“Everybody asks the same question,” Junior Caminero said just outside the celebratory visiting clubhouse at the Stadium. “Nobody cared if it was at Yankee Stadium or not. What matters is just winning. We won today and we’ve got to continue.”
With the victory, the Rays clinched a spot in the ALDS, where they could face the Yankees, who are officially headed to the wild-card series after their longshot chances of overcoming the Rays fell short.
But both sides know they could meet again if the Yankees advance past the first round of the playoffs.
A jersey-less Junior Caminero (left) celebrates with teammates after the Rays’ 6-1 AL East-clinching win over the Yankees in Game 2 of a split doubleheader on Sept. 22, 2026 at the Stadium. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“This four-game series was circled on both schedules for quite some time,’’ Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “That’s because of the respect you have [for them]. It’s a very talented team that we know we could be seeing in 10-12 days.’’
It’s another astonishing finish for the small-market Rays, who are trying to build a new home in Tampa and in the meantime, continue to put up among the smallest payrolls in the sport.
Though the Rays missed the postseason the last two years, they reached the playoffs each of the previous five seasons.
Heading into this season, expectations outside of Tampa Bay were not great for the Rays in a loaded division.
“I don’t know if we took it personally,’’ Cash said of the preseason predictions that had his team in last place. “We do a good job of keeping our head down and doing what we believe.”
Ben Williamson (right) is greeted by right fielder Ryan Vilade (26) after scoring on a two-run single by DH Yandy Díaz during the seventh inning of the Rays’ AL East-clinching win over the Yankees in Game 2 of a split doubleheader. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Aaron Boone was not among those who underestimated the Rays.
“I always respect the Rays and what they’re capable of doing,’’ Boone said before Tuesday’s doubleheader split.
“It’s a different makeup than they’ve had in years past,’’ Boone said. “They’ve taken advantage of their athleticism. … They’ve had a great year and are always a challenge to play.”
And one the Yankees hope to meet again in October.
Cash, freshly soaked in champagne, knows his team has gone 7-4 against the Yankees with two games to go in this series and may go up against them soon in the postseason.
He noted the key to beating the Yankees was “keeping them in the ballpark.”
That’s an easier task if Aaron Judge isn’t around and there’s no guarantee he will be back for the ALDS, even if the Yankees get that far.
But for now, the Rays are set as the top team in the American League with everyone — including the Yankees — looking up at them.
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 22: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies during the seventh inning at Coors Field on September 22, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Arizona Diamondbacks came out in a do or die game tonight against the Rockies and made a statement. The game felt like it was in their control the whole time as they scored early putting up 3 runs in the first inning and were able to play downhill baseball from there on out.
Michael Soroka looked excellent tonight as he was able to go 7 innings allowing just 1 ER and striking out 9. The general rule at Coors Field is that the breaking balls tend not to get as much bite at that elevation, however that did not seem to be the case for Soroka whose trademark Slurve was lethal in this one. Soroka will finish the season at 9-5 with a 3.31 ERA in 21 G as it will be interesting to see how much he could sign for this offseason. Especially with a couple of good starts to end the year and still being just 29 YO.
As I mentioned earlier, the Dbacks offense would get things going early off of the Rockies starter Kyle Freeland. Gabi would stay red hot and get the scoring started with an RBI double. Followed by a Perdomo RBI single and a Carroll RBI double. The Dbacks would then do a good job as an offensive unit moving runners around, and getting Sac Flys until Nolan Arenado came up in the 7th in his old stomping grounds and smacked yet another HR. This one went 421 feet to left field and marked his 28th of the year and his 3rd hit of the game! Arenado is now hitting .400 in his last 15 games with 7HR and an .836 SLG.
At a time when the Dbacks really needed guys to start stepping up, Nolan Arenado and Michael Soroka really did just that tonight. Lets hope more people continue to follow this lead and step up and embrace the moments at this time of the season when it is do or die and their backs are against the wall.
With the Phillies win tonight, the Dbacks elimination number is down to 2. Fortunately, the Padres lost today to the Dodgers. If the Dbacks can pick up 1 more game on the Padres in the next 2 games, they will enter this weekend in San Diego with some control over their own destiny. Snakes Still Alive!
Randal Grichuk went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a home run, finishing a triple shy of the cycle with four runs scored and three RBIs. | (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Anthony Kay looked solid for the first couple of innings, keeping the Royals scoreless despite their first two batters reaching on consecutive base hits. Unfortunately, he couldn’t maintain that consistency and ultimately surrendered four runs on seven hits over just four innings. The lefty is known to lean on his four-seamer, but tonight he turned primarily to his sweeper (38%) and sinker (34%), with his cutter accounting for another 9% of his pitches. The sinker didn’t generate many swings and misses, but it produced seven called strikes, the most of any of his pitches, and posted a 32% called-strike-plus-whiff rate (CSW%). Batters whiffed at Kay’s sweeper nearly half the time they swung at it (45%), and the pitch accounted for two of his four strikeouts.
Even though Kay faced a majority-lefty lineup from Kansas City, they still managed to tag him for seven hits, including a solo bomb from Nick Loftin in the bottom of the third that scored the first run for the Royals. Thankfully for Kay, the South Side bats were fresh after Monday’s off day, and posted nine runs in the first four frames off of Royals starter Daniel Lynch IV: two in the first, one in the second, and three apiece in the third and fourth. Out of their nine hits, four were mashed for extra bases — a double and three home runs — while the Good Guys were 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position, giving Kay an eight-run cushion heading into the bottom of the fourth.
Chicago’s bats have started to click more consistently over the last few games. Four Sox hitters rank among baseball’s top 13 in OPS over the past week: Miguel Vargas (No. 8, 1.131), Munetaka Murakami (No. 10, 1.107), Chase Meidroth (No. 12, 1.075) and Randal Grichuk (No. 13, 1.064). Vargas had a quieter night than the other three, but all four contributed. Meidroth opened the scoring with a two-run single in the first, the first of his three hits. He then crushed a three-run homer in the third, his 16th of the season.
Brenton Doyle extended his hitting streak to seven games with two hits in Tuesday’s series opener, including a second-inning solo homer. Doyle has been hot lately, and his Gold Glove-caliber defense could make him a key contributor for the South Siders down the stretch.
The South Siders kept their foot on the gas into the fourth, completely beating up on Lynch for one more frame before the Royals turned it over to the bullpen. Grichuk has been on fire and is essentially a wizard against left-handed pitchers, and Tuesday was no exception. His three-run homer off Lynch, his 25th of the season, made it 9-1. Uncle Randy finished 4-for-5 and a triple shy of the cycle, with two doubles, a homer, four runs scored and three RBIs.
KC’s third-inning solo home run didn’t matter much given Chicago’s huge lead, but Kay got into a bit of a jam in the fourth that led to two more runs for the Royals. A leadoff walk, back-to-back base hits, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly and an RBI ground out cut the Sox lead to six, but Kay and the South Side defense locked in and got out of the inning. The lefty returned in the bottom of the fifth with just 60 pitches thrown, but he quickly got into trouble, hitting Carter Jensen to lead off the frame, followed by a single from Bobby Witt Jr. that was generously ruled a base hit rather than an error by shortstop Colson Montgomery.
That marked the end of the road for Kay, as Will Venable turned to rookie southpaw Noah Schultz to clean up the mess. Thankfully, the lanky lefty mostly worked out of it with a fly out and two ground outs, though one of the grounders drove in the fourth run for the Royals, which was charged to Kay. Schultz navigated one additional scoreless inning to maintain the lead and eventually earn the win.
The White Sox bats went quiet for a couple of innings as righthander Tony Gonsolin held the lineup in check. Then the Good Guys batted around in the seventh, scoring five runs to stretch the lead to 14-4. Grichuk opened the inning with his second double of the night, and Murakami launched his 33rd homer of the season into the Kansas City bullpen. Meidroth later walked, and two more hits loaded the bases. The Royals walked Vargas to force in a run before Andrew Benintendi poked a two-run single for good measure.
Things felt like smooth sailing with a 10-run lead, but after the Sox blew a huge lead on Friday night, you can’t be too careful. Huascar Brazobán made his second appearance since being reactivated from the IL Sunday, and he followed up his performance with another scoreless outing. Seriously, after his inning, things were looking up, but at the end of the day, both the Sox and Royals posted 13 hits, and the three-run difference on the scoreboard tells a completely different story. Naturally, the White Sox bullpen can be extremely volatile, and Kansas City capitalized by adding three runs in the eighth and four more in the bottom of the ninth to make everyone sweat a little.
Righthander Trevor Richards is usually great at eating innings, but he was dishing out two-baggers left and right as the Royals posted three of them, plus a sacrifice fly, to add three runs. Fine, whatever, we can deal with the score being 14-7… right?
I’m okay with a few runs scoring for the greater good of winning the game, but when Luis Castillo came in to finish out the contest with a seven-run lead and somehow turned it into a three-run game, things got a little frightening. Castillo got Jensen to fly out for the first out, but then two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Vinnie Pasquantino. You could literally feel the grand slam building up, and of course, the Pasquatch struck again and blasted his 15th of the season — and first career grand slam — to make the game interesting. Though “interesting” wouldn’t be my first choice of words.
On the bright side, the chaos ended there, and Castillo recovered enough to get the final two outs and end the game. Meanwhile, out on the East Coast, the Boston Red Sox blasted a solo bomb in the bottom of the eighth to tie it at two against Cleveland, but the Guardians struck in the ninth while the Red Sox didn’t have the mojo. After all that, the South Siders still trail Cleveland by a game in the division race, but with tonight’s win, the magic number to clinch a playoff berth is now down to two. The Sox need just one more win and one Rangers loss over the final five games to punch their ticket to the postseason.
MVP (Flip a coin) Randal Grichuk: 4-for-5, 4 R, 3 RBI, K, 2 2B, HR, excellent catch in OF
You couldn’t have scripted a better start or result. Astros 7 Mariners 0.
Manager Joe Espada wanted to set the tone early and play aggressive. Mission accomplished. The Astros engineered four consecutive singles to start things. Yordan Alvarez drove in the first run, his 100th of the season, making it 1-0. The contest could’ve been broken wide open right then with the bases loaded and no outs, but the Astros stranded all three. However, it was just a matter of time.
The Mariners threatened in the home half of the first due to a pair of issued walks by Cristian Javier, but things remained scoreless until the third. That’s when Christian Walker’s 3 run blast made things 4-0. It was Walker’s first home run in two weeks and 200th of his career. Walker’s drive to left field brought in Altuve and Diaz who each singled to start the frame. Walker now has 26 home runs on the year.
Mariners ace Logan Gilbert lasted only four innings, departing after 10 hits on 81 pitches. Gilbert’s pitching counterpart, Cristian Javier exited after two frames, dealing with right groin soreness. With the starters gone, it became a battle of bullpens. Miguel Ullola was the first to appear in relief, pitching a pair of scoreless innings. Bennett Sousa represented the third Astros pitcher of the night. Sousa navigated the fifth and sixth innings despite allowing multiple baserunners. He struck out three. Bullpen workhorse, AJ Blubaugh then pitched a scoreless seventh.
Houston increased their lead late. With two outs and two strikes, Isaac Paredes took J.A. Ferrer deep, increasing the lead to 5-0 in the 6th and then Yordan Alvarez put an exclamation point on the evening, with a 2-run blast 10 rows deep to right in the 8th. It was Yordan’s 41st. He trails Pete Alonso by just 6 RBI in the race for the Triple Crown.
Logan VanWey closed things out with scoreless innings in the 8th and 9th. He only allowed a single to Julio Rodriguez, but nothing more.
The Astros have now won for just the second time in their last nine outings at T-Mobile Park. With the victory and the combination of the Rangers loss, they’re again in a tie atop the A.L. West, holding the edge in the tiebreaker.
Odds & Ends:
Jeremy Pena celebrated his 29th birthday by registering his 10th stolen base of the season.
Cam Smith snapped his 0-26 slump with a double in the second inning.
Yordan Alvarez has a 7-game hitting streak.
First pitch for the finale of the mini two game series will be 9:10pm CDT. George Kirby will go for the Mariners.
In their bid to three-peat as World Series champions, of course, the Dodgers are expected to be led by their star-studded rotation. Shohei Ohtani isn’t pitching, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are.
And if all goes according to plan, they will handle the bulk of the innings.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the second inning at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
However, replicating the starting pitching excellence of last October won’t be easy. A season ago, the Dodgers’ four-man rotation of Ohtani, Yamamoto, Snell and Glasnow accounted for 113 of the team’s 165 postseason innings (including relief appearances from Glasnow and Yamamoto). Together, they posted a 2.55 ERA.
It was historic production.
Which also means, it’s fair to assume some regression will be possible –– both in workload and effectiveness.
Thus, having more reliable bullpen options this time around could be equally important for the Dodgers. And while that might have felt like a daunting reality earlier this year, when the unit was banged up and struggling through the middle portion of the campaign, Tuesday night was a reminder that the relief corps could be a strength in this fall’s title pursuit.
“Obviously we’ve had a lot of talent over the years,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But as far as sitting here today at the end of the season, it’s as good of shape as we’ve ever been in with the bullpen.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz reacts after getting the third out during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectLos Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki pitches against the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In a 7-0 win over the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers were not supposed to have the pitching matchup –– countering Padres ace Michael King with a makeshift bullpen game in a rivalry series opener at Dodger Stadium.
Instead, eight different Dodgers relievers held the previous red-hot Padres to a five-hit shutout. Along the way, several arms who once seemed like question marks continued to round into increasingly promising form.
“It was fantastic,” Roberts said. “This is as good as our bullpen has been, has thrown.”
It started with opener Brock Stewart, a key right-handed weapon in the Dodgers’ bullpen who began the game with a scoreless first inning, continuing his late-season resurgence after another injury-plagued year.
The highlight of the night came in the fourth and fifth, when Roki Sasaki and Edwin Díaz hung a couple more zeroes in what were important appearances from each.
For Sasaki, the outing marked his first since returning from the injured list and making his own late-season move back to the bullpen, where he could reprise his role as closer from last year’s playoffs. He worked around a pair of singles with two strikeouts and a fastball that, even after being sidelined for the last month by a blister, sat at 99-100 mph.
For Díaz, Tuesday was not only a third-consecutive scoreless outing since his own return from the IL, but his most impressive yet as he makes a bid for the playoff roster. He retired the top of the Padres lineup in order with a pair of strikeouts, and has now retired 9 of 11 batters he has faced since rejoining the active roster.
Asked postgame if Díaz –– the $69 million offseason signing who lost the closer’s job amid a previously dismal debut Dodgers season –– could still pitch his way back into ninth-inning duties, Roberts said it’s “certainly possible.”
“The way he’s throwing, the ninth is possible, yes,” Roberts added.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz (3) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the fifth inning at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
By that point, the Dodgers had already pulled away from the Padres. They mounted a four-run rally with two outs in the second against King, who issued back-to-back bases-loaded walks to Tommy Edman and Mookie Betts before Freddie Freeman slashed a two-run single through the infield. The offense tacked on more runs in the fourth (on another Freeman RBI single), the sixth (on a solo home run from Tommy Edman), and the seventh (a Will Smith solo blast).
In what was the lineup’s toughest test in a while, they passed with flying colors.
Still, the night’s most encouraging developments came from the ‘pen, which capped off the game with two scoreless innings from Kyle Hurt, then stress-free appearances in the eighth and ninth from Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer.
The unit’s most trusted arms at the moment, Tanner Scott (who figures to be vying with Sasaki for the postseason closer role) and Evan Phillips, weren’t even required. Nor was Edgardo Henriquez, who remains sidelined by a back injury but still could return in time for the playoffs.
“We know we have a good group, and anytime we get to carry the load and everybody has success and throws up zeros, it’s special,” Stewart said. “That’s really hard to do, for all eight guys or whatever it was today. So yeah, it’s cool.”
With a smirk, he added: “Write stories about it.”
Come October, of course, the Dodgers will be hoping their relievers are the main story.
But if the rotation falters, the club seems significantly better-suited to handle it than it did a year ago.
“That could change in a day, in a game, as we all know,” Roberts said. “But right now, feel really good about everyone out there.”
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 22: Julio Rodríguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners catches a fly ball against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park on September 22, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Astros 7, Mariners 0
Listening to Rick Rizzs while I still can: Randy Arozarena, 0.04 WPA
Listening to Rick Rizzs announce this game, in this season: Logan Gilbert, -0.25 WPA
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Tommy Edman #25, Andy Pages #44 and Teoscar Hernández #37 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate runs scored by a Freddie Freeman #5 (not pictured) single during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on September 22, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
King hadn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his previous nine starts, with a 2.26 ERA during that span, and he retired his first five batters faced on Tuesday. Then with two outs in the second inning, the next six batters reached, breaking open the scoring.
Teoscar Hernández singles for the Dodgers’ first hit, then Josue De Paula singled on an 0-2 pitch before Andy Pages was hit by a pitch in his very first plate appearance back since getting hit by a pitch one month prior, to load the bases. Tommy Edman walked on four pitches for the game’s first run, Mookie Betts only needed five pitches to walk home another run, then Freddie Freeman grounded a single through the infield, and under the legs of a leaping Edman, to score two more.
Betts hit a ground-rule double in the fourth, followed by another RBI single by Freeman for a fifth run against King.
Solo home runs by Edman in the sixth and Will Smith in the seventh off the Padres bullpen padded the scoring.
With Emmet Sheehan optioned on Tuesday and Tarik Skubal on the bereavement list, the Dodgers have only three active pitchers they plan to use as starting pitchers in the postseason at the moment. That means they have 11 relievers, and on a day following an off day and the day before a start by the MLB leader in innings per start, the Dodgers used .. pitchers to cover the nine innings.
Starters Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki — the latter just activated on Tuesday — each pitched only one inning, both scoreless. Sasaki was hitting 100 mph in his first game action in four weeks.
Kyle Hurt was the only Dodgers pitcher to toss more than one inning, taking care of the sixth and seventh.
Jack Dreyer was the first pitcher of Sunday’s game, and the last pitcher on Tuesday.
LP — Michael King (12-10): 4 IP, 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Up next
Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes the final start of his excellent regular season on Wednesday night (7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA), with left-hander Robbie Ray on the mound for San Diego.
Randal Grichuk went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a home run, finishing a triple shy of the cycle with four runs scored and three RBIs. | (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Anthony Kay looked solid for the first couple of innings, keeping the Royals scoreless despite their first two batters reaching on consecutive base hits. Unfortunately, he couldn’t maintain that consistency and ultimately surrendered four runs on seven hits over just four innings. The lefty is known to lean on his four-seamer, but tonight he turned primarily to his sweeper (38%) and sinker (34%), with his cutter accounting for another 9% of his pitches. The sinker didn’t generate many swings and misses, but it produced seven called strikes, the most of any of his pitches, and posted a 32% called-strike-plus-whiff rate (CSW%). Batters whiffed at Kay’s sweeper nearly half the time they swung at it (45%), and the pitch accounted for two of his four strikeouts.
Even though Kay faced a majority-lefty lineup from Kansas City, they still managed to tag him for seven hits, including a solo bomb from Nick Loftin in the bottom of the third that scored the first run for the Royals. Thankfully for Kay, the South Side bats were fresh after Monday’s off day, and posted nine runs in the first four frames off of Royals starter Daniel Lynch IV: two in the first, one in the second, and three apiece in the third and fourth. Out of their nine hits, four were mashed for extra bases — a double and three home runs — while the Good Guys were 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position, giving Kay an eight-run cushion heading into the bottom of the fourth.
Chicago’s bats have started to click more consistently over the last few games. Four Sox hitters rank among baseball’s top 13 in OPS over the past week: Miguel Vargas (No. 8, 1.131), Munetaka Murakami (No. 10, 1.107), Chase Meidroth (No. 12, 1.075) and Randal Grichuk (No. 13, 1.064). Vargas had a quieter night than the other three, but all four contributed. Meidroth opened the scoring with a two-run single in the first, the first of his three hits. He then crushed a three-run homer in the third, his 16th of the season.
Brenton Doyle extended his hitting streak to seven games with two hits in Tuesday’s series opener, including a second-inning solo homer. Doyle has been hot lately, and his Gold Glove-caliber defense could make him a key contributor for the South Siders down the stretch.
The South Siders kept their foot on the gas into the fourth, completely beating up on Lynch for one more frame before the Royals turned it over to the bullpen. Grichuk has been on fire and is essentially a wizard against left-handed pitchers, and Tuesday was no exception. His three-run homer off Lynch, his 25th of the season, made it 9-1. Uncle Randy finished 4-for-5 and a triple shy of the cycle, with two doubles, a homer, four runs scored and three RBIs.
KC’s third-inning solo home run didn’t matter much given Chicago’s huge lead, but Kay got into a bit of a jam in the fourth that led to two more runs for the Royals. A leadoff walk, back-to-back base hits, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly and an RBI ground out cut the Sox lead to six, but Kay and the South Side defense locked in and got out of the inning. The lefty returned in the bottom of the fifth with just 60 pitches thrown, but he quickly got into trouble, hitting Carter Jensen to lead off the frame, followed by a single from Bobby Witt Jr. that was generously ruled a base hit rather than an error by shortstop Colson Montgomery.
That marked the end of the road for Kay, as Will Venable turned to rookie southpaw Noah Schultz to clean up the mess. Thankfully, the lanky lefty mostly worked out of it with a fly out and two ground outs, though one of the grounders drove in the fourth run for the Royals, which was charged to Kay. Schultz navigated one additional scoreless inning to maintain the lead and eventually earn the win.
The White Sox bats went quiet for a couple of innings as righthander Tony Gonsolin held the lineup in check. Then the Good Guys batted around in the seventh, scoring five runs to stretch the lead to 14-4. Grichuk opened the inning with his second double of the night, and Murakami launched his 33rd homer of the season into the Kansas City bullpen. Meidroth later walked, and two more hits loaded the bases. The Royals walked Vargas to force in a run before Andrew Benintendi poked a two-run single for good measure.
Things felt like smooth sailing with a 10-run lead, but after the Sox blew a huge lead on Friday night, you can’t be too careful. Huascar Brazobán made his second appearance since being reactivated from the IL Sunday, and he followed up his performance with another scoreless outing. Seriously, after his inning, things were looking up, but at the end of the day, both the Sox and Royals posted 13 hits, and the three-run difference on the scoreboard tells a completely different story. Naturally, the White Sox bullpen can be extremely volatile, and Kansas City capitalized by adding three runs in the eighth and four more in the bottom of the ninth to make everyone sweat a little.
Righthander Trevor Richards is usually great at eating innings, but he was dishing out two-baggers left and right as the Royals posted three of them, plus a sacrifice fly, to add three runs. Fine, whatever, we can deal with the score being 14-7… right?
I’m okay with a few runs scoring for the greater good of winning the game, but when Luis Castillo came in to finish out the contest with a seven-run lead and somehow turned it into a three-run game, things got a little frightening. Castillo got Jensen to fly out for the first out, but then two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Vinnie Pasquantino. You could literally feel the grand slam building up, and of course, the Pasquatch struck again and blasted his 15th of the season — and first career grand slam — to make the game interesting. Though “interesting” wouldn’t be my first choice of words.
On the bright side, the chaos ended there, and Castillo recovered enough to get the final two outs and end the game. Meanwhile, out on the East Coast, the Boston Red Sox blasted a solo bomb in the bottom of the eighth to tie it at two against Cleveland, but the Guardians struck in the ninth while the Red Sox didn’t have the mojo. After all that, the South Siders still trail Cleveland by a game in the division race, but with tonight’s win, the magic number to clinch a playoff berth is now down to two. The Sox need just one more win and one Rangers loss over the final five games to punch their ticket to the postseason.
MVP (Flip a coin) Randal Grichuk: 4-for-5, 4 R, 3 RBI, K, 2 2B, HR, excellent catch in OF
Sep 22, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA;Minnesota Twins catcher Victor Caratini (37) with Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley (26) after the bottom of the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Taj Bradley wasted no time in getting his 200th strikeout of the year tonight, fanning Drew Gilbert. He became the 10th Twins pitcher to record at least 200 in a season, the last one being Pablo Lopez in 2023. It was the first of six strikeouts he would tally tonight, going six innings and allowing just one run.
It was 1-0, Giants, going into the sixth inning when Ryan Kreidler picked up a 1-out single. Luke Keaschall proceeded to hit a ball into triple alley in left-center, earning him one (1) triple and an RBI. Brooks Lee would drive him in with a single to make it 2-1, Twins.
Walker Jenkins added an insurance run in the next inning with his 4th homer of the year, a solo blast to right field. That’s his third homer on this 10-25 road trip.
Game is going pretty well at this point, but enter Jeff Hoffman for the bottom of the 9th inning trying for his first save as a Twin. Brett Harris walks, then Andrew Knizner was hit by a pitch. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a space, then Osleivis Basabe walked to load the bases. Jonah Cox hit a liner to 3B, off of Brooks Lee’s glove but Lee recovers and gets an out at 3rd as a run scores. Hoffman then got Victor Bericoto to strike out on a 3-2 slider, giving us our 3-2 final score!
Studs:
Taj Bradley: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Luke Keaschall: 1-4, 3B, RBI, good defense in right field
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez has had a subpar season compared to the expectations the organization and the young backstop have for him. But it seems Alvarez is making some changes to get him right offensively before the regular season ends, and that showed in Tuesday's series opener with the Rangers.
The 24-year-old went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles, two RBI and two runs scored. Alvarez now has a three-game hitting streak going, and over the last week, his offensive numbers are starting to blossom.
"He's a really good hitter. Even the outs were good today," Mets manager Andy Green said after the 6-3 win. "Using the whole field. Did a nice job last week, just relaxing, shooting the ball around the field. It’s good to see him be himself.
Every season, some people go through some tough stretches. Our goal is to shrink those and get to the best version of him quicker in the future. We know who he can be, especially against left-handed pitching; to have him in the lineup is huge."
Back on Sept. 16, Green benched Alvarez for Luis Torrens after the catcher went 1-for-9 in the Baltimore series and was batting .148 (4-27) in his previous seven games. The Mets skipper was confident Alvarez could snap out of his funk, and he's starting to.
While his power numbers are up from the previous two seasons, he already has a career-high in strikeouts (125), and most other offensive numbers are down from a year ago. But after his big performance on Tuesday, Alvarez is now batting .286 (8-28) over his last seven games with a home run and five RBI.
"Feeling good right now at the plate," Alvarez said after the win. "I started working to stay back and make contact deeper. I have a lot of power. It’s no secret. Just need to make contact as deep as I can. My bat can play better."
Green was asked what the best version of Alvarez is, and he said a hitter that "has real power to all fields."
"[He] Doesn’t have to try to hit the ball hard to hit the ball hard," Green continued. "In this day and age, it’s launch angle and exit velo. He can get up to 115s and when he just takes his swing, he’ll hit it plenty hard and often. Squaring up the ball is all he needs to do, and he did it really well today."
Alvarez was asked to critique his 2026 season. But the Venezuela native smiled and said there are still five games left in the season. Once it's over, then he can answer.
If Alvarez can continue this offensive momentum through the end of the season and attack the offseason, the 2027 Mets could have the best catching duo in baseball.
NEW YORK — The Tampa Bay Rays clinched their fifth division title with a 6-1 victory over the New York Yankees in second game of a day-night doubleheader Tuesday as Drew Rasmussen allowed one hit in 6 2/3 innings and Yandy Díaz hit a pair of two-run singles.
The Rays won the AL East for the first time since 2021 and beat that team by three days with the earliest division clincher in team history. Tampa Bay also won division crowns in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season along with 2010 and 2008, when it reached the World Series and had the first winning season in team history.
Tampa Bay (96-61) opened a six-game lead over the second-place Yankees (90-67) with five to play and will be the No. 1 seed with home-field advantage in the American League playoffs. The team is two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in the majors and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
After closer Bryan Baker retired Yankees rookie George Lombard Jr. for the final out, the Rays shook hands on the field and exchanged hugs near the dugout to start their celebration.
Rasmussen held the Yankees hitless until Heliot Ramos started the seventh with a double to left field. The right-hander exited after walking Jazz Chisholm Jr., but Kevin Kelly retired Austin Wells after allowing Lombard’s run-scoring single.
After finishing with three hits during a 2-0 loss in the opener, the Rays locked up the division title with a three-run seventh. Taylor Walls had a bunt single and Díaz lined a single to center field for a 4-0 lead. Díaz added another two-run single in the ninth.
In a year that hasn’t gone his way, Mets left-hander Sean Manaea struck out nine batters over six innings in a 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday as the veteran looks to end the 2026 campaign with momentum before entering a crucial offseason in his career.
“He really battled,” Mets manager Andy Green said of the starter. “First inning punched the side and looked amazing. And then kinda hit a little bit of a funk there, couple walks, couple hit batters. Locked it back in for the last two.”
And those last two innings were crucial as he delivered back-to-back 1-2-3 frames, including getting over the sixth-inning bugaboo with three straight groundouts, which set off a bit of a dugout celebration.
“We all were talking about the sixth inning coming off the field,” Green said, breaking into a big smile. “So I said something to him immediately, and he got pretty fired up to just get past it. [The sixth inning had] become a story, and now it won’t be a story because he got through six.”
“It just felt great to do that,” Manaea said with a broad smile. “I think everybody in the dugout kinda realized that, too. To be able to share that with the boys, it was really cool, really special.”
The left-hander's fastball may not be what it was in the past (averaging 91.6 mph on the night, which is at his average for the season), but it was effective with 14 whiffs on 29 swings (48 percent) in his second-to-last start of the year.
“Just attack guys, don’t do anything too crazy,” Manaea said of his night. “Just get ahead, throw sweepers, a changeup every once in a while, and then threw some cutters for strikes. Just kept it simple.”
While the season has been far from ideal for the lefty - a 4.67 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 144.2 innings over 32 games (18 starts) – a bounce-back season next year is in his hands.
“It’s crazy to say somebody who’s [34 years old] has all the potential to get back to who he’s been,” Green said, mentioning what Chris Sale has been able to do with Atlanta at an advanced age after struggling for a few years in Boston. “Sean, if he takes advantage of this offseason and really gets after it, and he’s back at the 94, 95 [mph] range, his stuff really, really plays.”
Manaea’s velocity dip was a big storyline coming out of spring training, something he downplayed, and while he has been effective at times without hitting the highs he did in years past, the skipper stated the obvious about throwing harder: “It certainly helps.”
“It makes everything easier,” Green said. “There’s days when you get on the bump, and you might not have it over the course of a season. You can’t use that as a crutch; you still have to compete and win and figure out a way to get guys out.
“But the best version of him has always been one that carries more velocity than he carried at the start of this season. I think there’s more ceiling there.”
And with Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, ZacThornton, and Jonah Tong all hungry to pencil their names in the Mets’ plans for next year, Manaea will have to work to “climb the mountain” this offseason, Green said.
“We’ve had a conversation about that very thing,” the manager said about Manaea working back into the fold. “He can be in the rotation, he can be a fixture, he can be a guy; he has been a guy on a team that went to the NLCS. He’s been a guy that we relied on heavily.
“I would love for that to be the case again. He knows full well that he’s gotta pitch and pitch well. As we get to ‘27, nothing is gonna be handed to him.”
Green later put the stakes more bluntly about the coming months ahead of Manaea, who is under contract with the Mets through the 2027 campaign: “I think he needs to push for [higher velocity] this offseason. I think he needs to approach this offseason like he’s trying to continue pitching for the next four years.”
Shohei Ohtani returns from the injured list Wednesday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers have less than a week left of the regular season to round into playoff form. And their roster moves this series reflect that time crunch.
Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Shohei Ohtani (right biceps, left knee) was on track to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. Ohtani is feeling “considerably” better than he was before the IL stint, according to Roberts.
“I would say if he was a five, he’s probably an eight or a nine right now,” Roberts said before eight pitchers led the Dodgers’ 7-0 win against the San Diego Padres.
On Tuesday, they returned two other important postseason pieces, reinstating center fielder Andy Pages (fractured left hand) and right-hander Roki Sasaki (right middle finger blister) from the injured list.
In corresponding moves, the Dodgers optioned right-hander Emmet Sheehan and catcher Eliézer Alfonzo to triple-A Oklahoma City.
Sasaki took the fourth inning of the bullpen game and threw scoreless ball. He gave up a pair of singles, but his fastball had a little extra life in the short stint, averaging 98.7 mph and topping out at 101.7.
Pages went 0 for 2 but reached base twice, on a hit by pitch and a walk.
Even as players return, however, there are still questions the Dodgers have to answer in the last week of the season:
Where will Ohtani hit?
At least at first, Roberts plans to write Ohtani in at the top of the order, per usual. But shortstop Mookie Betts has entered the conversation.
“Certainly versus right-handed pitching [Ohtani] will be there,” Roberts said. “I do think I should think through the Mookie versus left situation, but I have to think about the entire lineup structure.”
Ohtani has hit leadoff in every game he’s started this year. But he hit No. 2 in 79 games the two previous seasons combined.
Even without Ohtani, the Dodgers lineup has been clicking. On Tuesday, Tommy Edman hit his second home run in as many games, and Will Smith homered for the third time in four days.
Is the rotation healthy?
Blake Snell is on track to start Saturday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell, who exited his start last week with left groin tightness, threw a bullpen on Tuesday. He’s scheduled for one final regular-season start Saturday, Roberts said.
That means all four of the Dodgers’ projected playoff starters are lined up to pitch this Wednesday through Saturday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow on the mound for the last two games against the Padres, and Tarik Skubal and Snell in the first two games in San Francisco.
Who is the closer?
Tanner Scott has 23 saves this season. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
In short, it could change by the day.
“In a perfect world, as we all know the world’s not perfect, I would love [a set closer],” Roberts said. “I think if there’s an opportunity, for example, for Tanner [Scott] to pitch a high-leverage inning in the seventh or the eighth inning, it’s just hard to pass that up if he’s the best option right there. Because you just don’t know where the ninth inning is going to be.
“Those are things that you have to kind of toil with, and those are always good things for people to debate. Right now I don’t see a one-person closer.”
Sasaki stepped into that role last year. It’s unclear exactly how Roberts will use him this time around, but Roberts said he could be an option, depending on how he pitches coming off the IL.
“Last year it was one of those things where it was a situation of need, as far as where we were at with performance and health and guys,” Roberts said. “He filled that role admirably.”
Who gets the last bench spot?
Will Josue De Paula get the final spot on the postseason roster? (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The battle to serve as the left-handed bat off the bench in the postseason has come down to rookie Josue De Paula and injured catcher Dalton Rushing (right flexor strain). But with Rushing still on the IL, De Paula appears to have an edge.
Don’t read too much into the Dodgers’ corresponding move for Ohtani on Wednesday. If they option De Paula 10 days out from the first game of the National League Division Series, he can still be included on the roster.
The Dodgers will have to make another roster move later in the week, when they plan to activate Rushing. If they option a player to make room for Rushing, that player would only be eligible for the start of the NLDS as the corresponding transaction for an IL move.
Los Angeles, - September 18: Miguel Rojas #72 has fun with pitcher Blake Snell of the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, September 18, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Veteran infielder Miguel Rojas was voted by his Dodgers teammates and coaching staff as the 2026 winner of the Roy Campanella Award, given annually to the Dodgers player who best embodies the leadership and spirit of the Hall of Fame catcher. Rojas also won the award in 2024and 2025, making him the first player to win the Campanella Award in three straight seasons.
In the 21-year history of the award, Justin Turner is the only other player to win the Campanella Award three times, taking the honor in 2017, 2019, and 2020. Clayton Kershaw (2013-14) and Chase Utley (2016, 2018) are the only other Dodgers to win the award twice.
The longtime shortstop Rojas has started games at second base, shortstop, and third base this season, and even played three innings at first base. He’s hitting .271/.311/.399 with a 93 wRC+ in his 101 games and 243 plate appearances, including a robust .297/.340/.476 with a 122 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers.
Rojas signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract in December to return for his 13th and final season, and plans to join the Dodgers front office afterward, with a focus on player development. Rojas has long stated his desire to get into coaching once his playing days are over.
“Nobody when I came to this organization asked me, ‘Hey we want you to be a leader’ or ‘We want you to be a mentor.’ It’s just who I want to be and who I want to be for the future,” Rojas told True Blue LA in 2024. “After my career is over, I’m trying to stay on the field, to stay coaching, and I want to be a part of an organization that wants to win.”
Rojas will receive his 2026 Roy Campanella Award before Thursday night’s series finale against the Padres, with Campanella’s daughter, Joni Campanella Roan, and his granddaughter, Akua Campanella presenting Rojas with the award on the field at Dodger Stadium.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 22: Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a solo home run in the seventh inning during a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 22, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It wasn’t the (potential) final Coors Field game Kyle Freeland dreamed of.
Unfortunately, the Rockies lost their 100th game of the season, and he only pitched three innings in the loss. The Rockies mustered just eight baserunners, and only two came around to score early in the game they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-2.
(Potential) Coors Field Swan Song
In what could be Kyle Freeland’s final start at Coors Field as a Rockie, he wasn’t very sharp. He gave up a lead-off single to Ildemaro Vargas, but then got Rockies-killer Ketel Marte to pop out to short. Following that, Gabriel Moreno doubled to score Vargas, and Geraldo Perdomo singled to score Moreno and put the Diamondbacks up 2-0. Nolan Arenado singled to reach base for the 11th time in 11 games against the Rockies this year, but then Freeland was able to strike out Jordan Lawlar. Other Rockies-killer Corbin Carroll added another run on another double before Tim Tawa walked to load the bases. However, Jose Fernandez grounded out to end the inning.
Freeland allowed just a single to Marte in the second, but then gave up a lead-off double to Arenado in the third. Lawlar grounded out and Carroll lined out, but then Tawa hit a ground-rule double — the fourth of the ballgame — to score Arenado. Fernandez struck out on a foul tip to end the inning.
Freeland came out for the fourth, but allowed a single to Vargas that turned into two bases when Zac Veen committed an error. Unfortunately, that was the end for the Denver native in this game. His final line: 3.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. He threw 69 pitches, 44 for strikes.
“I think he was behind in counts early,” manager Warren Schaeffer said, noting that the Diamondbacks had “a good plan.”
“I don’t think he was as sharp in the zone,” he added.
When his press conference had ended, Schaeffer added this: “This guy’s meant to much to our organization over the years, and the ultimate pro. You hate to see it end like that.” Schaeffer thanked him for his contributions on the field and in the community.
“Not how you want to draw it up,” an emotional Freeland said, thanking his teammates, coaches, family, and fans.
“It was an emotional day,” he noted. “I made sure to soak up every single minute of it.”
Freeland added to fans, “I appreciate you so much. I love you so much,” adding, “I’m proud to be a Colorado Rockie.”
Baserunners galore, but runs no more
The Rockies offense was befuddled by Michael Soroka early, but finally broke through in the third inning. Mickey Moniak broke out of his slump with a solo shot to right-center to break up the shutout.
Troy Johnston then doubled and Veen reached on an error by Tawa. Jake McCarthy grounded into a force out that nabbed Veen at second, and then Johnston came around to score on a Connor Norby sac fly, cutting the lead in half, 4-2.
Unfortunately, McCarthy tried to do McCarthy things and was picked off trying to steal second. And even more unfortunately, the next eight were retired until Norby walked with two outs in the sixth. But then TJ Rumfield flied out to left to end the threat.
In the seventh, Cole Carrigg was hit by a pitch after Hunter Goodman struck out, and then Kyle Karros and Moniak struck out. In the eighth, Johnston was hit by a 99.5-mph fastball to kick things off. Veen then flew out to left and McCarthy struck out swinging, snapping his career-best 22-game on-base streak. Norby struck out to end the inning and strand another baserunner.
In the ninth, Rumfield flew out to end his 24-game on-base streak — the longest active streak in the Majors and longest by a Rockie since Tyler Freeman’s 25-gamer from June 13-July 12, 2025 — while Goodman grounded out. Carrigg singled for just the third hit of the game, but Karros grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the game.
The Rockies offense mustered eight baserunners all game: three hits, two errors, two hit batters and one walk. The two runs came around to score on the back-to-back hits in the third inning.
Still, Schaeffer remains positive.
“I see a lot of hope, and I see a lot of progress,” he said. “This is obviously not where we want to be.”
He added, “You have to focus on the positives moving forward.”
Gritty Bullpen
Zach Agnos came in to relieve Freeland, immediately getting Marte to ground back out to him. But Moreno hit a sac fly to add another run, 5-2, and then Perdomo singled and stole second. Arenado was called out on strikes to end the inning.
In the fifth, Lawlar led off with a double and Carroll grounded out to Goodman. And Tawa hit a sac fly to score Lawlar from third to make the score 6-2. Fernandez popped out to third to end the inning.
In the sixth, Agnos issued a lead-off walk to Vargas. Luckily, he got the next three batters out. But then Arenado smacked a 421-foot homer to lead off the seventh, putting him a triple away from the cycle (which he would ultimately not get).
Luckily, though, he retired the next three batters thanks in part to a diving play from Carrigg to nab Tawa.
Nick Frasso came in to relieve Agnos in the eighth and was able to pitch a 1-2-3 inning. Juan Mejia took the ninth, and pitched (kind of) a 1-2-3 inning. Moreno grounded out to first and Perdomo singled. Arenado popped out to dash his cycle hopes, and then Perdomo got caught in a rundown trying to steal second to end the inning.
Up Next
The Rockies will look to regroup tomorrow, and the Diamondbacks will look to keep their postseason aspirations alive.
Mason Adams (0-1, 5.09 ERA) will face off against Merrill Kelly (9-14, 5.00 ERA). First pitch is at 6:40pm.
