Category: MLB

Twenty-five years ago, Victor Saracini was on United 175 when it hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Patrick McGuire was working on the 84th floor of the same tower.

Their kids didn't know each other yet. Brielle Saracini, whose father had been the plane's pilot, and Sean McGuire met years later, as grieving 10-year-olds, at a camp for children who lost a parent on Sept. 11, 2001. They later fell in love, got married, and Friday night, they threw out the first pitch together at Yankee Stadium.

Brielle Saracini and Sean McGuire both lost their fathers on 9/11.

They met in 2003 at Camp Better Days, which was established to support families affected by those tragic events.

In 2017, they were married.

Tonight, Brielle and Sean threw out the ceremonial first pitches at… pic.twitter.com/XX82bxQMgZ

— MLB (@MLB) September 11, 2026

The whole night, with the Yankees and Mets playing each other, was built around the anniversary of the terrorist attacks that hit 13 miles south of the stadium, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing 2,977. The Yankees planned a pre-game ceremony with honor guards from the NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority Police, plus a group of 2001 Yankees alumni.

Current players laid a wreath at the 9/11 memorial in Monument Park earlier in the day. A giant flag covered the outfield for the anthem, sung by the opera tenor James Valenti, with Lee Greenwood following him with "God Bless America." FDNY Lt. William Arce gets the seventh-inning stretch. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation and Tuesday's Promise are being honored too.

The Mets and Yankees have been tied to 9/11 for 25 years

Days after the attacks, Shea Stadium reopened not as a ballpark, but as a supply hub as players packed boots, water and batteries onto trucks bound for Ground Zero with volunteers. Then, on Sept. 21, Mike Piazza's eighth-inning homer beat Atlanta 3-2, the first game back in New York. Six weeks later, the Yankees hosted President George W. Bush's ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the World Series.

The 25th anniversary in the Bronx

The Yankees prepared the field just as they did in 2001 when baseball returned and they played their first game back.

25 Years Later 🇺🇸💙#NeverForgetpic.twitter.com/NMcHGvu8WR

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 11, 2026

Members of the 2001 New York Yankees are in the Bronx to commemorate 25 years since 9/11.

Members of the 2001 Yankees are on hand tonight in the Bronx: Joe Torre, Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter. pic.twitter.com/0LdFbVidTu

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) September 11, 2026

2001 Yankees Jorge Posada, Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter - along with manager Joe Torre - are on the field before tonight's Mets-Yankees game pic.twitter.com/EctjH0590v

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 11, 2026

The nation anthem was dedicated to Valenti's father and a friend who died on 9/11.

Internationally acclaimed opera tenor James Valenti performs the national anthem prior to the Mets-Yankees game in the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/CCbc523VL4

— MLB (@MLB) September 11, 2026

The Yankees and Mets continue to support 9/11 charities 25 years later.

Since 2001, the New York Yankees Foundation has been honored to support five 9/11-related charities: @TuesPromiseOrg, @Tunnel2Towers, @nycpolicefdtn, the New York & New Jersey Port Authority Police Department, and the @FDNYFoundation.

Tonight, we are proud to donate $25,000 to… pic.twitter.com/6iwYTytnDH

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 11, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch as Yankees, Mets commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (75-72) open a 3-game series tonight vs. the Tampa Bay Rays (87-59) at Tropicana Field.

Rookie RHP Miguel Ullola (0-0, 3.86 ERA) will make his 1st ML start at 6th appearance for the Astros as he takes on Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (14-5, 2.88 ERA). Ullola is serving as an opener tonight.

9/11 REMEMBERANCE: Today, MLB is recognizing the 25th anniversary of the deadly terrorists attacks that took place on Sept. 11, 2001. Games being played at all ballparks will include special tributes and pregame ceremonies. All players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear special caps with a “We Shall Never Forget” side patch.

ASTROS-RAYS: The Astros took 2 out of 3 games from the Rays when they met at Daikin Park earlier this season, July 3-5.

Fourth of July Fireworks: The Astros defeated RHP Drew Rasmussen and the Rays, 10-8, on July 4th. HOU tallied 5 runs on 6 hits vs. Rasmussen in his 5.0 IP. Yordan Alvarez led the way with 2 HR and 6 RBI.

Astros-Rays History: The Astros are 45-49 all-time vs. TB in the regular season.

Postseason: The two clubs have met twice in the postseason, with the Astros defeating TB in the 2019 ALDS, 3-2, and the Rays topping the Astros in the 2020 ALCS, 4-3.

MIGGY’S FIRST TIME: Tonight will be the 1st Major League start for rookie RHP Miguel Ullola. He has made 5 relief appearances for the Astros, with his last coming on Sept. 6 vs. ARI when he hurled a scoreless 8th inning in a 3-2 Astros loss. Although tonight will be his 1st ML start, Ullola has experience as a starter in the minor leagues. 86 of his 152 career minor league appearances are as a starter. At Triple A Sugar Land this season, 10 of his 39 appearances were as a starter. Overall at Sugar Land, he tallied 90 strikeouts in just 66.1 IP while allowing just 45 hits for a .192 opp. avg.

YESTERDAY’S RECAP: The Astros edged the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park yesterday afternoon in a 2-1 pitcher’s duel. Cam Smith was the hero with a solo HR in the top of the 9th off closer Jhoan Duran to snap a 1-1 tie. RHP Cristian Javier was solid, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits in 6.0 IP. RHP Bryan Abreu (5-3) earned the win in relief while LHP Josh Hader earned his 25th save in as many chances with a scoreless 9th inning. With the win, the Astros took 2 of 3 from PHI in the series.

CAM CAN: Cam Smith has homered in his last 3 games, going 5×10 with 4 RBI in that span.

MR. CRISTIAN: Yesterday’s starter RHP Cristian Javier has been outstanding in his last 2 starts, posting a 1.64 ERA (2ER/11IP) while allowing just 4 hits and 2 runs over 11.0 innings of work with 13 K’s. Yesterday was Javier’s 1st app. at Citizens Bank Park since he started the combined no hitter in Game 4 of the 2022 WS. In his 2 starts at CBP, he has now allowed just 3 hits in 12.0 IP with 14 K’s.

ROAD WARRIORS: Tonight is the 4th game (2-1 thus far) of a 6-game road trip for the Astros. Since going 1-9 on the first road trip of the 2026 season, the Astros have gone 37-25 (.597) on the road since April 14, which ranks third in the Majors in that span. More recently, they are 21-13 (.618) on their last 6 road trips (includes current trip).

TOUGH DRAWS: Including tonight, in the last 3 games, the opposing starters that the Astros have faced have a combined win-loss record of 43-15. LHP Cristopher Sanchez (17-5), RHP Zack Wheeler (12-5) and RHP Drew Rasmussen (14-5). The Astros are 1-1 in those games thus far.

MEASURING UP: The Astros are 29-20 (.592) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. They own a winning record vs. several clubs that are in the AL postseason hunt: 5-1 vs. BOS, 5-2 vs. CWS, 4-2 vs. CLE, 2-1 vs. TB, 9-4 vs. TEX.

THE HIT MAN:Jose Altuve collected his 2,500th career hit on Wed. night at PHI, becoming the 103rd player in ML history to reach this milestone. Freddie Freeman was the last player to reach 2,500 hits, which took place on June 9 of this year at PNC Park vs. PIT. Freeman (2,587) and Altuve (2.502) are the 2 active hits leaders in the Majors.

ON THE OFFENSIVE: The Astros lead the AL in SLG (.410), rank 2nd in HR (193), 4th in OPS (.725) and T-4th in runs scored (662).

SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 55-41 (.573) in their last 96 games (since May 22). That is the 2nd-best record in the AL in that span, behind only the Boston Red Sox.

STARTING STRONG: In the last 10 games, Astros starters have combined for a 2.78 ERA (17ER/55IP). The Astros are 6-4 in that span. Additionally, the Astros are 10-6 in their last 16 games, during which the starters have posted a combined 3.17 ERA (29ER/82.1IP).

TRIPLE THREAT:Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently ranks 1st or 2nd in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories…he enters today leading the AL in batting avg. (.310), while ranking 2nd in HR (38) and RBI (96). Alvarez also leads the Majors in OPS (1.017), SLG (.590) and OBP (.427).

Rare Feat: Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL).

CHALLENGING STRETCH: The Astros are 6-4 thus far while in the the midst of a stretch of playing 4 consecutive teams (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB) with winning records, 2 of which are leading their respective divisions (CWS, TB), one that would qualify for the playoffs as a WC (PHI) and another that is 0.5 game out of a WC spot (ARI).

DOWN ON THE FARM: Single A Fayetteville has advanced to the Championship Round of the Carolina League playoffs after last night’s 8-1 win over Fredericksburg, which clinched their best-of-three series. They will await the winner of the Hickory vs. Kannapolis series.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2001 – Major League Baseball games come to an immediate halt for a full week following the deadly terrorist attacks. The Astros were scheduled to host the SF Giants on this night. The Astros would resume play on Sept. 18 at SF.

1999– In a 5-3 win over the Cubs in the Dome, RHP Jose Lima earns his 20th win of the season, hurling 7.1 strong innings. Tony Eusebio goes 2×3 with a HR and 2 RBI. Lima becomes the Astros first 20-game winner since RHP Mike Scott went 20-10 in 1989.

1967 – Jimmy Wynn sets a franchise record with his 37th and final HR of the season in an 11-10 win over the Cubs in the Dome. Wynn’s single-season, franchise HR record would stand until Jeff Bagwell hit 39 HR in 1994.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Friday, September 11, 6:10 p.m. CT

Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; KTRH 740 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Getting started in the Sunshine State ☀️

⚾️: 6:10 PM CT
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 & 740 AM | Spanish: 102.9 HD2#ChaseTheFight x @reliantenergypic.twitter.com/5qtEJsjWRl

— Houston Astros (@astros) September 11, 2026

Go for launch

👀: https://t.co/FG0urYVWGJ
👂: 95.7 WDAE pic.twitter.com/TadCNji2jg

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 11, 2026

The Dodgers (89-57) take on the Marlins (72-75) in Miami Friday evening when they open a seven-game road trip.

Top prospect Josue De Paula makes his MLB debut at DH.

Blake Snell (3-1, 1.97 ERA, 1.09 WHIP) starts for the Dodgers in the series opener.

Ryan Gusto (1-4, 4.23 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) toes the rubber for the Marlins.

Lineups

Starting at DH, Josue De Paula.

Today’s #Dodgers lineup at Marlins: pic.twitter.com/Md5BwqBcto

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 11, 2026

A weekend series with the Dodgers.

🤝: @PNCBank
📺: https://t.co/CoO4Nlpkc8
👂: @MarlinsRadio, @radiomambi710, @1043wqam
⏰: 7:10 PM ET
🏟️: Roof status: CLOSED#FightinFish // https://t.co/HLOUFjItKkpic.twitter.com/KsfqWhaVoD

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) September 11, 2026

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Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Marlins
• Ballpark: loanDepot Park, Miami
• Start time: 4:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Friday Night showdown for the NL East will commence after a brief delay. The Braves have announced that the start time for tonight’s contest will shift from 7:15 pm ET to 8:00 pm ET.

Due to inclement weather in the area, the start time of tonight's game will be at 8:00 pm ET.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 11, 2026

Hang out with us in the game thread in the meantime, won’t you?

Go Rays!

Here we go, folks! The Atlanta Braves went up to Philadelphia and got a split in a four-game series against the Phillies last week and now they’ll have to hold serve against this same Philadelphia team a week later if they want to ensure that their hold on the NL East lead is as sturdy as possible as the calendar begins to wind down. Will Chris Sale continue to come up big for the Braves? Can Atlanta figure out a way to do some damage against Aaron Nola? Hopefully we’ll be talking about a win for the Braves once the night is over!

Preview

Lineups

Join us in the comments section in the app, why don’t you? Whether it’s on iOS or Android, we got you covered.

Shohei Ohtani was officially placed on the injured list on Friday.

After months of speculation surrounding a plaguing biceps and knee injury, the Dodgers conceded their two-way player isn’t 100%. The California Post’s Dylan Hernandez and Jack Harris discussed the seriousness of Ohtani’s absence with the former stating there’s a possibility the four-time MVP completely misses the playoffs.

“He’s done for the season,” Hernandez said on The Dodgers Post. “[The Dodgers] are just pretending he’s not. He’s done for like all intents and purposes.”

Ohtani hasn’t made a pitching start for the Dodgers since July 3 and has been completely shut down as a hurler. For months now, the two-way star has dealt with multiple injuries that have evidently affected his performance in the batter’s box as well.

Ohtani is just 6-for-52 since late August. That is not a typo.

And so, does Hernandez really believe Ohtani won’t return in 2026?

“I think there’s a decent chance that he won’t. I think that even if he does come back — you’re counting on like a Kirk Gibson type moment…” Hernandez told Harris, who was much more optimistic about Ohtani’s looming return.

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“I think it’s possible he doesn’t play in the regular season,” Harris said. “There’s no chance he’s not going to play in the playoffs.”

The Dodgers have been extra cautious with a number of their star players as they nurse injuries throughout the regular season. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are prime examples of the Dodgers’ decision to limit their stars in the regular season in order to be fully healthy in October.

But a different approach was taken with Shohei Ohtani. Whether that was the right choice by the Dodgers remains to be seen.

“With every other player, their MO is to be cautious, is to shut them down, is to play for October. And the fact that they couldn’t do that with the most important player on their team is a failing either of the way they manage him, of the way the two sides work together,” Harris said.

The back-to-back World Series champions have seemingly sustained a self-inflicted wound by their mismanagement of Ohtani. Despite his ongoing struggles at the plate, the Dodgers were reluctant to admit anything was wrong with their two-way star.

Hernandez gave fans a piece of advice as the next few weeks unfold.

“The Dodgers have proven themselves to be horrible sources of information regarding Ohtani,” Hernandez said.

“So, don’t listen to anything that they say. Use your eyes.”

We are starting a series with the Blue Jays tonight.

The team says Dylan Cease won’t be starting tomorrow, they will hold him back until Sunday. It will be some sort of bullpen day with Arrighetti being the bulk guy or starter.

The recap is likely to be late tonight, we are going out for my middle boy’s birthday and then coming back here for dessert.

No Rudy Martin in today’s lineup. I was wondering why Yohendrick Piñango wasn’t the choice, but I see that he’s having a hard time of it in September.

Go Jays Go

The only team Seth Lugo has a worse career ERA (min. three appearances) against than tonight’s opponent, the Boston Red Sox, are the Cleveland Guardians. And considering how poorly Lugo has pitched since the All-Star Break and how often the Red Sox get to him, it doesn’t take much imagination at all to see his ERA of 5.61 against them going higher than the 5.88 he has against the Guardians.

Add in that the only AL team the Royals have performed worse against in the past 3 years are the New York Yankees. Then slap some “Sonny Gray has dominated the Royals with a 10-2 record and a 1.74 ERA in 14 career starts” on top, and tonight’s game seems ripe for disaster for the good guys.

Honestly, I don’t think I have anything more to say about the pitching matchup.

Lineups

We are coming down to the end of this thing. The Orioles still have a remote possibility of doing something fun, a decent possibility of doing something moderately interesting, and also a decent possibility of the wheels just coming off the wagon, like you tried to ford that shallow river in Oregon Trail and all that happened is you got stuck in the muddy water so you lost who knows how many days of travel while you tried to fix things, and winter is coming and you’re running out of food, and the next person who plays the game is going to find your tombstone.

Sorry, where was I? There are 15 games left in the 2026 Orioles season. They probably need to go 12-3 over those 15 games. Maybe, if they’re lucky, they can get away with 11-4. Which is to say that they have fewer than one hand’s fingers worth of games that they can lose for the remainder of the season. Six of those games will be played against the Blue Jays, starting with this three-game series that begins tonight.

That’s part of what gives the Orioles some slim hope, because that gives them the opportunity to pull back games directly against one of the three teams that they need to pass to get into the last AL wild card spot. If they are able to go 4-2 against Toronto, they take back the two games deficit to the Jays and they get the head-to-head tiebreaker. That might not be good enough; there’s still the Guardians and Rangers to consider. Maybe they need 5-1, in which case, if they lose tonight, they’re really screwed and needing to run the table here.

It’s improbable! It’s not impossible. All they have to do is play as good as they have played for short amounts of this season, and then do that for two and a half weeks instead of doing it for three games before taking a trip back to Stinkville.

Orioles lineup

1. Dylan Beavers – LF
2. Pete Alonso – 1B
3. Jackson Holliday – 2B
4. Coby Mayo – DH
5. Gunnar Henderson – SS
6. Samuel Basallo – C
7. Christian Encarnacion-Strand – 3B
8. Heston Kjerstad – RF
9. Colton Cowser – CF

The Orioles were late putting out a starting lineup, much to this writer’s mild annoyance. That’s almost certainly because they were waiting as long as possible to figure out whether Gunnar Henderson would be able to play. It seems that he can. Or perhaps to be more accurate, I should say that he has convinced the team he is well enough to be in the starting lineup. They may not have taken much convincing.

Chris Bassitt is the starting pitcher for the Orioles. He has a 4.34 ERA since returning from the injured list on August 14. Nobody would celebrate the signing if that was his season-long performance, but there would probably be less lament about it.

Blue Jays lineup

1. Brett Bateman – CF
2. George Springer – DH
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
4. Alejandro Kirk – C
5. Nathan Lukes – RF
6. Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
7. Josh Smith – LF
8. Andrés Giménes – SS
9. Ernie Clement – 2B

Max Scherzer, who is 42 years old, is the Toronto starting pitcher for this game. Prepare for hearing about how it’s two old guys starting against one another, even moreso than when it was Bassitt and Sonny Gray in one of those Orioles-Red Sox games last weekend.

Today, of course, is the anniversary of an event that means so much more than baseball. Twenty-five years ago, the September 11th attacks rocked the US, especially in New York. There are commemorations of all sort taking place around the country today. While the tragedy of that day in 2001 means more than baseball, in New York, the two baseball teams will honor the day in their own way: playing baseball. Starting tonight, the Subway Series is back for a weekend set, beginning on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

To go to the baseball for a minute, Carlos Rodón will get the start for the Yankees in this one. For the season, Rodón’s numbers are generally pretty good, but his habit of taking a little too long to put away batters tends to prevent him from going long. While the Yankees didn’t have to use too many crucial arms, the bullpen did have to pitch a decent amount of innings yesterday, so they could use a good day from Rodón.

As for the rest of the lineup, Aaron Judge is back after getting last night off, while Anthony Volpe is at second again after his five RBI performance.

For the Mets, Nolan McLean will take the mound. He’s been really good for them, posting a 3.06 ERA in 161.2 innings. Across his last dozen starts, the rookie has been even better, with an even lower ERA of 1.87.

Here’s everything to know on how to catch tonight’s action, and we hope you’ll come join us in the game thread.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — The Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, WPIX

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App 92.3 HD2 (NYM)

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Bigger than Baseball. #NeverForget | #RepBXpic.twitter.com/oj66XO7qBR

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 11, 2026

In the Bronx 🚇@Novig | #LGMpic.twitter.com/EiBteMbP2N

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 11, 2026

Detroit Tigers (67-79) vs. Colorado Rockies (55-90)

Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site:Purple Row
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (9-10, 4.17 ERA) vs. RHP Mason Adams (0-0, 3.95 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Valdez	28	157.2	17.3	8.4	55.4	4.19	1.7
Adams	3	13.2	28.8	10.2	36.1	5.73	0.0

147/162

⚾️ 6:40 PM ET
📺 @WatchDSN
📻 @971theticketxyt
🏟️ Comerica Park pic.twitter.com/vwtMHZrd0Y

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 11, 2026

Game 1 in Detroit pic.twitter.com/oqBkIcAyRo

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 11, 2026

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked fans which area of the team was most concerning as the Brewers near another playoff run. The results showed two clear frontrunners among the three options:

With 126 votes in total, the team’s starting pitching garnered 52% of the vote, closely followed by 45% for the offense and just 3% for the bullpen. Given the split between the starting rotation and the offense, I’ll touch on both.

One quick disclaimer, though: Even if these are areas of concern, the Brewers still rank among the league’s best in both areas. Entering this weekend’s series against the Reds, the offense ranks top five in the majors in OPS (.739), runs scored (742), and steals (143). On the mound, the team ranks second in team ERA (3.56) and strikeouts (1,406), including a 3.63 starting ERA (fifth) and 839 strikeouts by starters (second).

Offensively, the biggest concern is probably a lack of a big bat — think players like Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper for the Phillies, or Pete Crow-Armstrong for the Cubs. Milwaukee does have a bunch of solid offensive players who, altogether, have made the Crew one of the best offenses in baseball with a balanced, small-ball approach. But they don’t hit a lot of homers — they rank last in the league with just 137 this season, far behind some of their NL competition in the Cubs (204), Braves (183), Dodgers (180), and Phillies (173). That usually doesn’t bode well for teams trying to win the World Series, as Paul explored earlier this season.

The offense also has a tendency to suddenly go completely quiet. We learned that the hard way in last year’s postseason, when the offense scored just four runs in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers in the NLCS.

For the starting rotation, there are two clear stars at the top — Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson — but a whole lot of question marks behind them. Kyle Harrison had a fantastic start to the season but has been roughed up several times this year, including in each of his last two outings against the Cubs and Reds. Dustin May looked solid out of the trade deadline but hasn’t looked great in his last few outings. Shane Drohan and Robert Gasser often deal with a lot of traffic on the basepaths and don’t strike out a ton of guys.

How will Pat Murphy and Co. address these issues? Only time will tell, but I have faith in the two-time reigning NL Manager of the Year. And if you don’t think the Brewers have what it takes to make the World Series, well, a lot of other people do. In one of this week’s national Reacts surveys, they asked: “Who will win the NL pennant?” The Brewers led the voting with 37%, outpacing the two-time reigning champion Dodgers (33%), Cubs (13%), Braves (7%), Phillies (6%), and D-backs/Padres (3%).

Think the Brewers can win the NL pennant for just the second time ever and the first time since 1982? Think they can claim their first World Series ever? Be sure to check out FanDuel Sportsbook for all your betting needs, where the Brewers currently have +600 odds to win the championship.

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Brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

The Nats have been a chore to watch the last month and a half. We really saw that on display during an 0-6 west coast trip. Many of the games were close, but the Nats consistently found ways to lose. That is just what they have been doing lately. Hopefully that can change at home against the Angels.

With a lefty on the mound, Daylen Lile is actually out of the lineup. The outfield will be Dylan Crews, Jacob Young and James Wood. Andres Chaparro will get the DH duties, with Yohandy Morales at first base. With Nasim Nunez on the bereavement list, CJ Abrams will be at shortstop. Harry Ford will do the catching in this one. Nats ace Cade Cavalli will look to snap the losing streak.

home <3

→ https://t.co/HyMhWpLQbBpic.twitter.com/msKAZt5lMp

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 11, 2026

The Angels have a couple big names at the top of the lineup with Zach Neto and Mike Trout. There are a lot of younger players and journeymen after that though. Wade Meckler has been the most productive of that group and he will be a bat to watch. Veteran lefty Yusei Kikuchi is on the hill tonight.

Angels 9/11

Z. Neto SS
M. Trout CF
W. Meckler LF
V. Grissom 1B
M. Ballesteros C
C. Moore 2B
J. Lowe RF
D. Guzman 3B
A. Frazier DH

Y. Kikuchi SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 11, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: Nationals Park

Time: 6:45 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

With Cavalli going up against the Angels, the Nats have to be looking at this as a game that needs to be won. The losing streak is starting to really drag on. Back at Nats Park, the boys have a chance to snap this ugly streak. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

Josue De Paula makes his major league debut on Friday night for the Dodgers against the Marlins at loanDepot Park in Miami. De Paula is the designated hitter, as expected, and bats seventh in his first game in the big leagues.

Right-hander Ryan Gusto starts on the mound for the Marlins. The lefty-hitting De Paula this season in Double-A Tulsa hit .314/.416/.600 against right-handed pitching this season, compared to .267/.351/.371 against southpaws.

At 21 years, 110 days old on Friday, De Paula is the youngest Dodgers player since Alex Verdugo on September 2, 2017, playing center field in both games of a doubleheader at Petco Park in San Diego on his second day in the majors. In the 2000s, De Paula is just the eighth Dodgers player 21 years, 110 days old or younger, along with Adrian Beltré (2000), Edwin Jackson (2003-04), Jonathan Broxton (2005), Clayton Kershaw (2008-09), José Peraza (2015), Julio Urías (2016-17), and Verdugo (2017).

De Paula is the youngest Dodgers player to bat seventh since Beltré on July 13, 2000.

Bienvenidos a Miami

De Paula is the fifth different Dodgers player to make a major league debut in Miami. The most memorable was Eric Gagné, who pitched six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts on September 7, 1999. Hopes were high for Gagné, who was a starter for two more seasons before getting Cy Young Award votes in three straight 82 1/3-inning campaigns.

Like De Paula, Gagné 27 years ago was the top Dodgers prospect at the time of his call-up, and joined the majors directly from Double-A.

“I’ve seen a lot of good pitchers break into the big leagues, and this [performance] was right up there at the top,” Dodgers manager Davey Johnson told Jason Reid of the Los Angeles Times. “He showed three quality pitches and he really had no problems. Just a real impressive performance. Real impressive.”

Gagné debuted in Pro Player Stadium, which was also the home of the Miami Dolphins, a stadium that is currently called Hard Rock Stadium. That building was called Joe Robbie Stadium on opening day four years earlier, on April 25, 1995 when the first two Dodgers Miami debuters played their first major league game.

Todd Hollandsworth took over in left field for Billy Ashley in the sixth inning, and grounded out to second base to end the seventh inning.

Antonio Osuna entered in the seventh inning with an 8-2 lead. He allowed a solo home run in the eighth inning and got two more outs in the ninth inning, coming one out shy of being the first Dodgers pitcher to record a three-inning save in his major league debut – Osuna would have been the eighth major league pitcher to do so – but had a rough final frame, allowing four runs as the Dodgers held on to win 8-7.

“I tell you one thing,” Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda told Bob Nightengale of the Los Angeles Times, “it kept me praying. That ninth inning scared the hell out of me.”

The last Dodger to debut in Miami came at loanDepot Park on July 6, 2021. Jake Reed relieved Tony Gonsolin and got the final two outs of the sixth inning, and allowed two singles, a double, and intentional walk, though the second single was originally scored an error on shortstop Gavin Lux before getting changed to a hit. Reed allowed one run, but left the bases loaded thanks to a lineout by Jorge Alfaro to second baseman Chris Taylor.