10/4/2026
(2026 Season) Every day we’ll have the full MLB Baseball Schedule, updated day and times and the final result on this page. All scores posted are final.
All game start times are Pacific time.
Link to 2026-27 Standings Page on MLB.com
Schedule
Monday, October 5 (Divisional Series, Game 2)
White Sox at Guardians (White Sox lead the series 1-0) 2pm TBS/Tru TV
Yankees at Rays (Rays lead the series 1-0) 5pm TBS/Tru TV
Tuesday, October 6 (Divisional Series, Game 3)
Dodgers at Braves 3pm (Series is even at 1-1) FS1
Brewers at Padres (Brewers lead the series 2-0) 6:30pm FS1
Results
Sunday, October 4 (Divisional Series, Game 2)
Braves 3, Dodgers 2 (Series is even at 1-1)
The Braves began fast with Ronald Acuna Jr hitting a 1 out single and then stole 2nd. Two walks then loaded the bases. Mauricio Dubon then hit a slow roller to short and legged out an infield hit while scoring Acuna and giving the Braves an early 1-0 lead.
The Dodgers would get even in the bottom of 4 with a solo shot home run. Freddie Freeman led off the inning then launched the 2-2 count pitch over the right field fence 375-feet from contact to tie the game at 1’s.
The pitching on both sides was a “tag your it” style with a total of 13 pitchers and none going more than 3.2 innings. It was truly an inning-by-inning strategy on both benches.
The strategy worked as the score remained 1-0 heading into the top of the 5th. The Braves would double their lead and began with a pop-out and ground-out. With two down, Michael Harris II drove a shot into the gap for a triple. Harris then scored on a Kris Bubic wild pitch to go up 2-0.
In the 7th Harris would strike again. It began with Matt Olson slapping a 1 out single. After a strike out, Harris then found another gap in right field for a double and with 2 out Olson was off and running and scored to push their lead back to 2 at 3-1.
The Dodgers made one last lunge in the bottom of 9. L-A would lead off the inning with a fly out followed by a ground out and looked like the Braves would level the series fairly easily. But the Dodgers’ Max muncy who came in as a pinch hitter slammed a shot nearly 400-feet over the right-center fence and it was a 1 run game. But with 2 out there was no room for error and the next batter fouled out to end the threat and the game.
The series now shifts to Atlanta and these two teams willk square off on Tuesday at 3pm.
Notable Performances
Braves
- Michael Harris II- 3-5, TPL, DBL RBI, R
- Ronald Acuna Jr- 1-5, R, SB
- Mauricio Dubon- 1-3, RBI, BB
Dodgers
- Freddie Freeman- 2-4, HR, RBI, R
- Max Muncy- 1-3, HR, RBI
More coverage in this story by Mark Bowman for MLB.com
Brewers 4, Padres 3 (Brewers lead the series 2-0)
Unlike in the opener where the starting pitching lasted long and a total of 11 pitchers were called up, the starter for each team both went 5 innings and when they were done it was San Diego with a slim 2-1 lead.
SanDiego’s Michael King gave up 1 run on 3 hits and struck out 6. Milwaukee’s Logan Henderson gave up 1 earned run, 2 hits struck out 4 but also walked 3. But more than halfway through both hurlers did their job eating up some innings and having their teams in position to win.
San Diego struck first in the 1st inning, with 2 out, Manny Machado walked then took 2nd on a wild pitch. Ty France then kept the ball below roof level and ripped a single to center scoring Machado for a quick 1-0 lead.
That would hold to the top of the 5th when the Padres Luis Campusano led off with a single. The Padres then took advantage of a break down in the Brewer defense as Campusano would advance to 3rd on a fielder’s choice and throwing error. That was followed by another fielder’s choice and error that scored Campusano giving San Diego a 2-0 lead.
The Brewers knew it was important to answer and not allow the Padres a chance to stretch this lead any further. Their answer was a 2-ou double from Christian Yelich followed by an RBI single from Sal Frelick and after 5 it was a 2-1 game.
The 7th inning the Padres would add to their lead taking advantage of a 3rd defensive error on Milwaukee. With 1 out, Fernando Tatis Jr would be safe at 1st on a fielding error. After a fly-out Machado would walk forcing Tatis to 2ndf. France was up again and again delivered a single to right for an RBI to go up 3-1. The inning was then quickly doused as Machado tried to get to 3rd but was thrown out but after Tatis scored to end the inning.
The Padres were up 2 and just needed 9 outs to tie the series at 1-1. They took that lead into the bottom of the 9th Mason Miller who came in with 1 out in the 8th. Miller picked up a ground out to lead off the inning but that’s where it all went south.
Miller walked the next 3 batters to fill the bases with 1 out. Jackson Chourio then came to the plate and worked the count to 2-2 when he smacked a single to center which scored Frelick and Yelich for the walk off 2 RBI single to win the game and give the Brewers a commanding 2-0 series lead.
The series now heads to San Diego where the Padres face a must win game. Game 3 will be Tuesday at 6:30pm.
Notable Performances
Brewers
- Jackson Chourio- 1-4, 2 RBI *walk-off single to drive in tying and winning run. Chourio also is thy one to catch the controversial high fly ball that was going to give the Padres a lead in the 9th in game 1 when the ball hit a cable in fair territory and came straight down. Chourio caught that ball for a huge 2nd out in the top of the 9th.
- Sal Frelick- 1-2, RBI, R, 2 BB
Padres
- Ty France-2-3, 2 RBI
- Luis Campusano- 1-2, R, BB
- Michael King (ND) 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 6 K’s, no walks
More coverage in this story by Adam McCalvy for MLB.com
Saturday, October 3 (Divisional Series, Game 1)
Dodgers 5, Braves 3 (Dodgers lead the series 1-0)
The 2-time defending World Series Champions got off to a solid start with a very controlled win. The score was not as close as it seems with L-A leading 5-1 going into the top of the 9th inning. Additionally, winning pitcher Tarick Skubal was also on top of his game. Skubal retired the batters in order in four consecutive innings the 2nd thru the 5th after facing just 4 batters in the 1st.
Skubal gave up a lead-off HR in the 6th and walked a man but got out of the inning with just the one RBI and his night was done.
The Dodgers’ offense also had a feeling out process with Braves starter Dylan Dodd who faced 11 batters in the first 3 innings. Dodd gave up 2 hits, no runs and struck out 4 but was pulled after 3 innings.
Victor Mederos was handed the ball and the Dodgers quickly got to him. After a 1 out walk to Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez blasted a 431-foot shot over the left-center fence and the Dodgers led 2-0. Mederos gave up another hit, but the Dodgers could not add to the lead. That was also the end of the night for Mederos.
The Braves got their hopes up in the top of the 6th on the solo home run by Sean Murphy a 421-foot shot to center field. But the Dodgers were not ready to let the Braves back in the game in the bottom half of the inning. Hernandez would slap a 1 out single to get on base. Kyle Tucker then jumped on one which turned into a 408-foot blast to double the Dodgers run total to 4.
L-A wasn’t done yet as Max Muncy came up with 2 out and pulled one over the right field fence for a 354-foot HR down the line and the Dodgers led 5-1.
Atlanta tried to rally in the top of the 9th, Ronald Acuna Jr singled and that was followed by an Ozzie Albies 432-foot bash straight away center field and the Braves were threatening.
Tanner Scott who gave up the HR then coaxed a couple of ground outs for 2 outs. The Dodgers then brought Evan Phillips in and he got a ground-out to end the inning and clinch the win.
The series continues on Sunday in Los Angeles with a 5pm 1st pitch.
Notable Performances
Dodgers
- Teoscar Hernandez- 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
- Kyle Tucker- 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R
- Tarick Skubal (WP)- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 K’s, 2 BB
Braves
- Ozzie Albies- 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB
- Sean Murphy- 1-3, HR, RBI
More coverage in this story by Sonja Chen for MLB.com
Rays 1, Yankees 0 (Rays lead the series 1-0)
This is the craziest game to write about. It was nearly one of the most historic games in Major League Baseball history along with one of the most disastrous decisions ever by a base runner and we can do all of it in one or two paragraphs.
To say Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen was dialed in would be a huge understatement. Rasmussen cruised through the 7th inning having pitched to 23 batters or 2 over the minimum. No hits, no runs with a pair of walks was the only blemish on the first 7 innings for Rasmussen.
On the flip side, the Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole was putting together quite a game himself. Cole scattered 5 hits through 5 innings giving up just one run. He would be pulled after a 1-2-3 inning in the 5th.
The Rays defense was suffocating but thye offense was little to none. That little bit of offense ended up being all they needed. In the bottom of the 3rd with 1 out, Jonathan Aranda stepped up and launched a 417-foot shot over the right-center fence giving the Rays the lead 1-0.
As the game progressed to the 8th inning, Rasmussen remained sharp and got two quick ground-outs. With two outs and was just four outs from becoming just the 3rd pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter in the play-offs.
Austin Wells came to the plate and on a 1-0 count Rasmussen threw a hard sinker that Wells pulled down the right filed line and it bounced just inside the line for a fair ball ending the no-hitter. Wells rounded 1st and headed to 2nd with everyone figuring he would stop there with the tying run in scoring position. Wells had other thoughts and never slowed down trying to stretch it into a triple.
Victor Mesa Jr played the ball out of the corner turned and threw a dart to Taylor Walls who then threw a rope to Junior Caminero who was waiting for Wells for the easy tag out and end of the inning and scoring threat.
That would be enough for Rasmussen as Bryan Baker came in to close the game out and did so striking out thye first two batters and ending on a ground out.
The Rays will host the Yankees again on Monday at 5pm.
Notable Performances
Rays
- Drew Rasmussen (WP)- 8 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB
- Jonathan Aranda- 1-4, HR, RBI, R
- Mesa to Walls to Caminera to throw out Austin Wells trying to stretch the double into a triple ending the scoring threat.
Yankees
- Austin Wells- 1-3, DBL broke up the no hitter in the top of 8 with 2 outs but thrown out at 3rd to end the inning.
- Yankees Pitching staff (4 pitchers) who finished with 8 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 5K
More coverage in this story by Adam Berry for MLB.com
Brewers 3, Padres 2 (Brewers lead the series 1-0)
The Brewers and Padres were in a tight battle from the start and looks like it was a pitcher’s duel. Well it was in a sense as both sides went deep in the pen to battle this game 1 inning at a time. The Padres would send 5 different hurlers to the hill with none going more than 2.2 innings.
The Brewers countered with 6 pitchers but starter Jacob Misiorowski went 4 innings before the pitching turnstile began.
The other interesting angle of this game was that 80% of the runs were scored by the end of the 3rd inning. San Diego struck first in the 2nd. With 1 out Xander Boegarts reached on an infield single, followed by an Ethan Salas single to center. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Luis Campusano singled to right scoring Boegarts. Jake Cronenworth then grounded into a fielder’s choice scoring Salas and San Diego led 2-0.
Milwaukee answered in the bottom of the 3rd. Garrett Mitchell led off with an infield single. Then with Mitchell on and 1 out Jackson Chourio drilled a deep shot to left center and the game was tied at 2-2.
It stayed that way until the 7th when San Diego would send 6 to the plate and loaded the bases with 2 out. The Brewers then turned to their 5th pitcher of the night DL Hall who would get Jackson Merrill to fly out to center ending the scoring threat and keeping it a 2-2 tie.
It was the Brewer’s turn next and they were facing San Diego’s Adrian Morejon. Morejon got the first two batters and quickly had 2 outs. Milwaukee’s William Contreras stepped into the box and worked the count full. On the 6th pitch Contreras connected with a sinker and belted it deep over the centerfield fence with a 406-foot blast and gave the Brewers their first lead in the game.
San Diego’s next best chance was in the 8th where with runners on the corners and 2 down Fernando Tatis Jr struck out swinging ending the threat.
The Padres Dustin Harris led off the top of 9 with a single but closer Trevor Megill then got the batter with a strike out. Ty France stepped to the plate and unloaded a deep and high shot that France knew was going out, he just wasn’t sure if it would be fair. The problem? It went too high and hit a cable swatting the ball straight down where Jackson Chourio was camped under the ball and caught it.
The ruling is that if the ball is in fair territory when it connets with a wire, cable, truss or even the roof of the dome it is a live and fair ball. The result was out #2. Megill then got Merrill to line out to right to end the game in a bizarre finish.
The Brewers will host the Padres again on Sunday with a 1pm 1st pitch on Sunday.
Notable Performances
Brewers
- Jacob Misiorowski SP- The Miz set a record fast ball in postseason when his first pitch reached 104.8 mph
- Jackson Chourio- 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R also caught Ty France’s towering shot in the 9th inning that hit a cable and came down in fair territory.
- William Contreras- 1-3, HR, RBI, R, BB
Padres
- Luis Campusano- 1-3, RBI, BB
- Xander Boegarts- 1-3, R, BB
- Ty France- Belted a deep and high ball headed over the left field fence with one on in the 9th. An HR would give San Diego the lead 4-3. But the ball is so high it hits a cable and comes straight down and caught by Jackson Chourio and ends up being the 2nd out of the 9th.
More coverage in this story from MLB.com
White Sox 3, Guardians 0 (White Sox lead the series 1-0)
The starting pitchers controlled the first 3 innings of this Divisional opening game with Parker Messick on the bump for the Guardians and Hagen Smith going for the Sox. Through 3 innings the game was scoreless with 4 three-up and three-down half innings. Smith was the first to wobble in the top of the 4th after getting 2 out he walked 3 straight and was replaced Bryan Hudson who got the Sox out of the inning.
Chicago’s offense then got something going in the bottom of the 4th with a lead-off single by Miguel Vargas. Munetaka Murakami then stepped in the box and connected on the 1st pitch with a towering 440-foot shot over the right field fence for a 2-0 lead.
The White Sox would use a total of 5 pitchers and Hudson would get credit for the win as the group effort held Cleveland scoreless, giving up just 3 hits, they did walk 5 but struck out 12.
Chicago would add an insurance run in the 7th inning when Colson Montgomery doubled scoring Kyle Teel who had reached base on a walk. Murakami led the White Sox offense going 2-4 with the HR and 2 RBI.
Reliver Grant Taylor came into the game in the 6th and pitched 4 innings and faced 13 batters, 1 over the minimum. He gave up a 2 out double and then shut down the Guardians. He gave up 2 hits and struck out 5 with no runs and no walks. Taylor got the save.
The White Sox are at Cleveland for game 2 on Monday with a 2pm 1st pitch.
Notable Performances
White Sox
- Munetaka Murakami- 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R
- Grant Taylor (Save)-4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 K
- Miguel Vargas- 1-2, RBI, 2 BB
- Colson Montgomery- 2-3, DBL, RBI
Guardians
- The only notable performance was the Guardians infield turned three double plays in the game.
More coverage in this story by Scott Merkin for MLB.com
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Thursday, October 1 (Wild Card Series, Game 3)
Braves 6, Phillies 2 (Braves win the series 2-1)
The Braves likley felt they shouldn’t be playing this game after letting game 2 get-away from them forcing this deciding match-up. Atlanta would not miss some early opportunities to score on this night.
After facing just 4 batters in the top of the 1st, Atlanta’s offense was primed to strike early. With 1 out Ron Acuna Jr would draw a walk off starting Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola. Matt Olson then followed suit drawing another free pass to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Michael Harris then launched one 387 feet over the right-center fence and the Braves jumped out to a 3-0 lead just 4 batters into the game.
Atlanta came in with the idea of sharing the pitching load and started Ray Kerr who went 3 and 1/3 innings giving up 0 earned runs and just 1 hit. Following Kerr was Grant Holmes who went 2 innings. He would be followed by Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Dodd with Chris Sale finishing the win off in the 9th giving up a lead-off single and then striking out the side.
The Braves added to the 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th when Austin Riley drew a walk. Ozzie Albies then connected and sent the ball 419 feet over the right-center wall and Atlanta had a commanding 5-0 lead just 10 outs into the deciding game.
Philadelphia would get on the board in the 6th inning when Kyle Schwarber singled and advanced to 3rd on a Bryce Harper double and then scored on a ground out to short. The Phillies added a 2nd run in the top of the 8th inning when pnch hitter Derek Hill led off with a triple and was driven in on a sac fly.
Atlanta also added another run with a 3rd home run this time off the bat of Olson in the bottom of the 7th blasting a 416 foot shot over the center field fence.
Philadelphia’s season comes to an end. Atlanta now advances to the Division series in a best of 5 series against the Dodgers. Game 1 will be in Los Angeles on Saturday at 1pm.
Notable Performances
Braves
- Michael Harris- 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, R-1st inning HR is all the offense the Braves would need on this night.
- Matt Olson- 1-3, HR, RBI, BB, 2 R-Olson finished the scoring of an all home run offensive night.
- Ozzie Albies- 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, R- 2 run HR pushed lead to 5-0.
Phillies
- Kyle Schwarber- 2-3, BB, R
- Deek Hill- 1-1, TPL, R-Came in as a pinch hitter, lead off triple and scored.
More coverage in this story by Mark Bowman for MLB.com
Wednesday, September 30 (Wild Card Series, Game 2)
Phillies 4, Braves 3 (10 Innings) (Series tied 1-1)
For the first time this postseason, we got extra innings as the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves got day two of the Wild Card series underway. Teams to take game one of the Wild Card series have won 15 of the 16 series since the round began in the 2022 playoffs.
It was a good start for both teams as they got on the board in the 1st. A leadoff double by Trea Turner set the table for Bryce Harper to bring in a run with an RBI single to make it 1-0. A walk and two stolen bases for Ronald Acuña Jr. put a man on third with two outs and Atlanta cashed in with an RBI single for Matt Olson to make it 1-1 and allow both Christopher Sánchez and Tyler Mahle to settle in.
Atlanta really struggled with runners in scoring position in game two and went 3-10 in those situations. However, Philadelphia struggled completely at the plate as Mahle allowed just six hits and one walk in seven innings. Christopher Sánchez got out of a bases loaded jam in the 6th thanks to a huge double play hit into by Michael Harris II but the 7th wasn’t so kind. With a man on second and one out, Drake Baldwin drove a fly ball to right that was misread by Bryce Harper and ended up over his head for an RBI double to give the Braves the lead. A couple of batters later, Matt Olson extended the lead with a sacrifice fly and ended Sánchez’s day after 116 pitches.
The Phillies lack of offense was made up for by their power hitting. In the 8th, Kyle Schwarber crushed a solo shot before Bryce Harper made up for his mistake with a solo bomb of his own to tie the game at 3-3 just two batters into the inning. Another double play put out a fire before it got going for Atlanta in the bottom of the 8th. Quick innings in the 9th sent this one to extras.
In the playoffs, there is no automatic runner in extra innings so manufacturing a run would be much more difficult for the two NL East rivals. Didier Fuentes stayed on for the 10th and had retired five in a row before losing it all. Alec Bohm came to the plate and seemed to get jammed on a fastball on the inner half and sent it out to right field. He got just enough of it to get it out for a solo shot and the Phillies third solo home run of the game. 23-year-old Andrew Painter would pitch his third inning of relief for the Phillies in his first relief outing and first postseason appearance of his career, and the rookie was tremendous. He would allow a couple of singles in the 10th to put the tying run at second and winning run at first. Painter got ahead of Dom Smith 0-2 before throwing a ball…or so we thought. J.T. Realmuto challenged the call and the pitch did clip the inside corner for a called strike three to end it. Philadelphia’s three homers were enough as they downed Atlanta in extras 4-3 to force a winner-take-all game three on Thursday.
Notable Performances
Phillies
- Alec Bohm- 2-4, HR, RBI, R, BB, Game-Winning Home Run in 10th
- Bryce Harper- 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, R, Game-Tying Home Run in 8th
- Christopher Sánchez (ND)- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 6 SO
Braves
- Tyler Mahle (ND)- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
- Matt Olson- 1-4, 2 RBI
- Drake Baldwin- 2-5, 2B, RBI
More coverage in this story by Todd Zolecki for MLB.com
White Sox 7, Astros 4 (Chicago wins series 2-0)
With their first postseason win in five years in the books, the Chicago White Sox looked to earn their first series win since 2005, when they beat the Houston Astros in the World Series. They were just one win away from sweeping the Houston Astros. Pitching was a huge key in the opener for the White Sox but the matchup was much more even in game two with Houston ace Hunter Brown facing off against Sean Burke.
Despite having their ace on the mound, it was a nightmare of a start for the Houston Astros. Hunter Brown recorded just two outs before being pulled from the game as the White Sox were all over him. Chicago tagged Brown for five hits and four runs in the 1st with a walk as well. Kyle Teel got the scoring started and cashed in on a leadoff double by Sam Antonacci with an RBI single. An error put another runner on before Andrew Benintendi singled home a run and another error moved runners up. Tristan Peters put a bow on the inning with an RBI single to make it 4-0 before Houston ever stepped to the plate.
Credit to the Astros, they were not going to go down without a fight. The Houston bullpen held the White Sox without a hit for the next three innings while the offense got them back in the game with the long ball. Three solo home runs got the energy back up at Daikin Park and it started with a leadoff homer for Jeremy Peña to make it 4-1. That quieted the Astros fans boos and allowed for Houston to settle in. Cam Smith hit his own bomb in the 2nd and it was Jose Altuve doing it in the 4th. What felt like a blowout early turned into a 4-3 game in the middle innings.
Chicago would finally find some life in the 6th against Peter Lambert in his third inning of work. After stranding the bases loaded in the 5th, Houston lost control with a leadoff walk to Andrew Benintendi and another walk to Tristan Peters. Bryan Abreu came in and immediately threw a wild pitch to move runners up. It didn’t matter where the runners were as Chase Meidroth clobbered a three-run shot to left center to break the game back open and give Chicago a 7-3 lead. Houston couldn’t solve the Chicago bullpen as they only recorded one more hit after the 4th as the Chicago White Sox completed a road sweep in Houston with a 7-3 win to advance to face Cleveland in the ALDS.
Notable Performances
White Sox
- Chase Meidroth- 2-3, HR, 3 RBI, R, BB
- Kyle Teel- 2-5, RBI, R, 5-5 ABS Challenges
- Bullpen- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO
Astros
- Jeremy Peña- 2-4, HR, RBI, R
- Jose Altuve- 2-4, HR, RBI, R
- Hunter Brown (L)- 0.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
More coverage in this story by Scott Merkin for MLB.com
Yankees 9, Red Sox 2 (New York wins series 2-0)
Rivalries make the MLB postseason so much more entertaining and one of the best rivalries in baseball continued on Wednesday as the New York Yankees looked to sweep the Boston Red Sox. After having to comeback after losing game one in last year’s wild card series to Boston, New York would hope to make quick work of their hated rivals after a dominant game one.
Game two was not much more competitive as the Yankees woke up the bats after a scoreless first three innings. Luis Garcia Jr. homered as the deadline acquisition paid off for the Yankees to give them a lead. A two-out RBI single for Cody Bellinger extended that lead an inning later. However, Boston would not be shutout this time and pressured the home team. William Contreras homered in the top of the 6th to end Boston’s 26 2/3 inning scoreless streak in the postseason and tightened things up at 2-1.
Boston would bring in former strikeout king Garrett Crochet who had not pitched since April 25th. After watching the pieces they moved to get Crochet help the White Sox win their series, Boston hoped their return would help them as well. He was not his usual self. There was a ton of rust as New York hit the lefty all over the yard. George Lombard Jr., Austin Wells, and Ryan McMahon all drove in runs before Boston had to pull Crochet. The knockout shot came off the bat of Cody Bellinger, whose dad threw out the first pitch before the game. Bellinger crushed a three-run homer to cap off the six-run 6th inning. The two teams each traded a run in the 7th but Boston was out of gas as they did not record a single hit with a runner on base in the entire series. New York rolled to a 9-2 win to set up a date with the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS.
Notable Performances
Red Sox
- William Contreras- 2-2, HR, RBI, R, 2 BB
- Nick Sogard- 1-3, HR, RBI, R
- Sonny Gray (L)- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Yankees
- Cody Bellinger- 2-5, HR, 4 RBI, R
- Luis Garcia Jr.- 3-5, HR, RBI, R
- Max Fried (W)- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
More coverage in this story by Bryan Hoch for MLB.com
Padres 4, Cubs 1 (San Diego wins series 2-0)
The time of the Philadelphia and Atlanta winner-take-all game three all depended on if the Chicago Cubs could force a game three in San Diego. A rematch of last season’s wild card series that went three games and was won by the Cubs at Wrigley Field, this one was lower scoring and more one-sided after the Padres dominated the opener and looked to silence the high-powered lineup of the Cubs again.
While there weren’t two solo homers in the 1st inning this time, San Diego fans didn’t have to wait too long to see runs on the board in this one. In the 2nd, Ty France doubled before Jackson Merrill singled and stole second. With runners on second and third, the Padres cashed in with an RBI single by Xander Bogaerts and a sacrifice fly by Ethan Salas. Chicago was not able to get anything going either early on and a 2-0 deficit felt insurmountable.
Finally, the Cubs would breakthrough. While their stars in Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman were MIA, the depth of the lineup showed as Seiya Suzuki singled with one out in the 4th. Ian Happ worked a walk to put a man in scoring position for the Cubs. It felt like it could be a big inning when Nico Hoerner singled in a run to make it 2-1. However, the Padres went to their bullpen early and it paid off as Bradgley Rodriguez would come in and put out the fire to preserve the lead.
One swing would get that run back plus another in the bottom of the 4th. After a double by Xander Bogaerts, Chicago decided to go to their bullpen early but Daniel Palencia did not have the same kind of success. Gavin Sheets would crush a no-doubter to right for a two-run shot to make it 4-1. San Diego’s bullpen was way too good as Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon got it to the 9th for the best closer in the sport in Mason Miller. Chicago managed a single off Miller, but that was it. San Diego got some revenge with a 4-1 win to sweep the Cubs and advance to take on the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.
Notable Performances
Cubs
- Nico Hoerner- 2-4, 2B, RBI
- Seiya Suzuki- 1-4, R
- Kevin Gausman (L)- 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
Padres
- Bullpen- 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
- Gavin Sheets- 1-1, HR, 2 RBI, R
- Xander Bogaerts- 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
More coverage in this story by AJ Cassavell for MLB.com
Tuesday, September 29 (Wild Card Series, Game 1)
Braves 5, Phillies 3 (Atlanta lead series 1-0)
The postseason got underway with quite the thriller on Tuesday afternoon. Division foes met in the NL Wild Card round with Atlanta hoping that they could finally solve their playoff Philadelphia problem after being knocked out by the Phillies in 2022 and 2023.
Both teams scored early in this one as Philadelphia got on the board in the 1st against Chris Sale on an RBI double by Alec Bohm. Atlanta answered back with a two-out RBI single by Mike Yasztremski to even things up in the 2nd. Philly had to go to the bullpen first in the 6th and Atlanta cashed in and took their first lead with an RBI triple by Ozzie Albies to make it 2-1.
It was late when the game got wild. J.T. Realmuto hit his own triple to plate two and give the Phillies a 3-2 lead in the 7th. Philadelphia shockingly brought in their closer with nine outs to get as Jhoan Duran was on for the 7th. He threw a clean 7th but got in hot water in the 8th. With the bases empty and two outs, the Braves rallied with singles by Mauricio Dubón and Michael Harris II. The struggling Austin Riley came to the plate and changed the game as he sent the first pitch the other way into right center for a three-run, go-ahead home run to put Atlanta up 5-3. Raisel Iglesias then put the game away to give Atlanta the 5-3 win to go up 1-0 and raise a lot of questions about Don Mattingly’s decision to use his closer for multiple innings and before the 9th.
Notable Performances
Phillies
- J.T. Realmut0- 1-3, 3B, 2 RBI
- Alec Bohm- 1-4, 2B, RBI
- Jesús Luzardo (ND)- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
Braves
- Austin Riley- 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, R
- Ozzie Albies- 1-3, 3B, RBI, 2 R, BB
- Chris Sale (ND)- 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO
More coverage in this story by Kiley McDaniel for ESPN
White Sox 6, Astros 3 (Chicago leads series 1-0)
For the first time in MLB history, both teams would use an opener in a playoff game. Neither the Chicago White Sox or Houston Astros got to line up their rotation as both battled for a playoff spot into the final weekend of the season. A rematch of the 2005 World Series would feature the surprise White Sox and the worst record in MLB postseason history in the 81-81 Astros.
Chicago’s opener Hagen Smith was much better than Houston’s opener AJ Blubaugh. Chicago scored in four of the first five innings with Sam Antonacci coming up with a two-run single in the second while Colson Montgomery left the yard with a solo shot in the 4th. Jordan Hicks picked up where Smith left off with a scoreless 4th before a single by Chase Meidroth made it 5-0 White Sox.
Houston wouldn’t go down without a fight as Nelson Velázquez hit a two-run home run in the 5th to make it 5-2 and bring the fans back to life. The Astros bullpen just was not good on Tuesday and allowed another run to score on a wild pitch in the 7th. Houston’s best chance came in the 8th Grant Taylor came in to pitch the 8th but allowed a couple singled to Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez. An error by Chicago plated a run and brought the tying run to the plate but a strikeout of Yainer Diaz got them out of trouble. Taylor pitched the 9th as well and threw 54 pitches to earn the White Sox their first playoff win since 2021, also against the Astros.
Notable Performances
White Sox
- Sam Antonacci- 1-3, 2 RBI, R, BB
- Colson Montgomery- 1-4, HR, RBI, R
- Hagen Smith (ND)- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
Astros
- Nelson Velázquez- 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, R
- Jeremy Peña- 1-4, R
- AJ Blubaugh (L)- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO
More coverage in this story by Bradford Doolittle for ESPN
Yankees 9, Red Sox 0
When these two teams face off in the regular season there is plenty of excitement and anticipation. But when they line-up to battle in postseason play it goes to another level. The Yankees came in with the advantage of being the home team for the best of 3 series.
Cam Schlittler got the start for New York and the Red Sox countered with Payton Tolle. The game began as a pitching dual with each facing 4 batters in the 1st inning but no damage.
In the 2nd inning Schlittler drew 2 ground outs and struck out Jarren Duran for a 3 up and 3 down inning. Schlittler would go on to pitch into the 7th inning giving up no runs, 2 hits, a walk and 10 strike-outs.
Tolle would go just 4.2 innings giving up a run on 5 hits, a walk and 4 strike outs. But Tolle had kept them in the game giving up just the one run and it was 1-0 after 4.
The Yankees got on the board in the 2nd inning when Austin Wells singled bringing home George Lombard Jr who singled and advanced to 2nd on a single by Anthony Volpe.
The Yankees were just settling in as they added another run in the 5th when Ben Rice hit a solo shot to center with the long ball going 423 feet. Rice was heating up and singled in another run in the bottom of 7 and New York added another run to lead 4-0.
Rice then put the game away for good after the Yankees scored on a sac fly they loaded the bases and Rice sent it deep to center again clearing the packed bases with a grand Slam pushing the Yankee lead to 9-0.
The Yankee’s pitching staf completed the shut out with Paul Blackburn and John Schreiber finishing the final 8 outs limiting the Red Sox to just 3 hits, the one walk and 11 k’s.
Notable Performances
Yankees
- Ben Rice- 4-5, 2 HRs (Grand Slam) 6 RBI, 2 R
- George Lombard Jr- 3-4, 2 R
- Austin Wells- 2-3, 2 RBI, R
Red Sox
- Hitting as a Team: 29 AB, 3 H, 0 R, 11 K’s
More coverage in this story by ESPN
Padres 8, Cubs 0
The Padres and Cubs were the last of the 4 games to start the Wild Card round and a dominating prformance from the Padres pitching staff left little opportunity for the visitors to stay in the game.
Padres starting pitcher Michael King began the game by striking out the Cubs 1-2-3 hitters in the top of the 1st. King would go deep completing 7 innings giving up just 3 hits while striking out 8. he did walk 3 but gave up 0 runs. Yuki Matsui would pitch a 1-2-3 8th inning while Joe Musgrove would strike out the lead-off hitter in the top of 9 but then gave up a hit, a walk and another hit to load the bases. Musgrove finished off the Cubs with an short pop-up and closed the deal with a strike-out.
The Padres began scoring with the 1st batter and just added additional runs through 8 innings. Fernando Tatis Jr led the Padres off with a solo shot to center going 4-3 feet. Manny Machado also went deep in the opening frame to left center and San Diego jumped out to a 2-0 lead.
That pair would team up in the 3rd for the next run when Machado doubled driving in Tatis for a 3-0 advantage. The Padres would add another run in the bottom of the 4th with their 3rd HR of the game. This time off the bat of Xander Bogaerts who sent it 399 feet down the left field line.
Jackson Merrill slapped a 2 RBI single in the bottom of 5 and Ty France scored on a passsed ball to push their lead to 7-0. Tatis scored the final run in the 7th on a throwing error.
San Diego out hit the Cubs 13-3 with the 3 long balls.
Notable Performances
Padres
- Michael King-(13-10) 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 3 BB
- Manny Machado- 2-3- HR, DBL, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
- Fernando Tatis- 2-3, HR, RBI, 3 R, BB
Cubs
- Nico Hoerner- 2-4 Hoerner didn’t get much help offensively as he hit 2 of the 3 base hits for the Cubs but didn’t come close to scoring.
More coverage in this story by ESPN
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