.

That ends the Cubs 2026 season. Here’s to 2027 being better. Or even 2027 actually happening.

Al will have a full recap and/or post mortem with video at 8 am Central tomorrow.

Now that the Yankees are heading to the American League Division Series to take on the Tampa Bay Rays, the next question is: who will start Game 1?

Cam Schlittler took the mound in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series and is expected to be called upon to start Game 2 against their AL East rivals, so it makes sense for Gerrit Cole -- who was going to start WC Game 3, if it went that far -- to be the starter. However, the team isn't going to divulge that information just yet.

"We'll talk about that," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the Game 1 starter. "Obviously, Gerrit's lined up for that. Carlos [Rodon] is very much in play for that. We have a ton of confidence in both guys. I think they're both throwing the ball really well. That will be what we do here these next couple of days as we get ready It's possible. It's definitely possible. Again, it's a long ways away."

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake told the media, including The Athletic's Chris Kirschner, after Game 2's win that a decision on the Game 1 starter has yet to be made and reiterated what Boone said -- it'll either be Cole or Rodon.

The ALDS starts this Saturday, so a decision will be made really soon. But who is better suited to start the pivotal first game of the series?

Cole's last start came against the Rays back on Sept. 23, a week after the Yankees' Wild Card Series clinching win. In that start, he struck out eight batters and allowed two runs on three hits and three walks across 5.2 innings. 

His last postseason start came in the now-infamous Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Dodgers. He pitched 6.2 innings, but allowed five unearned runs. His career postseason ERA sits at 2.77 across 22 starts.

"[Expecting] some good baseball. Just excited," Cole told SNY's Nikki Lattarulo of what he expects from the next series after Game 2. "I haven’t pitched in a while. Looking forward to getting back out there."

Despite being down for about 10 days before his potential Game 1 start, Cole didn't say whether it's difficult being down that long, but is looking forward to when he pitches.

"It’s the postseason, man. There’s no expectations," he said. "You play when you’re told to play and that’s a beautiful thing." 

Whether it's Cole or Rodon, the Yankees are confident in whoever toes the slab for them. It's been that way all season as they led all of MLB with a 3.24 team ERA. 

"There's no question I feel great about those guys, obviously. That's been the biggest strength for us throughout the year," Boone said of his rotation. "It sustained us. It got us through some difficult times. And I feel like they're all in a good place right now. That's one of the ways we're going to have to do it, obviously leaning on the strength of those guys. But I like where they're at."

"Stick to our evaluation process and what we do, and our preparation," Cole said of how the team can keep their momentum. "We played well, but we’ll look back, see what we could have done better and get ready for the next series."

The best-of-five series with the Rays begins Saturday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.  

Scouting ballplayers can be a grueling, inexact science and, as Damon Oppenheimer knows, “there’s times when we look dumb as hell.”

But Oppenheimer, the Yankees’ director of amateur scouting, and the rest of the folks who work in scouting and player development for the club had a moment in the AL Wild Card Series sweep of the Red Sox. The series was a showcase for homegrown Yanks, even with one of the best drafted-and-developed Yankees ever -- Aaron Judge -- missing because of a calf injury.

“The players are the ones who make us look smart, right?” Oppenheimer said. “We’ve got a great group that’s giving us a chance to look smart now.” 

Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice, both mid-round picks from Massachusetts, were the stars of Game 1. But other drafted and developed kids had impactful roles in the series, too. Six homegrown Yanks, including Schlittler, started Game 1; four started in Game 2. If Judge were playing, each number would be higher. 

So might these: The five homegrown position players who started in either or both games -- Rice, Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr., Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe -- combined to go 15-for-34 in the series (.441) with 11 runs scored and 11 RBI. 

The Yankees are often thought of solely as big-money, big-game hunters who target the brand-name mercenaries hitting the free agent market every winter. Sure, they’ve got those on the roster -- Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, Cody Bellinger, etc. -- and they have baseball’s third-highest payroll overall. They’re not afraid to write a check to fill a need.

But the club is churning out contributors via their farm system, too. And that’s without having a top-10 pick since they selected a shortstop named Derek Jeter back in 1992. Since then, in fact, they’ve had just five first-round picks as high as the teens. 

Coming up together and contributing is, as Rice put it, “super fun. All of us came up with one another in a way. There was some overlap. Maybe a couple guys were ahead of others. But now we're all here in the big leagues. And it's been so cool seeing each guy have success and carve out their own role."

“Definitely a tight-knit group and we take pride in that.”

Schlittler, who dazzled with 6.1 shutout innings and 10 strikeouts in Game 1, was the fourth pitcher drafted and signed by the Yankees to start the opener of a postseason series for the team, joining Andy Pettitte (five times), Ron Guidry (three times) and Jim Beattie (once). 

Rice went 4-for-5 in Game 1 with a solo homer and a grand slam, driving in six runs overall. He’s the fifth player in club history with six RBI in a postseason game. He and Schlittler had the two loudest performances of what Aaron Boone called “one of those really special nights at Yankee Stadium.”

Lombard Jr., the 21-year-old former first-round pick who took over shortstop late in the season, became the second-youngest Yankee to make his postseason debut (a 19-year-old Mickey Mantle was the youngest). Lombard was only the fifth Yankee ever to have three hits in his first postseason game and he’s the first Yankee since Jeter in 1996 to total four hits over his first two playoff games. 

And there’s more: Jones reached twice in his playoff debut in Game 1. In Game 2, he was an unlikely catalyst for a six-run sixth inning that wrecked the Red Sox. Jones struck out, but reached first on a dropped third strike. Jones, who is 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, is incredibly fast for such a big fella. Then he stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error and later scored. 

“That was just really impressive,” Bellinger said of Jones’ heady dash. “And, you know, it lit a fire in our dugout for sure.” 

“I couldn’t believe he was there,” added Boone. “I saw the ball squirt away a little bit, didn’t think that much of it, looked up and I was like, ‘Oh – he’s safe.’” 

Volpe, a player who perhaps has elicited as much fan handwringing as anyone in pinstripes, ever, did not play in Game 2, but he’s reached base in 18 of his 22 career games in the postseason, including Game 1. Before Rice, he was the last Yankee to hit a grand slam in the postseason, in the 2024 World Series. 

Wells, who had flopped against lefties this season, knocked in the first run of the series against southpaw Payton Tolle. He was 3-for-6 overall with two runs and four RBI and has a 1.136 OPS over his last 14 postseason games. 

“All the kids that the scouts saw and then our player development guys finished off,” Oppenheimer said. “It’s fun.” 

Oppenheimer said his phone was buzzing during Game 1: Texts from folks who work for the team or elsewhere in the industry, noting how many draft picks were soaring, especially Rice and Schlittler. “You get a lot of people reaching out to you and congratulating you,” Oppenheimer said. 

Afterward, when talking to the players, he heard it again. Schlittler, for instance, was talking up Matt Hyde, the scout responsible for Schlittler, Rice and Volpe. After Game 1, “Cam is telling me, ‘Matty Hyde’s the GOAT,’” Oppenheimer said. 

“I mean, that doesn’t happen. That’s not normal, that a guy’s made that kind of an impact on that kind of a player. So it’s really fun.” 

Schlittler even name-checked Hyde during his postgame news conference during his answer on him and Rice being proud of their status as “mid-round guys.” 

“Yeah, we love it,” Schlittler said. “We have a lot of conversations with Matty Hyde and I know he’s proud of us. And we wouldn’t be here without him.”

“He’s done a hell of a job for us, as have other guys that all took a part in these guys, too,” Oppenheimer said. “It’s quite a story.”

The whole series was a “watershed” moment for Yankees scouts, Oppenheimer said.

“The guys (scouts) work for this stuff for years and years and it’s just what culminates with the relationships that they’ve all built with these guys and maintained with them through their whole minor-league career,” he added.

“It’s about the players and that’s what scouts will always tell you. But our guys are obviously very excited and very happy and they feel satisfaction, sure.” 

The San Diego Padres took care of business in the wild card round, finishing off a sweep of the Chicago Cubs with their 4-1 win in Game 2 at Petco Park on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado powered the Padres to a blowout win in Game 1 on Tuesday. Their bats cooled off in Game 2 (they went 1-for-8 collectively), but the Padres found offense elsewhere and the bullpen put in a strong performance to finish off the sweep.

Now comes October, in a literal sense.

Here's everything you need to know about the Padres' NLDS opponent, the Milwaukee Brewers:

Who will the Padres play in the NLDS?

The path for San Diego only gets tougher from this point on as it's now set for a meeting with Milwaukee, the National League's No. 1 seed, in a best-of-five NLDS series. The Brewers finished the regular season with the best record in baseball – 103-59 – for the second consecutive year, surpassing 100 wins for the first time in franchise history.

Jacob Misiorowski will almost certainly get the ball in Game 1. The 24-year-old Cy Young front-runner represents the toughest test for the Padres' scorching bats. His 252 strikeouts this season led the big leagues, and he carries a ridiculous 0.80 WHIP into the postseason. Logan Henderson is lined up behind him for Game 2, but the Brewers rotation gets murkier from there. Dustin May slumped down the final stretch, and Kyle Harrison struggled with a dip in his velocity, but he rebounded nicely in his final three starts.

The Brewers won't slug their way to wins, but their lineup thrives on stringing hits together and sustaining rallies. Whether that can be a winning strategy in the postseason remains to be seen, but it was enough to get them in this position in the first place.

Stream NLDS games on Fubo

Padres vs Brewers NLDS schedule

The National League Division Series between the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers starts with Game 1 on Saturday, Oct. 3. Here's the full schedule for the best-of-five series. All times ET.

NOTE: All NLDS games will air on Fox or FS1 and can be streamed on Fubo.

• Game 1, Saturday, Oct. 3: Padres at Brewers, 8:30 p.m.
• Game 2, Sunday, Oct. 4: Padres at Brewers, Sunday, 4 p.m.
• Game 3, Tuesday, Oct. 6: Brewers at Padres, Time TBD
• Game 4, Wednesday, Oct. 7: Brewers at Padres, Time TBD (if necessary)
• Game 5, Friday, Oct 9: Padres at Brewers, Time TBD (if necessary)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who do the Padres play next in MLB playoffs? Why San Diego faces ultimate test in NLDS

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The San Diego Padres closed out their wild card series with a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night, completing a two-game sweep. That means the Padres will play the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series. It also clarifies the start time for the Dodgers NLDS Game 1 on Saturday, now a 1 p.m. PT start time at Dodger Stadium, televised by Fox.

The Dodgers in the NLDS will play the winner of Thursday’s wild card Game 3 between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park in Atlanta. That game will be played at 5 p.m. PT on Thursday, televised by NBC and streamed by Peacock.

Weather forecasts call for temperatures mostly in the high 90s in and around Los Angeles on Saturday, with a high of 101 degrees at Elysian Park. The only postseason game at Dodger Stadium on record with a start-time temperature in triple digits was Game 1 of the 2017 World Series, at 103 degrees.

Major League Baseball on Tuesday announced the start time scenarios for the first three days of the Division Series, accounting for the first two games in each NL and American League series. The Padres and Brewers will play Game 1 on Saturday in Milwaukee at 5:30 p.m. PT on FS1, with the Dodgers opening at 1 p.m. in Los Angeles.

Had the Cubs advanced over San Diego, Cubs-Brewers would have been the 1 p.m. PT game on Saturday with the Dodgers playing at 6 p.m.

Game 2 for the Dodgers is at 5 p.m. PT on Sunday night, televised by FS1.

The rest of the start times for the Division Series have not yet been announced.

Game	Date	Location	Time (PT)	TV
1	Sat, Oct 3	Dodger Stadium	1 p.m.	Fox
2	Sun, Oct 4	Dodger Stadium	5 p.m.	FS1
3	Tue, Oct 6	Atlanta/Philadelphia	TBA	Fox or FS1
4*	Wed, Oct 7	Atlanta/Philadelphia	TBA	Fox or FS1
5*	Fri, Oct 9	Dodger Stadium	TBA	Fox or FS1

How ya feeling?

Preston Salisbury: Unsurprised and also disappointed. The best this team has will never be good enough. That’s unbelievably frustrating.

samath: The Diamondbacks’ Game 162 was scheduled for 3am here in Singapore. I wasn’t planning on waking up for it, but when I did wake up naturally at 5am, I couldn’t fall back asleep as I wondered what had transpired. I turned on my computer in time to watch the top of the 9th in Philadelphia and then the rest of the Diamondbacks’ last game of the season.

It’s now 6am and while those were both disappointing results, I’m glad I managed to see them live with you all, something I haven’t had the privilege to do too much this year. Feeling a sense of finality with it all. And exhaustion — I’m going back to bed after writing this.

Spencer: Fine. I projected 79 wins on the year. So I’m just pleased the team over performed.

James Attwood: Frustrated and somewhat disappointed. But, they took the season all the way to Game 162, which greatly exceeds the expectations I had for this team, given the injury concerns and the payroll issues.

Makakilo: Unhappy. My definition of success is black and white: Did the Diamondbacks reach the playoffs? Perhaps, missing on the last day fo the season feels worse than missing by a mile.

1AZfan1: Wish I was getting ready to watch the Diamondbacks in the playoffs, so a little disappointed.

Ben: Disappointed. Frustrated by my disappointment. This is the third straight season they’ve missed the postseason by an agonizing margin and it feels a little like we as fans are the proverbial Charlie Brown with the postseason as the football and the rest of the league acting as Lucy.

ISH95: Disappointed. A little numb. I drank the Koolaid a lot this season, for some reason, and really thought they had a shot, but ultimately, the deficiencies we knew they had at the beginning of the season turned out to be true.

The Diamondbacks outperformed almost everyone’s preseason expectations. What went right to make this happen?

Preston Salisbury: Actually, very little went right. Gabriel Moreno was great and became just the fifth catcher to win a batting title. The emergency signing starting pitching was good. E-Rod finally earned his keep. But Marte, Carroll, and Perdomo all fell short of expectations, and the entire medical staff across the entire organization needs to be shown the door.

samath: ERod and the bullpen were amazing, better than we could have ever hoped.

Spencer: Eduardo Rodriguez. Michael Soroka. Rookies like Waldy, Fernandez and Lawlar having month(ish) stretches of great production (and the team sitting then when necessary).

James Attwood: Mike Hazen’s haul of pitching from the last two seasons, plus a few savvy flyers being taken led to the Diamondbacks having a mostly dominant bullpen. As the season wore on, the cream rose to the top and they largely carried the team for two months.

Makakilo: During the preseason, my last prediction was 85.1 wins. Instead they had 86 wins. Their wins were very close to my preseason expectation.

1AZfan1: The buy-low, bullpen volatility strategy Hazen’s been chasing for a decade finally hit and we had a competent bullpen. That and E-Rod, Soroka and Pfaadt hit in a big way alongside the shrewd trade for future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado.

Ben: Both Michael Soroka and Eduardo Rodriguez turning back the clock to look like co-aces, Gabriel Moreno having the best single-season performance as a catcher in franchise history (https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/tiny/bzNwP), and having an excellent bullpen for probably only the second time in the Mike Hazen era.

ISH95: Well I think the biggest thing is that Eduardo Rodrgiuez got to talk to a different pitching coach at the WBC and figured some stuff out. Shout out Johan Santana. Beyond that, Soroka living up to the top of his expectations, and bullpen volatility bouncing our way for once.

On the flip side, the Diamondbacks missed the playoffs by a single game for the second time in three years. What went wrong?

Preston Salisbury: Nothing, really. They just aren’t good enough. They’ll never be good enough.

samath: Zac Gallen turned into a pumpkin. Merrill Kelly aged as we might have expected. Corbin Burnes didn’t manage to contribute positively in his return.

Spencer: Two games I think technically right? [Ed. Note this is correct. Left the question as was, however, as that is what people had answered] Gallen and Kelly. Carroll had a “down” year. Perdomo also wasn’t quite as impactful as you’d have hoped after 2025. Being forced to rely on the likes of Pavin, Tawa, Vargas, Fernandez and McCann for long stretches.

James Attwood: Unlike 2025, there is not one incident I would point at. Last year there was one decision that changed everything. This year, the team let plenty of games they should have won, slip away. On the flip side, they stole some games too. What went wrong? I would say the team’s health record for the season was a primary contributor to at least a dozen of their losses this year. Even bigger though, what went wrong for Arizona is that San Diego went 18-6 in September, with AZ hanging one of those losses on them. This was simply the Padres’ year for being hot down the stretch, not really any different than 2017’s Rocktober.

Makakilo: As an optimist, my article on Tuesday was a rare look at the dark side. It walked through 11 reasons, and concluded four reasons dominated. Link to the article follows: https://www.azsnakepit.com/e/98076

1AZfan1: Technically 2 games, but we were alive in Game 162 so point understood. This is a tough question because you could look at this at the micro-level or the macro-level. The micro view would zoom in on particular games that were given away. The failures of the last homestand against Texas/Miami stand out alongside that Boston series where we looked dead in the water after Ketel no-showed.

On the macro-level, our failure to field a replacement-level 1B through the ASB was fairly maddening. Not having a consistent 4th starter behind E-Rod/Soroka/Pfaadt was another fairly big failure. Gallen was downright awful, Merrill was inconsistent, and Ryne was nowhere near his previous levels of success (when he was even healthy). I think I mostly fall in line with the macro view of the roster construction/player failures than the singular failures of a certain game.

1AZfan1: No because we didn’t even make the playoffs. Still, I’d rather have 3 straight seasons like our ’24-’26 than the last 3 seasons that the Rockies or Giants have had.

Ben: There are plenty of reasons, ranging from the individual (Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly taking serious steps back) to the macro (going a terrible 1-5 against the mediocre Marlins). It doesn’t help that Corbin Carroll had a miserable second half, Geraldo Perdomo regressed from an unsustainable 2025, and there were injuries that severely hampered several players the team expected to get back in the latter half of the season.

ISH95: Injuries. That’s the biggest thing. I don’t think anyone expected Gallen to be an ace, and Kelly finally aging a little can’t exactly be a surprise, but the ongoing onslaught of injuries that this team faces year in and year out is eternally holding us back. Ken Crenshaw has been the Director of Sports Medicine and Performance for nine years now, and that’s after he held the role of Head Athletic Trainer for 12 before that. It seems pretty obvious to me that it’s time for a new voice in that role.

Was the season a success?

Preston Salisbury: No. Only one team get to succeed in a season, and that’s going to be the Dodgers yet again

samath: Yes. They gave us entertaining baseball (led all of MLB in comeback wins with 47), keeping playoff hopes alive right down to the wire (controlled their own destiny in game 161, eliminated while playing game 162).

Spencer: I am disappointed. But yes the season was a success. The team over performed more than they under performed. Moreno is now definitively the best catcher in baseball. For the first time in a few years we have a lot of money leaving the books (Gallen, Gurriel, Soroka) without the need to replace too many pricey positions. While that last part is a non-factor for fans, it helps Kendrick and/or his replacement.

James Attwood: Yes. By pretty much every measure, they exceeded expectations. They also exceeded the underlying numbers and beat their Pythagorean win number. The team should still be playing baseball in October this year, but they drew the short straw of odd circumstances.

Makakilo: No

Ben: Yes, as frustrating as it is to miss the playoffs again, there was some excellent development of several young players including Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Troy, and Jordan Lawlar. That doesn’t mean there aren’t holes in the roster that need to be addressed for next season, but it does give me some hope on player development moving forward.

ISH95: What even is success? Is it something that can be clearly defined, or in the words of a specific Supreme Court ruling “I’ll know it when I see it”? The goal for every team is to win the World Series. Yes. Obviously, only one team will do that though, so it seems a very absolutist way of looking at things, and I am no Sith. Red doesn’t go well with my complexion. So based on what this team actually set out to do this season, which was survive with a massacred pitching staff and a bullpen with enough question marks to make the Riddler jealous, I’d say the season was a massive success. However, next season, those will not be the starting points of the season, so success has to look different.

What will be your favorite moment from this season looking back?

Preston Salisbury: Right now I’m still in “what was the point?” mode. Maybe the Nootbaar slam in SF since it flew right over my head?

samath: Here are a few:

• Ryan Waldschmidt’s two walkoff homers in August, against the Dodgers on August 7 and the Cubs on August 25.

• Ildemaro Vargas’s blazing start to the season, capped off by going 4-for-4 on May 1 to push his batting average to .404.

• The two consecutive sweeps of the Giants in May, highlighted by Marte’s walkoff 3-run homer with 2 outs on May 19.

• Sweeping the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium to end the first half.

Spencer: I don’t have a single moment off the top of my head. So I’ll be generic and say having a meaningful game to watch at 162. It’s not common and it was fun!

James Attwood: In a season like this one, with so many come from behind victories, there are too many candidates to choose just one. But, if I am going to pick something that really stood out and changed the outlook of the season for a bit, it would be the debut of Jose Fernandez and his crushing two long balls after just arriving as an injury replacement.

Makakilo: With two games left in the season, I made a screen shot of the Wild Card race. The Diamondbacks had 86 wins and the Phillies had 87 wins. I imagined three paths to the playoffs for the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks were riding a 6 game winning streak, while the Phillies had a 3-game losing streak. I felt optimistic!

1AZfan1: Jose Fernandez epic debut with a walk-off homer is the moment that sticks out the most to me right now.

Ben: I think I’ll choose the game on August 9th when the D-Backs won the series against the Dodgers to secure the season series against them. It’s their best record against the Dodgers since 2018.

ISH95: Sweeping the Dodgers was beautiful. I told a coworker that it was my world series, and it turns out it sadly was correct.

NEW YORK – The left-handers of the New York Yankees earned their "Bronx Bombers moniker," led by Cody Bellinger, whose three-run homer in the sixth inning closed the door on the Boston Red Sox and sent them to the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays after a 9-2 Game 2 throttling at Yankee Stadium.

Three hours before David Bednar struck out Caleb Durbin to end the series, Cody’s father, Clay, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his son before Game 2. The elder Bellinger played for the Yankees from 1999 to 2001 and was part of two World Championship teams.

"I definitely appreciate it. I'm able to appreciate it in the moment," Bellinger said. "That was a cool moment, just a great game. Happy I was able to contribute, and we've got a lot more work to do. So obviously enjoy the moment, understand how cool it is, but keep on going."

2x World Series Champion Clay Bellinger threw out tonight's ceremonial first pitch to his son, Cody Bellinger! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/mSy10CwbfJ

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

After grounding out in his first two at-bats, Bellinger singled in the fifth to score Austin Wells, extending New York’s lead to 2-0.

The next inning proved to be a death knell for the Red Sox as Garrett Whitlock, the fourth Boston pitcher, began his 35-pitch meltdown by giving up a sacrifice fly to Wells, scoring one run, and allowing Jazz Chisholm to score another on Ryan McMahon’s ground out. After Game 1 hero Ben Rice, the team’s home run leader and another left-handed nuisance for Boston, was intentionally walked, Bellinger came up to the plate, looking to put the game away. 

The scouting report on Bellinger is straightforward. He hit 17 home runs and drove in 73 runs this season. The 2019 NL MVP likes the ball down, feasting on breaking pitches and posted a .555 slugging average on that pitch in 2026.

Bellinger, who has a career .268 average against left-handed pitching, said there isn't a formula to his success against southpaws.

"No secret sauce. For me, just take it as another at-bat. Felt like when I was playing baseball coming up, didn't hear too much about the match-ups. I was just playing baseball," Bellinger said.

Whitlock’s first pitch was a slow changeup that landed outside, but instead of coming back with something different, he threw the same pitch again. This time, his changeup didn’t break and landed right in the middle of the plate, letting Bellinger turn on it and drive it 360 feet to right-center field, sending the New York dugout and the sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium into a frenzy. All four of Bellinger’s RBIs on Wednesday came with two outs.

"I think with where we were at in today's game, we pretty clearly knew who we were going to throw," Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said. "Those are the best ones we have to offer. So it was pretty obvious that we were going to be aggressive in using that group. Like I said, they swung the bats. Didn't work out. They swung the bats extremely well, so got to give them credit, it was frustrating."

Before Game 2, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he was going to take an “all-hands-on-deck" approach against Red Sox starter Sonny Gray, who lasted only 70 pitches before Tracy went to his beleaguered bullpen to try to stop the bleeding they couldn’t in Game 1.

"We have some guys that are good left on left. Some of their guys aren't necessarily lefty specialists. There are a couple that were really tough that we had some success against," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

"I think the experience of playing against that so much this year – they faced so many guys for months there where we were very left-handed where in the fifth inning every day it was one lefty and then another one because that's how they attack us. So I'd like to think some of that familiarity and reps and all that prepared us well."

The stark contrast is that Rice and Bellinger, the two big left-handed bats in the lineup, had more RBIs combined than the Red Sox had all series, where New York scored 90% of the total runs in the two-game beatdown.

Boone was surprised by the margin of victory against their AL East rivals.

"As I said, kind of all year but even going into this series, that was a scary team to us, especially as well as they pitch. So for us to have the offensive outbreaks that we had here these last two nights and late, credit to those guys," Boone said.

"That was very satisfying to play that well in these two games. And that's what it was. They played great and beat a really good team that deserves a lot of credit for, was down and out in the middle of the season and fought their way back to being a no-doubt into the playoffs by the end."    

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cody Bellinger caught first pitch from his dad then sent Yankees to ALDS

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy did it again.

With the team down in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Yankees and Sonny Gray on the mound, Tracy pulled his AL Cy Young contender and it immediately backfired.

But unlike Game 1's decision to take Payton Tolle out of a tight contest, Wednesday night's move was arguably worse.

Gray had only thrown 70 pitches through 4.2 innings when the Red Sox skipper came out of the dugout. Down 1-0, the right-hander had just given up a single to Ben Rice, putting runners on the corners with two outs. Tracy went to left-hander Erik Miller to handle the left-handed Cody Bellinger. 

Miller replaced Tolle in Game 1 and gave up a solo shot to Rice that energized the Yankees' offense. On Wednesday, Miller allowed an RBI single to Bellinger, once again putting the Yankees up 2-0 and energizing the offense.

"We're trailing. We're struggling to score runs. And when you get in spots where struggling to score runs and you're already trailing, you feel like you've got to be aggressive and go," Tracy explained after the 9-2 loss. "So they're getting back to the top part of the lineup. They get a couple of hits against them. See if you can put it out. And if you can put it out, you know, kind of lined up to where we want it to go. And that just didn't work."

Tracy said he was aware of Bellinger's reverse splits -- Bellinger batter .274 against lefties as opposed to .259 against right-handers -- but he reiterated his confidence in his bullpen's ability after a stellar season. 

"With [Garret] Crochet, [Garret Whitlock] and [Aroldis Chapman] towards the back end there, and they were able to string a bunch of hits and we couldn't stop the bleeding there," he said. "It was pretty obvious that we were going to be aggressive in using that group. Like I said, they swung the bats. Didn't work out."

After the Red Sox escaped the fifth being down just two runs, Crochet and Whitlock imploded, allowing seven runs across the next two innings, including a six-spot in the sixth that put the game out of reach. 

But the strongest sentiments surrounding Tracy's decision came from Gray himself.

The veteran right-hander was visibly frustrated with the move and voiced it after the game. 

"I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order a third time. That’s a fact," Gray said. "I would have liked to have lived or died in that moment. But that’s the competitor that I am. You can ask the guys and they felt the same way. I felt strong. I felt confident, felt convicted. What can you do, you know?"

Reporters did ask Gray's teammates, including Willson Contreras, who didn't give a response when asked his thoughts about Gray being pulled. The first baseman simply did a zipped-mouth gesture. 

But had plenty to say when asked how the team could be better next season.

"It's not enough when you have talent, or you have data, or computers that are telling you what to do. This is baseball," Contreras said. "The data is here to help us...but you need experience and to bet on the guys to win games."

The 36-year-old had an incredible regular season. He finished with an 18-5 record and a 2.72 ERA. 

He had retired nine of his first 11 batters before surrendering a go-ahead solo homer to Luis García Jr. in the fourth inning. And although he bent a bit in the fifth, he felt he could have gotten out of the inning.

"I would have liked to have been trusted in that moment," he said.

"I'm the best pitcher in the American League going through the order for a third time. I would've liked to live or die with me in that moment...ask the guys in here if they felt the same way. I felt strong, confident."

Sonny Gray on getting pulled in the 5th inning tonight: pic.twitter.com/ik7LOvDkeA

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 1, 2026