Here’s the Guardians lineup:
Here’s the Red Sox lineup:
Let’s go, Guardians!
GUARDIANS AT RED SOX: Espino/Cantillo vs. Suarez, discussion
Seattle Mariners eliminated from 2026 playoff contention
Though the title of this article was true days, even weeks ago, with the 3-1 victory of the Texas Rangers over the New York Mets Thursday afternoon, the Seattle Mariners have officially been eliminated from the 2026 postseason race.
The shockingly disappointing club will finish 3rd in the American League West, failing to defend their division title from a year ago, ceding their crown to one of the pretenders from Texas. 74-84 at the moment, Seattle would need to win out to match their second-worst full-season record in the Jerry Dipoto era, 2017’s 78-84 mark. This will be the club’s fourth losing record (albeit one in just 60 games in 2020) against seven winning seasons in his tenure, breaking a franchise-record five-year streak above .500. The club’s only consecutive seasons of playoff appearance will remain 2000 and 2001.
Unlike most of their recent seasons, Seattle simply could not find a second gear late in the season, condemning them to watch what will likely be the first division won by a sub-.500 team in MLB history. They struggled with consistency all season long, flailing wildly on the road to a .407 winning percentage that sunk them despite a winning record at T-Mobile Park. They conspired for the worst defense in the majors by Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value, and arguably the worst in the last decade. You probably didn’t need advanced metrics to gauge that so much as willpower not to gouge your eyes out at times, but it’s nice to see it validated. Though he continued to bring stability to the lineup when healthy, J.P. Crawford’s craterous shortstop defense pressed Seattle in several directions, none of which found fertile ground, although Crawford’s glovework at third base was more plausible. That, paired with a rogue’s gallery of rotating infielders, poor options in both outfield corners, and a backslide in range from Julio Rodríguez in center made for a season full of balls simply finding grass when they should not.
It set the pitching staff up for tough sledding, but they scattered their own caltrops as well. The entire starting rotation struggled intermittently, with health, a six-man rotation, and just downright ineffectiveness that was at times baffling to unravel. For the first time since 2021, Seattle’s pitching staff will finish with an ERA below league-average, despite the massive benefit received from playing in the anti-Coors Field of MLB half the year. After years of whipping up quality bullpen arms from the ether, the unit flagged all season despite throwing by far the fewest innings of any pen in MLB. Conversely, an M’s rotation often able to lean on extra days of rest, but tasked to work deeper accordingly, labored and crumbled, playing a major role in their road woes.
Offensively, Seattle had moments of competency, but even then became the poster children of cluster luck and its fickle nature. Cal Raleigh nursed injuries in silence and struggle before hitting the IL, with rookie Colt Emerson following suit. Josh Naylor and Rob Refsnyder seemed to do the same, limping to substandard seasons. Most depth and utility options struggled to fill in effectively, Leo Rivas, Luke Raley, Victor Robles, Weston Wilson, Connor Joe, Miles Mastrobuoni, Brock Rodden, Patrick Wisdom, and co. put up dreadful numbers and/or could not remain healthy enough to contribute effectively. While impactful when healthy, Brendan Donovan managed only 39 games in his first season outside St. Louis.
The outfield was the lone area of positivity for the M’s. Julio Rodríguez authored a disappointing year, but was a quality contributor in his down season in a way that was weatherable with a roster less craterous. Another 20-20 season and around 3 wins above replacement is solid, but put pressure on the rest of the club that was more brittle than expected. Dominic Canzone maintained his improvements from 2025, earning full-time play and hitting himself into the heart of the order.
And then, Randy Arozarena. The star of a star-crossed club. The best left fielder in franchise history will see his tenure in Seattle come to an end in all likelihood this weekend. His .279/.380/.479 line entering the final four games came with a 151 wRC+, another 25-25 campaign, and double the fWAR (5.3) of any other Mariners position player except Julio. The leadoff man for the better part of the year, if one player could be relied upon to arrive prepared, put up a competent battle at the plate, and add something to the club’s chances of victory this year, it was their quixotic left fielder. Any vision of bouncing back in 2026 is marred by the loss of their best player, and the difficulties the M’s had in adding talent this year.
No new Mariner in 2026 played in over 40 games and managed a positive fWAR. If you extend the same metric to include pitchers, it is technically false as José A. Ferrer mustered 0.1 fWAR in 72 games and 64.1 IP. If you drop it to 29 games you can acknowledge Cooper Criswell and Jhonny Pereda, scraping in a few ticks above zero. It was a dismal showing for offseason and midseason additions alike, although since a disastrous first outing Seranthony Dominguez has seemed much closer to a viable bullpen arm.
That also doesn’t quite fairly appraise the youth of the roster. Cole Young put up a clear step-forward season in his age-22 campaign, mustering a league-average bat and clear positive strides on defense. There’s more in the tank for the now-23 year old, and his compatriots in the early 20s have shown promise late, albeit with halting opportunities. Lazaro Montes has shown off his titanic power. Michael Arroyo has been immediately impactful with the bat in highly sporadic playing time. To fend off a repeat disappointment, the M’s will need them, and their largely-under-30 core to remember the frustration of this season as fuel for better things to come.
But this year will cost manager Dan Wilson his job, and maybe more. It is the most disappointing performance by a Mariners team relative to (reasonable) expectations in the franchise’s history. Next year must be better.
Despite starting 2026 in Double-A, Zac Thornton 'always thought' he'd finish year with Mets
Despite the team's 3-1 road loss to the Texas Rangers on Thursday, Mets starting pitcher Zac Thornton put the finishing touches on a very promising rookie year.
In his final start, Thornton allowed two runs on four hits, walked just one batter, and struck out four across five innings.
"Really solid," manager Andy Green said of the rookie southpaw's season. "I don't think anybody could've had higher expectations than what he went out there and did."
"It's a tribute to him and how hard he works," the skipper continued. "He's getting more strikeouts recently too. He's reaching back and firing 95+ (miles per hour), which is encouraging and bodes really well for the future."
Over 15 starts, Thornton recorded a 3.42 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Following his start, he ranks fifth in the National League in walk rate (5.3 percent) among pitchers with at least 80 innings.
Having begun the 2026 season with Double-A Binghamton, Thornton was called up to the big leagues on May 20 and made his debut against the Washington Nationals on the road.
While the circumstances were certainly fast-paced for the 24-year-old hurler, he hasn't been surprised at his success translating his game to the highest level.
"I always thought I'd be up here this year, I just didn't know to what extent it would be," Thornton asserted postgame. "It just so happened that we had a few injuries, and following the trade deadline, we had a lot of open spots."
"I wouldn't say I surprised myself," he went on to declare. "I feel everywhere I've gone to pitch I've succeeded, and I'm going to continue to do that, carrying it over to next year."
Thornton is one-quarter of the four Mets rookies who have shone in the team's starting rotation in 2026, alongside ace Nolan McLean, breakout Christian Scott, and the emerging Jonah Tong.
He touched on their relationship and promised that the best is yet to come for the fearsome young foursome.
"We love each other," Thornton stated. "It's sad that the season is over because we don't get to spend time with each other now."
"What you saw on the field was just a small sample size," he concluded. "All four of us are going to get better."
Cincinnati Reds vs. Atlanta Braves – Brady Singer vs. Tyler Mahle
The Cincinnati Reds got a surprise early run off Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale to begin last night’s game at Truist Park, and lefty Andrew Abbott turned back the clock with a start worthy of his All Star status in 2025. Still, the Reds managed to lose said game in 10 innings after being successfully bunted-upon, and they are in danger of clinching an end-of-season record that’s at least 10 games under .500.
The thresholds, the milestones they may reach!
Brady Singer gets the ball for the final time this season on Thursday night, marking what may well be his final start in a Reds uniform as he heads into free agency nowhere near good enough to warrant the idiotic Qualifying Offer concept that was floated when the front office elected to keep him at the trade deadline. Old friend Tyler Mahle – himself having a solid season – will start for the Braves against the club that once drafted him.
First pitch is set for 7:15 PM ET. Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin:
The White Sox are headed to the postseason!
Friends — the White Sox are headed to the postseason! In a game dominated entirely by the South Siders, the Royals went down 9-1, giving Chicago both a series win and a playoff berth. Let’s break down this beautiful win.
The White Sox started with early runs and gritty baseball, playing like a team determined to make the playoffs today. Sam Antonacci led off with a single, and Kyle Teel followed with a bunt and was safe on a throwing error by Royals pitcher Randy Dobnak. A wild pitch then advanced both runners, and Antonacci scored on Miguel Vargas’ single. With one out, Andrew Benintendi brought Teel home on a sacrifice fly. Vargas stole second and scored on a single from Tristan Peters.
Chase Meidroth singled, but Colson Montgomery couldn’t bring home either runner.
In the bottom of the frame, the Royals couldn’t answer despite a double from Bobby Witt Jr., while Sox starter David Sandlin recorded two of his seven strikeouts in the inning.
The second inning stayed busy for the White Sox, starting with a leadoff single from Braden Montgomery. Antonacci drew a walk, and Randy Dobnak, who was not having a great outing, made matters worse with a botched pickoff attempt that allowed Braden to score.
A pitch then hit Teel, and Vargas followed with another single, sending Antonacci home.
Munetaka Murakami grounded into a force out, but plated Teel on the play. With one out and two on, the Royals pulled Dobnak. Anthony Gose retired the next two batters, but the White Sox took a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the second.
Sandlin ran into mild trouble after allowing two singles but recorded his fourth strikeout of the game, his third looking.
For the third straight inning, the Good Guys had their leadoff man aboard, this time with a two-bagger from Meidroth, his 30th double of the season. Meidroth was unfortunately stranded. Sandlin kept the Royals quiet, retiring them in order.
Teel started the fourth with a solo home run off the new pitcher, Alex Lange.
Perhaps a bit frazzled, Lange gave up two free passes that would haunt him. In the next at-bat, Peters grounded into a force out, sending Vargas home to make it 8-0. Sandlin finally surrendered his first run of the game on a round-tripper to Salvador Perez in the bottom of the fourth, but struck out two more and allowed no additional damage.
The bases were loaded again in the fifth for, say it with me, a new Royals pitcher. This time it was Jose Caus. A single and two walks filled the bases, and Benintendi drew another walk to make it 9-1. Sandlin continued to dominate, striking out a career-high seven without issuing a walk through five innings.
For the first time all game, the White Sox went down in order in the sixth. Sandlin returned the favor in the bottom half, retiring the Royals in order. Both teams put a runner on in the seventh, and both left that runner stranded. The Sox went down in order again in the eighth.
Tyler Davis kept the Royals off the bases in the bottom of the eighth, leaving the White Sox three outs from glory. But first, Nolan Hoffman came on for the top of the ninth. With one out, Braden took advantage of the sun in left fielder Isaac Collins’ eyes with a double. Teel got plunked to put two on with two outs, just for a little added drama, but Vargas went down swinging.
Trevor Richards got a quick first out but decided our nerves hadn’t been tested enough and gave up a walk. A fly ball to Brenton Doyle made it two away — deep breaths, dear reader. Nick Loftin doubled, putting runners on second and third. Thankfully, Salvy isn’t known for his speed, so he got the red light. Richards got John Rave to hit a ground ball, and boom, ballgame.
Your 2026 White Sox are heading to the playoffs!
How does one even pick an MVP for this game?
MVPs:
David Sandlin and Kyle Teel
Sandlin: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Teel: 3 R, 2 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR, 0 K, excellent behind the plate
Runners-Up:
Miguel Vargas: 2 R, 2 H, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Andrew Benintendi: 2 RBI, 2 BB
Braden Montgomery: 1 R, 2 H
Cold Cat: NO ONE, WE’RE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!
Cubs 2, Marlins 1: Pete Crow-Armstrong gets to 40/40, and the postseason ticket is punched
There will be Cubs baseball next week!
We still don’t know where, or even who the opponent will be. The Cubs defeated the Marlins 2-1 on a gorgeous late September afternoon at Wrigley Field and in so doing, clinched a National League wild-card berth. That’s two postseasons in a row for the Cubs, the first time they’ve done that since four straight from 2015-18.
After Matthew Boyd had a scoreless top of the first, Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the bottom of the inning with a walk.
Pretty much every one of the 35,410 paid attendance, plus gameday staff, plus all the players and coaches and team management in attendance, knew PCA was going to take off and try for his 40th stolen base of 2026.
And he did it, taking off on the first pitch! [VIDEO]
Don’t ever forget where you were when you saw this, or found out about it, it’s baseball history and the cap to an amazing soon-to-be MVP season for the Cubs center fielder. He’s the seventh MLB player to accomplish a 40-homer, 40-steal season. The others:
Shohei Ohtani (54 homers and 59 steals in 2024)
Ronald Acuña Jr. (41 homers and 73 steals in 2023)
Alfonso Soriano (46 homers and 41 steals in 2006)
Alex Rodriguez (42 homers and 46 steals in 1998)
Barry Bonds (42 homers and 40 steals in 1996)
Jose Canseco (42 homers and 40 steals in 1988)
Pretty good company, I’d say. Congratulations to PCA, and keep it going into the postseason. Here’s a cool field view of the 40th steal [VIDEO].
Unfortunately, PCA was stranded. He got to third on a fly to center by Michael Busch, but Michael Conforto hit a comebacker to end the inning.
The Marlins took a 1-0 lead off Matthew Boyd in the third. Brian Navarretto led off with a double and two outs later, Jacob Marsee singled him in.
The Cubs once again had lots of traffic on the bases but could not score. A leadoff walk to Ian Happ in the second led to a double play ball hit by Nico Hoerner. Then Pedro Ramirez singled and stole second, but Carson Kelly grounded out to end the inning. In the third with one out, PCA and Seiya Suzuki singled and one out later Conforto walked to load the bases, but Happ grounded out. And in the fourth, Ramirez walked with one out and stole second again, but Kelly grounded out and Dansby Swanson struck out to end the inning.
If you’re counting — and maybe you weren’t but I was — that made the Cubs 0-for-8 with RISP in the first four innings and, up to that time, 2-for-34 in the series with RISP.
That’s… not good.
Boyd set the Marlins down in the fifth and then the Cubs tied the game. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Suzuki smacked his 26th homer of the year [VIDEO].
Boyd threw a scoreless sixth with just a leadoff walk. Then the Cubs took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Ian Happ led off with a triple to right-center [VIDEO].
More on Happ’s triple from BCB’s JohnW53:
Ian Happ’s sixth-inning triple was his third of the year, tying him with Matt Shaw and Dansby Swanson for second most among Cubs. Pete Crow-Armstrong has eight.
It was Happ’s 19th triple in 1,292 games and 5,074 plate appearances during his 10 seasons as a Cub.
It was just his third leading off an inning, all at home and with the score tied. The first was July 4, 2017, vs. the Rays, in the second inning with no score; the second, June 7 of this year, vs. the Giants, in the fourth, with the score 1-1.
The Cubs lost both earlier games, 6-5 to the Rays and 2-1 to the Giants.
Nico followed with an RBI single to make it 2-1 [VIDEO].
Boyd finished the seventh uneventfully, and he wound up retiring 11 of the last 12 hitters he faced. As I wrote in the game preview, Boyd had a 5.53 ERA in 10 Wrigley starts before this one — this was by far his best start at home this year, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Boyd got a loud ovation when walking out to the bullpen for warmups this afternoon and he tipped his cap several times.
More on Boyd’s day from John:
This was Matthew Boyd’s ninth quality start of a total 22. Only Shota Imanaga has more among Cubs, 14 of 31.
Colin Rea has six such starts; David Peterson, five; and seven others from four to one.The team total is 54, about one of every three.
And more on Boyd’s outing [VIDEO].
Then it was up to the Cubs bullpen and, well, you know.
Daniel Palencia entered to throw the eighth. He issued a leadoff walk but retired the next three Marlins in order. The Cubs also went down in order in the eighth and so Ryan Zeferjahn was given the save opportunity. This probably did not fill you with confidence, but Zeferjahn was nails in this one. He got Agustin Ramirez to pop up foul on the second pitch he saw, then pinch-hitter Kyle Stowers grounded to short, also on Zeferjahn’s second pitch.
It took five pitches for Zeferjahn to retire Griffin Conine on a comebacker to end the game and clinch that postseason spot [VIDEO].
As noted in the clip by JD, this series didn’t go the way the Cubs wanted, but they got just enough hitting and solid bullpen work to win this game and get into the postseason. We will be watching the Phillies vs. Brewers (5:05 CT) and Padres vs. Dodgers (9:10 CT) tonight to see where the Cubs position will be entering the final three games of the year.
Before I get to tomorrow’s action, the final home game of the year always features the annual bleacher potluck lunch (Bluesky link):
This is why I love the bleachers so much — the friends I’ve made there, the camaraderie, the atmosphere, all the people. It’s been my home for decades. There’s no place in professional sports anything like it.
The Cubs will play a doubleheader against the Red Sox in Boston Friday, trying to get ahead of a nor’easter forecast to hit the New England area by Saturday. As of the time of this recap both teams list “TBD” as starters for the two games tomorrow, though we do know this (Bluesky link):
The games will be at 12:05 p.m. and 5:05 p.m. CT and televised by Marquee Sports Network.
As for BCB procedure Friday — a game preview will post for the day game at 10:30 a.m. CT. After that game I’ll post a recap that will include starting pitcher and other info for the night game. Then a night game recap will post Saturday morning.
On to October!
Game Discussion: Milwaukee Brewers (99-59) @ Philadelphia Phillies (87-71)
For the first time, the Brewers will play a regular-season game with 99 wins next to their name. For the first time, the Brewers will have a chance to do something they’ve never done as a franchise before, and that’s win 100 games.
Tonight has the makings of an offensive duel as both pitchers on the mound have an ERA over 4.00. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean a ton, but both offenses have been swinging a hot bat as of late. The Brewers will have to face Andrew Painter, who has had an up-and-down rookie season. Specifically, through the month of September, he enters with a 4.03 ERA, having pitched beyond five innings just twice. During that span, he has allowed four home runs, giving the Brewers bats a chance to improve their power stroke in their final road game of the season.
Up until a few hours ago, the Brewers hadn’t announced their starter for tonight’s game as they continue to get pitchers lined up for next weekend’s NLDS. Shane Drohan, who hasn’t made a start since September 12, will get the call. His previous two appearances have come out of the bullpen, where he threw a collective 2 1/3 innings, not allowing a run. He’ll look to make an interesting case to carry him as a reliable lefty in the event a starter has to be pulled early. However, Drohan got knocked around a bit in his last two starts, giving up a total of 11 runs, 10 hits, and four home runs.
The Crew will be without Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, and Andrew Vaughn in the lineup tonight as Gary Sánchez will make the start behind the plate with Sal Frelick in left field. Garrett Mitchell will lead off the top of the lineup, with Brice Turang to follow and William Contreras batting third. Joey Ortiz will find himself at the bottom of the lineup playing third base, keeping David Hamilton off the field.
Tonight’s game begins at 5:05 p.m., and you’ll be able to watch the game on Brewers.TV and listen to it on WTMJ 620.
Ranger Suárez makes final regular season start with series win on the line
TV: NESN
First Pitch: 6:45 p.m. ET
The Red Sox would love to have some more momentum prior to the playoffs as they wrap up the penultimate regular season. Ranger Suárez would love to continue his own momentum with a 0.92 ERA in September. The left-hander is historically dependable in the playoffs and he can offer another reminder of that with an appetizer of sorts in the rubber match against the Cleveland Guardians.
Here’s who the Red Sox will send to the plate behind him Thursday night at Fenway Park.
The Guardians, who can clinch a playoff spot with a win or loss by the Astros or Rangers, counter with Daniel Espino. The right-hander is finally back on the mound after dealing with injuries after being selected in the first round of the 2019 draft.
The Mets couldn’t rock Rocker, fall to Rangers
After taking the first two games of their three-game series, the Mets’ bats couldn’t shake off the (presumed) Texas BBQ coma they were in, dropping the series finale to the Rangers 3-1.
The Mets got off to a good start today, with Francisco Lindor leading off the game with a ground-rule double. Lindor would come around to score on a Carson Benge RBI single three batters later, putting the Mets up 1-0. However, the Mets would reach base just four more times over the subsequent eight innings, twice on hits (a single from Brett Baty and a double from Nick Morabito), and twice via the base on balls (Juan Soto and Marcus Semien).
Former Mets’ first round track pick Kumar Rocker started for the Rangers and, aside from the first inning run, was solid over five for Texas. He walked two, struck out four, and lowered his ERA to 4.38 on the season. Relievers Robert Garcia, Tyler Alexander, Chase Silseth, and Jordan Montgomery all blanked the Mets, allowing just one base runner over the game’s final four innings.
Aside from allowing a two-run home run to Josh Jung in the bottom of the first, Zach Thornton was solid in his final start of the year. He pitched five innings, allowing just those two runs, striking out four and walking one. With 83 pitches on the afternoon, they could’ve pushed him to potentially pitch one more inning, but why?
Thornton was relieved by Jefrey Yan, who on his second pitch of the afternoon, allowed a home run to Corey Seager to extend the Rangers’ lead to two runs. Yan would last two-thirds of an inning before he was relieved by Austin Warren, who was perfect in his inning and a third of work. Jack Weisenberger gave up one hit and one walk in his inning, but stranded both runners.
With this win, the Rangers keep their playoff hopes alive, as they are currently a half game up on the Rangers before Houston plays the Athletics this evening.
The Mets travel to Washington D.C. to face the Nationals in the final series of the season. The Mets have not announced a starter after Christian Scott went on the IL, but Andrew Alvarez will start for the Nats.
SB Nation GameThreads
Box scores
Win Probability Added
Big winner: Nobody
Big loser: Bo Bichette, 018.0% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -3.0% WPA
Total batter WPA: -47.0% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge’s first inning RBI single, +9.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Josh Jung’s two-run home run, -18.6% WPA
Dobnak roughed up, offense silent in Royals loss
Randy Dobnak failed to get out of the second inning while the offense managed just a single run against the White Sox Thursday afternoon as the Royals appropriately lost their 91st game of the season, 9-1.
Chicago came out attacking Dobnak in the first inning. Through only 14 pitches, he’d already faced six batters and allowed three runs. His last outing of the season was ugly as he recorded only four outs while allowing six runs (four earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out one. He also committed two throwing errors, one after fielding a bunt and one on a botched pick-off attempt.
In the first, leadoff hitter Sam Antonacci singled up the middle. Catcher Kyle Teel followed with a perfect bunt that Dobnak cleanly fielded, but his throw to first pulled Vinnie Pasqauntino off the bag. Miguel Vargas followed with an RBI single to left. After striking out Munetaka Murakami for the first out, Dobnak got Andrew Benintendi to fly out to center, which scored Teel from third. Vargas then stole second before scoring on Tristan Peters’ single through the infield. Chase Meidroth then singled before Dobnak retired Colson Montgomery on a fly ball to center.
An unencouraging top half of the first inning, and yet things continued to get worse. Braden Montgomery led off the second with a single before Antonacci walked. Montgomery then scored on Dobnak’s second error of the game when miscommunication ensued and the pitcher, unbeknownst to the first baseman, attempted a pickoff. Dobnak then hit Teel before Vargas added his second RBI single in two innings. After Murakami grounded out to second, which scored Teel, the Royals finally pulled Dobnak.
Good riddance.
The Royals offense collected seven hits with John Rave and Kyle Isbel both going 2-for-4. Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 32nd double in the bottom of the first while Nick Loftin recorded his 27th and Rave his 8th. The Royals now have 285 doubles on the year, which leads the Majors.
Salvador Perez scored the Royals only run of the day when he uncorked his 20th home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the score to 8-1. The White Sox grabbed that run right back in the top of the fifth. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
It’s the 10th time Salvy has hit at least 20 home runs in a season, extending his Royals record.
For the White Sox, former Royals farmhand David Sandlin had a strong start: six innings, five hits, one walk, seven strikeouts, one earned run. He improves to 3-2 on the year with a 5.58 ERA. Chicago’s bullpen finished the game with three unexciting innings in which the Royals mustered two hits and one walk.
Aside from Dobnak, Anthony Gose pitched 1-and-2/3 innings while giving up one run and striking out three. Spencer Bivens and Nolan Hoffman combined for three innings of shutout ball while allowing two hits and zero walks while striking out five. Alex Lange and Juan Cuas, not so much—they combined for three innings pitched, three earned runs, five walks, and three strikeouts. Lange allowed the only White Sox home run, to Teel (5) in the fourth.
For the Royals, Cleveland comes to town tomorrow night to start the season’s final series. The White Sox head to Colorado to face one of the few teams worse than the Royals in 2026.
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Mets muster just four hits in 3-1 loss to Rangers
The Mets dropped the final game of their three-game set against the Rangers, 3-1, on Thursday afternoon.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Rookie Carson Benge kicked off the scoring for the Mets early, cracking a single out to right field and sending Francisco Lindor, who doubled in the Mets' first at-bat of the afternoon, home for his 63rd RBI of the season. Overall, the rookie went 1-for-4, grounding out in the fourth, flying out in the seventh, and striking out swinging in the ninth.
Heading into the game, Benge led the team in runs (83), batting average (.275), OBP (.338) and SLG (.420). With one more home run in any of the final three games of the season, he would become the first Met with both 20 homers and 20 steals in his rookie season.
-- The Rangers quickly retaliated, taking a one-run lead in the bottom of the first. Leadoff Justin Foscue singled to left field to start before Josh Jung slammed the ball into the left field stands at 104 mph, sending himself and Foscue around the bases for the 2-1 edge.
After several deadlocked innings, Corey Seager added to the Rangers' lead with a fly ball out to right field to open the bottom of the sixth. With the win, the Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak.
-- In the 15th start of his rookie season, Zac Thornton nearly replicated his performance from his last start Sept. 18, allowing two runs on four hits, walking just one batter, and striking out four across five innings. Jung was the only Rangers batter to make serious contact with a ball tossed by Thornton, accounting for two of the four hits, both of which left the bat at over 95mph (his second hit, a line-drive double in the bottom of the fourth, clocked 96.5mph).
Jeffrey Yan took over for the southpaw for just two-thirds of the sixth inning, allowing two hits and walking Jung before being replaced by Austin Warren, who struck out two across 1.1 innings. Jack Weisenburger closed the game for the Mets with one allowed hit, one walk, and one strikeout in his one inning.
-- Rangers starter Kumar Rocker posted a similar game, owning the mound for five innings. He allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out four. The Mets draftedRocker in 2021 before ultimately deciding not to sign him due to concerns about the health of his right arm. He was then redrafted by the Rangers in 2022 and has been with the organization since.
Robert Gracia, Tyler Alexander, Chase Silseth, and Jordan Montgomery pitched one inning each to round out the game for Texas. Only Alexander allowed a hit, and Silseth struck out two. Montgomery struck out one.
-- Much of the excitement for the Mets came in the field rather than at the plate. In the bottom of the second, Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford took off from first in an attempt to steal second but was caught by Mets catcher Luis Torrens, who calmly caught Thornton's pitch and fired it down the field to Marcus Semien forthe out. Later, when Jake Burger tried to steal third in the bottom of the sixth, Torrens quickly tossed the ball back to Semien to trap Burger between the bases. After Burger slipped on his way back to second, Semien tagged him out as he scrambled to get safely to third.
The Mets connected for a double play to shut the Rangers down in the bottom of the eighth. After Seager struck out swinging, Burger grounded to Lindor at short, who tossed to Semien at second for the second out. Semien then turned to Brett Baty at first to close the half inning.
-- Brandon Nimmo was stifled at the plate in his final appearance against his former team, walking and striking out once apiece.
Game MVP: Josh Jung
In three at-bats, Jung notched three hits, including his first-inning two-RBI home run.
Highlights
Carson Benge gets the Mets on the board first with his 63rd RBI of the season! pic.twitter.com/Hn9ToL8Dzc
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 24, 2026
Luis Torrens nabs Wyatt Langford 💪 pic.twitter.com/jpBe0SE4RX
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 24, 2026
The Mets catch Jake Burger between second and third after he slipped following a pitch pic.twitter.com/cRVVygDsHx
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 24, 2026
"Like a Fuddrucker!"
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 24, 2026
Gary was cooking as Jack Weisenburger gets the double play to end the 8th inning in the Weisenburger vs. Burger matchup pic.twitter.com/3wh8NtUcqX
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The Mets head to Washington, D.C., for a three-game series against the Nationals to close the regular season, beginning Friday.
LHP AndrewAlvarez (2-6, 3.17 ERA) will take the mound for the home team. New York has yet to name a starter.
Martín Pérez to be placed on Injured List with lower back inflammation, Elieser Hernandez recalled
We received injury news from the Braves ahead of Walt Weiss’s usual pregame press conference this afternoon. Ronnie’s fine, but Martín Pérez is not.
Perez only threw 79 pitches in his last start. There didn’t appear to be any signs of struggle, so perhaps this has been an issue for some time. Hey, at least it’s not the elbow. Martin Perez has thrown 142 innings of 3.04/4.31/4.52 ball this season, but his postseason appears in doubt and perhaps JR Ritchie may make the postseason roster after all.
We got another bit of a stunner to start off the Walt Weiss’s pregame presser, as the team announced straight away that Martín Pérez would be heading to the IL with what was described as lower back inflammation. As ABsinceWayBack mentioned above, there wasn’t really too much of an indication that something was wrong with Pérez during his recent start. Unfortunately, it appears to be one of those things that just suddenly started acting up on the veteran hurler.
“He felt it during that last outing on Houston. He gutted through it,” explained Weiss when mark Bowman asked him about how it all happened. “You can imagine how frustrated he is. In his mind, he’s wanting to try to hurry up and get better and get back and he wants to be a part of it but we’re just running out of time here.”
“It’s tough for Martín. He’s obviously re-established himself after last year missing most of the year. He’s re-established himself with the year he’s had this year and we wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
Obviously, this has a pretty big effect on Atlanta’s plans for the Postseason as far as deploying their pitching staff. Pérez very likely would’ve been in line to make a start (or at least a bulk appearance out of the bullpen) if the Braves get past the Wild Card series. Pérez has had a bounce-back season as he’s made 30 appearances (26 starts) and produced an ERA of 3.04 (73 ERA-) and a FIP of 4.31 (104 FIP-), which is some of the best work that he’s done in years. It’s been a long road back to the big time for Pérez and it’s a bummer that this is how his regular season had to end.
As far as the pitching plans go, there aren’t any immediate changes to the rotation as they finish off this Cincinnati series and go dust off the regular season in Miami. However, you’d have to imagine that this could lead to a potential bullpen game if the Braves get into the Divisional Series since they’d have to roll right into the NLDS from the Wild Card Series if the opening round ends up going three games. At this point, a sweep would be huge for Atlanta’s chances at making a deep run in the Postseason — much easier said than done!
“For the remaining games, we have things mapped out,” explained Weiss when he was further asked about the plans. “Things can change. If we end up having to use more pitchers (for instance, tonight), then it’ll change what we do tomorrow. That’s always the case, really.”
Similarly to how they’ve had to sort of roll with the punches during the regular season, Weiss continued to explain how the Braves were going to “cross that road when we get there” when it comes to their starting situation. The Braves do have their fair share of options to start games, like Grant Holmes, AJ Smith-Shawver (who is currently in the plans to make a piggyback appearance once Tyler Mahle is done tonight) and JR Ritchie. They also have a deep and formidable bullpen as well, so it’s a situation that is still very much manageable at the moment.
With all of that being said, it’s certainly frustrating for the Braves to have lost Reynaldo López, Bryce Elder and now Martín Pérez right before the Postseason is set to kick off. Again, the Braves have options but you’d much rather prefer for those options to expand rather than constrict as the Postseason gets closer and closer. It’s also a nasty reminder of how things have gone for Atlanta’s pitching staff in so many Postseason appearances in recent memory — even in 2021 when Dylan Lee was called upon to make a “start” in the World Series.
Simply put, the Braves have just got to navigate things and it’s on Walt Weiss to figure out a way to do so in a tactically-effective way. Hopefully they’ll get deep enough in the Postseason in order to get those pitching options back and then they’ll have good problems to have in order to figure out who’s going to be on their pitching staff for each respective round. We’ll see what happens.
UPDATE [6:50 p.m. ET]: The Braves have made Pérez’s move to the IL official and have called up Elieser Hernández as the corresponding move.
79-80 – Rangers send off Shed with 3-1 win over Mets
The Texas Rangers scored three runs while the New York Mets scored one run.
After a couple of elsewise embarrassing defeats to the National League’s New York squad to begin this crucial series, and with the threat of a crippling sweep, the Rangers decided to buckle down and give the hometown fans one last victory for the road in the final scheduled game at The Shed during this long, weird season.
To accomplish their victory, the Rangers turned to two of their biggest, most necessary catalysts at the plate and a cobbled together pitching staff working through things one pitch at a time.
Things started on an inauspicious note with today’s starter Kumar Rocker allowing a first inning run that had to have had the faithful thinking, “the Rangers are really going to bookend the home slate with series sweeps at the hands of NL squads?”
Indeed, the first home series of the season for Texas was a sweep by the Cincinnati Reds and down 1-0 immediately, it was looking like the Mets had claimed favorable odds for pulling off a final ignominious sweep of Texas in their building even with the division still hanging in the balance.
Leave it to the guy who has been carrying the load since he returned to action to dissuade that notion as Josh Jung followed New York’s first inning run with a two-run dinger in the bottom of the inning to put the Rangers up early. And, as we’ve learned over a whole summer and 80 home games, the Rangers having an early lead is perhaps the predominant key to their success.
To Rocker’s credit, with the Rangers using the entire supply of duct tape in the state of Texas to try to hold their pitching staff together at the moment, the young right-hander stepped up and pitched five innings with the first inning run being his only blemish.
Overall Rocker went his five frames allowing the run on three hits and two walks while striking out four Mets. After Rocker left, the beleaguered bullpen was tasked with needing to wade through four innings in a one-run game. Texas got those four innings out of Robert Garcia, Tyler Alexander, Chase Silseth, and Jordan Montgomery with only Alexander allowing a base runner. Kudos to the ‘pen. They stepped up today.
It didn’t remain a one-run game either as Corey Seager finally came through after a rough series and gave the arms a bit of insurance with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth. Eventually that allowed Montgomery to pick up the save with Jacob Latz unavailable. It was just the second save of Montgomery’s career but it was a nice time to get it as Texas held on for the win.
With any luck, today’s game won’t actually be the final game played at The Shed this season but as far as the regular season goes, the Rangers are finished in Arlington. At 79-80, 14th best in baseball, the Rangers hold a half game lead over Houston for the American League West crown.
Player of the Game: We’ve taken to dubbing Jung “the straw” of late for being the straw that stirs the drink for what is a complicated offense that has been prone to disappear without him.
Today, without him, the Rangers and Met would presumably still be playing as his two-run home run in the bottom of the first to erase a 1-0 Mets lead proved the difference for a player who is proving to be a difference maker down the stretch.
Overall Jung went 3-for-3 with a walk to reach in each of his PAs today. Josh Jung wants some of that postseason action.
Up Next: The final series of the regular season begins for Texas as they travel up to Minnesota to take on a Twins squad that they have not beaten this year, as they were swept by them in Arlington back in June.
As the Rangers don’t really have any starters left a starter has not been named for the opener. Meanwhile, Minnesota will opt for RHP Joe Ryan in the opener.
The Friday evening first pitch from Target Field is scheduled for 7:10 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
Chicago White Sox shortstop ties infamous MLB record
Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery tied the MLB single-season strikeout record on Thursday, Sept. 24, whiffing for the 223rd time this season to equal Mark Reynolds' mark set in 2009.
Montgomery struck out in his first at-bat of the game then flew out twice to avoid breaking the record in the White Sox's postseason clincher, but there are three games remaining with Chicago hosting the Colorado Rockies for the final weekend.
The Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber has also had his eye on the dubious record, and entered Thursday's game on 218 strikeouts. Both players had 216 through Sunday but Montgomery struck out three times on Tuesday and three again on Wednesday in Kansas City to pull ahead in the "race."
Montgomery is hitting .200 in 150 games with 31 home runs and 87 RBIs this season, his second year in the majors.
Others have come close to the 223 mark in recent years and the top 15 seasons have all occurred since 2009. The Washington Nationals' James Wood came close in 2025, finishing with 221 strikeouts.
Most strikeouts in a season
- 1. Mark Reynolds (2009) – 223 SO
- – Colson Montgomery (2026) – 223 SO
- 3. Adam Dunn (2012) – 222 SO
- 4. James Wood (2025) – 221 SO
- 5. Chris Davis (2016) – 219 SO
- 6. Elly De La Cruz (2024) – 218 SO
- – Kyle Schwarber (2026) – 218 SO
- 8. Yoán Moncada (2018) – 217 SO
- 9. Kyle Schwarber (2023) – 215 SO
- 10. Eugenio Suárez (2023) – 214 SO
- 11. Joey Gallo (2021) – 213 SO
- 12. Chris Carter (2013) – 212 SO
- 13. Teoscar Hernández (2023) – 211 SO
- – Mark Reynolds (2010) – 211 SO
- – Giancarlo Stanton (2018) – 211 SO
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chicago White Sox shortstop ties infamous MLB record
White Sox clinch a playoff spot with a 9-1 rout of the Royals after back-to-back 100-loss seasons
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chicago White Sox became the first team to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons by reaching the playoffs on Thursday, throttling the Kansas City Royals 9-1 to ensure no worse than one of the three AL wild-card spots for the postseason.
They could still win the AL Central, too. The White Sox began the day one game behind the Cleveland Guardians.
Chicago has three games left at home against the last-place Colorado Rockies, while the Guardians wrap up their series in Boston on Thursday night before flying to Kansas City, where they coincidentally have three left against the Royals. The White Sox win mathematically eliminated Baltimore from postseason contention.
Kyle Teel homered and reached base five times, and five different White Sox drove in runs. David Sandlin (3-2) allowed one run on five hits over six innings against the club that drafted him out of Oklahoma four years ago.
Randy Dobnak (3-5) allowed six runs — four earned — for Kansas City. He also made two errors while retiring just four batters.
Salvador Perez homered for the Royals, reaching 20 in a season for a club-record 10th time.
The first couple of innings summed up what the White Sox have done so masterfully this season: They capitalized on mistakes.
Sam Antonacci opened the game with a single, Teel reached on a bunt when Dobnak’s throw was wide of first base, and Miguel Vargas followed with an RBI single. Andrew Benintendi added a sacrifice fly and, after Vargas stole second to get into scoring position, Tristan Peters brought him home with another single to make it 3-0.
More hijinks ensued in the second: Braden Montgomery singled leading off, Dobnak walked Antonacci, then the right-hander threw to nobody covering first base for his second error. That allowed Montgomery to easily score from second.
By the time Dobnak plunked Teel and Vargas added another RBI single, the champagne was probably on ice in the clubhouse.
The White Sox improved to 82-77, a record number of wins for a club coming off three straight 100-loss years. They head home having won four of their last five with their first playoff appearance since 2021 in their pocket and a division title still in their sights.