Category: Baseball

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Reds’ response?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He saved the D-backs season.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Try about $4 million.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best performance

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

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

3 HOME RUNS
10 RBI

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

— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2026

Worst performance

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

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

The real joke?

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

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

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 8, 2026

Best quote

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

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

Worst quote

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

Dude, really?

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

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

Strangest injury

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

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

Best disappearing act

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

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

Worst encore

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

Best walk-off

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

It was leisurely two-hour walk.

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

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

— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) September 24, 2026

Best in-season comeback

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

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

Best formerly discarded prospects

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

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

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

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

Oops. Oops. And oops.

Best investment

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

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

NL Manager of the Year

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

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

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

Bravo!

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

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

AL Manager of the Year

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

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

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

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

Executive of the year

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

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

And Atlanta wins the NL East going away.

NL MVP

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

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

AL MVP

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

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

NL Cy Young

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

AL Cy Young

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

NL Rookie of the Year

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

AL Rookie of the Year

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

NL Reliever of the year

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

AL Reliever of the Year

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More: Why 60 games is magic number in MLB lockout

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

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

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

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

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

MLB payrolls 2026

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

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

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

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

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

Time: 3:20 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, MASN

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Through games played Saturday, Sept. 27

MLB playoff bracket 2026

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

American League

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

National League

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

NL wild card standings

Top three teams qualify

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

AL wild card standings

Top three teams qualify

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

AL East

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

AL Central

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

AL West

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

NL East

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

NL Central

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

NL West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It took a while for the Oklahoma City Comets to find their offense, but they did. Alek Thomas hit a three-run double in the 10th inning, giving the Dodgers’ Triple-A team a 5-3 win over the Rochester Red Wings, a Washington Nationals affiliate, on Saturday night in the Triple-A championship game in Las Vegas.

James Tibbs III (108) and Mike Sirota (100) led Dodgers minor leaguers in walks this season, so it’s only right that they walked to open the 10th inning, joining free runner Josue De Paula to load the bases with nobody out against Clayton Beeter, who was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round in 2020.

Thomas then drove a ball 99.5 mph to the wall in left center, clearing the bases for Oklahoma City’s first lead of the game.

Alek Thomas clears the bases in extra innings!

The Comets dugout is fired up 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Blr9syTfp3

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 27, 2026

Thomas in four games this postseason had a .500 on-base percentage in 21 plate appearances, including two hits and a hit by pitch on Saturday.

Seth Halvorsen inherited two runners on base with one out in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game, and escaped the jam, getting the game to extras. Then he got the final three outs in the 10th to close out the win, allowing the free runner to score but nobody else.

Halvorsen, named a Pacific Coast League All-Star earlier on Saturday, struck out Leandro Pineda for the final out, securing Oklahoma City’s win over the International League champs.

IT'S CONFIRMED!

THE COMETS ARE TRIPLE-A NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! pic.twitter.com/pFJUeHxy9W

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) September 27, 2026

The Triple-A championship game has been played since 2006. This is the first time a Dodgers affiliate has won it.

Long road coming

Oklahoma City didn’t score for the first seven innings and were hitless in their first seven at-bat with runners in scoring position, and were down 2-0 entering the eighth inning.

Mike Sirota, playing in just his sixth game in Triple-A, singled home James Tibbs III, who walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Third baseman Ryan Fitzgerald, who led all of the minors in hits this season, struck out in his first three at-bats on Saturday before doubling off the wall in left center in the eighth to bring home Sirota with the tying run.

FITZGERALD GOES OFF THE WALL TO TIE THE GAME🔥 pic.twitter.com/UvbMfTNk7m

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) September 27, 2026

Zach Ehrhard had three more hits on Saturday to cap a stellar postseason. The outfielder had three doubles and a home run in the three-game Pacific Coast League championship series, and in four postseason games reached base 13 times in 21 trips to the plate, including nine hits in 17 at-bats, with six runs scored and five runs batted in.

Stretching out

Emmet Sheehan didn’t pitch badly, but he was laboring for the first time in his last seven starts between Triple-A and the majors. He didn’t pitch a clean inning until the fifth, and his six hits allowed matched the total for his previous three starts combined, all with the Dodgers and spanning 17 1/3 innings.

Even with all the traffic on base — Sheehan walked three batters and hit another — he still struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings and only allowed two runs. He also threw 90 pitches, keeping Sheehan fully stretched out should the Dodgers need his services at some point in the postseason.

Kyle Hurt, optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, relieved Sheehan with two runners on and one out, then escaped the sixth inning with a single pitch, inducing a 3-4-1 double play. Hurt added a perfect seventh inning with a strikeout, giving him 1 2/3 scoreless frames on Saturday, after he pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in Thursday’s win over Las Vegas that won the PCL title for Oklahoma City.

Keeping things close

While Oklahoma City took a while for the offense to get going, they did provide some standout plays with the leather, including this diving stab and throw from third base by Fitzgerald in the fifth inning.

105 off the bat is no match for Ryan Fitzgerald🔥 pic.twitter.com/QZOk2COfxm

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) September 27, 2026

Noah Miller continued his excellent play at shortstop with his diving stop up the middle in the seventh.

Noah Miller making it look easy in the championship! pic.twitter.com/QkDtW54aXW

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) September 27, 2026

Saturday particulars

Oklahoma City 5, Rochester 3

Home run: Rochester 1B Liover Peguero

WP — Seth Halvorsen: 1 2/3 IP, 1 hit, 1 unearned run, 1 strikeout

LP — Clayton Beeter: 0 IP, 1 hit, 3 runs (2 earned), 2 walks

That concludes the 2026 minor league baseball season.

The Diamondbacks came into tonight with a golden opportunity. Several golden opportunities, actually, given that by the time our game against the Padres was underway, the Phillies were already well on their way to getting decimated by Tampa to the final tune of 12-1 Tampa. We had a chance to achieve our first 7-game win streak since 2017, we had the chance to go into the final game of the season needing only a last-game win or a loss by Philadelphia to punch our ticket to the postseason, we had a chance to secure a final series win, as well as the season series win against San Diego, with a game to spare. Walker Buehler was going for the Padres, which made things look pretty good on paper; it was a bullpen game for us, with Taylor Clarke opening for us, which also looked pretty good on paper. Alas, however, it was not to be.

Things didn’t start off great, with Buehler setting us down in order on 10 pitches to start things off, and then Clarke retiring Fernando Tatis Jr. for the first out before surrendering three straight singles and a hit batsman to give the Padres the early lead. He managed the second out on a popup on the infield, but Torey Lovullo replaced him after that with Jonathan Loaisiga, who ended the threat, but with us trailing. 1-0 San Diego

We started to make a bit of noise in the top of the second, thanks to a leadoff Geraldo Perdomo walk and a Corbin Carroll single to left to put runners on first and second. Then Padres catcher Ethan Salas tried to pick Carroll off first but threw the ball away down the right field line, which allowed Gerry to score and tie things up. 1-1 TIE

Loaisiga pitched a clean second, retiring the Padres in order, and the Diamondbacks took their first lead in the ballgame in the top of the third. Tim Tawa led off with the a single to left off the glove of shortstop Xander Boegarts, advanced to second one out later on a slow Ketel Marte groundout, and scored on a Gabriel Moreno single to right. 2-1 DBACKS

Johnny Lasagna couldn’t hold the lead though, allowing the Friars to take the lead back in the bottom of the frame thanks to a leadoff triple to center that Tim Tawa lost in the lights, followed after some extra foolishness by a slow grounder to first that scored the run. Kevin Ginkel came on to relieve Loaisiga, and promptly surrendered a Jake Cronenworth popup to shallow center that both Tawa and Perdomo lost track of and allowed to drop for an RBI double. 3-2 San Diego

But not to worry, the Diamondbacks were ready to take the lead right back themselves. With one out in the top of the fourth, Nolan Arenado was hit by a pitch with one out and was forced at second by a fielder’s choice groundout by Pavin Smith. James McCann stepped into the batter’s box and after getting ahead 3-0 on Buelher, deposited a middle-of-the-plate fastball just over the wall in pretty much straightway center field for a two-run homer:

So that was fun. 4-3 DBACKS

Sadly, however, that was the last fun we were going to have for awhile, as the bullpen cracked, and basically broke, in the next three innings. Jose Cabrera took the mound for the bottom of the fourth, put two runners on, and then watched Manny Machado go yard. 6-4 San Diego

Nevertheless, he came out for the fifth as well, because he was supposed to be our “bulk” guy today, but he gave up another longball, followed by two more base hits, which earned him the hook after four outs recorded. Juan Morillo came in and got the final two outs, but not before another run scored from third on a groundout. 8-4 San Diego

Dennis Santana came out for the seventh, and allowed two more runs to score, thanks to three singles and a walk. To be fair, he pitched the eigthth as well, and sat down the top of the Padres’ lineup in order, but things were pretty out of hand by then. 10-4 San Diego

Meanwhile, the Padres’ bullpen had gotten involved in the game in the top of the fifth, and while they allowed traffic in every inning, none of that traffic found its way home, as the Diamondbacks hitters were kept in check until, somewhat unexpectedly, San Diego closer Mason Miller came out to pitch the ninth. And he was not sharp.

Tim Tawa didn’t wait around, going oppo on the first pitch he saw for a line drive single into shallow right. That turned the lineup over for Lars Nootbar, who walked. Ketel Marte than lined a single to left to load the bases. Somewhat oddly, Torey Lovullo sent Adrian Del Castillo, newly up from Reno, to pinch-hit for Moreno, and ADC promptly struck out. I assume that Torey was playing the lefty-righty matchup there, but Moreno’s bat has been fire while Del Castillo has been languishing back at AAA for god knows how long at this point, and having the first MLB pitcher he’s faced in months be a flamethrower like Miller didn’t seem like it would go well. That said, we weren’t done yet, as Miller walked Perdomo to bring in a run. Corbin Carroll then rolled over to second for a fielder’s choice that scored Nootbaar. Nolan Arenado, with an 11-game hitting streak on the line, then singled to center to score Marte and advance Carroll to third. Ildemaro Vargas, who’d pinch-hit for Pavin Smith in the eighth, came to the plate as the tying run, but alas he struck out to end the ballgame. 10-7 San Diego FINAL

Loss Probability Added, courtesy of FanGraphs

A Whale of a Player: James McCann (4 AB, 1 H, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 2 K, +21% WPA)
King Salmon: Gabriel Moreno (3 AB, 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, +12% WPA)
Fish Food: Jose Cabrera (1 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K, -45% WPA), Taylor Clarke (2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 HBP, -12% WPA)

Sadly, due to some late afternoon discombobulation that left me in a diabetic low blood sugar fugue state for the first three innings or so, I never managed to stop by the penultimate Game Day Thread of the regular season, which made me sad. We seem to have had banner attendance, though, with a whopping 583 comments at time of
writing. I’m not quite sure what all was going on in the thread this evening, but the two top comments by popular acclaim both seem to be hitting the same theme, so rather than choosing between them, I’m going to split the CotG between Diamondhacks and onedotfive, for these two statements that I very much agree with:

Damn straight. It sucks to lose one-run games, but we win more of them than we lose, and it is indeed magical that, given where we were two weeks ago or a month ago or, really, coming into this season, that we’ll still playing to get into the postseason tomorrow, in game 162. Speaking of which.

So, About Tomorrow….

So, besides two essentially meaningless early games, first pitch for every single game 162 happens at the same time, which is 12:05pm AZ time. Michael Soroka is going for us, and the Padres, having clinched the home field advantage that comes with grabbing the top wild card spot, haven’t announced who’s going to be taking the mound for them. This is significant, because while San Diego has been playing for seeding position in the first two games, they have nothing whatsoever to gain or lose tomorrow, whatever happens in our ballgame. So we may very well see them resting all their starters, and most of their “A” bullpen, and running out a bunch of filler guys to go up against us while we’re going to be playing for our lives.

Meanwhile, the Phillies are going to be playing for their lives as well, hosting Tampa at what, by the weather forecasts, seems like it’s going to be a very waterlogged Citizens’ Bank Park. The Phillies are pretty much in the same boat we are, but the Rays are not. The Rays have already secured their top AL seed and their first-round bye. As such, they have no real incentive to rest starters or send out trash pitchers to the mound, because they’re going to have plenty of downtime during the bye and plenty of time to order their ALDS starters in whatever sequence they desire. So I’d say, in terms of opponents and opponent motivation tomorrow, it seems like it’s advantage Diamondbacks.

The kicker, of course, because we lost tonight, is that not only do we need to beat the Padres tomorrow, the Phillies also need to lose to the Rays. We lose, or the Phillies win, and they’re in and we’re out. So it really is for all the marbles tomorrow, and we will need a final dollop of help from the baseball gods to keep our wacky and improbable season going into October.

So please join us in the Gameday Thread, as we celebrate the final game of the 2026 regular season, and cheer our Snakes to help get them back to October baseball, and to just enjoy what might be the very last regular season baseball any of us might get to watch for some time to come. We hope to see you tomorrow!

If this is my last recap of 2026, so be it….it’s been an uneven season, but it’s always a pleasure to write up these recaps and share the triumphs and defeats of the Diamondbacks with the lovely denizens of the Snake Pit. As always, thanks for reading. And as always, especially tomorrow, GO DIAMONDBACKS!

Mariners 8, Angels 4

Good King: Cole Young, .25 WPA

No Way: Jose Ferrer, -.43 WPA

Game thread comment of the day:

Special double dose because I couldn’t choose

The Athletics faced the Houston Astros in the penultimate game of the 2026 MLB season. In a season full of blowout losses, how fitting that the A’s suffered another lopsided defeat, falling 13-2 as the team’s league-worst pitching staff once again failed to keep the ball in the ballpark.

Astros In Control Early

A’s starter Jack Perkins did not get through the first inning unscathed. With two outs, Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes hit his 25th home run of the season, a solo shot to left field that put the visitors ahead 1-0. Perkins rebounded to strike out the side in the second inning.

Houston increased its lead in the top of the third inning when shortstop Jeremy Peña’s 21st home run of the season, a two-run shot to center field off Perkins, made it a 3-0 game. Meanwhile, Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski needed just 20 pitches to complete three scoreless innings. The A’s obsession with double-plays continued, as Wesneski induced a double play to end two consecutive innings.

A’s Comeback Begins

The Athletics generated their first scoring chance against Wesneski in the bottom of the fourth inning, loading the bases with one out. The hosts caught a break when Peña mishandled a potential inning-ending double-play grounder.

Zack Gelof hustled down the line for an RBI force out, bringing home Lawrence Butler for the A’s first run of the game. Peña made another mistake on that play, as his throw pulled the first baseman off the bag and allowed Gelof to reach safely. The A’s had a chance to score more, but Donovan Walton grounded out to strand runners at the corners.

The A's push one across in the fourth 😤 pic.twitter.com/CcfiNnYZqm

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) September 27, 2026

Perkins Not Good Enough

Perkins failed to complete a shutdown inning in the fifth. With two outs and two runners on, Houston’s superstar designated hitter Yordan Alvarez hit his 42nd home run of the season, a three-run shot to right field that extended the visitors’ lead to 6-1.

One pitch before, A’s catcher Jonah Heim failed to challenge a pitch that appeared to clip the bottom of the strike zone. Instead Alvarez crushed Houston’s third home run of the night and the 10th allowed by A’s pitchers through the first 2 1/2 games of this season-ending series.

Perkins allowed six runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out nine, but that was offset by the three home runs he allowed.

Jonah Heim opts not to challenge a ball call on Yordan Alvarez that would have gone for strike three, setting a career high in K's for Jack Perkins.

The very next pitch, Alvarez demolishes a three-run homer. Baffling.#Athleticspic.twitter.com/NHeaTCU9Ep

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) September 27, 2026

Astros Cruising

Right-hander Scott Blewett entered out of the A’s bullpen to pitch the sixth inning. Blewett quickly found himself in a jam after the first two batters he faced recorded hits, putting runners on second and third with zero outs. Blewett struck out the next two Astros before left-hander Drew Rom replaced him and completed the houdini act.

With a five-run cushion, Wesneski cruised through six innings on 60 pitches. The Athletics plated a second run against Wesneski in the bottom of the seventh on first baseman Tommy White’s two-out RBI single.

A’s Relief Struggles Continue

Rom remained in the game for the seventh inning, allowing four singles and two more runs. With two outs, Lucas Spence’s RBI double brought home the third run of the inning, the Astros’ ninth, and sent Rom back to the dugout.

Right-hander Yunior Tur continued to look overmatched against major league hitters. In the eighth inning, Peña’s second home run of the night, a two-run shot, extended his team’s lead to 11-2. Two more hits made it a dozen runs for the Astros. The following inning, Spence hit his fourth home run of the series, this one off Tur.

With a double-digit lead, Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco pitched a scoreless final two frames, preserving the rest of his team’s bullpen for tomorrow’s high-stakes matchup.

The Athletics will look to win the season finale to earn a series split and potentially knock the Astros out of the playoffs. Right-hander Seth Johnson will serve as the Green and Gold’s opener, while the Astros have yet to reveal their starter.

It will come down to the final day of the season to decide the A.L. West, but Houston has inched closer.

Astros 13    A’s 2

The odd innings paid dividends all night for the Astros, as they’d score in the first, third, fifth and seventh and ninth, along with the eighth for good measure. Isaac Paredes started things with a solo shot to make things 1-0.     

In the top of the third, Cam Smith drew a walk and then came around moments later on Jeremy Pena’s 21st home run of the season.     

The fifth inning was the exclamation point of the night and on Yordan Alvarez’s MVP season. Alvarez launched his 42nd HR, a 3-run blast, making things 6-1. The lead expanded with three more runs in the seventh, highlighted by Jose Altuve’s 48th RBI.     

Aside from the offensive output, largely driven by long balls, the night was really about Hayden Wesneski, who earned the win. Since emerging from a 449-day rehab from Tommy John surgery in a victorious effort back on July 29th, Wesneski has been a vital cog in pushing Houston to the brink of their 9th post season berth in 10 years.  Saturday night marked his 11th start. Wesenski’s threw just 82 pitches, going seven innings with five strikeouts and 1 earned run.    It was the third time this season that he’d go seven innings.    

For good measure, Pena added to his impressive night, registering a fourth hit with his 22nd homer of the year. Pena has tied his career high. By the time 8th was completed, the Astros had 12 total runs on the board. Lucas Spence made it a baker’s dozen, hitting his fourth homerun of this A’s series in the 9th for the final run of the night.    

Pitching for the first time in almost two weeks, Ronel Blanco would come on and secure two innings of scoreless relief.    

Sunday will be a day of scoreboard watching. The Rangers will complete their season at Target Field, sending left hander MacKenzie Gore to the mound. With a win or a Rangers loss tomorrow, the Astros will host the White Sox on Tuesday at Daikin Park for the Wild Card round.     

Odds & Ends:

Yordan Alvarez now has 105 RBI on the season.   

The Astros now lead all of baseball with 225 home runs.    

Jose Altuve has moved into spot #100 on baseball’s all-time hit list with his pair of hits Saturday Night.    He can leapfrog Todd Helton next.   

The Mets play their last game of the 2026 season against the Nationals in Washington, D.C. on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. on SNY.

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Mets Notes

• Due to expected inclement weather, the start of Saturday's game was moved up from 3:05 p.m.
• Entering Sunday with 299 career home runs, Francisco Lindor gets one last chance this season to hit HR No. 300. He last homered on Sept. 12
• Carson Benge looks to put the cherry on top of his strong rookie campaign, hitting .429 over his last seven games

• New York owns a 38-42 record on the road this season 

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Today's Lineups

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Well Atlanta is positioned pretty well for the playoffs, with their seeding locked up for a while now and the ability to line up their pitching that comes with that. They managed Saturday’s game well, despite the injury to Martin Perez, with Brent Suter covering the first 3.0 innings and no blowups to disrupt plans in the bullpen. Meanwhile, the Phillies can’t quite finish the deal for their playoff spot, with a 1 game lead on the D-Backs, but losing the tiebreak to Arizona. They resorted to starting Aaron Nola on 2 days rest Saturday, which went very poorly for them. This could work out favorably for Atlanta if they end up facing the Phillies in the Wild-Card round, with the Phils having to pull out all the stops on their pitching staff just to get there, or they could even watch their division rivals flame out and miss the Wild-Card entirely, which is its own type of fun.

Braves News

The Braves beat the Marlins easily Saturday, with good pitching and a strong performance on offense.

MLB News

Justin Verlander made the final start of an easy Hall of Fame career and it was a respectable one .

Blake Trienen injured his shoulder warming up Saturday and will miss the remainder of the season and postseason for the Dodgers.

The Padres placed trade deadline addition Casey Mize on the IL with a sprained ankle.

The Rangers placed Josh Jung on the IL with a hand fracture as they hope to head into the postseason.