Category: Baseball

Coby Mayo's three-run inside-the-park home run in the top of the 11th inning did in the Mets after Pete Alonso hit a game-tying home run off Kodai Senga in the ninth as New York fell 7-5 to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

Jonathan Pintaro got a pop-out to left, but walked a man to put runners on first and second for Alonso, but the Mets’ righty got the slugger swinging on a 96 mph heater off the outside corner for the second out. And after getting ahead of Mayo 0-2, he left a cutter over the plate and the O's DH clocked a ball deep to center that A.J. Ewing had a beat on it, but couldn't come up with the ball just off the heel of his glove. It would have been a sensational grab, and instead it went for a 410-foot homer that never left the ballpark. 

New York, which managed just one run in response in the home half of the 11th, had many chances, but went 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base. Baltimore managed it with four home runs to overcome 17 strikeouts and went 2-for-9 with RISP.

Here are the takeaways...

- Senga, after throwing 24 pitches on Monday night, was called upon to get the save in the ninth, protecting a one-run lead. And after getting pinch-hitter Dylan Beavers to pop up in foul ground fell behind Alonso 2-0. And the ex-Met slugger, who was 0-for-3 to that point with a strikeout, got a hanging Senga forkball and smashed it 414 feet off the face of the second deck in left (109.6 mph off the bat) for the game-tying solo homer, his 300th of his career.

Alonso knew it was gone as soon as he hit it and tossed his bat emphatically toward the home dugout. And after loud chants of his name, which had been the case all night from the home crowd, Alonso came out of the visitors’ dugout for a curtain call. Alonso finished the night 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.

Senga would get the next two batters swinging, but the damage was done. 

- Daniel Duarte got the 10th and had some tough luck. A Gunnar Henderson bloop to center put runners on the corners. And on a ball in the dirt off Francisco Alvarez’s chest, Christian Encarnacion-Strand darted home. It could have been worse as Alvarez's throw went awry, but Jared Young smartly backed up the play to keep Henderson at second. And that might not have mattered as Duarte got back-to-back strikeouts and a comebacker to keep the deficit at one run after the wild pitch.

- With one out in the bottom of the 10th, Marcus Semien yanked the first pitch he saw over the third-base bag and scored the tying run with a double. After an intentional walk, Christopher Morel, who was 0-for-2 after entering as a pinch-hitter, bounced into a force to put the go-ahead run at third, but Alvarez struck out looking at a sinker over the plate. Alvarez finished 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and left four men on base.

- The Mets jumped on Orioles starter Shane Baz right away as Juan Soto ripped a single up the middle, Bo Bichette followed with one served through the right side, and Benge worked a walk to load the bases with one down in the first. 

But they managed just one run, as Young smashed the first pitch he saw to deep center for a sac fly and Marcus Semien flew out to right to strand runners on the corners. 

- Ewing just missed an extra-base hit foul down the left field corner to start the second, but then laid down a beautiful bunt single. (His first hit on a bunt in the big leagues.) Brett Baty followed with a single to center, and the Mets had something cooking again.

But they only managed a single run to level the score, as Soto got a spinning cutter up in the zone and drove it into center for a two-strike, two-out single. The Mets opened the game 1-for-5 with RISP, with four left on base. That came back to haunt them.

- Benge wasted no time in the third, socking the first pitch for a solo homer to right (368 feet, 101.8 mph off the bat). He now has 18 homers and 58 RBI during his debut campaign. Benge had a chance to win it in the ninth with two in scoring position and two down, but a broken-bat liner to short sent the game to extra innings. He came up representing the tying run with two down in the 11th, but flied out to the deep part of center to end it, finishing 1-for-5 with the homer, one walk, and two strikeouts.

- Bichette knocked Baz out of the game with a 105.1 mph liner off his pitching elbow to leadoff the home half of the fifth. The ball hit the elbow and landed in the left-field grass for his second hit of the night. But lefty Grant Wolfram picked Bichette off first before he threw a pitch, as he broke for second on first movement.

Bichette had the chance to be the hero with two runners on first and second and one out in the ninth, but bounced into a would-be 5-4-3 double play. However, Encarnacion-Strand inexplicably went for a tag, didn't throw to second, and got only the out at first.

Bichette dropped a two-strike, two-out RBI single in the 11th to finish 3-for-6 on the night.

- Sean Manaea needed 10 pitches to get the Birds 1-2-3 in the first with a strikeout. The lefty gave the lead he got in the first right back as he left two fastballs right down the plate first to Encarnacion-Strand for a solo shot to left, and then Jeremiah Jackson clobbered one 416 feet deep to left-center.

Manaea settled in after that, getting the O’s in order in the third, with Alonso making a bid for an opposite-field homer but managing just the warning track in right. And despite allowing leadoff hits in the fourth and fifth, he sustained no damage and suffered no bother grabbing his fifth and sixth strikeouts of the night in the process. 

Manaea got the first out of the fifth, and interim manager Andy Green made the call to the bullpen. His final line: 5.1 innings, two runs, four hits, no walks, and six strikeouts on 67 pitches (48 strikes), dropping his ERA to 4.74 on the year.

 - Ewing added a single into center in the eighth to finish 2-for-4 with an intentional walk and a strikeout looking to strand a pair in the fifth. 

- Francisco Lindor popped up to third in foul territory and on the infield with two men on in his first two at-bats. He was hitless in four trips to the plate with a walk before he cracked a one-out double to the gap in right-center in the ninth. He finished 1-for-5 with a walk and is still looking for his 300th homer.

- Soto finished 2-for-5 with a strikeout and an intentional walk in the ninth.

- Young smacked a double off the wall in right with two down in the fifth. He finished 1-for-4 with an RBI and was robbed of a hit in the 10th by a great diving play by Alonso at first. 

- Semien finished 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. He reached on an error in the eighth and was thrown out at third on Ewing's single after the Orioles challenged the safe call. It was a bang-bang play, and the Mets were unlucky that the call didn't stand.

- Baty went 1-for-2 before being pinch-hit for Morel.

- Austin Warren was the first man out of the ‘pen got three outs, including getting Alonso looking at three straight pitches. (The third was several inches below the zone, but the ex-Met didn’t challenge.)

Nate Lavender entered and got the final two outs of the seventh with a strikeout looking and one swinging. He added another two strikeouts in a clean eighth, needing just 23 pitches (15 strikes) for five outs.

- Several of the players were wearing No. 21 as part of Roberto Clemente Day celebrations around baseball, including Lindor, Bichette, Soto, Semien, and Alonso.

Highlights

Jared Young opens the scoring with a sac fly to bring home Juan Soto pic.twitter.com/zb76zMuTtu

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 15, 2026

Juan Soto gets the game back level with an 2-out RBI single pic.twitter.com/RZhQ8dMcSA

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 15, 2026

A solo shot for Carson Benge gives the Mets the lead! pic.twitter.com/KsGNenEG1M

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 15, 2026

Nate Lavender strikes out 4 of the 5 batters he faces! pic.twitter.com/1uSzB6GFFK

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 16, 2026

What's next

The two foes conclude their rematch of the 1969 World Series on Wednesday night, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m.

Robert Stock (5.93 ERA, 1.747 WHIP in 30.1 innings) will get the start from the home side against ex-Met Chris Bassitt (4.88 ERA, 1.594 WHIP in 90.1 innings) going for the visitors.

Josue De Paula made his first start as the Los Angeles Dodgers' leadoff hitter on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

He went 0-for-5 at the plate in the Dodgers' 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

The 21-year-old designated hitter jumped up into the leadoff spot in place of Tommy Edman, who was originally in the role after Shohei Ohtani's injury woes.

De Paula added to the Dodgers' offense in a game against the Miami Marlins, hitting a three-run home run for his first career homer on Sept. 13. 

The 21-year-old De Paula made his major-league debut for the team at LoanDepot Park on Friday, Sept. 11, becoming the youngest Dodgers player since Alex Verdugo on Sept. 2, 2017.

De Paula has been viewed as the organization's top prospect and recently became the first Dodgers position player called up from AA, while skipping AAA, since Steve Sax in 1981.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How did Josue De Paula do for Dodgers vs. Reds on Sept. 15?

Wednesday’s Braves game at Wrigley Field was following a similar script to Tuesday’s 7-3 loss to the Cubs.

Until Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin changed the ending.

The trio of Braves each delivered a two-run homer in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings, respectively, to overcome a stagnant start and lift Atlanta to a 6-3 win over Chicago, leveling the three-game series at a game apiece.

The win, paired with the Phillies’ loss at Washington, dropped the Braves’ NL East magic number to five. Atlanta’s magic number to clinch a postseason berth is down to three, and can go down to two should Miami beat the Diamondbacks late Tuesday night.

The Braves could not touch Cubs starter Kevin Gausman in the early innings. After Matt Olson’s two-out, first-inning single, the next 10 Atlanta batters were retired in order.

The Braves then couldn’t do anything with Mauricio Dubón’s leadoff single in the fifth. But they finally broke through in the sixth against Gausman when Acuña followed Baldwin’s single with a two-run shot to left.

It was Acuña’s 18th homer of the season, 10 of which have come since Aug. 1.

Gausman then allowed a double to Brewer Hicklen and couldn’t finish the sixth inning.

Atlanta then took the lead against another old friend in Cubs right-hander Jacob Webb (6-5). Austin Riley worked a leadoff walk and, one out later, Albies cranked a homer well into the right-center bleachers to put the Braves ahead 4-3.

It was Albies’ 22nd homer of the year but just his second since Aug. 11.

Baldwin came through with some insurance for good measure, lasering his 24th homer of the season off Edward Cabrera with two outs in the ninth to make it 6-3.

The bullpen did its job exceptionally well after the comeback, as Didier Fuentes delivered two perfect innings of relief to record his 17th hold and Raisel Iglesias followed with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 33rd save, including nine straight without a blown save.

The comeback was perfectly timed to deliver Martín Pérez (9-9) his 100th career major league win in his sixth attempt to reach the milestone.

It wasn’t Pérez’s sharpest outing of the season. But as he so often does, he grinded it out to keep the Braves in the game and give the bats a chance to awaken.

Pérez worked around a pair of two-out walks in a scoreless first but couldn’t get through the second unscathed when he allowed the first three batters to reach on a pair of singles sandwiched around a walk. But the left-hander did well to limit the damage to one run, with a defensive assist from Albies and Baldwin who combined on an out at the plate.

He didn’t have the same luck in the fourth, hindered by an error from Dubón at shortstop which allowed two runs (one earned) to score.

But Pérez again did well to limit the damage, getting out of the inning with just a 3-0 deficit. That was a notable difference from Tuesday night’s 7-0 deficit that Atlanta was unable to pull out of.

Pérez finished his six-inning outing by retiring seven of the final eight batters he faced, surrendering three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks, striking out two.

He notably ended his outing by retiring NL MVP frontrunner Pete Crow-Armstrong for the fourth time in as many times against him. Iglesias got Crow-Armstrong to fly out to right to finish off his 0-for-5 night and close out the victory.

The rubber match is set for Wednesday night in Chicago, before the Braves head to Houston for a weekend series.

For the fourth straight season, the Milwaukee Brewers are NL Central champions.

They didn't even have to be on the field for the last out of the clincher. Milwaukee finished off a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park hours before the Chicago Cubs lost to Atlanta and the division was over.

How the Brewers clinched

Jacob Misiorowski improved to 15-5 with a 1.89 ERA. Milwaukee got the scoring started when Luis Lara's sacrifice fly brought home Jake Bauers in the second, then added on in the sixth when Lara doubled home William Contreras, who'd doubled the at-bat before. Brandon Lowe's solo homer in the eighth was the only run Pittsburgh got all night.

Chicago handled the rest on its own. The Cubs led 3-0 through four at Wrigley before Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin went deep for Atlanta's 6-3 win.

How the Brewers got here

This team's identity hasn't changed all year. Misiorowski is leading baseball in strikeouts, the lineup runs through Jackson Chourio and Contreras, and Milwaukee is on pace to blow past its own single-season record of 97 wins, set just last year. Pat Murphy is chasing something no manager ever has, a third straight NL Manager of the Year award.

WIN. OUR. WAY. pic.twitter.com/7kUmqaCwt0

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 16, 2026

What's next for the Brewers?

Milwaukee was already the first NL team into the playoffs. The division was just a formality. What's left to play for is seeding, namely the No. 1 overall spot in the National League and the bye that goes with it.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Milwaukee Brewers capture NL Central title for the fourth straight season

Max Fried had his longest outing since April, and the Yankees offense did the rest as they defeated the Twins, 8-1, on Tuesday night.

With the Rays' win earlier in the evening, the Yankees remain 3.5 games behind Tampa in the AL East standings.

Here are the takeaways...

-Cody Bellinger continued his recent hot streak, smashing a two-run shot two batters into the game after Ben Rice singled to lead off. The left-handed outfielder has now hit three home runs in his last five games. 

-Fried had a strong bounceback start after going just 3.1 innings against the Rockies a week ago. The Yankees southpaw went seven innings, allowing one run on six hits and striking out six. It's his longest outing since April 22. The only run against Fried came in the second after Royce Lewis beat out a throw by George Lombard Jr. The Yankees rookie took his time in the hole to try and throw out Lewis, but the Twins infielder was called safe and eventually scored on a single with two outs. 

-Lombard would get that run back in the third with a single that scored Heliot Ramos. Lombard finished 2-for-4, his first multi-hit game since Aug. 23 (16 games). But the Yankees would break the game open in the sixth. Ramos doubled home Rice and, two batters later, Spencer Jones smashed a three-run shot to give New York a 7-1 lead. 

-Anthony Volpe, starting at second, went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and a stolen base. Jose Caballero started at third and went 1-for-5 with an RBI single and a strikeout.

Aaron Judge had the night off, with Bellinger (3-4, HR, 2 RBI), Jones (1-5, HR, 3 RBI) and Ramos (2-4, RBI) contributing in his absence. 

Game MVP: Max Fried

Fried's longest outing since April was exactly what the Yankees needed after clinching a postseason berth on Monday.

Highlights

A 2-run shot for Cody Bellinger to start it off! pic.twitter.com/Y6r7hYSon9

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 15, 2026

George Lombard Jr. makes it 3-1! pic.twitter.com/DozIgEBjXj

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 16, 2026

Heliot Ramos makes it 4-1! pic.twitter.com/ukbyZs1ANh

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 16, 2026

Spencer Jones goes DEEP with a three-run shot in Minnesota!

His 10th homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/opF7ZdPYQ0

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 16, 2026

What's next

The Yankees complete their three-game set with the Twins on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:40 p.m.

Carlos Rodon (6-3, 2.94 ERA) will take on Zeby Matthews (9-10, 4.98 ERA). 

The Brewers are the champions of the NL Central again. Earlier tonight, the Brewers defeated the Pirates 5-1. That left them to watch the Cubs game and wait and see.

The Cubs had an early 3-0 lead, but two-run home runs by Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies put the Braves ahead 4-3. Another two-run home run, this one from Drake Baldwin, put the Braves ahead by three. Closer Raisel Iglesias finished off the game with a lineout from Pete Crow-Armstrong, caught by Brewer Hicklen, and the Braves defeated the Cubs 6-3, and the Brewers clinched the division title. It is their fourth straight division title, as well as their fifth title in the last six seasons.

Year after year, the Brewers have defied the odds and won the division. Many predictions had them around the .500 mark this season and had the Cubs winning the division. However, the Brewers keep outplaying those expectations and winning more titles.

With this year’s title, manager Pat Murphy has now led the Brewers to an NL Central title three times, which is also the number of times they won the division under Craig Counsell. Murphy is also a candidate for a third straight Manager of the Year title, though it may be a tough challenge to win the voters over three straight years.

There’s still work for the Brewers to finish. Their magic number for a first-round bye is down to six, and it is at nine to clinch the top seed in the NL and the best record in baseball.

The Chicago White Sox came to town coming off of back-to-back series losses and have been hunting for the divisional title. The Cleveland Guardians put up a feckless fight last night, but looked to still be in the fight to start tonight’s game.

Foster Griffin, sandwiched between Gavin and Parker starts, was pulled after 4.0 innings of work. Griffin gave up two runs on five hits and two walks, striking out five. Stephen Vogt was super aggressive with the bullpen today with an off day coming on Thursday, something that played into his favor. Erik Sabrowski pitched a clean fifth inning, walking one and striking out two. Craig Yoho struggled hard in the sixth, only pitch 0.1 innings. He allowed three runs on one hit and two walks.

Hunter Gaddis recorded his fourth blown save of the season, throwing 1.0 full inning. He allowed one run on two hits. Tim Herrin locked back in after last night’s outing and threw a scoreless 1.0 before Vogt turned to Cade Smith early in the eighth. Cade pitched 1.2 innings and was solid. He struck out one.

This game ended up giving me whiplash from the roller coaster of emotions; the epitome of the “its so over, we’re so back” meme. In the bottom of the first things looked like they were going to be smooth sailing for Cleveland. Steven Kwan drew a lead off walk and quickly scored when Jo Adell hit a towering home run to the bleachers, scoring two.

Travis Bazzana got in on the home run action immediately, following Adell with a homer to right center.

In the bottom of the fifth, back-to-back singles and an forceout had Rocchio on third and Ramírez on first. A flubbed pickoff attempt gave Rocchio the lane to score, giving an insurance run.

When Cleveland took the early lead, it made me feel confident, but the White Sox quickly reminded me that they have some fantastic hitters on the team. The White Sox answered immediately in the sixth inning, taking a two run lead over the Guardians.

In the bottom of the sixth Travis Bazzana brought Cleveland within one with his second home run of the night.

In the bottom of the ninth, down one, Cleveland had one last shot to save their AL Central pennant goal. Nathaniel Lowe hit a hard single, 106.9 mph off the bat, to right field to start the inning. He was lifted for Daniel Schneemann to pinch-run. Patrick Bailey drew a crucial one-out walk and Petey Halpin grounded out to first to move both runners into scoring position. David Fry was brought in to pinch-run for Bailey.

With two outs, two on, none other than high leverage Mr. Late Season himself was up to bat. Brayan Rocchio took a called strike, fouled off the next pitch, then hit a sinker out of the zone 100.9 mph to left field for the walk off double.

And because I can, here are the Hammy and Los Guardians calls:

Mr. September.#GuardsBall | #GuardiWinspic.twitter.com/KUclEh81CH

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 16, 2026

¡Lo volvió a hacer! 🇻🇪🔥 Brayan Rocchio deja en el terreno a los White Sox en el 9no y desata la fiesta en la Noche Latina.#GuardsBall | #StandGuardpic.twitter.com/U2RjCW4ldQ

— Los Guardians (@LosGuardians) September 16, 2026

The Guardians are only half a game behind the White Sox with the rubber match tomorrow.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were rained out in Omaha tonight, which ruined the scheduled rehab games for Dansby Swanson and Gavin Hollowell. It hasn’t been decided yet when or even if the game will be made up.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were jettisoned by the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 9-2. The Trash Pandas take a 1 game to none lead in the best-of-three divisional playoff series.

The Smokies fell behind early when Knoxville starter Brooks Caple gave up a leadoff home run in the second inning by Caleb Bartolero. The Trash Pandas got another run in the second after Caple allowed a walk and a single to the next two batters, followed by two ground outs.

The Smokies tied the game back up 2-2 with a run in the top of the third and another one in the fourth. Third baseman Angel Cepeda hit a solo home run in the third for the first run. The second one was a double by left fielder Carter Trice that scored catcher Ariel Armas in the fourth.

But Caple gave up a one-out infield single in the sixth inning and was taken out for Tyler Schlaffer. Schlaffer hit a batter and then gave up a three-run home run to Eddie Micheletti Jr. The game was never close again after that.

Caple pitched fairly well but took the loss. He was charged with three runs on four hits over 5.1 innings. He walked two, hit one and struck out four.

Schlaffer gave up five runs on four hits over two innings. Schlaffer struck out two, walked two and hit one batter.

Cepeda went 1 for 3 with the home run. Trice was 1 for 3 with the double. Armas was 0 for 2 with a walk.

The Smokies managed just three hits.

The Smokies now return home to Knoxville for Game 2 on Thursday. They will have to win both on Thursday and on Friday to keep their season alive and advance to the Southern League Championship Series.

The 2026 Detroit Tigers are not going quietly into that good night. The youth movement, with some assistance from Spencer Torkelson, victimized a pretty shoddy looking Toronto Blue Jays’ staff with 10 hits and eight walks to crush them 10-1 on Roberto Clemente Day. That makes six straight for the Kitties.

Drew Anderson got the start for the Tigers on Tuesday, while the Blue Jays went with a bullpen game. Right-hander Braydon Fisher started for the Jays, and he started the game by walking Gleyber Torres and Kevin McGonigle. Unfortunately, Hao-Yu Lee grounded into a double play, and Riley Greene struck out.

Anderson meanwhile started his night well with a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the first.

Eduardo Valencia opened the second inning with a hot grounder off of Fisher, but Ernie Clement made a diving stop and got the slow moving catcher at first. Lefty Brendon Cellucci succeeded Fisher at that point, and he punched out Max Clark and Spencer Torkelson with high heat.

Anderson retired Alejandro Kirk on a ground out and struck out Nathan Lukes to start the bottom of the second. Kazuma Okamoto singled to right field, but a fly ball to center from Andres Giménez was hauled in by Max Clark to send us to the third inning.

The Tigers went in order again in the third, as Zach McKinstry flew out, John Peck struck out, and McGonigle hit a deep drive to center that was caught by Brett Bateman.

Anderson was cruising thus far, but he got into a spot of the old bother in the bottom of the third. He struck out Josh Smith looking at a curveball, walked Clement, and locked up Bateman with a changeup. However, Clement stole second and Anderson walked George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to load the bases. A pair of well located fastballs away to Kirk got him behind 0-2, and a good curveball drew a ground out to third to end the inning.

Escaping that potential disaster seemed to inspire the lineup in the fourth. Old friend Michael Lorenzen took the mound, and while he got Torres and Lee, he then walked Greene and Valencia with two outs. Max Clark was up next, and the kid stayed hot, slashing a double the opposite way into the left field corner to score Greene and get Valencia to third.

Torkelson was up next and got a tasty 1-1 sweeper right in the heart of the plate. The first baseman lifted a towering blast high and deep to left and into the bullpen for a three-run homer. McKinstry grounded out, but it was now 4-0 Tigers.

Anderson took inspiration from that lead and locked in his command again. He got Lukes on a grounder to first, and then whiffed Okamoto with a high fastball after an eight-pitch battle. Giménez flew out, and we were on to the fifth.

Lorenzen was still in there in the fifth. He popped up Peck, but walked McGonigle. Torres flew out, and so it was up to Hao-Yu Lee and the third baseman singled to right to get McGonigle to third. Lorenzen got a first pitch strike to Greene, but the Tigers slugger spat on the next two and in a 2-1 count Lorenzen left a slider up in the zone and Greene hammered it off the wall in right just short of a home run. McGonigle scored and Lee took third, while the ball was hit so hard that Greene stayed at first base with a single. Valenica fought Lorenzen to a 3-2 count, but ultimately popped out to end the inning. 5-0 Tigers.

Anderson continued to roll in the fifth. He got Josh Smith to ground out and then popped up Clement. Bateman lashed a single past a diving Torres into right field, but Anderson dropped in a curveball to Springer that was fouled off and came back with a changeup that was grounded to third. The long third inning wasn’t good for Anderson’s pitch count, which stood at 88 pitches through five frames, but he threw a really good game otherwise. 5.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K was his line, and right-hander Jacob Waguespack was warming up to take over in the sixth.

Lefty Brendon Little succeeded Lorenzen in the top of the sixth. He coaxed a grounder to first from Clark to start the inning. Little was wary of Torkelson though, and put him on with a five-pitch walk. With McKinstry at the dish, and Little’s leg kick making him slow to the plate, Torkelson then shocked the world by stealing second for his first of the season. McKinstry bounced one to Clement at second and couldn’t quite beat out the throw, but Torkelson got to third and Peck had an opportunity to add to the lead. He did so, slashing a 1-0 sinker the opposite way down the right field line. Really nice piece of hitting to make it 6-0, though he was cut down trying to take second on a good throw from Lukes in right field, ending the inning. It was worth a try. Lukes just made a pretty perfect play on that one.

Waguespack did take over in the bottom of the sixth. He got a comebacker from Guerrero to start the inning, and then a soft tapper from Kirk than Valencia handled. Lukes reached on a grounder to Torres, but Okamoto flew out to McKinstry to snuff any threat from developing. The right-hander doesn’t strike anyone out, walks too many, and gives up too many homers, and yet he still holds a 2.70 ERA. How long can it last? Place your bets, but the funk, overhand delivery, and changeup have generally kept the contact light most of the time.

Former Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti was on the mound for the Jays in the seventh. He walked McGonigle to start the inning, but Torres flew out and Lee struck out. Greene battled through a seven pitch AB but eventually popped out.

Waguespace whiffed Giménez with a good changeup to start the bottom half. Smith lined out to McKinstry, and Waguespack got a routine grounder to Peck from Clement to send us to the eighth. Still 6-0 Tigers.

The eighth started quite strangely. Valencia battled Arrighetti for six pitches. The seventh was fouled off but Valencia took the ball right out of Kirk’s glove. The foul nearly caught Max Clark in the batter’s box, and it was also catcher interference, putting Valencia at first. Clark grounded into a force of Valencia, but Torkelson hammered a 2-1 pitch hard off the left field wall. It was hit so hard and played so well by Smith that the ricochet came straight to him, and Clark was held at third as Torkelson took second.

Clark then made some things happen with his baserunning. His lead from third wasn’t even egregious, but he caught Kirk’s attention and drew a throw after a pitch to McKinstry. Kirk fired to Okamoto, but the throw skipped past him down the left field line. Clark jogged home, and Torkelson read it well and scored from second before Smith could corral the ball. 8-0 Tigers. A Malek, as it’s known colloquially.

McKinstry struck out, but John Peck drew a walk and Brett Callahan entered to hit for McGonigle as it was a good time to rest the rookie infielder. He flew out to center to end the inning.

Kyle Finnegan took over in the bottom of the eighth, while Ben Malgeri entered the game for Riley Greene in left. The way Finnegan is going this year this was optimal usage. Bateman greeted him with a leadoff single, and Finnegan quickly started falling apart. With his splitter ineffective, he had to turn to his fastball and it just isn’t a good one. Springer singled to right, and Guerrero smoked a ball to center that Clark hauled in. Kirk singled in Bateman, and Hinch was done. Brant Hurter was warm and he entered to face Myles Straw, hitting for Lukes. A 1-2 changeup got a grounder to Torres for a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Old friend Joe Mantiply took over in the top of the ninth. Torres lined out, but Hao-Yu Lee is a big believer in eight-run leads. A 1-0 curveball up from Mantiply got absolutely crushed to left field and into the second deck for his ninth homer of the year. 9-1 Tigers.

Ben Malgeri followed with a single that Clement, now at shortstop, had to dive for and couldn’t make a throw. Valencia smoked a double to left, getting Malgeri to third. Clark got jammed a bit by the lefty, but grounder one right between Davis Schneider at second and Clement at short. It wasn’t hit hard, but the two infielders sort of stared at each other as it rolled into right field, scoring Malgeri. 10-1 Tigers.

Mantiply struck out Torkelson, and McKinstry lined out to Clement to end the inning, but man this team is hot right now.

Hurter stayed in there to finish this game, and he quickly got Okamoto to ground out on a nice play by Peck at shortstop. Schneider was up next, and he battled through a lengthy at-bat but Hurter whiffed him with a sweeper, and so it was up to Charles McAdoo, hitting for Smith. He grounded the first pitch to Torkelson ranging off of first base, but his throw was behind Hurter and had to be collected by Valencia as McAdoo was safe. A fly ball to Callahan in right field from Clement ended things.

That is six straight for the suddenly streaking Tigers, but streaks one way or the other seem to be par for the course for them. The Tigers are now five games back in the AL Central, but the Guardians won on Tuesday, and so the Tigers remain 4.5 games out of the Wild Card with 11 games left in the season. Hey, nothing to do but keep winning.

Tomorrow’s 2:30 p.m. ET matchup will see RHP Keider Montero taking on a badly struggling RHP Max Scherzer as the Tigers hunt for the sweep.

Final: Tigers 10, Blue Jays 1

The New York Mets had a decision to make about Pete Alonso last winter. David Stearns made it by not doing anything. The Mets GM let the very popular "Polar Bear" walk away after seven years in Flushing as a free agent.

On Tuesday night, he reminded Mets fans what they have lost.

Alonso, the former homegrown Mets star, cracked the 300th home run of his career against his former team wearing a Baltimore Orioles uniform. Alonso's solo blast came in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday with the Orioles trailing 3-2.

PETE ALONSO’S 300TH CAREER HOME RUN COMES AT CITI FIELD! pic.twitter.com/yqJJLdnQ8D

— MLB (@MLB) September 16, 2026

He emphatically tossed his bat after the homer. He then received a curtain call from the New York crowd.

Pete Alonso LAUNCHED his bat after his milestone homer 😤 pic.twitter.com/Jrc3gdODMC

— MLB (@MLB) September 16, 2026

So Mets fans, who embraced Alonso's bold personality in his seven years in Queens, got to watch him hit this milestone. He earned a warm welcome back to Flushing, the fans saluting him in Game 1 of the series Monday night before honoring him more Tuesday.

The Orioles eventually won 7-5 in 11 innings.

Pete Alonso takes a curtain call at Citi Field after his 300th career home run pic.twitter.com/FWhWhiA8En

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 16, 2026

The Mets took Alonso in the second round in the 2016 MLB Draft, 64th overall, out of Florida, and had a star within three years. He set the rookie home run record with 53 in 2019, endearing himself to the Mets faithful because it surpassed the record set by crosstown rival Aaron Judge. He ran away with the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year. Todd Frazier nicknamed him Polar Bear that same season, telling Alonso he looked like a "big, damn polar bear," and it stuck. Alonso won the Home Run Derby that July, then won it again two years later. He made five All-Star teams and broke David Wright's franchise home run record.

Still, none of that earned him a call worth taking from Stearns in the winter.

Alonso opted out of his contract with the Mets after a strong 2025 season, betting on himself the same way he had in 2024. This time, the Mets didn't counter. Stearns inherited Alonso when he took over the organization and showed no inclination to bring him back on a star-level deal. Baltimore, however, was looking for a star first baseman. The Orioles signed him to a five-year, $155-million deal in December.

Even Steve Cohen, the Mets' billionaire owner, understood the emotion of fans watching Alonso walk.

"I totally understand the fans' reaction," he texted a reporter at the time. "There is lots of offseason left to put a playoff team on the field."

Fast forward 10 months later and that is something Cohen probably wishes he hadn't put in print. Alonso returned to a dispirited Citi Field to face a team that imploded. The Mets fired their manager, they traded off their assets at the deadline and headed into this series 18.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East and 12 games out of a wild card.

Alonso's Orioles have had a little better season.

While he came to New York hitting .269 with 35 home runs and 100 RBI this season, the Orioles have still underperformed. They sit four games back of the final AL wild-card spot.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pete Alonso launches 300th career home run, and it comes against the Mets

On the night that their hottest pitcher hit the injured list, the overall fatigue of the Philadelphia Phillies (83-68) pitching staff shone through in a 6-3 defeat to the Washington Nationals (71-81).

The Phillies got three runners aboard in the first inning with a pair of walks by Kyle Schwarber and Luis Arraez and an RBI single by Alec Bohm which opened the scoring.

Another day, another Alec RBI pic.twitter.com/7uAcvMjAXL

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 15, 2026

The Nats sprang back to take the lead in the bottom of the inning with a pair of doubles by Brady House and Yohandy Morales and a single by Jorbit Vivas.

Arraez tied the game in the third inning with an RBI double to score Trea Turner.

The 200th career double by Arraez ties it back up pic.twitter.com/wblpR0VsEd

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 15, 2026

Kyle Schwarber hit a go-ahead lead-off home run in the top of the sixth but the Phillies would again relinquish the lead in the bottom of the inning on a solo shot by Andres Chaparro.

Kyle Schwarber's in his 5th season with the Phillies

He's reached 45 HR in four of them 🔔 pic.twitter.com/IrZDlPC3LP

— MLB (@MLB) September 16, 2026

WSH – Andrés Chaparro Solo HR (11)

📏 422 ft | 💨 106.9 mph | 📐 29°
⚾️ 94.6 mph sinker (PHI – LHP Cristopher Sánchez)
🏟️ Out in 28/30 parks (❌ AZ, CLE)

PHI (3) @ WSH (3)
🔻 5th#Natitudepic.twitter.com/in42If3TXj

— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) September 16, 2026

Cristopher Sanchez’s ERA has increased by nearly half a point since the beginning of the month and those struggles continued tonight as he allowed eight hits for the tenth time this season, but it was his “relief” that surrendered the killing blow.

Daylen Lile blew the game open in the seventh inning with a pinch-hit three-run home run off of Jonathan Bowlan, two runs of which were inherited from Sanchez.

Daylen Lile crushes a pinch-hit three-run blast for the lead over the Phillies!

Lile is hitting .303 with six homers and a 1.094 OPS over his last 20 games pic.twitter.com/0A8YuIupYI

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 16, 2026

It was the 5th straight appearance in which Bowlan has allowed a run and the second in a row Sanchez has allowed five plus.

The ambitions of catching the Braves for the division are fading into the rearview as the Phillies are now 4-8 in their last 12 and hanging on to a wild card spot for dear life.

Zack Wheeler will attempt to outduel Washington ace, Cade Cavalli, tomorrow night in the second half of the short series.

Box Score

The division has almost been secured. With their ace on the mound, the Brewers put together an all-around strong game to defeat the Pirates 5-1 on Tuesday night, lowering their magic number to one.

The Brewers got on the board first with some small ball. Jake Bauers led off the second inning with a single to right field. He moved over to second on a Christian Yelich groundout, then made it to third on a wild pitch by Lake Bachar. Luis Lara brought him in with a sacrifice fly, and the Brewers had a 1-0 lead.

They had another chance to score with two outs. Joey Ortiz and David Hamilton hit back-to-back singles, and Garrett Mitchell worked a 3-0 count before getting intentionally walked. Jackson Chourio had a chance to break the game open with the bases loaded, but a flyout to center ended the inning.

Meanwhile, Jacob Misiorowski was efficient through his first three innings. He struck out the side in the first and had six strikeouts. In the fourth, the Pirates had a chance to break through. After striking out Oneil Cruz to start the inning, back-to-back singles by Nick Gonzales and Ryan O’Hearn put two runners on base.

After a mound visit, Rafael Flores Jr. hit the Pirates’ third straight single when Hamilton couldn’t get to a ground ball. The deflection sent the ball into shallow center field, and it was a spot where Gonzales should have been able to score. However, third base coach Tony Beasley held Gonzales at third. O’Hearn didn’t see Gonzales stop and kept running toward third, assuming he would score, while Chourio caught up to the ball and threw it in. O’Hearn was an easy out in no-man’s land, turning a bases-loaded, one-out situation into runners at the corners with two outs. That loomed bigger when Spencer Horwitz flew out to Chourio to end the inning, keeping the Pirates off the board and bringing the boo birds out in Pittsburgh.

The offense blew the game open in the sixth inning. Brice Turang led off the inning with a walk, then William Contreras hit a double to deep right to put two runners in scoring position. After Bauers struck out, Yelich drew a walk, but reliever Gregory Soto threw a wild pitch on ball four. Turang scored to make it a 2-0 lead.

The offense kept going as Lara doubled into right field, scoring Contreras and putting runners at the corners again. Ortiz followed that up with another single, scoring Yelich and Lara all the way from first base. The rally ended there as Ortiz tried to steal but was caught, and Hamilton struck out to end the inning.

Luis Lara just keeps producing pic.twitter.com/ubLwrIb6Ap

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 16, 2026

Joey O makes it a four-run frame ‼️ pic.twitter.com/EMOmJgkbCC

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 16, 2026

With the Brewers up 5-0, and the top of the sixth taking a while, Misiorowski’s day came to an end a little early. He pitched five scoreless innings and threw 84 pitches, allowing just five hits and a walk while striking out seven. It was likely just a workload management decision, with the Brewers holding a five-run lead.

Aaron Ashby was the first reliever out of the bullpen. He started with a clean sixth inning before returning for the seventh, but started rough in his second inning of work. He walked O’Hearn, then Flores Jr. singled. Ashby recovered from there, getting two lineouts and a groundout to end the inning and keep the Pirates off the board.

DL Hall took the eighth inning and allowed a leadoff home run to Brandon Lowe, ending the shutout. Gonzales hit a two-out single, but that was it, as Hall got out of the inning with no further damage.

Trevor Megill took the ninth inning despite it being a four-run lead and not a save situation. The inning started rough as he allowed back-to-back singles to Flores Jr. and pinch-hitter Ronny Simon. Jake Mangum hit a ground ball to the left side of second, Ortiz grabbed it and threw to Turang, who ran past second but managed to get his foot on the bag for the out. After that, pop-outs from Konnor Griffin and Brandon Lowe ended the game.

It was a balanced day for the offense. Every starter other than Chourio reached base safely at least once. Ortiz led the offense with a three-hit day, and Turang reached base four times with four walks. Lara and Ortiz each drove in two runs.

Looking at the scoreboard, the Dodgers defeated the Reds 4-0 to keep the Brewers’ lead for the best record in MLB at two games. Meanwhile, the Braves have mounted a comeback and lead 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh thanks to two separate two-run home runs. If the lead holds, the Brewers will clinch the NL Central.

Tomorrow’s game will feature Logan Henderson and Jared Jones. First pitch is at 5:40 p.m. Meanwhile, stay tuned here to see if the Brewers clinch the division.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

BASEBALL IS THE DUMBEST MOST WONDERFUL SPORT IN THE WORLD!

TRAVIS BAZZANA IS GREAT, TAKE THAT, COMMENTER GUY!

YOU GOTTA WALK ROCCHTEMBER THERE, WILL VENABLE, WITH A BASE OPEN! CLASSIC BLUNDER. AND YOUR LEFT FIELDER WAS PLAYING LAUGHABLY SHALLOW HAHAHAHAHA

HE HIT A 101 MPH FASTBALL ABOVE THE ZONE LOL

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THEY DID NOT GET SOMEONE UP HERE WITH DELAUTER AND MARTINEZ BOTH OUT BUT THEY SOMEHOW PULLED THIS OUT!

LET’S WIN THIS SERIES TOMORROW, BOYS!

Do you have baseball fever yet? If you’re still watching, I’ll assume you do.

I normally put some sort of analysis in the preview. I’m told nobody reads these, but it gives me a head start on the recap. Unfortunately, there’s not much analysis left. The Mariners lost their chance for a winning season last night. And they’ll officially have a losing record if they lose again tonight. If they don’t, that’ll be on the table again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and so on until this season is mercifully over.

So instead analysis, I’ll steal Zach Mason’s bit from last night, and ask a question to see who reads these things: Let’s name some Mariners-Angels crossovers. Who’s your favorite? Who’s your least favorite? Who should have been a Mariner but never was? Who should have been an Angel but never was? What do you think of the Angels, as an organization?

Lineups

Game Info

First Pitch: 6:38 pm

TV: Mariners TV

Radio: Old Reliable

Nothing much happened and then Junior did this:

The End.

Seriously, nothing much happened in this game on offense — for either team.

The Rays first — and for many innings, only — run came when Chandler Simpson scored from third on a passed ball, but perhaps what is most notable is how Simpson came to be on third. He hit a deep line drive (98 mph!) that bounced of the back wall for a double. He moved to third on a ground out and was then able to score when the Oakland catcher failed to grab an errant pitch. Simpson, in fact, was pretty much the Rays offense until the Cami home run: the Rays had six hits, total, and Chandler had three of them.

Griffin Jax picked up from his last, very effective start. He shut down the A’s almost entirely for five innings. He walked no one and gave up two forgettable hits while striking out seven.

But apparently the Rays are determined to manage his workload, because despite pitching just five relatively low stress innings — a mere 67 pitches — he was pulled before the sixth inning.

Jax wasn’t the only pitcher on top of his game today. Jack Perkins, the A’s starter whose ERA is north of 6.00, held the Rays in check for 6.2 innings. He scattered a few hits, walked just one, and made the Rays hitters, even the “big three,” look lost.

After Jax left the game, Cash brought in Ty Johnson, who was the weak-ish link among tonight’s pitchers. He gave up two hits and then threw a very wild pitch that scored a run to tie the game at 1-1. But the rest of the bullpen — Cam Booser, Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker — cruised through their innings. After Baker polished off the A’s in the top of the ninth, I was hoping hard that the Rays would manage to walk it off in the bottom of the inning because I didn’t like the pitching options that would follow Baker.

And then: BOOM. Junior did indeed put this game to bed. He’s got the bat, and he’s got the confidence too; this 23-year old is ready for this moment, beckoning to the post-game crowd to raise the volume as they chanted “MVP.”

With the win the Rays magic number to win the division is down to nine (as I write the Yankees are leading the Minnesota Twins so we’ll get no help there), and they have two more games against the A’s. Tomorrow Nick “our workhorse” Martinez takes the mound.