Pope Leo XIV has said that in his role he does not play favorites, but on his way to Paris on Friday, Sept. 25, it was hard not to notice his smile when he was asked a baseball question.
On the papal plane, a reporter asked the Chicago-born pope whether he'd had anything to do with the White Sox reaching the playoffs. He smiled.
"No comment," he said, according to video posted by NBC News. "Great things happen in Chicago."
Technically that was a no comment, but it didn't sound much like a denial
Two years ago, the White Sox went 41-121, the most losses in baseball's modern era. They lost 102 more last season. On Thursday, they beat Kansas City to clinch their first postseason berth since 2021. According to MLB.com, they're the first team to reach the playoffs after two or more consecutive 100-loss seasons.
So, Robert Prevost, a White Sox fan, was elected pope in May 2025. Less than a year and a half later, his team is headed to the postseason. The pope did not say if that was a coincidence or not.
Pope Leo's White Sox fandom
Leo was born in Chicago and grew up in south suburban Dolton, and his baseball loyalty has never been in doubt. Soon after his election, video surfaced of him in the stands at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series against Houston. That series brought the South Side its first championship in 88 years.
His brother John cleared up any doubt in an interview with WGN-TV.
"He was never a Cubs fan, so I don't know where that came from," John Prevost said. "He was always a Sox fan."
The pope has shown he can needle the other side of town too. Last October, a few days after Milwaukee ousted the Cubs, someone in St. Peter's Square called out "Go Cubs!" during his weekly general audience.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 14: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts in the fourth inning during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 14, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Visiting the Giants in their final regular-season series, it should be noted that it was through beating up the lower class of the NL and AL as well that the Dodgers built their way towards a 97-win record. After possessing baseball’s top records against winning teams a season ago, the Dodgers have extracted more overall wins out of simply handling the inferior teams.
With no more games against clubs with a record over .500 in the regular season, we can confirm the Dodgers will have a .500 record against them, winning 36 of 72. Meanwhile, regardless of other results this last weekend, the Dodgers will finish with MLB’s best record versus losing teams—already accumulating 61 wins against them—and even amidst that contrast, a 6-4 record versus their biggest rivals doesn’t jump off the page quite like you’d expect.
In fact, Los Angeles needs a sweep here to at least even the success of the previous two campaigns, having last dropped a season series to San Francisco in 2021—the year of their unbelievable record that cut off the Dodgers’ sequence of NL West titles.
Tarik Skubal will take the ball for this series opener, wrapping up a curious stretch in his schedule facing the same two teams over the span of four appearances—with back-to-back outings against the Giants following two straight versus the Reds. Skubal’s latest outing against the Giants was his worst one in Dodger blue, allowing four runs in five innings, but even that wasn’t enough to stop this team’s streak of six wins when their prized left-hander takes the mound.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 13: Freddy Peralta #51 of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Tropicana Field on September 13, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Phillies begin their final series of the 2026 regular season as the Tampa Bay Rays come to town. The Rays have secured their playoff spot, while the Phillies still have some work to do in order to make the postseason.
Cristopher Sanchez will make his final start of another strong season. He is 18-6 with a 2.93 ERA.
Freddy Peralta goes for the Rays. After an awful start to his season with the Mets, Peralta was traded to the Rays and has been improved, putting up a 3.60 ERA in nine starts.
Game time is 6:40 PM and will be televised locally be NBCSP.
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 7: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers protest a referee's foul call during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on February 7, 2019. (Staff Photo By Christopher Evans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The ghost of LeBron James will forever haunt the Cleveland Cavaliers. The King’s latest free-agency saga took center stage this summer.
To no surprise, James was a key talking point during Koby Altman and Kenny Atkinson’s media availability. Specifically, whether the Cavs missed their chance to improve the roster and entice James for one more homecoming.
“I think the misconception is, if we do something, that means [James] comes back,” said Altman. “That’s a misconception.”
The Cavs watched as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown changed teams this summer. It’s impossible to know if Cleveland could have swung for either one of those players, but it’s safe to assume their best package would have been in the mix.
Altman says the idea that James would have returned to Cleveland if the Cavs had traded for one of the big names on the market is incorrect.
“We explore everything, as you know. We’re a really active franchise. We explore different things, different prices, different price points, and to go out and get that caliber of player [like Antetokounmpo or Brown], you’re giving up a lot. Is that the best thing for the team and the best thing for our future? And so not going too far deep into that question in terms of specifics, both [trade possibilities] would have taken a toll on both [our present and future] if we would have gone down that path.”
Sticking to your guns has been a theme of this era of Cavs basketball. Cleveland has kept the same core intact for most of the decade, while shuffling things on the margins to see what sticks. It wasn’t until this previous season that they made a major swing for James Harden, but aside from that, they’ve stuck to the same construction that’s led to success in the regular season.
“We’ll leave that internal in terms of our conversation with [James],” said Altman on his reported meeting with James earlier this summer.
“We have a lot of confidence and faith in the talent that we have in-house. You don’t fluke your way to the Eastern Conference Finals [last season],” said Altman.
“I’m not downplaying the enormity of [James’] decision and the magnitude of the decision. I get all of that, I just think the way we’re built as an organization is we have a great foundation and a great sort of ecosystem within our franchise in terms of talent, coaching staff, our performance staff. We’re built for a sustainable run here, regardless of one outcome.”
As for what ultimately led to James choosing Philly over Cleveland, the answer remains a mystery. Altman declined to reveal any of the details behind his meeting with James this summer.
“We’ll leave that internal, in terms of our conversation with him,” said Altman. “We have tremendous respect for LeBron, what he means to this organization, what he means to this region.”
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 28: Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners reacts to striking out during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Anyone who watched the 2026 Mariners could easily point to areas where the team failed, but Cal Raleigh, meeting with the media on Thursday, was unflinching in his assessment of what went wrong this season.
“I think there’s a lot of areas you can point to. I think ultimately, I think it was a lack of focus, a lack of execution, a lack energy at times. Defense was not good all year, controlling the running game was not good all year. Playing bad on the road all year, hitting with runners in scoring position was definitely not good. I’d say those were some key points that I kind of look at.”
Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the baseball season?
One thing Raleigh is steadfast in is not blaming injuries for the team’s poor performance, shutting down that line of questioning immediately.
“Every team deals with that. Guys are going to go through aches, pains, injuries. So it’s silly to use that as an excuse. 29 other different ball clubs are dealing with the same thing that we are, and you can’t use that as an excuse. And we’re definitely not going to. It came down to play on the field, and it was not executed.”
But fans were there. They saw the lack of execution. They are less interested in the why, and more in how it’s going to get better. Unfortunately, in order to get to the second part – knowing how to fix it – it is necessary to first understand what went wrong, and why. But that’s a more complex discussion that first involves figuring out where to assign blame, and how much of it goes where. It’s not a one-size-fits-all answer, notes Raleigh.
“I don’t think it was one thing,” said Raleigh. “I think we could point to a lot of things that that went wrong, but I don’t think it was one thing. I don’t think it was one person. I don’t think it was one department that failed this year. I think it was a collective failure, unfortunately.“
“Ultimately, yeah, the players are the ones playing every single day, 162. I think if you ask everybody, typically it’s going to fall on the players. But like I said, I think there’s not one person or one group that it falls under. I think it’s a collective effort. I think it’s all the way from the top, to all the way to the bottom, and that’s a tough pill to swallow.”
While the players are, as Cal points out, ultimately the ones on the field, it’s clear from his comments they aren’t the only ones in charge of turning around this miserable season next year. Deficiencies that showed up early in the season as far as the roster went were only exacerbated by injuries and ineffectiveness, especially in the pitching staff, which suffered the biggest drop in WAR from the first to the second half as starters stuttered and bullpens imploded.
“We need more depth in the bullpen,” said Raleigh. “I mean, we honestly do. We need to get some more whiff. We need to get some more guys that can punch some tickets here and there.”
But beyond adding pieces, Raleigh says the core of pitchers who make up the rotation need to return to form or maybe change tactics. He seems to feel other teams have figured out the Mariners pitchers plan of attack, and the focus now needs to be on counter-attacking aggressive hitters rather than allowing them to ambush first pitches.
“The starters, they got to continue to get better. They’ve been one of the best rotations in all of baseball for the last few years, and and like I said, you can talk to all of them, and they’re probably disappointed with how they did. When I when I’m watching the game back there, I’m seeing a lot of very aggressive teams, very aggressive teams, even teams that aren’t [usually] aggressive. And when I look at that, it’s going to come down to execution. It’s not not necessarily all the time about winning your 0-0s, your 1-1s. It’s about executing a pitch and how can we get this guy out.”
“I saw a lot of very aggressive hitters and guys that were were ready to go from you know pitch one because that’s kind of in our DNA. We’ve got to continue finding ways to combat that. I think we’ve done a great job of that, and creating pitchers [who attack the zone] and having guys that are really good at doing that. But at the end of the day, it’s about wins, it’s about execution. It’s not about chasing a stat or, or doing anything like that. So it’s just about getting better, and I don’t know if maybe we were complacent in that fact. Maybe we were. Maybe we weren’t. Maybe it was just unlucky. Maybe it wasn’t. But it’s finding a way to, ‘how can we get better? How can we combat those things that other teams are doing to us?’”
Beyond just the core of pitchers, Raleigh said the core of players as a whole has to do better. Yes, injuries decimated the bullpen and that depth has to be rebuilt, and every team always wants to get better, but the core members of the team as a whole have to play better.
“I said it right at the right at the deadline. The core is here. The core is here, and this core got us where we were last year. But ultimately, that core has to get better as well. It’s not always bringing in extra pieces that are gonna help. Do we need to bring in more people in certain areas of the game? Yes, 100%. We need to get better, and that’s always gonna help. But at the same time, when you look at the core guys, I think you can look at most of the guys, and they will tell you that they did not have the season they wanted, and team-wise, we didn’t have the season we wanted. Ultimately we failed. That’s the easiest way to put it.”
What caused this team-wide failure across the core? Raleigh noted there might have been times where the team stagnated when they needed to take a step forward, failing to make adjustments and finding the kind of edges that great teams do.
“Every facet can be better,” he said bluntly. “I think we—myself included—we could have done a better job of of preparing and continuing to get better throughout the year. I think sometimes in the game you can get a little stagnant at times, like, ‘I got to rest my body’ or ‘I got to make sure I’m ready for the game at 7 o’clock,’ which is ultimately, what you want to do.”
“But you also have to continue to get better and continue to get stronger as the year goes on, and we just never did. We never made those adjustments we had to make. We didn’t get better in the areas that we were deficient in, and we just kind of stayed stagnant the whole time. We were relying more on catching a lucky streak rather than to keep preparing better, to keep getting better, keep finding those those edges to to find ways to to win ball games, whether it was defensively holding runners, hitting with runners in scoring position, finding a way to get through six innings instead of five from the starters…there’s lots of different things. Taking an extra bag here and here, things like that. And and it just never got there. Never got there.”
Raleigh is an admirer of Seahawks coach Mike McDonald, and has clearly absorbed McDonald’s message of “chasing edges”, or finding small ways to edge out an opponent. Again, his comments reflect some frustration with the status quo and a lack of innovation, as well as a lack of execution.
“You can’t rely on the bullpen or you can’t rely on the big home run every single time. We have to be able to win in different fashions, win in different ways. Find a way to sneak out those one-run ball games. I don’t think we were very good in one-run ball games this year. I think it was right around .500. Like I said before, the road record was poor, we got swept too many times. It’s finding a way to edge out those games. It’s—I heard this phrase the other day, ‘chasing edges.’ How can we win one game here and there, one extra game a month? That’s six, seven extra wins. Now we’re tied for first, or we’re we’re in first place. It’s cliché to say it’s the little things, but those are what win you ball games, and those are things we did not do this year.”
Raleigh’s biggest takeaway is not letting this become a habit, pointing out that it if happens once, it’s an unfortunate event; if it happens twice, it’s a habit.
“We’ve got to figure out why why that happened, and and there’s going to be lots of talks, lots of discussions throughout the off season to make sure that doesn’t come back next season. Every single aspect needs to be geared towards how can we win this ball game today. Not taking days off, not letting one thing slip through the cracks. Because once that happens, it’s a domino effect, right? Like you let one thing slide, then you let another thing slide. The next thing you know, you don’t know what’s going on. There’s no standards. There’s no accountability. There’s no dynamic of who we are and what we do, and and I think that’s what’s going to be looked at this off-season.”
The 2026 season was certainly a slide for the Mariners. Now Cal Raleigh, his teammates, and the rest of the organization – top to bottom – have to reset those dominoes and figure out how to not let them fall again. Raleigh seems to have a vision: chasing edges every day, stopping slides before they start, being less predictable as a pitching staff, cleaning up sloppy play on the field. Now, he has an off-season to implement it.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 24: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees looks on during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on September 24, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The MLB postseason is finally upon us, and the No. 4 seed Yankees are kicking things off by facing the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, just as they did in 2025. New York will end the season at least four games better than Boston, but as they say, all records reset to 0-0 come October — or very-late September in the case of the 2026 season.
The Red Sox defeated the Cubs on Friday afternoon to officially clinch the No. 5 seed, meaning the Yankees will have home-field advantage by starting the postseason in the Bronx. They already knew they would be hosting, but it wasn’t yet official that they would face Boston. Per MLB’s Sarah Langs, this will be the seventh all-time postseason meeting between the Yanks and Red Sox, tied for the second-most common matchup in league history and trailing only the 12 famous Yankees/Dodgers World Series rumbles. New York and Boston have each won three series apiece in the playoff head-to-heads.
You won’t want to miss all the action in the best-of-three series, with the winner advancing to face the Rays in the American League Division Series in a race for the pennant.
Here’s all the information you’ll need to know to tune into every game. Unsurprisingly given all the hubbub that usually surrounds Yankees/Red Sox, all three will be night games, beginning at 8 p.m. EST. (The other three Wild Card Series start times can be found here.) Below are the start times, pitching matchups, and more preview informtion.
How to watch Yankees vs. Red Sox in Wild Card Series
Game 1
Date: Tuesday, September 29 Pitching Matchup: RHP Cam Schlittler (NYY) vs. LHP Payton Tolle (BOS) First Pitch: 8 p.m. EST Channel: NBC Streaming: Peacock
Game 2
Date: Wednesday, September 30 Pitching Matchup: LHP Max Fried (NYY) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (BOS) First Pitch: 8 p.m. EST Channel: NBC Streaming: Peacock
Game 3*
Date: Thursday, October 1 Pitching Matchup: RHP Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs. LHP Ranger Suarez (BOS) First Pitch: 8 p.m. EST Channel: NBC Streaming: Peacock
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 17: The sneakers worn by Darius Bazley #36 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the game against the Boston Celtics during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 17, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It won't be long before the Detroit Red Wings open the 2026-27 regular season, with just one exhibition game remaining before the real action begins Oct. 2.
Between now and Monday, however, every NHL team must trim its roster to 23 players or fewer. The Red Wings took another step toward that requirement with their latest round of roster moves.
17 players have been sent to the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, including:
F Ondřej Becher
F Cameron Butler
F Noah Dower Nilsson
F Sheldon Dries
F Dylan James
F Jesse Kiiskanen
F John Leonard
F Sutter Muzzatti
F Théo Rochette
F Dominik Shine
F Wilmer Skoog
D Ronnie Attard
D Jacob Bryson
D Shai Buium
D William Lagesson
G Trey Augustine
G Michal Postava
Additionally, forward Kienan Draper and defensemen Justice Christensen, Alex Kannok Leipert, and Jacob Truscot have all been released from their professional tryouts; All four players will return to Grand Rapids.
This means that players like Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Anton Johansson all still have a chance to make the Opening Night roster.
Last fall, Brandsegg-Nygård and Sandin-Pellikka, along with Emmitt Finnie, earned roster spots thanks to their strong performances in Training Camp and the preseason.
The Red Wings have one game remaining on their exhibition slate, as they'll host the Columbus Blue Jackets to Little Caesars Arena on Saturday evening.
The Red Wings suffered their only loss of the preseason thus far against the Blue Jackets, a 1-0 setback via the shootout. They followed that with a 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with a 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Detroit opens the regular season on Oct. 2 against the New York Rangers.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 25: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox makes a catch during the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Fenway Park on September 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by CJ Gunther/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Alec Gamboa is not a starter. At least not at the Major League level caliber. But when the Red Sox needed someone to open a doubleheader on the last Friday of the regular season, they handed it to him anyway—and the Cubs made him pay for it quickly.
Tyrone Taylor doubled in the first inning to put Chicago on the board. Miguel Amaya followed with a two-run double in the second. Three runs in two innings, Clay Holmes cruising, and the Sox in a hole before most of Fenway (whoever was going to brave the risk of weather) had settled into their seats.
Then the defense took over.
Caleb Durbin threw Matt Shaw out at the plate in the second inning to keep the Cubs from stretching it further. Isiah Kiner-Falefa made a sliding grab in the third. Andruw Monasterio came up with a diving catch in the fourth. Not glamorous plays in the box score, but they kept 3-0 from turning into 5-0, and that mattered later.
Roman Anthony was (finally) doing Roman Anthony things all afternoon. He went 3-for-3 with a walk and his fingerprints are on both comeback sequences that mattered. He got things started in the third when he scored on a Dansby Swanson throwing error to make it 3-1. Stayed alive. Kept the at-bats meaningful.
It stayed there until Adley Rutschman. With two on in the fifth against Caleb Thielbar, Rutschman hit a two-run double to tie the game. That’s the at-bat the rest of this recap hangs on. There’s no comeback without it.
The Cubs went to Aaron Civale in the seventh. Anthony tripled to right field, then Connor Wong stepped up and hit the go-ahead double. Red Sox 4, Cubs 3.
Willson Contreras didn’t play game one—his hand still won’t let him swing without pain. Ceddanne Rafaela sat out too. You can file away what Boston did to Chicago’s depleted lineup, but you can also file away that a team down 3-0 didn’t pack it in. The seventh inning happened.
Game 2 is next. They went ahead and won the first one.
Studs
Roman Anthony — 3-for-3 with a walk. On base four times. Scored on the error in the third to keep Boston in it, tripled in the seventh to set up the go-ahead, and was just relentless all afternoon. This was his game.
Adley Rutschman — utschman’s two-run double off Thielbar tied it and gave the whole thing a different shape. That’s what you pay for.
Connor Wong — Go-ahead double in the seventh coming in for Mickey Gasper. Simple entry in the ledger, but a needed go-ahead run.
Dud
The first two innings — Three runs on Gamboa before anyone got comfortable. Fair amount of that is on Gamboa, fair amount is just what happens when you open with a reliever and it doesn’t work. The Sox survived it. They shouldn’t count on that against a full-strength playoff opponent.
The wind — How many times did the wind knock balls down today? Yes for better with potential Cubbies homers knocked down, but also it’s a hamper on an already struggling offense for the Sox.
Play of the Game
Rutschman’s two-run double in the fifth. Down 3-1, two runners on, Cubs holding a lead that had felt comfortable since the second inning—and Rutschman turned the whole situation. That swing is why the seventh inning got to mean something.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 07: José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians runs home to score against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium on May 07, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians coming to town to end the season rubs salt in the wound of this season. Cleveland has been completely ordinary. They were at .500 a few games into September, and yet they have already clinched a playoff spot and are in control their own destiny to win the division this weekend, one game ahead of the White Sox. If only the Royals could have bee mediocre this year.
The Guardians have actually scored fewer runs than the Royals, yet have a winning record. That should give you an indication of how different their pitching staffs are.
Cleveland Guardians (83-76) vs. Kansas City Royals (68-91) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Angel Martinez is hitting .395/.395/.895 with four home runs in his last 10 games. Steven Kwan is hitting .350/.438/.423 since the All-Star break. Rookie Chase DeLauter is hitting .325/.377/.469 against left-handers. Jo Adell is hitting .237/.311/.396 in 45 games with the Guardians since being acquired from the Angels.
José Ramírez has just 12 home runs, his fewest total since 2016, and his 94 wRC+ is his worst since 2015. Chandler Simpson is the only qualified hitter with fewer home runs than Kwan. Brayan Rocchio is hitting .216/.271/.313 on the road. The Guardians are 27-21 in one-run games. Cleveland has the third-best success rate at stealing bases at 83 percent.
Gavin Williams leads MLB with 244 strikeouts. He pitched seven shutout innings his last time out and has a 2.92 ERA in his last 11 starts. Noah Cameron has a 2.01 ERA over his last 11 games.
Lefties are hitting .239/.301/.450 against Tanner Bibee. Bobby Witt is a career .370 hitter (10-for-27) with three home runs and five walks against him, while Salvador Perez is 2-for-24 (.083). With 5.2 innings, Michael Wacha can become the only American League pitcher to reach 200 innings pitched this year.
The Guardians have not yet announced a starter for the finale, it will likely depend if they have anything left to play for at that point. Daniel Lynch gave up a career-high nine runs in four innings in his last start against the White Sox.
The Guardians once again had a very good pen, with a collective 3.48 ERA, sixth-best in MLB, with the best strikeout rate. Cade Smith has the fourth-highest strikeout rate among all relievers, and over the last two seasons combined he has 5.3 fWAR, second behind only Mason Miller among relievers. He leads MLB with 41 saves, and has not blown a save since August 5, and has not given up a run in his last 12 outings. Hunter Gaddis has given up just three runs in 23 innings over his last 24 games. Righties are hitting just .137/.283/.235 against lefty Erik Sabrowski with a 43 percent strikeout rate.
The last series of the year is bittersweet in a season like this. The Royals will finish in last place and you want to quickly put this season in the rearview mirror. On the other hand, the next regular season Royals games isn’t for another six months – if there’s no work stoppage. From everyone at Royals Review, thanks for spending this disappointing season with us, and we hope to see some better baseball next year!
The Cubs took a nice early lead in this game, but then, as has been the case so many times in recent days, simply could not bring many baserunners in to score, going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. (If it makes you feel any better — it didn’t for me — the Red Sox went 2-for-13 with RISP.)
The Cubs put two more on the board in the second. Matt Shaw led off with a double and stopped at third on a single by Michael Busch. Dansby Swanson hit a ground ball to thirdon a contact play that resulted in Shaw being thrown out at the plate [VIDEO].
The Red Sox put a run on the board in the third. Roman Anthony led off with a walk and, well, those are always trouble. Adley Rutschman singled, with Anthony taking second.
That’s a very rare error by Swanson as he tried to make an off-balance throw to complete a double play. Instead, a run scored to make it 3-1.
The Red Sox tied up the game in the fifth. A leadoff single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and double by Anthony put runners on second and third with nobody out. Clay Holmes retired Mickey Gasper, but then Craig Counsell summoned Caleb Thielbar to turn Rutschman around to batting right-handed. That’s statistically the right move this year as Rutschman has been much worse vs. LHP in 2026.
Welp. Didn’t work. Rutschman hit a two-run single to tie the game.
While all this was going on, the Cubs were leaving runners in scoring position — again, leaving RISP in the fifth and seventh. The first of those was PCA after his 41st steal of the year. Fun facts about the 41st PCA stolen base from BCB’s JohnW53:
MLB batters have hit at least 45 home runs in 166 seasons since 1901.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is the third with at least 41 stolen bases. Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers had 54 homers and 59 steals in 2024. Alfonso Soriano of the Nationals had 46 homers and 41 steals in 2006.
The fourth-most steals is just 33, by Larry Walker of the Rockies, who hit 49 homers in 1997.
The Red Sox took the lead in the seventh. Anthony tripled with one out off Aaron Civale and scored on a double to left by Connor Wong.
That was it, pretty much. The Cubs went down 1-2-3 in the eighth and ninth and with this loss, dropped to 88-72, which is 1.5 games behind the Padres for the top wild card spot and only half a game ahead of the Phillies, who currently inhabit the third wild card spot. Let’s hope the Cubs can take the nightcap.
Alex Bregman returned from his frightening injury from Sunday and was the DH in this game. He went 0-for-4, but at least hit the ball hard several times. Hopefully, some of those hard hits will fall in going forward.
We don’t yet have any confirmed information about the third game of this series, currently scheduled for Fenway Park Saturday at 6:15 p.m. CT. The weather is supposed to deteriorate quickly in the Boston area late tonight and multiple reports have both teams’ planes scheduled to fly to Florida this evening, and that the game will be played Sunday at Tropicana Field. If and when this is made official I will post separately on the front page.
Also, please note: Due to the starting time of this game, I will post a recap this evening when it’s over. Heroes and Goats for both games of the doubleheader will run tomorrow morning.
There are no lineups for Game 2 at the time this recap posted, so check BCB social media for the Game 2 lineups. Here’s all the rest of the info you’ll need for the nightcap of today’s doubleheader.
David Peterson, LHP vs. Brayan Bello, LHP
David Peterson’s last two outings have been quite good — 12 innings, six hits, two runs, 14 strikeouts.
He last faced the Red Sox Sept. 4, 2024 at Citi Field and allowed one run in six innings, striking out 11. Among current Red Sox players, only Willson Contreras (2-for-11) has faced him more than five times.
Brayan Bello’s 2026 season has not been nearly as good as his 2025, though in his last start, Sept. 19 vs. the Rays, he threw eight innings and allowed one run, striking out 11.
He last faced the Cubs July 19, 2025 at Wrigley Field and allowed three runs in six innings, including a home run by Michael Busch.
Please visit our SB Nation Red Sox site Over The Monster. If you do go there to interact with Red Sox fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 2: Justin Hagenman #47 of the New York Mets pitches in the bottom of the third inning for his first start in 2026 against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on September 2, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Prior to today’s game against the Nationals, the Mets called up Justin Hagenman. To make room for Hagenman on the roster, the team optioned Jack Weisenburger to the FCL Mets. The team also announced that Xzavion Curry cleared waivers and has been outrighted to the FCL Mets.
With Christian Scott hitting the injured list and missing his start tonight, the team has been expected to call up Hagenman. While it’s unclear if he will start, Anthony DiComo mentioned that the righty “should play a significant role in tonight’s game”. Hagenman has appeared in two games this month for the Mets and has allowed two earned runs on three hits, with two strikeouts and one walk issued. This comes after he pitched 23 2/3 innings for New York across five separate stints for the org in 2025. He finished last year with a 4.56 ERA and a 3.77 FIP in those nine appearances.
Weisenburger was really solid in his two stints for New York this year, which also happened to be his first two turns in the majors. Across 12 2/3 innings, he posted a 2.13 ERA and a 1.83 FIP. He struck out 14 batters, issued three hits, and surrendered 10 hits. He pitched in yesterday’s 3-1 loss to Texas, where he got into some trouble by allowing a walk and a hit before getting out of it with a double play to finish off his outing and his year.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 22: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 and Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park on September 22, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
While the Braves are taking a very passive approach to their pitching this weekend in order to best align for next week’s wild-card series at Truist Park, the lineup is being kept in top condition.
For Game 1 of its final regular-season series at Miami (Friday at 7:10 EDT), Atlanta is using a lineup that could very resemble the one it opens the postseason with next Tuesday.
Drake Baldwin leads off and will be the designated hitter against a right-handed starter, while Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Michael Harris II round out the top four in the order. Mauricio Dubón will hit fifth and play shortstop, while Sean Murphy is catching and hitting ninth.
No one on the Marlins’ active roster has ever faced Braves starter Ray Kerr. But that shouldn’t matter a ton as he’s unlikely to go much past one time through the order before the bullpen game continues with a variety of arms in use.
The Braves have had quite a bit of success against Marlins starter Eury Pérez. They’re a combined 27-for-71 (.380) against the right-hander with four homers, six doubles and 15 RBIs, walking six times and striking out 16.
Ronald Acuña Jr., Drake Baldwin, Michael Harris II, Austin Riley and Dominic Smith are all hitting over .400 against Pérez in a small sample size of nine or fewer at-bats. Baldwin has two of the four Braves’ homers off of Pérez with a sterling 1.111 slugging percentage in the matchup.
DALLAS, TX - APRIL 9: Dereck Lively II #2 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 9, 2025 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Tim Heitman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As much excitement and potential as this year’s version of the Dallas Mavericks has, there are also many questions that will determine just how high the team’s ceiling can be in 2026-27. One of the biggest questions involves just how healthy Dereck Lively II is. After having an incredible rookie year that ended up in a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals, the fourth-year big man has been battling foot injuries ever since.
During Mavs Media Day on Friday morning, Lively gave Mavs fans an update on how he’s feeling and how his offseason recovery has gone.
“Everything’s been great,” Lively said. “It’s been a lot of focus, a lot of days in the gym, a lot of hard days working. It’s been ups and downs. Trying to keep my focus on what I can control, not worry about things I can’t keep out of my control, and just having trust in my team, having trust in the people around me, my doctors, and the people who support me.”
During every NBA Media Day, there’s always a lot of buzz about certain guys getting taller or adding more muscle. That was the case in Dallas on Friday when it comes to the height of reigning 19-year-old Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, who is now reportedly 6-10 without shoes on. Lively, who is still just 22 years old, was asked if he’s grown a little bit as well.
“Who knows? I feel taller than everybody. I feel like that’s had to change. I know I’ve definitely put on some size. I’ve definitely put on a good amount of muscle,” Lively said. “I feel like I’ve been trying to lose as much body fat as possible, trying to stay in the right shape, no matter if that’s me on the bike, me riding the treadmill, me swimming. That’s definitely been a big change in my routine. So just doing whatever I can to make sure I keep my body right and keep my mind right.”
The biggest question for Lively, though, is: when will he be ready to get on the court again? It’s a good sign that he’s no longer in a walking boot that he seemed to be in forever over the summer, but according to a report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon earlier this week, Lively still hasn’t been cleared for training camp yet. Lively was asked about his injury timeline on Friday, and here’s what he had to say.
“I’m happy where I am. I’m very grateful to the team for just giving me the ability to just take my time, make sure I’m doing everything right, and making sure I’m taking care of my body,” Lively said. “I’ve been running on the treadmill, been practicing jumps, been slowly getting back on the court, getting my shots up, making sure I’m still confident in my shot, and just being part of the team. Having everybody around the team, no matter if it’s the trainers, the medical staff, the team, the coaches. It’s been great just to have everybody around, having the energy again … It’s been a great time to be back with the team.”
Although Lively’s foot health is concerning, he deserves to be able to take as much time as he needs to make sure he gets 100 percent right again before stepping foot on the court. That’s the least the Mavs can do for him, given the malpractice that took place with the previous front office regime when it came to his injury management.
Adric from Coors Field | Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
As the Dodgers embark on their final series of the regular season, let us revisit the last series where both the Dodgers won and Shohei Ohtani had an RBI, which happened to be with my mother in Denver.
We’ve had a lot of fun this year, and the campaign flew by.
Before I knew it, it was over. I’m so glad you stopped to smell the pine tar with me along the way.
As an aside, Mom and a friend of mine from law school will be joining us for the penultimate game of the year.
Rocky Mountain High
Denver was the first stop on my second circuit around the league. Ultimately, a lot of people sleep on Denver, and they really shouldn’t, as it’s a lovely ballpark. The tour of the facilities confirmed that.
Also, on the Tour, I learned that the visiting team does not have a kitchen and thus has to order all meals while playing. Afterward, the Rockies pick up and pay for the orders, and get reimbursed once the visiting team leaves. Coors Field is surrounded by restaurants with its own plaza and hotel across the street from left field.
The main delicacy of Coors Field is the Rocky Mountain Oyster, a deep-fried, breaded bull’s testicle. I meant to try it during this visit, but I found my stomach was not agreeing with me after trying some of the local restaurants. For once, I decided that discretion was the better part of valor.
Now, did Hunter Feduccia become ill during Game 2 of the series because he had a Rocky Mountain Oyster or had a bad reaction to Denver takeout? I have no earthly idea; sadly, I’m not a credentialed reporter, so the big questions like this one get unanswered while everyone focuses on why Kyle Tucker dropped that fly ball.
Considering the follies that arose from our choice of hotel in Los Angeles in 2025, Mom finally listened to me and was willing to split and splurge on The Rally Hotel at McGregor Square.
The hotel was quite nice, and the service was excellent, but it was a little pricey for my budget. Yes, the convenience of just walking out the left field gate only to be right at the hotel is amazing when the weather is muggy and/or you are surrounded by fans.
The Mountain Ranch Bar and Grille is an interesting option if you want to eat at a buffet in the ballpark, overlooking batting practice. Again, best views are the effectively closed-off areas of the ballpark that open up two hours before first pitch.
Mom enjoyed herself both at the games and on the tour. Sometimes there is the temptation to try and make more of experiences than what they were at face value.
Sometimes a ballgame is just that, and I continue to remain grateful for the company.
But there are times one has to admit a personal truth, and if you are indifferent to me venturing into foul territory for a bit, you can stop right here.
No longer walking the line
I need to make a confession. For five years, I have steadfastly said that I walk that line between serious journalist and hardcore fan. But that sentence isn’t true anymore.
The cost of experience is wonder. At some point, I learned too much, experienced too much, and I somehow became more journalist than fan. I don’t know when it happened, but I do know when I realized it happened; the fact that this change did happen is noteworthy.
For most of my life, you could define a significant portion of my personality by my fandom of the Dodgers.
26 years ago, I attended a summer program at UCLA for business students. I had no desire to go into business, but I needed to do something to pad out my transcript as an underachieving A-student from a rural Central Valley town that I was desperate to get away from.
The highlight of the program was an outing at Dodger Stadium on July 20, 2000, where the Dodgers were set to face the Colorado Rockies. Before the game, I had cornered some Fox/Dodger executive, and I was peppering him with questions as I was genuinely thrilled to be there.
I fully admit that I have an awkward social manner, and it was much worse when I was younger. And maybe he was having a bad day. I think his last name was Chase, but I wouldn’t testify to it. Anyway, he blew his stack at me loudly, wondering why I didn’t just grow up, and finished his rant by saying, “It’s just a job, man. Grow up.”
I felt like I had been slapped. I must have looked crestfallen. The room went quiet. I apologized meekly, went to finish my dinner, and the silence of the room was broken up by Gary Sheffield hitting a first-inning homer.
Who says that my life lacks poetry? But the moment was transformative, as public humiliation often is. In some ways, I grew up.
17-year-old me would be appalled at that sentence. 43-year-old me, who has literally been around the world to cover this team and to every MLB ballpark to watch this team, would think I’m being ridiculous.
I’m not bona fide. And that’s okay.
Apart from some of the sponsored posts (…don’t stop, I need the money…), I have been proud of everything I have created during these five seasons.
I try not to revel in being right, because when I’m wrong, oh Lord, do I miss the mark.
As I described above, when I realized I was more journalist than fan at this point was when I told Melissa Myer of the podcast Talk Dodgers to Me that at some point, I became an actual journalist and columnist by feeling vindication about being right about the Dodgers’ handling of Ohtani. She was moderately appalled at my vindication.
Ms. Myer is adamant that she is always fans first, and her podcast with Jaclyn Ruiz reflects that approach. The lineup of people who have gone on, including players, broadcasters, and other luminaries, is impressive. It’s hard not to feel a little envy when I have to kick and scream to be noticed on even minor topics. You won’t see hard topics on that podcast, but if you want to indulge your inner fan, have at it.
I realized I know too much. I have spent too much time on the figurative slaughterhouse floor watching how the sausage gets made. I have no problem calling things as they are, including any health code violations in this metaphor, and having a Greek salad afterward.
When Eric Stephen hired me five years ago, he gave me one directive: write about the interesting stuff.
I had it in my head that somehow finishing the circuit and finishing five seasons would somehow confer clout or status on me. As if the heavens would part, and there would be some deeper meaning to all this with Stephen Nelson and Orel Hershiser saying “attaboy.”
It didn’t. At least, not yet, which may not help with the deflating delusions of grandeur.
More folks say hello to me when I’m on the road, which is both neat and confusing.
Dad’s final words to me were that he loved me and a request to have fun. He never got to see Ohtani as a Dodger, or Ohtani’s Perfect Day in Miami, or The Fifth Inning, or my madcap romp to Toronto last year. As I said at the beginning of the year, when you literally experience a high that cannot be topped, one either has to come to terms with it or go mad seeking a repeat.
I got to goof on the road with people I like, respect, or both. I was an accidental witness to some of the best moments in recent Dodger history. I had fun. Originally, this essay was going to be an “Adric’s Retiring” post, but he’s not. I still have four more Guide entries to write, and he’s featured in all of them. Plus, the first question from Mom would be “Where’s Adric?” if I kept him at home.
It’s not the end, even though no one is guaranteed a tomorrow; it’s just the end of the beginning. For this next act, there will likely be more of me, rather than our unofficial mascot. It’s scary, but it’s good and, in some ways, long overdue. That’s the fun part about the second trip around the circuit; there’s absolutely no rush to complete it in a hurry.
So until next time, once more into the breach, my friends.
