Former Scotland forward James McFadden on Sportsound
First half was disappointing, Rangers were the architects of their own downfall going behind.
They were far better in the second half, but why do you wait until it looks like the game is gone to make changes? The players look like the shackles are off when they change formation.
They look a danger to themselves at times when they have the ball. The goals the concede, and have conceded, have been really poor. Every goal is avoidable. It's frustrating to watch.
Ex-Rangers striker Ally McCoist on TNT Sports
There has to be a serious level of criticism at Rangers defensively - as players and as a team.
Things start to spiral and we're getting to that point now where the negativity towards the manager is definitely having an effect on the players. There's no doubt about that.
The only way to turn that is to win football matches. I don't know if they've got the squad to win six, seven, eight in a row, but that's the only way they'll turn it.
It looks like Russell Martin has taken as much pressure as he can on himself to try and get it away from the players.
But I think at the moment it's coming back on the players as well now because it's got quite an extreme stage.
Ex-Rangers full-back Alan Hutton on TNT Sports
Rangers can't continue this way, if I'm honest. This is unheard of for a Rangers team. It's the manner of the way they are conceding. And when they go forward, the cohesion isn't quite there.
In the soaking Yankee clubhouse, Cam Schlittler stood talking to reporters, dripping wet -- Champagne was his postgame eau de parfum, considering all the celebrating that was going on around him. The championship wrestling belt given by teammates to the Player of the Game was slung over one shoulder and Schlittler was still wearing the high socks he had pitched with, though he had swapped his spikes for flip-flops.
It was a compelling postgame tableau only minutes after Schlittler’s compelling performance led the Yankees past the Boston Red Sox in their AL Wild Card series. Schlittler, a 24-year-old rookie, threw eight shutout innings in the Yankees’ 4-0 victory Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, sealing the best-of-three affair with the best performance of his life.
So far, anyway. Considering his immense talent, which includes a 100 mile-per-hour fastball, that’s an important disclaimer.
Seeing Schlittler soar in such an enormous win also might serve notice to the rest of baseball -- the Yankees were banking on their starting pitching going into the playoffs and felt they had a powerful 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Max Fried and Carlos Rodón. After Schlittler’s outing, perhaps they have a terrifying trio.
Rodón was not great in Game 2 (six innings, three runs), but both Fried and Schlittler delivered gems. Overall, the Yankee rotation threw 20.1 innings against Boston and allowed only the runs Rodón surrendered. That’s a 1.33 ERA, the kind of pitching that can move a team through playoff rounds.
So if you can’t wait to see what Schlittler can do against the Toronto Blue Jays in the next round, who could blame you after what he did to Boston, the team the Walpole, Mass. native grew up adoring. Schlittler struck out 12 and walked none and allowed only five hits. The Red Sox had exactly one at-bat against him with a runner in scoring position and it ended, perhaps predictably, now that you know his final line, with a K.
The 12 strikeouts are the most ever by a Yankee rookie in a postseason game -- he broke Dave Righetti’s 1981 record of 10 -- and he was only the second Yankee ever to throw eight scoreless innings in his postseason debut, joining Waite Hoyt, who did it in the 1921 World Series.
Schlittler is also the first pitcher in MLB history to throw at least eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks in a postseason game.
“I mean,” said Aaron Boone, “what a performance.”
“We needed to be perfect tonight because he was perfect,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I mean, the stuff is outstanding. It was under control.
“He was electric.”
Perhaps unbelievably, Schlittler had never had a double-digit strikeout game as a pro.
“That’s something I did in college,” said Schlittler, who was a seventh-round pick in 2022 out of Northeastern, which is in, um, Boston. “But my professional career, it’s not something I’ve gotten. I get nine a lot. I didn’t always throw 100, so once I got up here, that’s something that I was able to make an adjustment on…Obviously, (double-digit strikeouts) is not the goal, but that’s a good feeling, being able to go out there and dominate a lot.”
In the first inning, Schlittler got three outs on 14 pitches. Six of those pitches were 100 mph or faster. As the night went on, he worked efficiently. He threw his 100th pitch to finish the seventh inning and thought he was finished -- seven frames was his season-high in his 14 starts during the regular season. But Boone had other ideas.
Usually, the manager goes down the dugout steps with a pitcher nearing the end of his outing to either have a conversation about the upcoming inning or to tell the pitcher his work is done. Instead, Boone just asked, “You good?” Schlittler was. Boone thought he’d go hitter-to-hitter with Schlittler in the eighth, but Schlittler breezed through on seven pitches, allowing himself a low-key fist pump as he came off the mound after retiring Trevor Story on a grounder.
“I trust his ability to go fill up the (strike) zone,” Boone said.
“To be able to go out there and put the team on his back, it’s extremely impressive,” Fried added. “I don’t think anyone’s expecting it, but to say that he wasn’t capable of it definitely would be selling him short. He’s got unbelievable stuff and he’s really put it together.”
Schlittler admitted he probably hadn’t fully grasped what he’d just accomplished. He did seem to enjoy it, though. When he came into the post-game interview room -- toting towels because he was still drenched from the clubhouse celebration -- he brought the wrestling belt and the goggles he had used to protect his eyes as teammates were spraying each other and set them up on the table. He cracked open a Gatorade before addressing questions.
“Sorry,” he said to the room as the can whooshed when he opened it.
Then he started detailing his night. He had felt great all along, he said, because he had gotten great sleep the previous two nights and he quoted some recovery metrics to back up his snooze claim. In his bullpen warmup, his stuff crackled, which made him optimistic about his night. He controlled his breathing well, which is a particular focus because it helps him conserve energy.
When he got to the dugout after the eighth, he knew he was finished and joined raucous teammates in the dugout. “I couldn’t really hear anything going on,” Schlittler said. “But they’re all pumped up and excited for me and that’s just a great feeling.”
This season in the majors, Schlittler got to 100 pitches exactly once. He threw 107 Thursday night and 75 of those were strikes, backing up Boone on his ability to fill up the zone.
“When you throw 100 and command the baseball and land your secondary pitches, you can be a problem for the opposition,” Boone said. “That’s what he’s capable of.”
And if Schlittler can continue this kind of excellence in these playoffs, the Yankees, with their starters, can be a problem for the rest of the teams still playing.
Leading off the second inning and with the game scoreless, the Yankees slugger launched a curveball from Connelly Early deep to left center field. Stanton and the 48 thousand-plus in attendance thought the ball was destined for the bullpen and give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Before the ball landed, Stanton turned to his dugout and started hyping his teammates up while walking to first base.
The ball was hit 114.5 mph off the bat and went 393 feet, but the launch angle wasn't high enough, as it hit off the middle of the wall and fell to the warning track. When Stanton turned from his teammates, he noticed the ball did not go out and he hustled to make it to second base.
YES Network's Meredith Marakovits spoke to Stanton after the team's win and asked if there was any doubt the team would find a way to get the win. And the Yankees slugger had the perfect answer.
"The only doubt was if that was a homer or not whenever I hit it. Thank goodness for that bonehead play that the team was resilient enough and Cam [Schlittler] was resilient enough. And it didn't mess up the chemistry or the moment," he said. "So that's good. Kids at home, don't do that. Future opponents, please do that. Bonehead play. Just glad it worked in our favor and it won't happen again."
Although the Yankees were not able to drive him home, it was a good sign that Stanton reached base at all. He entered Game 3 0-for-8 with two strikeouts and looked lost at the plate. And although the double was his only hit of the game, Stanton looked much more comfortable.
The Yankees will need their slugger's power when they go up against the Blue Jays in the ALDS starting Saturday.
While his status was never truly in doubt, it's certainly an encouraging sign for the Yanks that everything is okay.
Bellinger had hits in all three games during the Wild Card series, and his bloop double helped get things going during the decisive four-run fourth inning rally on Thursday night.
"That was such a fun series," he said postgame. "The atmosphere was incredible, it was just so fun. Some really good baseball games and I was just excited we were able to come out on top today. It feels really good."
The division series in the American League and National League are set after MLB gave us some great drama in Cleveland, Chicago and New York during the wild-card round.
Here are the matchups and game schedule for the next round:
ALDS
No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 2 Seattle Mariners No. 4 New York Yankees vs. No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays
NLDS
No. 3 L.A. Dodgers vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies No. 4 Chicago Cubs vs. No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers
The Tigers, Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs are moving on to the next round.
Game schedule, TV times, broadcast networks
Saturday, Oct. 4
NLDS Game 1: Cubs at Brewers, 2:08 p.m. ET, TBS ALDS Game 1: Yankees at Blue Jays, 4:08 p.m. ET, FS1 NLDS Game 1: Dodgers at Phillies, 6:38 p.m. ET, TBS ALDS Game 1: Tigers at Mariners, 8:38 p.m. ET, FS1
Sunday, Oct. 5
ALDS Game 2: Yankees at Blue Jays, 4:08 p.m. ET, FS1 ALDS Game 2: Tigers at Mariners, 8:03 p.m. ET, FS1
Monday, Oct. 6
NLDS Game 2: Dodgers at Phillies, 6:08 p.m. ET, TBS NLDS Game 2: Cubs at Brewers, 9:08 p.m. ET, TBS
Tuesday, Oct. 7
ALDS Game 3: Mariners at Tigers, time TBD, FS1 ALDS Game 3: Blue Jays at Yankees, time TBD, FS1
Wednesday, Oct. 8
ALDS Game 4*: Mariners at Tigers, time TBD, FS1 ALDS Game 4*: Blue Jays at Yankees, time TBD, FS1 NLDS Game 3: Brewers at Cubs, time TBD, TBS NLDS Game 3: Phillies at Dodgers, time TBD, TBS
Thursday, Oct. 9
NLDS Game 4*: Brewers at Cubs, time TBD, TBS NLDS Game 4*: Phillies at Dodgers, time TBD, TBS
Friday, Oct. 10
ALDS Game 5*: Yankees at Blue Jays, time TBD, FS1 ALDS Game 5*: Tigers at Mariners, time TBD, FS1
Saturday, Oct. 11
NLDS Game 5*: Dodgers at Phillies, time TBD, TBS NLDS Game 5*: Cubs at Brewers, time TBD, TBS
Schedule for Championship Series & World Series
ALCS (best of seven)
Game 1: Sunday, Oct 12 Game 2: Monday, Oct. 13 Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 15 Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 16 Game 5: Friday, Oct. 17* Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 19* Game 7: Monday, Oct. 20*
NLCS (best of seven)
Game 1: Monday, Oct. 13 Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 14 Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 16 Game 4: Friday, Oct. 17 Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 18* Game 6: Monday, Oct. 20* Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 21*
World Series (best of seven)
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 24 Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 25 Game 3: Monday, Oct. 27 Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 28 Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 29* Game 6: Friday, Oct. 31* Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 1*
Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are lined up to pitch Games 2 and 3 of the American League Division Series, leaving open the question of who will face Toronto in Game 1 on Saturday.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone and his staff have genuinely not decided between the two candidates, Luis Gil and Will Warren, though their initial slight lean is toward Gil. The staff will meet about this in the coming hours.
Gil had not impressed the team by sacrificing velocity for command this year. The Yankees have maintained that Gil is healthy but just trying to be too fine.
The Yankees did think that Gil showed improvement in his approach in Sunday’s season finale against Baltimore. Both Gil and Warren faced Toronto once this season. Warren allowed eight runs in Toronto on July 2. Gil allowed one run in six innings at home against Toronto on Sept. 6.
It does not sound like those performances will factor much into the decisions.
In a do-or-die Game 3 between the Yankees and Red Sox, rookie starter Cam Schlittler gave New York everything he had, but the flamethrowing right-hander also received some fantastic defense behind him. No play on Thursday night embodied that support than Ryan McMahon in the eighth inning.
Schlittler struck out Romy Gonzalez to begin the eighth inning, his 12th and final of the game, but the dangerous Jarren Duran came up. Duran swung at a 96 mph cutter at the top of the zone and he popped it up into foul territory. McMahon raced over toward the Red Sox dugout, but did not slow down as the ball was not hit high enough, but the Yankee third baseman grabbed it just before he slammed into the railing and flipped into the visitor's dugout.
Incredibly, McMahon held on for the second out of the inning.
"I knew I was getting close, but I felt like I couldn’t slow down," McMahon told SNY's Michelle Margaux after the game. "Just kept going, just trying to get outs for Cam."
"It went up, and then I felt like I saw, kind of my periphery, I feel like he's got a beat on it, but I know where he is headed, and he's on the dead run, so it just flashed back to Gio Urshela a couple years ago when he went flying into the dugout against Tampa late in the season," manager Aaron Boone recalled. "I came sprinting out of the dugout because I knew it could be dangerous over there.
Great play by a great defender."
Facing off against the southpaw Connelly Early, McMahon wasn't in the starting lineup but came in late for Amed Rosario for defensive purposes. While the left-handed hitter hasn't provided much offense since they acquired him before the trade deadline, the Yankees needed him for his glove, and his teammates could not help but gush over the play he made that helped the Yankees make it back to the ALDS.
"Unreal. Glad he’s ok," Giancarlo Stanton said of the play. "Just shows how good he is, how hard he plays."
"I thought he was dead," Austin Wells said.
"That was crazy. Scared the hell out of me, but it was sick," Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. "I've never done that before so I think it's super sick."
"That’s why we got him," Aaron Judge said of McMahon. "Go out there and get the best third baseman for a reason. Got some big clutch hits for us, but it’s plays like that in crunch time, that’s why you go out there and get a guy like that."
Aaron Boone asked Cam Schlittler before he left on Wednesday if he was ready for his Game 3 start.
Schlittler’s response: “Oh yeah.”
And that he was.
The young right-hander was absolutely spectacular, making history in just the first postseason outing of his big-league career, helping the Yankees advance to the ALDS with a victory over the rival Red Sox on Thursday night.
“We had to be perfect, because he was perfect tonight,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
Schlittler was in complete control from the get-go -- he touched 100 mph six times in the top of the first, then struck out five batters and held Boston to just a Masataka Yoshida opposite-field single the first time through the order.
His lone sign of trouble came after the offense handed him a 4-0 lead in the fourth, as Boston pieced together a pair of fifth-inning singles, but he was able to get Jarren Duran to chase an inside fastball to escape without any damage.
Schlittler worked around a leadoff single in the sixth, then pieced together a perfect top of the seventh, finishing off with a swinging strikeout of Wilyer Abreu on a 99 mph fastball on his 100th pitch of the night.
And just when it looked like his night was done, the 24-year-old came storming back out of the Yankees’ dugout for the top of the eighth, which went down as a seven-pitch inning to bring his outstanding outing to an end.
“It was an epic environment, really,” Schlittler said. “Once in a lifetime opportunity, I’m just going to make sure I take it all in -- it’s definitely a dream to play Boston in the playoffs and be able to end their season.”
The righty became the first pitcher in MLB history to put together eight shutout innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks in a playoff game.
His 12 Ks are also the most ever by a Yankees rookie in the postseason.
“He didn’t make it more than it was, but also realized the importance,” Boone said. “When you throw 100 with command and can land your secondary pitches, you can be a problem. That’s what he’s capable of -- I’m honestly not surprised.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler struck out 12 as he shut down Boston with 100 mph heat, and the New York Yankees took advantage of a pair misplays in a four-run fourth inning to beat the Red Sox 4-0 on Thursday night for a 2-1 AL Wild Card Series win and a Division Series matchup against Toronto.
New York became the first team to lose the opener and advance from the expanded first round, which began in 2022. The Yankees start the best-of-five Division Series on Saturday at the AL East champion Blue Jays.
A 24-year-old right-hander who debuted July 9, Schlitter grew up a Red Sox fan in Walpole, Massachusetts, but said he wanted to play for the Yankees. He had pitched against the Red Sox only once before — as a freshman at Northeastern in a 2020 spring training exhibition game.
He outpitched Connelly Early, a 23-year-old left-hander who debuted on Sept. 9 and became Boston’s youngest postseason starting pitcher since 21-year-old Babe Ruth in 1916.
Schlittler struck out two more than any other Yankees pitcher had in his postseason debut, allowing five singles in eight innings and walking none. He threw 11 pitches of 100 mph or higher — including six in the first inning, one more than all Yankees pitchers had combined before previously since pitch tracking started in 2008.
Schlittler threw 75 of 107 pitches for strikes, starting 22 of 29 batters with strikes and topping out at 100.8 mph. David Bednar worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth as the Red Sox failed to advance a runner past second.
Bucky Dent threw out the ceremonial first pitch on the 47th anniversary of his go-ahead, three-run homer for the Yankees at Fenway Park in an AL East tiebreaker game, and the Yankees went on to dominate their longtime rival the way they used to.
New York won its second straight after losing eight of nine postseason meetings with Boston dating to 2004 and edged ahead 14-13 in postseason games between the teams. The Red Sox cost themselves with a defense that committed a big league-high 116 errors during the regular season.
New York’s rally began when Bellinger hit a soft fly into the triangle among center fielder Ceddane Rafaela, right fielder Wilyer Abreu and second baseman Romy González. The ball fell just in front of Rafaela, 234 feet from the plate, as Bellinger hustled into second with a double.
Giancarlo Stanton walked on a full count and with one out Amed Rosario grounded a single into left, just past diving shortstop Trevor Story, to drive in Bellinger with the go-ahead run.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s single loaded the bases, and Anthony Volpe hit an 86 mph grounder just past Abreu, who had been shifted toward second, and into right for a RBI single and a 2-0 lead.
After a catcher’s interference call on Omar Narváez was overturned on a video review, Austin Wells hit a potential double-play grounder that first baseman Nathaniel Lowe tried to backhand on an in-between hop. The ball glanced off his glove and into shallow right field as two runs scored.
Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon made the defensive play of the game when he caught Jarren Duran’s eighth-inning foul pop and somersaulted into Boston’s dugout, then emerged smiling and apparently unhurt.
Up Next
RHP Luis Gil (4-1, 3.32 ERA) or RHP Will Warren (9-8, 4.44) likely starts the Division Series opener Saturday against Toronto, expected to go with RHP Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.59) or RHP Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57).
Cam Schlittler blasted into Yankee postseason lore Thursday night with a spectacular start in the Yankees’ 4-0 victory over the Red Sox in the deciding game of their AL Wild Card series.
Schlittler threw eight scintillating shutout innings, allowing only five hits and no walks, and set a record for strikeouts by a Yankee rookie in a playoff game (12) all while making throwing 100 miles per hour look easy.
The series victory means the Yankees advance to a best-of-five AL Division Series against the Blue Jays, which begins Saturday in Toronto. The Red Sox had beaten the Yankees the last three times they had met in the playoffs -- 2004, 2018 and 2021.
The Yankees also made a slice of Wild Card history: They are the first team under the new playoff format (since 2022) to lose the first game of a Wild Card series and go on to win. The team that had won the opening game had been 15-0 in series until the Yanks’ victory.
Here are the takeaways...
- Schlittler was never in real trouble all night -- the Red Sox had one at-bat against him with a runner in scoring position and Schlittler struck out Jarren Duran in that at-bat to end the fifth inning. That was also the only frame in which the Red Sox had more than one runner on base against him. Hard to have a big inning that way. Schlittler threw his 100th pitch of the night to get out of the seventh inning but was cruising, so Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave him the eighth, too. Schlittler threw only seven pitches to rocket through the eighth inning. Boone used David Bednar, pitching for the third straight day, to close.
- Schlittler was already a great storyline entering the game. He is a native of Walpole, Mass. – Red Sox territory – grew up rooting for them and pitched in college at Northeastern, which is located in Boston. He was a seventh-round pick by the Yankees in the 2022 draft and says his pro career has essentially converted his whole family to Yankee fans. Schlittler was the fourth rookie pitcher in Yankee history to start a winner-take-all Postseason game, joining Spec Shea in Game 7 of the 1947 World Series, Mel Stottlemyre in Game 7 of the 1964 World Series and Iván Nova in Game 5 of the 2011 ALDS.
- Poor Red Sox fundamentals helped the Yankees in their four-run fourth inning, which was more than enough offense to command the game with the way Schlittler was dealing. Cody Bellinger led off with a bloop into center field that three fielders pursued, but none caught. Bellinger, to his credit, kept running and whirled into second with a lucky double. Giancarlo Stanton followed with a walk and, one out later, Amed Rosario hit an RBI single through the left side. After Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled, Anthony Volpe swatted an RBI hit through the right side when Boston was playing him to pull. Then things got weird. Austin Wells followed and was initially going to be awarded first base on catcher’s interference, but a replay review revealed Carlos Narváez’s mitt never touched Wells’ bat. Wells remained at bat and, on a 3-2 pitch, hit a hard grounder toward first that could’ve been an inning-ending double play, but the ball glanced off Nathaniel Lowe’s glove and two runs scored. It’s worth noting here that the Red Sox made the most errors in the Major Leagues this season and an outfield blunder had cost them dearly in Game 2 when Duran bungled a catchable ball in left.
- Rosario, in the lineup against a lefty for the second time in the series, started at third base. He’s always been good against left-handers -- this year, he hit .302 with a .491 slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers, a smidge better than his very-good career numbers.
- Red Sox starter Connelly Early, a 23-year-old lefty who started the season in Double-A, had only 19.1 innings of big-league experience entering Game 3, but had fashioned a 2.33 ERA over four starts while fanning 29 batters. He was quite sharp early on, though his outing crumbled in the fourth. He had struck out five and allowed only two hits through the first three frames, but ended up giving up four runs (three earned) and six hits in 3.2 innings. Lucas Giolito probably would’ve started Game 3 for Boston, but he’s got an elbow issue, which knocked him out of the postseason.
- Early, who is 23 years, 182 days old, was the youngest pitcher to start a Postseason game for the Red Sox since – get ready for this – 21-year-old Babe Ruth in Game 2 of the 1916 World Series. In that tilt, Ruth threw a 14-inning complete game in a 2-1 Boston victory over the Brooklyn Robins. Yes, it was a much different era. Ruth also had an RBI in the game.
- Ryan McMahon, who entered the game for Rosario in the sixth inning for defense, made a spectacular catch of a foul pop by Duran in the eighth inning, flopping over the railing of the Red Sox dugout to snare the ball for the second out. He popped back up and went back to his spot at third base.
- Maybe the Yankees got some good karma going early by bringing Bucky Dent to the Stadium to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The timing was certainly right -- it was an elimination game against the Red Sox and Thursday was the 47th anniversary of Dent’s famous homer in the one-game playoff between the two teams to decide the AL East title in 1978. Dent’s home run was a key blast in the Yanks’ victory then.
Game MVP: Cam Schlittler
Schlittler, obviously. It continued a great run of pitching for the Yankee youngster. He finished the regular season with a 2.23 ERA over his final nine starts and a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts overall. Not bad for someone who started the season at the Double-A level.
Highlights
Cam Schlittler finishes off Alex Bregman with 100 to cap off a 1-2-3 first inning 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zFzkHVnVUh
CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit an RBI single off a shaky Yu Darvish, and the Chicago Cubs shut down Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres for a clinching 3-1 victory in Game 3 of their NL Wild Card Series on Thursday.
Backed by a raucous crowd of 40,895 at Wrigley Field, Chicago used its stellar defense to advance in the postseason for the first time since 2017. Michael Busch hit a solo homer, and Jameson Taillon pitched four shutout innings before manager Craig Counsell used five relievers to close it out.
After Brad Keller faltered in the ninth — allowing Jackson Merrill’s leadoff homer and hitting two batters with pitches — Andrew Kittredge earned the save by retiring Jake Cronenworth on a bouncer to third and Freddy Fermin on a flyball to center field.
Next up for Chicago is a matchup with the NL Central champion Brewers in a compelling Division Series, beginning with Game 1 on Saturday in Milwaukee.
Counsell managed the Brewers for nine years before he was hired by the Cubs in November 2023, and he has been lustily booed in Milwaukee ever since he departed.
It was a disappointing finish for San Diego after it made the postseason for the fourth time in six years. The Padres forced a decisive Game 3 with a 3-0 victory on Wednesday, but their biggest stars flopped in the series finale.
Tatis went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, including a flyball to right that stranded runners on second and third in the fifth. Machado, who hit a two-run homer in Game 2, bounced to shortstop Dansby Swanson for the final out of the eighth, leaving a runner at third.
Darvish also struggled against his former team. The Japanese right-hander was pulled after the first four Cubs batters reached in the second inning, capped by the first of Crow-Armstrong’s three hits.
Jeremiah Estrada came in and issued a bases-loaded walk to Swanson, handing the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Estrada limited the damage by striking out Matt Shaw before Busch bounced into an inning-ending double play.
Taillon allowed two hits and struck out four. Caleb Thielbar got two outs before Daniel Palencia wiggled out of a fifth-inning jam while earning his second win of the series. Drew Pomeranz handled the seventh before Keller worked the eighth.
The Cubs supported their bullpen with another solid day in the field. Swanson made a slick play on Luis Arraez’s leadoff grounder in the sixth, and then turned an inning-ending double play following a walk to Machado.
Crow-Armstrong, who went 0 for 6 with five strikeouts in the first two games of the series, robbed Machado of a hit with a sliding catch in center in the first.
Up next
Chicago went 7-6 against Milwaukee this season, outscoring the Brewers 60-56. The NL Central rivals last played in August, when the Cubs won three times in a five-game series.
To be as clear as humanly possible, the Red Sox could have won the Wild Card Series over the Yankees. To be blunt, they should have won the series, as the miscues in a winnable Game 2 — a dropped liner in left, a popped-up bunt, a base-running blunder — were plays that Major League Baseball players have to make.
They could have won. They should have won. But they didn’t. They lost Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, losing 4-0 and getting just one single baserunner as far as second base, and now it’s off to a long, cold winter for the Red Sox.
Still, at no point in this brief postseason run did any reasonable person believe the Red Sox had the roster to really make a run to the World Series. The presence of Connelly Early — who looks like a high schooler and made his MLB debut 23 days ago — on the mound in a do-or-die Game 3 displayed that reality better than any words ever could.
This was a team that overachieved, and their eight-win improvement from a year ago provides plenty of reason to celebrate Alex Cora and the players who made that happen. But this was not a team built for a deep October run.
And that has to be the takeaway from every decision-maker with the Red Sox, from Alex Cora up to Craig Breslow up to Sam Kennedy up to the owner in John Henry. This team came this far with a lineup that included Masataka Yoshida and Romy Gonzalez as cleanup hitters in the playoffs and also had career minor leaguers Nick Sogard and Nate Eaton for the first two games of the series.
It’s a team that tried to patch holes with Nathaniel Lowe (DFA’d by the last-place Nationals) and Dustin May (let go by the reining-champion Dodgers amid another World Series run) while leaning entirely on a 21-year-old rookie in Roman Anthony to carry their offense.
The Red Sox, quite simply, were not good enough.
That has to be the takeaway for the front office if this team is to make something of this year’s step forward. But it’s not a given that they feel that way.
Surely, everyone can recall the 2021 postseason run, when the Red Sox made it to a sixth game of the ALCS. They did lose that series — getting outscored 23-3 by the Astros over the final three games — but hearing Henry and Kennedy speak at that infamous “Winter Weekend” event in front of booing fans, you wouldn’t know it. The powers that be used that postseason run as a shield, evidence that their plans were working, that they knew best, that the angry mob was wrong.
Yet clearly, with a couple of last-place finishes after the ALCS run and then an 81-81 record in 2024, the Red Sox were not actually built to contend — not in the short or long term. Everyone on the outside had known that for years.
On the inside? There seemed to be a bit of misplaced confidence in the direction of the club after the ill-fated Mookie Betts trade. There was a level of smugness that reared its head once again in the wake of the Rafael Devers trade.
Had the Red Sox advanced past the Yankees, perhaps there’d be some more self-assuredness. Cutting Devers loose while getting almost nothing in return was objectively a bad move, but a run to the ALDS and perhaps beyond could have emboldened them into believing whatever they wanted to believe.
Yet after scoring six runs in three games and getting bullied in Game 3 in Yankee Stadium, will the decision-makers feel the urgency in the months ahead? There are no cutting corners on the path to true contention, and a don’t-you-remember-we-made-the-ALCS-in-2021 refrain can’t be used a shield for any mismanagement that lies ahead.
This lineup is not built to contend, and the rotation needs serious investment. The Red Sox aren’t miles away, and with the proper attention, they can be in contention as soon as next year. They just need to remember that they’re the Boston Red Sox and then act — and spend — accordingly.
As for this one, let’s check in with some of what we learned in the disappointing season finale.
Defense was a problem again
After Jarren Duran butchered a shallow pop in Game 2, you’d think he’d be entering Game 3 with a renewed focus. Instead, he stood by idly as Giancarlo Stanton’s moonshot … hit the base of the wall in left-center field. Stanton should have had an all-time blooper moment by getting gunned down at second after standing and admiring his wall ball, but Duran took so long to get to the ball and got absolutely nothing on his throw into the infield, giving second base to Stanton.
Stanton didn’t score, but Connelly Early had to throw 18 high-leverage pitches with the runner in scoring position after the missed opportunity by Duran.
The much costlier mistake came form an unlikely source in Ceddanne Rafaela. He is, without question, one of the best center fielders in baseball at tracking and closing in on everything hit anywhere in the outfield. Yet in the fourth inning, he took a puzzling, slow route to a shallow fly, missing on his diving attempt and giving Cody Bellinger a double. The ball had a 90 percent catch probability for Rafaela off the bat.
Prior to that misplay, Rafaela had seemingly backed away from a couple of balls in the right-center field gap, leaving plenty of space for Wilyer Abreu to make two catches. You’ll recall that Abreu nearly freight-trained Rafaela in Game 1. Alex Cora was asked before Game 2 if he needed to impart any wisdom on how his outfielders can communicate, and the manager largely pooh-poohed the suggestion.
“No, no, it’s two guys trying to make a play. Obviously communication has to be better, and they know it,” Cora said. “We got an out. A lot of people in the dugout are kind of like, ‘Oh!’ I’m like, ‘Wait, we got an out. Let’s go. Move on.’ But they know. … They know what they have to do. They are big leaguers, and they understand sometimes, you know, like mistakes like that, what am I going tell them? Communicate better? They know it.”
It didn’t seem like they did in Game 3, and it was costly, as the bloop double kick-started a four-run fourth inning — the only frame of the ballgame when runs crossed the plate.
Nathaniel Lowe also kicked away what could have been an inning-ending double play ball, which would have stopped the bleeding at two runs. That wasn’t an easy play, per se, but this is the big leagues. It’s one that should be made more often than not.
This might be unfair, but this photo of Ryan McMahon flipping into the Red Sox dugout to make a catch with his team up 4-0 in the late innings kind of presents the proper perspective on the defensive effort levels on display in Game 3.
Ryan McMahon flips into the Boston Red Sox dugout after making a in the eighth inning during Game 3 of the Wild Card Round at Yankee Stadium. Photo: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Cam Schlittler was nasty
While five hits and no runs is a miserable night of offense for the Red Sox, you do have to give credit where it’s due. Cam Schlittler was unbelievable. Elite velocity, total control, complete dominance.
This wasn’t, say, Jon Lieber silencing the Boston bats in the 2004 ALCS. The Yankees have themselves a good one in Schlittler.
Designated hitter Masataka Yoshida batted .571 in the series. That’s good, right?
Sort of.
He did drive in the key runs in Game 1, but he also had four singles. One of which stayed in the infield. Which is fine, but the Red Sox need a cleanup hitter. And a DH.
Trevor Story (.385/.385/.615, HR, 3 RBIs) had a good series at the plate. Alex Bregman was 3-for-10 with a double, an RBI and two talks. But that was it.
The quintet of Ceddanne Rafaela, Carlos Narvaez, Romy Gonzalez, Rob Refsnyder and Wilyer Abreu were a combined 1-for-37. Jarren Duran was 1-for-11. Nathaniel Lowe was 1-for-7. Nick Sogard and Nate Eaton, guys who weren’t even supposed to be on the team, accounted for 21 percent of the team’s hits and two of their three doubles.
Ultimately, the offensive concerns from the regular season caught up to them in the brief series.
Connelly Early was a bright spot
There wasn’t too much to like on Thursday night, but Connelly Early’s temperament would have to make the list. The kid wasn’t afraid of the moment, and if Rafaela had simply made a play that he needs to make, it’s anyone’s guess what Early’s final line would have looked like.
Early obviously doesn’t have the raw power that his counterpart, Schlittler, had. But he mixed his pitches to keep batters off balance, showed off his big sweeper, and looked like a young player who should have a spot in the rotation at the start of the 2026 season.
Payton Tolle was the rookie who had the most electric debut, but Early is the one with the best finish.
CLEVELAND — Dillon Dingler hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning, Wenceel Pérez drove in a pair of runs in a four-run seventh and the Detroit Tigers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 6-3 on Thursday in the deciding Game 3 of their AL Wild Card Series.
It is the second straight season the Tigers have won a Wild Card Series on the road. Detroit heads to Seattle for the first two games of a best-of-five Division Series, with Game 1 on Saturday.
It was also a little bit of sweet revenge for the Tigers after their season ended in Cleveland last year with a loss in Game 5 of the ALDS.
“I don’t think it needs to be any sweeter than what it feels like right now because you have to earn these wins,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “You have to earn the opportunity to play in October. You’ve got to earn a full-series win over a good team, a hot team, a team that we know well.”
The AL West champion Mariners, the second seed, took four of six regular-season meetings with the Tigers, who are the third AL wild card.
José Ramírez drove in Cleveland’s first run with a single. The AL Central champion Guardians were 15 1/2 games back in early July before completing the biggest comeback in division or league play in baseball history.
However, they ran out of steam in the playoffs as Detroit turned the page after posting the second-worst record in the majors in September (7-17).
“It stinks for it to end that way. I couldn’t be more proud of them, of what we accomplished,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s not enough. We want more. And I think that’s really the message, is let this sting. We’re close. We are really close. We’re not quite there yet.”
The game was tied 1-all with two outs in the sixth when Dingler got an elevated changeup from Joey Cantillo on a 1-1 count and drove it 401 feet into the bleachers in left-center to put the Tigers on top.
It was also the first postseason hit and RBI for the Tigers catcher.
“I was able to get a pitch to hit and do a little damage,” Dingler said. “I feel like the momentum in the series was the biggest thing. The team with the biggest momentum or the most momentum was the one that was going to carry on.”
Detroit then broke it open in the seventh by sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring four times to make it 6-1.
With one out and the bases loaded, Pérez lined a base hit to right off Erik Sabrowski to drive in Javier Báez and Parker Meadows. Hunter Gaddis came in and gave up RBI singles to Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene, which brought in Kerry Carpenter and Pérez.
Kyle Finnegan got the win, retiring all four batters he faced in relief. Cantillo took the loss.
“When Wenceel got the hit — I don’t know why, in baseball, it seems like one good thing happens and then two, three, four, five at-bats in a row were exceptional,” Hinch said. “We wanted to get even more greedy and do more. But it was nice to separate and breathe a little bit. But knowing they weren’t going to give in.”
The Tigers opened the scoring in the third. With one out and runners on the corners, Carpenter hit a grounder down the first-base line that deflected off C.J. Kayfus’ glove when he tried to backhand it. The ball rolled into foul territory near the stands as Meadows scored. Carpenter went to second and Gleyber Torres advanced to third on what the official scorer ruled a double
The Guardians tied it in the fourth. George Valera led off with a double to the right-field corner and scored on Ramírez’s base hit on a knuckle curve by starter Jack Flaherty on a full count.
The single was the 40th hit of Ramírez’s postseason career, making him the fifth player in franchise history to reach that mark.
In the eighth inning, Detroit reliever Will Vest dropped a throw while covering first base on Ramírez’s grounder for an error that allowed Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan to score. Vest quickly recovered the ball near the dugout, however, and threw out Ramírez trying to reach second on the play.
And to no surprise, Rice was indeed in there, batting fifth and playing first base when the starting nine officially dropped a few hours later.
Boone said it was a tough decision, but Rice’s hot bat swung things his way.
“The way Benny is going right now,” the skipper said. “The impact he’s having, the ability to change the game, the presence in the box right now and really over the last few weeks -- and understanding not how they are going to deploy everything.
“Having that true balance in the lineup and then I wanted [Austin] Wells in the game behind the plate, where I feel like he’s been really good and swinging the bat well, and it gives you a real weapon with Goldy on the bench to use in a big spot or for defense late.”
Rice is hitting just .189 against southpaws this season, but he has gone deep three times over his last two games.
Confidence in Cam
Boone asked Thursday's starter, Cam Schlittler, if he was really to roll as he walked out the door.
The rookie’s response: “Oh yeah.”
The Yanks have seen that exact confidence from Schlittler throughout his rookie campaign, and they aren’t expecting anything less with the season on the line.
Sep 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) walks off the mound after retiring the side in the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
“He expects to go out there and pitch well,” Boone said. “I saw him right before he left and he said he's ready -- whatever result comes I know the moment won’t be too big, I have a ton of confidence in Cam.”
Schlittler posted a 2.96 ERA over his first 15 big-league outings.
Stanton not off by much
Giancarlo Stanton was a monster for the Yanks last year in the playoffs.
The slugger has been very quiet over the first two games of this series, though, going hitless across eight at-bats.
Still, Boone likes what he’s seen from Stanton and he expects him to come through in the win-or-go-home contest.
“He looks like G,” he said. “I don’t feel like he’s been off by much at all -- there’s been three or four pitches the past two days that he’s just missed flipping, so I expect him to have an impactful at-bat for us tonight.”
