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Welcome back to the MLB playoffs! If the suddenness of the postseason hasn’t hit you yet after Tuesday’s Game 1s, just wait until the games are done today. As many as four of the 12 teams that qualified for the playoffs could be eliminated.
Wild-Card Wrapup
Riley Redeems Self With Dramatic HR
Final score: Atlanta 5, Phillies 3
Series: Atlanta leads 1-0
Next game: Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez vs. Atlanta RHP Tyler Mahle, today, 2 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
The playoffs present an opportunity for players who have struggled during the regular season to wipe the slate clean and begin anew. Count Austin Riley as taking advantage of that situation. The third baseman cranked a three-run opposite-field homer of closer Jhoan Duran with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to send Atlanta to a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card Series. Riley had a disappointing .219/.290/.364 slash line with 19 homers and 72 RBIs. That off-year had Riley hitting seventh in the lineup for Game 1, but he came up in the perfect spot to get Atlanta off to a good start against its NL East rival. Duran surprisingly came on to begin the seventh inning and had retired the first two hitters of the eighth when Michael Harris II had an infield single and Ozzie Albies was clipped by a pitch. Riley then attacked a 99.9 mph four-seamer from Duran on the first pitch and took it out to right-center. Duran had allowed just two homers in his 61 games this year.
The homer helped to reward Atlanta ace left-hander Chris Sale, who struck out nine over 6⅓ innings, allowing three runs. Sale pitched in the seventh inning for the first time in his eight postseason starts. Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo was up to the task as well. Two days after a one-inning relief appearance after coming off the injured list, Luzardo went five innings, allowing a run on three hits, striking out six. Atlanta right-handed closer Raisel Iglesias allowed a hit in the scoreless ninth for the save.
King Reigns Over MLB’s Best Offense
Final score: Padres 8, Cubs 0
Series: Padres lead 1-0
Next game: Cubs RHP Kevin Gausman vs. Padres RHP Nick Pivetta, today, 7 p.m. (Peacock, NBCSN)
Pete Crow-Armstrong? Three pitches, take a seat. Alex Bregman? Five pitches, take a seat. It was that type of night for San Diego Padres right-handed starter Michael King. Facing MLB’s top offense, one that struggled in September, King took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as the Padres, also getting first-inning homers from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, soared to an 8-0 victory in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. King struck out eight and allowed just an infield single to Nico Hoerner with one out in the seventh. King was sharp from the get-go, fanning Crow-Armstrong, the probable NL MVP, and Bregman, fresh off a two-homer game, to begin the game. Together, that duo struck out five times against King, who didn’t need the help of the Padres’ key bullpen arms in this one.
A quick-strike offense gave King all the runs he would need. Tatis took the first pitch of the game from left-hander Matthew Boyd, a changeup, out to center, over a leaping Crow-Armstrong to ignite the Petco Park faithful. One batter later, Machado deposited an 0-1 changeup over the wall in left-center for a 2-0 lead. Machado, who combined with Tatis to go 2-for-22 in the Padres’ three-game loss to the Cubs in last year’s Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field, then doubled home Tatis, who had walked, with two outs in the third. Xander Bogaerts homered in the fourth and the Padres added three more runs for good measure in the fifth. After King was done and with the game well in control, Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove made his first appearance in nearly two seasons after having Tommy John surgery, pitching the ninth.
Rice Stirs The Pot With 2-HR Game In Yanks’ Rout
Final score: Yankees 9, Red Sox 0
Series: Yankees lead 1-0
Next game: Red Sox RHP Sonny Gray vs. Yankees LHP Max Fried, 8 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
Sometimes a manager can make the right move strategically, but it backfires because a player doesn’t execute. In Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the key moment of the game came when manager Chad Tracy removed left-handed starter Payton Tolle with two outs in the fifth and Yankees slugger Ben Rice coming to the plate. The choice was left-hander Erik Miller. But the sinkerball specialist failed to execute the pitch and left it up in the zone, with Rice blasting it out to center for a 2-0 lead as the Yankees won Game 1 9-0. The offense piled it on late, with Rice hitting an eighth-inning grand slam to cap a 4-for-5, six-RBI day. Those six RBIs tie a Yankees postseason record. But that fifth-inning moment was critical in a game that was 2-0 until the bottom of the seventh.
Yankees right-handed starter Cam Schlittler, the leader for the AL Cy Young Award this year, pitched like an ace to begin his second postseason. Schlittler struck out 10 over 6⅓ shutout innings, allowing just two hits. And to think that this wasn’t as good as his postseason debut last year against his home-state team. That was a 12-strikeout performance in eight innings in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. Schlittler gutted this one out, throwing a career-high 117 pitches. He also joined St. Louis Cardinals great Bob Gibson as the only pitchers to have double-digit strikeouts twice vs. the Red Sox in the postseason, with Schlittler doing it in his first two starts.
Early Strikes Lift Surprising White Sox
Final score: White Sox 6, Astros 3
Series: White Sox lead 1-0
Next game: White Sox RHP Sean Burke vs. Astros RHP Hunter Brown, today, 5 p.m. (Peacock, NBCSN)
The feel-good story of the 2026 season is a win away from feeling groovier. Sam Antonacci singled home a pair of runs in the second inning and Colson Montgomery homered as the Chicago White Sox rode some pontiff power to beat the Houston Astros 6-3 in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. With a letter received from Pope Leo XIV Tuesday, the White Sox didn’t look anything like a team that lost 100 games over the last three seasons. They struck early against the Astros, the first team to make the postseason and not have a winning record in a full schedule, as both teams went with a bullpen game in the playoff opener. The White Sox struck in the first inning on Munetaka Murakami, then went up 3-0 on Antonacci lined a two-run opposite-field single to left-center.
Montgomery, who hit 31 homers in the regular season but carried just a .191 average into the postseason, crushed a 432-foot shot to center in the fourth inning to make it 4-0. It was 5-0 before the Astros finally got on the board in the fifth on Nelson Velazquez’s two-run homer. The Astros put together an eighth-inning rally, with Jose Altuve reaching on an error by third baseman Miguel Vargas to pull within 6-3. But right-hander Grant Taylor struck out Yainer Diaz and then pitched a scoreless ninth to finish his seven-out appearance, giving the White Sox their first win since the 2021 AL Division Series vs. the Astros.
By The Numbers
15-1 Teams that have won Game 1 of a Wild Card Series have won 15 of the 16 series in the four years of this format.
20-193 Padres rookie Ethan Salas is primed to become the youngest catcher in MLB postseason history. He was 20 years, 193 days old for Game 1, although not in the starting lineup. Salas is expected to start Game 2.
10 Cubs superstar Alex Bregman appeared in his 10th consecutive postseason, the 10th player in MLB history to do so.
1995-2007 Mariano Rivera 131996-2007 Derek Jeter 121995-2006 Bernie Williams 121997-2007 Jorge Posada 111995-2005 Chipper Jones 111991-2002 Tom Glavine 111991-2002 Mike Stanton 112013-22 Kenley Jansen 101996-2005 Andruw Jones 101993-2003 Greg Maddux 10h/t @EliasSports
— Sarah Langs (@slangsonsports.bsky.social) 2026-09-29T22:38:32.755Z
Best Moments From Yesterday
Speed Demon
If you needed a reminder of Fernando Tatis Jr.’s wealth of offensive talent, he gave you a reminder with his Game 1 performance. In addition to his leadoff homer, he turned in this electrifying play.
Bold Move
It is an unusual strategy to use the knob of the bat to try and get a hit.
Don’t Touch Grass
The White Sox called for a defensive-positioning challenge.
RT @JomboyMedia: "I have never seen this challenged."White Sox unsuccessfully challenged that Jose Altuve was positioned illegally as the pitch was being thrown
— Talkin' Baseball (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2026-09-29T22:59:56.000Z
Java Joe Is Back
After being added to the roster for the Wild Card Series following not appearing in an MLB game since the Oct. 2, 2024, in that year’s Wild Card Series, Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove was finally back on the Petco Park mound. As a San Diego-area native, he received a hero’s welcome.
Around The League
Judge Not Ready, Off Yankees’ Roster
Despite some conflict over the weekend, it turns out the manager Aaron Boone was right: Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge is not on the Yankees’ roster for the AL Wild Card Series vs. the rival Red Sox. Judge returned Sept. 7 from an extended stay on the injured list due to stress fracture to his right ribcage, then went back on the IL on Sept. 19 with a strained right calf. In his seven games back, the superstar was a shadow of his powerful self, going 4-for-23 (.174/.208/.304) with a homer and three RBIs. He could come back for the AL Division Series if the Yankees advance. In a quirk, another injured slugger, Giancarlo Stanton, was put on the Yankees’ postseason roster.
Early Division Series Schedule Released
Here is how the games are slated for when the Division Series begins Saturday.
Your 2026 Division Series game times through Monday!
Extra Bases
⚾ Right-hander Liam Hendriks, a three-time All-Star who made a return to the mound after battling non-Hodkin’s lymphoma, retired after 14 seasons. Hendriks is a two-time winner of the Mariano Rivera Award as the AL’s top reliever.
⚾ Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove, out almost exactly two years following Tommy John surgery, was included on San Diego’s roster. He is expected to fill a relief role or possibly an opener-type starter.
⚾ MLB pitchers were faster than ever, averaging 94.8 mph on fastballs, up from 94.5 mph last year. That effort was led by Milwaukee Brewers ace right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, who threw a record 1,115 pitches at 100 mph or greater, the highest total by far in a single season in the pitch-tracking era (2008). Jordan Hicks had the previous mark of 673 in 2018.
⚾ The Baltimore Orioles are renovating the upper deck in left field at Camden Yards this offseason to make it more of a social space, with standing-room space, a drink rail and more.
Articles You Should Read
World Series predictions: Will we see Brewers-Rays showdown? — The Athletic
“I’m embarrassed.” Mariners’ owner weighs in on lost season — Seattle Times
Giants’ brass accepts responsibility for season of setbacks — Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle
The Big Bro, Little Bro bond that powers Dodgers’ rotation — Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic
