The Dodgers lost to the Milwaukee Brewers in the opening game of the National League Championship Series; falling behind two games could be a fatal blow. Delivering in high-stakes situations is one of the things that define Yamamoto's dominance.
Yamamoto, a 28-year-old righthander, started Game 2 of the 2025 NLCS against the Brewers. He pitched a complete-game, allowing one run on three hits with seven strikeouts in the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory. But what defined him took place in the 2025 World Series.
Against the Toronto Blue Jays, Yamamoto started two games and won both, allowing just two runs in 15 innings. Then he closed out Game 7, pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings as the Dodgers won 5-4 in 11 innings and Yamamoto won the World Series MVP.
This year, in his only postseason appearance, Yamamoto allowed one run in seven innings with 10 strikeouts in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.
Thanks to his exceptional pitching mechanics, Yamamoto is among the league’s best pitchers as defined by pitch location and control. During the 2026 regular season, his strikeout-to-walk rate was 4.33, 11th best in the majors.
Sturdy
Yamamoto is dependable.
During the 2026 regular season, Yamamoto shared the league lead with 22 quality starts – pitching at least six innings and allowing three earned runs or fewer. Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies also had 22 quality shares.
Repertoire
He'll keep hitters guessing with his wide selection of pitchers.
Yamamoto throws a filthy four-seam fastball up to 99 mph, averaging around 96 mph. He throws a nasty sinker at 95 mph. But his best pitch is a split-finger fastball that, at 91 mph, keeps batters baffled.
He can also drastically change speeds with a 77 mph curveball, along with a 95 mph sinker and an 87 mph slider.
The Atlanta Braves are not longer in contention but there is still some fun playoff baseball to watch as the Los Angeles Dodgers are the visiting team against the Milwaukee Brewers. We already saw an insanely good pitching matchup yesterday, but we get another one today with Yoshinobu Yamamoto taking on Logan Henderson.
Interestingly on paper in looks like the Dodgers have the advantage on paper, but some of the places people place their money do not agree.
More fun baseball is to follow as the Cleveland Guardians will be at the Tampa Bay Rays where Foster Griffin, in his first season back from Japan and after being traded mid-season, will be taking the mound against Drew Rasmussen. Rasmussen had a fantastic season with a 2.67 ERA over 172.0 innings pitched. Oddsmakers like the Rays in this matchup, but the Guardians are getting hot at the right time.
Follow along in the comments below, and don’t feel limited on just this subject. Want to talk about what the Braves should do in the offseason? Go for it. Will there even be a season next year? Who knows.
First pitch for the first game is at 4:00 EDT and can be seen on FOX. The second game will be at 7:00 EDT on TBS.
NEW YORK — Batters have been more successful on robot umpire challenges in the playoffs than during the regular season, and teams are utilizing the Automated Ball-Strike System more overall in its postseason debut.
Seventy-one of 121 overall challenges under ABS prevailed during the 25 games of the Wild Card Series and Division Series. The 59% success rate was up from 54% during the regular season. That includes an improvement for batters to 57% (29 of 51) from 49%.
It’s not that hitters are necessarily being more conservative, either. Teams are challenging more in the postseason overall, with 4.8 per game compared to 4.3 during the regular season. Batter challenges are up to 2.04 per game from 1.96.
Teams exhaust their challenges when they are unsuccessful twice in the game, so the more times they win appeals the more opportunities they can have.
Catchers had won 60% (42 of 70) of challenges, just above their 59% during the regular season. Pitchers were 1 for 1, with Tampa Bay’s Griffin Jax making the only challenge.
“Maybe a little more cautious,” Rays catcher Liam Hicks said. “It’s more just in the back of your head, you’re like, you want to save these for a meaningful situation.”
Among the four teams advancing to the League Championship Series, Cleveland won 7 of 13, Milwaukee 8 of 16, Tampa Bay 3 of 5 (with no tries by batters) and the Dodgers 2 of 6.
Atlanta had the most challenges, winning 14 of 22 over seven games and the White Sox 12 of 31.
Among batters, Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers and Atlanta’s Austin Riley won both their challenges.
Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox went 0 for 2 and the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. had the most challenges, splitting on four.
“It’s a new muscle for these guys to instinctually have, so I think if this is the route we go for the next few years guys will get more and more instinctually,” New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Some guys have been really good and really adept at it early on. Other guys have been more of a work in progress. Some guys have struggled with it.”
Braves catcher Sean Murphy was 4 for 4 and the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto won 5 of 6. Realmuto had the first game-ending ABS challenge in postseason history in Game 2 of Philadelphia’s Wild Card Series against Atlanta.
Kyle Teel of the White Sox had the most challenges, winning 8 of 12, and the Guardians’ Patrick Bailey was second, succeeding on just 4 of 10. The Brewers’ William Contreras won 4 of 9.
“Some of the first-inning challenges, 1-0 counts, it’s like, let’s let those go and save them for when we might need them later in the game,” Realmuto said. “With that being said, we have a lot of guys that know the strike zone really well.”
Just 17 challenges were defined by Statcast as in high-leverage situations, and eight of 17 were successful.
“You’ve got to be careful trying to script it or dictate the perfect situation for it. You don’t know what it’s going to lead to, even if it’s early,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “My message has always been, the lower the leverage, the more certainty you need to have and vice versa. But at the end of the day, trust your eyes.”
Among 25 umpires who worked the first two rounds, four had perfect rates and were confirmed on all challenges. Tripp Gibson, James Hoye, Nic Lentz and Gabe Morales all were challenged twice and confirmed twice.
Lance Barrett was overturned on 10 of 12 challenges during Milwaukee’s Game 2 Division Series victory over San Diego and Adam Beck on seven of 10 during Philadelphia’s Game 2 Wild Card Series win over Atlanta.
Roberto Ortiz was overturned on 6 of 9, Jansen Visconti and Todd Tichenor on 4 of 7, Shane Livensparger on 5 of 6, Cory Blaser and Chris Guccione on 4 of 5 and Alex MacKay on 4 of 6.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 03: Drew Rasmussen #57 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts during Game One of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
On the evening of October 5th, the White Sox were riding high. After enduring three consecutive 1oo-loss seasons, their revamped roster had won their first four playoff games, sweeping the Astros in the Wild Card round and taking the first two from their division rivals in Cleveland. With just one more win in the next three games against the Guardians, they’d be playing for the pennant for the first time since they won it all in 2005.
Alas, just a few days later, the White Sox are left to watch the rest of the playoffs from the sidelines, wondering how it all went so wrong, so fast. Such is the nature of October baseball. With the upstart Pale Hose and underachieving Yankees pushed aside, the ALCS will feature two teams with miniscule payrolls but remarkably consistent performance: the Guardians and the Rays. The two teams’ similarity of approach leads to an intriguing matchup that may well be decided at the margins as Cleveland targets its first championship since 1948 and Tampa Bay eyes its first in franchise history.
Let’s start with the team that will be painfully familiar to Yankees fans. A benefit of their sweep of New York is that the Rays will be able to line up their rotation on plenty of rest. That means Drew Rasmussen in Game 1. Rasmussen ate the Yankees’ lunch in the ALDS, no-hitting them for 7.2 innings and allowing just the botched Austin Wells extra-base knock across eight innings in one of the most dominant playoff performances in recent memory.
If they take a similar tack to what they did in the last round (and why wouldn’t they?) that would mean Freddy Peralta and Nick Martinez would follow. That trio of veteran starters headlined a staff that held New York to five runs in three games, with All-Star closer Bryan Baker earning all three saves while allowing just a single baserunner. Lefty Ian Seymour could be in the mix as well as the fourth starter, or potentially getting the ball instead of Martinez for Game 3 in Cleveland.
Tampa’s lineup is led by Yandy Díaz, Junior Caminero, and Jonathan Aranda. Aranda was the best of the bunch in the DS, hitting .333 with a homer. Díaz, who led the AL in hits, and Caminero, who just hit 40 home runs for the second straight year, loom large as well. The team’s position players also trade on their gloves, playing mostly clean baseball last round in contrast with the Yankees’ defensive unraveling. Their leader on that side of the ball of Taylor Walls, who brings almost nothing with the bat but led all of baseball with 3.0 dWAR at shortstop.
The Rays were 2nd in DRS (87) this year, and a big reason why was Taylor Walls. Among SS, his 21 DRS led the pack, and he was the 4th-best defender in MLB per DRS. Great pre-pitch movements, high IQ, & great range. He brings so much value to a team that prides itself on defense. pic.twitter.com/yIyb6LR4L9
Like the Rays with Rasmussen, the Guardians have a true ace of their own in Parker Messick. Messick exploded onto the scene in his first full season, pitching to a 2.56 ERA while punching out more than a batter per inning. Behind him is Gavin Williams, who led the league with 248 strikeouts and fanned 23 White Sox across two starts in the ALDS.
Just as vitally, Cleveland features one of the game’s most dominant closers, Cade Smith. Smith just recorded his second sub-2.oo ERA season in his three-year career while leading all of baseball with 41 saves.
The Guardians have less to hang their hat on offensively. While both they and the Rays were top-five in the AL in runs allowed, Tampa scored 58 more runs than Cleveland, a huge factor in their winning 13 more games. The Guardians, never an offensive juggernaut in recent years, was particularly hamstrung as their superstar, José Ramírez, had a massive down year. He played like a man reborn in the ALDS, though, posting a 1.187 OPS with two homers, a major factor in their ultimate victory.
Throughout the season, the team’s best hitter has been relative newcomer Chase DeLauter, who slashed a strong .287/.363/.457 in 133 games. Fellow rookie Travis Bazzana was named an All-Star at second base, posting a 110 OPS+ with 22 doubles and 15 homers in 517 trips to the plate. Elsewhere, there are notable holes; first baseman Kyle Manzardo took a step back in his second season and Cleveland struggled to find production at DH, with midseason acquisition Jo Adell settling into the role after Rhys Hoskins was unable to regain his previous form.
On paper, the edge goes to Tampa Bay in all three facets of the game. But underestimate Cleveland at your own peril. Since Terry Francona took over as skipper in 2013, the Guardians have made the playoffs in 9 of 14 seasons, including in each of Stephen Vogt’s three years at the helm. This is their second ALCS appearance under Vogt, and they could give Tampa Bay a bigger fight than they offered the Yankees in 2024. Both of these teams have a knack for overperforming expectations, making this a strength-on-strength matchup worth watching.
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 11: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers slides into home to score in the second inning during Game One of the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Sunday, October 11, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
We have two games today.
Dodgers @ Brewers at 3:00 5:00 Eastern. Stupid time zones.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (14-9, 2.53) vs. Logan Henderson (11-3, 2.47).
Go Brewers.
Last night’s game was great. Very enjoyable baseball, with the right team winning. I’m going to miss the start of this one but will see most of it.
Guardians @ Rays at 8:00 Eastern.
Foster Griffin (15-6, 3.60) vs Drew Rasmussen (18-5, 2.67).
SURPRISE, AZ - OCTOBER 04: Manager Ted Tom #9 of the Salt River Rafters looks on from the dugout prior to the game between the Salt River Rafters and the Surprise Saguaros at Surprise Stadium on Sunday, October 4, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
The Arizona Fall League is in full swing down here in Phoenix, but today we’re not here to discuss top prospects or future Mariners; rather, I’m interested in which coaches teams have opted to send in order to burnish their resumes and gain them experience with a diverse array of players from all different organizations. The Mariners are represented by long-tenured Mariner Jordan Cowan, acting as the hitting coach for the Javelinas, and pitching coach Dylan Gargas; look for stories on them later in the week.
Several big-league managers have experience helming an AFL crew: Kevin Cash, AJ Hinch, Torey Lovullo, Derek Shelton, and Warren Schaeffer have all managed AFL teams in the past. Generally there’s a bit of experience-building in between the two – Schaeffer managed the Salt River Rafters in 2022 before becoming interim manager of the Rockies in 2025 – but at the very least here are some names to put on your radar as the Mariners reassert their desire to look out of the organization for new voices on their coaching staff. (As such, I have left off Surprise’s manager, one-time Mariner and Sporcle remember-some-guys stumper Daniel Robertson.)
Billy Facteau (Bench coach, Peoria Javelinas)
Age: a literal infant
Current role: Development coach, Norfolk Tides (Orioles’ Triple-A team)
Relevant experience: 5+ years as development coach for the Orioles, played college baseball at Lynn University
Okay. OkAY. OKAY. I just need everyone to chill out and be cool for a moment and ignore the fact that Billy here looks like he came out of the beta version of the Orioles’ quirked-up-white-boy factory. And that his age starts with a 2. Remember we are scouting for the future here in addition to the current vacancies. And also, if you want a coach like this, someone who has been homegrown and nurtured in another organization, you’re going to have to dangle either more money or a bigger role (or both, ideally both) in front of them. It’d be too much to jump Facteau directly into a manager role – although he also has experience as a tech coordinator as an intern with the Orioles – but if the Mariners want to promote internally, I’d like to see an infusion of fresh perspective from outside the organization. As a former tech intern for the Orioles, he’s not only well-versed in tech like BlastMotion and Rapsodo but also how to translate that data to the players – including those who don’t speak English as a first language – and he has a special interest in coaching the outfield, a position in the Mariners system that’s maybe less robust than some other areas. A name to put on your radar.
Jeff Livesey (Hitting Coach, Surprise Saguaros)
Age: 60
Current role: Hitting coach, Reading Fightin’ Phils (Phillies’ AA team)
Relevant experience: Played professionally; 5+ years as MiLB hitting coach (WAS, PIT); two years as bench coach in NPB; one year as Marlins assistant hitting coach.
And now to the total opposite end of the spectrum. Livesey has the experience, but maybe not the fresh eyes the Mariners need. If you were a Kevin Seitzer fan, Livesey seems to have the same plainspoken approach to hitting, and the experience to back it up. Reading finished at the top of their division in the second half this season with the most runs scored in the Northeast division of the Eastern League.
“Sometimes with young hitters you get pitched tough, and guys get in-between pitches, and get kind of careful, We want to get to the point, we hunt our pitches. Good hitters hunt what they want to hit. When they get it, they take aggressive swings. That’s what we want to work towards. If they make two good pitches on us, we still have got something we can go to with two strikes. We can battle, and still be tough outs.”
Toby Nagel (Pitching Coach, Glendale Desert Dogs)
Age: ?
Current role: Pitching coach for the Blue Wahoos (Miami’s AA team)
Relevant experience: Driveline, Inspiration Academy
As you’d expect from someone who worked at Driveline, Nagel is a data-driven coach, but also adept at explaining that tech to players – you can see a ton of short videos he’s made explaining pitching tech and how to use it on TikTok. The Mariners are pretty rich in pitching coaches already but I wanted to throw Nagel onto this list just to get his name out there; his thoughts on command specifically make him a particular organizational fit (and make me dream about having him work with George Kirby).
Relevant quote:
🧵You're Thinking About Command the Wrong Way
You think it's just dotting corners. But command isn’t just about control. It’s targeting strategy, too.
Relevant experience: 5+ years of playing professionally, 5+ years of managing the ACL Brewers
Bonus points: bilingual (born in Mexico, played at UNM)
The ACL Brewers have been to the playoffs twice under Neda, winning the ACL championship in 2023. Neda is another one who is deeply engrained with the organization he played for professionally, but hasn’t progressed past the complex level yet – maybe because he’s young enough that searching his name still provides stories about his playing days. As a player, Neda was a super utility player who played all across the diamond – including catcher, so a true super-super utility player. As a collegiate at UNM he was named to the Johnny Bench Award watchlist, with his coach calling him the best catcher in the country for his work on and off the field.
Ted Tom (Manager, Salt River Rafters)
Age: ? Older than Billy Facteau, for sure.
Current role: manager of the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals High-A)
Relevant experience: 20+ years of coaching at the college level
Another one for those of you who value extensive experience, although Tom’s mostly comes at the college level. He has experience working with future big-leaguers at that level, though, such as Alex Freeland, now playing for the Dodgers; he also has a Mariners tie-in, having coached Dylan Moore during his time at UCF. At UCF, Tom mentored six all-conference selections, and after being promoted to hitting coach in 2019, helped the team reach the NCAA tournament.
Relevant quote:
There are lots because this man loves a podcast interview, which I love. I really enjoyed his thoughts on failure here and also “You need to fall in love with the monotony of every day” from this unfortunately very business-brained podcast.
Danny Worth (Manager, Peoria Javelinas)
Age: 41
Current role: infield coordinator with the Padres
Relevant experience: 8+ years of pro baseball plus a stint in the KBO; coached at Pepperdine before moving to MLB.
Worth is in his first year of MLB coaching, so he’s in the shallower end as far as MLB experience, but he has some of the most playing experience out of anyone on this list. He’s also got some college-to-big-league pipeline experience; he worked with current Tigers prospect John Peck at Pepperdine, helping him with his swing mechanics in addition to his infielding. At Pepperdine, Worth also mentored the 2018 WCC Player of the Year, Jordan Qsar, as well as five MLB Draft picks from the positions he coached.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 11: Joey Ortiz #3, Jake Bauers #9, Brice Turang #2 and Cooper Pratt #12 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field on October 11, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Milwaukee Brewers are looking to take a 2-0 series lead in an LCS for the first time in franchise history. They’ve had two chances in the LCS before (2011 and 2018) and they lost both of those games. Today is their chance to change that.
It’ll be a tough task with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brewers faced Yamamoto in Game 2 last year and he threw a complete game three-hitter while striking out seven. Yamamoto faced the Brewers twice this season. The first time was in May and Yamamoto threw 7 IP and allowed just one run. Then he faced the Crew again in August and went 6 IP, allowing just one run.
Yamamoto is as good as it gets, especially in the postseason. In the NLDS against the Braves, Yamamoto went 7 IP again, allowing just one run and striking out 10. Over 11 career postseason outings over the last three years, he has a 2.14 ERA.
On the other side, the Brewers will have Logan Henderson, the 24-year-old rookie who has yet to allow more than 3 ER in a single start in his career. Henderson was solid in Game 2 in the NLDS against the Padres, going 5 IP allowing just one earned run. He did have some shaky command, allowing three walks, but he kept the Brewers in the game.
“I don’t know what the secret sauce is, man, but he’s in the clubhouse now chopping it up with some of the guys like he doesn’t have one of the biggest starts of his life tonight. That, I think, reflects when he’s one the mound. You can just feel it,” Jake Bauers said on Henderson.
Pat Murphy is changing up his lineup a little bit again from Game 1. Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick are back in the lineup today to face the right-handed Yamamoto. David Hamilton is also in the lineup starting at third base.
The top four spots remain unchanged with Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, William Contreras and Jake Bauers getting things started. Yelich is the DH and batting fifth. Garrett Mitchell and Cooper Pratt are in their same spots of sixth and seventh. Frelick is batting eighth in right field and Hamilton bats ninth.
The Dodgers lineup also will have a few changes. Will Smith and Teoscar Hernández have flip-flopped in the No. 3 and 5 spots in the lineup. Also, Tommy Edman will be starting at second base and batting ninth in place of Kiké Hernández, who got the start last night. Still, the group of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani make up the No. 1, 2, and 4 spots in the lineup.
Milwaukee hasn’t gotten a ton of length from their starters this postseason, putting quite the toll on their bullpen. The multiple days of rest has helped, and an off day on Tuesday will help as well. But the more looks the Dodgers get on the Brewers top relievers, the more of a chance familiarity could breed success for the hitters.
“Sometimes there’s nothing else you can do. You have to give your team the best chance to win. Familiarity, as we know, as the numbers tell us, does provide an edge when you know them better. So, what we try to do is make sure they don’t face the same guys the next time they pitch if they’re the one-inning guys. Can’t always do that, but we try like hell. I do think it’s an advantage, but what were we to do last night differently?” Pat Murphy said.
The Brewers will be hoping for length, and perhaps a larger lead than they’ve enjoyed to this point in the postseason as every single inning has been within two runs so far for the Crew. But runs will be hard to come by against Yamamoto.
First pitch is at 4:08 p.m. CT on Fox and the Brewers Radio Network.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Brody Hopkins #88 of the Tampa Bay Rays throws a pitch during the sixth inning of the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The rosters are out for the American League Championship Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians.
The Rays look to keep the good times rolling after sweeping the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series as they’ve kept the group of 26 players mostly the same. In fact, the Rays only made one change and that was to add their top pitching prospect, Brody Hopkins, to the active roster and dropped LHP Garrett Cleavinger.
Brody Hopkins has the arsenal of a sure fire 100% first ballot Hall of Famer but the command of someone that could only enter Coopertown with a paid admission ticket. The 24-year former 6th round draft pick is still relatively new to being a full-time pitcher as he didn’t fully make the conversion until he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2023. The Rays acquired him a year later as part of the return for Randy Arozarena and quickly looked like they had pilfered another team in a deal as Hopkins quickly developed into one of the top starting pitching prospects in baseball.
However, his command issues quickly became apparent with a promotion to Triple-A to start off the 2026 season. There were times when Hopkins was absolutely unhittable on the mound, but the reasoning at times could either be due to his incredible pitch repertoire or his inability to throw within the zone. The Rays eventually tinkered with Hopkins mechanics and moved him from the starting rotation to try and see what they could do solve Hopkins command woes. While pitching in relief, Hopkins BB% did drop while he remained very effective so in late September, and the Rays decided to bring the talented flame thrower up to the big leagues in a trial run for the postseason.
The results were disastrous.
Hopkins did demonstrate just how ridiculous his aresnal is as FanGraphs rated his stuff as elite, albeit in a small sample size of 5 IP.
However, it doesn’t matter how jawdropping your fastball is when you can’t locate it. Over those 5.1 IP, Hopkins 6 of the 24 hitters he faced (25%) while also throwing 3 wild pitches. A bright spot is that Hopkins threw in the zone on 49% of his offerings, which is above league average.
Unlike the ALDS where the Rays only used 8 of their rostered 12 players, the ALCS will likely call for each arm that Kevin Cash has in his deck, meaning that Hopkins will make an appearance at some point.
But the odds will be stacked against them if the Dodgers lose Game 2 against the Brewers on Monday, Oct. 12, in Milwaukee.
Only six teams have fallen behind two games to none and still won a best-of-seven NL or AL championship series, according to MLB.com.
In fact, the Dodgers did it in 2020 against the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers then went on to win the World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Historically speaking, not even a 3-0 deficit is reason to surrender. In 2004, the Boston Red Sox lost the first three games to the New York Yankees before storming back to win the ALCS in seven games.
Also, if the Dodgers fall behind 2-0, they’ll be headed back to Los Angeles for potentially three games in front of their home crowd before the series shifts back to Milwaukee.
Potentially demoralizing
The Dodgers' meager output in a 2-1 loss to the Brewers in Game 1 underscored a problem.
In the postseason, Los Angeles has scored 15 runs, leaving them tied for sixth in run production. Who are they tied with? Milwaukee, it turns out.
But scoring a single run on a night Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski struggled with his command was demoralizing for the Dodgers.
Even more demoralizing would be losing Game 2 with star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto starting for the Dodgers.
He finished the regular season with an ERA of 2.53 – fifth best in the majors. In Game 3 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, Yamamoto allowed one run on four hits in seven innings, striking out 10.
Teams that came back from 0-2 in LCS
The six teams that won the league championship after falling behind two games to none:
2025 ALCS: Toronto over Seattle in seven games
2023 NLCS: Arizona over Philadelphia in seven games
2020 NLCS: Los Angeles over Atlanta in seven games
2004 ALCS: Boston over New York in seven games
1985 ALCS: Kansas City over Toronto in seven games
1985 NLCS: St. Louis over Los Angeles in six games
Brewers comeback
The league championships were decided by a best-of-five before 1985. And in 1982, the Brewers fell behind the California Angels 2-0 in the ALCS before winning the final three games and advancing to the World Series. The Brewers moved to the National League in 1998.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 11: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks at his bat prior to game one of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on October 11, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Once again, the Dodgers clash with the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. Both teams were rested with comparable levels of health, and the end result of Game 1 was a 2-1 decision. Except this year, we’re not discussing Blake Snell’s dominant Game 1 performance or how Blake Treinen miraculously didn’t blow the save.
If you saw the warts of the 2026 Dodgers this year, a lot of them were on display last night without belaboring the point. The kicker is that the plan to wear down Brewers’ ace Jacob Misiorowski largely worked, sans the knockout punch.
Last year, I was fairly confident about the Dodgers’ chances in the NLCS. I would not have predicted a sweep, but it’s fair to conclude that those who predicted a tight, contested series in 2025 were not paying attention.
This year the consensus in punditry seems to be that we are on a collision course to a Milwaukee/Tampa World Series. It’s a hipster’s choice to be sure, considering that in that pairing, someone will be winning a World Series for the first time.
The fact that such a pairing would be a clash of less-than-average league payrolls is something that the owners would be doing their level best to ignore loudly in their dogged pursuit of a hard salary cap, but collective bargaining discussions are for another day.
Once again, the Dodgers are the bad guys of the NLCS and are trying to avoid the fate of Apollo Creed in Rocky II.
Personally, I still think we’re due to relive 2020 with the Dodgers and Rays, sans everyone living in quarantine at Globe Life Field. Personally, both fields are rather underwhelming. It’ll just take six games to get there.
Although now that the ALCS is set, Tampa should win in a walk. But a Dodgers/Cleveland Guardians World Series would be nothing less than a diabolical baseball summary execution of the Guardians.
The sports’ tiniest payroll versus the Dodgers? Comedies have been achieved with more believable scripts. It’s like making David fight Goliath without the sling.
If last night felt like a must-win (as Game 1s go), it felt more like a necessity for Milwaukee to finally best the Dodgers in postseason play, especially given the state of both rotations. This observation is due to the multiple emails I have received from the Brewers about the “tone-setting win.”
I chuckled.
Now the onus is on the Dodgers in Game 2 to do something that they haven’t been asked to do much so far this year: prevent themselves from going behind the figurative eight-ball.
If Game 1’s starting pitching matchup was the truest form of a toss-up, one would expect the Dodgers to have a nominal edge for the next couple of games, starting in Game 2 with Yoshinobu Yamamoto set to square off with Logan Henderson.
This observation is provided the team provides at least three runs of support, which is not a given. A nominal guess at what the pitching matchups would look like for the rest of this series is listed below.
Game 3 (LA): Blake Snell vs. Robert Gasser
Game 4 (LA): Tyler Glasnow vs. Dustin May
Game 5, if necessary (LA): Misiorowski vs. Skubal
Game 6, if necessary (MKE): Yamamoto vs. Henderson
Game 7, if necessary (MKE): Snell/Johnny Wholestaff vs. May/Johnny Wholestaff
To prevail in a seven-game series, the Brewers are going to have to win four times in a series where Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are likely to pitch at least twice, which is a tall order on paper, to be sure.
Milwaukee is one quarter of the way there, and games aren’t played on paper. Also, two of the Dodgers’ aces (Snell and Glasnow) have played more like jacks so far this October. I dabble in poker, and the hand that often gets me in the most trouble is aces over jacks, because I frequently underestimate the strength of opposing players’ hands.
Considering I declined to travel to Milwaukee, in part because Bernie’s Slide is closed for the offseason, now is as good a time as any to dig a little deeper into a fleeting moment from the broadcast of Game 1.
This series was potentially decided on August 2
While it’s not ideal to be down 0-1, it’s borderline catastrophic to go down 0-2 in a best-of-seven series. Since the start of LCS play, teams that go up 2-0 have prevailed 79 out of 95 times. The last time a team was able to dig themselves out of an 0-2 hole was last year, when the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays dropped the first two games against the Seattle Mariners.
The Blue Jays clawed all the way back to clutch victory from the confused jaws of defeat by winning in seven games. The victory partly arose through clutch hitting and partly through managerial blunders from Seattle that really should have led to a pink slip then, rather than a year later after a wasted year.
If Los Angeles can snag home field from Milwaukee, it has one more opportunity today, and there’s probably no better pitcher on the mound to try to snare that outcome than Yamamoto.
Still, there was a hypothetical briefly alluded to in the broadcast by Joe Davis: what if the Brewers had ended up with Tarik Skubal instead of the Dodgers? Considering the Detroit Tigers wanted young pitching, let us presume that Logan Henderson went to Detroit instead of River Ryan from the Dodgers, and everything else (results, schedule, injuries, etc.) remained equal.
Under this scenario, odds are we’d have something like below:
Game 1 (MKE): Blake Snell vs. Tarik Skubal
Game 2 (MKE): Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Jacob Misiorowski
Game 3 (LA): Tyler Glasnow vs. Robert Gasser
Game 4 (LA): Justin Wrobleski vs. Dustin May
Game 5, if necessary (LA): Snell vs. Skubal
Game 6, if necessary (MKE): Yamamoto vs. Misiorowski
Game 7, if necessary (MKE): Glasnow/Johnny Wholestaff vs. May/Johnny Wholestaff
Yikes. It’s as the saying goes: it can always get worse.
Personally, I would have used Emmet Sheehan in Game 4, but he’s not on the roster, so I’m not going to cheat him in. If one were looking for a silver lining from last night, because moral victories are the refuge of lesser clubs, it’s that the worst-case scenario was likely averted on August 2.
What’s done is done, and Skubal landing in Los Angeles was supposed to maintain the clear gap between the two National League powers. Except that gap might no longer exist, not after the Brewers won every margin to take the opener of this National League Championship Series, 2-1.
“We didn’t necessarily expect a sweep,” Kiké Hernández said. “It’s gonna be a good series.”
The decisive blow? A taste of “Brewer Ball” — a walk, a bunt and a knock. The go-ahead single came from Luis Lara, one of the promising young players Milwaukee didn’t trade for Skubal. He hit a Skubal changeup back up the middle to make it 2-1 in the fifth.
“It’s kind of what we envisioned the series was going to be,” Freddie Freeman said.
Skubal landing in Los Angeles was to fill the gap left by Shohei Ohtani in the rotation due to injury. As it stands, Ohtani threw his most consequential innings in Houston and San Francisco in May. How badly do you think the front office wants a do-over with the benefit of hindsight?
It’s a moot point. Either these Dodgers find a way to play their way, or the second title defense ends in the next week, simple as that. Once again, Mr. Ardaya:
“[The Brewers are] a good baseball team; they do that type of stuff,” Skubal said.
This is what Milwaukee does. The Dodgers are still searching for their own formula.
“We should play Dodger baseball,” Betts said. “Whatever Dodger baseball is, that’s what we should do. We should not try to play Milwaukee Brewers baseball.” …
…The only way to stifle Milwaukee, Roberts said this week, is to play from ahead.
“How do you combat that?” Roberts said. “You try to get them to play from behind, to get them out of their game.”
The Dodgers led all but one inning of last year’s NLCS. They led for just two innings on Sunday.
[Emphasis added.]
As rallying cries go, I have heard better, much better. But the Dodgers can let their play do the talking starting this afternoon.
UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 08: Kade Snell #6 of the Mesa Solar Sox bats during the game between the Solar Sox and the River Rafters at Salt River Fields on Thursday, October 8, 2026 in Scottsdale, AZ United States. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
As mentioned in the Arizona Fall League update earlier today, we are fortunate that Kate Preusser, manager of our sister site for the Mariners Lookout Landing, was down in Arizona to do some interviews. She kindly offered to interview a Cubs prospect for us and this past weekend, she spoke with outfielder Kade Snell.
Snell was the Cubs’ fifth-round pick in 2025 out of Alabama and he spent all of this past season with High-A South Bend, which had a kind of magical season until they got a rude awakening in the first round of the playoffs. That happens. But Snell was a key player for South Bend all season, hitting .269/.350/.426 with nine home runs and 19 steals in 81 games for the Cubs. I should say “all season except for the seven weeks he lost to a wrist injury,” which Kate addresses in the interview.
I gave Kate several questions to ask and she picked a few of them to ask him. I think she did a terrific job and if you’re over at Lookout Landing, thank her.
For those of you who don’t want to listen, we have a transcript.
Kate:
About the Mariners, but I’m here doing some legwork for my friend who runs the Cubs site for SB Nation. So asking questions by proxy. So if they suck, they’re not my questions. Okay. So your wrist injury. What was the rehab process like? How frustrating was it, and what’d you learn from going through that? Yeah,
Kade Snell:
I’m actually I’m super glad that they kept me in South Bend for the most part. Because I mean we had a good team. We clinched. I was able to stay there for that and I was able to stay there with my boys and that meant the world to me. I didn’t want to, we were kind of on a roll and broke my wrist. And it is what it is but I was able I was glad I was able to stay
Kate:
Kind of a freak accident, right? It was like an outfield collision.
Kade Snell:
Yeah.
Kate:
Does that is that in the back of your mind sometimes when you’re out there, you just can’t let that affect how you play?
Kade Snell:
No. I’ve always played kind of like my hair’s on fire, and I can’t let that stuff creep in, or that’s just not who I am. And you know, good Lord’s blessed me with a with a good mentality, and I normally don’t think about stuff like that, whenever I come back.
Kate:
How much did it help the rehab process along to just be there with it instead of being sent back to Arizona? And you know, it can be such a grind.
Kade Snell:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it helped me out a ton, especially just being around the guys. And you know, Josiah [Hartshorn] came up that week. I broke my wrist, so I was able to kind of talk to him, kind of see how his brain works, and I was able to stay close with Kep [Kane Kepley], and then he ended up getting moved to Double A. But yeah, just staying close and being like a glue guy, still being in the clubhouse, not able to hit or do anything, but try and make a difference when you’re not on the field.
Kate:
Maybe it helped you work on that aspect of your game a little bit.
Kade Snell:
100% Yeah. I think you can always bring something to the table, and for me, in that moment, was just be a good teammate and go work my tail off, and I think I did that.
Kate:
You feel like it could help you develop some leadership skills?
Kade Snell:
For sure. Yeah, and just figuring out how guys work. You know, everybody’s a little different, and you have to talk to everybody a little different. But yeah, the fact that they kept me in South Bend kind of shows me what they think about me and what I meant to that clubhouse. And man, I don’t take that stuff for granted.
Kate:
What have you enjoyed so far about being here in Fall League?
Kade Snell:
A lot of good players, a lot of good arms, a lot of good players. Like I said, picking their brain. I mean, we got studs all all across this team and just sharing a locker room with them. I think it’s the best.
Kate:
Now that you’re able to be back, like, what have you realized about maybe the gift of kind of having baseball taken away for a while?
Kade Snell:
Yeah, I mean for sure. I try not to take it for granted being out there, and you know God always works in weird ways. And if it took Him pulling me off the field to appreciate the game more, I think it did. And yeah, I don’t take it for granted at all anytime I’m out there.
Kate:
Has it changed at all? Like what you’re proudest of as far as like what you take pride in in your game? ,
Kade Snell:
Yeah, them seeing me as a good teammate, I think that that kind of helped me out a ton. Just because, like I said before, there’s always way to impact the game, whether you’re on the field or off the field. You can always be doing something for your boys, and I think that meant a lot to me personally that they wanted to keep me there. And man, I’m so thankful that they did.
Kate:
Does it kind of round you off off the field as well as on the field. What do you most want Cubs fans to know about you?
Kade Snell:
I have a firm faith in Jesus Christ, and I like. I need people to see that when I play, and also I’m a fierce competitor, and I love to go out there. And like I said before, I love to play like my head’s on fire, and yeah, I work my tail off.
Kate:
Great, thanks so much. Thank you for talking.
So again, thank you to Kate Preusser for doing this. I fed her some questions and she picked the ones she liked and changed them and put them in her own words. She did a great job.
This interview just reaffirms what I’ve already thought about Snell. He’s an older prospect with skills that are solid but don’t jump out at you. But he’s also what we call a “baseball rat” who eats, drinks and sleeps the game and those guys often seem to find a way to get the most of what they have. No one is going to beat Snell because they outworked him. In any game I watched Snell play this past year in South Bend he was never not hustling, and he was always trying to be better. His walk-off home run in September was one of the highlights of the year for me.
Snell is also a player who takes as much pride being a good teammate as he does in being a great player. He has a chance to be a solid major leaguer but even if he falls short of that, he’s likely to make other players around him better. That type of mentality is good for everyone in the organization.
DENVER, CO - JUNE 10: Sterlin Thompson #30 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates with teammates after the Colorado Rockies defeated the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
No. 45, Sterlin Thompson (-0.3 rWAR)
2026 was simultaneously a breakout season and a disappointing one for Sterlin Thompson.
The 2022 31st overall draft pick had spent the previous three seasons slowly working his way up through the minor leagues one level at a time. In 2025 he spent the entire season at Triple-A Albuquerque where he hit well (118 wRC+) but not so well that he earned a call up the Major Leagues given his defensive limitations.
This season, Thompson put up the best numbers of his professional career in 92 games at Triple-A… but failed to have those results translate in a month long stay on the Major League roster.
Early season dominance
Thompson started off the year absolutely raking in his return to Triple-A. By mid-May, he had hit .344/.491/.496 with four home runs and eight stolen bases in 38 games for the Isotopes.
Thompson made sure the front office could not ignore his performance in the early goings of 2026.
Through his first 38 games both Thompson’s walk rate and strikeout rate had improved from where they had been the year prior. His walk rate in particular had jumped from 10% in 2025 all the way up to 18% in the first couple months of 2026. Thompson’s plate discipline had gone from solid to elite and it elevated his entire offensive profile.
On May 15, Thompson made his Major League debut as a pinch-hitter against Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kelly induced a one-pitch groundout to first in what would be indicative of Thompson’s short first stint with the Rockies big league club.
Four days after his debut, Thompson would be temporarily sent back down to the minors when Tyler Freeman returned from the paternity list.
The Rockies announced today that INF/OF Tyler Freeman has been reinstated from the paternity/restricted list and OF Sterlin Thompson has been optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.
— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) May 19, 2026
That demotion was only a temporary setback, however, as he was clearly at the top of the minor league depth chart for the front office. Three days after being optioned to Triple-A, Thompson was once again called up to the Rockies after an injury to Mickey Moniak opened up a roster spot.
Thompson’s second stint in the Major Leagues lasted a full month and allowed him an extended chance to settle into life as a big leaguer.
Having spent the early part of his minor league career being tried out at all of second base, third base, and the outfield corners it was an open question whether Thompson would be able to find a position where his glove would not be a liability. He managed to hold his own in the field with the Rockies and recorded only -1 Out Above Average in 86 innings split between left and right field.
At the plate, however, Thompson struggled to make an impact against big league pitching.
In total, Thompson hit for a .232/.312/.377 slash line in 27 games for the Rockies. Most concerning was that the plate discipline which had gotten him the call-up seemed to evaporate as soon as he arrived in the Majors. His 18% Triple-A walk rate fell to just 6.5% for the Major League club, and his strikeout rate jumped up to 27.3%.
Under the hood, however, it wasn’t hopeless for Thompson’s bat. His power numbers ticked upwards in June with a great 50% hard-hit rate on the month, which translated to a slugging percentage that spiked from .185 in May up to .500 in June.
Ultimately, Thompson was not able to fully capitalize on that power due to a 52% ground ball rate paired with just a 16% line drive rate. Essentially, when Thompson was making contact, he was hitting it hard but on the ground.
For some players, a return to the minor leagues can discourage and demotivate them. Thompson, however, picked up right where he left off with the Isotopes. Thompson’s OPS climbed in each of the final three months of the season at Triple-A from .912 in July all the way up to 1.194 in September.
It would be easy to write off 2026 as proof that Thompson has been surpassed on the Rockies outfield depth chart. Players like Cole Carrigg and Zac Veen managed to make a larger splash and then stick with the Major League team longer than he did.
Thompson has, however, done enough at the Triple-A level to remain firmly in the Rockies’ crowded outfield conversation heading into 2027. Going into spring training, he will simply need to prove that he can elevate the ball and maintain, against Major League pitching, the plate discipline strides he showed off in Triple-A all season.
If he’s able to do those two things, he would force his way back onto the Major League roster, at least in a depth or platoon role, next season. If he isn’t, however, the future will be very uncertain for him as he already has nothing left to prove at Triple-A.
On this week’s episode, the guys are all back together! The return of Scott Plaza (again), and the guys were joined by special guest AJ Stone. AJ writes for Just Baseball Media and Redbird Rants. He is also a current University of Missouri student and is pursuing a career in journalism.
We will have some VERY interesting guests coming up throughout the remainder of the month of October! Be sure to keep an eye out for the podcast episodes; we have a front office member, a fan-favorite media personality, and ANOTHER Cardinals minor leaguer (an award winner, no less!) We are also searching for Podcast sponsorships. If you or someone you know owns a business, big or small, and wants to advertise with the show, we’d love to have a conversation to see what we can work out!
00:00 Introduction to Viva El Birdos Podcast 00:12 Meet the Hosts: Jake, Gabe, and Scott 00:23 Introduction and Guest Introduction 02:13 Value of Offense vs. Defense in Baseball 04:25 The Importance of Well-Rounded Players 06:48 Team Identity and Player Roles 09:27 Assessing Player Performance and Potential 15:18 Chase Hampton Acquisition and Its Implications 18:47 Depth in the Minor Leagues 22:06 Analysis of the Lars Nootbaar Trade 26:00 Building a Competitive Bullpen 28:19 Identifying Missing Ingredients for Contention 33:12 Future Steps for the Cardinals 34:56 The Rays’ Unique Approach to Player Development 37:40 Cardinals’ Future Strategy and Identity 39:42 Center Field Options for the Cardinals 44:51 Balancing Internal Development with External Acquisitions 52:32 Lineup Optimization and Player Roles
YouTube:
Spotify:
No Transcript this week. There should be one available for our next episode when we meet with our front office member!
MILWAUKEE –– Pressed on Monday morning about his glaring 1-for-19 slump at the plate to begin this year’s playoffs, Dodgers catcher Will Smith did his best to downplay the narrative.
“It’s been five games,” the three-time All-Star said. “Obviously, want the results to be a little better. But at the end of the day, it’s five games at the plate. No panic from me.”
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith strikes out during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Cumberland, Georgia, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The same can’t be said of the Dodgers’ fan base, where frustrations once focused on Shohei Ohtani’s injury-hampered form suddenly shifted to Smith’s even more dire struggles during a Game 1 loss in the National League Championship Series on Sunday, in which he went 0-for-3 and hit into a first-inning double-play.
Evidently, Smith’s slump has raised concerns among the team’s decision-makers, as well, as he was dropped from the No. 3 to No. 5 spot in the batting order for Game 2 on Monday.
“He’s not swinging the bat well,” manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Sunday night.
“Just [have to] do what I do, continue to work, try to grind it out in the cage, and figure it out,” Smith added.
Only, Smith insisted he doesn’t feel as bad as his numbers indicate –– even though he has the second-lowest average (.053) of all hitters with at least 10 at-bats this postseason.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) pops out to first at the bottom of the first inning during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Friday, April 10, 2026. Carlin Stiehl for CA Post
He believes he has been “just barely missing some pitches” and played the “pitchers are making good pitches to me” card while explaining his cold spell.
“I still feel good up there,” he said. “Swinging at the right pitches, taking good pitches.”
All three of the balls he put in play were hit 95 mph or harder; a threshold he had only eclipsed once during the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves. He didn’t strike out, snapping a previous three-game streak with multiple punchouts (seven total). His last time up, he even drew a walk, earning his first free pass of October.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Will Smith hits into a double play against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. Getty Images
“I feel like I’ve earned everyone’s trust here,” Smith said when asked about his place in the order. “It’s the postseason. It’s five games, so it’s a little more elevated. I really don’t think there’s much to it.”
Dodgers pitchers have praised Smith’s defensive work behind the dish, where he has shepherded the team’s staff to a 2.05 ERA in the playoffs.
“I don’t even know how he’s performing offensively, to be honest,” Game 1 starter Tarik Skubal said. “That’s not where my focus is with Will. My focus is what he’s doing behind the dish. He’s very important to calling games.”
Still, the Dodgers will need to his Smith’s bat going.
He was one of their most consistent producers in last year’s playoffs, collecting at least one hit in 12 of his 15 games (he batted .276 overall) while belting two home runs in the World Series (including, memorably, a go-ahead blast in extra innings of Game 7).
Right now, they will need that version of him again, especially against a Brewers pitching staff that limited the Dodgers to one run in Game 1 while stranding nine runners on base.
“I think it’s more so just the game of baseball,” Smith said of his sudden struggles. “There’s highs. There’s lows. When you’re not performing the way you want to, just continue to work, continue to try to get out of it quicker, and not stay hitting poorly.”
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 10: Cleveland Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) celebrate following the Major League Baseball American League Division Series Game 5 between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians on October 10, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
As Guardians fans, we invest a lot into this team and the team has rewarded those who have kept the faith this season.
In 2025, through 100 games, the Guardians were 50-50. They were busy trying to undo a 15.5 game lead the Tigers had managed at one point. And, of course, we all know they did it. The biggest comeback in MLB history was accomplished on the last game of the regular season, winning the Guardians the AL Central and a playoff berth.
Cleveland then lost a three-game series to Detroit, undoing some of the goodwill they’d managed to acquire in their comeback. Yet, they still had the experience to fall back on… this is the kind of manager and team that finish strong and can overcome immense odds. Fans could reasonably hope that the relentless and resilient mindset established last season would continue in future difficult circumstances.
The 2026 team didn’t make this easy. The difference for me, come 100 games and a 51-49 record, was that I had little doubt the Guardians would make the playoffs but had seen nothing to make me think they would be able to complete another comeback to take a 5.5 game lead from the White Sox. Additionally, I was firmly on team “Get a new hitting coach from another successful organization.”
I believed in common punching bags like Stephen Vogt as a strategist, Hunter Gaddis, Matt Festa, Foster Griffin, Brayan Rocchio and Travis Bazzana. I defended the organization for signing Rhys Hoskins and acquiring Craig Yoho, Jo Adell, Nathaniel Lowe and Griffin as they kept aggressively promoting prospects and giving them a run at improving the team. I never wavered that given time Jose would recover hand/wrist strength and be his old self again and it was worth keeping him in the top of the order and on the field if he felt he was healthy enough to manage it (I wrote a piece saying he should feel frew to take an IL stint in August if he felt it would help). I even reluctantly understood not promoting Ralphy Velazquez and riding with their guys. But, it turns out even that level of faith was not enough for this memorable Guardians team.
They somehow managed to do just enough to secure the AL.Central from the upstart White Sox, Pope Superfan and all, on the second-to-last day of the season. This time, they secured the second seed in the AL and a first-round bye. And, obviously, they overcame a 0-2 hole from losing two home games to come back and win the ALDS from the White Sox. Since 2005, Chicago has been my second-least favorite team aside from the Yankees. Their fans are seemingly universally obnoxious on social media and maybe it’s their Yankee pinstripes that make me just despise playing them. The only way this playoff run would be a disappointment to me is if the Guardians had again besmirched an amazing comeback with a loss to a division rival in the playoffs.
Instead, here we are… in the ALCS. Jose Ramirez put up a 211 wRC+ against the White Sox in a playoff performances that will be a highlight in his Hall of Fame montage. Gavin Williams was absolutely nails to end game four and to start game 5. Cade Smith was a force of automation unknown to man. There were heroes up and down the roster who redeemed their poor home start with a win at Progressive Field that sold-out crowd and fans at home will remember the rest of their lives.
Do I still wish ownership would have gone nuts and signed Pete Alonso? Yes. Do I think it would have been reasonable to sign another more high leverage proven arm to accompany Shawn Armstrong? Of course. But, give credit where credit is due. This organization has made the smart decisions to get back to a doorstep away from the World Series. They deserve our faith and loyalty.
That’s a good feeling to be able to say that. It doesn’t feel like there are many public entities left who deserve our faith. It certainly doesn’t mean that the Dolans, Antonetti, Chernoff and co. aren’t capable and guilty of big mistakes (see: Junior Caminero statting tonight for the Rays). But, overall, they have 100% proved they have the ability to do, consistently, the hardest thing in professional sports- field a competitive baseball team annually in a small market. I am so happy I root for an organization like that and I am going to remember that when I feel compelled to offer criticism in the future.
I am very glad life allows me to write about the baseball team I love. It’s a privilege to oversee this community. But, it is important before we embark on this next part of the 2026 baseball journey to pause for a second and remember how fortunate I am to root for the Cleveland Guardians. We can acknowledge that we have a nearly 80-year title drought that we can justly wish ownership to show more urgency to end while also acknowledging that the entire baseball ops group has done everything in their power to give these guys a chance to do what the 1995, 1997 and 2016 teams BARELY missed the chance to do.
Now, bring back GuardsFest and don’t make us lose games during the lockout and promote Ralphy for Opening Day and sign Ty France and extend Steven Kwan and… Ope, my bad, I know you guys know what you’re doing (on the field – GuardsFest canceled and the lockout are undoubtedly stupid) and I hope you know my wishes and suggestions come from a place of trying to guess how you’ll do the magic of playoff baseball again in 2027. Thanks, Guardians! You are the best. Now, whaddya got for us next?
