Oct 6, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; A general view of the MLB 2026 Postseason logo before game three of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs between Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Dodgers have a chance to close out the Atlanta Braves in Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night at Truist Park in Atlanta.
A trio of familiar Dodgers stalwarts in October fueled the win in Game 3 on Tuesday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto striking out 10 in seven strong innings, plus home runs by Kiké Hernández and Freddie Freeman to supply the three runs of offense that were somehow enough to get the Dodgers within a win of a third straight trip to the NLCS.
Game 4 is a battle of Tylers on the mound, with Glasnow pitching for the Dodgers and Mahle starting for the Braves.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 03: Ryan McMahon #19 of the New York Yankees runs onto the field during player introductions before game one of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on October 03, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never!—All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.
“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide”
Abraham Lincoln here is talking about the dangers of mob rule, of sedition and the undermining of institutions, at 28, some 23 years before he would be tasked with holding the Union together. What I’m about to talk about carries significantly less weight than abolishing chattel slavery, and yet the rhetoric holds true. The New York Yankees will win their 28th World Series, or die by suicide.
Cam Schlittler was tasked with knotting up the ALDS on Monday night, knowing there was little chance of an offensive breakthrough for his club. Two pitches into the game, Yandy Díaz bounced a grounder to Ryan McMahon, who is on this team because of his supposed defensive prowess. McMahon can’t get a grip on the ball, Diaz reaches on an error. Two batters later, Jazz Chisholm Jr., while falling backwards after getting a forceout at second, throws the ball in the general ZIP code around first base, and Díaz scores. It was a preposterously poor idea do anything but hang onto the ball and take the one out. The Yankees were behind the eight ball already.
Two other errors meant that Schlittler, while charged with three runs overall, only had one count against him in a game where he admittedly didn’t have his best stuff. He still had to throw more pitches, against a team that makes you pay for that, and had high-stress innings bloom out of what should have been an easy start to the frame.
Two and a half weeks into this season I wrote about how the Yankees step on a lot of rakes. It was about Jazz not knowing the rules of baseball and the various other ways he can frustrate despite providing his own form of value. We’re past the point of frustration now, the Yankees’ inability to help themselves seems likely to cost them their postseason. The Rays are a very good baseball team, but the Yankees can beat them three times in a series — we saw them do just that two weeks ago. The Rays aren’t even really beating the Yankees; the Yankees are beating themselves.
Austin Wells thrown out at third base by 20 feet, with Luis Rojas waving a giant stop sign the moment the Yankees’ catcher hit second. A dozen flails at pitches well out of the zone. A runner at first to lead off the inning rather than a quick out, and the team you’re playing does not make enough of their own mistakes to let things level out.
I don’t know who to blame for this. I think the Yankees are actually coming close to deciding it’s time to make a change at manager, and I won’t shed a tear when Aaron Boone leaves the organization. Here’s the thing though: Aaron Boone doesn’t have to tell McMahon to field a groundball that hops at his waist. We keened for Boone to replace Anthony Volpe at shortstop, and George Lombard Jr. has been an error machine at that slot. The players are simply not good enough to avoid beating themselves.
If and when the Rays take the series they will have earned it. They’ve outplayed the Yankees in two games, outscoring anyone not named Ben Rice 6-0. They haven’t outplayed the Yankees by that much though, not really. The hole the Yankees find themselves in, the track set on the Blue Ridge before them, is one of their own construction.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 27, 2026: Riley Greene #31 of the Detroit Tigers reacts after striking out during the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park on September 27, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
There’s something kind of fun about watching the postseason drama unfold when you don’t have a horse in the race. Sure, it would be more enjoyable to watch if the Tigers were still in it, but it’s also very fun to watch the White Sox absolutely destroy the Guardians with no worries about the outcome. It’s always fun to watch the Yankees drop the ball. And it can be very interesting to watch the stories of Shohei Ohtani slumping and Mason Miller tipping his pitches when they aren’t playing on your team.
So we’ll get into all that below, but on the Tigers’ side of things, Riley Greene has been nominated for the Hank Aaron Award this season, and we aren’t totally done making you cry about Justin Verlander.
Let’s get into it!
Detroit Tigers News
A nice nomination for Riley. The Hank Aaron Award is given to players with the best offensive performances of the season.
Congrats to Riley Greene on being nominated for the Hank Aaron Award!
Verlander then joined MLB Network as an analyst on Tuesday night, surprising Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado, who were not expecting to be interviewed by the Tigers great only days after his retirement.
Freddie Freeman wasn’t expecting Justin Verlander to be the one asking the postgame questions. 😂
Before answering, he made sure to congratulate Verlander on his retirement.
Parents spend months trying to get their baby’s first word to be ‘Mama’ or ‘Dada.’ This book is for parents with bigger dreams.
I’m proud to be partnering with @MLB for YOUR BABY’S FIRST WORD WILL BE YANKEES and YOUR BABY’S FIRST WORD WILL BE DODGERS (words by me, art by Miguel… pic.twitter.com/ZGzZUwCJuN
In the afternoon, the Los Angeles Dodgers, up 2-1 in their series, take on the Atlanta Braves in a crucial Game 4. The Dodgers are one win away from advancing, while the Braves will be fighting to keep their postseason hopes alive in front of their home crowd.
1952 – In Game 7 of the World Series, second baseman Billy Martin makes a dramatic running catch on a high infield pop with the bases loaded as the New York Yankees win their fourth consecutive World Championship by downing the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-2.
1995 – Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners hits a tie-breaking grand slam in the eighth inning and drives in seven runs – the most ever in a postseason game to date – leading the Mariners past the New York Yankees, 11-8, and sending the ALDS to a decisive Game 5.
2011 – The Cardinals cause a huge upset by shutting out the Phillies, 1-0, in Game 5 of the NLDS. Chris Carpenter is the hero, tossing a three-hit complete game on the road and besting Phillies ace Roy Halladay. The Cards score the game’s only run in the 1st inning when Rafael Furcal leads off the game with a triple and Skip Schumaker follows with a double.
2017 – In Game 2 of the NLDS, Chicago has a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth, thanks to a solo homer by Willson Contreras and a two-run shot by Anthony Rizzo, both off Gio Gonzalez, but Washington explodes for five runs against Carl Edwards and Mike Montgomery to take a 6-3 win and even the series at one apiece.
1973 – Scotsman Jackie Stewart wins his third Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship despite withdrawing from the season-ending US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen; wins the title by 16 points from Emerson Fittipaldi.
1984 – Walter Payton passes Jim Brown as the NFL’s career rushing leader.
2008 – Music, podcast, and video streaming service Spotify is launched by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon.
2018 – Jodie Whittaker debuts in her first full episode as the 13th and first female Doctor Who on BBC television.
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 01: Mr. Splash greets fans at the Youth Sports Day on June 1, 2025 at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Good morning Birdland,
Yesterday was just the latest in a recent run of bad days for the Baltimore Orioles. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reported on Tuesday afternoon that the organization was laying off a significant number of business operations staff. He quoted one source calling it a “bloodbath” and relaying that the number of employees let go was at least in the teens.
Kostka explained on social media that they layoffs included members in business operations, brand, content, and game presentation. And according to an internal statement from Catie Griggs, the team’s President of Business Operations, that Kostka obtained for the story, the layoffs include several people with more than a decade of service to the organization.
It gets worse, as Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic provided additional details. She confirmed that the firings were actually 24 or more in total, including Mr. Splash and the person that portrays The Oriole Bird mascot, as well as the team photographer, people in ticket sales, graphic design, and food and beverage, among others.
What no one knows for sure at this point is why the Orioles made these layoffs. Attendance at Camden Yards this past season was slightly up, though modestly. The team tends to do quite well with local TV ratings, and 2026 was their first full season with an option to stream MASN locally.
There is an ongoing CBA negotiation that threatens to delay, shorten, or even cancel the 2027 season, which could factor in here. But if that were the reason, then something like a furlough would make more sense than a full on layoff, and an announcement on that would probably come closer to the actual season.
What feels like more of a possibility is that the Orioles are reallocating their resources elsewhere in the organization. Specifically, they plan to focus on the baseball front office. Mike Elias said near the end of the season that the team’s current baseball operations staff is “on the smaller side” and that he “would like to explore outside help and outside talent.” in order to “enhance the department, get bigger, get better.”
I can buy that the Orioles front office is relatively small and could use more help. What’s tougher for me to square is the reality that the on-field product was much better just a couple of years ago with this smaller staff, and that the answer to 2.5 years of disappointment is to double down on the leadership that got us to this point while another department gets gutted.
Again, that is not a confirmation of what is being done and why. But it is a logical connection of dots. More on the topic is sure to come out as either Griggs or someone else is willing to talk about it with reporters.
This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko Roch has some notes on the potential changes coming to the front office, specifically how the team thinks about analytics.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
Yusniel Dìaz turns 30 today. The outfielder was the centerpiece of the trade package that sent Manny Machado to the Dodgers back in 2018. Upon joining the Orioles organization, he almost immediately started to struggle, and would end up playing in just one game for the big league squad, which came in 2022.
Alex Cobb is 39 years old. Signed to be a difference-maker in the rotation ahead of the 2018 season, Cobb was instead a big disappointment, then spent most of 2019 on the IL, before salvaging his stint a bit in 2020. The Orioles eventually traded him to the Angels for prospect Jahmai Jones.
John O’Donoghue turns 87. He spent nearly a decade in Major League Baseball, including the 1968 season in Baltimore, where he had a 6.14 ERA over 22 total innings.
The late Grady Hatton (b. 1922, d. 2013) was born on this day. His time in Baltimore came near the end of his 12-season big league career. In 1956 he played in 27 games for the O’s, providing solid defense at second and third base.
This day in O’s history
2012 – The Yankees takes Game 1 of the ALDS, beating the Orioles 7-2 in Baltimore thanks to a five-run ninth inning that sees O’s closer Jim Johnson get knocked around quite a bit. CC Sabathia tosses 8.2 innings to notch the win.
2023 – The Orioles play from behind all day long against the Rangers in Game 1 of the ALDS, eventually falling 3-2 in the series opener.
CLEARWATER, MEXICO - MARCH 14: Aidan Miller #21 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws to first during the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark on Friday, March 14, 2025 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
See what happens when teams take a patient approach to Chris Sale? Maybe the Phillies should have taken a lesson or two from teams that actually had success.
No, that’s not a dispatch from topsy-turvy land. It’s their report cards following the first season Major League Baseball has utilized the Automated Ball-Strike system (ABS), courtesy of Baseball Savant’s calculations of the total run value of overturns on challenges.
ABS is the review process that uses cameras to track the precise location of a pitch in real time. Batters, catchers and pitchers can contest a ball or strike call by immediately tapping their cap or helmet. When a call is overturned, Baseball Savant measures the difference in run expectancy between the situation before the pitch/challenge and the situation after the call is flipped.
Overall, ABS overturned 54% of challenged calls. Catchers succeeded on 59% of their 5,792 challenges — changing an umpire’s “ball” call to “strike,” while batters succeeded on only 49% of their 4,765 challenges — changing a “strike” to a “ball.” Pitchers made 182 challenges — only 1.7% of the 10,557 total attempts — and only 72 were overturned (39.6%).
That shouldn’t be surprising. Catchers have a stationary view of a pitch from directly behind the plate, while batters track pitches standing from the side. Pitchers deliver the ball with their heads and several other body parts in motion.
“It’s like a new muscle for players to learn,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters. “You have instincts over what to do in certain situations. This is a new instinct of knowing when to challenge and instinctively within a second, oh, that’s a ball. What’s the situation?”
Takeaways from this high-tech, high-stakes MLB add-on that became instantly popular with fans and something of a poker hand for players:
Batters best at winning challenges didn’t necessarily produce at the plate:Jose Altuve topped all batters with 5.6 projected runs gained, followed by Seattle’s Cal Raleigh at 4.6. Yet Altuve, a .300 lifetime hitter, had his lowest batting average in 15 full seasons at .250, and Raleigh inexplicably hit only 23 homers while batting .182 one year after setting a record for catchers with 60 homers while batting .247.
Batters poor at challenges can lose their privileges: Dodgers third-year outfielder Andy Pages showed vast improvement in his patience at the plate this season, drawing 49 walks compared to the 29 he totaled in each of his first two seasons. Yet he is so bad at ABS challenges that manager Dave Roberts forbade Pages from challenging pitches after his unsuccessful challenge in the NL Division Series opener Monday.
“We talked about obviously a lot this year with Andy’s success rate or lack thereof,” Roberts said. “I didn’t revisit it before Game 1, so that’s my fault. I did have a conversation today. So, yeah, we’ve managed that one going forward.”
Pages challenged more pitches (25) than any other Dodger during the regular season, yet was unsuccessful on 14 of them, giving him an underwater success rate of 44%, roughly the same as similarly challenge-challenged teammates Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Dalton Rushing and Miguel Rojas.
Players adept at challenges need to tap their helmets more often: Each team starts the game with two challenges. Teams lose the ability to challenge after they do so incorrectly twice. That makes some players challenge-shy, especially early in a game.
Freddie Freeman (71%) had the highest success rate among Dodger regulars, yet he challenged only seven pitches all season. He desperately wanted to challenge a pitch during a game in June, but could only shake his head in frustration after a strike three call he believed was a ball. Pages had wasted the Dodgers’ second challenge on a clear strike moments earlier.
Mookie Betts was successful on 12 of 18 challenges, yet found himself tap-tied as well as tongue-tied in Game 1 of the Division Series when he led off by striking out looking on a full-count pitch clearly outside. He gave plate umpire Roberto Ortiz an astonished look and walked to the dugout shaking his head. What he didn’t do was tap his helmet to trigger a challenge.
Coming down hard on Pages was a change of tune for Roberts, who early in the season encouraged Dodgers hitters to be more aggressive making challenges. They finished the season 25th with 310 challenges and a 54.5% success rate. The Minnesota Twins led MLB with 460 challenges and the Cincinnati Red had the highest success rate at 61.6%.
Losing teams can be adept at challenges: The Reds also led MLB with 16.8 runs added through challenges, yet finished last in the NL Central. The Angels were next at 14 runs added, but that didn’t keep them from racking up 100 losses for the first time in franchise history. The Athletics (12.3) and Twins (10.1) were third and fourth in runs added, respectively, but also had losing records.
Angels aging superstar Mike Trout treated ABS challenges like a new toy, asking for four in the first five games of the season. Three were successful. Trout was expected to benefit big-time from ABS because he has always had an excellent walk rate and boasts a .405 on-base percentage in 16 seasons. Yet after the initial burst, he challenged only 10 more pitches all season, finishing with a 64% success rate.
Angels youthful hitters Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto were among the top 10 MLB players in challenges, and their success rates were better than league average at 56%. Reds infielder Sal Stewart, the odds-on favorite to win the NL rookie of the year award, led MLB with 51 challenges and was successful 28 times.
Early in the season, Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said he wasn’t going to impose hard-and-fast rules on his players that might prevent them from making a challenge they believe in. The Angels finished 11th in MLB with 369 challenges and had a 53.7% success rate.
“If you feel 100% strongly that it’s a ball,” Suzuki told the Athletic, “go ahead and challenge it.”
Winning teams can be poor at challenges: The three teams with the best records in baseball were challenge challenged. The Dodgers (100 wins) were worse than all but four of the 30 teams at minus-8.5 runs, followed by Tampa Bay (98 wins) at minus-7.8. Milwaukee (103 wins) was 20th at minus-2.4.
The worst team at challenges was Cleveland at minus-13.4, yet the Guardians won the AL Central.
What does it mean? ABS challenges produce an infinitesimal W or L, a momentary shot of euphoria or thin slice of humble pie. Yet there is little correlation between a batter’s ability to crush the ball and his ability to discern a ball from a strike when a pitch is only an inch or so inside or outside the strike zone.
The player who accumulated the most unsuccessful challenges? Future slam-dunk Hall of Famer Bryce Harper with 26. His success rate was only 45%.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers in the second inning of a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS at Truist Park on Tuesday. (Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
He is, as the Atlanta Braves found out the hard way. Yamamoto pitched the Dodgers to within one game of the National League Championship Series, setting a postseason high with 10 strikeouts in a 3-1 victory.
In seven innings, Yamamoto gave up one run on four hits, all of them singles. In only one of those innings did Atlanta advance a runner beyond first base.
“I just have a lot of respect for him and for what he means here in L.A. and what he has accomplished here,” Skubal said. “I know we have a lot of good starting pitching, and I know there is a lot of thought that goes into it, but I just assumed he would be the Game 1 guy.”
You could say Yamamoto rises to the October occasion, but Mookie Betts would not say that, if only because Yamamoto rises to the occasion on just about every occasion.
“I don’t see it any different,” Betts said. “I think he does it all year, too.
“He just has so many weapons. He throws a lot of strikes with a lot of pitches. He’s hard to hit.”
Skubal, a two-time Cy Young winner, is brilliant in October.
In seven postseason appearances, he has a 1.97 earned-run average. He gave up five runs in one inning, and he has given up five runs in the other 44⅔ innings. The Dodgers’ grand prize from the trade deadline was hardly a reckless choice to start Game 1 of the division series.
Yamamoto has a 2.14 ERA in 11 playoff appearances, the fourth-lowest of any pitcher since 1903 to make at least 10 postseason starts. He drains the life out of an opposing crowd as well as anyone in major league history, with a 1.42 ERA in six road playoff outings.
“I’m a fan of this game as much as I am a player,” Skubal said. “So, when I watch guys do really impressive things and do great things, I understand what it takes because I also play the game.
“When he goes out and performs like he does, it’s almost like I expect it. And now, being a teammate of his, it’s not surprising at all why he goes and performs like he does, because the way he prepares is as good as anybody in this game. It’s just a ton of fun to be on the same side of it.”
Yamamoto admitted to feeling nervous, even if you would never sense it from watching him. That’s part of the way he prepares, too.
“During the preparation and before the game, then I do get nervous,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter, “but at that time, I personally think that’s very important.”
And then the game starts, the nerves dissipate, and the opponent is methodically slayed.
“He just has a way to just make pitches, calm his heartbeat,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers have played seven postseason series with Yamamoto, and they have won them all.
We’ll always cherish last October. In 76 regular-season starts with the Dodgers, he has one complete game. In back-to-back starts last October, he threw a complete game both times.
Of the Dodgers’ four victories in the World Series, Yamamoto earned three — including Game 6 as a starter and Game 7 as a reliever, with no day of rest in between.
“I got goosebumps watching that,” Skubal said. “I didn’t know how he was doing it. That’s what I was thinking: How is this going to work?
“His stuff looked even better than it did in Game 6, which is insane to say. But it did. When I was watching on TV, I was like, ‘Holy ... he looks better today than he did yesterday, and he did pretty well the day before.’ It’s incredible.
“Hopefully, we’re not having to do that again to him.”
That is one big reason why the Dodgers acquired Skubal. If Tyler Glasnow wins Wednesday — and the Dodgers won in all six of Glasnow’s postseason appearances last October — they are off to the NLCS.
The Game 1 starter could be Skubal, followed in Game 2 by Yamamoto. That’s a tall order for opposing batters and, so far, a winning order for the Dodgers.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman reacts after the final out of a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Left untweeted, but understood: Thank you. Thank you so much.
Like all of the booing Braves fans rooting against Freddie Freeman in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory Tuesday in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, their counterparts in L.A. also remember well that Freeman became a Dodger in 2022 only after his painful split with the Braves.
If those contract talks with Atlanta hadn’t stalled, Freeman, the so-so-clutch 37-year-old with the 1950s flat top, wouldn’t have provided Angelenos with so much joy and so many incredible postseason moments — including Tuesday’s solo home run off Atlanta ace Chris Sale.
If the Braves hadn’t pulled their offer and abruptly pivoted away from their fan favorite, the guy they drafted in the second round in 2007 out of El Modena High School in Orange, the Dodgers don’t even have an opening to invite him back to Southern California, or to sign him to a six-year, $162 million deal.
If the Braves don’t trade instead for Matt Olson, the Dodgers don’t have a hobbled Freeman hitting his walk-off, 10th-inning grand slam against the New York Yankees in the World Series.
And they don’t have him hitting his fifth career postseason home run at Truist Park — this one the first against the Braves instead of for them.
Boo your front office too, Braves fans, for not wanting to play ball with Freeman.
Tuesday’s 399-foot solo shot off of Sale’s sinker pushed the lead to 3-0 — a margin that no team has yet overcome against Dodgers’ ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
And for whoever is studying for the history test later, it also gave Freeman the most lefty-on-lefty home runs in MLB playoff history (eight). It was his 18th career postseason home run — nine of them with the Dodgers, thank the Braves very much — which nudged him back ahead of teammate Kiké Hernández, whose two-run home run two batters earlier was the 17th of his playoff career.
It also was Freeman’s second home run in three NLDS games — after he hit only one in the final 66 regular-season games he played in.
The man wasn’t kidding when he told us he’d figured something out.
“Yeah, the first couple of days of the bye week, you’re just trying to figure out and looking at the video what’s worked in the past, what it looks like in setup,” Freeman said after Tuesday’s victory. “We found something where my shoulders were a little too turned. All I really did was open my shoulders a couple inches.
“Baseball,” he reminded us, “is a game of inches.”
Ain’t that the truth; Freeman would’ve had two home runs Tuesday if Braves left fielder Mauricio Dubón hadn’t robbed him of one in the third inning with a sprinting, leaping catch at the wall.
“Dubón made a great play on the one at-bat,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “ … but (Freeman) just takes great at-bats.
“And no moment’s going to be too big for him.”
The Dodgers can count on Freeman to come through big at the plate; his home run in Sunday’s Game 2 loss wasn’t enough in the end, but the solo home run off Braves reliever Grant Holmes tied the score 1-1 and gave a subdued Dodger Stadium crowd a much-needed jolt.
The Dodgers also count on Freeman in the field.
Smooth and sure-handed, Freeman has the third-best fielding percentage among active first basemen (.997). On Tuesday, he finished off the game with a nifty pick, securing the squirrely throw from shortstop Mookie Betts to get Mike Yastrzemski for the final out, stranding Ozzie Albies at third.
“He does whatever it takes to win,” Roberts said. “That was a tough play. Yaz runs decent … you never know, I might have had to make a pitching change. You get (Austin) Riley who has come up with big hits. Just to be able to make that play was big.”
As for his reception, less welcoming than usual from the Atlanta faithful?
Freeman said he didn’t even hear the boos: “To be honest, I don’t really hear much out there. It’s just noise because it’s so loud.”
And hearing about them didn’t leave him boo-hooing.
“I’ve got a gray uniform on, I expect boos. It’s OK,” he said, flashing that bright smile. “Like I’ve always said, I’ve enjoyed my 12 years in this organization. … I’ve had wonderful experiences with the white uniform on here, and I loved every second of it. I get it. This is a game. We’re trying to win the game. They want to win it for their team…
“It’s all love. I still love everybody here.”
But it’s baseball. There’s a thin line — just inches — between love and boos.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 30: George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees looks on from the on deck circle during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on September 30, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The first two games of the American League Division Series were an utter disaster for the Yankees, from nearly getting no-hit to idiotic baserunning decisions and heinous errors in the field. They very much deserve their 0-2 hole. They ran it back with the 2025 team, and perhaps it’s fitting that they would also stare down a possible ALDS sweep against the surprising rival that beat them out for the division title. Those Yanks managed to force a Game 4 thanks to some Aaron Judge heroics before meeting their ultimate fate. Can’t get a shot at a you-never-know Game 5 without winning Game 3, right? Look, I’m not terribly optimistic, but let’s see if we can’t get some Masahiro Tanaka/Greg Bird-esque Game 3 magic, if not only to jab a finger in the Rays’ eye.
Today on the site, Josh will rue the Yankees’ self-inflicted mistakes that may have already ruined the season, Matt will run through the NLDS action from yesterday during toe ALDS offday, Nick will celebrate the 94th birthday of a somewhat-recently departed 1960s champion, and Dani will set us up for the do-or-die Game 3 tonight.
Today’s Matchup:
American League Division Series Game 3
New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
TV: TBS/HBO Max, TruTV, Univision
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Questions/Prompts:
1. Simple enough: Do the Yankees force a Game 4 tomorrow? And if yes, do you think they’ll bring the series back to the Trop for Game 5?
2. Which non-Ben Rice hitter do you feel best about at the moment?
When Alex Cora spoke to the media at the start of spring training in 2024, he claimed that he didn’t intend to be a baseball manager for the rest of his life, stating that “there’s more in life than baseball.” And though his tenure as Red Sox manager ended a lot sooner than he or anybody else anticipated, the 50-year-old has followed through on his declaration.
He first did that in April, when he turned down an offer to manager the Phillies. And it’s now happened again, as he told the Phillies that he doesn’t intend to work in MLB for the 2027 season, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“Cora informed [Phillies president of baseball operations Dave] Dombrowski he’s taking the season off,” Nightengale reported.
Phillies spurned again by Alex Cora, as manager says he's taking 2027 offhttps://t.co/pCx5pHvmhb
Dombrowski, who ran the Red Sox’ baseball operations from 2015-19, fired John Farrell after the 2017 season and hired Cora for his first managerial job. Cora led the Red Sox to a World Series victory in Year 1. And though the Red Sox fired Dombrowski late in the 2019 season, Cora remained a logical choice as Dombrowski’s next hire in Philadelphia after firing Rob Thomson in late April this past season.
Nevertheless, Cora took the 2026 season off following his firing on April 25, and he’ll continue to watch baseball from afar in 2027.
That’s not the most difficult choice for Cora, considering he’s still owed more than $7 million by the Red Sox, who in the summer of 2024 extended Cora through 2027 on a three-year, $21.75 million contract.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 25: Ryan O'Hearn #29 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates scoring a run in the second inning with teammates while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on September 25, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates infield in 2026 was comprised of a balanced mix of All-Star caliber players and average rotational pieces.
Best of the best starters
Pittsburgh’s infield as a whole was a position group that in 2026 had several marquee players. The most explosive of these players was second baseman Brandon Lowe. After being acquired from Tampa in 2025’s offseason, Lowe made an instant impact for Pittsburgh as he set the all-time mark for most home runs hit by a Pirates’ second baseman in a single season with 35. His pop and power was a welcomed addition that helped the Pirates completely transform their putrid offense from a season ago. Fingers crossed Lowe resigns with the Pirates.
Ryan O’Hearn was another welcomed addition via free-agency and he too had one of his best statistical seasons of his career in his first year as a Bucco. O’Hearn did have to miss some time due to injury, but when he was on the field (first base or right field) he was absolutely electric. On July 7 against the Atlanta Braves he set a Pirates’ single-game record for RBIs (10) as he had three homers on the night and absolutely put the team on his back in that performance. His veteran leadership was welcomed in the locker room and on the field, and the Pirates are far better off with O’Hearn in the lineup.
Perhaps the most surprising star of this Pirates squad in 2026 was Nick Gonzales who served primarily as the Pittsburgh’s third baseman. In 148 games played Gonzales put together his most complete season as a pro to date. His .303 batting average ranked fourth in the National League, while his hits and on base percentage ranked eighth and ninth respectively. This season Gonzales proved he’s a piece that’s worth keeping around, as he proved to be a capable well-rounded defender, as well as a great presence at the plate. Gonzales’ 167 hits was the most by anyone on the Pirates in 2026
Middle of the road rotational players
There was a point in time in the year where Spencer Horwitz getting a hit was as guaranteed as Munetaka Murakami giving a great interview. However, he did cool off at points in the season and had a pretty average year. Still though he did appear in 107 contests at first base for the Buccos and was mostly solid just not spectacular. His .244 batting average was a downtick to his .272 in 2025, and he hit one less homer this year. That being said, Horwitz is a steady presence at first, and was certainly the best option to play the position when O’Hearn was either hurt or in right field.
Jared Triolo was once again right in the thick of things as a do it all defender. The former Gold Glove utility man had eight appearances at first base, 50 at third base and 71 at shortstop. He’s still the most versatile defensive player on the Pirates’ roster, but of course his offensive shortcomings keep him from being a more regularly used piece in the lineup. He once again finished with very high marks when it comes to fielding percentage, but was just average at the plate, only hitting .238 on the season and just three homers.
Not all will be welcomed back
Jacob Gonzalez was acquired from the Chicago White Sox on July 11 and it seems like he left the best of his abilities back in the Windy City. Although he did have five home runs with the Pirates the rest of his stats did not hold up. He only hit .203 as a Bucco and only had 14 RBIs with the club. I’m not sure that there was a real winner to this trade, but it’s clear that the Pirates might be better off cutting their losses with Gonzalez.
Nick Yorke had a majority of his appearances come at third base (38) for the Pirates in 2026, but that was mostly as a depth piece when Gonzales or Triolo weren’t there. He certainly shouldn’t be viewed as an integral piece of the team moving forward. What he didn’t do on the field was in a way made up for what he did provide to the clubhouse as a morale guy.
Konnor Griffin
The rookie-phenom Konnor Griffin deserves his own section, not so much for what he did in 2026 but for what he’s projected to do in the future. Griffin made waves when he became the highest paid Pirate ever, and then followed it up with a big hit in his first major league at bat. However, Griffin’s season was plagued with injuries. He was still able to appear in 80 games and hit for .272, but it’s clear to anyone with eyes and ears that Griffin is capable of so much more. It’s already remarkable what he’s been able to do at such a young age and in an injury shortened season, that 2027 will really be a treat for anyone who has the privilege of seeing Griffin in action. He’s a future star in the making, and could very well end up being talked about in the same breath as former teenage-phenoms like Ken Griffey Jr. and Bryce Harper. Stay tuned for so much more to come!
Who doesn't love a Konnor Griffin trip, trip, triple 🤩
Overall the infield for the Pittsburgh groups was super solid. Even the middle of the road players were capable of flipping the script on a game and contributing in meaningful ways. If Lowe is resigned, this will be arguably the best position group for the Pirates in 2027.
Will Venable played basketball at college before embarking on his MLB career. Photograph: Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images
The postgame celebration songs pounded through the Bluetooth speakers in the Chicago White Sox clubhouse on Monday night, minutes after the team’s playoff victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
The White Sox, who lost 121 games two seasons ago, have made a remarkable turnaround. A team who were once so abject that they stopped tweeting out their results are now just five wins from the World Series. They can seal their progress to the American League Championship Series on Wednesday if they beat the Guardians in Chicago.
But amid the clubhouse excitement in Cleveland, one individual remained the same. As usual.
“He’s the same guy every single day,” White Sox designated hitter Andrew Benintendi said about the club’s manager, Will Venable. “He’s even keel. … Being Steady Eddie and showing up every day as the same guy.”
Venable has been the catalyst for the White Sox this year. His consistent approach and calm demeanor have helped set the tone for a team whose manager once envisioned his future on a basketball court. Long before Venable managed a major-league team, he learned about spacing, timing, preparation, trust and precision away from the baseball diamond.
Venable was a shooting guard for Princeton University from 2001 to 2005. He was first team All-Ivy League, led his team to the NCAA Tournament and once scored 21 points against Duke. As a baseball player, Venable was also All-Ivy, which made him only the second Princeton athlete to accomplish that distinction in baseball and basketball.
And he eventually took the Princeton concepts of basketball and used them in his baseball career.
“For me, my time playing basketball, especially at Princeton, helped me understand the importance of attention to detail,” said Venable, who played eight years in the majors, mostly for the San Diego Padres. “The spacing and timing required [in the Princeton offense] helped me as a baseball player understand the importance of every little detail.”
Princeton’s style of basketball taught Venable how to see baseball spatially and collectively. The basic concepts of the Princeton offense rely on constant player movement, precise passing, back-door cuts and read-and-react decisions rather than fixed set plays.
The Princeton offense is about players functioning as connected pieces rather than individuals. This postseason, Chicago’s pitching philosophy has been a team effort – sharing the ball as in basketball. Instead of the traditional routine in the playoffs of leaning on a starter to throw six-plus innings followed by relief, the White Sox focus on managing matchups, not innings. It’s not about who starts but who gets the next out.
Venable essentially manages his pitching staff the way a basketball coach manages a roster: through combinations, matchups, short bursts and putting players into situations where their particular skills have the greatest advantage.
“That’s carried over into managing,” Venable said. “The details matter: where we position guys, the timing of their pre-pitch movements, timing at the plate, all the very fine details and the precision of the game. I learned that through my time in basketball.”
And many of White Sox players have learned from their manager. They learned from the unconventional style but mostly from the confidence that leaks into his players.
That confidence was on display Monday when rookie Braden Montgomery’s opposite-field double in the sixth inning gave the White Sox the lead. In that same inning, Montgomery scored on a single as the White Sox held on for a 4-3 Game 2 victory. The switch-hitting outfielder had a .430 OPS in 103 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers in the regular season, the worst among qualifying hitters from the right side of the plate. And it was just his third hit in 12 postseason plate appearances.
“That’s a guy that’s not going to shy away from the moment,” Venable said. “It all culminates into trusting the player and really again putting the nine best guys out there to get the job done.”
Montgomery said Venable’s quote is special.
“I respect him so much for having that confidence in me, and that means the world to me,” Montgomery said. “I’d run through a wall for Will.”
Earlier this season catcher Kyle Teel needed a dose of confidence as he struggled at the plate after he returned to the active roster.
“[Will] came up to me and told me not to do too much and stay within myself,” Teel said. “I hit a home run right after he said that. He’s a phenomenal leader. I’m grateful he’s our manager.”
Shortstop Colson Montgomery said Venable’s confidence has a strong influence on the team.
“When you see your manager walking around with all of the confidence in the world, why would I not walk around like that too,” Montgomery said. “There’s never a doubt wondering if he believes in me.”
After losing 102 games in his first season as manager in 2025, Venable earned belief when the White Sox made a chase for a Central Division title this season and finished 84-78. They fell one game short behind the Guardians. Venable says the turnaround is a team and organizational effort.
“[General manager Chris Getz] was very clear about what he thought [winning] looked like, and as he outlined his plan and his values, I was very much in line with that,” Venable said. “That’s why I ultimately thought it was a good partnership and that this was going to be a place where we could help the organization move forward. … I was on board with the vision and wanted to do my part to help him.”
His part included developing a trust among his players, establishing confidence and bringing the lessons from basketball – precision, trust, interconnectedness and unselfishness – to baseball.
“It’s because they’ve done it together,” Venable said. “It’s because they’ve done it for each other, and that’s something that we witness every single day in that clubhouse.”
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 03: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees walks back to the dugout after a pitching change against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning in game one of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on October 03, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
NY Daily News | James O’Connell: The Yankees ran out the same exact lineup in Games 1 and 2 of their ALDS matchup against the Rays, but aside from Ben Rice and his pair of home runs no one else is really contributing. As the series shifts over to New York for Game 3 tonight, manager Aaron Boone was amenable to some lineup tinkering though he wouldn’t get into specifics of who could find their way in and who would get sent to the bench. Some of the more likely candidates to sit include those who both haven’t found their way into a hit yet and also fumbled the ball around in their atrocious Game 2 showing, such as Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
NY Post | Mark W. Sanchez: Max Fried is lined up to start tonight on the mound in Game 3, but there was the potential for that to not be the case. Fried’s partner is due to give birth in the coming days and there was the possibility that Fried would have to miss this start, but the lefty confirmed that he will be there for the team adding that he’s “got a really supportive family that understands that this is my job.” Fried’s focus is leaving it all on the line for his team as the Yankees face elimination, and hopefully that dedication pays off for him.
MLB.com | Matthew Leach: So the Yankees are down in an 0-2 hole, but is there any hope of a comeback? There’s a few reasons to believe in a turnaround, namely that they largely beat themselves in Game 2 and have an elite pitching staff that could lock down opposing bats so long as the defense stops putzing the ball around. Getting out of Tropicana Field is also a big plus, and even though a potential Game 5 would see them return to that house of horrors, they’ve got to win the first two before worrying about that.
MLB.com | Mike Lupica: The Yankees are certainly not strangers to reverse sweeping in an ALDS, as Lupica takes us through the history of the team’s ability to flip the script. Unfortunately, that history all lies in the recent past as Aaron Boone’s squads have largely been unable to answer back after getting punched in the face in a series — let’s see if they can change that narrative this time around.
The Big Lead | J.P. Hoornstra: Sadly, we end our notes with the passing of ‘Sudden’ Sam McDowell, who died on Monday. McDowell was a six-time All-Star throughout his 15-year MLB career, and he played for the Yankees at the tail end of his career for the 1973-74 seasons. From all of us here at Pinstripe Alley, we send our condolences to Sam’s family and friends.
