Category: Baseball

Virtually nothing has come easy for the Yankees this year. 

But the AL wild-card series just did — at least they made it look that way, even without Aaron Judge. 

A much more dangerous divisional opponent awaits, but the Yankees will be flying high into the ALDS after making light work of the Red Sox, finishing off a two-game sweep with an emphatic 9-2 win over their rivals Wednesday night in front of a jubilant sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium. 

After fending off the pesky Red Sox for a second straight year in this opening round, the Yankees will now try to conquer the Rays, whom they could never chase down for the AL East in the final months of the regular season. Game 1 is Saturday at Tropicana Field, and unlike last year when they stretched themselves thin to beat the Red Sox and paid for it against the Blue Jays, they should enter the ALDS in a strong position to start Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodón, and possibly with Judge even ready to join the party. 

“The best player in baseball isn’t even playing right now and we’ve been dominating,” said Cam Schlittler, who led the domination in Game 1. “So we’re only going to get stronger when [Judge] gets back. 

“It’s good to get it done in two. Now we’re set up perfectly for Tampa.” 

The Yankees followed the same script in Game 2 as they did in Game 1 — a dominant starting pitcher protecting a small lead until their bats could break the game open — just with some different actors leading the way. Max Fried tossed six innings of one-run ball, nearly matching what Schlittler did Tuesday, while Cody Bellinger delivered the knockout punch that Ben Rice did the night before, clobbering a three-run homer in the sixth inning that put the champagne on ice. 

Emphasizing the Yankees’ greatest strength — and the biggest reason they have high hopes and dreams for October — in their rotation, Fried struck out six and scattered three hits across six innings. When Willson Contreras snuck a home run over the right field wall against him in the sixth inning, it snapped a 26-inning scoreless streak by Yankees pitchers in the postseason against the Red Sox, dating back to Game 2 of last year’s AL wild-card series. 

“That’s been the biggest strength for us throughout the year,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It sustained us. It got us through some difficult times. And I feel like they’re all in a good place right now.” 

Contreras’ homer pulled the Red Sox within 2-1, but the Yankees found an immediate answer in the bottom of the frame, first with a steady dose of small ball before Bellinger’s long ball. 

Rookie Spencer Jones provided the spark, using his speed and hustle to reach first base on a dropped third strike from Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet, who was making his first appearance since April 25. Jones then stole second and took third as the throw trickled into center field, allowing him to score on fellow rookie George Lombard Jr.’s lined single that made it 3-1 in another dash of homegrown happenings. 

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham, who were both on the bench for Game 1, followed with singles to load the bases (Grisham on a bunt to third base, with an off-target throw from Caleb Durbin). 

After the Red Sox put Crochet out of his misery and brought in righty Garrett Whitlock, Austin Wells hit a sacrifice fly for the second straight night before Ryan McMahon hit a soft groundout to score another run for the 5-1 lead. 

The Red Sox then intentionally walked Rice, who homered twice and drove in six runs in Game 1, but it backfired as Bellinger lifted a three-run homer to the short porch that took forever to land, the crowd entering a frenzy well before it did. 

“I had a lot of confidence in them,” Judge said. “Going into the series, obviously I wanted to be out there with them, but going into it, this is a dangerous group, and they’ve showed it here in this series.” 

For a second straight night, the Yankees pounced on the Red Sox bullpen once manager Chad Tracy pulled his starter early in the fifth inning of a 1-0 game — Payton Tolle in Game 1 and Sonny Gray in Game 2. And on both nights, they turned it into as much of a laugher as you will find in the playoffs, sending them full steam ahead into the ALDS. 

“At that point,” Chisholm said, “when everyone’s working in sync like that, especially the talent we have on this team, I feel like we’re unbeatable.”

Josh Hart added an NBA championship to his resume this summer.

This fall, it seems as if he wants to make another addition: big league manager.

The Knicks star chimed in on the state of the Yankees-Red Sox wild-card series on Wednesday night as the Bronx Bombers blew the doors open in the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 2.

Hart slammed the Red Sox for their decision to intentionally walk Ben Rice — with a runner on second and a base open — to face Cody Bellinger.

Manager Chad Tracy’s move did not pay off, to say the least.

Bellinger skied a high drive into right, clearing the short porch in right field for a three-run homer to extend the Yankees’ lead to 8-1 (before Boston added a run on a solo shot from Nick Sogard in the top of the seventh).

Hart, in a series of posts on X, was excited as the Yankees ran up the score and looked to be nearing a sweep.

“YOU WANTED TO WALK RICE TO GET TO BELLI?! BOSTON YOU DUMB AS HELL!!!” Hart wrote. “NY RUNS BOSTON. BELLI IS HIM.”

Hart was in The Bronx just last week when he threw out the first pitch before the Yankees took on the Orioles in the nightcap of their doubleheader on Friday. He and teammate Jalen Brunson also threw out first pitches in mid-June shortly after they helped end the Knicks’ 53-year NBA title drought.

The Yankees, who had lost three straight playoff series to the Red Sox entering 2025, are on the precipice of knocking out Boston for the second straight season in the wild-card round.

Since his arrival in the MLB 15 years ago, Manny Machado has been considered one of the most controversial players in the game.

But according to one of his former teammates, that might not be true.

Macahdo’s former Baltimore Orioles teammate, Adam Jones, appeared as a guest on “All the Smoke” and told former Lakers star Matt Barnes and former MLB player Harold Reynolds that Machado is not the villain he’s portrayed to be.

“Obviously he gets some bad rap for some things but, that dude is awesome,” Jones said. “He’s a gamer. You can look at his games played; it’s on the back of his card. He posts up every day. Everybody’s going through aches and bruises, but he posts up.”

For most of Machado’s career, he was teammates with Jones until their final moments with the Orioles.

Machado was traded by Baltimore to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018, while Jones would leave that same season in free agency.

As Jones mentioned, Machado’s had some moments that don’t look the best on his resume, including in 2014, when he flung his bat across the infield towards former Oakland A’s third baseman Alberto Callaspo.

In 2017, he cleated former Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia while sliding into second base and would end up giving him a career-ending injury.

When Machado joined the San Diego Padres in 2019, he was asked about that moment and said “it sucks.”

Aside from a few dirty plays, Machado was also well known for his “flashy swagger” that he brought to the field – notoably for some of the iconic chains he would wear around his neck during games.

While Jones recalled Machado being a great teammate, Reynolds rebuffed him and asked him about conversations they had together and proceeded to call him a “knucklehead.”

“I think he’s misunderstood,” Jones said. “He’s from Miami. You just gave him $5.5 million. I would have turned up too.”

Jones went on to say that being teammates with Machado was simple.

“He’s the third overall pick. Talent is through the roof,” Jones said. “All you need to do is keep him focused. That’s it. I’m not going to police this guy.”

Since Machado has been in San Diego, he’s quietly changed the narrative of his career from being a “knucklehead” and has become a leader in the Padres locker room, including playing a big part in mentoring Fernando Tatis Jr. when he was called up in 2019.

NEW YORK - It seemed like a good idea at the time, rostering the 2025 AL Cy Young Award runner-up even though he hadn't pitched in a game since April 25.

Yet when Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy summoned Garrett Crochet with the teams' season hanging in the balance in Game 2 of the AL wild card series, it went very, very bad. 

Like many of Tracy's decisions in this two-game set, inserting Crochet in a two-run game in the sixth backfired - and effectively ended their season.

Crochet struck out the first batter he faced, but a wild pitch enabled Spencer Jones to reach first base. Then, a stolen base, a throwing error, a solid George Lombard Jr. single, a seeing-eye hit from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a bunt single by Trent Grisham and, well, game over? 

Tracy saw enough by the time Grisham's single loaded the bases, lifting Crochet with the Yankees trailing 3-1. Two more runs scored when set-up man Garrett Whitlock gave up a sacrifice fly to Austin Wells and RBI groundout to Ryan McMahon. 

For good measure, Tracy ordered an intentional walk of Ben Rice - and Cody Bellinger blasted a three-run homer off Whitlock. 

A 2-1 game became 8-1. Four runs, all earned, were charged to Crochet, who did not record an out. 

That put them in a four-run hole with nine outs to go. And what looked like a creative use of resources turned out to be a debacle to likely end Boston's season. 

You're all invited to the Belli Bash 🥳#RepBXpic.twitter.com/GEpSR4l0Vl

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 1, 2026

New York Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas entered the MLB playoff conversation in the fifth inning of Game 2 in the AL wild card series, waving in Ben Rice to ultimately get thrown out at the plate.

The Yankees had just extended their lead to 2-0 on Cody Bellinger's RBI single and had runners on first and second when Luis Garcia Jr. followed with a single of his own. Rice was on second base and Rojas waved him home on the chopper hit through the hole into left field.

Nate Eaton threw home from the outfield and the ball easily beat Rice, with Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman applying the tag for the third out.

Rojas, who managed the New York Mets in 2020 and 2021, immediately started trending on social media for his decision to send Rice on the play.

In the next inning, Boston's Willson Contreras homered to half the Yankees' lead.

Nate Eaton cuts down Ben Rice at the plate to limit the damage #Postseasonpic.twitter.com/PDqg2mDLEz

— MLB (@MLB) October 1, 2026

It could be the end of the Chicago Cubs season Wednesday night as the San Diego Padres will try to eliminate them at Petco Park. The Cubs will turn to RHP Kevin Gausman while the Padres will start Nick Pivetta. First pitch is scheduled for 9pm central time and the game broadcast is available via NBC/Peacock.

Spike Lee was in the middle of a tense scene before Game 2 at Yankee Stadium.

The famed director had to be held back from going after a fan in the Legends Suite dining area before the Yankees faced the Red Sox in their wild-card series on Wednesday night.

Lee entered the Legends Suite around 6:30 p.m. and was amiable, taking selfies with anyone and leaving seats open at his table in case anyone wanted to join him.

One person asking for a selfie requested Lee say “F–k Palestine,” which caused the 69-year-old to get up and seek out security, becoming angry with the individual, who was indeed kicked out.

“Why’d you come over to me?” an agitated Lee, wearing red Yankees gear, shouted at an unidentified person as he is restrained by staff.

A man in a blue sport jacket pointed to someone at a nearby table, telling them, “You’ve gotta go. You’ve gotta go.”

Per a source, the person was “absolutely wrong,” and “ruined our f–king meal.”

Requests for comment from Lee’s reps and the Yankees were not immediately returned.

Lee was on hand Tuesday night behind the Yankees’ dugout during the opener of the first-round series against Boston, and posted a photo alongside his daughter, Satchel, on social media.

The “Do The Right Thing” director has long been a staple at New York sports games, including following the Knicks from city to city during their championship run last season.

— Additional reporting by Joe Marino

Chicago Cubs (0-1) at San Diego Padres (1-0), September 30, 2026, 7:00 p.m. PST

Watch: Peacock/NBCSN

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Sonny Gray not happy with Chad Tracy's bullpen decision in Red Sox' Game 2 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Having been in the big leagues since 2013, Sonny Gray has accumulated a lot of stats in his career. He certainly can’t be aware of all of them, but there’s one this year that he clearly knew by heart.

“I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order the third time,” Gray said Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, after the Red Sox were swept out of the Wild Card Stadium. “I think that’s a fact.”

Indeed, the 36-year-old was great when facing a lineup for a third time this year, holding hitters to a .180 average while posting a 1.99 ERA.

Yet while the crafty veteran was aware of his effectiveness the third time through the batting order, his manager was either unaware or not interested in letting Gray pitch out of a miniature jam with the Red Sox’ season on the line.

After Gray allowed two singles with the Yankees leading 1-0 in the fifth, first-year manager Chad Tracy strode to the mound and inexplicably called upon lefty reliever Erik Miller for the second straight night at the same exact point in the game.

That move backfired immediately in Game 1, when Miller replaced Payton Tolle and surrendered a home run on his third pitch. And it failed again in Game 2, with Miller giving up two hits to the only batters he faced. The first was Cody Bellinger, who ripped an RBI single off Miller’s slider to double the Yankees’ lead to 2-0.

Gray, who will finish in the top three of Cy Young voting this year, felt he should have been given the chance to at least finish the fifth inning.

“I would have liked to live or die with me in that moment, but that’s the competitor I am. I think you could probably ask the guys, and they felt the same way,” Gray said. “I felt strong, I felt confident, I felt convicted. But what can you do?”

Gray added: “I would have liked to been trusted in that moment.”

Certainly, Gray’s work both this season and throughout his career earned him a start in the playoffs over Ranger Suarez, who’s one of the best postseason pitchers in baseball history. And at just 70 pitches, and after getting proper rest down the stretch, Gray was far from being on the ropes when Tracy made his call.

Even though the decision to go to Miller allowed the Yankees to instantly double their leads in both games of the sweep, Tracy defended his decisions.

“[Tolle and Gray] are great, yeah. Our bullpen’s been great all year, too,” Tracy said. “It’s a case sometimes of depending on what the score is and how much wiggle room we have, if we were able to put up some runs and maybe have some more breathing room, we might be able to [keep the starters in the game]. But trying to be aggressive and create tough matchups, and it just didn’t work out.”

Tracy’s assertion that the bullpen has been great all year is true overall, but it doesn’t apply to Miller specifically.

After joining the Red Sox as the return in the Marcelo Mayer trade, Miller made a strong first impression, posting a 0.63 ERA and 1.047 WHIP in his first 14 appearances. He struck out 25 batters and walked just six in that span, earning a trusted spot for high-leverage, late-game situations for Boston.

But his effectiveness nosedived late in the year, when he posted a 12.46 ERA and 2.538 WHIP over his final five appearances, walking six batters while striking out just four.

Those struggles clearly continued in Game 1, when Miller gave up a home run and an infield single in his one-third of an inning, but Tracy — with his full complement of high-leverage bullpen arms available — went right back to Miller in Game 2. For a second straight night, Miller could not deliver.

Tracy and the Red Sox felt comfortable giving the ball to Tolle in Game 1 on the road in Yankee Stadium. Yet with two outs and nobody on in the fifth, and with Tolle at just 83 pitches, Tracy took that ball away and gave it to a reliever in whom the manager should have lost trust.

Tracy and the Red Sox then felt comfortable giving the ball to Gray in Game 2, this time with the season hanging in the balance. Yet with two outs and two runners aboard in the fifth, Tracy again took the ball out of the hand of the trusted starter to place it in the shaky left hand of Miller.

Both times, the move did not work. And though the correlation may not be strictly scientific, both bullpen moves led to Game 1 and Game 2 spiraling out of control from that point forward.

Gray, who’s set to become a free agent this offseason unless he retires, said that Tracy did not give him an explanation for the move. Gray was also asked if Boston would be a “destination” if he does choose to pitch again next year.

“I don’t know,” he answered.

The San Diego Padres released their Wild Card playoff roster the morning of the first Wild Card game against the Chicago Cubs. 

There were surprises.

Deciding to go with 15 position players and 11 pitchers was the first choice that raised eyebrows. The second was putting Miguel Andujar and Joe Musgrove on that list.

Both Musgrove and Andujar were on the injured list prior to the end of the season. Andujar had rehab appearances with Triple-A El Paso before the end of their season. He continued working in Arizona with the developmental and instructional games at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Andujar joined Musgrove in their pursuit of returning to the team. After an unsuccessful attempt to rehab as a starting pitcher, Musgrove and the Padres’ decisionmakers opted to have him work in shorter spurts, pitching as a reliever instead of a starter.

That choice proved to be the difference maker for Musgrove. President of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller discussed Musgrove’s inclusion on the roster in his interview with the morning show of the Padres flagship station, 97.3 The Fan.

Preller reported that shorter appearances pitched by Musgrove resulted in a normal bounce-back for his arm. The soreness he reported after his longer appearances went away, and he was able to pitch on a normal schedule. That breakthrough allowed him to prove he was able to contribute to the team during the playoffs. Musgrove had no issues with his stuff during this lengthy ordeal. His fastball velocity topped out at 97 mph and his repertoire showed his normal spin. His issue was recovery.

The organization kept this information on the down-low over the past couple of weeks. The last time fans and the media heard from Musgrove, he was discouraged and at wit’s end about his next move. While the Padres went through their last two series of the season, clinching home-field advantage for the first round, Musgrove was in Arizona. The hard work he put in to get himself ready for the postseason was shielded from everyone outside the organization.

Return of the native son

During the pregame introductions for the first Wild Card game, fans gave Musgrove a rousing ovation. The team set the stage with an almost perfect first playoff game, with Michael King throwing seven shutout innings while the offense and its stars went off.

Yuki Matsui threw 11 pitches in the eighth to get the team to the ninth inning with an 8-0 lead.

Even NBC decisionmakers understood the importance of what was happening in San Diego after the eighth inning.

Choosing to stay in the stadium instead of going to a commercial break, the network cameras saw the reaction of the crowd when Musgrove stepped out of the bullpen door and onto the Petco field for the first time in almost two years.

With the first sounds of his walk-out song, Vampire by Tribal Seeds, playing over the park PA system, the entire stadium crowd stood and cheered the return of the hometown player to the Padres.

The cameras then switched to a shot of the Padres dugout as Musgrove jogged to the mound. Everyone stood, and many joined the fans in applauding the return of the native son.

Big-game Joe

Musgrove last threw a pitch in the major leagues on October 2, 2024. He pitched that whole season knowing his elbow was going to go. It was just a question of when.

It turned out the “when” was during the playoffs while Musgrove was pitching in the second game of the Wild Card Series versus the Atlanta Braves. He walked off the mound after 3.2 innings of work while allowing one hit and one run while striking out four Braves. 

He had Tommy John and flexor tendon repair surgery on Oct. 11 and began the long process of rehab to return to the team. That process did not go well for Musgrove. He started Spring Training with the hope of returning to the starting rotation by mid-season. After experiencing multiple episodes of arm soreness and poor recovery after pitching, Musgrove missed the entire regular season for the Friars.

The irony of coming full-circle within the Wild Card Series, two years apart, showed the no-quit nature of the Padres’ pitching leader. Musgrove isn’t the ace of the staff, but he is the heart of the staff. He could be the heart of the clubhouse, judging by the reaction of his teammates to his return to the team.

After striking out the first hitter, Musgrove allowed two hits and a walk to load the bases. With closer Mason Miller warming in the bullpen, Musgrove buckled down and struck out Michael Conforto for the final out. His teammates lined up to congratulate him with hugs.

The future is not clear; the present is bright

There is no way to know what the future holds for Musgrove as he continues to come back from his surgery. Being a starter is the goal for a pitcher who has one more year left in his contract with the organization.

That is the long-term concern.

In the short term, Musgrove only cares about one thing — helping his team win. Being a reliever is not a unique experience for him, as Musgrove pitched out of the bullpen when he won his World Series ring with the Houston Astros in 2017.

Based on his recovery from his first major league appearance, Musgrove will make himself available for any situation, any role, and at any time during this postseason. That desire to do whatever he can for his team and his teammates is one of the things that has always set Musgrove apart with the Padres. 

Go get ‘em, Joe!

Good things are happening for the White Sox. Recently, Pope Leo XIV was asked if he had anything to do with the team’s turnaround. The Pope declined to comment before saying, “Good things happen in Chicago,” and he is absolutely correct. The White Sox secured a spot in the ALDS with a 7-3 victory over the Astros.

Astros starter Hunter Brown, 28, was terrific against the White Sox in the regular season. The South Siders could not solve him back then, as they posted a measly .174/.208/.174 in two games against him. However, it was an entirely different story for Brown today.

Sam Antonacci, the game’s first batter, drove a fly ball to deep left. Left fielder Yordan Alvarez appeared to have a play, but he narrowly missed Antonacci’s drive, so Antonacci pulled up at second with a leadoff double. Just like in Game 1, Antonacci’s successful plate appearance to open the game set the tone for a great start for the White Sox. From there, Kyle Teel went after the first pitch he saw from Brown, and he hit a sharp grounder into center field to drive in Antonacci. Five pitches and two batters into the game, the White Sox had a 1-0 lead, and they were not done. Miguel Vargas hit a high chopper to third, but third baseman Nick Allen failed to field the grounder cleanly, allowing Teel to advance to second, and Vargas was safe at first.

Munetaka Murakami struck out, but Andrew Benintendi added some insurance. Benintendi hit a soft liner that landed in front of center fielder Lucas Spence to drive in Teel. In addition, an errant throw by Spence allowed Vargas to score, and Benintendi advanced to second. Following that disaster for Houston, Tristan Peters singled to drive in Benintendi to add an exclamation point to the huge inning. Just like that, the White Sox had an early 4-0 lead.

DON'T STOP NOW, BOYS! pic.twitter.com/S7EJZYWW2V

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 30, 2026

The nightmarish inning was not quite over just yet for Brown, whose pitch count continued to rise. Chase Meidroth singled, Braden Montgomery struck out, and Colson Montgomery displayed a good batting eye by drawing a six-pitch walk. That walk resulted in the bases being loaded, and Brown’s outing was over after 36 pitches and only retiring two batters.

From there, Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh took over with the bases loaded and two outs, looking to prevent the game from getting completely out of hand, and he did that. Antonacci, who was batting for the second time in the first inning, hit a soft ground out on a sweeper in the middle of the zone. Despite that, the White Sox happily switched sides with a 4-0 lead.

White Sox starter Sean Burke, 26, had a rough start to his outing, as shortstop Jeremy Peña crushed a moonshot to left-center to lead off the bottom of the first. However, Burke did not let Peña’s blast carry over, and he did not allow any further damage that inning.

The Astros went back to work in the second, when Cam Smith got all of a sinker on the inner half and drove it way out to left. Smith’s blast went 440 feet, but fortunately, it only counted for one run, and the White Sox still had a 4-2 lead. Burke got through the third inning cleanly, as he struck out the side in order. That was a particularly difficult task, as Peña, Alvarez, and Paredes are quite tough to strike out consecutively.

Meanwhile, the White Sox offense stalled, as they were retired in order in each of the second, third, and fourth innings. That gap in offense caused some uneasiness for White Sox fans, and that restlessness grew in the bottom of the fourth, when José Altuve led off with Houston’s third solo blast against Burke. Suddenly, the Astros were within a run, and they had all kinds of momentum.

The Astros pitching staff completed its fourth consecutive perfect inning in the fifth, and they appeared to be in business. The Astros built on their momentum in the bottom of the fifth, when interestingly, Huascar Brazobán took over on the mound to begin the frame. Brazobán hit Smith with a fastball to open the inning, but he struck out Allen to cool things down. However, Brazobán allowed a single to Peña, and the Astros had two on with one out, and Alvarez stepped up to the plate. That prompted a pitching change, and Anthony Kay replaced Brazobán. Alvarez hit a sharp liner to left, but he did not get all of it, and Antonacci made the catch in deep left. Kay issued a walk to Paredes to load the bases, so the tying run was at third, and the go-ahead run was at second. In a crucial, high-leverage moment, Kay got Altuve to fly out to right to end the threat and preserve the 4-3 lead.

Entering the sixth, the previous 13 White Sox hitters had been retired. At long last, Andrew Benintendi broke that streak by drawing a leadoff walk against Astros reliever Bryan Abreu. Luisangel Acuña entered the game as a pinch-runner for Benintendi, and he immediately stole second base. From there, Tristan Peters walked, and the White Sox were setting themselves up to do some damage. Chase Meidroth stepped up to the plate and showed bunt. That drew the infield in, and the Astros were caught off-guard as Acuña and Peters executed a double-steal, and the South Siders had a pair in scoring position. Abreu fell behind 3-1 before leaving a slider over the middle of the plate, and Meidroth took full advantage.

3-RUN POSTSEASON HOMER FOR CHASE MEIDROTH! pic.twitter.com/39yNEWjiLt

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 30, 2026

Meidroth’s towering blast extended the South Siders’ lead back to four, and the victory was within reach.

Reliever Jordan Hicks was phenomenal, retiring all six batters he faced and striking out three of them. As a result, the score remained 7-3 after seven. From there, Erick Fedde took over on the mound, and he locked it down. Like Hicks, he faced six batters and retired all of them, striking out three. Although Meidroth’s blast allowed the final few innings to be relatively relaxed, Hicks and Fedde deserve plenty of credit for that, too.

CHILLS. pic.twitter.com/eOnSA6Bc7J

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 1, 2026

With this victory, the White Sox have won their first postseason series since 2005. Back in Spring Training, did any of us imagine we would be in this position at the end of September? I certainly did not, but here we are, and I am incredibly grateful. The White Sox will take on the Guardians (85-77), and that best-of-five series is scheduled to begin on Saturday at noon CT. TBS/HBO Max and TruTV will televise that matchup, and WMVP 1000 AM will have the radio coverage. We will see you then.

MVP
Chase Meidroth (2B): 2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB, 0.12 WPA

Runners-Up
Kyle Teel (C): 2-for-5, RBI, 0.03 WPA
Sam Antonacci (LF): 1-for-4, 2B, 0.02 WPA
Jordan Hicks (RHRP): 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.07 WPA
Erick Fedde (RHRP): 2, IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.04 WPA
Tristan Peters (CF-LF): 1-for-3, BB, RBI, 0.07 WPA
Andrew Benintendi (DH): 1-for-2, BB, RBI, 0.17 WPA
Anthony Kay (LHRP): 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0.13 WPA

Cold Cat
Munetaka Murakami (1B): 0-for-5, 3 K, -0.07 WPA

Runners-Up
Miguel Vargas (3B): 0-for-5, 2 K, 0.02 WPA
Sean Burke (RHSP): 4 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 8 K, -0.06 WPA
Braden Montgomery (RF): 0-for-4, K, -0.05 WPA

Not even the bubbly and suds that dripped down his 6-foot-7 frame late Wednesday emboldened Aaron Judge enough to make any proclamations about his chances of being on the Yankees ALDS roster. 

But his teammates are at least giving him a chance. 

On a day that began with Judge going to Somerset to get another round of live at-bats and continue his running progression as he rehabs a right calf strain, the Yankees finished off a sweep of the Red Sox with a 9-2 win in Game 2 of the AL wild-card series in The Bronx. 

“Saturday’s a long ways away,” Judge said, referring to Game 1 of the ALDS against the Rays. “But I’m doing everything I can, all morning, night, during the game, everything to prepare myself to be ready to go. Yeah, I want to be in there. But we’ll see what happens.” 

Wednesday marked two weeks since Judge sustained the calf injury, and while he tried to defy the odds and make a late push to be on the roster for the wild-card series, the Yankees ultimately left him off because he was not ready. 

Whether he can be ready to go by Saturday remains to be seen, especially with the complicating factor of having to play on the turf at Tropicana Field, which can be troublesome for players dealing with soft-tissue leg injuries. 

“We just finished the wild-card [series]. We’ll get into that as we get closer,” Judge said amid the champagne celebration. “I got nothing for you on that yet, but my job is to continue to get ready. That’s what I’ve been doing every day.” 

Judge’s around-the-clock treatment is apparently what kept him missing from Tuesday’s pregame player introductions ahead of Game 1. He arrived in the dugout by first pitch, and then Wednesday, pulled up a seat around the sixth inning to watch his teammates finish the win. 

The three-time AL MVP said he did not run the bases Wednesday afternoon in Somerset, which is a hurdle he will likely have to clear to prove he can be a right fielder for the ALDS. 

“I think it’s been encouraging that a couple nights ago [Monday] for the workout he was able to get out there for live BP,” manager Aaron Boone said before Game 2. “Again, that wasn’t just, he’s just going out for live BP. He had to check a lot of boxes for the trainers and the strength guys to say, ‘OK, you’re ready for that, you can go do that.’ 

“So I feel like in the couple weeks since the injury, he’s made real strides and significant improvements. And hopefully we’re in a position to make another decision in a couple of days.” 

It is possible the Yankees could carry Judge on their ALDS roster to serve as a DH, but even he has acknowledged that it would be best for the team if he can return as a right fielder because of the logjam at DH/first base involving Game 1 hero Ben Rice, Luis García Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt.

As it is, Boone had García on his bench to start Game 1 against Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle, with Rice as DH and Goldschmidt at first base.

Adding Judge into that mix would mean Rice starting at first base every game and relegating both García and Goldschmidt to pinch hitting.

What we learned: Chad Tracy, bullpen and historically bad offense sink Red Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Heading into the Wild Card Series, one could make a case that the Red Sox had a chance to beat the Yankees. It would take two or three great starts from Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and/or Ranger Suarez, it would take some timely hitting to put two or three runs on the board per game, and it would take some lockdown relief innings from the back end of the bullpen.

Yet the Red Sox only got decent starts from Tolle and Gray, they set a new franchise record for offensive utility, and their bullpen was a catastrophe.

And the cherry on top was that their manager, who inked a contract extension last week, showed he certainly does not know how to manage in the postseason.

Other than that, did you enjoy the series?

Here’s everything we learned from the ever-so-brief two-game sweep in the Wild Card Series, as the 2026 team technically failed to get as far as the 2025 Red Sox.

Red Sox set ugly new franchise record

Red Sox history spans 126 seasons, so it was a bit surprising to see the broadcast note early in Game 2 that Boston was in the midst of rewriting franchise history with the longest scoring drought to start a postseason ever.

Obviously, the Red Sox’ offense has been stagnant (or worse) for weeks, but 26 previous trips to the playoffs, you’d figure that they had started off with a scoreless game and a half before.

Alas, nope. This drought was historic. It ended at 14.2 innings, broken by Willson Contreras’ solo shot with two outs in the sixth inning.

And while some of it may be explained by the absences of Roman Anthony and Mickey Gasper, there’s no excuse for a playoff team to be this helpless at the plate.

Chad Tracy is not a big-game manager right now

There may have been a case for Chad Tracy to pull Payton Tolle for Erik Miller in Game 1. Not really, but there could have been a case made for Miller’s sinker being more effective against Ben Rice than Tolle’s fastball.

Yet there’s simply no way to understand why one night later, Tracy made the exact same move.

With Sonny Gray at just 70 pitches and the Yankees leading 1-0 with two outs in the fifth inning, Tracy went back to Miller, this time with two runners on base and Cody Bellinger at the plate. The left-left matchup was presumably the reason for the call, but Bellinger crushes sliders from lefties. And when Miller threw a slider to Bellinger … he delivered.

Bellinger singled home a run, and Miller then gave up another hit to Luis Garcia Jr. The Red Sox only got out of the inning because Rice was caught at home after an aggressive send on that second single.

Gray’s pitch count of 70 was tied for his second-lowest of the season, and though he had allowed two singles in the fifth, his body of work over the season and over the past 13 years gave him a much better chance of escaping the mini jam than Miller, who had a 2.045 WHIP and 7.36 ERA in the month of September and who gave up a home run and a single while getting just one out the night before.

If Tracy was insistent that Gray had to come out of the game, he had, quite literally, every high-leverage arm available to him. Instead, he went with Erik Miller.

And with that same complement of arms available in the bottom of the sixth inning, Tracy went with Garrett Crochet, who hasn’t pitched in a game since April 25. It didn’t go well.

Tracy also showed a lack of feel for the moment when he let leadoff hitter Jahmai Jones, who batted .129 with a .432 OPS over the final 13 games of the regular season and who struck out looking twice, to take his third at-bat in the sixth inning, with the Red Sox trailing 2-0.

Given Boston’s offensive ineptitude, the bullpen decisions are perhaps all moot. But had this been a close series, or if the Red Sox find themselves in one in the future, Tracy will carry some major doubt regarding his ability to manage those games.

Simply put, Chad Tracy did not do a single thing right in these two high-stakes games.

Luis Garcia Jr.’s home run was great hitting, not bad pitching

It took until the fourth inning for the Yankees to get to Sonny Gray, but the solo homer he allowed to Luis Garcia Jr. didn’t come on a bad pitch at all.

Leading off the fourth, Garcia was behind in the count 1-2 when Gray tried to bury a sweeper down and in to the lefty. Gray hit his spot with a pitch that was set to hit the bottom of the strike zone. But Garcia simply stayed on the pitch and went down and got it.

Luis Gar-SEE-YA 🦁 pic.twitter.com/GqxScAqskG

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 1, 2026

With the Red Sox starved for runs, Garcia’s solo shot was a jarring reminder that all it takes is one good swing to put a run on the board.

Boston eventually got that swing from Contreras in the sixth, but that jolt of hope for the visiting team didn’t last long.

What could have been with Garrett Crochet …

If you just looked at the box score, you’d be shocked to see Garrett Crochet’s line. He faced four batters, allowing all of them to score. He didn’t record an out, despite getting Spencer Jones to chase strike three to start the sixth inning.

Of course, some of that outcome was fair, as Crochet allowed back-to-back singles. But Caleb Durbin couldn’t get the out at first on what was intended to be a sacrifice bunt, Crochet left with the bases loaded, and Garrett Whitlock — who had a dreadful night — couldn’t limit the damage at all.

Such an outcome was perhaps expected, considering Crochet has not pitched in a game since April 25 due to shoulder problems. But you also can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Adley Rutschman and Willson Contreras hadn’t combined to bungle Crochet’s inning-opening strikeout of Jones.

Rutschman took an extra beat to pounce on the ball that had bounced off his chest, and then he took an extra step before firing to first base. There, Contreras was planted on the back side of the base instead of the front. As a result, Jones was able to beat the throw.

Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images

Credit to Aaron Boone for challenging that call, which was initially an out on the field, but really, it wasn’t even close.

Rutschman then compounded the matter by sailing a throw into center field when Jones stole second, allowing the runner to take third before scoring on a single. Had Rutschman made either of those two throws, it’s fair to wonder how differently Crochet’s inning could have gone.

Summing up the season

There will be plenty of time in the coming months to eulogize this season, but really, despite the 32-5 stretch in the summer, it wasn’t one to celebrate.

Last year’s team won a game in the Wild Card Series, a disappointing ending. This year’s team couldn’t even do that.

Injuries to Crochet and Anthony were certainly impactful, but this roster — and particularly the offense — was not built to contend for a World Series. The Red Sox scored two or fewer runs in 13 of their final 23 games, averaging 2.5 runs per game over that stretch.

With the season on the line, the Red Sox had Jahmai Jones, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard in their starting lineup.

After trading three of their top-five prospects to acquire Adley Rutschman, the catcher batted .222 with a .688 OPS in the regular season before going 1-for-8 in the playoffs.

Willson Contreras, a 34-year-old former catcher with a lot of MLB miles on him, was worn down by the end of the season. Caleb Durbin, whose lows outnumbered his highs this year, went 0-for-7 in the playoffs. Ceddanne Rafaela posted the same numbers, too.

The return for Marcelo Mayer was Erik Miller, who made a strong first impression but played a pivotal role in sinking the team’s chances in both postseason losses after an extremely unreliable final month of the season.

The starting pitching staff was excellent, and the bullpen was elite. But the overall roster construction will lead to plenty of questions about Craig Breslow’s ability to build a real winner. Likewise, the two playoff games cast some serious doubt on whether Chad Tracy is a manager capable of winning games in October.

The 15-game winning streak and 32-5 stretch might have led to some internal victory laps and the decisions to stick with Breslow and Tracy for the foreseeable future. But the 2026 Red Sox, on the whole, were what they were: mediocre. And having been stuck in mediocrity (or worse) for half a decade, there won’t be much more patience in and around Boston for it to continue.

Technically, the historic season turnaround may have been a positive, as making the playoffs beats bottoming out more often than not. But considering that the Red Sox likely could have loaded up on promising players by selling off veteran pieces like Contreras, Gray, Aroldis Chapman and anyone else at the deadline, that run in July may have hurt the Red Sox in the long term — especially with the prospect haul that went out to acquire Rutschman.

In any event, the Red Sox finished as the third-best team in the AL East, and they failed to win a single playoff game, getting outscored 18-2 in their lone playoff series. That’s the final word on the season as the long offseason — potentially longer than most — awaits.