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Our 2026 MLB awards: The best, worst and weirdest from a wild season

KANSAS CITY — Come on, did anyone in their right mind believe the Chicago White Sox would go from a laughingstock to the playoffs in two years?

Did anyone have the Toronto Blue Jays, who were 90 feet away from a World Series championship last year, sitting home for October on their bingo card?

If you were told the Seattle Mariners would be playing in perhaps the worst division in baseball history, you’d have predicted they’d have a playoff berth clinched in July, instead of becoming the biggest embarrassment in franchise history, right?

More: MLB team payrolls from highest to lowest: Money isn't everything in 2026

Oh, the 2026 regular-season was filled with plenty of surprises, a whole lot of disbelief, and proof that money doesn’t buy happiness (we’re talking about you again, New York Mets); money isn’t a requirement to build a power (Milwaukee Brewers, and yes, the Tampa Bay Rays); but money sure does cover up plenty of flaws (yep, you again, Los Angeles Dodgers).

While we gear up for the postseason here are our annual 2026 award superlatives:

Best performance

Ryan O’Hearn, Pittsburgh Pirates: O’Hearn hit three homers and drove in 10 runs in the first six innings of the Pirates' 12-4 victory over Atlanta on July 7 in Pittsburgh.

And unlike so many other fabulous performances that are blemished, not a single hit was off a position player.

Worst performance

Kansas City Royals: The somehow committed three errors on a single play during a bizarre sequence against the New York Mets, permitting Mets rookie Carson Benge to score an inside-the-park "Little League" home run in July.

It began when Royals starter Seth Lugo fielded a soft grounder to the left of the mound. He made an off-balance throw to first base that skipped past first baseman Jac Caglianone. Caglianone retrieved the ball and threw wildly halfway between third and home into foul territory. And then there was a third wild throw by third baseman Nick Loftin to the backstop, allowing Benge to score standing up, and laughing on the way to the dugout.

The real joke?

The Royals still won the game over the hapless Mets, 16-12, who surrendered 19 hits and walked 11 batters.

Best quote

Payton Tolle, Boston Red Sox, on trying to make the roster out of spring training: “Fight like you're the third monkey trying to get on the ark and it's starting to rain.’’

The dude is hilarious and already a cult hero in Boston.

Worst quote

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays, on the first year of his 14-year, $500 million contract: “I want people to understand one thing: The money they gave me wasn't for what I'm going to do. It was for what I already did. They didn't pay me because I'm going to hit 40 every year. They paid me for what I already accomplished."

Dude, really?

The Blue Jays already paid you for the first six years. They paid you a half-billion dollars for you to continue doing what you did, not hit nine home runs, including just one at home.

Guerrero apologized two days later, saying, “I want to make my contract a great one,’’ but the quote still left owners squeamish fearing future free agents believe the same.

Strangest injury

Ethan Roberts, Chicago Cubs:  He was working out in the Citizens Bank Park tunnel in Philadelphia throwing a medicine ball against a wall. It bounced off and dislodged a vent cover from the opposite wall. He reached back, deflected the falling vent, and it cut underneath his right middle finger, and went on the injured list.

“Just random bad luck,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “You can’t even make it up.”

Best disappearing act

Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks: Can you imagine telling your boss that you don’t feel like showing up for work, and then ghosting everyone, refusing to answer your cell phone or open your hotel room because you’re pouting, and still welcomed back to work with your boss saying he loves you. Hey, welcome to Marte’s world, when he made fools of the entire organization, and lived to laugh in their faces about it.

The D-backs lost two of those three games. If they had won them, they could have clinched a postseason berth before the weekend. Let that sink in all winter.

Worst encore

Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners: OK, nobody though that Raleigh would hit 60 home runs again, but this? He had a .156/.266/.291 slash line with 122 strikeouts in his first 90 games this season. He went from 60 homers to just 23, the biggest dropoff by a 60-home run from one season to the next in history. He also has plummeted from 351 total bases a year ago to just 163, the biggest dropoff in history.

Best walk-off

Erik Neander, Tampa Bay Rays: Neander, the brilliant president of baseball operations, celebrated the Rays’ AL East title the following day by walking five miles from midtown Manhattan to Yankee Stadium.

It was leisurely two-hour walk.

Best in-season comeback

Fernando Tatis, San Diego Padres: Tatis had the same amount of homers as you and your buddies the first 55 games of the season: zero. He began turning it on May 29, producing the highest OPS in the National League since the All-Star break, and is now hitting .291 with 25 homers and 81 RBIw with an .832 OPS.

He’s the first player in history to produce 25 home runs in a season after going homerless through his first 50-plus games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He’ll certainly finish in the top 10 on the MVP ballot.

Best formerly discarded prospects

Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros; Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs; Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (tie)

In 2016, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired reliever Josh Fields from the Houston Astros, giving up Alvarez, a 19-year-old out of Cuba.

In 2021, the New York Mets acquired shortstop Javy Baez from the Cubs, giving up their former first-round pick, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

In 2021, Cleveland acquired reliever Tobias Myers, giving up a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Junior Caminero.

Oops. Oops. And oops.

Best investment

Kwaanza Jones and Jose E. Feliciano, San Diego Padres: Just five weeks ago, they bought the Padres for a staggering $3.9 billion.

Now, they already are raking in the profits of having a postseason team with a waiting list for season tickets next year.

NL Manager of the Year

Pat Murphy, Milwaukee Brewers: It was a toss-up between Murphy and Walt Weiss, but Murphy tipped the scales this past week during their 100th victory when he yanked All-Star catcher William Contreras out of the game.

“He didn’t run the ball out and [Phillies shortstop Trea Turner] muffed it," Murphy explained. “I didn’t know whether he was going to be safe. Everyone knows how much William does for our team, how hard he plays, how hard he competes.

“But we don’t accept that, and he knows that."

Bravo!

The next night, Contreras slide head-first into first base trying to beat out an infield single.

No one requires more discipline than Murphy in the game, and as he’s proven yet again, no one is a better manager.

AL Manager of the Year

Will Venable, Chicago White Sox: He took over a team that lost a record 121 games in 2024, and 102 games last year, and took them to the postseason.

In 2024, they finished 51 ½ games out of first place.

This year, they entered Saturday one game out of first place.

He could become he first manager in history to lose 100 games one year and win the division the next

Executive of the year

Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta: Anthopoulos was mocked when he had three of his top starters – Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep – go down in spring training, and he didn’t panic by signing free agent Lucas Giolito or making a rash trade. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim opened the year on the injured list and was never the same after slipping on ice and tearing a finger tendon in January. Catcher Sean Murphy had hip surgery last September and his recovery lingered into the season. Outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended 162 games for being popped a second time using performance-enhancing drugs.

So what does Anthopoulos do? He grabs veteran Dominic Smith off the scrap heap, and he hits .338 in April and .310 in May. Martín Pérez, who is designated for assignment afer two starts, re-signs with the team and becomes one of their invaluable starters. There was the heist of utility man Mauricio Dubón, acquired from the Houston Astros for infielder Nick Allen. And then the shrewd under-the-radar pickup of Tyler Mahle, who has been the best pitcher pickup outside Tarik Skubal at a fraction of the cost.

And Atlanta wins the NL East going away.

NL MVP

Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs: He looked lost in April and May, and then showed the baseball world what a five-tool player looks like the rest of the summer. He hit 39 homers and stole 27 bases with a 1.091 OPS since May 30, while becoming the first player in Cubs’ history to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases (45 homers and 41 steals) while playing spectacular defense.

It may have been a different outcome if Shohei Ohtani continued to pitch, but once he stopped, Crow-Armstrong hit 26 home runs and stole 19 bases, as Marquee Sports Network pointed out.

AL MVP

Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros: Alvarez is not only the best pure hitter in the game since Barry Bonds, producing one of the greatest all-around seasons in baseball history while just narrowly missing out on the Triple Crown, he also carried the Astros on his back all season.

He produced a 1.035 OPS while the rest of the team combined for a .688 OPS_slugging .721 and a 1.282 OPS with runners in scoring position. He even conducted a fiery team meeting when the Astros were on the brink of elimination.

NL Cy Young

Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers: He’s not only the finest pitcher in the NL, but the most entertaining, and must-watch TV. The dude has 247 strikeouts and allowed just 94 hits, the greatest ratio in history. He has a 38.2% strikeout rate, the second-best of all time, and a .158 opponent’s batting average the best by any qualified starter. You’ll see him on the national stage on Saturday pitching Game 1 of the postseason for the Brewers.

AL Cy Young

Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees: Simply, he was the most dependable starter in baseball, and should be the third pitcher in Yankees history to win the award unanimously. He made 33 starts, and permitted no more than one earned run in 25 of them, second to only Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax in 1963 (25). His road ERA was a mininiscule 1.16, third-best in history.

NL Rookie of the Year

Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds. Stewart has hit 32 home runs and driven in 110 runs, vying to become only the third rookie in history to lead his respective league in homers, joining Ted Williams and Walt Drapo of the Boston Red Sox. He was incredible with runners in scoring position, slashing .301/.361/.569.

AL Rookie of the Year

Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers: McGonigle is everything the Tigers could have imagined, and more. He’s the youngest rookie to reach base 262 times with 94 walks an an OPS-plus (126) since a fella named Ted Williams. He is a true superstar in the making.

NL Reliever of the year

Mason Miller, San Diego Padres: He’s not only the best reliever in the game, but one of the most valuable players in the National League. The Padres aren’t in the postseason without Miller yielding a .142 batting average with 16.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Incredibly, he has given up just five extra-base hits to the 259 batters he faced.

AL Reliever of the Year

Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians: The Guardians aren’t in the postseason without him, either. He has been invaluable to their third consecutive playoff run, saving a major-league leading 41 saves. The Guardians have gone 69-2 this year when leading after eight innings, winning 25 one-run games, with Smith pitching 73.1 innings –second most by a reliever in baseball – with 107 strikeouts. He hasn’t given up a run in his last 12 appearances, spanning 14.1 innings, winning three games and saving seven others.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Our 2026 MLB awards: The best, worst and weirdest from a wild season

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MLB team payrolls from highest to lowest: Money isn't everything in 2026

It remains to be seen if MLB will continue to scream about competitive balance once the postseason is complete,  but certainly, there’s a strong correlation between reaching the playoffs and staying home if you spend the money.

Here are the final team payrolls heading into the postseason, calculated by Major League Baseball’s labor relations department, and obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

The team with baseball’s highest final payroll, the New York Mets at $345.8 million, will be sitting home in October. Meanwhile with baseball’s lowest payroll, the Cleveland Guardians at $74.2 million, are in the postseason for the third consecutive season.

The team with the best record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers, has the 19th-highest. The team with the best record in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays, has the sixth-lowest payroll.

Three of the six-lowest team payrolls will be in the playoffs this season with Tampa Bay, Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox.

More: Why 60 games is magic number in MLB lockout

Two of the top five-highest payrolls will miss the playoffs with the Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. Eight of the top-10 teams in payroll made the postseason, while three of the bottom-10 teams missed the postseason.

Interestingly, the middle-class was all but eliminated from the postseason this season. The Brewers are the only team with a payroll ranked between 11th and 24th – from $98 million to $202 million – earning a postseason bid.

In the past 10 years, eight teams have ranked in the top 10 in MLB in payroll, five have ranked in the top five, and three have ranked first. We’ll see if the Brewers or Rays become the first small-market team to win the World Series since the Kansas City Royals in 2015, which will surely be a vital talking point in the CBA negotiations.

The figured obtained by USA TODAY Sports are the MLB Labor Relations Department's present-day salary calculation. The LRD numbers include the player’s actual salary plus his pro-rated signing bonus before any player or club options.

Here are the payrolls for each team and whether they are in or out of the postseason:

MLB payrolls 2026

  1. New York Mets: $346.8 million (out of the playoffs)
  2. Los Angeles Dodgers: $338.0 million (In the playoffs)
  3. New York Yankees: $304.6 million: In.
  4. Philadelphia Phillies: $291.7 million: (TBD).
  5. Toronto Blue Jays: $275.4 million: Out.
  6. Atlanta: $263.9 million: In.
  7. Houston Astros: $249.5 million: In.
  8. Chicago Cubs: $248.8 million: In
  9. San Diego Padres: $223.9 million: In.
  10. Boston Red Sox: $210.2 million: In
  11. Detroit Tigers: $202.1 million: Out
  12. San Francisco Giants: $197.6 million: Out.
  13. Arizona Diamondbacks: $192.8 million: Out (TBD)
  14. Texas Rangers: $192.5 million: Out.
  15. Los Angeles Angels: $179.8 million: Out.
  16. Seattle Mariners: $170.5 million: Out.
  17. Baltimore Orioles: $169.2 million: Out
  18. Kansas City Royals: $149.8 million: Out.
  19. Milwaukee Brewers: $143.5 million: In.
  20. Cincinnati Reds: $128.3 million: Out
  21. Colorado Rockies: $117.0 million: Out
  22. Minnesota Twins: $109.5 million: Out
  23. Pittsburgh Pirates: $107.6 million: Out.
  24. Athletics: $98.7 million: Out
  25. Tampa Bay Rays: $98.3 million. In
  26. Chicago White Sox: $98.0 million: In
  27. St. Louis Cardinals: $94.7 million: Out.
  28. Washington Nationals: $90.3 million: Out.
  29. Miami Marlins: $83.0 million: Out.
  30. Cleveland Guardians: $74.2 million: In.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB team payrolls from highest to lowest: Money isn't everything in 2026

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Today on Pinstripe Alley – 9/26/26

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 25: Spencer Jones #78 and Luis Garcia Jr. #26 of the New York Yankees celebrate after scoring two runs during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles in game two of their doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on September 25, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images

We’ve reached the strange end of what’s been a pretty strange season. Thanks to a Nor’easter that slammed into the east coast this weekend, the Yankees preemptively moved their originally scheduled Saturday game to Friday, leaving a day off before the last game of the season. Yet the storm still rages, and it’s possible that they’re unable to even play today, leaving them and the Orioles with just 161 games on their respective ledgers. The storm actually didn’t dump much rain on the city for much of Saturday afternoon, meaning the teams may have been able to get a game in after all, but in any event, if the Yankees unexpectedly are handed a three-day rest before the start of their AL Wild Card Series with the Red Sox, I imagine they’ll take it.

We’ll have coverage of the last game today, if it ends up played, with first pitch bumped up to 1:05 pm EST. On the site, you can also check out Jeremy’s Rivalry Roundup from the penultimate day of the regular season, as well as Kento’s homage to David Hale, a lesser-known member of the 2019 “Next Man Up” Yankees, and John’s weekly spin through Yankees social media.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

Time: 3:20 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, MASN

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. How effective do you think Will Warren will be out of the bullpen in the playoffs? Do you think he should be one of Aaron Boone’s top options in relief other than David Bednar?

2. How will the AL West and NL Wild Card races finally shake out today?

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Luka Garza aiming to improve defense

TUZLA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - AUGUST 28: Luka Garza of Bosnia and Herzegovina rises for a shot against Italy defenders during the FIBA World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers Group J game between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy at Mejdan Arena on August 28, 2026 in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Massimo Ceretti/FIBA via Getty Images) | FIBA via Getty Images

Joe Mazzulla spanned the globe this summer to spend time with his players, arriving in Spain, Portugal, Dallas and Omaha. His most remote happened 20 minutes south of Des Moines, Iowa.

“It was one of the biggest things that’s happened in Indianola in a long time, I’ll tell you that,” Frank Garza, Luka’s father, told CLNS Media/CelticsBlog on the Celtics Daily Podcast last week.

While Mazzulla provided words of wisdom and moral support at one of Garza’s two basketball camps in Iowa, Celtics assistant D.J. MacLeay visited Garza in his native Washington D.C. for defensive work with Boston’s big man.

Neemias Queta ascending to the starting center role last season and Mitchell Robinson’s arrival in free agency leaves Garza in a depth role entering 2026-27. However, he proved himself as a reliable NBA reserve last season. He averaged 8.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 assist while shooting 57.7% from the field and 43.3% from three in 16.2 minutes per game during the regular season.

Like with Queta and Nikola Vučević playing in front of him, foul trouble doomed Garza in the playoffs against Philadelphia, committing 8.5 per 36 minutes compared to 5.2 during the year. That’s why Garza, his father and MacLeay largely focused on that side of the ball in their offseason work.

“(Luka) worked incredibly hard on defense,” Frank said. “We’re talking 90 possessions on defense where he’s either doing drop coverage or screen-and-roll … for a center particularly, 90% of the game you don’t have the ball, thus, you should be practicing 90% without the ball … you’re gonna be boxing out, you’re gonna be defending … that’s how his practices were mimicked … a lot of defensive positions, a lot of handwork, a lot of foot drill work, just to improve upon the things that he needs to continue to do.”

The Garzas also focused on improving Luka’s defensive rebounding after a standout season on the defensive glass. At Iowa and to begin his NBA career, he often boxed-out to allow other players to grab rebounds, which will continue with Jayson Tatum’s return for a full season. They want Garza to have the ability to fight for loose balls defensively more often, with Queta’s 22.7 DREB% finishing far ahead of Garza’s 12.0 DREB%. Robinson posted a 26.1 DREB% as arguably the league’s best rebounder in 2026.

Garza began 2025-26 as Boston’s backup big man before his defensive struggles and the Celtics’ immense issues on the defensive glass led Mazzulla and the coaching staff to lean into rebounding wings like Josh Minott over Garza early in the schedule. They always planned to return to him, but he needed a breather and time to acclimate to the system. Meanwhile, Mazzulla searched nightly for maximum effort from Boston’s bench players while trying to establish a culture.

“You just don’t know when you’re gonna get in, and when you get in, the treadmill’s going 100 miles-per-hour, and you better get in there and … box out every time, you better go and get a rebound every time,” Frank said. “You better do all these things. There’s zero tolerance for any lack of effort. It wasn’t that he was doing a lack of effort, he was slowly getting in the flow of the game and that’s just not acceptable. You have to be ready before you get in the game and that was the big adjustment.”

Despite returning to the rotation in late-December with 9.2 PPG and 5.0 RPG while shooting 46.7% from three in winning minutes across 18 straight appearances, the Celtics ultimately added Nikola Vučević at the trade deadline. Garza initially struggled with the demotion before buying into the bigger picture and awaiting another opportunity that came when Vučević broke his right ring finger in March. Garza scored 10 points that night in a win over Dallas, closed the season averaging 10.7 PPG and poured in the game-winning three starting alongside Boston’s bench players in Game 82 against the Magic starters. He finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Frank said they had practiced that shot-fake shot.

Following his surprise spot start in Game 7 against the Sixers two weeks later, where Garza missed both three-point attempts and fouled three times, he continued working on his shot with a greater attention to doing so in game speed and movements. Garza put up perhaps the highest number of practice shots in the league to becoming a reliable threat from deep. Yet he’ll need to draw defenders out more consistently to continue his offensive growth and fit in an as occasional power forward, which Boston briefly tried unsuccessfully after the Vučević trade.

Even if he’s strictly playing the five, opportunities will emerge for Garza. Robinson’s healthiest season saw him play 72 games in 2022, and he averaged 42 in four years since (22.9 MPG). Neither Queta nor Robinson have shot threes in the NBA, and the latter struggles immensely at the free throw line.

Garza received an opportunity to showcase his improvements already with the Bosnian national team after sorting out passport issues that prevented him from participating in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament. He backed-up Jusuf Nurkić, averaged 16.8 PPG and 7.3 RPG, highlighted by 27 points in a win over Türkiye and a 16-point showing against Nikola Jokić and Serbia. Participating in the World Cup qualifiers marked a life-long dream for Garza, as he continues working toward his larger one of carving out a successful NBA career.

For that, he has Mazzulla in his corner.

“He can keep it very simple about what needs to be done,” Frank recalled from meeting the head coach in Iowa. “The game’s so complex, but he can break it down into bite-size, powerful gold nuggets about player development … and then the fact that you don’t just need to have hard work … you gotta have more than just hard work … you have to add something else, you have to add this intangible, how do you treat your teammates? How do you show it? The reason you talk on defense isn’t just to make noise, it’s to make sure your teammate knows what’s going on.”

Entering Year 2, despite added depth in the center room, expect to hear a lot more from Luka Garza.

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Penguins roster status as opening rosters loom

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Robertson (14) scores a goal against Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) in the preseason NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings on September 22, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Penguins trimmed their NHL roster by six players yesterday. Defensemen Owen Pickering, Caleb Jones and Jake Livanavage were among players being sent away.

That leaves the roster looking like this. Opening day rosters are due tomorrow, which means players must go on waivers today to clear in time to be re-assigned down. The Pens are at 32 players, so between further cuts or movement to injured reserve, they still must trim nine more players away from the following.

Forwards (20): Justin Brazeau*, Tristan Broz, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, David Gustafsson, Filip Hallander, Ben Kindel*, Ville Koivunen, Andrei Kuzmenko**, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte*, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust*, Elmer Soderblom, Bill Zonnon

Defenseman (9): Harrison Brunicke, Declan Carlile, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves*, Erik Kalrsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, Ilya Solovyov, Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies (3): Joel Blomqvist, Sergei Murashov, Artus Silovs

‘* Injured, possibility to open season on injured reserve
‘** Currently away from team for personal reasons

—

It seems likely, based on recent action, that McGroarty, Zonnon, Brunicke and Blomqvist can all be sent to the AHL without waivers. At this point, you would think that Lizotte and Kindel will move to the IR, with potentially some, many or all of Brazeau, Rust and Graves joining them. That’s nine names right there and could be all the acitivity needed.

Beyond that, the team could designate Kuzmenko to the ‘non-roster player’ area to remove him from the 23-player list while he is in Russia on bereavement due to the loss of his father. Kuzmenko would count against the salary cap (not a big concern for the Pens) but no longer be one of their 23-players until his return. The team could also opt to put Gustafsson on waivers today if one of the names from above does not need to go on the IR.

There’s still a few more decisions and area to figure out, especially when it comes to the health questions of some of the players that are banged up, but the Pens’ roster is starting to get to the point where it is coming into focus for how things will look for the start of the season. As of now, that looks like this:

Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Bryan Rust*
Filip Hallander – Connor Dewar – Elmer Soderblom

Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov

–

That assumes Rust is OK, but the opening night lines likely won’t last for that long. Kuzmenko won’t be gone forever, and the Pens can only hope that Lizotte and Kindel will be back soon. By the time they get back, who knows which other players might be injured in their place.

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Penguins roster status as opening rosters loom

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Robertson (14) scores a goal against Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) in the preseason NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings on September 22, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Penguins trimmed their NHL roster by six players yesterday. Defensemen Owen Pickering, Caleb Jones and Jake Livanavage were among players being sent away.

That leaves the roster looking like this. Opening day rosters are due tomorrow, which means players must go on waivers today to clear in time to be re-assigned down. The Pens are at 32 players, so between further cuts or movement to injured reserve, they still must trim nine more players away from the following.

Forwards (20): Justin Brazeau*, Tristan Broz, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, David Gustafsson, Filip Hallander, Ben Kindel*, Ville Koivunen, Andrei Kuzmenko**, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte*, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust*, Elmer Soderblom, Bill Zonnon

Defenseman (9): Harrison Brunicke, Declan Carlile, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves*, Erik Kalrsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, Ilya Solovyov, Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies (3): Joel Blomqvist, Sergei Murashov, Artus Silovs

‘* Injured, possibility to open season on injured reserve
‘** Currently away from team for personal reasons

—

It seems likely, based on recent action, that McGroarty, Zonnon, Brunicke and Blomqvist can all be sent to the AHL without waivers. At this point, you would think that Lizotte and Kindel will move to the IR, with potentially some, many or all of Brazeau, Rust and Graves joining them. That’s nine names right there and could be all the acitivity needed.

Beyond that, the team could designate Kuzmenko to the ‘non-roster player’ area to remove him from the 23-player list while he is in Russia on bereavement due to the loss of his father. Kuzmenko would count against the salary cap (not a big concern for the Pens) but no longer be one of their 23-players until his return. The team could also opt to put Gustafsson on waivers today if one of the names from above does not need to go on the IR.

There’s still a few more decisions and area to figure out, especially when it comes to the health questions of some of the players that are banged up, but the Pens’ roster is starting to get to the point where it is coming into focus for how things will look for the start of the season. As of now, that looks like this:

Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Bryan Rust*
Filip Hallander – Connor Dewar – Elmer Soderblom

Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov

–

That assumes Rust is OK, but the opening night lines likely won’t last for that long. Kuzmenko won’t be gone forever, and the Pens can only hope that Lizotte and Kindel will be back soon. By the time they get back, who knows which other players might be injured in their place.

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YouTube Gold: Elgin Baylor

Elgin Baylor (#22) of the Los Angeles Lakers drives toward the basket as Jerry Lucas of the Cincinnati Royals defends in a 1967 game.

Depending on your reference point, the NBA either started in 1946 as the BAA, or in 1949, when the BAA merged with the NBL to make the NBA.

However, the league at that point was pretty stale. It began to change in the late 1950s, with Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. It would change a great deal with the addition of Elgin Baylor in 1958.

Baylor entered the league after a terrific career at Seattle, and was an immediate success for the Minneapolis Lakers. He averaged 24.9 ppg, 15.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists.

He became the prototype of a highly athletic wing, a role that would evolve with players like Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving, and Michael Jordan. This video underscores how he revolutionized the NBA.

He also helped lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals, where they would lose to Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics, starting the foundational rivalry of the NBA.

In 1960, the Lakers would move to Los Angeles and also draft Jerry West, thus setting up one of the most iconic duos in NBA history.

Baylor and the Lakers would lose to Boston in the Finals seven times before he retired early in the 1971-72 season.

Ironically, after he retired, Los Angeles would go on an epic 33-game win streak, and then would win the title for the first time since 1954.

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MLB playoff picture LIVE standings: Bracket, wild card and division tiebreakers

Heading into Game 162 of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, two postseason spot are still up for grabs.

In the AL West, where the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are deadlocked at 80-81. Because Houston holds the tiebreaker, Texas faces a must-win scenario while praying for an Astros loss to steal the division crown. No matter which teams prevails, it will be the worst record for a playoff team in a 162-game season MLB history.

Meanwhile, the National League wild card race has been chaotic. The Arizona Diamondbacks erased a massive September deficit against the Philadelphia Phillies. Holding the tiebreaker, a D-backs win coupled with a Phillies loss punches Arizona's postseason ticket – and absolute despair in Philadelphia.

Here's a live look at the standings entering the final day:

Through games played Saturday, Sept. 27

MLB playoff bracket 2026

#-division champion; *clinched at least a wild card spot

American League

  • Byes:Tampa Bay Rays# (1), Cleveland Guardians# (2)
  • Wild card series:
    • White Sox* (6) at Astros (3) – Winner vs. Guardians
    • Red Sox* (5) at Yankees* (4) – Winner vs. Rays

National League

NL wild card standings

Top three teams qualify

  1. *San Diego Padres (90-71)+3 games
  2. *Chicago Cubs (88-73)+1 game
  3. Philadelphia Phillies (87-74)
  4. Arizona Diamondbacks (86-75) – 1 GB – holds tiebreaker vs. Phillies

AL wild card standings

Top three teams qualify

  1. *New York Yankees (93-68) +10 games
  2. *Boston Red Sox (87-74) +4 games
  3. *Chicago White Sox (83-78)

AL East

  1. Tampa Bay Rays (98-63) - winners of AL East

AL Central

  1. Cleveland Guardians (85-76) – winners of AL Central

AL West

  1. Houston Astros (80-81) – holds head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas
  2. Texas Rangers (80-81)

NL East

  1. Atlanta Braves (94-67) – winners of NL East, locked into No. 3 seed

NL Central

  1. Milwaukee Brewers (102-59) − winners of NL Central, No. 1 seed throughout playoffs

NL West

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers (99-62) – winners of NL West, locked into No. 2 seed

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoff picture LIVE standings: Bracket, wild card and division tiebreakers

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Around the Empire: Wild Card Series previews and predictions

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 30: Trevor Story #10 of the Boston Red Sox tags out Amed Rosario #14 of the New York Yankees in the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium on August 30, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images

ESPN | Jorge Castillo: The Yankees and Red Sox will face each other in the playoffs for the seventh time. It’s a rematch of last season’s AL Wild Card Series when Cam Schlittler memorably burst onto the national stage with eight shutout innings and 12 strikeouts to seal the series in the decisive Game 3. Castillo selects five of the most pressing questions facing the Yankees roster with less than 72 hours before the series gets underway.

Obviously atop the list is the availability of Aaron Judge, who hasn’t played since straining his right calf on September 16th. Aaron Boone declared that Judge would not be available for the Wild Card Series, something that the three-time MVP disputed the next day. Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham’s availabilities are also up in the air but both are said to be “knocking on the door.” Third base starter isn’t set in stone, with Anthony Volpe taking reps at the hot corner in the final days of the season amid Ryan McMahon’s offensive woes and regressing defense. Neither is the Game 1 starter, Boone said to be between presumptive AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler and Max Fried. The bullpen also has question marks with the injuries to Fernando Cruz, Ryan Weathers, and Clarke Schmidt and the signs of fatigue after heavy workloads for Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty and Jen McCaffrey ($): The Red Sox have plenty of questions of their own, mainly focused on the health of some of their star contributors. Willson Contreras has been Boston’s best hitter but hasn’t played since getting hit on the hand by a pitch on September 17th, the player himself saying his availability is uncertain. It’s also unclear whether Garrett Crochet will even make the roster — the southpaw has been out since April with a shoulder injury and only just threw his second live batting practice. Roman Anthony will certainly be playing, the question is which version shows up after he missed most of the season with a torn finger ligament.

This series will likely be decided by the performance of the pitching staffs. Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez have all given the Yankees trouble this year, while Schlittler, Fried, and Gerrit Cole are equally if not more capable of dominating a game. Both teams have three-headed monsters at the backs of the bullpens, Headrick, Blackburn, and David Bednar opposed by Tyron Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman.

New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: Until August, Austin Wells had the lowest batting average and OPS of any hitter with at least as much playing time as him. However, since the trade deadline he posted an .800 OPS and 127 wRC+ including four home runs in nine games entering play Sunday. Wells feels that the turning point was the 15 days he spent on the IL with cervical headaches. With the affliction in the rearview mirror, Wells maintains that he is seeing the ball better and has been able to make a mechanical tweak in his swing, rewarding the Yankees’ decision to not pursue a catcher via trade.

Yahoo! Sports | Michael Whitaker: Justin Verlander called curtains on what has been a remarkable 21-year career. The likely future first ballot Hall of Famer was limited to just two starts in 2026 after suffering hip inflammation and a hamstring injury, but was able to make one last start in front of a sold out Comerica Park crowd, allowing two runs and striking out six over 5.1 innings. CC Sabathia, who himself was just honored with a Monument Park plaque and his No. 52 being retired by the Yankees, took time to congratulate his soon-to-be fellow Hall of Famer, calling Verlander “one of the best to ever do it.” Verlander had many memorable moments against the Yankees in his storied career, including his 2011 ALDS Game 3 start and 2012 ALCS Game 3 start with the Tigers as well as a pair of wins with the Astros in the 2017 ALCS to take home MVP honors. Congratulations on an incredible career, JV!

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What MLB games are on today? Schedule, matchups, TV channel, live stream info

Today marks the final day of the MLB regular season. Check out the schedule below to find out when your favorite team is playing as the race for the playoffs heats up.

The 2026 MLB Playoffs begin on Tuesday, September 29, with the Wild Card Series on NBC and Peacock. See below for additional information on how to sign up for Peacock and follow the MLB action.

Click here to sign up for Peacock!

MLB: San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers
2026 MLB Playoffs Update: Clinch scenarios, schedule, tiebreakers, and more
Everything you need to know about the MLB Playoff picture and what to watch as the regular season winds down.

What MLB games are on today?

Sunday, September 27

*All times are listed as ET.

New York Mets at Washington Nationals, 3:05 p.m., MASN, SNY

Houston Astros at Athletics, 3:05 p.m., NBCSCA, SCHN

Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants, 3:05 p.m., NBCSBA, SNLA

Tampa Bay Rays at Philadelphia Phillies, 3:05 p.m., NBCSP, RAYS

Cincinnati Reds at Toronto Blue Jays, 3:07 p.m., Sportsnet, CINR

Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals, 3:10 p.m., ROYL, CLEG

Pittsburgh Pirates at Detroit Tigers, 3:10 p.m., DSN, SNP

Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres, 3:10 p.m., SDPA, ARID

Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners, 3:10 p.m., SEAM, ABTV

Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins, 3:10 p.m., MNNT, RSN

Colorado Rockies at Chicago White Sox, 3:10 p.m., CHSN, COLR

Atlanta Braves at Miami Marlins, 3:10 p.m., MIAM, BravesVsn

St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers, 3:10 p.m., BREW, CARD

Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees, 3:20 p.m., YES, MASN

How to watch MLB on NBC and Peacock:

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How to watch MLB According to CC on Peacock, YouTube throughout 2026 MLB Wild Card Round
Hall of Famer CC Sabathia and Ahmed Fareed will recap all the Wild Card action when the games wrap up on Peacock and the NBC Sports YouTube channel.

MLB Sunday Leadoff is a weekly Major League Baseball showcase featuring live Sunday daytime games. It highlights marquee matchups throughout the regular season and streams primarily on Peacock, with some games also airing across NBC Sports and NBC.

MLB Sunday Night Baseball is a weekly primetime Major League Baseball showcase, featuring marquee matchups each Sunday night during the regular season. The games air on NBC and Peacock and anchor NBC Sports’ Sunday night programming lineup.

NBC Sports will also stream one out-of-market game each day of the 2026 MLB season nationally on Peacock. Telemundo Deportes will present all NBCUniversal-produced MLB games in Spanish, with Universo televising all games broadcast on NBC.

How to sign up for Peacock:

Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. You’ll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC and Bravo hits for whatever suits your mood.

MLB on NBC 2026 schedule:

Click here to see the full list of MLB games that will air on NBC and Peacock this season.

Why are some MLB games unavailable to stream on Peacock?

Due to territorial blackout restrictions, select regular season, special event, and Postseason games may be unavailable on Peacock. Television territory blackout restrictions apply regardless of whether a Club is home or away and regardless of whether a game is televised in that Club's home television territory. For more information, visit Peacock’s Help Center.

What devices does Peacock support?

You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.

Check out the latest MLB player news here!

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Is Luka Garza the odd big out for the Celtics?

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 02: Luka Garza #52 of the Boston Celtics in action against the Milwaukee Bucks during the third quarter at Fiserv Forum on March 02, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Last season, Luka Garza became a very important piece for the Celtics.

His three-point shooting and effort were noticed by Joe Mazzulla as Garza became an important piece for Boston. As a matter of fact, not only were the 1,118 minutes the most of any season Garza played in his career, he played 145 more minutes last season than he had in his entire career entering the season (973).

Despite that, the team signed Mitchell Robinson as a free agent this summer. It was a necessary move for the Celtics as they proved to not have enough at the 5 last season. Robinson is a great offensive rebounder, pick-and-roll man and defender who will help improve Boston a lot.

There will still be a role on this team for Garza. Mitchell Robinson played a whole season last year and participated in just 60 games and played 1,175 minutes. He is going to miss games, so Garza can fill in on those nights.

I also think Joe Mazzulla will try double big looks of Garza with Queta or Robinson. However, I don’t think he should do it much because the Celtics scored 114.5 points per 100 possessions with Garza and Queta last season, down 6.6 points from the 121.1 points they scored per 100 possessions for the season. I thought it was a bad look for Boston and don’t think they should use it much this year.

Garza’s three-point shooting is also a skill that neither Robinson nor Queta possesses. Queta and Robinson have similar skill sets, which is good because it won’t change the way Boston is playing. The Celtics want to play a certain style this year and those guys fit that style.

That’s not to say that Garza doesn’t fit the style Mazzulla and the rest of his staff want Boston to play. He is a good screener and good offensive rebounder. He can make threes so if Mazzulla wants to go 5 out with a big, Garza will be the guy he turns to.

Queta and Robinson are better players than Garza — that is why Garza is falling out of the rotation. In Garza’s lone playoff start in Game 7, he played 8:38 seconds and was a -15 in a game Boston lost by 9. Their defense was a disaster with him on the court. The Celtics gave up a defensive rating of 120 with Garza on the floor that night.

In the 32:33 Queta played, the Celtics were +9 with a defensive rating of 111.5. However bad you think Garza was that night, it was worse.

Robinson should be a massive upgrade to Garza defensively and that will show this season.

Luka Garza showed that he is an NBA caliber big man who can eat minutes in the regular season. However, the playoffs proved that he isn’t ready for the brightest lights and until he shows that, he will be out of the Celtics and any other good team’s 8 or 9 best players.

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Knights stun Panthers to book NRL grand final berth after Nathan Cleary suffers compound fracture

  • Newcastle defeat Penrith 22-14 in preliminary final

  • Phoenix Crossland sent off for hip-drop tackle on Cleary

Newcastle are through to their first grand final in 25 years after holding on to beat Penrith 22-14 with 12 men, after Panthers star Nathan Cleary sufffered an ankle fracture in a hip-drop tackle.

On an afternoon of high drama at Accor Stadium, Newcastle hooker Phoenix Crossland was sent off for the tackle that left Cleary with a compound fracture and dislocation of the ankle late in the first half.

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Ever feel you’ve been cheated? Consequences could be profound after Manchester City guilty verdict | Jonathan Wilson

Premier League could be hit hard by aftermath, while Manchester City fans may know they took 30 years to recover from a guilty verdict in 1906

So it turns out none of that was real. Nothing that happened in English football between 2009-10 and 2017-18 that involved Manchester City actually happened. City beating Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford? Fake. Sergio Agüero’s 94th-minute winner to clinch the title in 2012? A figment of the imagination. That season City reached 100 points? Bobby Ewing dreamed it in the shower.

Without those successes, City wouldn’t have been in the position they were for the past eight seasons (and 35 of the charges relate to a failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations between 2018 and 2023). The 14 successive wins that took them to the league title in 2018-19 would not have happened without what went before. Neither would the Treble of 2023 or the record four league titles in a row.

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Next One Counts: 3 Observations as Golden Knights Fall to Sharks in Preseason Finale

Las Vegas, N.V.– Despite outshooting the San Jose Sharks 25-5 after the first 40 minutes, the Vegas Golden Knightsentered the third period trailing 2-1. They tied it up 3:18 into the third, but in the end, the Golden Knights only scored two goals on 29 shots, and ultimately fell 4-2 to the Sharks in the preseason finale.

Them’s the breaks.

For the 10th time in franchise history, the Golden Knights do not go undefeated in the preseason. Maybe next year.

But they got what they wanted out of it. They won three of their four preseason games, and the veterans got to get their feet wet. And, most importantly, they escaped the preseason completely unscathed. There was a moment of concern in the third period when Jeremy Lauzon went down hard after blocking a shot, but in true Jeremy Lauzon fashion, he didn’t miss a shift.

Ryan Craig said it best: “I really liked our first 40. And, uh, we got out healthy in the third.”

1. Defense Wins Championships

With guys like Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner on the roster, the Golden Knights have a lot of offensive talent. However, at their core, they are a defense-first team. They always have been, and they probably always will be. 

“Vegas has always been one of the best defensive teams,” said Tomáš Hertl postgame. “We did the same thing [tonight]. We kept them to the outside, didn’t allow many shots.”

Tonight was no exception– the Golden Knights allowed just two shots in the first period, and three in the second. They allowed more shots in the third period– 12 in total– but very few were dangerous. The Golden Knights allowed only five high-danger scoring chances throughout 60 minutes, and generated 10.

2. Right Recipe, Wrong Results

Although the Golden Knights didn’t win tonight, they feel like they have a winning recipe. They did a lot of things well both defensively and offensively, and the general feeling is that, if they play that way all season, they’ll come out on the right side more times than not.

“We did a really good job of putting pucks behind their D,” said Nic Dowd postgame. “When we had opportunities to make plays through the neutral zone, we did. We hung on the pucks in the neutral zone and put pucks into good areas, and we were getting them back. And, you know, the best recipe is to go play in the ozone. 

“And line changes,” Dowd continued. “Like, we out-changed them multiple times. We had one-to-two minute shifts in the ozone. Pucks didn’t go in, but that’s just how it works in the NHL. At times, those are going to go in, and maybe you win the game 4 or 5 to 1, 5 to 2. We didn’t tonight. But again, I think we have a lot of good things to build on.”

For the most part, the Golden Knights played well tonight. They made very few defensive mistakes, and though they didn’t convert on many of their scoring chances, they had no problem generating them.

“We had a lot of looks,” said Tomáš Hertl following the loss. “If we bury a couple of them, it goes the other way. Sometimes, that’s how it goes.”

3. Next One Counts

Most teams don’t go undefeated in the preseason. Sure, some do– the 2015-16 Colorado Avalanche and the 2016-17 Arizona Coyotes, for example– but preseason is all about teaching moments.

“I actually thought we did a lot of really good things today,” said Nic Dowd following the loss. “Mistakes are gonna happen, but the good thing about that is that those are learning opportunities, right?”

The Golden Knights veterans have played in the last two preseason games, and they look ready to go. They’ve shaken off the rust and improved in the areas they wanted to.

“The things we wanted to clean up or see improvement on, especially through 40 minutes today, I thought we did,” said head coach Ryan Craig postgame. “I thought our defending, our checking habits, our break outs, all those things that we touched on yesterday, were good. And it led to the o-zone and to the offensive chances that we created. I thought those things were a real positive as we move forward here.”

The NHL season kicks off for real on Tuesday when the Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m. PST.