Category: MLB

Texas Rangers @ Minnesota Twins

Friday, September 25, 2026, 7:10 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

Target Field

RHP Jacob deGrom vs. RHP Joe Ryan

Go Rangers!

With nothing left to play for on either side, the Yankees vs. Orioles series opener was somewhat overshadowed with the number retirement ceremony for CC Sabathia that took place before the game. The expected bad weather tomorrow forced a doubleheader today and moved the ceremony up to this afternoon as well. The short notice change led to the stands being emptier than anyone would like, but it was still a nice ceremony for the now-forever Yankees’ No. 52. Old friends Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Andy Pettitte, and Chris Young joined in the festivities on the field, alongside Sabathia’s family.

On the field, things could’ve gone better.

Making something of a spot start with the doubleheader and the Yankees planning ahead for the postseason, Brendan Beck started for the Yankees. Not that it was something the Yankees were considering, but Beck didn’t particularly make a case to be a last-second playoff roster addition. In his five innings, he allowed seven runs on six hits and three walks, including two home runs. The bullpen wasn’t particularly lights out following him, allowing the Orioles to build up a big lead.

The Yankees’ offense was always going to be up against it considering that fact, but they didn’t do much. Orioles starter Trevor Rogers mostly kept the Yankees in check as Baltimore kept adding on. The Yankees could only plate one run from their eight hits, dooming them to a 10-2 loss in the first game of the doubleheader.

On the mound, Beck started things off with a couple scoreless innings. However, Baltimore got on the board in the third. Beck nearly got through the inning again, but issued a two-out walk to Dylan Beavers. That came back to haunt him, as Pete Alonso did a Pete Alonso thing and homered to put the O’s in front.

An inning later, Beck loaded the bases after walking two and allowing a single. Christian Franklin then dropped in a single, plating another Orioles’ run. After a force out got a runner at home, Beavers took Beck deep for a grand slam, putting Baltimore well in front.

The Yankees got on the board themselves in the bottom of the fourth. Heliot Ramos reached with a triple, aided by center fielder Colton Cowser misplaying the carom off the wall. Amed Rosario followed that with an easy single to score the Yankees’ first run.

Baltimore got that run back a short time later, thanks to an outfield miscue of the Yankees’ own. With reliever Yerry De los Santos in for the Yankees, Jeremiah Jackson hit a ball to deep right-center. The ball just got over the glove of Spencer Jones and took a fortuitous bounce past him. Jackson managed to race all the way around and beat the throw home for an inside-the-park homer, the first one in the Bronx in a dozen years — coincidentally with today’s honoree on the mound against Wil Myers. Alonso added a more conventional homer in the seventh in that it went over the fence, but it was unconventional in that it was an absolute bomb, 471 feet away.

Honestly, I can’t even be mad at that one. Baltimore would tack on one more run to get to double digits for the game. Paul Blackburn and David Bednar got their work in as expected, and we now won’t see them again until the Wild Card Series.

The Yankees did get one run back after Spencer Jones singled in the bottom of the ninth and eventually came around to score on a Paul Goldschmidt sacrifice fly. Ben Rice struck out looking to end it.

One pretty disappointing thing to come out of the game was the play of the offense. Yes, the game didn’t actually mean anything, but the Yankees did send out the likes of Goldschmidt and Rosario and their theoretical “lefty” lineup. Them not doing much on offense isn’t what you would want to see considering that the Red Sox Wild Card Series lineup is now locked in and Boston has a bunch of left-handed pitchers they can throw at the Yankees.

The second game of today’s doubleheader is set to begin at 7:30pm ET, which New York just announced. Brandon Young will go for Baltimore, while the Yankees will counter with Ryan Yarbrough, with Will Warren expected to provide relief work in anticipation of his playoff role.

Box Score

The Yankees (92-68) didn't have much going for them in Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader, falling to the Baltimore Orioles (79-81), 10-2.

Here are the takeaways...

--  Brendan Beck was called up to make his second start of the year, but like his previous appearances, he struggled in a short outing. The right-hander let up seven runs on six hits and three walks over just 5.0 IP (97 pitches) with eight strikeouts.

Beck struck out the side in the first inning and got through the second, but ran into trouble the next two frames. He surrendered a two-run homer to Pete Alonso (his AL-leading 42nd) in the top of the third inning to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead. Beck then loaded the bases in the third, gave up an RBI single, and allowed a grand slam to Dylan Beavers, which made it a 7-0 game. The 27-year-old returned for a quick 1-2-3 fifth inning to help save the bullpen arms.

-- After recording just two hits through the first three innings against lefty Trevor Rogers, New York's bats woke up in the fourth inning. Heliot Ramos smashed a leadoff triple that bounced off the wall in center field and scored on Amed Rosario's RBI single, cutting the Baltimore lead to 7-1. They had a chance to get more runs back after an error extended the inning, but left two runners on base.

-- Yerry De los Santos, who was also recalled Friday, replaced Beck on the mound in the top of the sixth and saw similar results. He gave up an inside-the-park home run to Jeremiah Jackson as the ball sailed over the outstretched arms of Spencer Jones in right-center and rolled around the outfield. The right-hander let up another homer in the seventh inning as Alonso launched his second of the day to go up 9-1.

-- Baltimore took a 10-1 lead in the eighth inning against Paul Blackburn after Jose Caballero couldn't handle Gunnar Henderson's sharp grounder, allowing Christian Franklin to score from second base.

-- New York tacked on a run in the ninth, making it 10-2 on Jones' sacrifice fly. Overall, the Yanks recorded nine hits as Ramos, Rosario, and Anthony Volpe each had two apiece; Ben Rice, Spencer Jones, and Ali Sánchez had the other three.

Game MVP: Pete Alonso

The windy, cold conditions were made for the polar bear. Alonso hit two home runs (going 3-for-5 with three RBI) and is up to 43 home runs on the season with 16 career homers against the Yanks.

Highlights

Amed Rosario gets the Yankees on the board pic.twitter.com/eyQkCjxWsn

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 25, 2026

What's next

The Yankees play Game 2 of their doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles later Friday night.

New York has yet to announce a starter, while RHP Brandon Young (9-5, 3.62 ERA) takes the mound for the O's.

Bill Giles, the longtime Philadelphia Phillies executive credited with conceptualizing the Phillie Phanatic and spearheading the construction of both Veterans Stadium and Citizens Bank Park, died Friday, Sept. 25 at 92, the club announced.

Giles was a key figure in the Phillies' front office beginning in 1969, rising from business operations head to executive vice president to, in 1981, organizing a group that purchased the franchise, under which he served as president until 1997 and then chairman. The Phillies won the World Series in 1980 and again in 2008.

In his span, the Phillies moved into multipurpose Veterans Stadium, which they shared with the Philadlephia Eagles, before constructing their baseball-only ballpark on Broad Street that opened in 2004 and has since hosted three World Series and, this past July, the All-Star Game.

Perhaps his most enduring contribution, visually, was conceiving the Phillie Phanatic, likely the most recognizable mascot across the major leagues.

“The Phillies family lost an icon today,” Phillies owner John Middleton said in a statement released by the club. “Bill helped to reshape our franchise from a traditional baseball club into a highly visible entertainment and business operation.

"His profound impact in overseeing one of the greatest eras in franchise history, both on and off the field, will forever be his legacy. Our hearts are heavy for the Giles family and all those who had the privilege of knowing Bill.”

Giles was named honorary National League president in 2001 and served on MLB committees that spearheaded the introduction of interleague play and the wild card.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Giles, longtime Phillies executive and father of Phanatic, dies at 92

It is Friday evening.

The Orioles have beaten the Yankees in the first game of a single admission doubleheader, winning a 10-2 blowout. Pete Alonso hit two homers in the game to increase his season homer total to 43 and RBIs to 113, Dylan Beavers blew the game open with a grand slam, and Jeremiah Jackson added an inside-the-park homer just to make things fun. Five Orioles had multi-hit games.

There is still another one to play on Friday, but for now,

YOU KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE.

What a game. What a series. What a season. What a way for the San Diego Padres to clinch their spot in the 2026 postseason. The Friars sealed a series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night, earning a Wild Card berth and maintaining a one-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the top spot in the NL Wild Card.

Despite being no-hit by Tyler Glasnow through 5 1/3 innings, the Padres quickly got to work with back-to-back singles before the first run crossed home plate on a Dustin Harris sac fly. Nick Pivetta worked in and out of trouble through 4 2/3 scoreless innings before turning it over to the bullpen. The Friars’ offense kept it going with a three-run seventh, capping off a huge series win with major playoff implications.

San Diego now returns home to Petco Park for the final series of the 2026 regular season. They’ll play the Arizona Diamondbacks with Wild Card seeding on the line. The Padres need to win every game to ensure that they retain the top Wild Card spot. The Dbacks, meanwhile, are playing their way into the playoffs. They’re two games back of the Philadelphia Phillies for the last spot.

Taking the mound

Brandon Pfaadt (AZ) v. Casey Mize (SD)

Pfaadt has had a resurgent year with Arizona this season. He recorded a 5.25 ERA in 2025 but has pitched to a 3.72 ERA this year across 128 1/3 innings. He missed most of June after being demoted to Triple-A to figure out his mechanics and it worked. Since coming back on June 30, Pfaadt owns a 2.79 ERA (90.1 IP).

The right-hander has faced the Padres three times this season and gotten the better of them twice. After tagging Pfaadt for four runs in three innings on April 25, the Padres haven’t scored an earned run against him since. They’ll need to reverse that in order to notch a win in the series opener tonight.

Mize is scheduled to make his final start of the regular season tonight. It’s hard to understate just how much he has struggled since joining San Diego. It’s tanked his stock as an impending free agent as well as any ability to trust him as a playoff starter. That said, Mize has a great track record in the postseason and could shove when the lights are brightest.

The righty is coming off of one of his roughest outings, surrendering five runs to the Miami Marlins last Saturday. Thankfully, the Padres managed to come out with the win in extra innings. Since joining the Friars, Mize has pitched to a 6.64 ERA (40.2 IP), surrendering three or more runs in six of those outings. He’ll need to turn the tables tonight to restore some faith in his pitching.

Batter up!

The offense cooled off a bit in L.A., but that didn’t stop the Padres from scoring. After being shutout in the series opener, San Diego scored nine runs in the final two games. Against a pitching staff like the Dodgers’, that’s fantastic production. They’ll need their lineup to keep that up against Arizona if they are to retain their current seeding.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Dustin Harris, LF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Ty France, 1B
5. Jackson Merrill, CF
6. Luis Campusano, C
7. Xander Bogaerts, SS
8. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
9. Ethan Salas, DH

Salas has turned into an incredibly potent hitter in the last few weeks. In his last seven games, he’s recorded a blistering .389/.421/.722 slash line with five RBIs and a walk. He’s raking his way to a spot on the postseason roster, and could see plenty of time behind the dish this weekend.

Relief corps

After Pivetta’s stellar (albeit short) outing on Thursday night, Yuki Matsui, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller nailed down the final 4 1/3 innings. Adam, in his long-awaited return from the injured list, pitched a perfect frame on just five pitches. Miller struck out Tommy Edman to end the game, but the pitch was so filthy that the ball got away from Salas, allowing Edman to reach first. Miller ended the game shortly thereafter despite allowing a run to cross on a Shohei Ohtani double.

Tonight, San Diego can breathe a sigh of relief as they hope to give their high-leverage arms some rest in anticipation of the coming playoff series on Tuesday. The Friars will have Kyle Hart, David Morgan, Wandy Peralta, Bradgley Rodriguez and Randy Vásquez available out of the ‘pen tonight. Adam will likely be available as well given his low pitch count last night.

Three games. That’s it.

The Rockies have reached the final weekend of the 2026 season, and after the way the last two months have gone, I am very much looking forward to the offseason and what comes next — pending lockout notwithstanding.

Don’t get me wrong, there was real progress this year. Colorado had stretches where it looked much more competitive and gave some reason to believe things were moving in the right direction.

But August and September have been rough.

The Rockies are 14-35 over the last two months, including 5-16 in September, and come into Chicago on a four-game losing streak. They closed the book on Coors Field by getting swept by Arizona, falling 7-2, 5-3 and 12-8.

So yes, I am ready for the offseason. Ready to start sorting through the roster, the rotation, what worked, what didn’t and what comes next.

Six months of watching this team every day is about to stop all at once, and as ready as I am to turn the page, I know I am going to miss watching these guys play when suddenly there is no game to turn on.

Before that happens, it would be nice to see the Rockies close the season on a positive note against a quality opponent. The playoff-bound White Sox still have something to play for, entering the weekend just one game behind Cleveland in the AL Central.

Tomoyuki Sugano gets the first chance to help make that happen tonight, probably for the final time as a Rockie.

Sugano enters 12-11 with a 5.36 ERA over 147.2 innings. A win tonight would give him 13, making him the first Rockies pitcher to win 13 or more games in a season since 2018, when Kyle Freeland won 17 and Germán Márquez won 14.

The second half has been difficult, but Sugano is coming off one of his better recent starts after holding Seattle to one run on one hit over five innings with five strikeouts.

Recently, the biggest issue has been avoiding the big inning.

Sugano has shown he can still navigate a lineup when he keeps the damage contained, but several starts have gotten away from him quickly when mistakes begin stacking together.

He continues to work with a deep seven-pitch mix led by his split-finger, four-seam fastball and sinker, with a sweeper, cutter, slider and curveball mixed in. The splitter remains his best bat-missing pitch.

Sean Burke will make his final regular-season start for Chicago after putting together a strong year.

The right-hander enters 10-7 with a 3.40 ERA, 178 strikeouts and a 1.20 WHIP over 167 innings. Burke leads with a four-seam fastball around 95 mph and pairs it with a knuckle curve around 79 mph, creating a sizeable velocity gap. He fills the space between with a slider and cutter while also mixing in a sinker. The changeup is barely used at all.

The exact combination changes with handedness. Lefties see more four-seamers and curveballs, while the slider becomes a bigger part of the plan against righties. Left-handed hitters have produced a .233/.305/.405 line against Burke, compared with .217/.302/.339 for righties.

Burke doesn’t have pinpoint command and can give up some hard contact in the air, but he has enough stuff to miss bats. He has also pitched well down the stretch outside of one ugly start in Pittsburgh. In his other three September outings, Burke has allowed just one earned run over 16.2 innings.

On offense, there are a few milestones worth tracking over the final weekend. Hunter Goodman is sitting on 39 home runs, one away from 40, while T.J. Rumfield is batting .297 with a chance to finish his first major-league season at .300. Jake McCarthy is also two triples shy of 15, which would give him at least 15 doubles, 15 triples, 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases on the year.

So, can Sugano avoid the big inning and pick up win No. 13 while the Rockies find a way through Burke and open their final weekend with a win?

The details…

First pitch: 5:40 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

White Sox SB Nation:South Side Sox

Lineups:

It’s 9/25 so we’re working pic.twitter.com/lwwfR9UbJJ

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 25, 2026

More work to be done pic.twitter.com/wBFUYlAZ9o

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 25, 2026

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Detroit Tigers (74-85) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (81-78)

Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jackson Jobe (2-3, 3.98 ERA) vs. RHP Bubba Chandler (8-9, 4.34 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Jobe	8	40.2	25.0	8.1	46.8	4.55	0.3
Chandler	30	151.1	21.0	11.6	38.9	4.21	2.0

160/162

⚾️ 6:40 PM ET
📺 @WatchDSN
📻 @971theticketxyt
🏟️ Comerica Park pic.twitter.com/Je10ammZl4

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 25, 2026

160/162.

📺 @SNPittsburgh
📻 @937theFanpic.twitter.com/CUBD7GOCqF

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 25, 2026

Game One of the last series of the season.

Not surprisingly, there was a roster move: CJ Van Eyk was optioned to Buffalo and John Klein has been recalled. So we only have two more days of roster moves let.

And Vlad apologized for his comment. People that are mad about it all aren’t going to care about the apology.

"He told me that what I did was wrong."

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. says he spoke with his father, who advised him to apologize. pic.twitter.com/mnelRs1TUq

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 25, 2026

Vladdy starts his availability with a statement, through interpreter:

“The reason I'm here because I regret my comments the other day … I feel from my heart, my fans, my teammates, they needed an apology from me, and that's why I'm here for.”#BlueJays

— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) September 25, 2026

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. says that he spoke to his father, who told him that he’d made a mistake and needed to do this (apologize):

“I feel that the comments I made the other day is not what I really wanted to say. Everyone deserves an apology from me.” #BlueJays

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) September 25, 2026

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Anyway, today’s lineup. As Dan has said, George Springer will likely play in the outfield on Sunday so that John can take him out of the game to allow the fans to give Springer a well deserved ovation. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get an ovation in every at bat.

---

Joey Votto is just a good guy.

A message from players. We give to our communities, love the cities we play for, and are always thinking of the fans.
Vladdy is this guy. When I listened to his comments I just heard a frustrated competitor. Kudos to him for making this right. He loves the city that loves him.

— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) September 25, 2026

With 159 games down, there are just three left in the Atlanta Braves’ 2026 regular season.

Those final three will be played at Miami, starting Friday at 7:10 p.m. EDT, before the Braves return to Truist Park to host a best-of-three wild-card series against a TBD team starting next Tuesday.

But first, Atlanta has a three-game set against the Marlins which has minimal stakes with the Braves locked into the No. 3 seed in the National League. The Braves are kicking off their time in South Florida with a bullpen game started by left-hander Ray Kerr.

Let’s all enjoy some rare innings of (relatively) stress-free baseball this weekend before the impending dread that is postseason baseball descends next week.

Game Info

Preview

Lineups

Postseason outlook

When the Milwaukee Brewers were last at American Family Field, they still had not yet clinched the NL Central. Today, they return back home, not only division champions for the fourth consecutive year, but they also clinched a bye to the NLDS, clinched the best record in all of baseball and clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs, including the World Series.

There is, quite literally, nothing left to play for in the standings. Whether the Brewers win or lose, it will have no bearing on the outcome of the regular season or what their postseason path would look like.

However, that doesn’t mean these games aren’t important. Mentally, it’s important for the Brewers to keep their foot on the gas and stay locked in, because if they lose that focus, it can be extremely difficult to get it again in the postseason.

The St. Louis Cardinals, meanwhile, have nothing to play for but pride. The Cardinals are going to have a losing season regardless, as they already have 82 losses on the season. They are essentially locked into a 4th place finish in the division.

There were a slew of roster moves from the Brewers prior to the game. Bryse Wilson was reinstated from the injured list with Lyon Richardson being designated for assignment to make room. Also Andrew Vaughn was placed on the 10-day IL with an illness. Outfielder Brandon Lockridge was recalled from Triple-A to take his roster spot.

The Brewers will have Robert Gasser on the mound as he makes his last push for a postseason rotation job. Gasser massively helped his cause his last time out against Baltimore, throwing seven shutout innings en route to a 1-0 victory. If Gasser can continue to climb that trust tree, he could very easily be in play to start Game 3 of the NLDS.

“Gas[ser] has been confident. He’s starting to understand his stuff and how it works…and he’s taking that step, when you see the confidence and then you see the consistency, that’s what fires you up.” Pat Murphy said.

The Cardinals will have right-hander Michael McGreevy on the mound. McGreevy has had a solid season, making 30 starts for St. Louis with a 3.84 ERA.

The lineup going against McGreevy tonight will have Garrett Mitchell, Brice Turang, and William Contreras atop the order. Jake Bauers, Christian Yelich, and Joey Ortiz form the middle of the order with Ortiz holding down shortstop. Cooper Pratt is sitting today because he’s “not feeling well”, per Pat Murphy. Luis Lara, Sal Frelick, and David Hamilton round out the bottom of the order. Lara is in right field while Frelick is in left field. Jackson Chourio is sitting once again today, but will likely be the first man off the bench. Murphy is trying to strategically give a few of his starters rest days here and Chourio is one of them.

The Cardinals lineup against Gasser will have JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera, and Jordan Walker leading things off. Leo Bernal, Jose Fermin, and Thomas Saggese form the middle of the order. Then Masyn Winn, Pedro Pages, and Victor Scott II round out the bottom of the lineup.

There’s nothing left to clinch, but the Brewers still have to play their way and are looking to finish off the regular season on a high note.

Home sweet home

📺: https://t.co/vfk4xUdTIA
📻: WTMJ

→ https://t.co/bxFoZpT8Cfpic.twitter.com/tqpivBhIeY

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 25, 2026

Wrapping up the season in Milwaukee pic.twitter.com/SiUW0zOgyS

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 25, 2026

The end is truly near now. It is time for the final series of the season. The Nats square off against the Mets this weekend for their last games of 2026. With one more win, the Nats will secure not being in last place. This should be a fun series to watch.

James Wood will be the DH for the Nats in this one. That means the outfield will consist of Daylen Lile, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews. CJ Abrams is at shortstop, meaning Jorbit Vivas will be playing second base and Brady House is at third. Keibert Ruiz is behind the dish tonight. Andrew Alvarez has been pitching well, but hopefully he can finally be rewarded with a win tonight. 

you only get to see so many lineup graphics in your lifetime, enjoy each and every one of them

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

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 25, 2026

The Nats have rarely seen Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto in the lineup at the same time this season. That will change tonight though. The two stars are at the top of the Mets order. Ironically, this is the healthiest the Mets have been in a while. We will see a newer face in Christopher Morel at the bottom of the order. The eccentric Jefry Yan will be the opener for New York.

New series on deck ⚾️@Novig | #LGMpic.twitter.com/Tb6xvcD0Eb

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 25, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: Nationals Park

Time: 6:45 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

This has been a step forward season for the Nats, who now have 75 wins. With one more, they will avoid last place, which I think is a big deal. Even with just three games left, there is plenty to play for in DC. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

After playing a pair of games at Fenway Park Friday, Sept. 25, the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox will pack their bags and beat a hasty path out of Beantown to the warm embrace of climate control.

Hello, St. Petersburg, Florida.

Both playoff-bound clubs will finish their regular seasons in a most unexpected place − Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. That contingency edged closer to reality as a nasty Nor'easter is expected to pummel the Northeast this weekend, prompting the clubs to move Saturday's game to a Friday doubleheader at Fenway.

The Sunday finale was a wait-and-see situation − but Major League Baseball had seen enough by Friday afternoon and moved the game before the weather turned.

It is a somewhat ironic twist: Tropicana Field was rendered unplayable by a hurricane in October 2024, prompting the Rays to play their 2025 home schedule at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. This time, the Trop will provide a safe haven for the Cubs and Red Sox, who each have little at stake.

The Red Sox locked themselves into the No. 5 seed in the American League playoffs by beating the Cubs 4-3 in Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader. That means once the teams contest Game 162 in central Florida − game time 3:05 p.m. ET Sunday − the Red Sox will hop a plane to New York for their best-of-three wild card series against the Yankees.

While the Red Sox (86-74) have locked in their AL seeding, they could be playing for some World Series home field ramifications against certain NL squads. The Cubs entered Game 2 Friday with an 88-72 record and hold the tiebreaker over both the San Diego Padres (89-70) and Philadelphia Philies (87-72). They could still land on any of the Nos. 1-3 wild card spots, which would mean hosting a three-game series, traveling to the No. 1 wild card or traveling to NL East division champ Atlanta.

The AL East champion Rays are concluding their season with a three-game series at Philadelphia, and have a bye to the AL Division Series. That means if the Red Sox win their series at New York, they'll turn around and head back to Tampa Bay to start the best-of-five ALDS against the Rays Saturday, Oct. 3.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cubs vs. Red Sox season finale moved to Florida's Tropicana Field due to storm

Both the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds entered the 2026 season with high hopes. Toronto was fresh off a 2025 campaign that saw them win 94 games and come damn close to taking down the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series, while the Reds managed to actually win more games than they lost – for them, a true feat of strength.

Nothing close to that has gone to plan in 2026, however.

Toronto finally got bounced from the murky AL Wild Card chase earlier this week to officially end their postseason dreams, while the Reds have been dead in the water for months now. Sadly, that makes this weekend’s final series of the season completely meaningless in the grand scheme even if there are a few personal milestones certain players are attempting to reach.

Elly De La Cruz mashed the 30th homer of his season last night and now sits a steal away from joining the 30/30 club. Sal Stewart is still firmly in the mix for the major league lead in RBI (while also trying to keep his season OPS beginning with an 8), and the Reds as a whole are trying to see if they can finish the season last in each of wRC+, FIP, and DRS.

Yay!

Nick Lodolo gets his final start of the season looking to finish strong in Friday’s series opener, while Jose Soriano will go for the Jays. First pitch is set for 7:07 PM ET.

Here’s how both clubs will line up to start: