When he waived his no-trade clause this winter to join the Red Sox, Sonny Gray endeared himself to his new Boston fans by memorably taking a shot at a franchise with whom he did not enjoy his time.
“It feels good to me to go to a place now where it’s easy to hate the Yankees,” Gray said in December, which fans in The Bronx surely will remember on Wednesday when he takes the mound as the biggest obstacle from the Yankees sweeping the wild-card series.
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After dropping the opener, 9-0, Tuesday, the Red Sox will give their season to Gray for one of the bigger days of his life. Before the stakes were clear, he was reflective of some of the worst years of his life, which he said snowballed in a way that only became fully apparent in retrospect.
Nearly a decade ago, Gray was shipped from the then-Oakland A’s to the Yankees at the 2017 trade deadline under circumstances that since have come under scrutiny.
Gray has said he “never” wanted to be a Yankee; Brian Cashman later responded that Gray had sent backchannel messages, through the Yankees minor league video coordinator, that he wanted to be in The Bronx and competing for a title.
Regardless, Gray never was happy, did not pitch well and made his discomfort clear to Cashman only after the 2018 trade deadline, when he told Cashman he was surprised he was not dealt away and never wanted to be a Yankee in the first place.
After that season, Cashman dealt Gray to the Reds, ending a 1 ¹/₂-year tenure in which Gray pitched to a 4.51 ERA and was hit particularly hard, by opponents and fans, at Yankee Stadium.
And so four teams and eight seasons later, Gray pondered why New York and the Yankees were such a terrible fit.
“I came from Oakland, and Oakland to here,” Gray said as part of a nearly three-minute reflection. “I think that maybe during my time [in New York] there was a lot of outside this, outside that, unfamiliarity with me and my situation and my family.
Sonny Gray said during his tenure with the Yankees that the “snowball’ of bad things became too much to overcome. Getty Images
“It’s kind of like one of those things that you have a snowball or whatever, right? And there’s a snowball that kind of starts rolling down a hill. If you don’t ever stop it, then the snowball just gets bigger and bigger and bigger, and it picks up traction and it just gets more snow. And it just continues to go down this thing. And then the bigger the snowball gets, the harder it is to stop it or take a step back.”
The longer Gray stayed in New York, the worse it became.
He was showered with boos June 30, 2018, after lasting just 2 ¹/₃ innings and giving up seven runs to these same Red Sox. He was out of the rotation by August of that year.
“It just took me to get away and get myself into a different environment and then reflect on those things, right — reflect on what was good, what was bad, what didn’t work. And that took some time,” said the 36-year-old, who has been either good or great with five other franchises and was miserable with the Yankees. “But I do know that playing here made me a stronger person, made me a better man, a better husband. Ultimately, it made me a better pitcher, a better baseball player. And that’s kind of what I take from my time here.”
His time as a Yankee is over. His time as a Yankees rival will reach its culmination Wednesday.
What kind of reception is he expecting?
“I think it will be a playoff energy on the road, playoff atmosphere on the road,” Gray said. “As far as reception, this or that, it will be what it will be. I’m not going to sit here and try to control something that I can’t control because I ultimately have no control over that.
“It will be what it will be, and I’ll just do my part to be ready to go out there and compete and to pitch and to go win a game.”
SAN DIEGO — The crowd stood on its feet Tuesday night, watched the bullpen gate open in center field, and there he was, No. 44, strolling onto the field.
Joe Musgrove first started walking, and then as the scoreboard showed his face, began jogging to the mound. He stopped, tugged at his belt, pounded his right fist into his glove, and then skipped to the mound as his San Diego Padres teammates stood on the top step of the dugout cheering.
Everyone else in the sellout crowd of 47,084 at Petco Park was giving their homegrown hero a standing ovation, too.
The playoff game was long decided by the time Musgrove entered in the ninth inning, with the Padres routing the Chicago Cubs, 8-0, in their biggest postseason shutout in franchise history in Game 1 of their wild card series against the Chicago Cubs.
Now, even after Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado homered in the first inning, even with ace Michael King flirting with a no-hitter into the seventh inning, with the Padres out-hitting the Cubs, 13-3, this was the moment this fans had long awaited.
It had been two long years, Oct. 2, 2024, to be exact, when they last saw Musgrove step onto the mound.
Musgrove underwent Tommy John surgery after he walked off the mound in that 2024 postseason game against Atlanta, missed the entire 2025 season, and believed he’d be ready to start this season. Then, came the heartbreak. Setback after setback. He believed at times he could be back, and other times wondering if he’d ever even pitch again.
“I've been through a lot of a lot of headaches and a lot of negative thoughts over the last year and a half," Musgrove told a handful of reporters Tuesday night at his locker “You know, a lot of it's self-inflicted. I get into these ruts of just feeling like I'm letting people down, and I'm not holding up my end of the deal.
“But you know, the work and the effort I'm putting in is really all I can control."
Musgrove, who was told two days ago that he’d be on the playoff roster, began warming up in the eighth inning. His legs felt like jelly. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest. He hadn’t felt nerves like this since, well, maybe the night of Apri 9, 2021, when he threw the first no-hitter in Padres history.
“It was the most nervous I’ve been," Musgrove said, “pitching with an eight-run lead."
Now, coming in just to record the final three outs in mop-up relief, he felt as if he were on the mound trying to save a one-run game in Game 7 of the World Series, with the crowd on its feet screaming.
“I had been visualizing this and going through it in my head," Musgrove said. “So I expected it to get a little loud and people to be excited. But I didn’t expect quite that crazy of a mound."
When Musgrove stepped on the mound, he became only the second player in MLB history to appear in a postseason game directly after missing two entire regular seasons. The only other man to pull off the feat was catcher Clyde McCullough in the 1945 World Series, after missing the previous two seasons serving in World War II.
“I’ve been here before, you know, pitching in the playoffs and pitching a big game," Musgrove said. “So it was just the mental preparation, finding ways to calm down, kind of mentally putting myself in those situations, feeling how the emotions are going to be, and knowing where my mind tends to go in those moments."
Musgrove, on his first pitch in 727 days, fired a 95.8-mph fastball to Michael Busch. Strike 1. The crowd screamed, and his teammates yelled. He struck out Busch on three pitches. Then, the rust began to show, along with the nerves. He gave up a single to Seiya Suzuki. Then he walked Ian Happ. Nico Hoerner loaded the bases with a sharp single to center field.
Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla went to the mound to settle down Musgrove as Padres manager Craig Stammen picked up the bullpen phone to tell All-Star closer Mason Miller to warm up.
Musgrove exhaled, induced a pop-up from Pedro Ramirez to second baseman Jake Cronenworth for the second out, and then on the sixth pitch of the at-bat, struck out Michael Conforto, who helplessly watched an 82.5-mph curveball cross the plate.
The crowd erupted. So did his teammates.
They rushed to the mound and greeted him, one by one, with emotional bear hugs and back slaps. Every single player on the team congratulated him, some with tears in their eyes.
“That was dope," Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill told USA TODAY Sports. “We did a lot of good things out there, but nothing compared to watching Joe do that. That was the best part of the game, in my opinion."
This is a guy who was born and raised in San Diego, grew up a diehard Padres fan, who signed a five-year, $100 million contract extension to stay with the Padres, and was perhaps as big part of the city’s fabric as any athlete since Padres Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and Junior Seau of the San Diego Chargers.
“It’s been really hard for me to sit back and, you know, with the contract and all," Musgrove said, “and not pitch for two years. I’ve done everything in my power to get back on the mound, and it just hasn’t gone my way. ...
“So, I’m sure coming back in any scenario would feel good, but to come back in a playoff situation with the crowd the way they were tonight at home, yeah, that’s perfect."
Really, it was a Hollywood moment that had everyone in the Padres clubhouse elated.
“YWe couldn't script it any better what happened tonight," said Tatis, who hit the first leadoff home run in Padres franchise history. “Today was a beautiful baseball night over here for every San Diegan."
And, yes, particularly Musgrove, who had his parents, family, friends, his pitching coach since he was 15, and personal trainer all in attendance.
“It was emotional for a lot of people and especially Joe," Stammen said. “The fan base has always loved Joe because he's one of their own, and rightly so, they should. …
“For Joe to finish that game is pretty awesome."
Cronenworth echoed the sentiments of everyone in the celebratory Padres clubhouse, simply saying, “What a night. I couldn’t be happier for him. Joe deserved this."
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NEW YORK — One decision, in either direction, right or wrong, could mean the game or the series for postseason teams. For the Boston Red Sox, it took all of three pitches to find out that a curious decision by manager Chad Tracy has them on the brink of elimination.
After the New York Yankees' 9-0 win in Game 1 of their AL wild-card series, Tracy was asked about his decision to pull starter Payton Tolle after 83 pitches. Tolle didn’t show signs of fatigue when he was replaced by left-hander Erik Miller and went to the visitors’ dugout, giving up five hits, one earned run, one walk, and four strikeouts.
Game 1 was Tracy’s first postseason game as a manager, and before the matchup between the heated AL East rivals, he said he was most excited for the players because of the adversity they had faced this season, earning a playoff spot despite being 14 games under .500 in late June. He took over on an interim basis in April after Alex Cora was fired and led the team to a 77-58 record the rest of the way.
“I thought he threw the ball well. They did an effective job of grinding the count up as well. He had traffic. They put traffic on him. He was able to navigate his way through that. I think he competed extremely well for the time that he was out there and gave us what he could,” Tracy said of Tolle.
"I think the number being up there in the mid-80s, still trying to get through five, probably higher than what you normally see with Payton, and to be expected in an environment like this. But I thought he competed his butt off."
Miller, a 28-year-old left-hander, who was acquired from the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 3, had been outstanding in the regular season, striking out 74 batters in 51.1 innings in his 57 appearances, giving Boston much-needed middle relief down the stretch.
But Miller’s first batter that he faced was designated hitter Ben Rice, and on his third pitch to the Yankees' leading home-run hitter, Rice deposited a 96-mph sinker that was right in the middle of the plate 423 feet to deep center field and Monument Park to extend the Yankees' lead to 2-0. Tolle had struck Rice out swinging in the third (the only time he was retired in the game) and gave up a double to him in the first.
That point of Tracy’s decision could prove not to be the deciding factor, as the rest of his bullpen gave up seven more runs, including a grand slam to Rice, the 16th four-bagger in the Yankees' illustrious postseason history, in the bottom of the eighth inning to complete the scoring.
"I just think we were in a point where the way the game was going along, that if we could try to keep the game there, but also trying to keep guys short as we moved through it," Tracy said.
"Obviously, we had fallen down by four, and if we can try to keep guys short, stay in the game, and still have people online for tomorrow. But obviously the game was getting away from us at that point."
Rice finished with six RBIs, tying a team postseason record shared with four other players, and the Red Sox bullpen, which had the third-best ERA in baseball during the regular season at 3.27, couldn’t get the outs that were needed at critical times. It’s also too bad their opponents led MLB in that category at 3.15, as New York’s relievers surrendered only a Trevor Story double in the top of the eighth in the final three innings.
Tracy’s relievers were more than inefficient; the Yankees teed off on bad pitches and had great plate discipline. Tolle’s night ended after he struck out four batters in his 4⅔ innings of work, and the Yankees, who struck out the sixth most of any team, whiffing 1,480 times in 2026, didn’t strike out the rest of the game.
But no matter what the bullpen did, Boston's hitters could do nothing with Yankees starter Cam Schiltter, who struck out 10 in 6⅓ innings in 117 pitches of work and who, at one point, sent down 13 straight batters.
“Cam was obviously awfully good,” Tracy said. “The fastball shapes are well-documented. He's throwing hard. He also had a good curveball today that you know it's there, but he used it a little bit more often. He landed it if he wanted to for strikes. He was able to get it beneath for a swing-and-miss. We weren't able to do much with him.”
Compounding problems for the Red Sox was the injury to leadoff hitter Roman Anthony, who exited in the fifth inning after aggravating a wrist injury. Tracy says he is not sure of Anthony’s availability for Game 2.
But the Red Sox are relying on Sonny Gray in Game 2 to help extend their season and give his battered bullpen some relief.
"I think we're very comfortable with all of our starters, the way that they've performed during the course of the season," Tracy said. "So having him out there tomorrow, anytime he's out there, we feel good about it. But having him out there tomorrow, obviously the season's on the line for us, and he can handle that."
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres scores a run on a throwing error by Carson Kelly #15 of the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park on September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Padres starter Michael King came out and absolutely dominated the Cubs. Whether he was amped up because of the situation or the Cubs were flat because of their ridiculous situation over the past week, it didn’t matter. It was probably both. The Cubs could do nothing against him and he made the lineup look like minor leaguers.
Meanwhile, the Padres got off to a fast start as leadoff hitter Fernando Tatis Jr. crushed a first-pitch changeup over the center field wall. Pete Crow-Armstrong got some leather on it, but not nearly enough. After Boyd retired Samad Taylor on a bunt attempt, he gave up a second solo home run to Manny Machado, this one into the left-field bleachers. Once again, it was on a changeup. At the end of one inning, it was 2-0 Padres.
Boyd recovered in the second inning and retired the side in order, but then he had to face Tatis and Machado again in the third. Boyd was much more careful with Tatis the second time, but he ended up walking him. After striking out Taylor for the second out of the inning, Machado lined a four-seamer that caught too much of the plate for an RBI double to make it 3-0 San Diego after three.
It might has well have been 10-0 Padres at that point the way King was pitching. Seiya Suzuki reached on an error in the second inning. King walked Crow-Armstrong after two outs in the third and PCA promptly stole second, but the Cubs couldn’t cash in either mistake. Suzuki walked in the fourth and Michael Busch walked in the sixth. But the Cubs were unable to get a hit off King until Nico Hoerner hit a hard grounder down the third base line that Machado couldn’t handle cleanly. It wouldn’t have mattered. Machado would not have thrown out the speedy Hoerner at first and the Cubs had their first and only hit. It was the top of the seventh inning.
By that point, things were out of hand anyways. Boyd gave up his third solo home run of the game in the fourth inning to Xander Bogaerts that banged off the Western Metal Supply Company building down the left field line. Once again, it was off a changeup, but this one was right down the heart of the plate.
Javier Assad came in to pitch the fifth inning and the Padres blew the game open with three more runs. Assad loaded bases with two outs after a leadoff single, a two-out walk and a single to left that the catcher couldn’t score from second base on. Then manager Craig Counsell went to the bullpen and called on Ryan Rolison. A two-run single and a passed ball by Carson Kelly meant that all three inherited runners scored and it was 7-0.
The Padres added another run in the seventh inning to make it 8-0 when Tatis reached on a slow roller of an infield single. He then stole second base and scored all the way from second when Kelly’s throw bounced into left field.
There was a big moment in the top of the ninth when Padres manager Craig Stammen called on Joe Musgrove out of the bullpen. Musgrove was a surprise addition to the roster as he hadn’t pitched since 2024. Musgrove struck out Busch with his first pitch and then gave up a single to Suzuki. Next he walked Happ and Hoerner loaded the bases with a single for the Cubs’ third hit. But Pedro Ramírez then popped out and pinch-hitter Michael Conforto struck out to end the game.
People overuse the phrase “must-win” game, but Wednesday’s Game 2 and hopefully Thursday’s Game 3 are “must-win.” The Cubs cannot repeat the lethargic performance they turned in tonight. The offense needs to get into gear and the pitchers need to hit their spots better. Teams that lost the first game of a Wild Card Series under this current format are 1-15. Now there is probably some small-sample size variation there and the Cubs chances are probably a bit better than 6 percent, but under no circumstances is it anything other than a long shot that the Cubs come back and win the next two games. But “long shot” does not mean impossible. So let’s do it.
Bruins' Morgan Geekie (39) lines up a shot against New York Rangers' Igor Shesterkin (31) during the first period.
BOSTON — While other NHL players were shaking off the rust following a truncated preseason, Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin had no time to do so.
The Blueshirts abandoned their defensive structure numerous times through the first two periods of their 3-0 loss to the Bruins on Tuesday night, leaving their star Russian netminder to fend for himself on multiple odd-man rush attempts.
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Shesterkin, who finished with 20 saves on 22 shots, stood tall for every one of them, before Fraser Minten put the Bruins ahead off a snipe from the high slot late in the third period.
“We turned pucks over in the wrong areas of the rink,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after the loss. “I thought we were trying to play a little bit too much East-West, instead of simplifying the game and playing more straight ahead. I thought we were standing on pucks instead of moving our feet when we got them. When you stand on pucks, the world closes in on you out there. We try to encourage the guys to move our feet. We turn some pucks over and we give them some grade-A looks off those turnovers, and then we gave up too many odd-man rushes. I think we gave up three 2-on-1’s in the second period.
“As I said to the guys after the game, if we want our D to be active off the offensive blue line, off the rush, things of that nature, then as a forward, we have to build a level of trust that we’re going to replace that defenseman, and we’re going to stay out and stay above the attack until the defenseman returns. We would replace, but then we wouldn’t stay out, and then we would leak back in and dive back into the play before the defenseman returned. It happened four times in the second period.
Bruins’ Morgan Geekie (39) lines up a shot against New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin (31) during the first period. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
“That’s how we gave up the types of odd-man rushes that we gave up. I think that’s a discipline that we’ve got to develop, and we’ve got to be better about that aspect of our game.”
Sullivan coached his 1,000th NHL game against the team he started his coaching career with and in the state he grew up in.
“I don’t know, I think it just suggests that I’m probably getting older,” the second-year Rangers coach said before the game. “But, you know, it’s a privilege to coach in this league. I’m grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given along the way.”
Sullivan’s first coaching job was with the AHL’s Providence Bruins in 2002-03, during which he was only one year removed from his playing career. Later in that campaign, however, Sullivan was brought up to the Bruins to serve as an assistant.
It turned out to all be an audition for the head coaching position in Boston. Sullivan was ultimately named the 25th head coach in Bruins history.
Vincent Iorio was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, but the 23-year-old defenseman participated in the Rangers morning skate. He was waived in the afternoon. … Scott Morrow, Matthew Robertson and Jaroslav Chmelar served as healthy scratches in Game 1. … The Rangers enter the season with the second-youngest roster in the NHL with an average age of 26.63.
But numbers don’t mean everything, and not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. So on Tuesday night, the Padres started their own count.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.
San Diego opened the NL wild-card series with an emphatic 8-0 victory over Chicago at a roaring Petco Park, riding Michael King’s flirtation with history and first-inning thunder from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado to move within one victory of returning the favor for last October’s elimination at Wrigley Field.
Everyone expected this to be a close battle between two of baseball’s best teams. Instead it was an ambush.
San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates with third baseman Manny Machado (13) after scoring against the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning of Game 1 of the Wild Card round of the MLB playoffs at Petco Park in San Diego, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
King carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the highest-scoring offense in baseball, suffocating the Cubs for 6 1/3 innings before Nico Hoerner finally broke up the no-no with a soft grounder to third base that Machado couldn’t field and throw cleanly, allowing Hoerner to reach on an infield single.
By then, the damage had been done everywhere else.
King struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman back-to-back in a perfect first inning. Moments later, Tatis sent Matthew Boyd’s first pitch of the night over the center-field wall.
Crow-Armstrong nearly brought it back, but nearly was about as close as Chicago got in this blowout.
Four pitches into Machado’s first plate appearance, the Padres third baseman launched another homer and Petco Park was shaking beneath 47,084 fans, including actor Bill Murray.
Chicago’s offense limped into October and apparently brought the limp through airport security.
Crow-Armstrong, the presumptive NL MVP, went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, and King struck out Chicago’s top two hitters — PCA and Bregman — six times in their first seven combined at-bats.
Meanwhile, Boyd’s previous problems against San Diego followed him into the postseason.
Tatis walked in the third and Machado doubled him home for a 3-0 lead. Boyd departed after four innings, having allowed five hits and four runs.
After that, the Padres turned Game 1 into batting practice.
Xander Bogaerts supplied the evening’s loudest souvenir in the fourth, launching a no-doubt homer into the second deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building.
San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) celebrates with third baseman Manny Machado (13) after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning of Game 1 of the wild-card round at Petco Park in San Diego, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Then San Diego ripped the game open with three runs in the fifth.
Jackson Merrill punched a two-run single through the right side with the bases loaded before a wild pitch brought home another run.
By then, this stopped resembling the tense three-game chess match everyone anticipated and started looking like San Diego was settling an old score.
The Padres were baseball’s hottest team over the final month and a half of the season. Tuesday offered compelling evidence that momentum didn’t disappear when the calendar flipped to October.
By the time fans sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” the only drama left was whether Chicago could avoid the shutout.
They couldn’t.
San Diego native Joe Musgrove, who has not pitched on a major league mound since the 2024 NL wild-card series, made his triumphant return after two years and closed out the game.
What it means
The Padres needed to plant their flag immediately after Chicago took Game 1 at Wrigley last October.
Consider it planted.
San Diego is now one victory from advancing and turns to Nick Pivetta in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Even more importantly, the Padres never had to touch Adrián Morejón, Bradgley Rodriguez or Mason Miller.
Their three most dangerous bullpen weapons will be rested with Chicago’s season on the line.
Turning point
San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King delivers against the Chicago Cubs in the sixth inning of Game 1 of the National League Wild Card baseball playoff series Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in San Diego. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Tatis’ first-pitch home run.
King had just retired the Cubs in order when Tatis sent Boyd’s first offering toward the center-field wall.
The Cubs never recovered.
Did you see that?
Bogaerts didn’t simply homer in the fourth inning. He sent it to the moon.
His blast landed in the second deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building, one of those home runs where the outfielder’s only responsibility is to turn around and admire the architecture.
The Padres can finish the job Wednesday night at Petco Park with Pivetta starting Game 2 at 7 p.m.
Chicago announced that Kevin Gausman, acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline and dealing with an injured left shoulder, is starting in Game 2.
Guasman inherits a fairly simple assignment:
San Diego Padres fans react after Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs strikes out during the eighth inning in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. Getty Images
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Sep 29, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King (34) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
4 Wild card games yesterday. In chronological order:
Braves 5, Phillies 3
• Chris Sale and Jesús Luzardo were both good. Luzardo’s bullpen let him down big time. Because his bullpen has been so bad this season, Phils manager Don Mattingly put Jhoan Duran out there for a 9-out save. He did not get 9 outs. Duran got Will Brennan’d by Austin Riley, who hit a 3-run homer off him in the middle of his second inning of work. There ended up not being a 9th inning for PHI to pitch, because they did nothing in the top of the 9th and lost.
White Sox 6, Astros 3
• I’m gonna be a bit dramatic here and say the Astros didn’t really respect their opponent heading into this game. The White Sox have many flaws, but their hitters are both pesky and good. Houston apparently thought they could pepper them with garbage relief arms and succeed. This bullpen game strategy did not work one bit for Houston, who probably should have given up 13 runs. CWS could not really hit with RISP which kept this one way closer than it should have been.
Yankees 9, Red Sox 0
• Payton Tolle pitched well. The Boston bullpen behind him got shelled. We expected the Sox bullpen to stink this week—we thought those socks would be White.
Padres 8, Cubs 0
• The Cubs have baseball’s best offense and worst pitching. Only the latter individuals showed up Tuesday night. The Padres looked awesome in this game. Michael King was so good that they only needed to score 1 run, which they had 1 batter into the game. King allowed just 1 hit, an infield ground ball to Manny Machado whose attempt at making a spectacular play… didn’t happen.
It has only been the past month in which Tuesday’s Game 1 starter in the wild-card series against Boston, Cam Schlittler, Game 2 starter Max Fried and potential Game 3 starter Gerrit Cole, along with Carlos Rodón, have been able to take all their starts consistently.
“It’s something that I was looking forward to when I first signed here,’’ Fried said Tuesday before the Yankees’ 9-0 win of joining Cole and Rodón in the team’s rotation. “It took a little bit longer than anyone probably would have expected. But also we were able to add another really, really quality arm in Cam. He’s obviously been doing great things.”
Even with Cole and Rodón out of the rotation as they recovered from elbow surgeries they underwent in 2025, and Fried hitting the injured list twice with a bone bruise in his left elbow, the Yankees still put up the best ERA among starters in the majors (3.30).
But since all got healthy, the rotation put up an ERA of 3.09, with some help from Will Warren.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried takes fielding practice a day before Game 1 of the 2026 American League Wild Card game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankees Stadium on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR NEW YORK POST
If the Yankees advance to the ALDS to face the Rays — and beyond — Rodón will no doubt return to the rotation, which would give the Yankees a chance against anyone.
“It starts with starting pitching keeping you in the game,’’ Fried said. “We take a lot of pride in being able to put our best foot forward, and we have a lot of confidence in all those guys that are going to be able to take the ball.”
Max Fried of the New York Yankees fist-bumps his teammates prior to Game 1 of the American League wild-card series against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. Getty Images
The task of the rotation will be tougher with Judge out for at least the wild-card series with a strained calf and with Giancarlo Stanton limited to pinch hitting after missing almost the entire season with calf injuries of his own.
“Gerrit coming back from surgery, that was a big boost,’’ Fried said of Cole’s return in May from Tommy John surgery. “I know how important it was for me and Carlos to try to make as many starts and to be healthy throughout the whole year like we did last year. And we definitely were frustrated by the fact that we had to go on the IL a couple of times. But this was the goal. The goal was to make sure that we were in a good, built-up position and healthy going into September into the playoffs.”
And that’s where they are, although they were unable to catch the Rays to avoid the wild-card series.
Fried has been a significant part of it.
In his final eight starts of the regular season, Fried had a 2.09 ERA over 43 innings.
New York Yankees starting pitchers Max Fried and Gerrit Cole are seen on the field during fielding drills, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR NEW YORK POST
He is showing no effects of the bone bruise in the elbow that was diagnosed in May and sidelined him for over two months — and then sent him back to the IL for two weeks in August.
“I would say that the command has gotten a lot better,’’ Fried said of his performance since his return. “I think just the pitching, to the not pitching, to getting back into it again, [made me] a little bit rusty. But over my last couple [starts], I felt normal. I feel like the same me. I’m not really worrying about my health going into the start.”
Tuesday's Game 1 of the Wild Card Series between the Yankees and Red Sox went as expected.
Both starters, Cam Schlittler and Payton Tolle, lived up to their hype, allowing just one run between them through the first four innings. However, things shifted in the fifth.
After Tolle got the first two outs on eight pitches, Red Sox manager Chad Tracy came out to pull his talented young left-hander after 83 pitches. The 23-year-old wasn't as dominant as he had been for most of this season. The Red Sox skipper said the Yankees did a good job of making Tolle work and had a lot of traffic on the bases, which the southpaw navigated out of with minimal damage, but there were a few factors in Tracy's decision.
"He competed extremely well for the time he was out there," Tracy said. "He gave us what he could. The number being up in the mid-80s, still trying to get through five [innings], probably higher than what you normally see from Payton, and to be expected in an environment like this, but I thought he competed his butt off."
Tracy decided to use left-hander Erik Miller to face Ben Rice and finish the fifth. Rice came into the at-bat with a double in the first inning before Tolle struck him out swinging in the third. However, Rice smashed a 97 mph sinker over the heart of the plate that traveled 423 feet to straightaway center field for his first home run of the night, and put the Yankees up 2-0.
The move and the immediate aftermath led to questions about Tracy's decision. And he elaborated on his thought process and chalked it up to Rice getting one off of Miller.
"Not necessarily just the pitch count," Tracy said. "You’re trailing already. You’re moving third time through the order. Rice had already hit a double in the gap off of him. And you have a nice lane there for Miller and obviously, he got him. Felt like it was time to go."
"As a competitor, as a starting pitcher in this league, you want to go as long as you can every time," Tolle said after the game. "But with what our bullpen has done all year, I believe they are going to make the right decision. I want to go as long as I can, but I understand those guys picked me up a lot this year."
Despite the Rice homer, Boston was only down two runs with plenty of time to make a comeback. But it was a jolt that the Yankees needed at the moment.
"That was electric. That insurance run, that was huge for us. A little bit of breathing room," Spencer Jones said after the game. "He smoked that ball. We were super fired up about it."
That electricity was taken out on the Boston bullpen, which couldn't keep the score close. The Red Sox wound up using five relievers, who allowed eight runs, including a grand slam to Rice that put the game away in the eighth.
With the loss, the Red Sox face elimination in Game 2 on Wednesday night. The team has faced adversity all season long to get to this point, but they understand the challenge they face.
"That’s why Tolle was out there; that’s why Schlittler was out there. Trying really hard to get Game 1 and now you have to win two in a row," Tracy said. "You have to be aggressive and try to win as many moments as we can. Because now we have to win two in a row to keep our season alive."
"I haven’t heard the fat lady sing yet," Tolle said. "We’re going to keep going out there. I believe in us. It’s going to be fun to watch these guys compete tomorrow."
Former Yankee Sonny Gray will take the mound for Boston, looking to force a deciding Game 3.
With lefty hurler Payton Tolle starting for the Red Sox, two everyday lefty batters (Luis Garcia Jr. and Ryan McMahon) were benched in favor of righty platoon options (Heliot Ramos and Amed Rosario).
Ramos, Rosario, and the three lefty pinch hitters, who were eventually subbed in (Grisham, Garcia Jr., and McMahon), batted a combined 0-for-7 on the night.
Ben Rice will steal the headlines with his two home runs - including a late grand slam to put the game well out of reach - and six RBI. However, multi-hit nights from George Lombard Jr. and Austin Wells in the bottom half of the Yankees batting order deserve plenty of plaudits as well.
Lombard made his playoff debut in front of a frenetic crowd in the Bronx, and delivered with a terrific 3-for-4 night at the plate, coming around to score two runs.
"It's really cool," the 21-year-old said following his first taste of postseason baseball. "It's definitely an honor and I have to pinch myself every now and then, but we know what the goal is and we know what we're all trying to do as a group."
Wells, meanwhile, drove in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly, finishing his night having gone 2-for-3, plus a walk for good measure.
"The runs added up there at the end, but I think the guys did a great job of extending the lineup," said the catcher postgame. "Great at-bats up and down [the lineup], waiting for great pitches, being stubborn in the box, getting into some of their bullpen guys."
Wells, of course, struggled mightily during the regular season with a career-worst .624 OPS, but has looked much more poised at the plate lately.
With both Stanton and Judge missing from the Yankees lineup in 2026, the team was just 52-43.
In those games, the Bronx Bombers hit for a .690 OPS and tallied a shade over 4.2 runs scored per game. For reference, across the 2026 regular season, MLB teams averaged a .718 OPS and 4.48 runs scored per game.
If Wells can tap into his form from years prior this fall, and if Lombard's unflappable plate approach carries onward, they could be real X-factors to ignite a Yankees offense, which had been searching for answers without their big boppers in the lineup.
"We'll have a chance to close it out [in Game 2], but it's one win," concluded manager Aaron Boone. "We got the blinders on, but it's a confident group."
In their 10 years of existence, the Vegas Golden Knights have seen their fair share of talented players come through the organization. The NHL’s second-youngest franchise has rostered skilled goalscorers, elite playmakers, and even future Hall of Fame goaltenders. The one thing they aren’t used to is talented rookies.
That is no longer the case.
Before the start of this season, only one player in Golden Knights franchise history had scored a goal in his NHL debut: first-ever draft pick Cody Glass. But on opening night of the 2026-27 season, young phenom Trevor Connelly joined that elusive club.
Connelly made waves last year in the AHL as a 19-year-old, helping the Henderson Silver Knights make the postseason for the first time in four years. Connelly was a big part of Henderson’s regular season success, scoring 14 goals and 49 points in 46 games; in the playoffs, he scored a goal and recorded six points in six games.
“Trevor is different from any player in our organization,” said Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon at the start of training camp. “Elite hockey sense, elite talent. What he did last year in the American Hockey League as a 19-year-old… his ceiling is tremendously high.”
Due to a series of unfortunate injuries, this was Connelly’s first time attending training camp. The organization gave him the opportunity to earn his spot on the opening night roster, and he held on for dear life. Connelly played in three of the Golden Knights’ four preseason games, and though he didn’t register a point, the maturity of his game shone through.
“He played his game,” said head coach Ryan Craig at the conclusion of training camp. “What I wanted to see out of Trevor as we went through camp was, can he play with these guys? Can he keep up? Can he manage and sort out the details when he doesn’t have the puck to help us check and get the puck back? He’s continued to do that, so he’ll get an opportunity here.”
The organization’s belief in Connelly quickly paid off. Just 15:22 into the Golden Knights’ first game of the season, he scored his first NHL goal. And what a beauty it was– Connelly went to the front of the net, batted down Brayden McNabb’s shot, collected the loose puck, and elevated his shot over Spencer Knight’s outstretched pad.
Anthony, the leadoff hitter, struck out to start the game, but whiffed again when he came up in the third; he was replaced by pinch hitter Andruw Monasterio in the top of the sixth inning.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy revealed what led to the decision to remove Anthony, who had his hand wrapped during his at-bats, and said that this latest injury was different from the one that put him on the injured list earlier in the year.
"There were a couple of check swings in each of the at-bats that bothered it. And swinging through the last second at-bat, swinging through, like, after the check swings, he still felt discomfort on the swings," Tracy said.
"I don't know yet. We're still talking through. The game just ended but it's difficult. Obviously it flares up on him and becomes uncomfortable, and you have to make a move there. So we'll see what the next steps are, but yeah, it was difficult."
Anthony, 22, also missed three months of the 2026 season with a partial tendon tear in his right ring finger, and it was the same hand that caused him to exit the 9-0 Game 1 loss, which put Boston's season on the brink.
"Nothing like this, no. He's obviously coming off that. Like, you'll get a stinger every once in a while where you feel something; it's fine, it goes away, but today it was obviously something to have him come out of the game. Today, some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable," Tracy said.
"It's hard to say right now. It's one of those things where he obviously was in a lot of discomfort. So we had to remove him. We'll have to see what tomorrow brings.
Anthony also missed last year's postseason with a left oblique strain. In two seasons with the Red Sox, Anthony has played in 126 games, with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs.
It is the eve of Pittsburgh Penguins' regular season hockey, which means another year of excitement, intrigue, and uncertainty awaits.
And the start of the season also means it's time for my annual Bold Predictions piece.
No, this one is not our regular annual predictions piece, where each assertion is rooted in reality, reason, and calculated expectation. Although still rooted - at least, somewhat - in reality, these predictions are bold for a reason: they're fun, they're high-reaching, and they operate on the premise of expecting a lot from a team that wants to take another step toward Cup contention.
Who will have a big year? Will anyone be traded? Just how good will the Penguins be?
Here are 10 bold predictions for the 2026-27 season.
1. Egor Chinakhov scores 40 goals
Ask anyone in the Penguins' locker room, and their face just lights up when talking about the 25-year-old Chinakhov.
After a change-of-scenery trade from Columbus to Pittsburgh midseason last year, Chinakhov recorded 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games, which amounts to a 35-goal, 71-point pace in an 84-game season. He put up that pace last season with little power play time, too, as just two goals and eight points came on the man advantage for him.
2. The Penguins have eight 20-goal scorers and four 30-goal scorers
Speaking of goal-scoring, anyone who thinks Anthony Mantha was the key to the Penguins' playoff berth last season is probably overreaching a bit, even if he led the team in goals. The Penguins had a league-high 10 players with 15 or more goals.
Besides, instead of just one Anthony Mantha this season, how about two? Or, maybe, at least one and a half?
Andrei Kuzmenko scored 39 goals in his rookie season and 22 in his sophomore season before getting traded five thousand times and seeing a decline in production. He, like Mantha, is primed to break out again next to playmaking centers in Pittsburgh. Nick Robertson has increased his goal production by one each of the last three years, but he never played consistently with anyone the likes of Sidney Crosby.
Crosby, Kuzmenko, Chinakhov, and Rickard Rakell score 30. Robertson, Kindel, Rust, and Malkin score 20. I'll go even further and say they could have nine if Tommy Novak or Erik Karlsson are healthy all season long, but "healthy" is a lot to ask for these Penguins.
3. Erik Karlsson is traded... regardless of the situation
Speaking of Karlsson, his situation will be one of the most interesting stories to follow this season.
Karlsson wants a Cup. That is not going to change. Even if the Penguins are good enough to be a playoff team - and I do think they make the playoffs again this season - he's 36 and will want to go to a more surefire contender, as Pittsburgh's best shot at a Cup in the next couple of years is by catching lightning in a bottle.
So, if he has no intention to re-sign, Kyle Dubas will pull the trigger to get value no matter the circumstance. He'll just make sure he's getting talent in return.
4. Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist are the tandem by season's end
To be clear, this is not necessarily a knock on Arturs Silovs. He has a proven track record of being a big-game goaltender and getting it done when it counts. The problem with him is finding that consistency.
But while Silovs is finding that consistency, Murashov will slowly take over as the No. 1, and Blomqvist will play well in WBS to the point where it's difficult to justify keeping him down there. Whether pushed out by others' performances or performing well enough to be flipped for assets by the trade deadline, Silovs will find himself in a different uniform by the end of the season, and the other two will be in the NHL for good.
Oh, and, Taylor Gauthier gets a game this season. I don't know when. But he will.
Well, what's the next step after being a Jack Adams nominee? A Jack Adams winner, of course!
As I mentioned before - and as Dubas mentioned in his press conference - the Penguins have no plans to take a step back this season. Muse and the rest of his staff managed the get the most out of their roster last season, and after adding a few more defensive-minded defensemen and new forwards to the mix, the staff will, once again, have the opportunity to elevate and maximize each player's potential and make the team hard to play against.
This guy is a good coach. If the Penguins make the playoffs again and win a round or two, he'll be worthy.
6. Harrison Brunicke is the top-pairing right defenseman by season's end
Honestly, this might be the most bold prediction on this list. Will Brunicke be ready for top-pairing minutes? Most likely, not quite. But, if my other prediction of Karlsson leaving does come to pass, who else is going to do it? 39-going-on-40 Kris Letang? Defensive defenseman Kaedan Korczak with Sam Girard on the left side?
Unless the Penguins get another top-four right defenseman for Karlsson, it will be Brunicke's time to show what he is capable of at the NHL level, especially assuming he takes care of business in the AHL first.
And he will take care of business there, and in the NHL. Unlike his last NHL stint - where Brunicke sank - he will have his breakout and swim this time, helping the team make the playoffs.
Ok, things are starting to get a bit crazy here. But, hey, we said "bold," right?
As it happens, I'm not quite as down on Koivunen, 23, as others are. Even if the term confounded me, I understand the logic behind Koivunen's eight-year, $32 million contract, and with Dubas and the Penguins betting on a young player's talent and potential to help them in the future.
So, for our purposes, why not jump on the train and take a bet on a young player? Koivunen has some work to do, but he showed well in the Penguins' final preseason game, and he did start his NHL career with seven points in eight games, an initial NHL stint that showcased his potential and that everyone seems to have forgotten about.
I expect to see more of that Koivunen this season.
I love seeing Ville Koivunen get on the scoresheet, especially when he's going hard to the net! pic.twitter.com/d4p4NWk2v2
8. The Penguins have a 10-game win streak in the stretch run to make the playoffs again... and they win two rounds
Hey, why not some random win streak proclamation? The Penguins had plenty of win streaks last season, even if they never reached double digits.
They also played their stretch run largely without their legends in Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and they still earned the points and dragged themselves to the postseason. With a healthy Crosby and Malkin, and with a deeper forward group? This team, like last year's, will go through stretches where they simply overwhelm and dominate opponents with their offensive attack.
The Penguins may be streaky this year, but their winning streaks will be longer. And that will extend into the Stanley Cup Playoffs because they'll get hot at just the right time, somehow advancing to the Eastern Conference Final.
9. Ben Kindel flirts with point-per-game
Yes, Kindel (lower-body, week-to-week) is beginning the season on injured reserve, but he was supposed to start the season with Rust and Kuzmenko - both of whom won't begin the season with the team, either - on his wings. Rust has scored 30 goals. Kuzmenko has scored 30 goals. There are other options in the lineup, too, if those guys don't work out.
Once Kindel is healthy - and if the other two are also healthy - this has the potential to be a legitimate scoring third line for the Penguins, and the biggest beneficiary will be Kindel, who can both produce on his own and have scoring wingers to distribute the puck to.
He'll be pretty darn close to point-per-game this season with those two at his side.
If Dubas is to finally get his wish and execute on a "big-game hunt," this is quite the deadline to consider it. And, by then, maybe a few of his NHL-ready prospects and NHL assets, like Bill Zonnon, Will Horcoff, Owen Pickering, Rakell, Rust, and Karlsson, will have marinated a bit more and could prove valuable enough to be part of a bigger splash.
After all, I said this would come at a cost. And it's going to cost a top prospect, the Penguins' star defenseman, and more - especially if we're talking about Jason Robertson.
I think one of these three names is wearing a Penguins uniform come the trade deadline this season. Maybe younger Robo will put in a good word for Pittsburgh to his big bro during his breakout campaign.
You never know who you're going to catch at a baseball game, let alone the wild card series.
Petco Park in San Diego seats up to 39,860 and during Game 1 of the National League wild card series between the Padres and Chicago Cubs, one of those in attendance was longtime Cubs fan Bill Murray.
Murray can't be happy right with what's going on in San Diego. The Cubs were down 4-0 in the top of the fifth inning.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado homered in the first inning to get things going. In the third inning, Machado hit a RBI double that brought home Tatis. Xander Bogaerts sent a blast 399 feet to left field to give the Padres a 4-0 lead.
All the while, the Cubs were still searching for their first hit.
Bill Murray is at Petco Park, fireworks are flying and it is electric in San Diego.
Murray, 76, is from Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and has been a Cubs fan ever since. Murray made a career as a comedian and actor, widely known for starring in films such as Ghostbusters, Stripes, Caddyshack and Scrooged. He also made an appearance in the 1996 film Space Jam, alongside Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes.
Murray's ties with Chicago sports goes way back. He's a full-time Chicago fan, especially the Cubs.
During the 2016 World Series between the Cubs and Cleveland, Murray had a memorable moment where he led fans at Wrigley Field in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch.
Murray witnessed the Cubs' 2016 World Series title, which broke a 108-year drought.
Murray has to hope that the Cubs can muster up some magic in Southern California sooner rather than later.
