Category: Baseball

The Guardians beat the Athletics last night and the White Sox lost to Detroit, blowing a six-run lead, so Cleveland baseball fans are feeling PRETTY good this morning. Jake had your recap of the game here.

Jose Ramirez got his 1,000th career RBI last night. It came on his 12th home run of the season… hit while batting left-handed… is Jose’s wrist finally feeling better?

Colin Holderman left his rehab appearance with Columbus with a flare-up of his sore wrist. Feels unlikely we will see him again this season, which is sad.

Around MLB:

As mentioned, the White Sox lost, the Rangers beat the Blue Jays (so root for Texas tonight) and the Orioles also lost. The Guardians are 1 game up in the Central and 2 games up in the wildcard. Go Tigers!

In honor of the Philadelphia Phillies playing host to the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, we here at The Good Phight are launching a yearlong series that focuses on the history of the Phillies and the All-Star Game. Check back regularly for posts about the Phillies participation (or lack thereof) in the Midsummer Classic over its history.

We’re back again, and this one is going to be a doozy. For those who have been following along with this series and who are of a certain age or know their Phillies history, you knew that this decade would be a full one. And it is, with a whopping 8 one and done All-Stars, the most of any decade in this silly exercise. So please bear with me as this will be an extremely long post and I apologize in advance for the delay in receiving it.

The series so far: 1930s, 1940s part 1, 1940s part 2, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s part 1, 1980s part 2

Dave Hollins, 1993

Naturally, our list begins with two members of the 1993 National League champion Phillies. Dave Hollins was the frighteningly intense third baseman of those ‘93 Phillies, but before that, he was the sixth-round pick of the San Diego Padres in the 1987 MLB draft. Hollins was just a junior at the University of South Carolina at the time who hit .302 with 4 home runs a year after he slugged 19 homers his sophomore year. The Padres assigned Hollins to short-season A-ball in Spokane where he hit .309 with 2 home runs in 75 games as a 21-year-old.

It wouldn’t be long before Hollins found himself getting promoted, as he ended 1989 in Double-A after hitting .275 with a .775 OPS. But even with his growing status as a prospect, the Padres and their manager Jack McKeon decided to leave Hollins off the 40-man roster despite having three open spots, thus exposing him to the Rule-5 draft. That’s when the Phillies’ general manager Lee Thomas decided to select Hollins in the second round of the draft, snapping him up from San Diego for no cost. The Padres regretted their decision, with one executive placing the blame on McKeon who “has never been enthralled with younger players” and lamented “Jeez, as hard as third baseman are to find, you don’t just give a prospect like this away.”

But that’s exactly what the Padres did, and Hollins was thrilled about it, saying “As soon as I got the news, it was a boost for my confidence. I think I can make the team. I just hope they give me a shot to show that I can play.” And that’s exactly what the Phillies did, as they were searching for a successor to Mike Schmidt and incumbent third baseman Charlie Hayes did not show enough to warrant off any competition for the majority of playing time. Hollins stayed with the Phillies for all of 1990 but only appeared in 72 games and hit .184. Still, it fulfilled the Rule 5 draft requirements for the Phillies to retain Hollins, so they were now free to move him around their system at will.

And that’s exactly what they did in 1991, as Hollins was demoted to Triple-A following an April where he hit went hitless across 14 plate appearances in just 8 games played. Hollins had made the Opening Day roster despite most expecting him to start in Triple-A, but that poor performance and his ultimate lack of playing time led to him being sent to Scranton anyway on April 23rd, the same day the team fired manager Nick Leyva and replaced him with Jim Fregosi. Hollins meanwhile started out poorly in Triple-A before catching fire in June, hitting .330 with three home runs and 14 RBIs while capturing minor league player of the month honors. It was a well-timed hot streak, as Phillies third baseman Charlie Hayes was bottoming out with his average sitting at .203 by the end of June. Hollins found his way back to the majors on July 11th and showed why the third base job should be his as he hit .326 with a .963 OPS in 48 games after being recalled.

The Phillies entered 1992 with Hollins firmly entrenched as their starting third baseman, as the team had shipped Hayes to the Yankees in early January. Hollins took full advantage of his first chance at every day playing time, as he turned in a season that landed him 20th in MVP voting despite the Phillies finishing in last place. Now being known as “Mikey”, a nickname coined by teammate John Kruk to refer to the uber intense persona Hollins would slip into, the 26-year-old Hollins hit .270 with 27 home runs. His season highlight may have come very early into the year though, as Hollins collected 5 RBIs on a two-run homer and a three-run triple on April 27th against his old team the Padres. “I do get up a little more for them than any other team,” Hollins admitted after the 12-9 win. “It’s just the fact that I did play for them. It gives me incentive to play well because I do like to beat them.”

That exact sentiment, the feeling of proving someone wrong out of pure spite, would fuel Hollins and many of the 1993 Phillies. Hollins, along with Kruk, Darren Daulton, Lenny Dykstra, Pete Incaviglia, and Mitch Williams made up the core of what became known as “Macho Row,” the group of veteran throwbacks and castoffs that became the heart of the ‘93 Phillies as they stormed their way to a shocking NL pennant. The hard-edged Hollins was a big part of the team’s record-breaking fast start, as he hit .302 with 8 home runs through the end of May. But Hollins had been playing with a sore wrist until finally a groundball in infield practice on June 10th that aggravated the injury led to imaging that revealed a fracture in the hook of the hamate bone. Hollins underwent surgery on June 15th and was originally anticipated to miss four to six weeks, but he returned to the lineup almost exactly two weeks to the day of his surgery on June 28th.

But Hollins wasn’t quite the same after the injury, as he was hitting .237 across 15 games by the time the All-Star break came around in July. Hollins acknowledged that he may have come back a little early but felt the need to be in the lineup as long as he was cleared to play in order to try and bring stability, adding “So I’ll take my lumps for a while, then I’ll be ready to go.” Despite his poor post-injury performance, Hollins’ strong first half of the season was enough to have him named to the 1993 All-Star team at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Unlike his teammates Kruk, Daulton, and pitcher Terry Mulholland, Hollins did not start the game but rather entered in the bottom of the sixth as a defensive replacement at third for Gary Sheffield. Hollins got his chance to bat in the top of the eighth with the NL trailing 9-3 and a runner on first with one out. Facing Rick Aguliera of the Twins, Hollins ripped a double to right field to put runners on second and third with one out. But the NL couldn’t capitalize on the chance, as Andrés Galarraga popped up to shortstop and Jeff Blauser struck out to end the inning. In any case, Hollins may not have started like his teammates, but he was the only Phillie to collect a hit in the game the NL lost 9-3.

Hollins rebounded enough in the second half to end the regular season with a .273 average and 18 home runs in 143 games. He was given the opportunity to make up for his injury diminished regular season in the postseason though, as the surprising Phillies won the NL east and then dispatched the Braves in the NLCS to reach their first World Series since 1983. Hollins did indeed find a way to contribute, as he homered twice against the Braves including launching a two-run homer off of Greg Maddux in the decisive Game 6. Unfortunately, the magic carpet ride ended one stop short of immortality for Hollins and the Phillies, as they were dispatched by the Blue Jays in the World Series.

Hollins got off to a bad start to 1994 before the season was canceled due to the player’s strike. He was also diagnosed with diabetes, something that would adversely affect the rest of his career. The arrival of 1995 quickly showed that the Phillies nor Hollins would be able to recapture the magic of ‘93. Hollins was ultimately benched and then requested a trade. His wish was granted on July 25th when he was sent to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Mark Whiten. Hollins went on to appear in only five games with the Red Sox before suffering a broken wrist that required surgery, ending his season in early August. He signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins for 1996 but was on the move again mid-season, this time getting traded to the Seattle Mariners on August 30th in exchange for a player to be named later. That player was someone by the name of David Ortiz.

Hollins spent the next few years learning to treat his now diagnosed as Type-1 diabetes while playing with the Mariners, Blue Jays, and Indians. He was able to get the condition under control enough to have a resurgent season in 1997 with Anaheim, but that would be the last productive year of his career. However, Hollins made his return to the Phillies organization in 2002 when he signed a minor league deal with the club in the hopes of making the team out of Spring Training. He was able to do just that, but his second tour in Philadelphia was cut short after a bite from a brown recluse spider made his diabetes flare up, forcing him to the injured list in April after appearing in just 14 games. Hollins stuck around with the Phillies organization into 2003, but after playing 29 games at Triple-A Scranton, he announced his retirement in late May, ten years after the magical 1993 season.

Terry Mulholland, 1993

It should come as no real surprise that a team full of misfits and castoffs from other organizations such as the 1993 Phillies were that they would have two one and done All-Stars. Before Terry Mulholland became the anchor of that ‘93 Phillies rotation, he was the 24th overall pick of the San Francisco Giants out of Marietta College in 1984. Scout Ken Parker was on his way back to San Francisco for the draft and decided to stop at the D-III school in Ohio to watch the 6’3 lefty Mulholland, who was projected to be a third or fourth round pick, make a start. Parker immediately called the Giants’ front office after the game and declared “This is our guy.”

That guy moved quickly throughout the minor leagues despite having a quirky pitching motion, starting with the ball behind his back before releasing it in front of him. He reached Triple-A by the beginning of 1986, and despite not lasting long in spring training, a good showing while pitching for Phoenix convinced the Giants to promote the 23-year-old Mulholland to the majors on June 8th. He was to start the second game of a doubleheader against the Reds, making him the seventh rookie on their MLB roster. Mulholland, an avid baseball card collector, was thrilled to be facing off against “all the guys I’ve got cards of at home” such as Dave Parker.

Mulholland dazzled in his debut, tossing 7.1 innings of one run ball with five hits allowed, three walks, and six strikeouts in a 3-1 Giants win. Although he was called up as an injury replacement for Roger Mason, assistant GM Ralph Nelson asserted that Mulholland was here in San Francisco to stay provided he didn’t “pitch himself off the team.” In Nelson and the rest of the front office’s estimation, Mulholland must have done just that, as he was optioned back to Phoenix on July 5th after appearing in seven total games with a 4.09 ERA. He returned on July 30th and remained in the majors the rest of the year, finishing his rookie season with a 4.94 ERA across 15 appearances and 10 starts.

The Giants elected to keep Mulholland in Triple-A for the entirety of the 1987 season where he struggled to the tune of a 5.07 ERA in 37 games and 29 starts. 1988 was another up and down year for Mulholland figuratively and literally, as he bounced back and forth from Triple-A and the Majors but did accumulate a 2-1 record and 3.72 ERA across nine games and six starts with the Giants.

Mulholland entered 1989 once again in the minor leagues until being promoted in late May due to a shoulder injury to Kelly Downs. The now 26-year-old lefty mostly served as the long reliever out of the bullpen, appearing in just five games and totaling 11 innings by the middle of June. But that’s when Mulholland’s fate changed, as the Giants traded him to the Phillies along with Dennis Cook and Charlie Hayes in exchange for closer Steve Bedrosian. That trade occurred at the same time as another notable one in Phillies history, as Mulholland’s future 1993 Phillies teammate Lenny Dykstra arrived in a trade from the Mets in exchange for Juan Samuel. In any case, the Phillies, a team on their way to another dismal season, elected to keep Mulholland in the majors for the rest of the year. It wasn’t a great introduction to Philadelphia, as Mulholland pitched to a 5.00 ERA in 20 games and 17 starts across 104.1 IP.

1990 would be a much better year for Mulholland. Finally starting the season in the majors, he rewarded the Phillies’ faith (or lack of better options) with the best year of his career to date, logging a 3.43 ERA across a then career-best 180.2 innings. The highlight of his and the Phillies season came on August 15th, when Mulholland threw the seventh no-hitter in Phillies history and the first by a Phillie at Veteran’s Stadium, fittingly by blanking his old team the Giants in a 6-0 win. He collected eight strikeouts and allowed just one baserunner on a throwing error in the seventh from Charlie Hayes. But a double play immediately after that error allowed Mulholland to face the minimum and complete the no-hitter on just 105 pitches. Hayes redeemed himself later by getting the final out by spearing a line drive off the bat of Gary Carter. The no-no came at a time when Mulholland was still struggling to lock down a spot in the Phillies rotation. He would remain there the rest of the season and averaged over seven innings pitched over his final nine starts.

Firmly entrenched in the rotation in 1991, Mulholland blossomed into an old school workhorse. He tossed a career-high 232 innings across 34 starts, going 16-13 with a 3.61 ERA. 1992 was much of the same, as Mulholland again threw over 200 innings and led baseball with 12 complete games. But the Phillies themselves were not ascending with their rotation anchor, as they finished in last place and completed their sixth straight season of finishing below .500.

1993 of course saw a drastic change in the team’s fortune, and Mulholland was right at the center of it. He anchored the rotation as the Phillies got off to a record setting hot start and rode that momentum all the way to a surprising World Series berth. But before that came the All-Star game, and Mulholland was named as the starter for the National League. The starting nod made him the first Phillie to receive the honor since Steve Carlton in 1980. Mulholland had a rather uneventful first inning, retiring the side outside of allowing a one-out walk to Paul Molitor. The final out of the inning was Joe Carter in a bit of foreshadowing for later events. The second didn’t go as smoothly for Mulholland, as he allowed a home run to Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett. He would finish his All-Star apperance with two innings pitched, one run allowed on one hit, and two walks. Mulholland himself later described his start as “below par.”

Mulholland struggled a bit in the second half as well, posting a 4.19 ERA across 12 appearances and suffering a pulled muscle in his hip on September 6th. His status for the postseason was in some jeopardy, but Mulholland recovered enough to make three starts during the Phillies World Series run. However, the team would go 1-2 in those starts, as Mulholland allowed 13 total runs in 15.2 innings pitched. His lone win came in Game 2 of the World Series where he went 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits while the Phillies beat Toronto 6-4 to even the series. However, Mulholland was also the starter for the fateful and decisive Game 6 and allowed five runs in five innings before Carter walked the series off against Mitch Williams in the ninth.

That World Series start would turn out to be the last Mulholland would make in a Phillies uniform until 1996, as he spent the next two years with the Yankees and the Giants after Philadelphia traded the lefty to New York on February 9th, 1994. It was a pure cost saving move, as Mulholland was a year out from free agency and the Phillies had already told him that they would not give him the three-year deal he had asked for. In return for their one-time ace, the Phillies received Bobby Muñoz, Kevin Jordan, and Ryan Karp.

But Mulholland struggled so bad in his two years away from Philadelphia, posting a 6.11 ERA across 53 appearances, that he found his way back to Philadelphia on a minor league deal to begin 1996. The reunion didn’t last long though, as the Phillies traded Mulholland again, this time sending him to the Mariners at the trade deadline in exchange for Desi Relaford. Despite that trade occurring in early August, Mulholland finished second on the 1996 Phillies in pitching wins with 8, just one behind Curt Schilling’s 9.

Mulholland would improbably go on to pitch for another ten seasons in the major leagues, making stops with seven teams before ending his career with the Diamondbacks in 2006 when he was waived on June 21st. The highlight of Mulholland’s post Phillies career came in 1998 when he pitched to a 2.89 in 70 appearances, mostly in relief, and was a valued member of a Cubs team that won 90 games before ultimately being swept by the Braves in the NLDS.

Mariano Duncan, 1994

Duncan may have also been a member of those hallowed 1993 Phils, but he had to wait another year until he received his All-Star honor. But much before that, Duncan was one of 11 children born to Enrique Duncan and Nilda Nolasco in the Dominican Republic. He was also one of four brothers in the family to have reached the major leagues. Duncan and his brothers, along with other locals such as future Phillie Juan Samuel, would use cardboard boxes for gloves, rolled-up socks for balls, and tree branches for bats to play ball growing up.

By age 15, Duncan had dropped out of school to focus all of his efforts on baseball. That risky decision paid off, as he was signed by the Dodgers on January 17th, 1982, for a sum of $5,000. The deal came after Duncan was originally rejected by the Dodgers at a tryout, forcing him to redouble his efforts. Duncan was made to be a switch hitter and assigned to play shortstop when he was sent to rookie ball in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. That’s where the 19-year-old Duncan struck out in 21 of his 55 at-bats and committed 15 errors at shortstop in 30 games. Despite harboring ideas of giving up on his dream, Duncan remained with the Dodgers and improved in 1983, hitting .266 and leading the Class-A Florida State League with 56 steals in 109 games while playing the outfield.

The 21-year-old Duncan found himself in Double-A in 1984 after playing winter ball. Now playing second base, Duncan hit just .253 but once again showcased his speed, leading the level with 11 triples in 125 games. After another offseason in winter ball, Duncan reported to Triple-A to begin 1985. However, he received a call less than 24 hours before MLB Opening Day that informed Duncan that he was being promoted and would be not only making the Dodgers roster, but that he would be starting at second base and leading off in place of the recently injured Steve Sax. It was a rough debut though, as Duncan had the displeasure of starting his big-league career against Nolan Ryan, who promptly struck out the rookie on three pitches in his first at-bat. Duncan was then moved to shortstop once Sax returned from injury and the starter there in Dave Anderson went out with an injury. All in all, he played 142 games his rookie season, hitting .244 with 38 stolen bases and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting.

1986 was not as kind to the 23-year-old Duncan. His production at the plate slipped and he began to fall out of favor with manager Tommy Lasorda before suffering a broken foot on August 19th that cost him a month of playing time. Duncan finished his sophomore season hitting just .229 in 109 games but increased his stolen base total to 48. He decided to give up switch-hitting in 1987, opting to become a right-handed hitter only. But the injury bug hit him hard again, as he suffered a bruised hip on a takeout slide and required knee stiches after being spiked, with both instances occurring in a little over a week. Upon his return, he committed three errors in an inning and left after five innings with a migraine, tipping his cap to serenades of boos from the home fans. His season ended for good on August 16th when he tore a ligament in his knee, finishing his 1987 season with just 76 games played.

Things got worse in 1988. Duncan got into what amounted to be a stare down with Dodgers star free agent signing Kirk Gibson that turned into a minor altercation to begin spring training. Later, Duncan along with teammate and close friend Pedro Guerrero missed a bus and the start of a spring game, resulting in Duncan being demoted to Triple-A five days later. Duncan accused Lasorda of being a liar, saying that the manager had assured him of his spot on the MLB roster, and threatened to stop playing baseball before being talked out of by his father and Guerrero. The Dodgers again bounced him around the infield, having him play second base in winter ball but having him go back to shortstop in Triple-A. Injuries also set in again, as a rib stress fracture and a broken hamate bone limited Duncan to 56 games in the minor leagues while the Dodgers went on to win the World Series.

He made the Dodgers roster in 1989 but didn’t stay with them long, as L.A. traded Duncan to the Reds on July 18th. Cincinnati’s starting shortstop Barry Larkin suffered an injury in the All-Star game, so Duncan was used in his stead. The trade ended up working wonders for Duncan in 1990, as he hit .306 in 125 games and led the NL in triples while helping the Reds win a World Series under new manager Lou Pinella, who was hired to replace the banned from baseball Pete Rose. However, Duncan would request a trade in the offseason, as the Reds re-signed second baseman Bill Doran, a mid-season acquisition whose back spasms allowed Duncan more playing time, to a three year-deal. A trade wouldn’t come though, and Duncan played all of 1991 with the Reds but saw his playing time drop to 100 games as he acted as insurance for the oft-injured duo of Larkin and Doran. He decided to leave in free agency and signed with the Phillies on a two-year, $4.5M contract.

Philadelphia GM Lee Thomas had plans of trading for Duncan in 1991, but the deal died when Von Hayes, who was to be part of the return for Duncan, suffered a broken wrist. Manager Jim Fregosi stated that the team envisioned Duncan as a super utility player, playing everywhere in the infield and spending some time in the outfield. That’s exactly what happened with Duncan in 1992, as he started games in left field, shortstop, second base, and third base. The approach allowed Duncan to play in a career high 142 games and saw him set career highs in hits (153) and doubles (40).

1993 of course proved to be a magical year for Duncan and the Phillies. He hit .282 and played 124 games as the Phillies went on their run to the World Series. Duncan was responsible for one of the most memorable moments of that beloved season, as he smacked a game-winning grand slam off of Lee Smith with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning on May 9th, adding another win to the Phillies impressive early season record of 22-7. He added another grand slam on September 28th, helping seal the division clinching win over the Pirates.

The Phillies exercised the option on Duncan’s contract for 1994 and he rewarded them for it by being named the starting second baseman for the NL at the All-Star game, joining Fregosi, Dykstra, Doug Jones, and Danny Jackson as the Phillies representatives for the game to be held in Pittsburgh. The selection surprised Duncan, as he believed he had better seasons in his career and was nursing a foot injury at the time, but nevertheless he was able to beat out Ryne Sandberg, who retired on June 14th, and Craig Biggio in the voting.

Duncan hit seventh in the NL’s starting lineup, sandwiched in between David Justice and Ozzie Smith. Despite receiving the starting nod, Duncan only received one at-bat and grounded out to third off of the Yankees’ Jimmy Key. Duncan’s All-Star season was also cut short, as the 1994 players strike that began on August 12th wiped out the rest of the regular season and the postseason. His contract actually expired during the strike, but Duncan agreed to return to Philadelphia on a one-year deal in 1995 once the labor dispute was settled. The 32-year-old Duncan took a dramatic pay cut, signing for just $350k and incentives after making $2.2M the prior season. Duncan’s agent Tony Attanasio hinted at possible post-strike collusion from the owners causing the “embarrassing” contract but also acquiesced that Philadelphia may have brought the opportunity for the most playing time and that Duncan loved playing there.

Unfortunately for Duncan, his time in Philadelphia ended not much later, as the Phillies waived him in August after he played in only 52 of a possible 94 games despite hitting .286. The Reds claimed Duncan and he went on to hit .290 in 29 games for the first-place club who ultimately lost in the NLCS to the Braves. The Phillies meanwhile chose to play the recently promoted Kevin Jordan in Duncan’s absence. Jordan hit .185 in 24 games of his rookie season in 1995.

Duncan signed a two-year deal with the Yankees following 1995 and was tasked by manager Joe Torre in mentoring a young shortstop named Derek Jeter. That partnership turned out well for Duncan, as he was able to capture a World Series ring with the Yankees, the second of his career. Despite this, Duncan’s Yankees tenure didn’t exactly end well, as owner George Steinbrenner declared in 1997 that Duncan would never play second base for the Yankees again after a particularly brutal game in the field, leading Duncan to demand a trade. A trade materialized on July 29th, and Duncan was sent to the rival Toronto Blue Jays. In a twist of fate, the trade also resulted in former ‘93 Phillies teammate Pete Incaviglia being called up to the Yankees.

The 34-year-old Duncan would play 39 games with Toronto, hitting just .228 with a .531 OPS. Those games would be the last he would play in the majors, as he spent the next few years playing in Japan, spring training games, and the minors before an Achilles injury ended his career for good in 1999.

Tyler Green, 1995

In a series of improbable and sometimes forgettable All-Stars, this one might be the most improbable and forgettable. Tyler Green was a big, 6’5 right-hander from Wichita State that the Phillies selected with the 10th overall pick in the 1991 draft. It was actually the second time Green was drafted, as the Reds selected him out of high school in the third round of the 1988 draft, but Green opted to pitch in college instead. The Phillies chose to select him with their first-round pick and sign him to a $330k deal despite Green suffering shoulder problems his senior year that helped contribute to a 4.51 ERA. Such type of injury would become a recurring theme in Green’s short career, as his first year in professional ball would end after just two months and five games played due to an elbow injury that shut him down for the year.

Despite this, Green entered 1992 with high expectations. His short time playing in 1991 was tantalizing, and he flashed his potential in spring training while being named by Baseball America as the player from his draft the closest to reaching the majors. Nevertheless, the Phillies opted to start Green in Double-A Reading with the hope that he would be in Triple-A by July. The team didn’t want to bring him to the majors just yet because doing so would expose him to the upcoming MLB expansion draft.

The plan started off well, as Green did indeed get promoted to Triple-A Scranton on June 29th after going 6-3 with a 1.88 ERA in 12 starts. But his shoulder problems once again reared their ugly head, as Green was sidelined after just two appearances with Scranton. The worst news came at the end of the season, as it was determined that Green required offseason surgery on the continuously ailing shoulder.

The 23-year-old Green made the MLB team out of spring training in 1993 and made his MLB debut on April 9th, but it was as a one inning relief appearance where Green allowed a two-run homer to the Cubs Mark Grace in the ninth inning of an 11-7 Phillies loss. He was then optioned back to Triple-A on April 13th but returned on July 31st when starter Tommy Greene went on the injured list. Tyler Green made his first career start on August 1st against the Pirates and went 4.2 innings while allowing three runs on nine hits in a 5-4 Phillies win. He made one more start in place of Greene but it was with much worse results, as Green allowed four runs on five hits in just 1.2 on the road against the nascent Marlins.

Green entered the 1994 season in a camp competition with Bobby Muñoz, Jeff Juden, and Mike Williams for the fifth spot in the Phillies rotation. He ultimately lost out in that competition, as Green was sent to Scranton once again to begin the season. He appeared in 27 games, all but one of which were starts, and pitched to a miserable 5.56 ERA with a 7-16 record before the 1994 player’s strike ended his chances of finding his way back to the majors that season.

1995 started much of the same way after the strike concluded, as Green was once again involved in a competition for a spot in the Phillies rotation. It was a crucial year for Green, as the Phillies were beginning to run out of patience with their former prized prospect and wanted to see the now 25-year-old make some real progress. He checked off the first box when he made the MLB rotation out of spring training. As the season got underway, it appeared that Green was finally blossoming into the frontline starter the Phillies believed he could be, as he went 8-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 14 first half starts.

His performance was enough to get added to the National League’s All-Star team, seemingly confirming that he had finally arrived in the majors. Green joined teammates Dykstra, Daulton, Mickey Morandini, and Heathcliff Slocumb (more on those last two in future editions) as the Phillies representatives in the home of the Texas Rangers in Arlington. He entered the game in the fifth inning with the AL leading 2-0. Green allowed back-to-back singles to Cal Ripken Jr. and Wade Boggs before striking out Kirby Puckett and getting groundouts from Iván Rodríguez and Kenny Lofton to end the threat. The NL would come back to win 3-2 thanks to a trio of home runs from Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, and Jeff Conine.

The Phillies entered the second half at 39-29 and 4.5 games out of first place thanks to losing eight of their nine games to that point in July. They were still within striking distance and would be leaning on Green to help get them back into the thick of the race. However, Green had a nightmare second half that has seldom been replicated since, as he appeared in 12 games (11 starts) and was rocked to the tune of a staggering 10.68 ERA with an 0-5 record. He allowed 12 home runs in just 44.2 second half innings, including two separate instances where he allowed three homers in a game. The lowest point for Green came on September 8th, as he allowed five runs on four hits and recorded just one out in a 12-3 loss at home to the Astros, a team the Phillies were in direct competition with for a Wild Card spot. Manager Jim Fregosi announced following the game that Green was being removed from the rotation, a stunning fall for a pitcher was in the All-Star game not even two full months prior.

The downward spiral continued in 1996 for Green, as he started the year with shoulder problems once again. Originally thought to be mild tendinitis, it was later revealed that Green had a torn labrum that required surgery and would keep him out for the entire 1996 season. He returned to the Phillies in July of 1997 but never came close to recapturing his first half of 1995 form, as Green made 14 starts and pitched to a 4.93 ERA in 76.2 innings. 1998 was even worse, as Green went 6-12 with a 5.03 ERA across 159.1 innings in what would be his last time pitching in the majors. He then underwent surgery in October to remove a bone spur from his pitching elbow.

Green remained in the Phillies organization through 1999 before entering free agency with the team making no attempt to resign him. He signed a one year-deal with the Royals to begin 2000 but was released before the regular season began. Green then caught on with Cleveland in June but made just 12 minor league appearances with a 7.68 ERA, effectively ending his career at age 30.

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com

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Jim Salisbury, The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 6th, 2002

Bill Conlin, Philadelphia Daily News, March 14th, 2002

Bucky Walter, The San Francisco Examiner, July 31st, 1984

Glenn Schwarz, The San Francisco Examiner, May 7th, 1986

Glenn Schwarz, The San Francisco Examiner, June 6th, 1986

Joan Ryan, The San Francisco Examiner, June 9th, 1986

San Francisco Chronicle, July 5th, 1986

David Bush, San Francisco Chronicle, July 30th, 1986

Ray Ratto, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23rd, 1987

Ray Ratto, San Francisco Chronicle, May 25th, 1989

Ralph Bernstein, The Evening News, June 19th, 1989

Don McKee, The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 16th, 1990

Paul Hagen, Philadelphia Daily News, August 16th, 1990

Paul Hagen, Philadelphia Daily News, July 13th, 1993

Sam Donnelion, Philadelphia Daily News, July 14th, 1993

Frank Fitzpatrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 27th, 1993

Jayson Stark, The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 12th, 1993

Frank Fitzpatrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 10th, 1994

Paul Hagan, Philadelphia Daily News, February 15th, 1996

Sam Carchidi, The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 1st, 1996

Malcolm Allen, Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Biography for Mariano Duncan

Thousand Oaks Star, August 20th, 1986

Tom Jackson, The Sacramento Bee, August 14th, 1987

The County Telegram-Tribune, March 4th, 1988

Terry Johnson, News-Pilot, March 28th, 1988

News-Pilot, July 19th, 1989

Paul Hagen, Philadelphia Daily News, December 11th, 1991

Frank Lawlor, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 4th, 1994

Philadelphia Daily News, June 22nd, 1994

Frank Fitzpatrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 14th, 1995

Bob Ford, The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 10th, 1995

Cecil Harris, Mount Vernon Argus, July 30th, 1997

Sam Carchidi, The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 26th, 1991

Dick Polman, The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 7th, 1991

Sam Carchidi, The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 19th, 1991

Frank Fitzpatrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 25th, 1992

Mike Jensen, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 6th, 1992

The Philadelphian Inquirer, June 29th, 1992

Frank Fitzpatrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 29th, 1992

Frank Fitzpatrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 8th, 1992

Paul Hagen, Philadelphia Daily News, March 1st, 1993

Bill Conlin, Philadelphia Daily News, March 31st, 1993

Frank Fitzpatrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 10th, 1993

Sam Carchidi, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 31st, 1993

Paul Hagen, Philadelphia Daily News, August 2nd, 1993

Frank Fitzpatrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 15th, 1994

Michael Bamberger, The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 29th, 1994

Paul Hagen, Philadelphia Daily News, April 13th, 1995

Frank Fitzpatrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 15th, 1995

The Philadelphia Inquirer, April, 25th, 1995

Bob Ford, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 4th, 1995

Phil Sheridan, The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 9th, 1995

Paul Hagen, Philadelphia Daily News, March 18th, 1996

Paul Hagen, Philadelphia Daily News, March 7th, 1996

Paul Hagen, Philadelphia Daily News, March 23rd, 1996

Philadelphia Daily News, November 11th, 1999

Dick Kaegel, The Kansas City Star, April 3rd, 2000

News Herald, June 6th, 2000

Friday was another rough day at the park for the Cubs. The story really is the offense turning nine hits, four walks and a hit batter into four runs. One of those four runs was on a solo homer. So all of that traffic didn’t do the Cubs a ton of good. Simultaneously, the Reds turned eight hits and five walks into six runs. The Reds didn’t hit any homers, though they did have a triple. There isn’t a clear line between a certain number of base runners and a certain number of runs. But each team had 14 base runners and the Reds scored two more runs. Neither team had any errors, so that wasn’t a factor in the outcome.

Over this last week, I keep seeing the Cubs biggest stars in the key WPA spots. They are getting their big guns into a position to win. That’s a good thing. But on a night like Friday, it was a frustrating thing. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman each posted an 0-for-5. Pete had seven baserunners with one out and two baserunners with two outs and got none of them home. Bregman’s was less frustrating, he batted with just two baserunners all night. Of course, part of that is because Pete had a really rough night. It happens but it doesn’t make it less frustrating.

On the other side of the ball, Clay Holmes struggled early, righted the ship, struggled late and was ultimately charged with all six runs in just 5.1 innings. The last three of those were inherited runners, allowed by Javier Assad, thrust into a leverage situation out of the bullpen because the Cubs basically have no trustworthy relievers. I’ve been asking for Craig Counsell to generally look to one of his starters turned reliever as the first guy out of the pen most games and that strategy was ineffectively employed here. Many of you have clamored for Javier Assad over and over again. I like Javy, but he’s reached mythic proportions with Cub fans and I fear that he’s one pitcher the Cubs are right about and there’s a reason the peripherals suggest that over time his numbers would be a fair bit worse.

I don’t mean to be rude with Assad or too frustrated with Holmes. They are without question two of the more effective pitchers in a boat load that have pitched for the Cubs this year. I read AZ Phil who, at times, is pretty dialed in to things the Cubs do and often makes a lot of sense on things they should do. He suggested that Tommy Hottovy will take the fall for this season. I’m having trouble finding the logic hole. Hottovy was not one of Counsell’s guys but a holdover from the previous administration. I could see the wisdom of going in a different direction. He went on to suggest that they work on the whole strength and conditioning program for the pitching staff. When I’m referencing something not from BCB about the Cubs, I’m trying to give credit for ideas that weren’t mine and I’m endorsing the sentiments.

This whole Cub season is such a terrible miscalculation. There is zero question that the position player group is plenty good enough to win a World Series, even in a world where the other teams are healthy and executing. The Cubs couldn’t even find enough pitching to feel comfortable enough to feel like even a Wild Card series is anything more than a crapshoot. I did see at least one sportswriter at one of the larger sites project how the playoffs would go and have the Cubs beating the Dodgers in a second round series before getting knocked off by the Brewers. I understand where that sentiment is coming from and still raise an eyebrow at it. I’ve watched entirely too much Cub baseball this year to feel comfortable with that projection.

One more day comes off of the calendar. One more opportunity missed to regain comfortable control of the first Wild Card spot. Glass half full and glass half empty. Fangraphs updated their odds before this series and had the Cubs sweeping this series and the subsequent one with the Marlins. But the Cubs have now dropped another game they should have won. Even still, FG has the Cubs winning 90 along with the Phillies. They just can’t keep letting winnable games get away.

Three Positives:

• Michael Conforto had three hits.
• Carson Kelly had two hits, a walk and was hit by a pitch. He scored one and drove in another.
• Ian Happ had a solo homer.

Game 154, September 18: Reds 6, Cubs 4 (85-69)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Carson Kelly (.220). 2-2, BB, HBP, RBI, R
• Hero: Michael Conforto (.125). 3-4
• Sidekick: Ian Happ (.061). 1-4, HR

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.257). 0-5
• Goat: Javier Assad (-.232). 1.2 IP, 8 BF, 4 H, K
• Kid: Clay Holmes (-.203). 5.1 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 6 R, 4 K (L 2-4)

Note: A point I’ve made a ton of times is that blown saves increasingly doesn’t mean what they once did. We picture a blown save as the closer allowing a run or runs in the ninth inning. Javier Assad blew a save in a 4-3 game in the sixth inning. He came in with the bases loaded and one out. In no world was he going to finish the game. While we would have loved a double play grounder or a pop up and another out leading to three stranded runners, in the Fangraphs numbers, I can see their expected runs projection for bases loaded with one out. A team is expected to score 1.6 runs runs from that point on in the inning. Javy definitely didn’t get the job done, allowing all three inherited runners to score, but it’s a silly blown save.

WPA Play of the Game: Jose Trevino singled with the bases loaded and two outs to give the Reds a two run lead in the sixth inning. Those were the last runs scored in the game. (.240)

Cubs Play of the Game: Seiya Suzuki singled with runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth, it scored two runs, giving the Cubs a one run lead. (.203)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 153 Winner: Pete Crow-Armstrong 46-44 over Shōta Imanaga.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Alex Bregman +25
• Pete Crow-Armstrong +23.5
• Carson Kelly +19.5
• Shōta Imanaga +15
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Nico Hoerner -16
• Dansby Swanson -17
• Seiya Suzuki -17
• Caleb Thielbar -17.5

Note: The closest ever finish for the Rizzo award (excluding 2020) was two points, Strop (22) over Hendricks (20) in 2018. We’ve had a 0.5 difference for last place before in 2019: Heyward (-20) under Strop (-19.5). Kyle Tucker (27) was the defending champion, so we knew from day one we’d have somebody different this year. Imanaga is the only current Cub who has previously won a Rizzo.

Scoreboard Watching: Hat tip to the Braves on clinching a playoff spot. Phillies lose (tied with Cubs, Cubs own tiebreaker). Padres win (they’ve joined the tie, the Cubs also own the tiebreaker with them). Diamondbacks lose. The Cub magic number to reach the playoffs is three with eight to play. Spoiler alert, the Diamondbacks will lose three games. We have our six-team NL Playoff field, the only thing that remains is confirming the seeding order.

Up Next: Games aren’t won and lost on paper, but the Cubs have the most favorable pitching matchup of the four Wild Card hopefuls. The Diamondbacks have the worst, facing a possible Cy Young and certainly a finalist. I’ve got my money on a Yankee with a sub-2.00 ERA winning a Cy Young. Call me crazy.

Matthew Boyd (8-5, 4.16) starts for the Cubs. He’s tail-spinning. He’s 1-4 over his last seven with a 5.14. Because we can’t have even mediocre things. He pitched the last time the Cubs were in Cincinnati and allowed four runs over 6.1 innings (and won). That was during a month that he recorded a 1.67 ERA in five starts.

28-year-old lefty Nick Lodolo (3-5, 5.12) starts for the Reds. Stop me if you’ve heard this. He’s tail-spinning. He’s 0-3 with a 6.09 over his last seven starts. He also faced the Cubs in that July series. He allowed two runs over five innings and didn’t figure in the decision. After that game, he was out for a month. His seven starts counts back to his first start back. His last three starts, he’s thrown 100, 97 and 104 pitches. So he’s plenty stretched out. He has pretty consistently had a WHIP around 1.5 and that’s just too much traffic. The Cubs can certainly beat this guy if their pitching will at least act as a speed bump.

Find a way. 3-1 or 15-12, it doesn’t matter. Get a win, effectively eliminate the Diamondbacks and keep the inside track on the top Wild Card.

Diamondbacks News

Diamondbacks Crushed By Yankees
Fans had to be somewhat hopeful with Eduardo Rodriguez taking the mound for Arizona Friday night. Alas, it was not meant to be. The veteran lefty was slapped around and the Diamondbacks were soundly beaten as they continue to try and stave off elimination.

Lovullo Admits Team Probably Needs to Make Playoffs to Retain Him
Of course it would be the same day he publicly acknowledges this that Eduardo Rodriguez lays an egg.

Snakes Drop Series Opener
Arizona looked much like a AAA team against the Yankees on a night where Lovullo and the team were hoping to make a postseason statement.

Gallen Makes First Career Bullpen Appearance in Brutal Rout
Zac Gallen’s first career appearance as a reliever came in mop-up duty against the Yanks. He was unable to stop the hemorrhaging, allowing three runs in two innings as Arizona watched its playoff chances continue to evaporate.

Corbin Carroll Dropped to Seventh
The young Arizona star is dropped to seventh in the batting order for the first time in two years.

Diamondbacks Release Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
The writing has been on the wall about this one all season. Thanks to Gurriel for three good years previous to this one. Good luck in your future endeavours.

Other Baseball News

Jose Ramirez Reaches 1000 RBI in Guardians Win
Cleveland’s superstar keeps ticking star performance boxes.

Padres Have Become Team No One Wants to Face
While the Diamondbacks were having trouble keeping pace, the Padres have boldly passed both the Phillies and the Cubs in the Wild Card standings and are now looking to be the first Wild Card instead of the third. San Diego is currently on a record-setting pace for the second month this season.

Fatal Flaws for Every October Team
Arizona’s inability to miss bats was on full display last night.

Mathemadage: Outs at Third Base
How much should runners care how many outs there are when attempting to advance to third?

MLB CBA negotiations are officially underway.

We’ve now seen proposals from both MLB and the MLBPA.

Where do you currently stand? pic.twitter.com/vlMcSrCfpN

— Michaela Bennett (@MichaelaB_22) September 18, 2026

Good morning, LSB.

Thee Rangers beat the Blue Jays yesterday, 7-1.

Evan Grant writes about the Zombie Rangers who you thought were dead a week ago but they’re still hungry for brains (wins).

Kennedi Landry writes about Trevor Williams totally pulling a Eovaldi.

Grant also posted on Williams, who hadn’t pitched since Sept. 9 before his clutch performance last night.

Elsewhere Texas called up a hot but wild hand from the minors to hopefully provide bullpen reinforcements.

That’s another sign of how dire the bullpen situation is right now, which Jeff Wilson touched on.

And the RoughRiders saw their season end last night but not before Sebastian Walcott got two more hits and stole two more bases to cap off the year.

That’s all for this morning. Have a great weekend!

Good morning folks!

The Mariners scored a feel-good win against the Rockies yesterday with Lazaro Montes’ emphatic blast leading them past Colorado by a 5-4 final. Bryce Miller takes the hill in the middle match today slated for 5:10 pm PT.

In Mariners news…

• Zac Hereth at Seattle Sports wonders if J.P. Crawford has done enough to earn himself a spot on the 2027 Mariners roster.

Around the league…

• The Yankees placed Aaron Judge on the injured list — again — with a calf strain.
• The Nationals officially agreed to a four-year contract extension with young righty Cade Cavalli, buying out one year of free agency.
• Marlins right-hander Pete Fairbanks is set to undergo thoracic outlet surgery, ending his 2026 season and possibly delaying his 2027 campaign.
• The Dodgers have brought back righty Edwin Diaz from the injured list after he missed the last month with a neck injury.
• Guardians star third baseman José Ramírez notched in his 1,000th career RBI yesterday, making him just the second-ever Cleveland player to reach the mark.
• The saying goes, “Don’t make the first or third out at third base.” Ben Clemens at Fangraphs tried to figure out if the data supports the long-time mantra.

David Lesky reviews a promising start from Daniel Lynch IV on Thursday.

Since Lynch has been back in the rotation, this is the first game where he’s led with the changeup. He threw it 24 times in his 24 pitches, with his sinker next and his four-seamer after that. He’s always had that really good changeup, and his slider is often a nice swing-and-miss pitch. I wonder if he could actually find success as a starter if he continued to throw his changeup this much, but maybe added a cutter and stepped back a bit from the four-seamer. I think his sinker legitimately gets grounders, so it’s an important pitch, but if he can spin the slider, maybe he can add that third fastball, as Brian Sweeney talks about, and stick.

Not to be the Debbie Downer on a five shutout inning night, but I still don’t buy it.

Noah Yingling at MLB.com compares Elly de la Cruz to Bobby Witt Jr.

David Shields was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Year.

The Kansas City Business Journal reports Hallmark may get a premium price for their property used for the new stadium. [$]

That Hallmark may fetch well above market value for an aging headquarters it barely occupies — and get a new one from the bargain — does not hurt matters, either.

The team’s downtown Stadium tax increment financing plan lists an $80 million sum for “land” in a sources and uses document for the $2.05 billion stadium. The footprint will occupy about 14.7 acres in place of Hallmark’s current headquarters at 25th Street and McGee Trafficway.

Field of Schemes blames KCUR for misrepresenting the financing for the downtown ballpark.

How George Brett helped coin the phrase “The Mendoza Line.”

The Astros fire former Royals scouting director Deric Ladnier.

Mets first baseman Jared Young gets a CT scan after a scary collision.

Aaron Judge is back on the Injured List.

Tommy Pham was activated from the Injured List by convincing Chris Getz in the elevator.

Which teams could make front office changes after the year?

The Nationals sign pitcher Cade Cavalli to a four-year contract.

Is it true you shouldn’t make the first or third out of an inning at third base?

Russell Dorsey at Yahoo Sports asks executives who the best GM candidates are.

The free agents that helped or hurt themselves this season.

ESPN is interested in having Joe Buck do the World Series.

The Broncos may be nervous about potential tampering charges for trying to get Drew Brees last season.

The Atlantic is having a record-low number of hurricanes this year.

Warren Buffett steps down as chair of Berkshire Hathaway.

World War Z is finally getting a sequel.

Your song of the day is AC/DC with It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll).

About halfway through the Yankees’ nightcap in Arizona, news trickled through that the Red Sox had snapped the Rays’ six-game winning streak. That ratcheted up the pressure on the Yankees to beat the Diamondbacks and narrow the gap in the division to four games. They did just that, routing the D-Backs, 9-2, to stay alive in the AL East race.

Boston Red Sox (84-70) 4, Tampa Bay Rays (93-60) 2

Ranger Suarez might have walked a season-high five batters, but he did the Yankees a huge solid in holding Tampa to a run on three hits in 5.1 innings. That lone run came in the bottom of the first on a Jonathan Aranda RBI double after Yandy Diaz drew a leadoff walk.

The Red Sox applied pressure early and often against Rays starter Ian Seymour, Roman Anthony leading off the contest with a booming 438 home run on the third pitch of the game. Anthony would plate two more in the second with a two out single after Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin singled and Nate Eaton walked to load the bases.

Jahmai Jones led off the third with a homer to make it 4-1, Boston, after which the game fell into a lull until the ninth. That became a nervy inning for any Yankees fans watching, Erik Miller surrendering a leadoff single and then throwing two wild pitches, an Aranda RBI force out cutting the deficit to two. Junior Caminero walked to put the tying run on base, but Miller shut the door from there. With the loss and Yankees win, the Rays’ lead atop the AL East shrinks to four games.

AL Wild Card Rock Fight

Detroit Tigers (73-81) 11, Chicago White Sox (78-76) 8

The Tigers found themselves trailing, 6-1, after the first inning, but somehow managed to come roaring back, eventually scoring five in the eighth to complete the comeback. All six of Chicago’s runs in the first were unearned thanks to errors by Gleyber Torres and Hao-Yu Lee. Detroit ended up tallying 16 hits on the afternoon, presumptive AL Rookie of the Year Kevin McGonigle going 2-for-5 with four RBI. Lee atoned for himself by going 4-for-5 with a three run homer while Riley Greene hit a two-run blast a few batters later in the eighth. Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery both drove in three for the White Sox including Vargas’ 32nd home run on the year.

Cleveland Guardians (79-75) 5, Athletics (61-93) 3

The Guardians capitalized on the White Sox loss to move a full game ahead in first place in the AL Central after trailing Chicago for much of the summer. José Ramírez homered in the sixth for the 1,000th RBI of his career while rookie Travis Bazzana also left the yard and Brayan Rocchio drove in a pair. Zack Gelof hit a three-run homer in the top of the first, but the Athletics managed just a walk and a single for the rest of the game.

Texas Rangers (76-78) 7, Toronto Blue Jays (77-77) 1

For those hoping for a Cam Schlittler AL Cy Young win, Dylan Cease picked the perfect time to suffer his shortest start of the year. He lasted just 2.2 innings on account of a season-high six walks, a second inning error by Ernie Clement allowing four runs to score, three of which go as unearned on Cease’s card. Wyatt Langford reached base five times for Texas while Jake Burger drove in a pair with a double. This is a crucial series for both teams as they are currently the two AL teams on the bubble closest to sneaking into that final Wild Card spot.

Atlanta Braves (90-64) 6, Houston Astros (77-77) 2

The Braves punched their postseason ticket thanks to six innings of one-run ball from Tyler Mahle and an offensive explosion from the heart of their lineup. Matt Olson and Michael Harris II both went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI, Olson becoming the fifth player in Braves history after Henry Aaron, Eddie Matthews, Andruw Jones, and Ronald Acuña Jr. with multiple 40-HR seasons. Acuña also homered and drove in a pair.

Milwaukee Brewers (96-58) 6, Baltimore Orioles (75-79) 5

Jackson Chourio hit a three-run homer in the second and Pete Alonso answered with a three-run bomb of his own an inning later. Rookie Coby Mayo collected three doubles and a walk while Gunnar Henderson went 3-for-5. Milwaukee scored two in the ninth to seemingly win it, but Baltimore responded with a pair of sac flies in the bottom half to send the game to extras. Sal Frelick won it in the tenth with the pinch-hit RBI single.

---

AL Standings

When the Detroit Tigers signed reliever Kyle Finnegan to a two-year, $19 million contract last offseason, it seemed like a decent idea. Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg were well aware that their relief corps was perilously thin, relying heavily on Will Vest turning in a fourth straight excellent season. That’s generally asking a lot of all but the most durable high leverage arms in the game. While their efforts to reinforce the pen went very badly, it wasn’t because they didn’t see the problem developing or simply ignored it. They haven’t developed much pitching, leaving them minimal options, and once again, the pro scouting side of the Tigers’ operations failed to identify free agent pitchers that were moving into an uptrend or whom the coaching staff could tune up into qualified high leverage relief help. Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen were central to their mitigation plan, and in both cases, things went very badly indeed.

On Monday, Finnegan’s season came to an early end, as he hit the injured list with a groin strain. In a sense, it was a merciful conclusion to his season, as his trendline wasn’t getting any better in the final third of the season. The Tigers will have to hope he can get himself healthy and turn things around in the second year of his deal. Still, at this point in his career, they’ll also have to have a quick hook ready if things don’t look markedly better for Finnegan next spring, or whenever the 2027 season gets underway. The Tigers certainly have other issues to address, but without much improved work protecting leads, the 2027 Detroit Tigers will probably suffer the same fate as this year’s model no matter what they do.

So let’s try to zoom in on Finnegan and figure out why he struggled so much this year. My initial hypothesis was that work on his slider and improved use of that pitch cut into his splitter’s effectiveness as it abandoned him for long stretches this season, putting pressure on a fastball that is usually average at best, and was much worse this season. Certainly the spike in walks indicates worse command, but for much of the season it felt like his stuff just wasn’t as good either. We’ll see if that holds up to a deeper dive.

It’s important to start out with a clear picture of who Finnegan was as a pitcher coming into this year. While he’d saved a lot of games for the Washington Nationals from 2023-2025, his metrics never supported a high leverage relief role, at least not for a team with a good bullpen in the first place.

From 2023 through the 2025 season, covering Finnegan’s age 31-33 seasons, he racked up 190 innings with a 3.65 ERA and a 4.03 FIP. That’s pretty pedestrian middle relief caliber work. The Nationals just didn’t have much of a bullpen in those years, and as a solid enough veteran with plenty of experience, Finnegan was their best among a lot of mediocre options to close games. It really clarifies things to look at his FIP components year by year. A quick and simple interpretation is that the Tigers bought into a single season of good home run suppression that doesn’t line up with the rest of Finnegan’s recent history, and overpaid for it. That’s the most straightforward explanation, but if we’re trying to figure out if there’s any hope for 2027, we’ll have to look a little deeper.

Season	IP	K%	BB%	HR/9	ERA	FIP
2023	69.1	21.9	8.3	1.43	3.76	4.58
2024	63.2	22.1	8.9	1.27	3.68	4.25
2025	57.0	24.0	7.9	0.63	3.47	3.12
2026	60.2	17.4	12.6	1.48	4.30	5.42

Obviously, the huge decline in home runs in 2025 was a mirage. Finnegan regressed right back to his previous numbers, and that’s a pretty bad sign for 2027. Things go much deeper though, as his strikeout and walk numbers were atrocious, and the worst of his recent career.

Simply looking at pitch values, the big culprit was Finnegan’s fastball, which was far worse this season. His slider was used a lot more, but its value declined a bit, while his splitter mostly held up. That’s a bit deceiving though, as he threw it a little less (-5.5 percent from 2025), while the whiff rate on it declined from a strong 37.3 whiff rate in 2025 to a still solid but worse 31.9 mark in 2026. Even so, Finnegan used his fastball less and his velocity held up, and yet it was mauled for a .444 wOBA and a .225 ISO. Whenever he didn’t quite have the confidence to command the splitter-slider combo, he leaned into the fourseamer and got routinely hammered.

And yet, the fourseamer looked much the same as well. His 6.6 feet of extension was unchanged from 2025. He actually averaged 17.7 inches of induced vertical break (IVB), which is essentially riding action on the pitch, compared to 17.1 IVB last year. Somehow, with basically the same fastball, he produced a .299 wOBA, and a .152 ISO against the heater in 2025.

Below are Finnegan’s fastball heatmaps for 2025, and then 2026 below.

That may tell the tale as much as anything. Finnegan simply threw far more fourseamers right down the middle in 2026 (bottom image) instead of pounding the top of the zone like he did in 2025. His IVB is pretty average, and his 96.2 mph average is also pretty par for the course for major league relievers these days. But, when he was spotting the fourseamer more effectively, he was still a solid reliever. This year? Gas can city.

The issue with trying to be optimistic here is that Finnegan just turned 35 years old. That’s not outrageously old for a reliever, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if high leverage relief work just wore on him more this season. Fatigue from slower recovery can certainly show up in fastball command, and it’s not as though Finnegan was known as a guy with high end command in the first place. Not too many guys get better beyond the age of 35.

It certainly doesn’t help when the the guys around you aren’t pitching well either, because suddenly the fine line that A.J. Hinch and Chris Fetter have walked in recent years with Will Vest and otherwise a batch of pretty unimposing bullpen arms dependent on matchups and optimal usage, falls apart. Once your bullpen is out of order, as the Tigers was for much of the season but most particularly in May, the effects cascade unless you have a really dominant reliever or two to act as stoppers, or a true ace who can routinely pitch into the seventh inning.

None of this is going to inspire any joy from readers about the Tigers owing Finnegan $8 million for 2027. Pro scouting continues to be a real blind spot for the Scott Harrs-Jeff Greenberg front office, and they aren’t going to get a do-over with a clean slate next year. Finnegan is on the books, and so he’s going to come to camp and pitch in the bullpen on Opening Day, unless injury interferes.

Nothing found in Finnegan’s season numbers suggests that this is a pitch mix issue, or ever really a major issue with the splitter and slider. Neither is a big time weapon, but both were reasonably effect when he was in command of them this season, and the work on the slider is still in progress and could bear a little better fruit in 2027. But turning things around next year is going to rely on Finnegan getting his fastball command back in form, and whether he can or not is really anyone’s guess. All he can really do is try to get into optimal shape coming into the season and hope that helps, but visually at least, there doesn’t appear to be much meat left on the bone for him in terms of conditioning.

Hopefully, Will Vest comes back strong, and the Tigers do at least have Drew Sommers looking like an emerging dominant relief arm. They need much more, and they’re probably still a year away from the farm system restocking them with arms they can convert to relief roles. If Finnegan is in middle relief next year? Fine. It’s a poor expediture of money, but it’s already spent, and he could be effective in lower leverage situations if he can locate the heater more consistently again. If the Tigers find themselves forced to use Finnegan in high leverage situations with any regularity? They’re probably going to have another major problem on their hands yet again.

It’s that time of year when the air cools, the light sharpens, and Max Muncy’s goggled goblin face starts to flood our feeds and stretch across our screens. The birds turn south in September, and Tyler Glasnow pitches his 60th inning of the year, feeling out his release point, just in time for the postseason. 

Friday night’s 8-2 loss to LA followed a familiar narrative arc in which a close game was obliterated late. The Giants and Doogers traded barbs for seven innings. Mookie Betts put LA up early with a lead-off homer. Jung Hoo Lee tied it with a swing off Glasnow in the 2nd. They’d take the lead with a 2-out RBI by Jonah Cox in the 3rd in support of a solid outing by Cesar Perdomo. But LA notched tallies in the 5th and 6th to nose ahead as Glasnow settled into an eventual 10-K night. Going into the bottom of the 8th, San Francisco, and its kids-in-a-trench-coat roster were down a run against a line-up of MLB MVPs, All-Stars, and World Series winners.

 It was a ball game, not a blow-out — until it wasn’t. And the better team did what better teams do.

If it wasn’t apparent before, the difference in personnel between these two clubs became painfully obvious when lefty reliever Philip Abner, 24 years old with 21 Major League innings pitched to his name, took the mound. His task? Keep it close. The players he needed to reign in? Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker, a little down the line: Mookie Betts and Will Smith.

Muncy, with his massive upper-cut has been the most productive of the lot. Tucker is getting paid nearly 60 million dollars to post an OPS slightly better than Jung Hoo Lee’s. Betts has had a career worst year before a recent resurgence, boasting a .700+ slugging percentage over his last 15 games. Smith spent the entire summer on the injured list. And even in this subdued state — these are dudes.

This is where the luxury and privilege of the Dodgers is most evident. Nearly every name in the batting order is circled. There is no pressure to be the guy because there are so many other guys. The LA clubhouse and dugout is garnered with a bed of laurels. Rest, both physical and mental, possible. A well-structured, as well as incredibly expensive, roster means time is on your side. Baseball becomes a very long game stretched over a very long season. Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Glasnow — a trio of key rotation arms without 90 innings pitched to their name, that don’t need to be bothered with the wear-and-tear of the regular season. Endurance is no longer required, only brilliance in short bursts. 

There’s a part of me that feels like that approach is degrading an honorable and unique facet of this sport that praises the dailiness of averages and sustained relevance. The ol’ Dodgers are ruining baseball gripe. Shouldn’t there be a games played requirement, like so many adult softball leagues, for players to be eligible for a team’s postseason roster? Sorry Glasnow and Snell, can’t pitch in the playoffs. Sorry Smith, no catching for you. But while that might scratch some aesthetic itch, it’d take away other indelible and cherished moments in which a player at the end of an injury-riddled, down year hobbles onto the mound, or into the batter’s box, and out of nowhere, delivers. 

For the Dodgers though, it’s never completely “out-of-nowhere.” They have all been somewhere, there, in that moment, late, when man and moment collide, when performance matters most. While they’ve locked up their 13th NL West title in 14 years, a first-round bye in this coming postseason has not yet been secured. They still need wins, and considering six of their last nine games are against the Giants, San Francisco could act as a spoiler. Despite the thirty-something game imbalance in win totals, this rivalry and these games matter. 

The Dodgers have played in games that matter. Experience is what makes this latest iteration of the LA juggernaut so scary. Abner’s relief appearance in the 8th was just the 17th game of his career. Muncy nearly has that many home runs (16) over his postseason career. As much as I hate to think about it, the memory of him and Smith landing devastating blows in the 8th inning or later of the most meaningful game of the season still loiters in the dark alleys of my mind. The stakes weren’t as high last night as they were in Game 7 in Toronto — but when Muncy took a moment to admire the baseball he just rocketed off to deep right-center, you know he saw in it the ball he lifted off Trey Yesavage last October. 

That was the second pitch of the inning. Two pitches later Tucker joined in on the bash. A couple of batters later, Betts and Smith would go back-to-back.

FP Santangelo said it over the radio broadcast: the Dodgers know what time of year it is. For the Giants, it’s the end, a merciful one. For LA, it’s just the beginning. 

Throughout the course of last night’s game, the NESN broadcast intently followed the Blue Jays-Rangers game, telling us that if the Rangers won that game, combined with a Red Sox win, Boston’s magic number would drop from 3 to 1.

I woke up this morning and came across this tweet.

Here are the ways the Red Sox can get into the playoffs tomorrow, per MLB research:
Scenario A: A win over the Rays and a Toronto win over Texas.
Scenario B: A win over the Rays, a Blue Jays loss to Texas, and a Braves win over the Astros.
You got all that?

— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) September 19, 2026

Magic Number of 2. Got it. So, not only was the Magic Number talk a bunch of nonsense last night, but now we’re rooting for Toronto to beat Texas tonight, instead of Texas to beat Toronto last night. I should’ve listened to Stone Cold Steve Austin three decades ago: Don’t Trust Anybody.

The Red Sox play at 4:10 today, so if they win, they will have to wait until around 10:00 to celebrate. If the Braves win against the Astros, it seems like they are in regardless of the result in Texas.

If this doesn’t all align today, they may clinch after a 1:40 game in Tampa tomorrow, with the Astros, Blue Jays, and Rangers all playing within an hour. The Patriots also play at 1:00, so you’ll need to set up a second TV. God forbid we see them clinch on the Monday off-day with Toronto playing in Baltimore that night.

When do you want to see them clinch a playoff spot? I say let’s get this done tonight. Discuss in the comments and be good to each other.

Ty France hit his career-high 21st home run of the season to cap a six-run fifth inning to help lead the San Diego Padres to an 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins at Petco Park on Friday night. The win by the Padres combined with losses by the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies pulled them into a three-way tie for the top Wild Card spot in the National League standings. It also allowed San Diego to take a five-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks who lost to the New York Yankees. The caveat to all of that is the Cubs and Phillies hold the tie-breaker over the Padres so even though they all have the same record at 85-69, the Padres would still be in the third and final Wild Card spot if the season ended today.

The Padres were held to just two hits against Marlins starter Tyler Phillips, but he was pulled from the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs in the inning. Cade Gibson came on in relief and struck out Jackson Merrill and the score remained 1-0 in favor of Miami. San Diego changed that when the team took its turn at-bat in the bottom of the fifth.

Xander Bogaerts stayed hot and led off with a double. Jake Cronenworth singled, prompting another pitching change by the Marlins. Samad Taylor reached on a bunt single to load the bases but Ethan Salas flied out to shallow center field for the first out of the inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. brought home Bogaerts with a single to right to tie the game at 1-1 before Dustin Harris hit a two-run single to give the Padres a 3-1 lead. Manny Machado lined out for the second out of the inning and it appeared San Diego was going to leave some runners one base. France ensured that did not happen when he hit a three-run home run to left field to put San Diego up, 6-1.

Miami added a run in the top of the eighth inning to make the score 6-2, but the Padres responded immediately in the bottom half of the eighth when Merrill connected on a solo home run to right field, giving him 26 on the year, and giving San Diego a 7-2 lead. Bogaerts, Cronenworth and Taylor followed with three consecutive singles to give the Padres an 8-2 lead as they cruised to the win.

Nick Pivetta started on the mound for the Padres and allowed a solo home run to Augustin Ramirez in the top of the third inning, but that was all he would allow. He completed five innings, allowing one run on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Pivetta needed just 76 pitches to complete his outing and turned the ball over to the bullpen. Wandy Peralta, David Morgan, Adrian Morejon and Griffin Canning combined to cover the final four innings and allowed one run on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

San Diego hosts Miami for Game 2 of their series today at 5:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• Yuki Matsui has been pitching well and gaining the trust of his manager this season and Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball believes he could be ready to take a more prominent high-leverage role in the San Diego bullpen.

• Jason Adam had another rough rehab appearance with El Paso.

Baseball News:

• The Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros to clinch a postseason berth.

• The Detroit Tigers scored nine unanswered runs to beat the Chicago White Sox.

• The New York Yankees beat the Arizona Diamondbacks on the strength of a five-run first inning.

• The New York Mets topped the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-3.

• The Cincinnati Reds are trying to play spoiler and beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-4.

The Mets continue a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY.

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Mets Notes

• Francisco Lindor, sitting at 299 career home runs, continues to search for No. 300 after going deep twice on Sept. 12
• Juan Sotolaunched his 26th HR of the season Friday night (No. 270 for his career) and now has 101 hits over 103 games. He joined Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Trout as the only players in Major League history to record 270 home runs and 100 stolen bases prior to turning 28 (per Sarah Langs)
• Carson Benge went 2-for-3 in Friday's win, collecting his 152nd and 153rd hits of the season. He's two hits shy of tying Pete Alonso's single season franchise rookie record set in 2019
• Prior to the game, Carlos Beltrán will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame and have his No. 15 retired

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Today's Lineups

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Rangers 7, Blue Jays 1

• Kumar Rocker outduels Dylan Cease, just as we all expected.
• We were all worried that we’d end up watching a lot of Trevor Williams in this game. And we did watch a lot of Trevor Williams in this game! But in a good way.
• Rocker wasn’t exceptional, by any means, in going 4.1 innings. He did, though, keep the Jays off the board until the fifth, when a pair of leadoff walks led to a run scoring on a one out double by Myles “Turkey in the” Straw which ended Rocker’s night.
• Tyler Alexander got the final two outs of the inning, escaping the jam, allowing Williams to enter the game in the sixth and go the rest of the way.
• If you’re a Toronto Blue Jays fan, aren’t you a little panicked about Dylan Cease right now? His velocity in this game was down 3-4 mph compared to normal, and he threw only 36 strikes in 74 pitches. He’s in the first year of the Strasburg deal — 7 years, $175 million — and this sort of dramatic dropoff has to have you wondering if there’s something physically wrong with him.
• The Rangers took advantage of Cease’s ineffectiveness, to an extent. Probably not as much as they could have, or as we would have liked — and when the Jays had the tying run at the plate in the fifth I was sitting there thinking about the missed opportunities to put up a bunch more runs — but it all worked out.
• The Rangers drew a season-high ten walks in the game, six of which were issued by Cease.
• Three of those were by Wyatt Langford, who also had a pair of hits and a stolen base, and hey, if Wyatt is about to start going off again, the timing couldn’t be better.
• Corey Seager also stole a base, on a straight steal of second, just his second of the season.
• Everyone in the starting lineup had either a hit or a walk in the game. The only player besides Langford who had a multi-hit night was everyone’s favorite utility infielder, Nicky Lopez.
• I know everyone likes talking about Skip Schumaker’s pinch hitting strategeries. With the Rangers up 4-0 in the bottom of the third, bases loaded, two outs, Cease was lifted for Brendan Cellucci, a lefty, with Evan Carter due up.
• Carter struck out on four pitches, and looked especially pitiful in doing so, resulting in no runs scoring in the inning. Dave Raymond and Mike Bascik discussed whether Schumaker should have gone with Justin Foscue as a pinch hitter, in an effort to put the game away.
• My inclination is that, with a four run lead, in the third inning, you probably don’t want to lift your excellent defensive center fielder for a pinch hitter, resulting in a bunch of moving parts that weakens your defense the rest of the game.
• But man, I wish Evan weren’t so ass against lefties.
• Houston lost, so the Rangers are tied for first in the A.L. West, though effectively a game back. The Guardians won and the White Sox lost, so the Rangers are a game back of Chicago in the Wild Card, but effectively two back. Texas is up one (effectively up two) on the Jays in the Wild Card, and up two (effectively up three) on the Orioles, who lost.
• We’re still in the mix! This is exciting!
• Kumar Rocker hit 95.7 on his sinker, averaging 94.1 mph, and 95.4 mph on his fastball, averaging 94.6 mph. Tyler Alexander’s fastball reached 91.4 mph. Trevor Williams topped out at 91.8 mph with his fastball.
• Corey Seager had a 107.2 mph double and a 105.6 mph fly out. Jake Burger had a 107.1 mph double. Nicky Lopez had a 100.1 mph fly out.
• Now to get back above .500.