Category: Baseball

Today’s Reflections

That was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad time to drop a doubleheader. The two losses by the scores of 4-3 and 2-0 tells us two things: that unless the Red Sox have weak hitters, the Cubs pitching staff had its strong moments, but there is no way they can carry the team by themselves; and that the Cubs’ offense has collapsed at the worst possible moment.

Clay Holmes didn’t pitch horribly in the opener, but it wasn’t up to the standards we have seen from him since he arrived in Chicago. Keeping his pitch-count down, Holmes threw 78 pitches, 50 for strikes. But he only lasted 4.1 IP, having allowed three runs (two earned), five hits, three walks with three strikeouts. He left the game with two on and the Cubs up, 3-1. Caleb Thielbar did what he does best — promptly gave up a two-RBI single to tie the game at three. After getting the last out in the sixth, Aaron Civale gave up a one-out triple in the seventh, followed by an RBI-double to put Boston up, 4-3. The Cubs went down in order the last two innings for the loss.

David Peterson was fantastic in the nightcap, putting up five innings of shutout ball on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Javier Assad took over and came out very strong — in his opening frame in the sixth, he struck out the side. In the seventh, he retired the Red Sox in order. In the eighth, he gave up a walk.

Ryan Rolison inherited the runner, added a walk himself and gave up a two-run double. Game Over.

Peterson didn’t deserve the no-decision. Assad didn’t deserve the loss. And, hopefully for only one day, the Cubs’ faithful didn’t deserve the display of hitting in the doubleheader. Fourteen runners were left on base over the two games.

Tyrone Taylor had a first-inning RBI-double and Miguel Amaya a two-RBI double in the second for a 3-0 lead in the opener. And that was it for the rest of the two games. Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch (who was 4-for-7 in the two games) and Nico Hoerner each had a pair of singles in the nightcap, which was most of the game’s offense.

The Cubs are no longer in control of their playoff destiny. I hope it’s as soft a landing as possible.

I appreciate your reading.

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Game Number 2 On Friday Game Stories:

• Sean Holland (Cubs Insider): Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/25/26: GM 2): Red Sox 2, Cubs 0 – Offensive Deep Freeze Continues in Doubleheader Sweep. “Another great pitching performance was wasted and frustration is mounting with the playoffs approaching.”

Game Number 1 On Friday Game Stories:

• Sean Holland (Cubs Insider): Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/25/26: GM 1): Red Sox 4, Cubs 3 – Offense Stays Cold in Boston Loss. “The Cubs’ chances for home-field advantage in the Wild Card took a big hit when they lost the first half of a doubleheader to the Red Sox at Fenway Park Friday afternoon.”

Overall Analysis of the Friday doubleheader:

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): After Cubs drop both games of twin bill, they turn attention to pitching plans. ““Just tell us where to play, we’ll play,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We’ll show up and play.”“
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Alex Bregman’s return can’t save Chicago Cubs from doubleheader sweep, damaging home wild-card hopes. “Bregman had been an inch away from a potential career-ending injury to his eye when he took a foul ball to his left cheek Sunday. Five days later, Bregman was back in the lineup as the Chicago Cubs designated hitter.”
• Sean Sears (Chicago Cubs On SI): Takeaways After Cubs Spiral at Worst Time and Lose Two Straight to Red Sox. “The Cubs dropping both games in Boston means Wrigley Field will likely not host a Wild Card game”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Swept by Red Sox in weather-forced doubleheader, Cubs face pitching questions on eve of playoffs. “The Cubs face plenty of uncertainty after dropping both games in their Friday doubleheader in Boston, and it’s a mystery where they’ll play their first-round playoff series, who they’ll play and which pitchers they’ll throw.”

The nor’easter that inflicted its worst damage:

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Red Sox, Cubs set to play Game 162 at The Trop Sunday due to weather. “There is one last wrinkle being thrown into the mix for Game 162 of the regular season.”

Assorted Stories:

• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): 4 Cubs players stepping onto the playoff stage for the first time in their careers. “First time for everything.”
• Sam Caulder (North Side Baseball): Ian Happ, Tyrone Taylor Are Forming Cubs’ Perfect Playoff Platoon. “The Cubs have two outfielders whose strengths and weaknesses line up almost perfectly. As such, Ian Happ and Tyrone Taylor could form an ideal platoon in the postseason.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Limping into regular-season finale, can Cubs find themselves in time for playoff success? “At the end of a rough final week of the regular season, the Cubs have one day to find themselves and carry something into the start of the postseason Tuesday.”
• Sam Caulder (North Side Baseball): Is the Cubs’ Bullpen Good Enough for October? “The Cubs have some bullpen arms trending in the right direction as the playoffs approach. Still, Chicago’s late-game pitching doesn’t quite feel where it needs to be with the Wild Card round just days away.”
• Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times): 2026 Cubs, White Sox join short list in Chicago baseball history — their postseason stays might be short, too. “Think about all the pieces that had to fall into place for the Cubs and White Sox to clinch playoff berths within two minutes of each other Thursday.”
• Noel Brennan (CBSSports): Playoffs fever hits Chicago with Cubs and White Sox both postseason bound for only 4th time ever. “The last time both teams made the playoffs was during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs have Owen Ayers among emergency options waiting in the wings for playoff roster. “In case of an emergency, break glass.”

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Food For Thought:

Connie Curtis Crayton (December 18, 1914 – June 25, 1985), known as Pee Wee Crayton, was an American R&B and blues guitarist and singer. Crayton was born in Rockdale, Texas. He began playing guitar seriously after moving to California in 1935, later settling in Oakland. While there, he absorbed the music of T-Bone Walker, who taught Crayton the basics of electric guitar work. Crayton developed his own unique approach.

In 1948, he signed a recording contract with Modern Records. One of his first recordings was the instrumental “Blues After Hours”, which reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart late that year. In 1950, Crayton and his Orchestra performed at the sixth Cavalcade of Jazz concert, held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles and produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. on June 25. Featured on the same day were Lionel Hampton, Roy Milton’s Orchestra, Dinah Washington, Tiny Davis and Her Hell Divers, and other artists. 16,000 were reported to be in attendance.

It is thought he was the first blues guitarist to use a Fender Stratocaster, playing one given to him by Leo Fender. His opening guitar riff on the 1954 single “Do Unto Others” was “quoted” by John Lennon in the beginning of the B-side single version of “Revolution” released by The Beatles on Apple Records in 1968. Crayton’s album Things I Used to Do was released by Vanguard Records in 1971. He continued to tour and record in the following years.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

Good morning, baseball fans!

Today is the final day of the San Francisco Giants’ 2026 season. So today I would like to do something similar to what we did yesterday and pick our favorite highlight of the season, strictly based on memory.

And as I mentioned yesterday, the time will come for real evaluations and player reviews and further introspection. But this is not that time. This is the time to remember the season that was and pick the moment that stands out most to you as the highlight of the year.

I know, the pickings were a bit slim but the season was not devoid of highlights. I would know, I wrote about them every week! There were grand slams, walk-offs, splash hits, well-pitched games, and many other moments worth remembering.

I think my pick has to be the April 25th 6-2 win over the Miami Marlins. I can’t narrow it down further than that, because the whole game was my highlight of the year.

And I will admit that I am extremely biased because I was at this game in the best seats I’ve ever had in my life. I brought my best friend with me and it was her very first in-person game and we could not have asked for a better one. The weather was great, we celebrated Brandon Belt, and the Giants remembered that they were allowed to score runs and not also give them all back. It was about as picture perfect of a baseball game as one could ask for and we had an absolute blast.

What is your pick for Highlight of the Year?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants play this final game of the year this afternoon at 12:05 p.m. PT.

The Guardians have won the AL Central for the 14th time and third straight year.

Zack Meisel had a nice article about the division win, including an interesting note about an advantage the Mets found against them in August as they heard pitch calls through Nathaniel Lowe’s Pitch Com. Meisel also had a more introspective piece on the guys who got the Guardians to this point.

It will be fun to see the hangover lineup today. I would guess Jose, Rocchio and DeLauter get the break today. We will see who else does. Parker Messick will start but I imagine he will throw about three innings.

Thank you, Colorado Rockies, and Ryan Feltner and Hunter Goodman especially. Here is a Rockies’ charity should you wish to express appreciation.

Like the Guardians, the @Rockies have a charitable foundation supporting disadvantaged and at-risk youth.

I see several #GuardsTwitter people talking about wanting to thank Colorado by supporting charity. This seems like a great option.https://t.co/IzQy6GYwMgpic.twitter.com/iNFxtCDNBH

— Monte the Color Man (@Monte_Colorman) September 27, 2026

Around MLB:

The AL West race comes down to today. If the Astros beat the A’s, they are in. If they lose and the Rangers also lose to the Twins, they are in. The last NL Wildcard comes down to today. If the Phillies beat the Rays, they are in. If they lose and the Diamondbacks lose to the Padres, they are in. But, the Diamondbacks would be in with a win and a Phillies loss.

With more nasty weather thrashing the East Coast, the Yankees did not play today—meaning all eyes could shift to the rest of the league. New York doesn’t have anything more to play for, but that was far from the case for many of their AL contemporaries. One division was finally decided on this penultimate day of the regular season, while the other may just come down to the very last out.

Texas Rangers (80-81) 6, Minnesota Twins (76-85) 2

The Rangers, with no choice but to take the division if they wish to play in October, had to wait through a two-hour rain delay to get started at Target Field. But their bats were very much alive despite the tardy first pitch. In the second inning, they strung together five consecutive two-out hits off Bailey Ober—four of which were doubles—to take a 4-1 lead. Danny Jansen and Jake Burger added solo homers to give Nathan Eovaldi quite the early cushion.

Eovaldi was making his first start since coming off the injured list on September 12. To that point, he’d made a couple relief appearances as manager Skip Schumaker looked to ease him back in. Tonight, he pitched into the fifth inning before entering a jam and departing—a subsequent double play ensured he’d leave with just the one run allowed on four hits. The bullpen allowed just one more run the rest of the way as the Rangers held serve in their battle for the AL West crown.

Cleveland Guardians (85-76) 11, Kansas City Royals (68-93) 5

Kansas City got off to a hot start against Tanner Bibee, grabbing three runs in the opening frame. Jac Caglianone picked up his 30th double of the season to bring in one of those runs to put Cleveland in an early hole. But in characteristic Guardians fashion, they punched right back. Catcher Patrick Bailey atoned for a costly first-inning throwing error with a game-tying two-run blast down the line, then a sinking Steven Kwan liner eluded a diving Isaac Collins in left field for a run-scoring triple to put Cleveland on top as they looked to keep pole position in the AL Central.

As Bibee settled in, Chase DeLauter tacked on a solo shot in the third—his 16th. After that, all was quiet until the top of the sixth, when Travis Bazzana tripled and was brought home on a sac fly from Nathaniel Lowe. All six runs—albeit only two of them earned—were surrendered by Michael Wacha, who grit his teeth through 6.1 innings in his final start of the year. In so doing, he passed the 200-inning mark and finished with a 3.32 ERA.

The Royals threatened to make it a ballgame in the bottom of the eighth, closing the deficit to 7-5. But that just set the stage for another massive inning from the Guardians offense in reply. Bailey and Rocchio hit back-to-back jacks—their second of the night apiece—and Cleveland added two more runs to seal the deal. Slade Cecconi speedily recorded the final three outs, and with a near-simultaneous final out from the Rockies on the South Side, the never-say-die Guardians clinched their second straight division title.

Colorado Rockies (58-103) 9, Chicago White Sox (83-78) 3

No matter how bad your record is, you can still make a difference in the postseason picture. Just look at the Rockies. Despite marching to their fourth consecutive hundred-loss season, Colorado crushed the White Sox’ hopes of winning the AL Central with a complete offensive effort. Like the Royals, they started with a three-spot in the first, but instead of coughing the advantage up immediately, they added to it with a long Hunter Goodman home run—the 40th of the year for the powerful catcher.

The White Sox trailed 5-3 entering the eighth inning, but got runners in scoring position to bring the tying run to the plate with nobody out. In this high-leverage spot, they needed some quality at-bats. What they got instead was a three-pitch strikeout from Sam Antonacci and a first-pitch grounder to second from Colson Montgomery for an inning-ending double play. Woof.

From there, the Rockies provided the punishment, scoring four runs to take a 9-3 lead. Goodman smashed another homer, this time a three-run shot, to provide the finishing blow. Chicago’s last hurrah came in the form of an Andrew Benintendi three-run homer to get those runs back, but Jordan Romano retired the next three batters in order to consign Chicago to the Wild Card series against the AL West winner.

Tampa Bay Rays (98-63) 12, Philadelphia Phillies (87-74) 1

Don Mattingly, with his Phillies in freefall, was looking for a spark from his longest-tenured player. He gave the ball to Aaron Nola on two days’ rest and gave the 33-year old every opportunity to turn back the clock when his team needed it most.

It didn’t take long for the decision to look more like wishcasting than solid managing. The Rays, unsentimental as they are prolific, pummeled Nola right out of the gate. Junior Caminero reached the 100-RBI mark with a two-run homer, his 42nd of the season. Not content to stop there, Victor Mesa Jr. and Richie Palacios clocked back-to-back doubles to some early boo birds at the Bank. Nola, unsurprisingly, did not take the mound for the second inning as the listless Phillies offense was already stuck in a 3-0 hole.

If ever a stirring comeback would be authored at the Bank, it was not gonna be tonight. The Rays took advantage of more dysfunctional pitching, piling on with four runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth for a gruesome 10-0 scoreline. Yandy Díaz and Mesa Jr. grabbed three hits, Palacios plated four runs, and the Phillies lost an unsightly game. Thing is, the Diamondbacks also lost, meaning that if they can find a way to win tomorrow, they’ll make the postseason after all that hullaballoo. If being the operative word there. And even if they do—is anyone in Eastern PA and South Jersey excited for a prospective Wild Card Series with this group?

Houston Astros (80-81) 13, Athletics (64-97) 2

While the Rangers won earlier in the night, the Astros control their own destiny. As long as they keep pace with their cross-state rivals, the tiebreak will deliver them the AL West title. They took an important step towards doing that with a blowout victory in West Sacramento.

Isaac Paredes fired the opening shot with a home run in the first inning. Jeremy Peña followed with a two-run tater—his first of a pair on the night—out to center in the third inning, then the presumptive AL MVP continued to put the finishing touches on his incredible season. Yordan Alvarez throttled a ball from poor Jack Perkins, who thought he had strike three on the previous pitch. Instead, Alvarez’ three-run missile—his 42nd long ball—opened the game up at 6-1.

As former Yankee prospect Hayden Wesneski limited the Athletics to two runs on six hits in seven innings, Houston added to their comfortable margin, finishing with 13 runs on 16 hits. So, this surreal AL West race will come down to the final game of the season. If the Astros win, they’re in. If the Rangers lose, Houston wins on the tiebreak. And if Houston falls, a Texas victory in Minnesota will vault them ahead on the final day.

The Boston Red Sox punched their postseason ticket a while back, but the seeding and matchup were technically unclear until the Red Sox beat the Cubs on Friday afternoon. Now it’s official: the Red Sox have the No. 5 seed and will face the No. 4 Yankees for a best-of-three series in the American League Wild Card in New York.

This is the matchup everyone had been expecting. In fact, the series is a rematch of the 2025 Wild Card, right down to the Yankees’ homefield advantage. After winning Game 1 last year, the Sox went down quietly.

Do-Over and Shot at Redemption

The Sox now have the do-over they wanted. To make the most of it, they will need to wake up the offense, which has gone largely quiet in the latter part of the regular season.

One question mark is whether Willson Contreras will be ready for Tuesday’s opener—or any of the Wild Card Series. Ahead of the last series of the regular season, he called his hit-by-pitch hand injury “really concerning.”

Though the Yankees won the 2026 season series against the Red Sox, 7-6, the Sox kicked off their historic summer surge by sweeping the Yanks over four games at Fenway Park. They went on to notch a 15-game winning streak, as well as the winningest month (21-4) in franchise history. However, in the final regular-season meeting between the two, the Yankees prevailed, 16-1.

Payton Tolle will be a big part of their shot at redemption. He got a taste of the postseason in 2025 as a reliever; he faced and retired one Yankees batter. In 2026, he will likely start either Game 1 or Game 2 and has a much more impressive resume this time around.

How to Watch and Listen

Game 1

Date: Tuesday, September 29

Start Time: 8 PM

Channel: NBC

Streaming: Peacock

Radio: ESPN Radio (local affiliates, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio)

Game 2

Date: Wednesday, September 30

Start Time: 8 PM

Channel: NBC

Streaming: Peacock

Radio: ESPN Radio (local affiliates, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio)

Game 3 (if necessary)

Date: Thursday, October 1

Start Time: 8 PM

Channel: NBC

Streaming: Peacock

Radio: ESPN Radio (local affiliates, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio)

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

We’ve made it. We’re finally at the finish line of this slog of a 2026 Orioles season. The O’s play their final game of the season today at Yankee Stadium. Or maybe they won’t even play it! The weather forecast in New York isn’t great, and the game time has already been moved up from 3:05 to 1:05, but it’s possible it could be rained out anyway.

Whatever the case, I can’t say I’ll miss watching the Orioles. I mean, I like baseball, and the O’s had their share of entertaining moments — mostly from Pete Alonso — but for the most part this season was a daily exercise in futility from a team that should have been so much better. I’ve had enough of the constant defensive blunders and fundamental mistakes and the Orioles’ irritating habit of blowing winnable games. The 2026 Orioles weren’t the worst team of my lifetime, but they sure were one of the most disappointing.

This is the Orioles’ second straight year missing the playoffs, but the bad vibes have lingered longer than that. Their magical 101-win season in 2023 was short-circuited by their three-and-out in the Division Series, and the O’s hit a swoon midway through 2024 from which they’ve never really recovered. Since July 9, 2024, the Orioles have a record of 188-207, a dispiriting 19 games under .500. They’ve gone through three managers in that span and their current one is arguably the worst of the lot.

It’s an organization that’s in dire need of change, and I’m not convinced we’ll get much if the O’s run it back with the same leadership group next season. It’s now been 43 years since the last time the Orioles made it to and won a World Series, and they don’t seem any closer to reaching that goal. You have to wonder how many more years we’ll need to wait.

As for today, while the Orioles game (if it happens) is meaningless, there are still postseason spots and seedings on the line around MLB. In the American League, the Guardians clinched the AL Central and a first-round bye yesterday, assuring that the White Sox will be third wild card team. But the AL West race between the Astros and Rangers is coming down to the final day. One team will become the first in major league history to make the playoffs with a .500 or worse record. The other will head home for the winter.

In the National League, the surging Diamondbacks have a chance to surpass the collapsing Phillies today for the final wild card spot. If that happens, I’m sure the response from Phillies fans will be calm, rational, and even-keeled.

There’s a lot of fun stuff going on in baseball today. There might also be an Orioles game. Time to say goodbye — and also say good riddance, if you’re so inclined — to this underachieving club.

Links

Rico Garcia: Strong start, strong finish to his 2026 season for the Orioles – Steve Melewski

The Orioles’ bullpen-building strategy of “throw things against a wall and see what sticks” has ended up with plenty of duds, but a few success stories, too. Rico is one of the best examples of the latter.

3 managerial candidates Orioles should have considered instead of keeping Craig Albernaz – Birds Watcher

I’m not happy with Albernaz, but I’m not particularly excited about any of the veteran managers mentioned in this article, either. I guess choosing a manager isn’t such an easy task after all.

Would Orioles’ minor league teams be affected by a lockout? | MAILBAG – Rich Dubroff

Get ready to watch a lot of minor league baseball in 2027. I have a feeling it’s going to be the only game in town for a long while.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with three former O’s, including a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame, the late right-hander Dick Hall (b. 1930, d. 2023). The reliever spent the final nine seasons of his 16-year MLB career with the Birds, racking up 60 saves and posting a 2.89 ERA in 342 games while winning two World Series. Other ex-Orioles born on this day are 1998 one-game righty and Sidney Ponson’s cousin Radhames Dykhoff (52), and 1978 outfielder Carlos López (78).

On this date in 1970, the birthday boy Dick Hall picked up a victory in Cleveland with three innings of perfect relief, completing a season in which he had more wins (10) than walks (six). Hall became the first major league player in 51 years to accomplish that feat.

In 1974, the Orioles threw a 17-inning shutout against the Brewers in a walkoff 1-0 victory at Memorial Stadium. Hall of Famer Jim Palmer pitched 12 scoreless innings for the Orioles but was one-upped by Milwaukee righty Jim Colborn, who threw 13. After Palmer, O’s relievers Bob Reynolds and Grant Jackson combined for five shutout innings before the O’s finally won on a 17th-inning RBI fielder’s choice by Bob Oliver.

And this was a dark day in 1996, when Orioles second baseman Roberto Alomar spit in the face of home plate umpire John Hirschbeck after being ejected for arguing balls and strikes. The incident set off a firestorm throughout the professional sports world, even more so when Alomar’s punishment was a paltry five-game suspension that he didn’t have to serve until the following season. That allowed him to stay on the O’s roster for the entirety of the 1996 postseason, when he helped the Birds to a Division Series upset of a heavily favored Cleveland team.

My god, I can’t even talk about the Phillies right now. They are Rockies-level bad right now.

But hey, they scored a run!

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Sometimes, instead of trying to get the right words about a franchise icon right, you should just leave it to the professionals. Here’s Jayson Stark on Bill Giles and what he meant to the team ($).
• Looks like Luis Arraez may have played his last game in a Phillies uniform as the ankle injury is worse than they thought.

MLB news:

• I found this story about custom bats and the Chicago Cubs to be quite interesting ($). Maybe the Phillies need it to help their bats.
• Justin Verlander is finished. He ended his career by walking off the field with his daughter’s hand in his. That’s the best way to do it.
• Kirby Yates also threw his final pitch of his career yesterday. He’s been a pretty underrated reliever during his time in the majors.
• So Gunnar Henderson has had a wrist issue all season long, causing his down year? Alright then.

A growing number of executives believe that the 2027 Major League Baseball season will begin around Memorial Day weekend next year considering that if 60 or more games are cancelled next season, players will miss about four paychecks and national TV contracts would be extended through 2029.

The collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, with the league demanding a hard salary cap and that idea being an absolute non-starter for the players.

The 2021-22 lockout was the longest in history at 99 days, but the two sides agreed on a deal that preserved a full 162-game season.

– While manager Dan Wilson will be blamed for the Seattle Mariners’ embarrassing season and is expected to pay the price by being fired as early as Monday, Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners’ president of baseball operations, is under heavy scrutiny.

Dipoto doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy of being fired, but critics point out that the Mariners have reached the postseason just twice in his 11-year tenure, and veteran catcher Cal Raleigh went public about the Mariners’ cultural woes .

“I think it was a collective failure, unfortunately,’’ Raleigh told reporters. “It’s going to take a lot of people having some self-reflection, myself included, on the direction of where we’re heading, what we want to be, and who we want to be as a team. What is our team identity? I don’t feel like there was one this year….’’

The Mariners have plenty of disgruntled employees, with everyone from assistant GMs to equipment managers to strength and conditioning coaches being fired in recent years. And if the Mariners don’t reach the postseason next year, those fingers will be pointed directly at Dipoto.

– Former Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels, who guided the Rangers to back-to-back pennants, pulled himself out of consideration for the Athletics’ GM vacancy for family reasons. Daniels, who has two kids in college and one in high school, was flattered by the opportunity, but enjoys his job as a senior advisor in baseball operations for the Tampa Bay Rays.

– The easy solution to avoid another Alex Bregman incident (suffering facial fractures when hit by a foul ball getting ready to hit), MLB executives say, is for the hitter in the on-deck circle to stand on the same side the batter is hitting. So, if Bregman had been standing on the other side of the field from left-handed hitting Michael Busch, the accident could have been prevented.

– The World Baseball Classic took a massive hit this week when 2025 Cy Young winner Paul Skenes blamed his participation in this year’s WBC for his massive struggles, with San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb also suffering his worst season.

Skenes threw 75 pitches at 95-mph or faster during the WBC, topping out at 99.7-mph. He didn’t reach that velocity the entire season, with his fastball down 2-mph from his rookie season in 2024.

“It definitely affected the year,” Skenes told reporters. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the only one.”

The WBC is scheduled to resume in 2030, two years after the Olympics, but GMs are hoping that MLB could change the format to have at least the final rounds played during the All-Star break, to avoid the rash of pitching injuries when arms simply aren’t ready in March.

– Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, preaches the importance of veteran clubhouse leadership, believing it’s essential for teams with postseason aspirations.

“I think veteran leadership is extremely important," Dombrowski tells USA TODAY Sports. “Not everybody necessarily agrees with this, but veteran leadership on what it takes to win."

Dombrowski has leaders Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in Philadelphia, had Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts in Boston, Victor Martinez, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in Detroit, and insists they wouldn’t have won the 1997 World Series without Darren Daulton and Craig Counsell in Florida.

– What a storybook ending to Justin Verlander’s Hall of Fame career, not only showing flashes of his greatness in his final outing, but having his 7-year-old daughter wearing a Tigers jersey with her dad's name and number, running to the mound to hug him after being lifted from the game. Verlander stood on the mound sobbing.

“That hit me,’’ Verlander said, “like a ton of bricks."

– San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas, 20 years, 116 days, who was not old enough to drink during the Padres’ clinching celebration, so the Padres gave him a bucket containing apple cider, baby bottles and a tiny jersey with a letterboard that read: BABY’S FIRST CLINCHMAS.

Salas will be the youngest catcher in baseball history to participate in the postseason.

– Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin raised some eyebrows when he criticized the Reds’ front office in his final broadcast, which drew strong support from former Reds All-Star MVP Joey Votto

“I think these last three weeks of baseball playing against some of the better teams that are going to be going to the postseason really illustrate how far we are behind at this big-league level," Larkin said. “Change has to happen. This city deserves better than that, and I know every player down there feels that. But something has to give. We have to get better because we are so, so far behind.’’

The Reds’ response?

The ownership group announced that GM Nick Krall and his staff are returning for 2027.

– It’s hard to believe that with more than 125 years of co-existence, this will be only the fourth postseason that the Cubs and White Sox have played in together, and they clinched their postseason berths just two minutes apart on Thursday.

– Miami Marlins Gold Glove infielder Javier Sanoja has had a surreal year. It began when he scored the winning run for Venezuela in their WBC championship game, and continued through the season, hitting  .294, including a league-leading .339 since Aug. 1. He’s also the only National League position player to play in 10 or more games at five different positions this season (22 games at second, 117 at third, 10 at shortstop, 10 in left field and 14 in right field).

The highlight, though, Sanoja tells USA TODAY Sports, will always be winning the gold medal for his country.

“It meant so much for our country, and our people who are such big fans of the game," Sanoja said. “Every city I go, someone in the stands is congratulating me for the championship. It fills me with a lot of emotion. It’s a night I’ll never forget as long as I live."

– There’s just something about September that brings out the best in the Guardians. They have won eight of their last nine games entering Saturday, and are 83-48 in September since the 2022 season_second-best in the AL behind only the Yankees.

– The Chicago White Sox, who grabbed Luis Castillo at the trade deadline, need to find a way to fix him in 2027 or else they just wasted $20 million. He was an albatross on their staff since his acquisition, going 1-2 with an 8.42 ERA in nine appearances.

– You can expect Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle to be a key to their hopes of defeating the Yankees in the wild-card round. Tolle now only has a 2.44 ERA in his last eight starts, but he has given up just one run and four hits in 13 innings with 18 strikeouts in his two starts against the Yankees this year.

– The Guardians are the first team to reach the postseason without a single qualifying player hitting .300 or hitting 20 homers or driving in 75 runs or stealing 40 bases, according to OptaSTATS.

– Randal Grichuk, who was released by the Yankees and signed a $1.25 million contract, has been an absolute godsend for the White Sox.

Grichuk signed with the White Sox on May 4 after Austin Hays suffered a left calf strain, and has hit .304 with 14 homers and 41 RBIs for the Sox, slashing .400/.408/.733 with four doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs in his last 15 games entering Saturday.

“He’s obviously responded to the opportunity here, taking advantage of it,” White Sox manager Will Venable told reporters. “He’s been as good as anybody in this league offensively.”

– Former Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo, who led his franchise to its 2001 World Series title, was not part of the 25-year reunion celebration last week but plans to have his own dinner party for the team and staff in November.

– If the Pittsburgh Pirates want to be taken seriously, they do everything possible to bring back Brandon Lowe, who’s a free agent this winter. Lowe has hit 33 home runs, the most by a Pirates’ player since Josh Bell in 2019, with his 19 homers at PNC Park the most in the ballpark’s history.

– The Yankees cringe watching Ezequiel Durán with the Texas Rangers. They traded him at the 2021 trade deadline for outfielder Joey Gallo.

– This is the Astros’ worst season since 2014. ... and yet may win the AL West with a losing record.

– The Arizona Diamondbacks can’t thank the St. Louis Cardinals enough for giving them Nolan Arenado this winter. The Diamondbacks not only had the Cardinals pay all but $11 million of the remaining $42 million that Arenado is owed, but Arenado has carried the D-backs’ offense, hitting a team-leading 30 homers with 85 RBI and a .803 OPS, his best season since 2022. Arenado joins Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews and Mike Schmidt as the only third basemen in MLB history to have eight 30-homer seasons.

And the D-backs got Arenado for the mere cost of mid-level prospect Jack Martinez.

He saved the D-backs season.

– How much does Aaron Judge mean to the Yankees? The Yankees hit just .227 and ranked 26th in runs per game without Judge in the lineup this season.

– The Rockies are the worst team in baseball once again. They became just the fifth MLB franchise to lose at least 100 games in four consecutive seasons, last done by the expansion New York Mets (1962-65). They looked pathetic in their final homestand getting trounced by the Diamondbacks.

They will go down in history as the first team to post the highest ERA in five consecutive seasons while also losing at least 100 games in four consecutive years.

– Congratulations to Pete Alonso, who became the first player in MLB history to hit 40 or more home runs in his first season with a team in the National League and the American League, and with 43 homers and 113 RBIs this season, could become the first player ever to lead both leagues in RBI.

– The Yankees are worth at least $12 billion after reaching a deal to sell 16% of the team for $2.6 billion to Apollo Sports Capital (ASC) last month.

– The San Francisco Giants’ embarrassing season comes to a close by becoming the first team in four years to go an entire season without a four-game winning streak.

– In 2024 season, the Mariners’ rotation produced an MLB-leading 92 quality starts. This year, just 66, with a 4.64 ERA the second half.

– Congratulations AL West, you just produced the worst division in history, with the division champion being the first not to have a winning record.

– Tropicana Field is a house of horrors to visiting teams with the Rays going 55-26 at home this season, and will have home-field advantage throughout the AL postseason.

– What’s the difference between hosting a wild-card series and playing on the road?

Try about $4 million.

The home team receives about $3 million in revenue from hosting the first round while the visiting team spends about $1 million with traveling costs.

– The Blue Jays’ offensive ineptitude was alarming this year, scoring the fewest runs in MLB with only rookie Kazuma Okamoto hitting more than 15 home runs this season, and only two players with more than 10.

– Chris Sale produced the fifth-lowest ERA (2.16) at the age of 37 or older in MLB history, trailing only: Justin Verlander (1.75 in 2022), Roger Clemens (1.87 in 2005), Dazzy Vance (2.08 in 1928) and Spud Chandler (2.10 in 1946).

– The Mets not only lost plenty on the field this season, but also at the box office.

The Mets’ attendance was down 14.8% from last season, averaging 33,901 fans a game, going from fifth in attendance to 12^th, with their only sellout on opening day.

– The Yankees are expected to start Max Fried in Game 1 and Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler in Game 2 of the wild-card series against the Red Sox, which still allows Schlittler to pitch Games 2 and 5 in a potential ALDS.

– The San Diego Padres were 50-53 on July 23, with only the 11^th-best record in the National League.

Now, they are in the postseason, going on a 15-3 run since Sept. 5, and will likely host the NL Wild Card series.

– Outfielder Austin Hays is in his fourth consecutive postseason with four different teams: Baltimore (2023), Philadelphia (2024), Cincinnati (2025), San Diego (2026).

– Diamondbacks starter Corbin Burnes, who signed a six-year, $210 million contract two years ago, will not opt out of the remaining four years and $140 million on his deal after ending his season on the injured list. He pitched just 10.1 innings in three starts this season recovering from Tommy John surgery, yielding a 7.84 ERA.

– Considering that first baseman Ty France may be the Padres’ MVP this season, it wouldn’t surprise a soul if the Padres’ ownership gives him his $200,000 bonus for reaching 500 plate appearances, even if he’s going to fall just shy of the incentive.

– The Padres may have had a losing record against the other NL postseason teams, but no one in baseball had a better record (59-28) against teams with losing records.

– Casey Mize’s free-agent value has severely tumbled with his struggles since joining the Padres at the trade deadline, yielding a 7.46 ERA in 10 starts.

– If the Dodgers and Brewers match up again in the NLCS, they should have a bowling competition with Mookie Betts of the Dodgers and Brice Turang of the Brewers. Each are skilled bowlers who grew up with the game. Betts’ parents each bowled and Turang learned the sport from his grandfather.

– Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara joined late Hall of Famer Phil Niekro (1978) as the only pitchers to lead MLB in innings pitched for a season and save at least one game in the same regular season since saves became an official statistic in 1969.

– Congratulations to Gary Matthews, Ralph Garr, Reggie Smith and Andre Thornton, who were inducted Saturday night into the Negro Leagues Hall of Fame.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why 60 games is magic number in MLB's imminent lockout | Nightengale's Notebook

KANSAS CITY — Come on, did anyone in their right mind believe the Chicago White Sox would go from a laughingstock to the playoffs in two years?

Did anyone have the Toronto Blue Jays, who were 90 feet away from a World Series championship last year, sitting home for October on their bingo card?

If you were told the Seattle Mariners would be playing in perhaps the worst division in baseball history, you’d have predicted they’d have a playoff berth clinched in July, instead of becoming the biggest embarrassment in franchise history, right?

More: MLB team payrolls from highest to lowest: Money isn't everything in 2026

Oh, the 2026 regular-season was filled with plenty of surprises, a whole lot of disbelief, and proof that money doesn’t buy happiness (we’re talking about you again, New York Mets); money isn’t a requirement to build a power (Milwaukee Brewers, and yes, the Tampa Bay Rays); but money sure does cover up plenty of flaws (yep, you again, Los Angeles Dodgers).

While we gear up for the postseason here are our annual 2026 award superlatives:

Best performance

Ryan O’Hearn, Pittsburgh Pirates: O’Hearn hit three homers and drove in 10 runs in the first six innings of the Pirates' 12-4 victory over Atlanta on July 7 in Pittsburgh.

And unlike so many other fabulous performances that are blemished, not a single hit was off a position player.

3 HOME RUNS
10 RBI

WHAT A NIGHT FOR RYAN O'HEARN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/2vHvxtW2Nr

— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2026

Worst performance

Kansas City Royals: The somehow committed three errors on a single play during a bizarre sequence against the New York Mets, permitting Mets rookie Carson Benge to score an inside-the-park "Little League" home run in July.

It began when Royals starter Seth Lugo fielded a soft grounder to the left of the mound. He made an off-balance throw to first base that skipped past first baseman Jac Caglianone. Caglianone retrieved the ball and threw wildly halfway between third and home into foul territory. And then there was a third wild throw by third baseman Nick Loftin to the backstop, allowing Benge to score standing up, and laughing on the way to the dugout.

The real joke?

The Royals still won the game over the hapless Mets, 16-12, who surrendered 19 hits and walked 11 batters.

Carson Benge's little league home run is the first time in the history of the Mets that an opponent has committed three errors on one play against them pic.twitter.com/vELofFzZYr

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 8, 2026

Best quote

Payton Tolle, Boston Red Sox, on trying to make the roster out of spring training: “Fight like you're the third monkey trying to get on the ark and it's starting to rain.’’

The dude is hilarious and already a cult hero in Boston.

Worst quote

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays, on the first year of his 14-year, $500 million contract: “I want people to understand one thing: The money they gave me wasn't for what I'm going to do. It was for what I already did. They didn't pay me because I'm going to hit 40 every year. They paid me for what I already accomplished."

Dude, really?

The Blue Jays already paid you for the first six years. They paid you a half-billion dollars for you to continue doing what you did, not hit nine home runs, including just one at home.

Guerrero apologized two days later, saying, “I want to make my contract a great one,’’ but the quote still left owners squeamish fearing future free agents believe the same.

Strangest injury

Ethan Roberts, Chicago Cubs:  He was working out in the Citizens Bank Park tunnel in Philadelphia throwing a medicine ball against a wall. It bounced off and dislodged a vent cover from the opposite wall. He reached back, deflected the falling vent, and it cut underneath his right middle finger, and went on the injured list.

“Just random bad luck,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “You can’t even make it up.”

Best disappearing act

Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks: Can you imagine telling your boss that you don’t feel like showing up for work, and then ghosting everyone, refusing to answer your cell phone or open your hotel room because you’re pouting, and still welcomed back to work with your boss saying he loves you. Hey, welcome to Marte’s world, when he made fools of the entire organization, and lived to laugh in their faces about it.

The D-backs lost two of those three games. If they had won them, they could have clinched a postseason berth before the weekend. Let that sink in all winter.

Worst encore

Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners: OK, nobody though that Raleigh would hit 60 home runs again, but this? He had a .156/.266/.291 slash line with 122 strikeouts in his first 90 games this season. He went from 60 homers to just 23, the biggest dropoff by a 60-home run from one season to the next in history. He also has plummeted from 351 total bases a year ago to just 163, the biggest dropoff in history.

Best walk-off

Erik Neander, Tampa Bay Rays: Neander, the brilliant president of baseball operations, celebrated the Rays’ AL East title the following day by walking five miles from midtown Manhattan to Yankee Stadium.

It was leisurely two-hour walk.

.@RaysBaseball President of Baseball Ops Erik Neander just revealed on our Rays TV broadcast that he WALKED to Yankee Stadium today from midtown Manhattan. That’s a 5-mile, 1.5-hour-plus stroll 😂

“It’s like you walk Central Park and then you walk another Central Park.” 🚶‍♂️💨 pic.twitter.com/jtycYsej8V

— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) September 24, 2026

Best in-season comeback

Fernando Tatis, San Diego Padres: Tatis had the same amount of homers as you and your buddies the first 55 games of the season: zero. He began turning it on May 29, producing the highest OPS in the National League since the All-Star break, and is now hitting .291 with 25 homers and 81 RBIw with an .832 OPS.

He’s the first player in history to produce 25 home runs in a season after going homerless through his first 50-plus games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He’ll certainly finish in the top 10 on the MVP ballot.

Best formerly discarded prospects

Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros; Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs; Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (tie)

In 2016, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired reliever Josh Fields from the Houston Astros, giving up Alvarez, a 19-year-old out of Cuba.

In 2021, the New York Mets acquired shortstop Javy Baez from the Cubs, giving up their former first-round pick, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

In 2021, Cleveland acquired reliever Tobias Myers, giving up a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Junior Caminero.

Oops. Oops. And oops.

Best investment

Kwaanza Jones and Jose E. Feliciano, San Diego Padres: Just five weeks ago, they bought the Padres for a staggering $3.9 billion.

Now, they already are raking in the profits of having a postseason team with a waiting list for season tickets next year.

NL Manager of the Year

Pat Murphy, Milwaukee Brewers: It was a toss-up between Murphy and Walt Weiss, but Murphy tipped the scales this past week during their 100^th victory when he yanked All-Star catcher William Contreras out of the game.

“He didn’t run the ball out and [Phillies shortstop Trea Turner] muffed it," Murphy explained. “I didn’t know whether he was going to be safe. Everyone knows how much William does for our team, how hard he plays, how hard he competes.

“But we don’t accept that, and he knows that."

Bravo!

The next night, Contreras slide head-first into first base trying to beat out an infield single.

No one requires more discipline than Murphy in the game, and as he’s proven yet again, no one is a better manager.

AL Manager of the Year

Will Venable, Chicago White Sox: He took over a team that lost a record 121 games in 2024, and 102 games last year, and took them to the postseason.

In 2024, they finished 51 ½ games out of first place.

This year, they entered Saturday one game out of first place.

He could become he first manager in history to lose 100 games one year and win the division the next

Executive of the year

Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta: Anthopoulos was mocked when he had three of his top starters – Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep – go down in spring training, and he didn’t panic by signing free agent Lucas Giolito or making a rash trade. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim opened the year on the injured list and was never the same after slipping on ice and tearing a finger tendon in January. Catcher Sean Murphy had hip surgery last September and his recovery lingered into the season. Outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended 162 games for being popped a second time using performance-enhancing drugs.

So what does Anthopoulos do? He grabs veteran Dominic Smith off the scrap heap, and he hits .338 in April and .310 in May. Martín Pérez, who is designated for assignment afer two starts, re-signs with the team and becomes one of their invaluable starters. There was the heist of utility man Mauricio Dubón, acquired from the Houston Astros for infielder Nick Allen. And then the shrewd under-the-radar pickup of Tyler Mahle, who has been the best pitcher pickup outside Tarik Skubal at a fraction of the cost.

And Atlanta wins the NL East going away.

NL MVP

Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs: He looked lost in April and May, and then showed the baseball world what a five-tool player looks like the rest of the summer. He hit 39 homers and stole 27 bases with a 1.091 OPS since May 30, while becoming the first player in Cubs’ history to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases (45 homers and 41 steals) while playing spectacular defense.

It may have been a different outcome if Shohei Ohtani continued to pitch, but once he stopped, Crow-Armstrong hit 26 home runs and stole 19 bases, as Marquee Sports Network pointed out.

AL MVP

Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros: Alvarez is not only the best pure hitter in the game since Barry Bonds, producing one of the greatest all-around seasons in baseball history while just narrowly missing out on the Triple Crown, he also carried the Astros on his back all season.

He produced a 1.035 OPS while the rest of the team combined for a .688 OPS_slugging .721 and a 1.282 OPS with runners in scoring position. He even conducted a fiery team meeting when the Astros were on the brink of elimination.

NL Cy Young

Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers: He’s not only the finest pitcher in the NL, but the most entertaining, and must-watch TV. The dude has 247 strikeouts and allowed just 94 hits, the greatest ratio in history. He has a 38.2% strikeout rate, the second-best of all time, and a .158 opponent’s batting average the best by any qualified starter. You’ll see him on the national stage on Saturday pitching Game 1 of the postseason for the Brewers.

AL Cy Young

Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees: Simply, he was the most dependable starter in baseball, and should be the third pitcher in Yankees history to win the award unanimously. He made 33 starts, and permitted no more than one earned run in 25 of them, second to only Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax in 1963 (25). His road ERA was a mininiscule 1.16, third-best in history.

NL Rookie of the Year

Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds. Stewart has hit 32 home runs and driven in 110 runs, vying to become only the third rookie in history to lead his respective league in homers, joining Ted Williams and Walt Drapo of the Boston Red Sox. He was incredible with runners in scoring position, slashing .301/.361/.569.

AL Rookie of the Year

Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers: McGonigle is everything the Tigers could have imagined, and more. He’s the youngest rookie to reach base 262 times with 94 walks an an OPS-plus (126) since a fella named Ted Williams. He is a true superstar in the making.

NL Reliever of the year

Mason Miller, San Diego Padres: He’s not only the best reliever in the game, but one of the most valuable players in the National League. The Padres aren’t in the postseason without Miller yielding a .142 batting average with 16.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Incredibly, he has given up just five extra-base hits to the 259 batters he faced.

AL Reliever of the Year

Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians: The Guardians aren’t in the postseason without him, either. He has been invaluable to their third consecutive playoff run, saving a major-league leading 41 saves. The Guardians have gone 69-2 this year when leading after eight innings, winning 25 one-run games, with Smith pitching 73.1 innings –second most by a reliever in baseball – with 107 strikeouts. He hasn’t given up a run in his last 12 appearances, spanning 14.1 innings, winning three games and saving seven others.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Our 2026 MLB awards: The best, worst and weirdest from a wild season

It remains to be seen if MLB will continue to scream about competitive balance once the postseason is complete,  but certainly, there’s a strong correlation between reaching the playoffs and staying home if you spend the money.

Here are the final team payrolls heading into the postseason, calculated by Major League Baseball’s labor relations department, and obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

The team with baseball’s highest final payroll, the New York Mets at $345.8 million, will be sitting home in October. Meanwhile with baseball’s lowest payroll, the Cleveland Guardians at $74.2 million, are in the postseason for the third consecutive season.

The team with the best record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers, has the 19^th-highest. The team with the best record in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays, has the sixth-lowest payroll.

Three of the six-lowest team payrolls will be in the playoffs this season with Tampa Bay, Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox.

More: Why 60 games is magic number in MLB lockout

Two of the top five-highest payrolls will miss the playoffs with the Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. Eight of the top-10 teams in payroll made the postseason, while three of the bottom-10 teams missed the postseason.

Interestingly, the middle-class was all but eliminated from the postseason this season. The Brewers are the only team with a payroll ranked between 11^th and 24th – from $98 million to $202 million – earning a postseason bid.

In the past 10 years, eight teams have ranked in the top 10 in MLB in payroll, five have ranked in the top five, and three have ranked first. We’ll see if the Brewers or Rays become the first small-market team to win the World Series since the Kansas City Royals in 2015, which will surely be a vital talking point in the CBA negotiations.

The figured obtained by USA TODAY Sports are the MLB Labor Relations Department's present-day salary calculation. The LRD numbers include the player’s actual salary plus his pro-rated signing bonus before any player or club options.

Here are the payrolls for each team and whether they are in or out of the postseason:

MLB payrolls 2026

1. New York Mets: $346.8 million (out of the playoffs)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers: $338.0 million (In the playoffs)
3. New York Yankees: $304.6 million: In.
4. Philadelphia Phillies: $291.7 million: (TBD).
5. Toronto Blue Jays: $275.4 million: Out.
6. Atlanta: $263.9 million: In.
7. Houston Astros: $249.5 million: In.
8. Chicago Cubs: $248.8 million: In
9. San Diego Padres: $223.9 million: In.
10. Boston Red Sox: $210.2 million: In
11. Detroit Tigers: $202.1 million: Out
12. San Francisco Giants: $197.6 million: Out.
13. Arizona Diamondbacks: $192.8 million: Out (TBD)
14. Texas Rangers: $192.5 million: Out.
15. Los Angeles Angels: $179.8 million: Out.
16. Seattle Mariners: $170.5 million: Out.
17. Baltimore Orioles: $169.2 million: Out
18. Kansas City Royals: $149.8 million: Out.
19. Milwaukee Brewers: $143.5 million: In.
20. Cincinnati Reds: $128.3 million: Out
21. Colorado Rockies: $117.0 million: Out
22. Minnesota Twins: $109.5 million: Out
23. Pittsburgh Pirates: $107.6 million: Out.
24. Athletics: $98.7 million: Out
25. Tampa Bay Rays: $98.3 million. In
26. Chicago White Sox: $98.0 million: In
27. St. Louis Cardinals: $94.7 million: Out.
28. Washington Nationals: $90.3 million: Out.
29. Miami Marlins: $83.0 million: Out.
30. Cleveland Guardians: $74.2 million: In.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB team payrolls from highest to lowest: Money isn't everything in 2026

We’ve reached the strange end of what’s been a pretty strange season. Thanks to a Nor’easter that slammed into the east coast this weekend, the Yankees preemptively moved their originally scheduled Saturday game to Friday, leaving a day off before the last game of the season. Yet the storm still rages, and it’s possible that they’re unable to even play today, leaving them and the Orioles with just 161 games on their respective ledgers. The storm actually didn’t dump much rain on the city for much of Saturday afternoon, meaning the teams may have been able to get a game in after all, but in any event, if the Yankees unexpectedly are handed a three-day rest before the start of their AL Wild Card Series with the Red Sox, I imagine they’ll take it.

We’ll have coverage of the last game today, if it ends up played, with first pitch bumped up to 1:05 pm EST. On the site, you can also check out Jeremy’s Rivalry Roundup from the penultimate day of the regular season, as well as Kento’s homage to David Hale, a lesser-known member of the 2019 “Next Man Up” Yankees, and John’s weekly spin through Yankees social media.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

Time: 3:20 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, MASN

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. How effective do you think Will Warren will be out of the bullpen in the playoffs? Do you think he should be one of Aaron Boone’s top options in relief other than David Bednar?

2. How will the AL West and NL Wild Card races finally shake out today?

Heading into Game 162 of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, two postseason spot are still up for grabs.

In the AL West, where the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are deadlocked at 80-81. Because Houston holds the tiebreaker, Texas faces a must-win scenario while praying for an Astros loss to steal the division crown. No matter which teams prevails, it will be the worst record for a playoff team in a 162-game season MLB history.

Meanwhile, the National League wild card race has been chaotic. The Arizona Diamondbacks erased a massive September deficit against the Philadelphia Phillies. Holding the tiebreaker, a D-backs win coupled with a Phillies loss punches Arizona's postseason ticket – and absolute despair in Philadelphia.

Here's a live look at the standings entering the final day:

Through games played Saturday, Sept. 27

MLB playoff bracket 2026

#-division champion; *clinched at least a wild card spot

American League

• Byes:Tampa Bay Rays# (1), Cleveland Guardians# (2)
• Wild card series:
  • White Sox* (6) at Astros (3) – Winner vs. Guardians
  • Red Sox* (5) at Yankees* (4) – Winner vs. Rays

National League

• Byes:Milwaukee Brewers# (1), Los Angeles Dodgers# (2)
• Wild card series:
  • Phillies (6) at Braves# (3) – Winner vs. Dodgers
  • Cubs* (5) at *Padres (4) – Winner vs. Brewers

NL wild card standings

Top three teams qualify

1. *San Diego Padres (90-71)+3 games
2. *Chicago Cubs (88-73)+1 game
3. Philadelphia Phillies (87-74)
4. Arizona Diamondbacks (86-75) – 1 GB – holds tiebreaker vs. Phillies

AL wild card standings

Top three teams qualify

1. *New York Yankees (93-68) +10 games
2. *Boston Red Sox (87-74) +4 games
3. *Chicago White Sox (83-78)

AL East

1. Tampa Bay Rays (98-63) - winners of AL East

AL Central

1. Cleveland Guardians (85-76) – winners of AL Central

AL West

1. Houston Astros (80-81) – holds head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas
2. Texas Rangers (80-81)

NL East

1. Atlanta Braves (94-67) – winners of NL East, locked into No. 3 seed

NL Central

1. Milwaukee Brewers (102-59) − winners of NL Central, No. 1 seed throughout playoffs

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (99-62) – winners of NL West, locked into No. 2 seed

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoff picture LIVE standings: Bracket, wild card and division tiebreakers

ESPN | Jorge Castillo: The Yankees and Red Sox will face each other in the playoffs for the seventh time. It’s a rematch of last season’s AL Wild Card Series when Cam Schlittler memorably burst onto the national stage with eight shutout innings and 12 strikeouts to seal the series in the decisive Game 3. Castillo selects five of the most pressing questions facing the Yankees roster with less than 72 hours before the series gets underway.

Obviously atop the list is the availability of Aaron Judge, who hasn’t played since straining his right calf on September 16th. Aaron Boone declared that Judge would not be available for the Wild Card Series, something that the three-time MVP disputed the next day. Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham’s availabilities are also up in the air but both are said to be “knocking on the door.” Third base starter isn’t set in stone, with Anthony Volpe taking reps at the hot corner in the final days of the season amid Ryan McMahon’s offensive woes and regressing defense. Neither is the Game 1 starter, Boone said to be between presumptive AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler and Max Fried. The bullpen also has question marks with the injuries to Fernando Cruz, Ryan Weathers, and Clarke Schmidt and the signs of fatigue after heavy workloads for Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty and Jen McCaffrey ($): The Red Sox have plenty of questions of their own, mainly focused on the health of some of their star contributors. Willson Contreras has been Boston’s best hitter but hasn’t played since getting hit on the hand by a pitch on September 17th, the player himself saying his availability is uncertain. It’s also unclear whether Garrett Crochet will even make the roster — the southpaw has been out since April with a shoulder injury and only just threw his second live batting practice. Roman Anthony will certainly be playing, the question is which version shows up after he missed most of the season with a torn finger ligament.

This series will likely be decided by the performance of the pitching staffs. Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez have all given the Yankees trouble this year, while Schlittler, Fried, and Gerrit Cole are equally if not more capable of dominating a game. Both teams have three-headed monsters at the backs of the bullpens, Headrick, Blackburn, and David Bednar opposed by Tyron Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman.

New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: Until August, Austin Wells had the lowest batting average and OPS of any hitter with at least as much playing time as him. However, since the trade deadline he posted an .800 OPS and 127 wRC+ including four home runs in nine games entering play Sunday. Wells feels that the turning point was the 15 days he spent on the IL with cervical headaches. With the affliction in the rearview mirror, Wells maintains that he is seeing the ball better and has been able to make a mechanical tweak in his swing, rewarding the Yankees’ decision to not pursue a catcher via trade.

Yahoo! Sports | Michael Whitaker: Justin Verlander called curtains on what has been a remarkable 21-year career. The likely future first ballot Hall of Famer was limited to just two starts in 2026 after suffering hip inflammation and a hamstring injury, but was able to make one last start in front of a sold out Comerica Park crowd, allowing two runs and striking out six over 5.1 innings. CC Sabathia, who himself was just honored with a Monument Park plaque and his No. 52 being retired by the Yankees, took time to congratulate his soon-to-be fellow Hall of Famer, calling Verlander “one of the best to ever do it.” Verlander had many memorable moments against the Yankees in his storied career, including his 2011 ALDS Game 3 start and 2012 ALCS Game 3 start with the Tigers as well as a pair of wins with the Astros in the 2017 ALCS to take home MVP honors. Congratulations on an incredible career, JV!

Starting in centerfield for what is all but assuredly his penultimate game with the Seattle Mariners, Randy Arozarena carried Randyland with him once again. I wonder what goes through his mind.

I often wonder this, in fairness, whether it’s while hopscotching away from 2-0 pitches, filling out a bingo card as he rounds the bases on a big fly, or trotting into the corner, following a Gentleman‘s Double™️. What does the kid from Cuba, later choosing Mexico to represent in the World Baseball Classic, think of home?

Arozarena is the defining player for the Mariners this year. A star in search of a solar system. Not bright enough alone, nor gravitationally engrossing to draw adherence from his compatriots, but just shy. The Kyle Seager of Mantua.

I wonder what Arozarena must have thought of his flanking companions. To his left, the field’s right, his erstwhile countryman. Lazaro Montes, gifted with the physicality Randy lacked and was overlooked for accordingly time and time again. A child, yet a fellow father in a foreign land. No player who has made the journey that Montes or Arozarena have can claim life to be comfortable, but Montes brings a joi de vivre few from any rearing can muster. A bilingual titan at 21, if he were not so muscle-bound, Montes might be a diplomat-to-be. Montes went 1-3 with a walk and clubbed a RBI double for the game’s first run. Arozarena’s compatriot in right has just one more night to absorb the wisdom and the perspective of his elder. For one night, Arozarena was nearer for Montes than he may ever be again.

The compact, quixotic Cuban from the Pintar del Rio region, the westernmost tip of an island famed for its participation in this nation’s pastime and resistance to its sphere of influence on all other fronts. Arozarena excelled as a youth in his father’s sport before pursuing the first choice of his homeland. His younger brother maintained the family commitment to soccer, but Arozarena must have known the path to prominence lay on the path of Tony Oliva and not the pitch.

Did Michael Arroyo know the same? His homeland of Colombia is no stranger to baseball brilliance, but Edgar Rentería taught the country to consider baseball mere decades ago, while Valderrama, Falcao, and James would be names familiar to every child. And yet, he chose baseball, faithful to his family’s favorite sport in defiance of his country, more Raiko Arozarena than Randy.

A month ago, when the season rested on a hopeful bed of nails, Arroyo arrived briefly in the M’s clubhouse. Arozarena welcomed him, with gifts of gear and good nature. Perhaps he saw a slice of his younger brother to his right as he glanced to left field tonight. Both hitters shone tonight as they have at every opportunity this year, Arozarena 2-5 with a double, Arroyo a clean 3-5.

They filled the bases for Seattle on a night things seemed easy, then crushingly grim, then smooth again. The M’s leapt out to a 4-0 lead before fear filled their hearts, as southpaw Kade Anderson wore a 104-mph-hued friendship bracelet he did not request from Angels INF Christian Moore. Though initially maintained after his fourth-inning exit, and mercifully deemed safe with merely bruising, Anderson’s exit beckoned the better natures of the rest of the Mariners.

José Ferrer wore the shame of pitching in front of this defense again one last time, and decided to stitch his own patch upon it. Facing the first real threat from Anaheim all day, he hurtled a ball wide, then watched as a single to center became a multi run mess thanks to a credited error to Arozarena that more accurately was an on target throw with a short hop which Cal Raleigh couldn’t corral. Ball after ball testing the infield yielded runs, and it seemed certain that Seattle and it’s beleaguered bullpen would cede the night to fate.

Instead, a glimpse of another world. A better world. A world of safe surprises and risks rewarded. A world of world where Taylor Ward finally has a big moment for his new club, lashing a two-run single to drive in Arroyo and Cole Young. A world where J.P. Crawford follows with a two-run smash off a southpaw to double the lead and double up on Anaheim. A world that could be ours, without too much trouble and a few turns of the calendar pages. A world where the Mariners win 8-4 and it’s meaningful, like every day in this world is to Randy, to Lazaro, to Michael Arroyo, to Kade Anderson.