The Philadelphia Phillies have their backs to the wall as they take on the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of their National League wild card playoff series this afternoon.
The Phils saw a 3-2 lead disappear in one swing of Austin Riley's bat in the series opener yesterday, as the Braves rallied for a 5-3 victory that put them on the verge of advancing to the NL division series.
Needing a win to stay alive, the Phillies' season now hinges on the left arm of Cristopher Sanchez (18-7, 2.91 ERA), who led the National League in wins and was the NL's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game.
He'll be opposed by right-hander Tyler Mahle (7-10, 3.99 ERA), who went 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA in nine starts for the Braves after they acquired him from the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline.
USA TODAY Sports will follow all the action with updates and analysis.
While eight of MLB's final 12 teams are in the top 10 end-of-season payrolls, based on figures from the MLB Labor Relations Department and obtained by USA TODAY, the remaining four are among baseball’s lowest spenders.
That includes the teams with the best records in each league, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Brewers’ payroll entering the postseason is $143.5 million, good for 19th in MLB. The Rays’ $98.3 million total is No. 25.
Austin Riley had the worst season of his career: .219 average, .654 OPS and 201 strikeouts. His postseason history isn't much better. He entered Tuesday hitting .232 in 36 playoff games.
That was all forgiven with one swing Tuesday. Riley hit a three-run homer off Jhoan Duran to give the Braves a two-run lead heading into the ninth.
Zack Wheeler isn’t available out of the bullpen today, three days after throwing 97 pitches in the regular-season finale. Aaron Nola would be available in a “total emergency,” Don Mattingly said.
Atlanta will be throwing right-handed starter Tyler Mahle.
The Phillies changed their batting order to have the right-handed bat of Alec Bohm to break up the run of lefties Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott. Bohm moves up from fifth to the cleanup spot.
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park on September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In case you didn’t know, there were three other games played yesterday besides the one in which the Red Sox offense laid an egg against Cam Schlittler while the team wasted its most electric pitcher. I’m of course talking about the start of the NHL season!
I kid, I kid, but in all seriousness, there were plenty of big moments to choose from in Tuesday’s action around the league. Let’s take a look.
Even with the results of Tuesday’s game, I am very glad the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry has the prestige to garner an 8:00 first pitch so I can be safely out of work when the game’s on. I definitely did not have the radio on listening to Phillies-Braves at 2:00 on a Tuesday afternoon. Anyone else who definitely didn’t may have missed Austin Riley’s three-run home run turn a 3-2 game on its absolute head. The Phillies pitching staff, led by starter Jesus Luzardo, cruised through seven innings and Jhoan Duran was easily navigating through the Braves lineup – until he wasn’t and ran into Michael Harris II who started the rally. Chris Sale had the no decision in this one but he looked great in 6 1/3 innings, striking out nine even with the three runs allowed.
Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin, partners in the “get Jordan Hicks off my baseball team” trade, both provided valuable outings in relief as the White Sox pulled ahead against the Astros. Hicks got the decision win! Even another ex-Red Sox, Sean Newcomb, got in on the action (though he allowed two runs.) The two-run home run Newcomb allowed, though, was the only extra-base hit the White Sox would allow on the night. It’s so funny looking at the White Sox lineup and recognizing so many former Red Sox, but it’s good to see some experiencing playoff action, as well.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is the surefire NL MVP. The Cubs lineup on Tuesday, though, was punchless, and the wind was taken from them very early this game. How early? How about the first two batters both taking Matthew Boyd deep? After Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado each put a ball in the seats, Michael King, working with a lead, was electric. He took a no-hitter into the seventh. He benefitted from another former Red Sox player in Xander Boegarts hitting a home run. The Padres’ bullpen would complete the shutout with Joe Musgrove, once one of the best emerging pitchers in the game, returning from a lengthy Tommy John recovery, which was a super cool moment for anyone still awake at 1 in the morning. This was a shellacking, but unlike the game at Yankee Stadium, it was never remotely close, not even for a minute.
This is the kind of thing I was talking about down the stretch. I felt the Cubs wouldn’t be backed down or awed by the situation. This is an experienced club. At the end of the day, this didn’t come down to injured pitchers or one eyed third basemen. It didn’t come down to one team scuffling a bit or another one that is on a major role. It came down to exactly one scenario. The Cubs needed to have a pitcher good enough to shove for seven innings against a good offensive team. They needed one because the Padres had one.
With the stuff that modern pitchers have, when they are clicking on all cylinders and not making any mistakes, it is very difficult to get anything going. For what it was worth, their hitters did have patience. They drew three walks from Michael King, who was pumping the strike zone with frisbees. When you see a hitter who is among the best in the game and in a good groove himself like Alex Bregman flailing with half swings at where the ball maybe used to be, it’s not hard to understand how mystifying King was. You definitely hat tip to him.
Is there some chance that maybe if Cub pitching were matching zeroes that he’d have at least broken a sweat? Sure. It was unfortunate that the Padres ambushed Cub starter Matthew Boyd and jumped on him instantly. A hat tip to the Padre scouting department. They had a plan as a team and they executed it. They’d clearly prepared for Boyd. They swung early and often and as was noted on the broadcast, they were able to recognize balls and strikes and only swing at the strikes. They were amazingly prepared.
That was about as unfortunate a game as you could possibly get in a short series. Not only did you lose and make the Padres feel even more confident about their game planning, you didn’t force them to use any significant reliever. They have a fully stocked bullpen that was already known to be lethal. In the short history of these three game Wild Card series, the team that has won the first game has won almost every series. I have no doubt that will level off at a lower level than it’s at so far, but it is the simple math of the format. One win gives you so many advantages in the series. Given that you had to give the Padres the edge in the first place (home field, better record, better pitching), you’d have to make them overwhelming favorites to advance at this point.
Again, the Cubs won’t back down. If Game 2 unfolds more like an ordinary game, the Cubs will be in the fight. But the Cubs were always a good, not great team. This is a tough assignment if this team is going to hold off the offseason.
Turn the page. Slow the game down. Do what you do. Hope it is enough.
Three Positives:
Nico Hoerner had two of the three Cub hits.
Seiya Suzuki had the other hit and drew a walk.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had a walk and stole a base. What almost was, he came very close to robbing that first homer. One wonders if it would have shifted the energy at all.
Wild Card Game 1, September 29: Padres 8, Cubs 0
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Seiya Suzuki (.083). 1-3, BB
Hero/Sidekick: Michael Conforto/Jacob Webb (.000). Conforto: 0-1; Webb: 1.1 IP, 5 BF, 2 H
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Matthew Boyd (-.203). 4 IP, 17 BF, 5 H, BB, 4 R, 4 K (L 0-1)
Goat: Ian Happ (-.074). 0-3, BB
Kid: Pedro Ramirez (-.057). 0-4
WPA Play of the Game: Fernando Tatis Jr. homered on the first pitch in the bottom of the first. (.105)
Cubs Play of the Game: Seiya Suzuki reached on a throwing error by Xander Bogaerts and was awarded second leading off the second inning. (.062)
Note: 18 of the 75 WPA events recorded for this game were recorded at .000.
Cubs Player of the Game:
Up Next: Game 2 in San Diego will see Kevin Gausman for the Cubs. Kevin was 9-12 with a 4.51 in the regular season. He did have a 4-2 record as a Cub, but also posted a 4.83 ERA and had the Cub longball problem, allowing 11 homers in only 50.1 innings. It’s obvious the Cubs need to add more talent to their pitching staff in 2027. It’s even more obvious that they need to examine everything in their training and medical department to determine if any amount of their injury woes could have been prevented or lessened. But also, the Cubs need to look at if there is a further issue with some of their approach. Gausman is an exhibit of a pitcher with a long track record who allowed almost as many homers with the Cubs (11) as with the Blue Jays (15), despite throwing more than 70 percent of his innings with the Jays.
Nick Pivetta (3-2, 2.86) starts for the Padres. Pivetta missed most of this year with a right elbow injury. The 33-year-old righty was excellent when healthy. He made four starts in September, throwing a total of 18.2 innings and allowing three runs on 15 hits. He struck out 18 and walked two. He got up to 87 pitches in his last start and that’s usually the threshold where a pitcher is pretty much good to go. I imagine if he is in a groove, they’d let him approach 100 pitches. And with a fully loaded bullpen and blood in the water, if he struggles at all, I imagine they’ll happily try to steal a game with their bullpen. I have no doubt the Padres could run this game as a bullpen game and still be able to bring their key guys back again for game three.
I thought Gausman should have started that first game. I have to wonder about his health after that diving play he made in his last game. Hopefully the Cub bats can get in the fight. It’s still since July 30 that the Cubs won a game without hitting a homer. Teams that hit more homers tend to win games. Teams that don’t score any runs continue to lose every time. So it’s now or never.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 18: Charley Steiner speaks during ceremony to unveil statue of former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax at Dodger Stadium on June 18, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Every game of the Dodgers postseason, from the National League Division series to — should they advance — the National League Championship Series and World Series, will be televised by Fox Sports. But on radio, Charley Steiner will call Dodgers home playoff games at Dodger Stadium for AM 570 and the team’s radio network, with Stephen Nelson on radio play-by-play when the Dodgers are on the road.
For Steiner, Saturday will be first playoff action in three years, with a long journey in between that included a debilitating back injury and battling cancer. Now, he’s feeling well, and ready to call his first postseason game since the 2023 NLDS.
Steiner called 35 Dodgers games on radio this season, and he gradually increased his workload as the season progressed. He called the first three innings of two games on the very first homestand, then gradually added innings over the next few months, before handing off the play-by-play reins to Nelson or Tim Neverett in each game.
“The whole issue was a question of physical strength,” Steiner said via phone. “When I first started way back at the beginning of the season, three innings was a lot.”
Steiner called the first game of nine of the Dodgers’ first 10 home series this season, before calling the first five innings of the last two games of the Dodgers’ series against the Tampa Bay Rays (June 15-16) and Baltimore Orioles (June 19-20).
On the Dodgers’ 10-game homestand heading into the All-Star break, Steiner called every other game, going five innings for three games, then six innings for two games.
On August 13, Steiner called the first six innings of the Dodgers’ series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers before handing off to Nelson for the rest of the game.
“I was leaving and I said to Duane [McDonald, radio producer and engineer for the last decade], ‘I’ll see you Saturday, we’ll go for seven,’” Steiner recalled. “And Duane said, ‘Fuck it, let’s just do nine,‘ and you know that was the kick in the ass that I needed.”
Two days later Steiner called all nine innings of the Dodgers loss to Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, completing Steiner’s first time calling a full game since Game 3 of the 2023 NLDS.
“That was such a big deal to me, because it’d been such a long time. I didn’t know if I’d be physically able to do it, and then I did,” Steiner said. “It was for me the most significant broadcast that I had done, because I had to do so much to get to that point.”
Steiner has seen it all during his career, including 14 years at ESPN before broadcasting baseball games for the last quarter-century, three years for the Yankees before the last 22 years with the Dodgers, his favorite team growing up in New York. He’s called three different World Baseball Classics and called baseball games in seven different countries. But that August 15 game against the Brewers stood out to Steiner given all he endured physically over the previous two years.
“To me it was getting back in the saddle, I knew I could ride the horse to the finish line. And when the game ended, I did,” Steiner added. “I don’t know how many thousands of games I’ve done and how many years I’ve been doing it, but all of that was encapsulated into the first pitch of that game. The long journey took another step forward.”
September saw Steiner increase his workload even more. He called all nine innings of September 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals, then called the first six innings the next day, and all nine innings on September 4 against the Washington Nationals. Steiner called back-to-back full games on September 8-9 against the Cincinnati Reds, September 18-19 against the San Francisco Giants, and September 22-23 against the San Diego Padres. In all, Steiner called 10 full games, all over the final six weeks of the regular season.
He’ll call Games 1-2 of the NLDS on Saturday and Sunday.
“I can’t thank so many folks enough who’ve been so kind and supportive during this journey, especially within the booth. And then the reaction I’ve gotten from listeners and fans, it’s been overwhelming,” Steiner said. “So now, yeah, to the postseason, and I sure would like to call the third World Series championship in a row.”
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 29: Philadelphia pitcher Jhoan Duran (59) reacts after catching a line drive during the Philadelphia Phillies versus the Atlanta Braves in game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on September 29th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
No one should have been surprised when Austin Riley connected on a nearly 100 mph fastball right down the heart of the plate from Phillies closer Jhoan Duran in the 8th inning of the Phillies’ 5-3, Game 1 loss to the Braves yesterday in Atlanta.
Sure, Duran is the Phils’ lone reliable relief pitcher, a closer with truly unhittable stuff most of the time. And Austin Riley, who hit .219 with a .654 OPS this season, didn’t seem the likeliest of guys to play home run hero, but there were mitigating circumstances.
Duran was being asked to somehow get the Phillies across the finish line following five gutsy innings from Jesus Luzardo and one inning from rookie reliever Alex McFarlane. After breezing through the first five outs, Duran’s command wavered and the Braves made him pay.
It’s a fundamentally terrible idea to ask someone to do something difficult they’ve rarely ever been asked to do before in the most high pressure situation imaginable. One should not reasonably expect that to work very well. While Duran had pitched multiple innings in the past, those instances were rare and, not recent. He had only worked more than one inning in one instance this season, and twice last year, both with Minnesota.
Should Duran have been able to escape the 8th inning without allowing a crushing homer? Sure, but it shouldn’t have surprised anyone that he didn’t.
But Don Mattingly had little choice. There was no one else he trusted to protect a 3-2 lead to secure any of the remaining nine outs needed once J.T. Realmuto put the Phils ahead with his clutch two-run triple a half-inning before. Injuries and poor performance robbed him of any wiggle room, which is why Riley’s three-run blast in the 8th inning was shocking, but not surprising.
You could argue Mattingly should have used Duran for more multi-inning save attempts in September, but the Phillies’ final month struggles likely rendered those plans moot.
Let’s also not gloss over the fact that, had the Phillies not dithered around in the final two weeks of the season, Zack Wheeler would have started this game and, potentially, pitched a bit deeper than Luzardo was able to. Or that, if the bats had shown more of a pulse against Chris Sale in Game 1, they could have provided some cover to a substandard relief corps.
Actions have consequences, as we all saw in Game 1’s final three innings.
It’s easy to point the finger at Dave Dombrowski and his bullpen construction. Clearly, the team didn’t have the arms they needed. In hindsight, believing in Orion Kerkering, who was optioned to AAA two weeks before the end of the season following last year’s meltdown in Los Angeles, was a mistake, as was hitching their wagons to Jose Alvarado, whose struggles in 2026 mirrored those of ‘25 and were indicative of a reduction in his stuff during the course of the year.
But there is also a slew of bad luck thrown into the mix here.
Brad Keller looked to be a tremendous off-season free agent signing. Signed to a two-year, $22 million contract, Keller had a 4.02 ERA in 31.1 innings until he was shut down for the season with an ailing elbow. Tanner Banks, who had become one of the team’s most trusted left-handed relievers after a stellar 2025 season, missed much of the second half after posting a 6.19 ERA in 36.1 innings. Kyle Backhus was never supposed to be a major contributor, but his 4.95 ERA in 20 innings was a disaster.
The only pleasant surprise in the relief corps this year was the emergence of rookie right hander Alex McFarlane, who is the only other arm in the ‘pen that Mattingly trusts right now. And he also gave up a key run on Tuesday, an RBI triple to Ozzie Albies that briefly gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead.
That the Phillies were not able to reach down into the minors for additional help is certainly an indictment of Dombrowski and the farm system, but the general manager did attempt to mitigate that with a couple more arms at the trade deadline.
Brooks Raley was supposed to become an important left-handed, late inning option after his acquisition from the Mets. Over the last four seasons, Raley had ERAs of 2.68, 2.80, 2.45 and 1.96 in 52.2 innings with the Mets this year. No, he never had great stuff, but he was consistently excellent for New York since 2022. After the trade, Raley’s 7.94 ERA in 16 appearances forced Dombrowski to leave him off the wild card roster.
Caleb Kilian, acquired in the Luis Arraez trade, got hurt almost as soon as he arrived. So, Dombo’s two trade deadline acquisitions to improve the struggling bullpen both turned out to be useless. Were other top-tier closer-type relievers traded? No, but that doesn’t mean had Dobrowski been better at developing prospects that they couldn’t have overpaid for something better than Kilian or Raley in August.
But even if a handful of these pitchers had turned out to be productive, it may not have mattered. That’s because once you put on a Phillies uniform, you are unable to secure late leads in the postseason.
Here are all the instances, dating back to Game 3 of the 2023 NLCS, in which the bullpen was unable to secure a save, eight blown saves in all.
Game 3, 2023 NLCS: Orion Kerkering, holding a 1-0 lead in the 7th, allows a leadoff single and RBI double to blow the lead. Craig Kimbrel then gave up the walk-off single in the 9th for a 2-1 loss.
Game 4, 2023 NLCS: In what was a full-on bullpen game, Kimbrel entered the 8th inning with a 5-3 lead, but surrendered a game-tying, two-run home run to Alek Thomas and then, a few batters later, an RBI single to Gabriel Moreno, handing the Phils a 6-5 defeat.
Game 1, 2024 NLDS: Entering the 8th inning with a 1-0 lead, Jeff Hoffman blew the save but was ably aided by Matt Strahm and Kerkering in allowing five 8th inning runs in an eventual 5-2 defeat.
Game 2, 2024 NLDS: This game the Phillies actually won! With a 6-4 lead in the 8th, Strahm gave up a game-tying two-run blast to Mark Vientos to tie the game 6-6. The Phils walked it off in the bottom of the 9th, of course.
Game 4, 2024 NLDS: Entering the 6th inning with a 1-0 lead, Phillies closer Carlos Estevez served up a grand slam to Francisco Lindor that sealed the Phillies’ fate in a series-ending 4-1 loss to the Mets.
Game 1, 2025 NLDS: Holding a 3-2 lead in the 7th, Matt Strahm allowed a two-out, three-run home run to Teoscar Hernandez in a crushing 5-3 defeat to the Dodgers.
Game 4, 2025 NLDS: With a 1-0 lead entering the 7th, Jhoan Duran walked in a runner with the bases loaded and two outs to tie the game at 1-1. Kerkering would finish the choke job with his game-ending error in the bottom of the 11th.
Game 1, 2026 Wild Card: Duran gives up the three-run homer to Austin Riley, with four outs left to get, in a 5-3 defeat.
Seven playoff defeats. Eight blown saves. The Phillies have not successfully executed a save situation since Game 1 of the ‘23 NLCS. And this list doesn’t even count Game 6 of the 2022 World Series in which Alvarado served up a go-ahead home run to Yordan Alvarez in the 6th inning of an eventual 4-1 loss.
At the end of the day, Tuesday’s blown save by Duran was the result of trusting the wrong players and a lot of bad luck. No one knows how Mattingly would have handled the 9th inning had Duran escaped the 8th, but the fact he was put in the position of having to manufacture an elaborate plan to secure the final nine outs of the game is an indictment on the relievers in his ‘pen and an offense that continues to provide the pitching staff with little room for error.
Even if the Phillies figure out a way to win Games 2 and 3 against Atlanta, how do they piece together an additional three series victories over the next three weeks and win a title? How can they do that with only two relief pitchers they trust?
Watching Riley’s home run sail over the right field wall was an incredible moment. How could it happen again? How could this team blow another Game 1 in a tight playoff series?
The Yankees have a chance to complete a sweep of the Red Sox on Wednesday night when the teams clash in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series.
Here’s a look at three things to watch as Max Friedopposes former Yankee Sonny Gray at 8 p.m. at Yankee Stadium:
A Gray matter
Gray, a 36-year-old righty, has a complicated history with the Yankees. He’s had a very good career but did not pitch well in 2017-18 in the Bronx after a ballyhooed trade from Oakland. There’s still some leftover Gray-said, Yanks-said wreckage from when he pitched here, and he noted before this season that he was happy to be in Boston, a place where it’s “easy to hate the Yankees.”
Think that’ll be a talking point in the stands in Game 2? How will Gray react to his reception, which probably will be, um, loud? Even if he had a 4.51 in 41 games (34 starts) as a Yankee, he’s still a dynamite pitcher, as evidenced by his 18 wins this season (tied for the most in MLB) and 2.72 ERA. He threw five sharp innings for the Yanks in a 2017 ALCS game against Houston and has a 3.26 ERA in six previous postseason starts. In 10 lifetime starts against the Yanks, he has a 3.67 ERA, including two good ones this past June.
Gray said on Tuesday that being a Yankee made him a “better pitcher, a better baseball player.” We’ll see how that looks in a huge rivalry moment in Game 2. Boston’s season might depend on how he pitches.
Lefty-laden lineup?
With Gray starting, Aaron Boone has a chance to deploy even more left-handed hitters in his Game 2 batting order. Luis García Jr. and Jazz Chisholm Jr. did not start in the opener and could be factors, though there likely will be late mixing-and-matching, too, since the Red Sox have some strong southpaw relievers.
Here’s the thing – the Yankee lefties already dominated Game 1, which was started by a lefty. A lot of the damage was done by Rice, who was 4-for-5 and joined BobbyRichardson, Bernie Williams, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano as Yankees who have knocked in six runs in a postseason game. But overall in the opener, Yankee left-handed hitters were 8-for-18 (.444) with 8 RBI – Austin Wells, who hit just .122 against lefties during the season, knocked in the other two runs.
New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) celebrates while running the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Gray actually was better against lefties than righties during the season, holding them to a .654 OPS, 28 points lower than his mark against righties. Keep an eye on these matchups early: Rice is 3-for-7 with two homers against Gray and García is 4-for-10 with a home run.
Load management
In terms of bullpen work, Game 1 was a Yankee dream. They did not use Brent Headrick, who made the second-most appearances (81) in baseball this year, though he warmed up. Closer David Bednar warmed up, but did not pitch either. The Yankee bullpen, which was second in relief ERA to Boston this year, is fresh going forward.
Some of the savings is due to Schlittler, of course, who delivered 6.1 shutout innings and helped blank Boston for the second straight postseason game, including his 2025 playoff masterpiece. The Red Sox had never been shut out in consecutive postseason games in their long history.
Boone tried to squeeze an extra out from Schlittler, but he gave up a hit with one out in the seventh. Boone turned to Paul Blackburn, who has been excellent – he had a 1.69 ERA during the regular season and has a 0.83 ERA since June 21. Blackburn threw 1.2 shutout innings and stranded an inherited runner. John Schreiber threw a scoreless ninth after the game got out of hand.
NEW YORK ― Pull up a chair. Sonny Gray is ruminating on his time as a Yankee, and it got kind of deep.
Gray will be charged with keeping the Boston Red Sox’s season alive Wednesday, Sept. 30, when he takes the ball in Game 2 of the American League wild card series against New York. Game 1, a 9-0 Yankees romp, showed just how loud Yankee Stadium can get.
And Gray knows the pinstriped faithful will be loaded for bear after his offseason comments noting that it’s "easy to hate the Yankees" – made in the wake of his trade from the St. Louis Cardinals to Boston – put him on the other side of this storied rivalry.
Gray’s first go didn’t go great, as he struggled with the Yankees in 2017 and 2018 after a trade from Oakland, a 27-year-old dude adjusting to significant expectations.
Fast forward to 2026 and Gray, 36, is an 18-game winner with a 2.72 ERA for the surprise Red Sox, now a three-time All-Star who’s had plenty of time to reflect on his career.
He believes those two seasons in the Bronx, where he posted a 4.51 ERA, briefly lost his rotation spot and struggled with injury, steeled him for the rest of his career.
Including coming back as a pariah to the fans.
"I came from Oakland, and Oakland to here," Gray said, launching into a two and a half minute answer on how fans might perceive of him after his winter comments berating the Yankees. "I think that maybe during my time there was a lot of outside this, outside that, unfamiliarity with me and my situation and my family.
"It's kind of like one of those things that you have a snowball or whatever, right? And there's a snowball that kind of starts rolling down a hill. If you don't ever stop it, then the snowball just gets bigger and bigger and bigger and it picks up traction and it just gets more snow. And it just continues to go down this thing.
"And the then the bigger the snowball gets, the harder it is to stop it or take a step back. And for me, it just took me to get away and get myself into a different environment and then reflect on those things, right, like reflect on what was good, what was bad, what didn't work. And that took some time."
Not too much time, though. Gray was an All-Star in 2019 after the Yankees spun him off to the Cincinnati Reds. While injuries hampered him in multiple seasons, he was very dependable and a valued workhorse in Cincinnati and Minnesota before signing a three-year, $75 million contract with St. Louis.
Gray tossed 180 and 184 innings in 2023 and 2025. The Cardinals, suddenly in a rebuild, took advantage of his value to send him to Boston, where he’s been terrific.
Thanks in part to taking a little bit of the Bronx with him.
"I do know that playing here made me a stronger person, made me a better man, a better husband," says Gray, who along with wife Jessica has two sons. "Ultimately, it made me a better pitcher, a better baseball player. And that's kind of what I take from my time here. I think there's a lot of people and a lot of players that can have one bump in the road and not get back on the tracks.
"And for me, there's been bumps along the way and that may have been a little bit of a bigger bump than others. But then to be able to re-center, to refocus, to continue to have confidence in yourself and not get off the wagon, get back on the wagon and continue to move forward in your career and in your life as well.
"I learned a lot."
The Red Sox are grateful. This season was bumpy, what with the firing of manager Alex Cora after 27 games, a fair amount of rotation uncertainty with Cy Young runner-up Garrett Crochet getting sidelined for five months and continued struggles of Brayan Bello. Another lost season seemed to be loading.
But the Red Sox won 21 of 25 games in July to rally for a playoff spot. Ultimately, rookie left-hander Payton Tolle emerged as an ace-caliber weapon. They lined up behind Gray first.
"He's had a great career. He’s a pitcher to its finest degree," says veteran Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story. "He's very detail-oriented. And he's gonna be ready. There's no doubt.
"He's shown that he can lead the staff this year, Beast going down and Sonny stepped up and filled some big shoes.
"And all he did was just be him. That's the guy he is."
Being Sonny Gray will have to suffice Wednesday night. The Red Sox’s survival depends on it. They hold a 2027 option on Gray, though he can opt out if they exercise it, which could lead to a longer-term commitment, or a polite goodbye.
Those are issues for another day. Gray is still in the now, and Wednesday night he’ll be in Yankee Stadium, where he is expecting an impolite welcome, one he feels steeled to endure as he pitches from a place of greater comfort.
"I've really enjoyed my time in Boston. I really have," says Gray. "My family's enjoyed it. It's been a great place for us."
Sep 9, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) reacts after striking out in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Royals had hoped to contend this year, and instead fell flat on their face to begin the year, eventually losing 93 games. It was a season that included blown leads, cold lineups, but also some bright spots like the emergence of Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone, the ageless Michael Wacha, a turnaround by Noah Cameron, and another sensational Bobby Witt Jr. performance.
We asked our writers to reflect on the 2026 season and the upcoming offseason.
What was the biggest reason why the Royals lost 93 games this year?
Matthew LaMar: The obvious answer is the bullpen, and the other obvious answer is injuries, but neither of them get to why both things were so impactful, and that “why” is just a total lack of organizational talent depth in the upper minors. That severely limited Kansas City’s ability to improve the team in the previous offseason via trades and was why the Royals couldn’t replenish talent internally when they needed to. It’s a little better now, but pitching depth is still a problem.
Jeremy Greco: I said it on our most recent podcast, so I guess I’ll stick to my guns: The bullpen. Last year’s bullpen on this team makes it a playoff contender, I think. There is certainly plenty of blame to go around between the offense not being good enough, the starting pitching suffering so many injuries, and then the offense suffering injuries.
But the bullpen was catastrophically bad. They were not especially good last year, but still put up a total of 4.1 fWAR. This year, they put up -3.2. That’s a difference of 7 wins and would have gotten them all the way up to 76 or 77, which still would have missed the tournament, but if they got most of those before the trade deadline, the Royals probably buy instead of sell, and who knows how that changes things.
Max Rieper: The bullpen was a major reason, and it has been a big weakness for J.J. Picollo during most of his tenure. The lineup also suffered from slow starts to key players like Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez, an injury to Maikel Garcia, and the continued absence of a good on-base guy to set the table in the lineup.
Cullen Jekel: Roster mismanagement, specifically with pitchers. The bullpen went to hell incredibly quickly and there was no one available to step in and stop the bleeding. Additionally, the rotation took a big hit when Cole Ragans went down, which, I mean, shouldn’t have been too surprising. And yet there was no one available in the organization to replace, or help replace, him, either. The front office banked too heavily on the arms being healthy, and that house of cards completely collapsed early in the season.
sterlingice: They ranked in the bottom third of the league in runs scored and runs allowed. The offense performed as it has for 3 of the last 4 seasons. They just aren’t good enough unless Witt is having a superhuman season and a couple of other players are having career years. That needs to change. Meanwhile, the pitching took a step back. In the 2024 playoff season, the starters were historically lucky with health. This year, they relied on oft-injured starters like Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Stephen Kolek, and Ryan Bergert alongside aging veterans Wacha and Lugo with predictable results. If castoff Randy Dobnak and his 5.9 K/9 ends up as your third-highest pitcher in bWAR, you’ve had a bad pitching season.
What was your favorite thing about this season? Player, game, play, moment, etc.?
sterlingice: Even though Father Time is undefeated and Perez had a down season, I enjoyed Salvy’s chase for the franchise home run record. I like that he did it during one of his trademark hot streaks where he had four home runs in seven games. I love that the record-breaking home run tied the game in the late innings, as so many of his have done throughout his career. I wish it had been at home, but kudos to the respectful Detroit fans. Of course, I wish it had been during a playoff chase. But sometimes these milestones help you get through a long August in a lost season.
Jeremy Greco: I want to cheat a little and say the World Baseball Classic was my favorite part of the season. It was an absolute blast, and I wish we could do it more often. But actually, in the season, it’s the star turns of Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen. They both showed so much that it’s easy to believe they even yet have superstar potential left in their arsenals. When I think about just those two players for too long, it’s really easy to see why JJ thinks the team can compete next year.
Max Rieper: Every day I get to watch Bobby Witt Jr. in a Royals uniform is a treat. Again, he is one of the top three players in the league. That is amazing.
But yes, Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone each look like bona fide studs. It was cool to see them rake down the stretch.
Matthew LaMar: I really enjoyed Carter Jensen putting a strong season together. All too often, we’ve seen strong Royals prospects have a great debut and then fall off hard the following year (from Eric Hosmer to Ryan O’Hearn and Vinnie Pasquantino). Jensen, meanwhile, ended up with 27 home runs and nearly 4 WAR as a 22-year-old, all while catching much more than we thought he would. He was a consistent bright spot.
Cullen Jekel: Two things here. First, I was able to attend my first-ever Opening Day at Kauffman. I went with my wife, two sons, and father-in-law, and we had a great time. My boys still talk about it, and the youngest still sleeps with the Sluggerrr stuff I bought him that day. Second, Carter Jensen. After the team completely overplayed his sleeping in, after he found his footing, he became one of the best catchers, let alone among rookies, in the entire league. He had some growing pains, but he was a joy to watch every time he came to the plate. I’m excited that he’s part of the Royals core going forward. It isn’t easy finding a franchise catcher, but the Royals seemed to have nailed it with the local kid.
What should the Royals do this offseason?
Cullen Jekel: Talk about a loaded question. What shouldn’t the Royals do? The Royals should go out and acquire an entirely new bullpen while also adding another two or three starting pitchers. I would also like a new starting center fielder and left fielder, please and thank you, because Kyle Isbel and Isaac Collins ain’t it.
Jeremy Greco: Since they’ve declared their intention to compete, they should be incredibly aggressive to improve their roster. They need to add at least two high-quality starting pitchers plus a couple more who can act as depth, at least until guys start coming back from injury around midseason. They did an impressive job adding less-terrible options to the bullpen, but they need at least one and probably two really high-quality guys, plus a few more depth guys that you can mix and match with the current group so you can pick the ones who are working. They also need to add a legitimate-hitting left fielder.
Max Rieper: Revamping the bullpen is the top priority. The thing I noticed in this postseason is that with a few exceptions, the bullpens of contenders aren’t filled with high-priced free agents. It’s homegrown guys, guys picked up on minor league deals, waiver claims, and Rule 5 picks. That’s coaching. I like what pitching coach Brian Sweeney has done, but the pitching staff definitely took a step back. We need to find more diamonds in the rough.
I would look to add a left or center fielder. I would cut back on Salvy’s playing time, possibly with a platoon. I think you can squint and see them bouncing back well if they make the right moves.
Matthew LaMar: If the Royals want to compete next year, the only real option available to them is to spend a lot of money and cash some of their exciting young A+ to AA prospects in for established players. They need to grab Randy Arozarena or Taylor Ward for starters.
sterlingice: They clearly need another good right-handed bat. However, like the last two offseasons, there just aren’t many out there. This year, there are exactly two: Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki. Both will command a substantial contract that will look bad on the back end as both are in their early 30s. However, both would look good in this lineup for the next couple of years.
They need at least another starter and, really, more than that. The rotation for 2027 is currently Michael Wacha, Noah Cameron, Seth Lugo (5.17 ERA), and that’s it. There are a decent number of mid-rotation starters. The Royals need to sign one and it needs to be the right one. I don’t even know where to start with the bullpen. All of the pitchers need to be ones that Brian Sweeney and company can improve so they are paying 50 cents on the dollar because there’s a lot of work to be done and limited resources.
What will the Royals do this offseason?
sterlingice: With the impending lockout, it’s very difficult to predict. There was a flurry of activity before the 2021-2022 lockout, including a one-day record, but the Royals weren’t a part of that. However, they were in a different place in their contention window than they are now. Smart teams will hedge as to whether it’s better to make moves pre or post-lockout and it remains to be seen which direction the Royals go. They have some money to play with, but not a lot.
I think they’ll sign a mid-rotation starter, a couple of mid-leverage bullpen arms that cost too much for what they are but won’t break the budget, and go bargain shopping for OF bats. It won’t be enough unless Witt has another great year, Jac and Jensen continue their upward trajectory, Vinnie can figure out how to start a season as strong as he ends them, the starters stay healthy, and the bullpen is magically overhauled. That’s a lot of “ifs.”
Max Rieper: I think they will have about $20-30 million to spend this offseason, which can go pretty quickly. I would expect them to trade for an outfielder – not a big trade, but maybe someone more promising than Isaac Collins. They will also likely bring in an outfielder, another Lane Thomas type, although that worked out pretty well when it was all done. The rest will be allocated to the pitching staff, maybe another starter and reliever if there is money left over.
Matthew LaMar: The Royals will not spend a lot of money and will keep all of their exciting young A+ to AA prospects. They’ll maybe go out and get someone for like $10 million a year over two or three years and tout that as a big acquisition. I am prepared to be underwhelmed.
Jeremy Greco: I think they’ll sign Taylor Ward, two middling starting pitchers, and one really good reliever, and hope they can cobble together the rest of it from spare parts.
Cullen Jekel: Nothing? I’m pessimistic about the 2027 season even occurring, and it’s going to be a rush to get things done this truncated offseason before a lockout. Now, if by some miracle of the baseball gods that there’s a (relatively) normal offseason, I can see the Royals adding a couple of cheap arms for the bullpen while maybe–maybe–coughing up some dough for a fifth starter. I bet they don’t make any changes to the coaching staff or the lineup aside from adding bench pieces. But Jensen-Witt Jr.-Caglianone-Garcia-Pasquantino-Perez-Massey-Collins-Isbel will probably be the Opening Day lineup.
World Series prediction?
sterlingice: I’d love it to be something fresh like Rays vs Brewers. But it will probably be something awful like the Dodgers over the Yankees/Red Sox winner.
Cullen Jekel: Well, at the beginning of the season, I predicted the Mariners over the Dodgers. Uh, I think I need to change at least half of that. Let’s go with the Rays over the Dodgers in seven even though I’ll be rooting for the Brewers.
Jeremy Greco: Padres over Rays in 7. Adrian Morejooooooooon
Matthew LaMar: Dodgers over White Sox. The new Evil Empire punctuates the season with their third consecutive victory over a plucky upstart and ushers in particularly nasty CBA negotiations.
Max Rieper: The Brewers win their first ever title, defeating the Red Sox.
Yesterday afternoon the Atlanta Braves won a roller coaster of a game as the lead changed four times. Ultimately Austin Riley had his redemption arc and hit the go-ahead three run HR off of Jhoan Duran fastball that was in the triple digits in the eighth inning.
Tyler Mahle, the Braves’ best trade deadline pickup will be taking the mound for the Braves against Cristopher Sánchez. Both pitchers were on completely different trajectories to end the season.
Before he joined the Braves, Mahle had a 5.13 ERA in eighteen starts. Since he joined the Braves he has a 1.99 ERA in nine starts, averaging six innings per appearance. In his first eighteen starts, Sánchez had a 2.00 ERA and averaged 6.5 innings per start. Since then, he has a 4.10 ERA while averaging 6.0 innings pitched. If we look at the last month, it is even worse. Sánchez has a 5.12 ERA since the start of September.
This does not mean the Braves will have it easy today. It is a do or die game for the Phillies so if Sánchez starts to struggle, it would not be shocking to see a starter come in on short rest to take over. Sánchez is a very good pitcher, in fact he will likely get some Cy Young down votes. However, on paper the matchup looks good. The players on the Braves’ playoff roster have a combined OPS of .759 against him in their careers.
Ronald Acuña has an OPS of 1.000 in sixteen ABs, Ozzie Albies has a .500 average and 1.193 OPS in eighteen ABs, and Austin Riley has a .467 average and 1.104 OPS in fifteen ABs against him. The rest of the team has mostly struggled, so there is some pressure on these three to perform. Michael Harris, fresh off of a three hit night, has struggled to an OPS of .321 in fifteen ABs.
Mahle has not faced the Phillies nearly as much as Sánchez has faced the Braves. However, he did face them in back-to-back starts in early September. In those combined starts he pitched 13.0 innings and only gave up one run on ten hits. He struck out six to only one walk. He was able to induce a whopping twenty-three ground balls in that span. He did have some luck with a BABIP of .220, but the results were great.
On paper, the Braves have the edge today. It is truly going to depend on if Acuña, Albies, and Riley can continue to rake against Sánchez in a period where he is clearly worn down at the end of a long season. Of course, other players stepping up would be nice too. If Mahle can perform like he did against the Phillies already this month and the Braves can get to the bullpen relatively early, they will be in a good spot. The Braves lead MLB in wRC+ in the ninth inning.
If the Braves win today, technically the Phillies miss October baseball this season.
First pitch is at 2:00 EDT.
Game Info
Game Time: Wednesday, September 30th, 2:00 pm EDT
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
Watch: NBC/Peacock
Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan and ESPN Radio
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on September 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning everyone!
The MLB postseason kicked off yesterday, and we’ve got all of the scores and news you need to know to get your Wednesday started.
Yesterday, the 2026 MLB playoffs began with four opening games in the best-of-three Wild Card series. The victorious Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres moved one step closer to the Division Series. There, the rested Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays are waiting to pounce on their prey.
While the Athletics are watching the playoffs from afar for a fifth straight year, that does not mean October baseball is devoid of players and coaches who have history with the Green and Gold.
Stephen Vogt, a fan-favorite during his successful career with the A’s, has led Cleveland to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons as their manager. In hindsight, the A’s should have hired him instead of Mark Kotsay, but the past cannot be changed and Vogt finds himself in a much more stable situation in Cleveland.
Moving to active players, there are former A’s on just about every postseason squad. Matt Olson has started every game at first base for the Braves, who also employ Sean Murphy as their backup catcher and onetime A’s minor leaguer Grant Holmes in their rotation. Former Athletic, left-hander Jesús Luzardo, started the Philadelphia Phillies first playoff game.
Another former A’s draft pick, Nick Allen, is a backup infielder on the Houston Astros, while reliever Sean Newcomb, who was on the A’s from 2023 through 2025, is a vital part of the White Sox’ bullpen.
On the East Coast, veteran pitchers Paul Blackburn and Sonny Gray enjoyed strong seasons with the Yankees and Boston Red Sox and will be counted on if their teams want to make a deep postseason run this fall.
Shifting to the West Coast, Aaron Civale, who the Athletics designated for assignment earlier this year, will pitch in relief for the Chicago Cubs. Their opponent, the Padres, are reaping the rewards of employing closer Mason Miller, who has thrived since the A’s traded him during the 2025 trade deadline. Miguel Andujar joined his former teammate Miller in San Diego this season.
Which of these former players competing this week do you most want to see win the World Series? What are your playoff predictions? Should the A’s attempt to bring back Blackburn in free agency this offseason?
The Athletics are still searching for their next general manager. Ideally, the club will have someone in place before free agency opens after the playoffs end.
James Click, Mike Rizzo, Boston Asst GMs Mike Groopman & Taylor Smith and A's Asst GM Billy Owens are the names who've been publicly linked to the A's GM search. Jon Daniels reportedly took himself out of consideration. Assuming there are names we haven't yet heard also involved.
This fact sums up the state of baseball in this max-effort era. Fewer starters are pitching deep into games because of the strain on their arms from trying to throw every pitch as fast as possible.
Justin Verlander’s retirement means the active career shutout leader has fewer shutouts than Nolan Ryan has no-hitters. pic.twitter.com/FjkrJ8Y61F
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on September 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series couldn’t have gone much better for the Yankees. On the mound, Cam Schlittler was excellent, blanking the Red Sox for 6.1 impressive innings. Then, led by Ben Rice, the Yankees’ offense plated nine runs, pulling away from Boston to go up 1-0 in the series.
Yesterday wasn’t just the opening of the Yankees-Red Sox series, though. All three of the Wild Card matchups also got underway on Tuesday, so let’s check in on what happened.
AL Wild Card Series Game 1
Chicago White Sox 6, Houston Astros 3 (Chicago leads 1-0)
After jumping out to a 3-0 lead early, the White Sox withstood the Astros and tacked on some more runs late to take the opener of the other AL matchup in Houston.
Facing an Astros’ bullpen game, the White Sox got going quickly. With a runner on third in the first, Munetaka Murakami hit a fly ball that was deep enough for Chicago’s Sam Antonacci to tag up and score. The next inning, Antonacci did it at the plate, hitting a bases loaded single to bring home two more runs. A Colson Montgomery homer in the fourth and a Chase Meidroth RBI single in the fifth had Chicago up big before Houston showed any resistance.
A two-run shot from Nelson Velázquez in the bottom of the fifth got the Astros on the board, but Chicago got one of those runs back a little while later. Houston countered with one in the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate, but couldn’t cash in as the ChiSox held on from there. Amusingly, the Astros have now lost eight consecutive playoff games in Houston since early on in the 2023 playoffs. If Chicago can win one more at Daikin Park either today or tomorrow, they’ll not only eliminate Houston but also secure their first playoff series victory since winning the 2005 World Series, over two decades ago. The Astros will have their best pitcher going for them in Hunter Brown, so we’ll see if that’s enough to keep their season alive.
NL Wild Card Series Game 1
Atlanta Braves 5, Philadelphia Phillies 3 (Atlanta leads 1-0)
Austin Riley’s go-ahead eighth inning home run stunned the Phillies to give the Braves the series opener.
The Phillies opened the scoring early when Alec Bohm doubled home a run in the top of the first. Atlanta then answered back with Mike Yastrzemski RBI single. The game remained tied for a while after that as both Chris Sale and Jesús Luzardo put in solid outings; Luzardo hadn’t necessarily been expected to even last five innings, as he was still relatively fresh off the IL and threw an inning of relief just to help the Phillies clinch a playof spot on Sunday. Things changed as both teams got to the bullpen, and there were some dramatic swings.
Atlanta took the lead for the first time in the sixth when Ozzie Albies hit an RBI triple thanks to some less-than-stellar fielding from Phillies’ center fielder Derek Hill. However, a Ronald Acuña Jr. misplay in the seventh allowed J.T. Realmuto to hit a triple of his own, scoring two runs to put Philly back in front.
Phillies’ manager Don Mattingly went for the kill shot by bringing on closer Jhoan Duran in the seventh. He got through that inning fine and came back out for the eighth, facing the heart of Atlanta’s order. He got two quick outs before Michael Harris II kept the inning alive with a softly-struck infield single. Duran hit Albies with a pitch after that, bringing Riley to the plate. Duran then left a fastball right in the middle of the zone, and Riley took full advantage, giving Atlanta a lead that Raisel Iglesias held on to in the ninth.
If the Braves win today, then they’ll advance to play the two-time defending champion Dodgers in the NLDS. If the Phillies can hold them off behind ace Cristopher Sánchez however, then Game 3 awaits on Thursday.
San Diego Padres 8, Chicago Cubs 0 (San Diego leads 1-0)
Michael King took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as the Padres’ offense crushed Cubs pitching in the late night game out west.
The Cubs’ story this season is that they have an excellent offense and poor pitching, ranking first and last in fWAR respectively. However in Game 1, only one of those things proved true. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado both hit first inning home runs against Matthew Boyd, getting San Diego off to the perfect start, from which they only added on to their lead.
Meanwhile, the Cubs offense couldn’t do much against King. The former Yankee didn’t allow a hit until Nico Hoerner singled with one out in the seventh. In total, King shut out Chicago over seven frames, allowing just the one hit and three walks, striking out eight.
In the ninth inning, Padres’ pitcher Joe Musgrove returned to the majors after a two-year absence while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He allowed a couple Cubs to reach base, but did end up throwing a scoreless inning.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Joe Musgrove #44 of the San Diego Padres reacts after striking out Michael Conforto #20 of the Chicago Cubs in ninth inning to end game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park on September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There are not many things that could steal the headlines from a Michael King seven-inning, one-hit performance in the postseason, but Fernando Tatis Jr. tried with a solo home run to leadoff the bottom of the first inning and a mad dash from first base in the bottom of the seventh inning where he stole second base and then came around to score when the ball kicked away and into left-center field. While both of these performances from the San Diego Padres’ 8-0 win over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park, it was the top of the ninth inning when Joe Musgrove made his long-awaited return to the Padres that seemed to draw the biggest cheer from the Friar Faithful in attendance.
The right-handed starter has not pitched in an MLB game since October 2, 2024 and he could not have had a better moment to return to the mound. Musgrove came in from the bullpen between the bottom of the eighth and the top of the ninth inning and the crowd reached a fever-pitch as he jogged toward the infield. The San Diego native was a surprise addition to the Wild Card roster for the Padres, but he looked as good as ever in his lone inning of work.
Musgrove struck out the the first batter he faced, Michael Busch, on three pitches and froze him with a curveball at the top of the zone to get the first out in the top of the ninth inning. Musgrove then allowed a single, a walk and a single to load the bases and it appeared as though San Diego would relinquish the shutout, but that was when Musgrove got a pep-talk from Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla and went to work. Musgrove got Pedro Ramirez to pop out on a 1-2 pitch to Jake Cronenworth for the second out of the inning. Musgrove then faced pinch-hitter Michael Conforto who was caught looking on a 2-2 pitch at the top of the zone to seal the win for the Padres and complete a scoreless inning of work in his MLB return.
King set the tone early in his outing with back-to-back strikeouts of Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman. King then got Busch to ground out to Ty France at first base and the inning was over after 11 pitches. The right-handed starter for the Padres never looked frazzled or overmatched against a Cubs offense that has the ability to score runs in bunches. King had a no-hitter through six innings and it was only broken up in the top of the seventh when Nico Hoerner hit a grounder behind third base that Manny Machado had to make sliding backhand stop and was unable to get the ball out of his glove cleanly to try to make the play at first. Hoerner has decent speed so even if Machado had made a clean transfer it would have been close. King got back-to-back strikeouts after the hit to complete his outing.
San Diego scored early and often in the game which allowed King to pitch without any pressure of surrendering runs. Tatis led off with a solo home run and Machado followed with a solo home run later in the inning to give the Padres a 2-0 lead after the first inning. Machado struck again in the bottom of the third inning when he hit an RBI-double into the right-center gap to score Tatis who walked earlier in the inning. San Diego added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Xander Bogaerts crushed a solo home run to make the score, 4-0. The Padres added three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-run single from Jackson Merrill and a passed ball which allowed another run to score to put the Padres up, 7-0.
The most exciting play of the night came in the bottom of the seventh inning. Tatis led off the inning with an infield single that Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson just stuck in his back pocket. Tatis then stole second base, but the throw to get him was short, it bounced and deflected off Tatis and into left-center field. With the play in front of him, at least for the first part, Tatis got back on his feet and sprinted for third. As he approached it was evident he was going to try to score and that was what he did, sliding headfirst into home plate without a tag to put San Diego well in front of Chicago at 8-0.
The Padres can win the series with a win over the Cubs tonight, but they will need another strong effort on the mound from Game 2 starter Nick Pivetta and another strong night at the plate where all of the big-name stars play a role in putting runs on the scoreboard. San Diego and Chicago will meet at 7:00 p.m.
The White Sox took Game 1 in Houston, but all the team could talk about after was their fans – or lack thereof, apparently.
The Astros heard the boo birds during their 6-3 loss at Dalkin Park, where the announced crowd was 34,011 — about 21 percent below a sellout for the playoff game.
Reliever Bennett Sousa called the fan base “definitely spoiled,” having made the ALCS seven times straight from 2017-23.
Astros players were irate about hearing the boo birds on Tuesday night. Getty Images
The Astros have the worst record of any playoff team (81-81) in MLB history, having snuck into the playoffs after winning the floundering AL West.
“As a team and as a staff, we know how we feel about our guys. And if that’s felt differently from the outside — that’s OK. We can live with that,” Sousa told reporters, per The Athletic. “But as a team, we know that we lay it on the line every day. We’ve been working our ass off. We’ve been playing hard. We got in the playoffs. We just really need the support of our fans.”
They employed a bullpen game to start this series and the boos began in the first two innings.
Those boos became increasingly louder by the seventh inning, drowning out any cheers that may have been coming while the Astros tried to rally.
AJ Blubaugh walked three of the first five batters he faced as the opener and one scored before Chicago added two more in the second to make Houston’s bullpen plans go up in flames.
For Sousa, he didn’t do a lot to inspire faith after entering a 5-2 game in the seventh inning and immediately allowing two base runners.
A Houston Astros fans that did attend Tuesday’s game were booing the home team. AP Photo/Kevin Ng
When Braden Montgomery stepped into the box with runners on second and third with out, Sousa threw two sliders to catcher Yanier Diaz, who couldn’t handle them, and one run scored on a wild pitch.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I was pretty pissed off in the dugout when I came in, about the boos,” Sousa said, according to The Atheltic. “This team has laid a lot on the line to be in this position to give the fans a playoff game — a playoff series. We want their support.”
Baseball is a results-oriented business and asking for cheers with that kind of performance is asking a lot.
Fans sit among empty seats during the second inning in Game 1 of baseball’s American League Wild Card Series between the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox. AP Photo/Karen Warren
Still, the stadium failing to sell 7,157 tickets — based on the announced crowd — is rather alarming.
“It’s extremely frustrating as a home player,” Astros first baseman Christian Walker said, per The Athletic. “We’re here, playing at home; we need cheers. We need energy. We don’t need boos. What purpose does that serve in that moment? Whatever fans are feeling, we’re feeling it tenfold. We’re the ones out there. We’re the ones in the fight. We worked our butts off this whole season to put ourselves in this spot, and for guys to get booed, it’s frustrating.”
Home fans did cheer for the team at different points of the game, but those were mostly few and far between.
Beloved star Jose Altuve earned cheers from the fans when he legged out an infield single in the eighth, and rookie pitcher Miguel Ullola received some positive feedback when he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second inning to keep the game 3-0.
Ace righty Hunter Brown will take the mound in Houston in an elimination Game 2 on Wednesday, though it is not currently a sellout according to the official team site, as there are hundreds of tickets still for sale in dozens of sections.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 29: Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley (27) hits a three-run home run during the Philadelphia Phillies versus the Atlanta Braves in game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on September 29th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
There’s no real answer here. Coverage of Game 2 will also start quite soon. Have at it if you want, or just wait around for actual game-related stuff.
I will say that even though it was super-awesome, Austin Riley’s three-run go-ahead blast didn’t actually register that high on cWPA. Even among the current Braves run from 2018-on, it was barely within the top 25 (23rd) in cWPA, worth about four percent of title likelihood. It wasn’t even that big of a deal for Riley, as he’s had seven bigger hits. His biggest was the single in Game 4 of the World Series that brought the Braves to within a run and put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but the Braves actually failed to score more there and needed the later back-to-back homers to pull ahead. Nor was it his biggest homer, as that goes to the tiebreaking shot in Game 1 of the 2020 NLCS.
But, this is about how you feel about Riley’s season — before yesterday’s eighth inning, and now.
