Category: MLB

No, he didn’t.

Yes, they did!

No, Philadelphia Phillies’ reliever Orion Kerkering did not just botch a grounder and throw it away with the season on the line!

Yes, it happened with two out and the bases loaded and allowed the Dodgers to steal a National League Division Series clinching 2-1 victory in 11 taut innings Thursday at Dodger Stadium!

Clinched, just in time.

Read more:Dodgers defeat Phillies in a wild, instant-classic walk-off to reach the NLCS

Clinched, while the other guys were clenching.

With their backs quickly approaching the wall, faced with a loss that would return the series to Philadelphia for a deciding Game 5, the Dodgers dug in and lashed out and ultimately suffocated the talented and favored Phillies to take a three-games-to-one series win and clear the way toward their second consecutive World Series title.

And they did it thanks to a mad, mindless throw from a frozen, frightened reliever.

Has any postseason series ended with such an error?

“It’s brutal,” acknowledged Dodger Manager Dave Roberts.

It happened in the 11th, after Tommy Edman hit a one-out single to left, then moved to third one out later on a single by Max Muncy. Kiké Hernández walked to load the bases, bringing up the struggling Andy Pages, who entered the day with an .053 playoff average and had gone hitless in four previous at-bats.

He proceeded to hit into his fifth out… except Kerkering muffed the grounder. When the pitcher finally picked up the ball, he still had plenty of time to throw out Pages at first, and catcher JT Realmuto gestured for him to throw it to first... but he didn't throw it to first. Instead, he panicked and threw it home, launching it far over Realmuto’s head.

“Once the pressure got to me, I just thought there's a faster throw to JT… little quicker throw than trying to cross-body it to Bryce (Harper),” said Kerkering afterward. “So just a horses— throw… honest mistake. Just it's baseball, s— happens.”

Pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim scored the winning run as Kerkering stood slumped on the mound with his hands on his knees while the Dodgers danced wildly across the field around him.

“I mean, when this happens, it's like your entire world comes to a stop,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “It's just a thud.”

One man’s thud is another man’s triumph, and the Dodgers will now be shouting their way deep into October, advancing to the National League Championship Series, where they will be heavy favorites against either the Milwaukee Brewers or Chicago Cubs.

A victory in that seven-game set will land them back in the World Series, where they will be even heavier favorites against whatever inferior team the American League can muster.

Yeah, the rest of their journey should be the easy part, the Dodgers already conquering their Goliath equal in a Phillies series that was essentially the World Series.

“It was a war,” said Roberts. “It was a battle.”

Remember last fall when they defeated the San Diego Padres in a tense five-game fight before cruising to the title? This was that. This was the two best teams in baseball. This was the Dodgers once again swallowing all the pressure and refusing to relent.

After a breathtaking six-inning scoreless pitching duel between the Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow and the Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez, the Phillies struck first in the seventh with a single, an error by reliever Emmet Sheehan, and a double by Nick Castellanos.

The Dodgers countered in the bottom of the seventh with two walks and a single followed by a bases-loaded walk drawn by Mookie Betts against closer Jhoan Duran.

This set the stage for the Error Heard ‘Round The World, which shouldn’t obscure the fact that the Dodgers played hard enough to earn this victory without an asterisk.

Glasnow, maligned throughout his two Dodgers seasons for a lack of resilience, was brilliantly tough, giving up only two hits with eight strikeouts in six scoreless innings.

“What he did, it was his time today,” said Roberts. “Today was his moment. And I was just very happy to see that he rose to that occasion.”

Roki Sasaki, struggling with injury and ineffectiveness throughout his rookie season, was equally as brilliant with three perfect innings.

“Oh, my gosh. You're talking about one of the great all-time appearances out of the pen that I can remember,” said Roberts.

Then there were the great plate appearances in the 11th inning that laid the groundwork for the error. Edman’s single came with two strikes, Muncy’s single came against a left-hander, and Hernández worked a six-pitch walk with the final two balls coming with two strikes.

“It was just a great inning,” said Roberts. “Again, we just kept fighting.”

Before these playoffs there was a lot of talk about the Dodgers’ late-season struggles that were symbolized by that blown no-hitter in Baltimore. They had no bullpen depth. They had no offensive patience. They were headed for another early October exit.

It turns out, that’s what outsiders thought. That’s clearly not what the Dodgers thought.

“I think it boils down to the guys we have in the clubhouse,” said Muncy earlier this week in a pregame news conference. “We have a lot of experience, a lot of really good players. We've been there before. We accomplished it.”

Read more:Dodgers defeat Phillies in 11-inning thriller to advance to NLCS

They were impressive in the four games against the Phillies. Here’s guessing they’re going to get even better before the month ends.

“I still think there's another gear in there,” said Muncy. “I don't think we fully reached where we can be at. And that's not saying we are, and that's not saying we aren't. But I still think there's a whole other level in there we haven't reached yet.”

The Times’ Bill Shaikin quickly asked, “What would tell you you've reached it?”

“I think you would know,” said Muncy.

The media laughed. The baseball world shivered.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are heading back to the National League Championship Series after an extraordinary error from Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering ended his team’s season.

A WALK-OFF TO MOVE ON TO THE NLCS. pic.twitter.com/JPveGti3Nu

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 10, 2025

With the scores tied at 1-1 and the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, the Dodgers’ Andy Pages hit a routine grounder to Kerkering. But the 24-year-old fumbled the ball and, instead of going to first for an easy out, he threw it wide of catcher JT Realmuto at home plate as Hyeseong Kim scored the winning run. The 2-1 win sealed a 3-1 series victory for the Dodgers, who will face either the Milwaukee Brewers or Chicago Cubs for a place in the World Series.

Kerkering slumped in despair after his error and was comforted by manager Rob Thomson.

The Phillies had gifted the defending champions their other run in the seventh when Jhoan Durán walked Mookie Betts with the bases loaded allowing Justin Dean to score. The Phillies had taken the lead at the top of the inning when Max Kepler scored off Nick Castellanos’s double.

It was another frustrating end to a season for the Phillies, who were the No 2 seed in the National League after winning the NL East. Despite an excellent rotation and a strong batting lineup they have lost in the NLDS two years in succession; last year they were eliminated by NL East rivals the New York Mets. They also lost in the 2023 NLCS to the Arizona Diamondbacks, despite at one point holding a 3-2 series lead.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, are into the NLCS for the eighth time in 13 seasons.

‘It's the worst feeling': Another Phillies season ends far too soon originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LOS ANGELES – To a man in the Phillies’ tiny clubhouse following their 11-inning, season-ending 2-1 loss to the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, it didn’t come down to pitcher Orion Kerkering throwing the ball errantly towards home with the bases loaded after he bobbled a come-back grounder, allowing the winning run to score. That was just a play in the series, in which the Dodgers advanced by winning three of four. There were other opportunities missed, hits that weren’t had, runners that were left stranded, plays that weren’t executed. Not a ton of them, as this was a really well played series between two of the best in baseball, but enough that putting the series loss on that one play wasn’t justified, in their eyes.

A wonderful pitcher’s duel in which both teams got terrific outings from their starters, multiple pressure packed innings from their relievers and splendid defensive gems, ended on a play that will be remembered for a long time in the Philadelphia area.

Kerkering came into the game in the 11th with two outs and runners on first and third. After walking Kike Hernandez, Kerkering got a swinging strike on Andy Pages with a 97 mph sinker. Pages then hit the next pitch right back to Kerkering, who bobbled the grounder but still had plenty of time to get the out at first, with catcher J.T. Realmuto calmly pointing that way. But the moment got to Kerkering, and when he gathered the ball, he threw it well wide of Realmuto at home and the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS with the hard-fought win.

“Just kind of the pressure got to me. Just in the moment,” said a distraught Kerkering.

As many said throughout the somber clubhouse following their final game of the season, that play didn’t define the series. Their top three hitters in Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper were offensively inept again Thursday, going 1-for-14 with four strikeouts and three runners left on base. There was a bases-loaded walk by Jhoan Duran that tied the game in the seventh inning after the Phillies purposely loaded the bases by intentionally walking Shohei Ohtani. There were seven runners left on base, a wasted wonderful starting outing from Cristopher Sanchez and a few more tidbits here and there. And that’s just Game Four. Add to that the many chances the Phillies had to not get into a 2-0 hole with losses at home to begin the series and the contemplation among the players makes sense.

“You either win or lose,” said Turner, who went 4-for-17 in the series with three RBI. “I don’t care how it ends, who it is, what it is. It doesn’t matter. At the end of the day losing sucks. It’s the worst feeling. It sucks. I felt like we played a really good team and we played really clean baseball for a lot of innings. I felt like we had some more opportunities offensively, myself included. If those things go one way or the other in a few of these games, who knows what happens. We lost and we have to do better.

“When you’re facing elimination, you can’t afford to have a single bad game or really a single bad at-bat. They all count. They all feel really big. Who knows what happens if you hit a single here or there or get a walk here or there. Who knows what happens. I think we all feel that. We want to be that person up there in those situations and we didn’t get it done. That’s on me and on us.”

The Phillies took the lead on Thursday in the seventh when Max Kepler scored on an RBI double by Nick Castellanos down the left field line. It was the first run of the game and appeared as if it may be enough to even the series and send it back to Philadelphia.

But it was quickly wiped out in the bottom of the inning, amid a very controversial call. Sanchez got Will Smith to ground out to short on a wonderful play by Turner. Then, after a missed called third strike by home plate umpire Mark Wegner, Alex Call walked. Sanchez then gave up a single to Kike Hernandez, and his day was over. On his way off the mound, he had some words for Wegner, who answered back to Sanchez.

“He knows he missed it because he told me and he apologized to me,” said Sanchez. “But a lot of pressure, important game, important situation, you can’t miss those things. You can’t miss those calls. I get it with the added pressure and all, but the pitch was a strike. So that’s going to stick in the back of his mind, there.”

Manager Rob Thomson brought in closer Duran to close out the inning and he got Pages to ground out to first, putting runners on second and third with two outs. The Phillies then gave Ohtani the free pass to load the bases before Duran walked Mookie Betts on six pitches to bring home the tying run.

“That’s Jhoan’s first career bases loaded walk,” Thomson said. “So, you’re not expecting that.”

Just as no one involved with the Phillies expected them to be ousted by the Dodgers in four games. Though they are the defending champs and still a very solid team, many truly believed this was the Phillies year.

The hugs and tears and disappointment in the clubhouse was all there to see, with the heavy cloud of free agents Schwarber, Realmuto and Ranger Suarez hanging in the air.

“It doesn’t feel good,” said Schwarber, his lips quivering in emotion. “You make a lot of different relationships in the clubhouse. You don’t know how it’s going to work out. You just make so many personal relationships with guys and you spend how much time with these guys throughout the course of the year and they become family and you just never know how it’s going to go. These guys know how I feel about them. I got a lot of respect for the guys in here, the organization, the coaching staff, everyone, top to bottom. This is a premier organization, and a lot of people should feel very lucky that you’re playing for a team that is trying to win every single year, and you have a fan base that cares, and you have an ownership that cares, you have coaches that care.”

Schwarber has often been described as the heart and soul of the team due to his steady presence and terrific chemistry with everyone. Realmuto isn’t at all behind in those categories and everyone gravitates towards the sunny disposition of Suarez.

If this isn’t that last run that the primary core of this group has, the somberness sure made a hint that it may be.

“I’m not sure,” said Harper about the future. “J.T. is one of the best catchers in baseball. Our guys love pitching to him, throwing to him. He calls a great game. Had a great year this year, had a great postseason. Schwarbs is one of our team leaders, cornerstone of our organization. I’m not really sure what happens or what goes into this offseason or where we kind of go from here. I think those guys are going to be a main decision for us and main conversation for us as a team and as a club. We love those guys and want them back.”

Thomson, who has the backing of his players to return as this team’s manager, sang the praises of his players during a season that saw them lose their ace pitcher when Zack Wheeler went down in August, and overcame many adversities throughout the season.

“I told them after the game I appreciate what they’ve done all year,” Thomson said. “They prepared, competed, picked each other up. True professionals the entire year. I’m extremely proud of how they went about their business. That goes for the coaching staff, all the support staff. It’s a unique group of people. They win as a team they lose as a team. They support each other. As bad as you feel, it’s good to see them be there for each other.

“When this happens it’s like the entire world comes to a stop. It’s just a thud. It’s just not a good feeling. Especially the regular season, we were really good. We had a lot of wins. We expected a lot more.”

And now comes the offseason of questions and answers, players coming and going. How it all plays out will be seen over the next few months, but this sting will last for a while with this group.

“I know fans are upset, it’s warranted,” said Harper. “We’re upset in here as well. Our daily life is Philly baseball. This is our family in here. This is what we do. We want to win not just for ourselves but for everybody that watches us play as a fan base and everything else. I understand what they’re going through. I’ve lost many playoff series and many games in the playoffs and it’s not fun. I want it more than probably a lot of people. I want to hold that trophy and that’s the goal every single time you get into spring training and that’s going to be the goal for us going into spring training this year.”

For now, that just doesn’t resonate for many. Not yet, at least.

Andy Pages hit a dribbler to the mound.

Orion Kerkering fielded it — then threw away the Philadelphia Phillies’ season.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th in Game 4 of the National League Division Series, that’s how the Dodgers secured a 2-1 walk-off win. On a throwing error from Kerkering. On a ball that went sailing to the backstop to allow Hyeseong Kim to score. On a brutal, confounding decision from the Phillies reliever, that unleashed pandemonium inside Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers won the series 3-1.

And Thursday’s finale became an instant classic.

In what started as a pitchers’ duel between two dominant starters, then morphed into a battle of the bullpens, the Dodgers prevailed with a rally in the 11th. They loaded the bases on singles from Tommy Edman and Max Muncy, then a two-out walk from Kiké Hernández.

Pages came to the plate next, and swung through a first-pitch sinker.

Then, however, came the shocking end.

Pages hit another sinker that dribbled in front of the mound. Kerkerking fielded it and — instead of getting what would have been an almost certain inning-ending out at first — inexplicably turned and threw to home instead.

The ball sailed on him. Catcher J.T. Realmuto couldn’t keep it from going to the backstop. Kim crossed the plate, then went back and stomped on it just to be certain.

Kerkerking bent over in immediate regret, as the Dodgers came pouring out of the dugout to mob Pages near first base.

“I thought he was gonna throw to first,” Pages said through an interpreter in an on-field interview. “But when I saw him throw home, I knew the game was over.”

All afternoon, the tension had been building at Chavez Ravine.

Through six innings, both Tyler Glasnow and Cristopher Sánchez had kept the opposing lineup off the board. In the seventh, both teams broke through with a run after getting relievers onto the mound. And from there, the drama only continued to build, as the clubs went back to trading zeros to force the game into extras.

Long before the end, there were star-worthy moments. Mookie Betts drew a bases-loaded walk off Phillies closer Jhoan Durán to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. Roki Sasaki entered in the eighth for what became three perfect innings of relief, retiring all nine batters he faced.

By the end, it was almost easy to forget about the starting pitching performances that shaped such a quintessential, low-scoring, nerve-wracking October dog fight.

In his first start of the postseason, Glasnow pitched six scoreless in which he struck out eight batters, leaned heavily on a fastball that had extra life, and stranded all six runners who reached base against him.

On the other side, Sánchez matched him step-for-step, flummoxing the Dodgers for the second time this series with six scoreless frames of his own to start the day.

Finally, in the seventh, both lineups found something.

The top half of the inning began with a major decision from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who elected to pull Glasnow after 83 pitches (for context, he had thrown 70 total pitches the previous 18 days) and with the bottom half of the Phillies order due up.

Emmet Sheehan took over, but immediately faced danger. J.T. Realmuto poked a leadoff single to center with a good piece of hitting on a two-strike slider. Then, Sheehan appeared to have gotten a double-play grounder from Max Kepler — only to miss Mookie Betts’ throw while covering first. The ball bounced into the camera well. Kepler advanced to second. The error would prove to be costly. Nick Castellanos roped a line drive just inside the third-base line in the next at-bat, doubling home Kepler to open the scoring.

Sheehan, however, settled down, limiting the damage there with an inning-ending strikeout of Trea Turner.

And even in the face of their first deficit of the day, the Dodgers responded, knocking Sánchez out of the game with one out in the bottom of the seventh after an Alex Call walk and Hernández single.

In an aggressive move from a manager fighting to keep his team’s season alive, Phillies skipper Rob Thomson summoned the flame-throwing Durán for an eight-out save. But he would only get one before blowing the lead, walking Mookie Betts with the bases loaded later in the inning (following an Andy Pages grounder that moved the runners, and an intentional walk to Shohei Ohtani).

From there, the game lay in the hands of both teams’ bullpens.

Sasaki retired all nine batters he faced from the eighth to the 10th. The Phillies also posted three-straight zeros, thanks to some help from what was their projected Game 5 starter, Jesús Luzardo. Alex Vesia stranded a Phillies runner at second in the 11th by striking out Harrison Bader in a 10-pitch at-bat.

Finally, the Dodgers built a rally in the bottom of the 11th.

Edman hit a one-out single off Luzardo, and was replaced by Kim as a pinch-runner. Muncy also singled two batters later, allowing Kim to speed all the way to third. With Hernández up, the Phillies summoned Kerkering for a right-on-right matchup. But after walking Hernández to load the bases, it all came down to Pages.

And, it turned out, a decision from Kerkering that ended the Phillies’ season, and it moved the Dodgers another step closer to a World Series title defense.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

What Buster Posey's most proud of after first season as Giants executive originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

While the Giants late-season collapse wasn’t what president of baseball operations Buster Posey had in mind for his club, the former San Francisco catcher turned-front-office leader does say there were some positive takeaways from the 2025 season.

“One is happy to sign [Willy] Adames, happy to trade for [Rafael] Devers,” Posey told The San Francisco Standard’s Kerry Crowley on the “Section 415” podcast. “[Matt] Chapman being here, Jung Hoo [Lee] being here. … Happy about some of the consistency that we had in the lineup, that we were able to have a lineup that we could roll out there and that our fans could hopefully be excited about coming to the park or watching on TV.”

Posey also says his partner when it comes to roster decisions did what he intended when he hired him in November of 2024.

“When I hired Zack Minasian as the general manager, I was hoping that his experience at touching different levels was going to cover many blind spots for me, which I do feel like we have a great working relationship,” Posey said. “His background as a pro scout really gave me peace of mind as we went into the first trade deadline and Hadi Raad and his group… I felt like did a really nice job at targeting some players that we see that will fit the style of baseball that we believe it will take to win a lot of games.

“Same with the draft this year. You never know, right? It’s hard to say when you’ve got an 18-to-21, 22-year-old, what player they’re going to turn into, but I do think that those groups did a nice job at targeting certain skill sets that we’re looking for.”

As the Giants legend and company continue to build a team that’s now missed the postseason for four straight seasons, the fact that Posey feels the team has a clear direction and players that fit their system is a potential sign of good things to come in the future.

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Juan Soto has always been known for his patience at the plate. 

The star outfielder put that on full display during his first season with the Mets, finishing with a league-high 127 walks and a National League-best .396 on-base percentage. 

However, during the season, hitting coach Eric Chavez believed Soto could be even more productive if the 26-year-old tinkered with his approach.

Chavez was a guest on Thursday’s episode of Foul Territory and was asked whether Soto could put up big offensive numbers if he was more aggressive at the plate and, perhaps, chase out of the strike zone more often.

He revealed that he spoke with manager Carlos Mendoza about that very topic.

“There were times, and I'll be honest. There were times where, myself, and I even talked to Carlos, about if we could get him to swing maybe 0-0 or some pitches he could do damage on early in counts -- but Juan, he is a precision hitter, I wouldn’t get him out of his comfort zone at all," Chavez said.

Soto’s first-pitch-swing rate dipped from last season with the Yankees (22.5 percent).

He also cut his chase rate down to an impressive 16.5 percent. 

All of that led to Soto finishing with a career-high 43 homers and 105 RBI.

While the Mets decided to move on from Chavez last week, he did suggest one way they could get creative with Soto without getting him out of that comfort zone is by bumping him up to the top spot in the order.

Soto has only been slotted there twice to this point in his big-league career.

“Juan is so good at getting on base,” Chavez said. “There are times where things are going and you’re in the middle of the lineup. Like Pete Alonso, we know Pete is going to chase, Pete is going to do damage. Juan can drive in 140 runs, but instead of doing that, where you’re telling him to get out of his comfort zone, slide him into the leadoff spot.

“He steals bases, he gets on base at a 40-percent clip, don’t have him get out of his comfort zone of what he likes to do, but you could be just as dynamic in the leadoff spot if you look at Shohei [Ohtani] and what he's done. Without changing the player too much, just change where he hits in the battling lineup.”

Instant Observations from Phillies' heartbreaking season-ending loss to Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LOS ANGELES — There was hope leaving Dodger Stadium Wednesday night. The Phillies were reminded what they’re capable of doing and put together a complete performance with an offensive explosion and structurally sound pitching.

All the momentum was in the Phillies’ favor going into Game 4. Cristopher Sanchez was on the mound and a win would send the NLDS back to Philadelphia with a chance to advance to the National League Championship Series for the third time in four seasons.

That hope went wide and fast, as did Orion Kerkering’s failed attempt to get Andy Pages out at home in the 11th inning when the third out was right there at first base. An unbelievably frustrating error that will linger well into the offseason and beyond.

2-1, Dodgers. That’s a wrap on the Phillies’ 2025 season. One that started with so much hope to bounce back from a devastating exit last season.

This exit already feels worse.

•Rob Thomson puts Orion Kerkering in behind Jesus Luzardo twice in this series and it came back to bite them, twice. There are two outs in the 11th and one of your top arms is on the mound, how do you opt to go to Kerkering in such a high-level situation? As the final ball of the evening dribbled out to Kerkering on the mound, J.T. Realmuto was gesturing for him to throw the ball over to first base. The ball soared so far away from Realmuto that you almost couldn’t believe it. But it happened. And that’s the lasting memory people will take away from this one. Thomson said the plan was to only have Luzardo pitch one inning because he was working on short rest and when he was pushing 30 pitches with back-to-back righties coming up, he wanted to make the change. It’s a nightmare of an ending when the game was still in reach.

•Sticking with the theme of two, how do you waste two fantastic starts from Cristopher Sanchez in the same series? Two of them. Zack Wheeler is done for the season and Sanchez steps up as the club’s ace without hesitation or difficulty to adapt and you can’t find a way to score any kind of run support? Poor Sanchez. Poor Luzardo for getting the same experience in Game two. And poor Sanchez, again. This is nothing new for the Phillies. The same thing happened with Wheeler in Game One of the NLDS last year against the Mets.

•The Phillies mustered up one run in 11 innings. That’s not good enough against any team, especially one looking to repeat as World Champions. Truth of the matter is, the big bats wanted to play hero ball. There were big swings and big moments in Game 3 that were trying to be replicated. They didn’t adjust, they didn’t try to play small, it was swing for the fences and go back to the dugout. How do you expect to win a series, let alone a game, when the top three in the order go 1-for-14? The photo-finish of the Kerkering throw ending the game is what people will remember down the road … but this one was lost well before.

•Give Sanchez his flowers. Give him the whole dang garden. If Sanchez comes out next season at this level, expect to see his name in Cy Young conversations. Sanchez pitched 6.1 innings, allowing five hits and one run. You couldn’t ask for anything better.

•Circle the sixth inning as the silent killer. Outside of an early Alec Bohm error Thursday, the defense was everything you needed it to be in an elimination game. Trea Turner makes a diving catch to squash all momentum on the base paths and helps Sanchez out of his fifth consecutive scoreless inning. How does the heart of the order respond? Kyle Schwarber strikeout, Bryce Harper ground out, Alec Bohm single and Brandon Marsh being called out on strikes.

•Nick Castellanos has the potential to go down as one of the most misunderstood athletes in Philadelphia history. His honesty is unique in ways you don’t see often anymore, and because he’s in the spotlight, it gets tossed under a microscope. Of course he cares and it’s crazy to think otherwise. Castellanos sent a jolt through Citizens Bank Park in the ninth inning in Game 2 with a two-run double. He then rips one down the left field line just fair Thursday to get Max Kepler home from second. It took seven innings to get a run across the plate from either team and Castellanos gets the credit for it.

•There weren’t many holes in the lineup once the series shifted to L.A. but a surprising one has been Brandon Marsh. There were a handful of at-bats from Marsh with two outs and runners on where he couldn’t get anything going. It happened twice in Game 3 and in the first inning of Game 4. You know the stakes and getting even a single run across home plate would’ve been huge right out of the gate. Unlike Wednesday, it came back to bite the Phillies. Marsh went 0-for-7 in the final two games.

•It was a roller-coaster first year in Philadelphia for Max Kepler. There were offensive struggles, comments made about wanting to be an every day player and a turnaround that no one could’ve predicted. Kepler has come up HUGE defensively in the past two games with two diving catches that stopped the bleeding before it even had a chance to begin. Freddie Freeman led off the bottom of the second with a single and if Tommy Edman’s line drive to left had gotten past him, there’s a good chance the Dodgers go up.

•You know the definition of insanity — doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different outcome. A picture of the core of the 2022-25 Phillies officially needs to be printed next to the definition moving forward. How upsetting it will be to look back on this core and think they never won it all. So many squandered opportunities in the most heartbreaking of ways. Moves that should’ve been made two seasons ago will now have to be made simply due to the amount of expiring contracts within the club. When the Phillies take the field in about five months, things are going to look very different.

The 2026 free-agent class might not be as strong as originally anticipated, and that puts pressure on the New York Rangers to sign Artemi Panarin to a contract extension. 

Given all of the contracts the Rangers have dumped over the past year, on top of the fact that Artemi Panarin’s seven-year, 81.5 million deal is set to expire after the 2025-26 season, it seemed as if the Rangers were positioning themselves to be major players in the free-agent market this upcoming summer. 

The 2026 free-agent market was supposed to feature multiple superstar caliber players, including Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, and Kyle Connor. 

However, the landscape of the 2026 offseason has drastically changed. 

Over the past couple of weeks, McDavid signed a contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers, Kaprizov signed a contract extension with the Minnesota Wild, Eichel signed a contract extension with the Vegas Golden Knights, and Connor signed a contract extension with the Winnipeg Jets. 

All of these moves simply shift leverage in contract negotiations from the Rangers to Panarin.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers wanted Panarin to take a team-friendly deal during the summer, but the two sides were unable to agree. 

“I understand, at some point in the off-season, the Rangers had that kind of conceptual conversation with Panarin: ‘Is there a way you could do for the Rangers what Kopitar did for the Kings?’” Friedman said. “Obviously, at this point and time, it hasn’t happened. I don’t know where that’s going to go, I don’t know if that’s going to be a possibility, but I do know the two sides had the conversation and, obviously, at this point, Panarin is unsigned.”

While the Blueshirts seem reluctant to commit to Panarin on a long-term basis, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury is handcuffed in this situation. 

Essentially, all of the players the Rangers could have replaced Panarin with who were set to hit the open market are no longer available. 

Injuries Still Impacting J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin As They Both Look To Get Back To Regular FormBoth J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin had to shake off some rust during the New York Rangers’ season opener on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Despite already being 33 years old, Panarin continues to show he has a lot left in the tank, and as of last season, he was still playing at an all-star caliber level. 

Panarin is gaining an upper edge on the Rangers the longer these negotiations take, and with all of these groundbreaking contract extensions getting finalized. 

The Rangers are not in a rebuild by any means and remain committed to a win-now mentality, and Panarin is their main offensive catalyst. 

Without a feasible backup plan in place, it may be time for the Rangers to sign Panarin to a contract extension once and for all.

As expected, Mets relieverReed Garretthas undergone Tommy John surgery.

The surgery was performed on Thursday, and is expected to keep Garrett out for the entire 2026 MLB season.

Garrett, 32, will be entering his first season of arbitration in 2026 and is under team control through 2028.

He is expected to earn roughly $1.4 million this coming season if he is offered arbitration.

Garrett's season ended on Sept. 18, when he was placed on the IL due to an elbow sprain.

He had a solid year in 2025, posting a 3.90 ERA and 1.31 WHIP while striking out 64 batters in 55.1 innings over 58 appearances -- a rate of 10.4 per nine.

Since joining the Mets, Garrett has a 4.10 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 129.2 innings in three seasons.

Buster Posey explains desired traits in search for next Giants manager originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Another offseason for Giants brings another search for a new manager. 

The search is new territory for president of baseball operations Buster Posey as the team fired manager Bob Melvin, just short of the one-year anniversary of Posey being named to his current position. 

Posey outlined what qualities make a good manager during an interview with Kerry Crowley on The San Francisco Standard’s “Section 415” podcast. 

“I still think the job of the manager, ultimately, is to set the tone every single day. It starts in spring training [and] carries all the way through the year,” Posey told Crowley.

It goes without saying that decisive leadership is important for a manager to have. But couth and interpersonal skills are highly important for Posey as well. 

“[It] has to be somebody that can read a room really well, understanding that there’s a lot of different personalities that you have. When you do measure those personalities, then being able to be decisive about understanding what makes each guy tick,” Posey said. “I think that can serve as potential for accountability conversations, some motivation that can be emphasized by the manager.” 

Naturally when headhunting, the candidates that immediately come to mind are individuals with prior relationships with those who are performing the recruitment. While Posey acknowledges that a prior connection makes the process convenient, it is not a criterion that is absolutely necessary. 

“One of the benefits [of] having a team in the front office is that if maybe if I haven’t come across somebody personally, somebody else in the front office has,” Posey explained to Crowley. “… there’s a lot of relationships that I’ve made, but there’s also a lot of people in our inner circle who have also made relationships.” 

While there likely is list of candidates that Posey already has a strong connection with, it appears that he won’t close himself and the front office’s search to those options alone. 

Bob Melvin checked a lot of the same boxes for Farhan Zaidi’s managerial search ahead of the 2024 MLB season. He was experienced and highly regarded as a popular manager in the clubhouse, but the on-field product ultimately did not meet the Giants’ standards. 

Nevertheless, Posey will be looking for similar attributes, as do most front offices, in his search for San Francisco’s third manager in four seasons. 

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As the Mets head into a critical offseason, they will certainly need to be aggressive in pursuing veteran players -- via free agency or trade -- across the roster. 

One thing that must remain a constant is the need to infuse young, quality players into the mix on a yearly basis. Some years will yield more than others, but the sign of a functioning player development system is avoiding multi-year gaps in generating young talent for the big league roster.

The 2025 season was mostly about pitching, with Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong being the most notable prospects to make their big league debuts. On the position player side, no young players debuted, but the Mets did get larger sample sizes of Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos.

As David Stearns begins shaping the 2026 roster, he’ll have to strike a careful balance: leaving open opportunities for top-end young prospects to break through, while also ensuring the team is built to win from Opening Day on.

Two positions in the lineup stand out as key areas for improvement: second base and center field.

The Mets’ top two hitting prospects -- infielder/center fielder Jett Williams and outfielder Carson Benge -- both finished the year at Triple-A and were recently ranked among MLB Pipeline’s top 30 prospects in the sport.

Williams had a bounce back season after missing most of 2024 due to wrist surgery, posting an .828 OPS with 34 doubles, seven triples, 17 home runs, and 34 stolen bases over 130 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. He played all three up-the-middle positions defensively (shortstop, second base, and center field), with evaluators I speak to liking him best at second base.

Benge, the Mets’ first-round pick in 2024 out of Oklahoma State, had a breakout first professional season. He torched High-A and Double-A pitching, posting a .926 OPS with 24 doubles, six triples, and 12 home runs in 92 games. After a promotion to Triple-A, he suffered a wrist injury that sidelined him for nearly two weeks. While his overall stat line at that level wasn’t eye-popping, he finished strong with a 1.132 OPS and two home runs in his last seven games of the season with Syracuse.

Defensively, Benge was a right fielder in college but played more center field as the 2025 season progressed. The Mets were impressed with how his reads and reactions improved as he got more reps. He may never be a Gold Glover out there, but there’s real belief that he can handle center field at the next level thanks to his athleticism and plus throwing arm.

While Williams and Benge are getting close (I project both to make their big league debuts in 2026), it should be considered highly unlikely that either will be ready to claim a starting role on Opening Day.

This is where that balance comes into play.

I believe Tyrone Taylor is a winning player, but he profiles best as a fourth outfielder on a contending team. The Mets should be looking into an everyday type of center fielder, ideally on a short-term deal, who can also help shore up their run prevention.

Free agency offers limited options. 

A reunion with Harrison Bader is possible, or the Mets could look across town at Trent Grisham. Grisham’s Yankee teammate Cody Bellinger posted -1 outs above average in center field in 2025. He likely fits better in a corner spot and is expected to land a long-term deal.

On the trade market, the Mets could again investigate Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox, who is owed $20 million in 2026 (assuming Chicago picks up his option), and there is a club option for the same amount in 2027. He was playing better leading up to the trade deadline when the Sox surprisingly kept him, and he is a plus defensively.

Second base presents a more convoluted scenario. The Mets don’t necessarily have to look externally. Brett Baty showed versatility in handling second base, and there are also young options like Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio. That said, there are legitimate questions about whether Acuña’s bat fits for an everyday role, and it’s unclear whether Mauricio can sustain second base defensively over a full season.

Jeff McNeil remains the incumbent. He had an above-average offensive year in 2025 and graded out at +4 outs above average defensively at second base. He is owed $15.75 million in 2026, with a club option for the same in 2027.

However, as the Mets look to shake up their position player group, McNeil stands out as a potential trade candidate. It may require the Mets eating some salary, but he could be flipped for pitching help, and they could then explore adding a second baseman.

Free agency presents a few intriguing options. Alex Bregman would be a bold acquisition. He’s a proven winner, an elite clubhouse presence, and can play either second or third base. Signing him would represent a significant shakeup to the core of the roster. Bregman is expected to seek at least a four-year deal this winter.

Ha-Seong Kim, who has a $16 million player option for 2026, would be an excellent defensive and athletic fit if he hits the market. He would also bring 20–30 stolen base potential to a team that could use more athleticism. Luis Rengifo, while coming off a down offensive year, graded out at +4 OAA at second base. He brings similar versatility to McNeil.

On the trade market, Brandon Lowe of the Rays is a name to watch. According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets have discussed him in the past. He’s owed $11.5 million on a club option in 2026 before hitting free agency. Lowe hit 31 home runs in 2025, but his defense has been a mixed bag over the last couple years. In He ranked last among second basemen in outs above average at -13 this past season. The question here would be if he would help the run prevention enough, or if he would be looked at more as a designated hitter who can play second base.

At his end-of-season news conference, Stearns noted when asked about position players like Benge and Williams: "I think incorporating young players into the mix is part of winning, and part of winning consistently. We can’t shy away from doing that."

Benge and Williams have a chance to soon become key members of the core of this Mets offense. The key will be for the Mets to more than adequately cover themselves at center field and second base, so they get performance both offensively and defensively until the young reinforcements are ready to make an impact. That time is coming, and is among the reasons for excitement heading into 2026.

When Aaron Boone sat at the podium late Wednesday after losing the division series to Toronto and said, “It's hard to win the World Series. Been chasing it all my life,” his pain was raw and real, matching the heartbreak of the Yankees fans who have to wait yet another year to feel the joy that came so easily a generation ago.

Losing in the playoffs is a terrible, thudding blow. No one wants to feel this again 12 months from now.

But sometimes the way to get there is through discipline and continuity. The Yankees did not lose to Toronto because of some glaring flaw or cultural rot. They won 94 games in the regular season, then lost a baseball series to a team that in most years is worse than they are, and this year was slightly better. It’s not that deep.

Here’s a plan for how the Yankees can once again contend for a championship in 2026:

Re-signing free agent Cody Bellinger in free agency and extending Jazz Chisholm Jr.

For several years, and with a nudge from top executive Omar Minaya, the Yankees have worked to become more athletic. Long gone are the days of Gleyber Torres in the middle infield and Luke Voit at first base.

The Yankees go into next year with plus defense at third base, too, with Ryan McMahon, and an excellent game caller behind the plate in Austin Wells.

Bellinger is a speedy, rangy, power-hitting plus defender at four positions. It makes no sense to sacrifice that for a pursuit of free agent Kyle Tucker. Like, come on people. There is no comparison to the versatility, despite Tucker’s somewhat better OPS.

We don’t yet know Bellinger’s contract demands, and of course there is a point at which any deal is too much. But losing Bellinger is the only roster move that would leave the Yankees significantly worse heading into next season (this is assuming health for Aaron Judge).

Chisholm is another dynamic athlete, and a smart player. Yeah, I said it. A smart player, despite what the weird haters somehow see.

Chisholm is an expert baserunner who spent time during the last two years helping Juan Soto and Judge improve their ability to read from first base when a pitcher is going home. He is a relative of the acclaimed Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson — the guy who helped Soto steal 38 bases — and shares Richardson’s expertise in that area.

Chisholm made up a stat this year, “home runs plus stolen bases,” and challenged Judge to a competition. Judge only edged Chisholm 65 to 62. Chisholm hit 31 home runs as a middle infielder.

He is also the type of team player that every organization needs. Earlier this season, when DJ LeMahieu could not or would not play third base, Chisholm agreed to do it. The move might have cost him free agent money, because the industry values 30-home run second basemen over 30-home run corner guys. He did it anyway. Pay the man.

Make sure not to scapegoat Aaron Boone

The Yankees manager did a masterful job — that’s right, masterful — in a few key areas this year. Look at his handling of Devin Williams, knowing to pull Williams from the closer role early to save his season, then finding soft lanes for him to rebuild confidence during several slumps.

The difference between public perception of how Boone functions in his job — Alex Rodriguez, totally disconnected from the reality of the organization, recently called the manager a "mouthpiece" for the front office — is vast.

Boone is under contract, and his job is 99.98 percent safe. 99.97 percent safe? Here’s hoping, for the Yankees’ sake, that the small handful of internal muttering about him does not mushroom into a discussion about change.

Rethink shortstop

A team could do worse than a shortstop who hits 20 home runs and has upside defensively. But really, the Yankees’ best opportunity for a vibe shift after this postseason loss is to get together and have an honest talk about Anthony Volpe.

It is too bad that onetime prospect Oswald Peraza never developed into a hitter, because the Yanks need a shortstop of the sort that Peraza was supposed to become — a guy with a stronger arm and better feel for that important position.

Acquire a plus defender, even if a part-time player, for first base

For decades, the Yankees have believed in the need for a plus defender at first base. They have only deviated from this approach a few times.

The team can continue to utilize Ben Rice in a unique 1B/backup catcher/DH rotation, but needs to replace Paul Goldschmidt's defense at first. In a pinch, Bellinger could move from the outfield to late-inning defense at first, though a righty hitter would better fit the roster (the Yankees also need to re-sign Amed Rosario or an equivalent righty bench piece).

If Spencer Jones can hold down an outfield spot, which the Yankees hope he will, Bellinger can play even more first base.

Supplement the bullpen

The Yankees have oodles of starting pitching. If Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt return as expected from Tommy John surgeries next season, they’ll join Max Fried, Cam Schlittler and Carlos Rodon atop an elite rotation.

The team also has pitching prospects Carlos Lagrange, Bryce Cunningham, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and Ben Hess in the pipeline.

Once the Yankees replace free agents Williams and Luke Weaver with bullpen acquisitions, their pitching will be in good shape. By the end of the season, Camilo Doval looked like a late-inning trade deadline gem.