Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.
And then there were eight. October brought our first elimination game of the 2026 postseason, but wasn’t a thriller. Quite the opposite in fact. Now we get the top two seeds in each league to step into the playoff picture and the intensity turns up a big notch with the Division Series.
The full Division Series schedule just dropped!
Wild-Card Wrapup
Atlanta Goes Deep To Dump Phillies; Dodgers Next
Final score: Atlanta 6, Phillies 2
Series: Atlanta wins 2-1
Next game: Atlanta (TBA) at Dodgers (RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto) in Game 1 of NL Division Series, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (Fox)
One great story ended another good story. For that, Atlanta is moving on in the postseason. Left-handed opener Ray Kerr got things off to a terrific start with 3⅓ shutout innings, with Atlanta’s bats providing slamming three homers in a 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the decisive Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series. Atlanta now travels across the country to face the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-five NL Division Series beginning Saturday. The Phillies, who fired manager Rob Thomson after a 9-19 start, rallied to push Atlanta for the NL East title, then faltered at the end of the season to settle for the final NL wild card.
Kerr thought his baseball career was over, working in a 7-Eleven and sweeping up popcorn in a movie theater, when he returned to the sport he loved. Sidelined for two years by Tommy John surgery, Kerr returned to MLB this year and got the call to start Game 3 in an elimination game. He allowed just one hit, walked one and struck out two to perfectly set up Atlanta’s pitching plan. That worked because of home runs from Michael Harris II, a three-run shot in the bottom of the first, as well as a two-run blast by Ozzie Albies in the fourth and a finishing-touch solo shot by Matt Olson in the seventh. Four other Atlanta pitchers followed Kerr before ace left-hander Chris Sale, who started Game 1, came in to get the final four outs. The Phillies had eliminated Atlanta in 2023 and 2024 in the NLDS, then Atlanta missed the playoffs last year as Philadelphia won its second straight East title. This year, Atlanta was back on top in the East and is advancing.
By The Numbers
19-1 Teams that have won Game 1 in the Wild Card Series since this format was adopted have won the series 19 times, losing just once.
4 Atlanta left-hander Chris Sale became the fourth-oldest pitcher to appear in a playoff game on one or no days of rest after pitching six or more innings.
90-51 Teams that score first in winner-take all games are now 90-51.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Hot Potato
Pitchers are athletes. Also, Grant Holmes.
Grant Holmes had it handled the whole time 😅
Name That Tune
What do you do to get yourself ready for a postseason at-bat?
Michael Harris II was singing along to his own walk-up song moments before hitting a Postseason tank 😌
See You Saturday
Ray Kerr will see you in the NL Division Series.
Ray Kerr acknowledges the crowd as he exits to a rousing ovation 👏
Around The League
D’backs Sticking With Lovullo
After a tumultuous season that involved a player going AWOL and missing the playoffs for the third straight season, the Arizona Diamondbacks are retaining manager Torey Lovullo on a new two-year contract. The 2027 season will be Lovullo’s 11th with the D’backs. The D’backs were eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of the regular season, finishing 86-76 and two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the third and final NL wild-card spot. Included in that performance was a two-week absence by star second baseman Ketel Marte, who failed to show up for a game and was not communicating with Lovullo and other club officials as he sat in his hotel room. Lovullo staunchly defended Marte’s personality publicly, a player he has built a strong relationship with.
No Game At Grand Teton
Just three days following a report that MLB was seriously considering holding a game in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, a letter from Commissioner Rob Manfred to local officials said baseball has “no formal plan” to hold a game in the park. Manfred said MLB was simply doing due diligence of possible sites for a regular-season game. Three local officials wrote to Manfred expressing their objections.
Extra Bases
⚾ Cleveland Guardians will start left-hander Parker Messick in Game 1 and right-hander Gavin Williams in Game 2 of the AL Division series vs. the Chicago White Sox. Meanwhile, Guardians right-handed reliever Colin Holderman will undergo surgery to address inflammation in his right wrist and won’t return this season.
⚾ The A’s are not bringing back hitting coach Cris Cron and quality control coach Marcus Jensen.
⚾ The St. Louis Cardinals acquired right-handed starter Brian Curley as the player to be named in the Lars Nootbaar trade with the D’backs. Curley was the D’backs’ 14th-round draft choice in 2024 and reached Double-A this season.
⚾ Derek Johnson, who did not return after taking a personal leave of absence from the team in June, will not be back as the Cincinnati Reds‘ pitching coach. Johnson was under contract for 2027.
⚾ Toronto Blue Jays right-handed starter Jameson Taillon said he was set to have flexor tendon surgery, noting it could require an internal brace procedure may be necessary. If the internal brace is needed, Taillon would miss all of 2027.
Articles You Should Read
Reds’ Castellini says “work needs to be done” — Mark Sheldon, MLB.com
After outfield collision left him paralyze, every gain in rehab a win for A’s Lasko — Janie McCauley, Associated Press
It’s truly October and the White Sox are truly ready for it — Jim Margalus, Sox Machine
