DETROIT, MI - JULY 09: Athletics Zack Gelof (20) slides into the railing trying to catch a foul during game between Athletics and Detroit Tigers on July 9, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Happy Wednesday, everyone. Except, maybe, for the Detroit Tigers. News is emerging that Zack Gelof of the A’s is suing the Tigers for lost potential earnings after he missed a month of play from an injury he sustained in Comerica Park’s outfield. We’ll have more on that below, but it’s not exactly how the Tigers would like to start their offseason, certainly.
We’re also into the Wild Card games now, so news is going to be all postseason all the time. We’ll have more of that in the coming days as the final postseason picture takes shape.
For now, though, let’s get right into the news.
Detroit Tigers News
Well this is… interesting.
Zack Gelof is suing the Detroit Tigers after missing “30 days of work” following an injury from attempting to catch a fly ball
The lawsuit says that the collision tore his uniform and caused a deep laceration beneath his right kneecap that missed his patellar tendon. He was… pic.twitter.com/k7cTemOkRD
Sam Blum has more information on the lawsuit, in which Gelof cites that his injury at Comerica Park “will adversely impact his future earnings.” The lawsuit suggests that the exposed piece of metal that Gelof ran into was not something that he could have anticipated encountering. “Not in a professional stadium, where everyone else involved are making 10s of millions, if not hundreds of millions of dollars off the performance of these athletes,” his lawyer said. Gelof missed a month of play following the injury.
AJ Hinch shared his feelings about Kevin McGonigle’s incredible rookie season.
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 06: Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish (38) walks off the mound during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles on September 06, 2026, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
If you had been told back in March that the 2026 Orioles season would include Kyle Bradish making 29 starts for the Orioles and receiving a five-year contract extension during the season, you would probably be picturing something exciting happening. Things did not quite work out that way. There were ups and downs for Bradish’s first full season back after his Tommy John surgery, and by the time his season ended slightly early due to a sports hernia, Bradish was just about exactly average.
You may have set your hopes higher. I think the Orioles certainly did. It’s not like these were the first starts Bradish made after his surgery. He got in six games at the end of the 2025 season and every indication there was that he would be picking up where he left off before having to get Tommy John. Batters couldn’t hit him very well. He had an excellent strikeout rate, was controlling the walks and home runs at acceptable rates. It wasn’t crazy to believe that Bradish would be able to return to top-of-the-rotation form.
The Orioles were counting on being able to get a quality 1-2-3 out of Bradish, Shane Baz, and Trevor Rogers. Other writers will be covering those other two guys on different days. As far as Bradish, by the time his season came to an end, that just wasn’t what he was. The strike rate was down substantially, the walk rate increased, the home run rate had a bit of a jump.
It all added up to Bradish posting a 4.12 ERA for the season – an ERA+ of 99, or 1% below league average for a pitcher. Peripheral stats such as FIP, the ERA-analogue stat that tries to subtract defense from the equation, had Bradish at a 4.35. The Orioles, I believe, wanted more than this. They needed more.
To be sure, it is good that Bradish ended up among the 65 MLB pitchers who threw at least 150 innings this year. By not missing many starts until the end of the season, that avoided exposure to depth options like Cade Povich, and by averaging more than five innings per start for the season, Bradish also (mostly) avoided contributing to seeing guys like Keegan Akin or Yaramil Hiraldo pitching in the fourth or fifth inning.
These are not trivial problems to avoid, and yet… of that list of 65 MLB pitchers who tossed 150 innings, Bradish came in 47th. It could have been worse. It’s just that it needed to be better. The Orioles did not commit to the next five years of Bradish at $18 million per season for a 4.12 ERA.
The signs were there from as soon as Bradish’s first start that he wasn’t going to be picking up right where he left off last season. Walking three batters while failing to get through five innings against the Twins back on March 28 turned out to be more like the typical 2026 Bradish start than any of us would prefer. He took the loss because the offense only scored one run in the game. Of course, that fact was also more like the typical 2026 Orioles offense than any of us would prefer.
Seven starts into his season, Bradish was sitting on a 5.03 ERA and he had walked 21 batters in only 34 innings. That’s a tough way to win, and naturally he wasn’t winning. His record was 1-4, and the O’s were just 2-5 in those starts. By season’s end, Bradish himself had a 7-14 record, and the Orioles were 13-16 in games that he started. With apologies for beating this same drum yet again: The team needed more than that to be successful this year. Mike Elias bet part of this season’s chances of success on getting more than that, and he just didn’t.
It wasn’t just Elias betting on Bradish in a big picture way. This also included times where the manager, Craig Albernaz, decided that he was going to count on Bradish to get one more batter rather than bringing in a reliever. One such time, particularly memorable to me because I was baking in the sun in Cincinnati watching it play out in person, Albernaz let Bradish, already past 100 pitches in the eighth inning, stay in for one more batter. That batter hit an RBI double, expanding the O’s deficit that day from 2-1 to 3-1. They ended up losing, 3-2.
There were stretches in there where you could believe that a fully healthy Bradish will be better than this. From May 8 on through to August 15, a stretch of 17 starts, Bradish had a 3.18 ERA. It wasn’t exactly as good as his pre-surgery outings, not quite as many strikeouts and not quite as few walks but still: That would have done the trick, if he was that over the full season.
The Orioles are being their usual cagey selves over when exactly Bradish suffered the sports hernia; the results look like maybe his five starts were disrupted by that. That added close to half a run to his season ERA. We’d probably feel a bit different about Bradish’s season if he closed out at 3.65, which is what he had after his August 15 start. That would be a fine baseline to bring into next season, with hopes of improvement on that.
Instead, like so many other things to do with the 2026 Orioles, we must simply hope for better without there being a ton to hang that belief on. Maybe the most important aspect of this hand-waving has nothing to do with how Bradish pitches at all and everything to do with whether the front office and coaching staff assemble at minimum a competent defense behind him. Bradish was one of the more heavily-victimized pitchers by bad defense: He was on the mound for 12 of the team’s 88 unearned runs. This doesn’t even count plays that weren’t scored as errors but an MLB player should have made.
I don’t want to act like the defense is too much of an excuse, though. Bradish has a rough-looking Statcast page, and none of that stuff cares about his defense. That’s so much blue. In this, blue is bad. What it looks a whole lot like on here is that Bradish’s curveball and slider were not up to the form he has showed previously. That seems like the avenue for improvement. The fastball isn’t the problem: He’s working with the same pre-surgery velocity and close to the same pre-surgery movement. Whether he can improve those other pitches, I just don’t know.
It is going to be even more important for the outlook of the 2027 Orioles that Bradish, heading into his age 30 season, pitch better next year. Trevor Rogers is almost certainly going to depart as a free agent, and the chances of Elias bringing a pitcher of the caliber of what Rogers showed in 2025 and from June onward in 2026 are slim. The top of the rotation will be counting even more heavily on Bradish and Baz doing good-to-great things that they did not do over the full 2026 season, as well as Brandon Young repeating his surprise 2026.
Is it too early to get excited about Walker Kessler?
We know that he’s an elite rebounder and rim protector. But so far, there’s something about him that just, well, feels like the type of thing that can really tip a franchise in the right direction.
He’s a personality guy.
Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler takes part in a press conference during the team’s media day at the UCLA Health Training Center, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in El Segundo, CA. Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
“I look at him as a two-way talent, and I think the fit is exciting,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said Tuesday when asked what excites him most about the center, before emphasizing his next sentence.
“The person is really exciting.”
In the three media availabilities Kessler has had with reporters since the Lakers acquired him on a four-year, $130 million deal — which included LA trading a slew of assets to Utah — Kessler has already made a big impression.
He has said multiple times he’d run through a wall for the Lakers.
What does that mean?
“It’s a great question,” Kessler said, flashing a smile. “For me, it’s just doing the little things and just competing my tail off every night and doing all the little stuff, whether that’s setting a hard screen, crashing the glass, sprinting the floor, just doing all the things it takes to win.”
They have zero tradable first-round draft picks through 2033 after trading two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033) and two pick swaps (2028 and 2030) to the Jazz for him.
Kessler seems genuinely grateful they took that gamble. “When you have someone backing you and someone that shows you the belief that they have in you, it makes it a lot easier to want to make them proud and want to make them feel like you’re doing your absolute best for them,” he said.
Kessler has already excited everyone around him. Jake LaRavia said Kessler changes everything defensively when he’s on the court.
“It’s going to make us wings and guards feel a lot more comfortable being a little bit more aggressive defensively, maybe being able to pick up full court a little bit more,” LaRavia said.
Added Matisse Thybulle: ““[I] just feel like I can fully live up to my defensive potential because of having a rim protector like Walker.”
As for Kessler, he’s all in on the Lakers.
Redick recently said he believes the Lakers could be championship contenders this season. Kessler didn’t hesitate when asked if he agreed.
“I believe so,” he said. “No question. Yeah, undoubtedly.”
Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler participates in the team’s media day at the UCLA Health Training Center on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in El Segundo, Calif. Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
What does he think of the Lakers’ defense?” We’re going to be a nasty defensive team,” he said.
Even from the perimeter?
“I think people aren’t taking into account how good our perimeter defense is going to be with some of these guys,” he said.
Oh, yeah, who?”I mean, Thi [Adou Thiero], Ziaire [Williams], Quentin [Grimes], Bull [Thybulle], Van [Jarred Vanderbilt], Jake — I could go through the whole team.”
OK, what do you think about Redick’s coaching style?
“In film, I was ready to go fight somebody or something,” he said. “He’s such a good motivator. He’s incredible.”
And your chemistry with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves?”It’s not hard to be a fit when the guys are as good as they are,” he said.
Kessler is so positive. His excitement is palpable. It’s obvious he’s already making a contribution to the team, and we haven’t even seen him take the court yet wearing Purple-and-Gold.
Everyone wants to play with him. Everyone likes him. Everyone believes he can turn things around for the Lakers on defense.
Last season, the Lakers were 20th in defensive rating (115.5) and 27th in rebounds (41 per game). They averaged just 4.3 blocks per game.
That should change with Kessler down low.
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In 2024-25, Kessler was second in the league in blocks (2.4), and he contested 7.5 shots per game at the rim, which tied him for fifth most in the league, according to NBA.com.
Last season, we only got to see a glimpse of Kessler. He averaged 11.1 points and 12.2 rebounds in five games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
Kessler, who essentially has only played three NBA seasons, believes he hasn’t even begun tapping into his potential.
“No, I haven’t,” he said. “I think that Utah did a great job of letting me show kind of like my baseline, just play hard, play good defense, rebound, set good screens, be a lob threat. But no.”
So, what’s his ceiling?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t reached it yet. I’m just going to do the best I can and be the best I can become.”
It’s all very exciting for a Lakers team that had a porous defense last season led by an inconsistent center in Deandre Ayton. They now have a beast down low, as well as someone who should be a lob machine alongside Doncic on offense.
Kessler wants to be great. He’s willing to lay himself on the line for the Lakers. And it’s obvious that everyone is already responding to him.
There are still a lot of questions. How will he fit in alongside Doncic and Reaves on the court? Will he become the All Defense-type player the Lakers need him to be? Will he complete the Lakers’ Big 3?
But as of now, all signs point to yes. Not only is he a potential game-changer on the court but he’s also the type of guy who excites the team behind the scenes.
As much as the Lakers want this to work, he wants it every bit as much.
“I don’t really feel pressure,” he said. “I just feel grateful. Grateful for this opportunity and grateful to play for this franchise.”
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 29: Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley (27) hits a three-run home run during the Philadelphia Phillies versus the Atlanta Braves in game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on September 29th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
There’s no real answer here. Coverage of Game 2 will also start quite soon. Have at it if you want, or just wait around for actual game-related stuff.
I will say that even though it was super-awesome, Austin Riley’s three-run go-ahead blast didn’t actually register that high on cWPA. Even among the current Braves run from 2018-on, it was barely within the top 25 (23rd) in cWPA, worth about four percent of title likelihood. It wasn’t even that big of a deal for Riley, as he’s had seven bigger hits. His biggest was the single in Game 4 of the World Series that brought the Braves to within a run and put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but the Braves actually failed to score more there and needed the later back-to-back homers to pull ahead. Nor was it his biggest homer, as that goes to the tiebreaking shot in Game 1 of the 2020 NLCS.
But, this is about how you feel about Riley’s season — before yesterday’s eighth inning, and now.
Sep 29, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jhoan Duran (59) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There is no question that can be asked that would remove the pain from yesterday’s loss, no answer that can satisfactorily resolve the frustration from the blown lead in a crucial moment. Still, we can discuss the strategy, and, if not quite come to terms with what happened, at least develop a fuller understanding of it.
Jhoan Duran was tasked with taking the ball with a slim lead in the late game, which was hardly unusual. The fact that it was the seventh inning when he was given the ball, and that he was then asked to handle the eighth, was much stranger. We know how it ended up working out. But how much blame is to be assigned to the decision to deploy him early, and for a highly atypical multi-inning appearance? Was the bad location on the fateful pitch the result of tiredness, or something that might’ve happened even if he was deployed in more typical fashion? So on and so forth.
What did you think of yesterday’s decision to deploy Duran for multiple innings?
The first batter of the home team smashes a home run. One out later, the third home team hitter also homers, and that home team is on its way to a blowout shutout .
Oh, you think I’m talking about last night’s disaster, the 8-0 Cubs loss to the Padres. While the above are absolutely facts in evidence from Tuesday’s game, they also apply to a different Cubs/Padres postseason game, the first game of the 1984 NLCS at Wrigley Field. Bob Dernier led off the first inning with a home run for the Cubs, and one out later Gary Matthews also homered, two of the five home runs the Cubs smacked that afternoon on their way to a 13-0 crushing of the Padres.
And you know what happened in that series. Anyway.
Boyd allowed three runs in five innings to the Padres June 30 at Wrigley Field, including home runs by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. Hold those two guys down and this could be a good game for Boyd.
Welp. Those are the exact guys who homered in the first inning off Boyd, and no, this was not a good game for the Cubs left-hander.
Oh, I also wrote this:
Boyd has a 1.66 ERA in seven postseason games (six starts) covering 21.2 innings. He has never allowed a postseason home run.
Pete Crow-Armstrong made a valiant effort to catch that ball, but came up just short. It would have been a fantastic catch, to be sure. But that’s not why I wanted to show you that play. This is why:
What on Earth were they thinking there? A first-pitch changeup? Right in the sweet spot, basically? smh
Everyone pretty much could have gone home right then, because the Cubs offense, the best in MLB during the regular season, did not bother to show up for this game. They were no-hit through six innings by Michael King, until Nico Hoerner broke up any idea of a postseason no-hitter with one out in the seventh. I’ll get back to that.
Machado then hit his home run to make it 2-0, and he also doubled in a run in the third off Boyd.
After the Cubs had erased a Padres baserunner in the fourth on a double play, Xander Bogaerts homered to make it 4-0. You had the sense at this point that the game was over, right? During the regular season:
Cubs record when allowing three or more home runs: 12-14 Cubs record in all other games: 77-59
So, yeah.
Javier Assad relieved Boyd to begin the fifth and things didn’t go any better. After a leadoff single by Luis Campusano, Assad retired the next two Padres. Good, right? Yes, but then he walked Machado and Ty France singled to load the bases.
Ryan Rolison entered the game to face the left-handed hitting Jackson Merrill. Welp. That didn’t work, Merrill singled in two runs and it was 6-0. The seventh Padres run scored on a passed ball charged to Carson Kelly.
If you’re getting the feeling that absolutely nothing the Cubs did in this game worked properly, you have summed up Game 1 in one sentence. Nevertheless, I shall continue.
As noted, King entered the seventh inning having not allowed the Cubs a hit. They’d had four baserunners up to that point. Only two of those four got past first base:
Seiya Suzuki reached second base on an error leading off the second
Pete Crow-Armstrong walked with two out in the third. He stole second. So, yay?
Machado misplayed the ball after fielding it, but he wouldn’t have thrown out Hoerner anyway, and that was the Cubs’ first hit. In case you were wondering (Bluesky link):
The Padres put across their eighth and final run against Aaron Civale in the bottom of the seventh. Tatis beat out an infield hit and stole second, and when Kelly’s throw went into center field, Tatis didn’t stop running and scored [VIDEO].
The Cubs did mount a bit of a rally in the ninth against Joe Musgrove, who was a somewhat surprising addition to the Padres postseason roster. He hadn’t pitched in a MLB game since Oct. 2, 2024, a wild card game against the Braves.
With one out, Suzuki singled, the Cubs’ second hit. Happ walked and Hoerner singled to load the bases. Down 8-0, this wasn’t likely to amount to much and it did not, when Pedro Ramirez popped up and pinch-hitter Michael Conforto was called out on strikes to end the game.
This was just an old-fashioned beatdown. You know, kind of like what the Cubs did to the Padres in that game 42 years ago. A couple of game facts from BCB’s JohnW53:
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman both struck out three times.
PCA did it 15 times in the regular season, most of any Cub. Seiya Suzuki did it 13 times; Ian Happ, 12; Michael Busch, eight; Michael Conforto, six; and Bregman, just four.
Six others combined to do it 12 times, for a team total of 70 times. ….. PCA did it twice in the post-season last year. He is the first Cub to do it three times in career post-season games. Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, Addison Russell and Dansby Swanson each did it twice.
One more not-so-fun fact about this game: It was the 12th time the Cubs had been shut out in 132 total postseason games, and the most runs they’d ever allowed in a postseason shutout loss. Previous record: Six, twice: Game 3 of the 2016 NLCS and Game 1 of the 2016 World Series. Those two series worked out okay.
Counsell said that was a good pitch to Tatis in the first inning. Respectfully, I disagree.
I came across this fact during the day Tuesday and it does not bode well for the Cubs:
In the history of the best-of-three Wild Card Series, teams taking a 1-0 lead have gone on to win the series 21 of 24 times (88%), including 17 two-game sweeps. Home teams have won all nine series in which they have gone ahead 1-0, including eight sweeps.
Nevertheless, the games still have to be played and, hopefully, the absent Cubs offense will show up Wednesday. Kevin Gausman, who has extensive postseason experience and who was very good last year for the Blue Jays in October, will start for the Cubs. Nick Pivetta goes for the Padres. Game time is again scheduled for 9 p.m. CT (first pitch around 9:10) and the game will again be on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: Sonny Gray #54 of the Boston Red Sox arrives ahead of Game One of the American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees on September 29, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox are up against the wall. Cam Schlittler, once again, shoved against the Red Sox in game one, throwing 117 pitches in a 6.1-inning shutout before handing it over to the bullpen. Paul Blackburn and John Schreiber shut the door, keeping the Red Sox off the scoreboard to win game one, 9-0. Coming into this season, the winner of game one has won 15 of 16 Wild Card series since playoff expansion. The only exception is the Yankees over the Red Sox last season.
If the Red Sox want to keep their season alive, it comes down to Sonny Gray. Let’s think about it in innings. The Red Sox used five relievers on Tuesday night: Erik Miller, Greg Weissert, Alec Gamboa, Wyatt Olds, and Brayan Bello.
Erik Miller was excellent immediately after being acquired, but his September, as well as his career-long control issues, should reduce him to only low-leverage spots. Greg Weissert can potentially provide an inning, but he’s not an arm to trust on back-to-back days in a sticky spot. Alec Gamboa and Wyatt Olds were both late additions to the roster, and neither looked particularly up to the job in game one, while Brayan Bello has never pitched two days in a row in the major leagues.
That leaves Ranger Suarez, Garrett Crochet, Garrett Whitlock, Aroldis Chapman, and Jake Bennett as the unused pitchers, alongside today’s starter Sonny Gray.
Ranger Suarez is set to start game three. Garrett Crochet is a complete unknown. He hasn’t pitched since April, and he was ineffective when he was on the mound. If he’s healthy, I’d expect him to be able to get outs, but who knows where he’s truly at health-wise. Garrett Whitlock has been one of the best relievers in baseball, but his longest outing of the season is 1.1 innings. He’s only thrown more than 30 pitches once this season, and it came in an outing in which he walked two hitters. Extending him for more than one inning could be a tricky proposition. And then there’s Aroldis Chapman. Chapman, like Whitlock, has been fantastic, but hasn’t got more than three outs in a game this season. If you put those three arms together and assign two innings to Crochet, that’s four innings. Of course, given the stakes, they could extend Whitlock or Chapman, but their effectiveness after three outs is a relative mystery. If you want to give Jake Bennett an inning or two, you could, but he doesn’t seem like an arm they’d go to unless they were trailing, and there’s no need to eat innings in a do-or-die game.
The offense was, at least in terms of scoring, the worst in baseball in September. Roman Anthony was lost in the middle of game one, and the rest of the lineup couldn’t touch Schlittler. If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t put money on them putting a lot of runs on the board against Max Fried. If they want a chance to win the game, they’ll need to keep the Yankees off the board, and with the lack of quality innings in the bullpen, that means getting length out of Sonny Gray.
Gray has been the Red Sox best starter by ERA this season. He’s gone at least six innings in 22 of his 29 starts. In two starts against the Yankees, he’s allowed three earned runs over 13.2 innings pitched with 12 strikeouts and 3 walks. Despite a 14-year career, Gray has only thrown in six postseason games. In those six games, he has a 3.26 ERA, but has only pitched more than five innings once (an 8-inning shoutout for the Athletics against the Tigers in 2013). For the Red Sox to win today, they need Sonny Gray to turn in one of the best postseason performances of his career.
Fortunately, Chad Tracy can unload the clip in game two, because in playoff baseball terms, game three might as well be in six months. The Red Sox need to play every card they have to keep the season alive, but Sonny Gray keeping the Yankees off the scoreboard for as long as possible is the key.
BALTIMORE, MD - CIRCA 1988: (L) George Bell #11, Lloyd Moseby #15 and Jesse Barfield #29 of the Toronto Blue Jays poses together for his portrait prior to the start of a Major League Baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles circa 1988 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Moseby played for the Blue Jay from 1980-89. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Thirty-Seven Years Ago
The Blue Jays clinched first place in the AL East by defeating the Orioles 4-3. A dramatic three-run rally in the eighth inning erased a 3-1 deficit and sealed the win.
Here was the starting lineup:
Lloyd Moseby CF
Mookie Wilson LF
Fred McGriff 1B
George Bell DH
Ernie Whitt C
Kelly Gruber 3B
Nelson Liriano 2B
Junior Felix RF
Jimmy Key started but was limited to four innings, surrendering eight hits and three earned runs, with no walks and six strikeouts. Frank Wills provided four shutout innings of relief, giving up just one hit. Tom Henke closed out the ninth for his 20th save.
The eighth inning proved decisive. Nelson Liriano worked a walk against Dave Johnson, prompting a pitching change. Kevin Hickey entered and walked pinch-hitter Manny Lee, with Rob Ducey pinch-running. Mark Williamson then replaced Hickey. Lloyd Moseby sacrificed both runners into scoring position. Mookie Wilson singled in a run, Fred McGriff drove home the tying run, and George Bell hit a sacrifice fly to give Toronto the lead.
Tom Henke made quick work of the ninth, striking out two to secure the victory.
The Blue Jays ultimately fell to the Athletics in five games in the ALCS.
That roster featured some impressive performances:
Fred McGriff, at 25, posted a .269/.399/.525 line with 36 home runs. Critics pointed to his 92 RBIs, suggesting that with fewer walks (he drew 119), he could have reached 100 RBIs.
Tony Fernandez endured a down year, finishing at .257/.291/.389.
Kelly Gruber contributed a .290/.328/.448 line with 18 home runs.
George Bell batted .297/.330/.458, adding 18 home runs and 104 RBIs.
Dave Stieb went 17-8 with a 3.35 ERA in 33 starts, though he completed just three games.
Jimmy Key finished 13-14 with a 3.88 ERA.
John Cerutti posted an 11-11 record and a 3.07 ERA.
Mike Flanagan went 8-10 with a 3.93 ERA.
Todd Stottlemyre finished 7-7 with a 3.88 ERA.
Tom Henke recorded a 1.92 ERA and 20 saves.
Duane Ward notched a 3.77 ERA and 15 saves.
Eleven Years Ago
The Blue Jays clinched their first playoff berth since 1993 by winning the opening game of a doubleheader against the Orioles, securing the AL East crown.
I’m not doing a recap…you guys saw it. Marcus Stroman was unhittable. Our offence was great. And the Orioles helped out by not being able to field.
Some quick points:
8 innings of 1-run ball from Marcus Stroman…how amazing has he been? He’s gone through so much; he deserves this.
We scored 15 runs on 18 hits and 10 walks.
Ryan Goins was 5 for 5 with a double and a beauty of a bunt single.
Revere, Donaldson, and Pillar each had 2 hits.
Encarnacion hit his 37th home run, getting RBI 107 and 108.
Bautista and Smoak hit home runs in the top of the 9th.
The GameThread for game two has to go up in just a few minutes, so I’m going to end it here, and the new GameThread will go up.
Give a JoD to all the players, to Gibby and to Alex. And let’s take one each for ourselves.
We dropped the second game of the doubleheader (played in the rain), as Gibby rested the regulars. Here was our lineup:
Pompey CF
Pennington LF
Carrera RF
Colabello DH
Hague 1B
Thole C
Kawasaki 3B
Barney 2B
Diaz SS
Some of those names barely register from their time with the Jays.
R.A. Dickey tossed five scoreless innings (allowing only two hits and no walks), but the bullpen surrendered eight runs.
After a thrilling ALDS win, the Jays dropped the first two games but rebounded to take the next three (Jose Bautista starred, driving in five runs with a 0.41 WPA in the series). However, Toronto fell to the Royals in six games in the ALCS.
A few birthdays to note today, though none warrant a full post:
Trent Thornton turns 33 today. Acquired from the Astros for Aledmys Diaz, he pitched in 108 games (36 starts, including some as an opener) over five seasons with the Jays, compiling a 7-14 record and a 4.77 ERA. He’s spent the last year and a half with the Mariners.
Hagen Danner turns 28 today. He logged just 0.1 innings for Toronto in 2023 and spent much of this season injured. Here’s hoping he’s healthy next year and can contribute to the bullpen.
Craig Kusick would have turned 84. He passed away in 2006 at 57. He played 23 games for the Jays in 1979—his final MLB season. Previously, he spent seven years with the Twins. The first baseman finished his career with a .235/.342/.392 line in 496 games.
Bryan Bullington turns 46. He threw six innings for the Blue Jays in 2009, appearing in parts of five seasons and 26 games overall.
Curtis Goodwin turns 54. His final two games of a five-year Jays career came in 1999. He played 431 games in the majors, batting .248/.307/.302.
Brian Moran turns 38. In 2020, he pitched one inning across two games for Toronto. Over three seasons, he logged 11.1 innings—but this guy is a big fan:
May 19, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals hitting coach Alec Zumwalt during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
The offense struggled at key points. The Royals got off to a slow start this spring with a 22-37 record entering June. The club posted a .650 OPS in May as the offense couldn’t get into an early season rhythm.
Things started to turn around down the stretch. Rookie catcher Carter Jensen began to ascend behind the plate and Jac Caglianone tapped into his immense power. Both players won the American League Player of the Month award.
Yet, the Royals couldn’t overcome their early strugles. It’s easy to point to down seasons from Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino, among others. The trio dealt with injuries at different times, which zapped their production.
What I believe this move signals is that the Royals feel there’s more to come from their offensive performance. I can’t disagree there, but the club would be better served to finding two or three productive bats from outside the org. The Picollo Era has been marked by awarding too many plate appearances to too many sub-mediocre hitters.
Zumwalt has been in the sights for a segment of this fan base for the better part of two seasons. I get it. When a team underperforms—and the Royals have certainly underperformed—there needs to be accountability. Owner John Sherman’s guy is Picollo. Picollo’s guy is Quatraro. So someone on the coaching staff needs to take the fall. Or be reassigned.
Philip Ruo at Royals Keep evaluates Royals hitters the Royals picked up last season, like Isaac Collins.
In one respect, Collins succeeded in solidifying left field. Collins accounted for 78% of the plate appearances from Royals left fielders in 2026. He also provided a noticeable improvement in offensive production with a slash line of .214/.321/.324 with an 84 wRC+ and 0.2 fWAR. However, his wRC+ and fWAR rank second-to-last and last among qualified primary left fielders. Collins was brought in for his on-base skills and plate discipline, but he saw a noticeable decline in his xwOBA from .322 in 2025 to .294 in 2026, which places him in the 15th percentile in the majors.
After taking the first game of the series in dominant fashion, the Yankees look to take care of business tonight in the Bronx. The Bombers hand the ball to veteran lefty and ace Max Fried. What can Fried do to follow up on Schlittler’s gem in the opener and send Boston home for the winter? Let’s preview Game 2 of this Wild Card Series.
Fried’s body of work was spectacular, but limited in 2026. In 20 starts this season, he posted a 2.80 ERA and a 0.994 WHIP, racking up 104 strikeouts over 112.2 frames while holding opponents to a meager .201 average. In his last two starts of the regular season, Fried dominated Minnesota, going seven strong innings of one-run ball on September 15th, before stumbling slightly against the Rays on September 22nd, when he took a loss after allowing four runs over 6.2 innings.
The 32-year-old Fried squared off with the Red Sox twice during the 2026 regular season. Back on April 22nd, he abandoned his windup mid-game to pitch entirely from the stretch and went eight dominant innings in Boston, striking out nine and giving up only three hits.
Fried’s most recent encounter with the Beantown Boys was on August 29th, when he was coming off the injured list. In that game, he tossed 3.2 frames of one-run ball to help the Yankees to a 9-2 victory. Even though it was last year, we’d also be remiss if we didn’t note that Fried fired 6.1 innings of shutout ball against Boston in the 2025 Wild Card Series opener.
When facing left-handed starters like Fried, the Red Sox usually counter with a lineup heavily anchored by switch-hitters Adley Rutschman and Nick Sogard, alongside right-handed bats Willson Contreras, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Trevor Story. With Roman Anthony leaving Game 1 with an injury, we will have to wait and see what the Red Sox do to try and get some offense. Few Red Sox hitters have many at-bats vs. Fried, but Story has gone 5-for-22 with two home runs off Fried.
Boston counters with right-handed Sonny Gray. The former Yankee has put together a great season as a 36-year-old. After logging an 18-5 record over 29 starts with a 2.72 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 149 strikeouts in 169 innings, many Red Sox fans would argue “their guy” should be in the down-ballot Cy Young race. Gray is coming off a masterful performance against the Guardians on September 23rd, firing six scoreless innings while earning his 18th win. Over his last three starts, he has surrendered six earned runs across 18.1 innings. Gray attacks hitters with a heavy dose of four-seam fastballs paired with hard-sweeping sliders and multi-quadrant breaking balls.
Gray had one meh start and one really, really good start against the Yankees in the regular season. His numbers ended up at 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts. He outlasted the Yankees in the Stadium on June 5th, giving up three runs over 6.1 innings for a 5-3 win, though the Bombers did tally eight hits in that game. He followed that up on June 28th with a big personal performance, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning and recording his 2,000th career strikeout.
However, Gray has not faced this Yankees lineup and arguably faced the Yankees this season when they were at their worst.
Meanwhile, the Yankees’ playoff roster is finally the chess board Brian Cashman has tried to provide Aaron Boone with for years, even if the team is still missing the most important offensive piece on the roster. With a right-hander on the bump to start the game, I expect the Yankees to roll a lefty-heavy lineup out of the starting gate despite Gray’s splits showing he has been just as effective versus lefties as righties.
My bold prediction is that Boone will start two right-handed bats tonight in George Lombard Jr. and Amed Rosario. Rosario is 7-for-24 lifetime vs. Gray, while Ryan McMahon is 1-for-11 — though the contact-oriented Fried has generally preferred to have the more defensively adept McMahon at the hot corner. The good news for the Yankees is Trade Deadline acquisition Luis Garcia Jr. is 4-for-10 with a home run, and Game 1 hero Ben Rice is 3-for-7 with two home runs. Those are good for a 1.200 and 1.841 OPS, respectively. Trent Grisham might not start, but he has also hit Gray well, sitting at a .500 average in 10 at-bats with a home run and a 1.445 OPS of his own. The cherry on top is Spencer Jones is also batting .500 against Gray with a double sprinkled into those three hits. Maybe this is all Small Sample Theatre, but it’s worth considering.
The Red Sox have lefties galore on their staff and, in an elimination game, will have to lay all their cards on the table. If you decide to keep score at home, I would recommend a pencil tonight and be ready for lots of scratches through the lineup card, as each pitching change could very well be met with a counter in the batter’s box.
As the Mets enter the offseason, they'll be facing a familiar challenge: put together a team that can get them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2024.
David Stearnsand the front office failed in that regard last offseason, due in part to the drastic changes that were made to the roster and coaching staff. There were other things at play, including long-term injuries to Francisco Lindor and Clay Holmes, some worst-case scenarios playing out, and an over-reliance on bounce backs.
This time around, the Mets will almost certainly have much less turnover, but that doesn't mean the overall result in 2026 wasn't an abject failure.
New York had a 34-31 record after the All-Star break, which was a big improvement after things spun out of control in the first half and led to a trade deadline sell-off.
But the most important developments for the Mets after their dismal start? The emergence of Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing, the impressive return of Christian Scott, the moxie and performance of Zac Thornton, and some good late-season signs from Jonah Tong.
The above should give the Mets confidence that they're in solid shape when it comes to their lineup and a chunk of the starting rotation. They have an emerging young core to complement their more established stars, and potentially have high-upside players coming soon from the upper levels of the minors. But serious help is still needed this winter.
Specifically, the Mets need to add external help at first base, address the DH spot, bolster the bullpen with multiple new arms (including a back end option), and -- most importantly -- find a pitcher who profiles at the very top of the rotation.
In both 2025 and 2026, the Mets were done in, due in large part to not having enough starting pitching depth. And it can be argued that they left themselves short one legitimate starter both times. That can't happen again, so New York should be focused on pairing a new prospective ace with another addition who profiles in the middle or back of the rotation.
About that ace ... it's not difficult to figure out that it should be Tarik Skubal.
In one of the weakest free agent classes in recent memory, Skubal stands out even more than he ordinarily would.
Fresh off back-to-back Cy Young awards, the 29-year-old Skubal posted a 2.72 ERA (2.51 FIP) and 0.96 WHIP while walking just 1.5 per nine innings and striking out 186 batters in 158.2 innings in 2026.
Aug 28, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the third inning at Comerica Park. / Lon Horwedel - Imagn Images
Skubal's season was briefly interrupted by NanoScope surgery on his pitching elbow that kept him out of action from April 30 through June 13. But he continued to be dominant upon his return. After having a 2.70 ERA (2.11 FIP) over his first seven starts, Skubal had a 2.73 ERA (2.66 FIP) in the 19 starts he made post-surgery, with 10 of them coming after he was dealt to the Dodgers at the trade deadline.
During Stearns' end-of-season news conference on Monday at Citi Field, he was asked multiple times about the Mets' offseason plan for adding pitching, but unsurprisingly didn't offer much when asked in a roundabout way about a possible Skubal pursuit.
"I do think it is necessary for us to add to our rotation," Stearns said. "We can do that in a variety of different ways. We've talked about this plenty before -- you'd always love to add to the top of your rotation, any team would love to do that -- over the long term, what we need to do is develop pitchers at the top of our rotation, and I think we are proving we can do that, and we'll continue to do that."
While Stearns refused to make any declarations about the type of pitcher the Mets would go after, it is pointless to read into that.
For one, Skubal is still under contract with the Dodgers, and no executive is going to talk about going after a player who is on another team.
Second, and even more importantly, no exec is going to tip his or her hand entirely and risk wrecking leverage ahead of possible negotiations.
While Stearns (smartly) won't say it, I will: The Mets should make Skubal the centerpiece of their offseason plan, using the resources at their disposal to add one of the most talented pitchers in the sport to slot in front of Nolan McLean.
The Mets' biggest need this offseason is at the top of their rotation, with Skubal a nearly perfect way to fill that need. And Skubal will cost only money, since the midseason trade from Detroit to Los Angeles makes him ineligible for a qualifying offer and the draft pick compensation it would've required from any team that signed him.
When discussing Skubal and the Mets, it's obviously instructive to consider Stearns' philosophy when it comes to signing pitchers to long-term deals. Specifically, he has not shown much interest in signing pitchers in their late-20s or 30s to those kind of pacts -- and that philosophy is generally a valid one.
For every long-term, big-money deal to a pitcher 29 or older that works out (Max Scherzer's seven-year deal with the Nationals looks incredible in retrospect, and the Yankees' deal for Max Fried is aging well), you can point to a whole bunch that didn't or currently aren't (Patrick Corbin, Jacob deGrom, Jordan Zimmermann, Felix Hernandez, Corbin Burnes).
As far as how Stearns has operated in the past, it's fair to throw what he did in Milwaukee out the window given the payroll constraints he was working under.
Jun 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks during a press conference before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. The club earlier today parted ways with manager Carlos Mendoza (not pictured). / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
But except for a serious pursuit of then-25-year-old Yoshinobu Yamamoto ahead of the 2024 season, Stearns' main forays into the free agent starting pitching market with the Mets have been measured:
Sean Manaea: Three years, $75 million Clay Holmes: Three years, $38 million Frankie Montas: Two years, $34 million Luis Severino: One year, $13 million Griffin Canning: One year, $4.25 million
Of those signings, Holmes was the biggest success as the Mets turned him back into a starter after he spent years in relief. But that success resulted in Holmes being set to opt out after the second season of his contract, which led to New York trading him at the deadline.
During his time leading the Mets' baseball operations, Stearns has been reluctant to offer deals to starting pitchers (except Yamamoto) that exceed three years. When that is your philosophy, the risk is obviously lower. But sometimes a calculated risk is needed.
When it comes to Skubal, there is risk. In addition to the minor surgery he had this season, Skubal underwent flexor tendon surgery in 2022 and had Tommy John surgery in 2017.
Skubal is also likely to receive the biggest deal ever for a starting pitcher when it comes to average annual value. Maybe his age (30 when next season begins) and yearly value of his deal will make the years easier to stomach, but something like $400 million for eight years is easy to imagine.
There's also the looming lockout and new CBA to consider.
While it's difficult to envision the players caving on a hard salary cap, it's fair to believe the new CBA will include stiffer penalties for teams that exceed the luxury tax thresholds.
But even after considering all of that, it's still reasonable to conclude that the Mets should go after Skubal with gusto -- that he should be the exception to Stearns' rule, maybe with a slight nudge from owner Steve Cohen.
Things could always go sideways, as they often do with long-term deals for older starting pitchers. But there's no reason to think Skubal won't be exceptional for the first half of any deal he signs, which would also theoretically line up with a World Series window the Mets will hope to be entering.
When you look at Skubal, who combines one of the best arsenals in baseball with perhaps the best command in baseball (and whose metrics look like this), the biggest risk for the Mets would be not going all-in on him.
Jaylen Brown’s departure from the Boston Celtics won’t just impact the team offensively and defensively on the court, it also will force other players to step up and take on more of a leadership role.
Jayson Tatum, as the team’s best player and face of the franchise, is shouldering more of a leadership responsibility entering the 2026-27 NBA season.
And the team’s most experienced player is impressed with what he’s seen so far.
“From the outside looking in, I always thought (Tatum) was one of the best players in the league. Getting to know him now, he’s a guy I feel like is really coming into his own as a leader,” Celtics guard Mike Conley Jr. told reporters Wednesday.
“A guy that’s ready to make a jump. I think after the last couple years with the injury, he has a lot to prove, and he’s out there trying to prove it. I’m excited for him and his growth throughout the time I’m around him. I’m going to try to help him as best I can.”
Conley provided some specific examples of Tatum stepping up as a leader.
“In L.A. he called everyone and said let’s go work out, let’s go meet, let’s spend about seven or eight days out there and go golf, go out to eat,” Conley said. “He’s setting up all kinds of things off the court.
“He’s bringing in huddles after practices and every workout we have, he has something to say, calling guys out and just really taking ownership of the situation. I think that’s big.”
Conley is about to enter his 20th season. He and Kevin Durant are the only players from the 2007 NBA Draft who are still playing.
The 39-year-old guard isn’t a starter-level player anymore, but he remains one of the most respected veterans in the league and a great locker room presence. His experience and wisdom should help Tatum and many other Celtics players improve as leaders this season.
Now, the Flyers have to build on it. The new 84-game regular season starts Wednesday when the Flyers welcome the Penguins for their anticipated opener (7:30 p.m. ET/TNT). Flyers Pregame Live starts at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Flyers Postgame Live will come after the final buzzer.
“We hope our young guys take another step,” Briere said a little over two weeks ago. “And if they do, I think we’ll be very competitive. I think last year, going into the season, we were just hoping to be competitive, we were hoping to be in the mix. In or out of the playoffs was going to be a good season.
“I see us as more competitive than we were last year and a better team than we were last year. Where it leaves us, time will tell. But certainly, I’m hoping that after the players tasted the playoffs last year, that they’re eager to get back there once again.”
Before the puck drops at Xfinity Mobile Arena, let’s get into our Flyers Fearless Forecast, featuring projections for how the team will finish and a random assortment of bold predictions from NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall, Ashlyn Sullivan and Joe Fordyce.
Hall
Flyers prediction/Cup prediction
The Flyers’ run to the playoffs last season was particularly impressive when you consider they had lost 12 of 15 games prior to the Olympic break in February. There’s reason to believe they can avoid such a funk this season, which would put them in good position for consecutive postseason berths.
The club’s lineup didn’t change a whole lot this offseason, but the addition of Joseph Woll could be critical. Last season, the Flyers’ skid coincided with Dan Vladar getting hurt. The team struggled mightily to stop the bleeding.
Woll, the new backup goaltender, has starter’s experience and played in a pressure-packed market with the Maple Leafs. He’ll give the Flyers a quality safety valve at the most important position in the game.
While the league-worst power play remains a legitimate concern, the Flyers have optimism around full seasons for Tyson Foerster and Porter Martone. Those two goal-scoring wingers combined for only 38 games last regular season. Both are big pieces to the Flyers’ present and future.
With more answers than they had at this time last year, the Flyers will make it back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns. We’ll have them going 46-25-13 for 105 points.
The Flyers, though, will stomach a first-round exit because of a challenging Metropolitan Division matchup against a team like the Hurricanes or Capitals. But another trip to the playoffs should be considered a victory in the grand scheme.
As for the Stanley Cup, the Avalanche will be healthier this time when it matters most, beating the Capitals in six games.
Tippett’s time
A healthy Owen Tippett is poised to score 35 to 40 goals and put up 70 or more points. That would be a major step for the talented power forward who has battled streakiness in his career.
He hasn’t hit 30 goals yet and his career high in points is 53. But down the stretch last season, especially in March, the mild-mannered Tippett fueled the Flyers’ playoff push. The 27-year-old should ride that confidence this season.
“He has just got so much potential,” Travis Konecny said in March. “I love when you see him realize it during a game and he’s like, ‘This is my game and I’m taking over.’ It’s fun to watch.”
Power struggle
The fear for the Flyers would be the power play not improving. It was in the basement last season at 15.7 percent. Over the last five seasons combined, it has operated at 14.1 percent, easily the worst in the league.
Will the Flyers finally find some answers? It’s tough to say they will. They did homework in the summer and they’re harping on it every day, but the Flyers didn’t address it with an offseason move.
The power play could prove costly again, putting the pressure on offseason fixes next summer.
Sullivan
Flyers prediction/Cup prediction
I think the Flyers beat their point total from last season and finish with over 100 points. In January last season, the Flyers lost 11 of 15 games. A large part of that bad stretch was the wearing down of Vladar because the Flyers didn’t have a lot of trust in their backup goaltenders.
The addition of Woll to the goaltending room will hopefully stop those long losing streaks in their tracks. If Vladar can’t go, the Flyers should have a lot more confidence in Woll being able to steady the ship.
I think the Flyers’ season will end the same way it ended last season — with a loss in the second round of the playoffs. I also think with the expected competitiveness in the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers will make the playoffs with the last spot (third place) in the division.
My Stanley Cup prediction is the Dallas Stars vs. the Florida Panthers, with the Stars winning it all. The Stars have a proven core that is working to get over the hump of deep playoff contention.
Power surge
The Flyers’ power play might be fixed. I know … I can’t believe I am writing that either.
I am really encouraged from what we saw from the first power play unit throughout the preseason and training camp. Working to create plays with net-front presence speaks to the skill sets of Martone and Matvei Michkov.
Martone played only 19 games for the Flyers last season, including the playoff run. That was not long enough to make a lasting impact on the power play. A full season with Martone making plays could bring this power play to at least relevancy in the NHL.
Imagine how many more games the Flyers would have won in regulation last season if the power play could have done anything … anything at all.
Tyson’s turn
Foerster is going to lead the Flyers in goals. Tippett led the Flyers with 28 last season; Foerster will finish with more than that this season.
I was so impressed with how Foerster responded to the big injury last season and immediately impacted the lineup upon his return in April.
Foerster is taking on more responsibility this season and his connection with Konecny is noticeable daily on the ice.
Fordyce
Flyers prediction/Cup prediction
The arena is cold, the ice is painted and it’s time for the rubber to hit the ice.
The Flyers enter this season with expectations that most players on this team are not familiar with. The kind of expectations that come with a playoff run that included a first-round win over their opening night opponent, the bitter rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
The offseason was headlined by a big swing and perceived miss when the Flyers signed Ducks star Leo Carlsson to an unprecedented offer sheet, only to see Anaheim match the offer and retain the young phenom.
That does not, however, mean that this team did not get better, particularly in net. Not only is this Year 2 of Vladar, who was awarded a new contract during the offseason, but also a trade for Woll gives the Flyers what they hope to be a formidable 1-2 tandem.
For these reasons and more, I believe the Flyers will comfortably make the Stanley Cup Playoffs without needing a stretch of red-hot hockey down the stretch to solidify their place.
When it comes to the Stanley Cup Final, I’m going to be that guy, the one who picks the favorites. The Florida Panthers enter this season getting Aleksander Barkov back from injury. Oh, and they added Brady Tkachuk to a lineup that features his brother Matthew Tkachuk for a full season. Last year, Matthew Tkachuk missed a sizable portion of the season with an injury from the start. I think the Panthers will meet the Colorado Avalanche in a hard-fought series, with Florida eventually capturing its third Cup in four years.
Martone mania
When I look at how this season will play itself out, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Martone will be the Flyers’ leading goal scorer. Martone seems to be unfazed for a young player who burst onto the scene late last season, and I expect him to roll into the 2026-27 season and not miss a beat.
Woll’s resurgence
My second prediction: Woll will rediscover himself with the Flyers. This tends to happen to players when they leave Toronto. Phil Kessel, Mitch Marner and several others could attest to being unlocked upon leaving the Maple Leafs for in many cases greener pastures.
Not suggesting that Woll is on the level of talent as a Kessel or Marner, but I believe the 28-year-old goaltender will find a new level of success in Philadelphia.
SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres celebrates at home plate after scoring in the seventh inning during Game One of the National League Wild Card Series presented by AbbVie between the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Meet the Mets
Jefferson Rojas is nearing the majors, but his hopes could be stalled by a potential lockout.
Joel Sherman wrote a guide to the Mets’ offseason, covering the big questions and potential targets.
Freddy Peralta won the American League Pitcher of the Month honor for September, and David Stearns credited Tampa Bay for doing what the Mets were unable to achieve with Peralta.
Around the National League East
The Phillies announced their complete Wild Card series roster.
The Braves beat the Phillies 5-3 in the first game of the Wild Card series. Austin Riley hit a three-run home run off of Phillies closer Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning to seal the victory.
Paul Casella compiled a list of four key takeaways from the first game between the Braves and the Phillies.
Around Major League Baseball
The White Sox beat the Astros 6-3 in the first game of their series and made it look easy.
The Yankees completely dominated the Red Sox 9-0 in the first game of their Wild Card series, with plenty of help from Massachusetts natives Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice.
The Padres bashed their way to a win in a 8-0 beatdown of the Cubs, and Michael King’s seven innings of one-hit baseball sealed the deal for the Padres to take the lead in the Wild Card series.
Britt Ghiroli is dreading this postseason, as the looming lockout could stop games for an indeterminable amount of time.
After years as baseball’s worst hitter, Austin Hedges has been experiencing an offensive renaissance at 34 years old.
The Minor League Baseball award winners were announced Monday evening.
There’s a way each postseason team could eventually go the distance and win the World Series.
Aaron Judge was officially left off the Yankees Wild Card series roster, but he’ll continue his rehab in hopes of being activated for a potential American League Division Series.
Giancarlo Stanton and Garrett Crochet could perform some postseason heroics after being added to their respective teams rosters.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
A Pod of Their Own returned with their 2026 season postmortem.
Linus Lawrence listed the different former Mets playing in this year’s postseason.
Lawrence also wrote a guide to the postseason with reasons why a Mets fan might want to root for each team.
Steve Sypa published the Prospect Report Card for September.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 1 day until opening night at Nationwide Arena.
Let's take a look at who wore 1 and where they are now.
Jean-François Labbé - 2002 - Undrafted out of
Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Jean-François Labbé played in 14 games with the Blue Jackets over the course of two seasons. He went 3-5 with an .890 SV%. He spent the bulk of his time playing in the AHL for the Syracuse Crunch.
He left North America in 2003 for Russia. He then played in Germany and Poland before returning to Canada in 2009. After playing a season for Sherbrooke Saint-François in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey, he would retire.
Labbé was primarily an AHL goalie, playing in a total of 261 games. He had a record of 131-97-25 and had 13 shutouts. He has won numerous awards in the AHL, including Best Goaltender and Most Valuable Player. For his efforts, Labbé was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2016.
After retiring, he moved into coaching, where he was either a head coach or a goaltending coach at different stops.
Tomáš Pöpperle - 2007 - Drafted by Columbus in 2005.
Pöpperle played two games for Columbus in 06-07, which were the only two NHL games of his career, both of which were in relief. His SV% was .929% and he had a GAA of 1.35.
He played 66 AHL games for the Syracuse Crunch before returning to Europe. He last played in 23-24 in Germany's second tier.
Steve Mason - 2009-2013 - Drafted by Columbus in 2006.
Mason won 96 games for Columbus in his career. His win total is third behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Elvis Merzlikins. His 19 shutouts are also second, while he played 13,138:02 of TOI, which is fourth. His GAA is fourth in team history, while his save % is fifth.
After he was traded to Philadelphia, he played four years for the Flyers before spending a season with the Winnipeg organization. After suffering two concussions and a serious knee injury, Mason wouldn't play again and would retire.
Mason started his career with a bang, winning the 08-09 Calder Trophy and being named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team. He was also named an NHL All-Star during his rookie year, to go along with his NHL second-team honors.
Mason was traded to the Flyers on April 3, 2013, in exchange for
goaltender Michael Leighton and a 2015 third-round draft pick. In Philly, he would finish with a record of 104-78-36.
Mason, while playing for Canada at the U20 World Junior Championships, went 5-0 with a SV% of .951 and won tournament MVP, best goaltender, and was an all-star.
Oh, what could have been.
There is one day left until opening day at Nationwide Arena.
