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MLB News & Moments: Caleb Durbin The Hero Again for Boston

While elsewhere the Padres and Diamondbacks battled for the wild card.

Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

 

Yesterday provided us with plenty of drama on the field that included a wild walk off from a relentless club from Boston and two wild-card contenders going toe-to-toe late into the night. Let’s get right into it.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

Red Sox Outlast White Sox in Crazy 13-Inning Affair

In what could easily be called the game of the year so far, the Boston Red Sox outlasted the Chicago White Sox 12-11 in an insane 13-inning marathon that just refused to end. Coming from behind five separate times, Boston truly refused to lose in this one, culminating in a walk-off knock for rejuvenated infielder Caleb Durbin. The two teams combined for 29 hits, with the biggest bright spot for Chicago being 2B Chase Meidroth, who slugged two homers. The two starting pitchers, RHP Luis Castillo and LHP Ranger Suarez, lasted a combined seven innings, leaving both bullpens extremely stretched heading into the weekend when Boston will take on the Athletics at home, while the White Sox look to rebound with a home series of their own against Cleveland.

 

Padres Earn Vital Series Split With Arizona

Games become more and more meaningful here with each passing week, and the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks just finished up a four-game series that could end up going a long way toward determining who ends up in the playoffs as the last wild card team. The Diamondbacks currently trail the Phillies by only one game for the second wild card place, and thanks to a win last night that salvaged a series split, the Padres remain only one game behind Arizona. San Diego got a decent enough outing from RHP Walker Buehler, who only went four innings but only allowed one run, and the bullpen was able to do the rest. Luis Rengifo led the way for the Friars’ bats with three knocks, with Ty France adding in two doubles. The Padres now head home to take on the Houston Astros, while the Diamondbacks will head home for a tough series with the Dodgers. Definitely keep an eye on this race.

 

 

By The Numbers

 

114.1 The hardest hit ball of the day yesterday came from Kansas City Royals 1B Jac Caglianone, who got nothing to show for his 114.1-mph groundout in the sixth inning of what ended up being a tough 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

422 The longest blast of the day came from Atlanta 1B Matt Olson, who crushed a 422-foot homer as part of an 11-3 rout over the Miami Marlins. It was Olson’s 32nd home run in what’s been an impressive 2026 campaign.

 

14 The highest number of whiffs induced yesterday came from Baltimore Orioles RHP Brandon Young, who racked up 14 swing and misses as the lone bright spot for the team in a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels

 

15 Philadelphia Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez became the first pitcher in the league to 15 wins yesterday when he improved to 15-4 on the year with his win over Washington.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Game-Saving (Temporarily) Catch

Toronto Blue Jays 2B Ernie Clement did all he could yesterday to keep his club in the ball game with a spectacular leaping grab in the bottom of the 10th to end the inning and send the game to the 11th. Unfortunately it was all for naught as the Cubbies walked this one off when an errant throw in the bottom of the 11th allowed PCA to score the game-winning run.

 

A Gift From a Fan

It’s always cool to see a fan go out of their way to gift a player something meaningful to them, but this instance last night might be the coolest of them all. A fan at the Boston Red Sox game was fortunate enough to have a long enough interaction with closer Aroldis Chapman that he was able to gift him an extremely cool vintage glove. Check it out.

 

With a Little Help From My (Not) Friends

Atlanta OF Ronald Acuña Jr. typically doesn’t need much help leaving the yard, often providing plenty of power on his own, but yesterday the Miami Marlins outfielders decided to be generous enough to provide him with an assist. They won’t be hearing the end of this one from teammates any time soon.

 

Philadelphia Fever 

The buzz in Philadelphia is real right now with the 76ers looking like a legitimate championship contender, and the team we care more about here, the Phillies, back on a winning-streak sparked by their addition of 2B Luis Arraez. The city kept the good vibes rolling last night as Arraez contributed again with several hits and an RBI in a 7-3 win over the Washington Nationals, with new 76er Jaylen Brown throwing out the first pitch prior to it all.

 

Take a Peek Behind the Curtain

MLB partnered with Meta Oakley glasses for another cool video this week, this time providing a look inside the batter’s eye at Dodgers Stadium during a Shohei Ohtani home run.

 

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

Toronto Blue Jays RHP Spencer Arrighetti left his first rehab start with his new club early with an apparent injury. Awaiting further details here.

Pittsburgh Pirates released DH Marcell Ozuna

Los Angeles Angels released DH Jorge Soler

Chicago Cubs recalled LHP Braxton Garrett from Iowa Cubs

Cincinnati Reds claimed RHP Ron Marinaccio off waivers from Pittsburgh Pirates

 

Articles You Should Read

 

“Ranking the MLB Prospects Traded at the 2026 Deadline” — Eric Longenhagen & Brendan Gawlowski, FanGraphs

“Winners and Losers From the 2026 Trade Deadline” — Ben Clemens, FanGraphs

“Playing Time Trends: Week 20” — Mark Steubinger, Pitcher List

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

 

Starting Pitcher Roundup

Hitter Performances

Waiver Wire Picks

Starting Pitcher Streamers

Michael Hanlon

Michael is a Staff Writer here at Pitcher List. He currently lives in the Metro Detroit area after being born and raised a passionate Yankees fan in New Jersey. The MLB Extra Innings channels are a must every season in his house. Michael has a master's degree in Environmental Science from Columbia University, and is also an unofficial cat whisperer, spending much of his free time socializing scared cats at a local shelter.