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The game of baseball is always changing and evolving. This season we got a big rule change in the form of the ABS challenge system. Giving players the ability to challenge the umpire’s ruling is a game changer. This season, 5,686 calls were overturned around the league.

I wanted to take a look at how successful the Nats were when it came to using the challenge system. In the first year of ABS, there is no true guide on how to effectively use it. That means different teams will take different approaches. With a year of data, I think teams will have a better idea of how to use the system most effectively.

On the season, the Nats were mediocre at best when it came to challenging. Nats hitters were 45% on challenges this season, which ranked 23rd in baseball. Meanwhile, Nationals were 54%, which ranks 22nd in the league. Overall, the Nats were not horrible at using the ABS challenge system, but left plenty to be desired.

In the beginning of the season, the Nats struggled to adjust to the new system. For the first month of play, the Nats were the worst challenging team in baseball. I remember one game against the Phillies during the first week of the season where the Nats ran out of challenges in the second inning.

Hitters were having a hard time picking the right spots to challenge. Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas were also struggling behind the plate. Millas continued to struggle, with a 43% win rate on the season. That was actually the worst mark of any catcher with at least 50 challenges. 

After a tough start, Keibert Ruiz turned into a decent challenger. On the season, Ruiz went 56% on ABS challenges. That is slightly below the 58% average for catchers. Harry Ford was actually the best Nats catcher at using the ABS system, with a 60% win rate.

Ford being the best at using ABS actually makes sense. The ABS challenge system has been in place at the AAA level for a little while now, which makes Ford the most familiar with the procedure. With his experience, Ford had a better feel for when to tap the helmet.

On the hitting side, CJ Abrams was actually one of the game’s best challengers. He challenged 14 times and won 12 of them. Abrams was actually the best hitter in baseball in terms of overturns vs expected, a stat on Baseball Savant. However, it was a mixed bag at best for the rest of the team.

Jorbit Vivas and Nasim Nunez were the worst challengers on the team, going 3 for 11 and 3 for 12 respectively. Maybe they should not have challenging privileges going into next season. James Wood also struggled, going 8 for 23 on the year.

Overall, I thought the Nats got better at challenging as the year went on but still have plenty of room to improve. It was very interesting to watch this new system for the first time. ABS provides a new element when it comes to accuracy and strategy. I am excited to see how the Nats adapt to the system as the years go on. It is a fun subplot to follow around the game.

Game 1 of the National League Division Series is slated to be a hot one, literally.

First pitch between the Dodgers and Phillies or Braves (depending on who wins Game 3 of the wild-card series Thursday) is set for 1 p.m. Saturday. Temperatures at Dodger Stadium are expected to reach upward of 98 degrees.

While there certainly won’t be an autumn breeze for October baseball in Los Angeles, Dodgers fans can purchase tickets at a reasonable price for Game 1 of the NLDS.

Tickets have gone lower than $100, meaning fans can watch the back-to-back World Series champions for a price that likely matches the 90-degree weather.

For those wondering about the early start time for a Dodgers playoff game, the wild-card series between the Padres and Cubs determined whether LA would get the 1 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. slot.

Since the Padres beat Chicago, the Dodgers were pushed to the 1 p.m. start time and San Diego received the evening slot to avoid any overlap between the two NLDS matchups.

While the Padres already know their NLDS opponent in the Brewers, the Dodgers still are waiting.

Regardless of who they face, the Dodgers are set for a heated Game 1.

There were consistent statements made by the Cincinnati Reds ownership group during the collapse in 2026 that the front office and baseball decision-makers were not going to be replaced this offseason. It was telling that despite their precipitous fall down the standings after a surprising (and statistically unsustainable) win streak in March they stuck with Nick Krall and Brad Meador during the MLB Draft process mid-summer.

Letting a front office on the outs make that kind of ten-figure investment in the future of the franchise wouldn’t have made much sense, would it?

So, from a reading the tea leaves perspective today’s news conference featuring Phil Castellini endorsing the current front office for another year should have caused zero surprises; the surprise was months ago when all signs pointed directly to that being the case.

“We need baseball guys to make baseball decisions,” said Phil.

What Phil did not say, though, was “we need expert baseball guys to make expert baseball decisions.”

Charlie Goldsmith was on hand to document the presser, and to Krall’s credit he owned a number of his own mistakes. There was genuine lament that they – he – had thrown so many millions of dollars at 3B only to have it blow up in the Reds faces each and every time, and how that was an exhaustive way of using the otherwise limited resources that this team has at its disposal.

It was also made clear that Derek Johnson, who’d been the head of pitching at every single inch of the franchise since 2019, would officially depart from said duties. He’d been on a leave of absence since June anyway, and now the front office will be tasked with regrouping with another voice there – even though it’ll be the very same front office getting to make those personnel decisions despite the foibles they’ve encountered elsewhere.

Beyond that, it’s telling that the front office will remain intact at the same time that so many of their players are entering winters when their trade value could not possibly be any lower. Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott took terrible steps backwards during the 2026 season while also seeing their precious team control dwindle towards empty. Spencer Steer needed wrist surgery, while Matt McLain was one of the single worst hitters against RHP in the sport at the highest level. Even JJ Bleday, who emerged as a legitimate lineup staple against RHP, spent the final four months of the season showing why he’d been non-tendered the year prior. Hunter Greene, of course, just had his elbow replaced.

So, a front office that has hammered home how this will be a slow build and will feature them trusting the process with the guys they’d assembled now a) gets an endorsement from the owners to continue on that path and b) enters the offseason armed with almost zero shiny trade chips from which to make deals.

There will be some money available after the likes of Brady Singer, Eugenio Suarez, TJ Friedl, and Tyler Stephenson came off the books. But that’s precisely the area where this front office has collapsed in delirium for the entirety of its establishment, meaning the guys will once again have to eschew their growing reputation and hit on some gems in a winter where there aren’t a ton of perfect-fit options out there on the open market.

Terrified of what it would actually take to overhaul a franchise that has sputtered for generations, the Reds are going to take the easy route once again. We all know how well those stories usually play out.

All hands will be on deck Thursday night as the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have the stage to themselves in the final game of MLB's wild card playoff round.

Tied 1-1 in the best-of-three series after a pair of nail-biting finishes, the winner of the third and deciding game in suburban Atlanta will advance to the National League division series against the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Phillies will have right-hander Aaron Nola (7-12, 4.67 ERA) on the mound, while the Braves will counter with an opener in left-handed reliever Ray Kerr (0-0, 1.47 ERA).

USA TODAY Sports will chronicle all the action and provide instant analysis on the game.

I love the film Moneyball for a lot of reasons, but one part of the film really resonates now.

If you recall, Billy Beane’s life was baseball — once as a player and, as the movie starts, as the general manager for the Athletics.

But he doesn’t watch the games. At first pitch, he might be working out in the gym. He might go for a drive. But sit in the stadium and watch every excruciating pitch? No way.

Well, I never played baseball and nothing in my personal life depends on the outcome of the Rays postseason and yet….when the postseason starts I feel so stressed that I can barely watch.

When it’s a series against a rival like the Yankees I’m nearly comatose with anxiety. The pain of losing to THOSE guys – with their air of entitlement, the sense that the world begins and ends with them. Their stupid minor league stadium dimensions (and then their fans griping if an opponent actually beats them shooting “home runs” to the short porch); their acting like they are better than the rest of us but then using a b-tier electronics store jingle ad to signify a strikeout. The thousands of New Yorkers who flee their region to enjoy OUR weather and OUR low taxes while continuing to root for the Yankees, and who then boast that they outnumber the Rays fans (which they don’t by the way, they are just very loud and obnoxious) when in fact they have priced long time Floridians out of the region.

Oh and by the way did I mention, I’m from New York City? So I really am entitled to call these folks out.

Anyway!

I thought baseball was the thing I did to escape the difficult parts of life. Work can be stressful, family can be complicated, there are fires and floods everywhere, so of course we turn to baseball, that traditional, pastoral sport for escape.

When we get to the postseason, however, it’s the baseball part that seems stressful.

In 2023 I decided to address this by going all in on participation. I bought tickets for all the Wild Card games (of which just two were played), got a new postseason shirt, cleared my work schedule and immersed myself in the game. And I was rewarded with the two worst Rays games I’ve ever seen, and I was around for the Devil Rays.

This year I’ve decided to stay home (clearly I was the bad luck charm) and I’m looking for ways to get into the right mindset to actually, you know, enjoy baseball. Ice cream? Meditation, with my new mantra: “Any October baseball is good. Any October baseball is good.”

Or maybe alcohol. I’ve created a drinking game where I take a shot every time someone — baseball folks, random fans on social media — says some variation of “who are these guys?” Double shots if a ball hits a catwalk. I invite you to join me, or if you aren’t a drinker substitute your substance of choice.

I also line up all my Rays swag and bobbleheads around my TV and light a few candles. That should surely help.

And if things get tense, well, I’ll go to the store.

Where are you on the anxiety-to-joy continuum? What is your strategy for dealing with the many Yankee fans certain to cast a dark shadow over the Trop this week?

So far, what we know is that it is a two-year deal, which means he is staying in the dessert through at least 2028. Of course, plenty can change before then, but this seems the most likely outcome, especially given all the uncertainty regarding the sport as a whole. The looming lockout is nothing to be trifled with. This move saves the club from having to find a new management team in the short period of time they will have before the lockout starts or in the even shorter window after the lockout is over and games begin.

Stay glued to the Pit for updates once the team holds the announcement presser.

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In 1969, the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers — who were the Seattle Pilots for one season — were founded as MLB expansion teams.

Now, 58 short years later, the perennial National League contenders are meeting in the postseason for the first time.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, the best-of-five NLDS will get underway at Milwaukee’s American Family Field with the Brewers’ ace and Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski (16-5, 1.80 ERA) on the hill.

Following a two-game stint in the Cream City, the series will move to SoCal for a pair of contests at San Diego’s PETCO Park. They’re slated to take place:

Game 3Tuesday, Oct. 6

Game 4Wednesday, Oct. 7

If you’d like to be there, tickets are available for both high-stakes hypothetical San Diego showdowns.

At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on tickets for either game was $121 including fees on Vivid Seats.

Prices start at $99 including fees for the three potential meetings in Milwaukee.

Before this series, the Padres got revenge against the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round, sweeping MVP hopeful Pete Crow-Armstrong’s club at home after losing to them in three games to open the playoffs last year.

“They’re playing great baseball right now,” San Diego manager Craig Stammen said about his club.

Next up, they have a tall task taking on MLB’s winningest team in 2026.

Oddsmakers project the Brewers are -180 favorites going into the NLDS.

Yet, it should be factored in that San Diego took four of their six meetings over the course of the regular season including a clutch 4-3, eleven-inning victory on Aug. 12.

Is this the year that one of these two clubs finally gets over the hump and returns to the World Series?

While we can’t say for certain we do know that their first-ever postseason meeting with some of the game’s hardest flamethrowers in Misiorowski and Mason Miller should be downright electric.

Don’t miss this one. We just might have an instant classic on our hands.

For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about the Padres vs. Brewers 2026 NLDS below.

What do tickets cost to see the Padres at home in the 2026 NLDS?

All hypothetical Padres home game dates at PETCO Park and links to the cheapest tickets available are listed here:

How much are tickets for Brewers 2026 NLDS games in Milwaukee?

A complete calendar of all potential Brewers home games at American Family Field and the lowest-priced tickets can be found below.

Are Padres tickets available for later rounds?

Starry-eyed fans looking to get ahead of themselves can procure potential NLCS and World Series tickets before the NLDS even begins.

To grab seats for the game of your choosing, all hypothetical Padres playoff tickets can be found here.

How to watch the Padres in the 2026 playoffs

Fans that prefer to watch on the tube, you can catch Padres playoff contests on FOX, which can be found on DIRECTV.

Huge 2026-27 San Diego shows

The Yankees aren’t the only huge attraction in America’s Finest City these next few months.

Here are just five of the biggest acts headed to San Diego in the near future.

• Metallica

• Don Omar

• Gorillaz

• Los Tigres del Norte

• Teddy Swims

Who else is out and about? Take a look at this list of all the biggest artists coming to the Pechanga Arena these next few months to find the show for you.

Why you should trust ‘Post Wanted’ by the New York Post

This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.