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MLB News & Moments: Goodbye, Justin Verlander

Someone was cutting onions at Comerica Park...

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 17 Minutes Ago

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

 

Today’s Headlines

 

No, You Take It

With a chance to clinch with a win and an Arizona loss, the Philadelphia Phillies faced a rainy night and their own freefall as they squared up against the Rays. A 36-minute delay before starting the game was ominous, as Tampa Bay showed no mercy despite having nothing to play for. A Junior Caminero homer led to a three-run first, while the Rays would then score seven combined runs between the fifth and sixth, as the stunned home crowd could only boo and boo relentlessly. By the end, Tampa Bay had amassed 17 hits and 12 runs, with five starters collecting multi-hit efforts.

The 12-1 final score showed the massive gulf between these teams, as the Rays were having all the fun while the Phillies’ body language could only display disbelief and anguish. This was Philadelphia’s fourth straight game scoring fewer than two runs, which hadn’t happened for the franchise in more than a decade. However, they still control their fate entering the final day of 2026, as the Padres would be nice enough to keep them as the third wild card.

As Arizona started their game against the Padres, they were well aware of Philly’s score and needed to win in order to enter Sunday with a chance to clinch on their own merit. However, San Diego also had something to play for, as a win would clinch the #4 seed in the NL and a home series against the Cubs. Both teams exchanged early blows, as Walker Buehler allowed four runs in 3.1 frames, while Arizona’s planned bullpen game barely hung on, leading to an early 4-3 lead for the Snakes. Alas, things went awry for reliever Jose Cabrera, who would go on to allow five runs in only one inning, including big homers from Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts. The Friars would open a 10-4 lead that looked safe with their stellar bullpen, and while the Dbacks managed to put up a scare and score three times against Mason Miller in the ninth, it would not be enough as San Diego prevailed 10-7.

Entering their season finales, the Phillies will send out Zack Wheeler with a chance to avoid this collapse, while Arizona will start Michael Soroka against a Padres team that could rest many of its starters. The weather could also play an important role, as Philadelphia is expected to see rain again. Scoreboard-watching will be intense for these teams tomorrow, as they will decide who faces none other than the Padres in the wild card round. TV executives will likely root for the Phillies, but Arizona can also be a worthy playoff team.

Texas Standoff

Following their embarrassing losses on Friday, the Rangers and Astros had a chance to redeem themselves on Saturday and possibly extend the drama until the final day of the season. It seems that both teams were aware of this and decided to leave nothing to chance, starting with Texas putting up a four-spot in the second en route to a 6-2 win over the Twins. Nathan Eovaldi was far from dominant but pitched well enough to allow only one run, while the bullpen kept Minnesota at bay, with only one run over the final 4.2 frames. Danny Jansen and Jake Burger added solo homers to the offensive effort, keeping Texas’ season alive until the final day.

With advanced knowledge of the Rangers’ win, Houston had no choice but to match and keep their slim advantage in the West. This time around, they did not wait around before taking advantage of Sacramento’s tiny ballpark, mashing three homers by the fifth as they seized control of the proceedings. Isaac Paredes‘ solo blast in the first set the tone, followed by Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez, who is still making his final push towards the MVP award. Starter Hayden Wesneski was also a major part of this victory, keeping the bullpen out of the game as he tossed seven innings while allowing only two runs. Peña would hit a second blast, while Lucas Spence joined the party en route to this 13-2 shellacking.

The combination for the final day of the season is simple, as Houston will win the division and #3 seed in the AL with a win, while the Rangers need a win and an Astros loss to overtake them. Both teams will be heavily favored and bring an all-hands-on-deck strategy to their final contests, as it would not be surprising to see their best relievers making multi-inning appearances. The Rangers have announced MacKenzie Gore as their starter, while Houston’s is still unclear. Regardless of how this ends, even with a possible 80-82 division winner, at least the West provided some drama until the bitter end.

Guardians of the Central

With an 11-5 win over the Royals, the Cleveland Guardians have won the AL Central for the third straight season, and fourth in the past five. Just like they did in 2025, a dominant September was enough to overtake a fellow division leader, but what Cleveland has accomplished in 2026 should be in a different category. With a bottom-five payroll, Cleveland has overcome a career-worst season from José Ramírez and the lack of a established ace to do what they do best: just win. The emergence of Parker Messick atop the rotation, along with a clutch bullpen and excellent managerial moves from Stephen Vogt have propelled the Guardians to this point, as they will now be part of the friendlier part of the AL bracket and enjoy a first-round bye.

Last night’s win was emblematic of Cleveland’s brand of baseball, as they gave the ball to Tanner Bibee and his league-leading 15 losses. Bibee blinked in the first and gave up three runs, but the Guardians never wavered, scoring seven unanswered to take control of the game as their starter settled down enough to earn a rare win. From the bottom two spots on the lineup, Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio had multi-homer efforts, combining for five RBI and five runs, while Nathaniel Lowe added four RBI despite collecting only one hit. With a run differential barely above zero and an underrated roster, it will be easy to overlook Cleveland in the postseason, but this team can become dangerous thanks to their playoff acumen and braintrust.

Of course, this was all made possible by the White Sox’s loss to the Rockies, as Chicago could have extended the suspense until the final day of the season with a victory. Just like the Guardians, the Sox started their game with a quick 3-0 deficit, but they could never recover, as Colorado kept scoring and held a late 5-3 lead before a four-run outburst in the ninth. Hunter Goodman’s two-homer game made him the first Rockie to reach 40 homers since Nolan Arenado, while reliever Ryan Feltner was key to keep the White Sox at bay during the middle innings and earned the win. Chicago now becomes the final wild card in the AL and will face a road wild card series against the winner of the AL West, knowing that if they advance, it would mean a revenge ALDS against none other than Cleveland.

Captain of the Crew

The Brewers simply refuse to take their foot off the pedal, winning their 102th game of the year with a 3-2 victory over St. Louis. While the game could have been meaningless, it also provided Milwaukee some good news in the form of a solid relief outing from Kyle Harrison, who was instrumental in their early success before injury and regression hit him late in the year. Harrison tossed two scoreless frames and struck out four, earning his 11th win of 2026, while a Brice Turang two-run homer provided the winning margin.

However, the Brew Crew had made some headlines before the game even took place, as the organization officially named Christian Yelich as team captain. While Yelich initially came up with Miami, he has been a Brewer for nine seasons now, earning an MVP and becoming one of the most respected players in the sport. He becomes the first captain in franchise history, and only the third active player with that distinction, joining New York’s Aaron Judge and Kansas City’s Salvador Perez. Yelich received the blessing of Brewers legend Robin Yount, who was the franchise’s first icon and part of the team’s only pennant winner. As the good vibes continue to pile up in Milwaukee, they hope this is just one more step towards a historic playoff run.

 

By The Numbers – Justin Verlander Edition

 

3,560 The final career strikeout total for Justin Verlander, placing him eighth on the all-time list.

557  His final start was number 557 in the regular season, as Verlander never made a relief appearance. This is the second-highest total of pitching appearances exclusively as a starter, only behind Tom Glavine’s 682.

3 Verlander pitched three no-hitters in his career, becoming only one of six pitchers with that many. Since 1960, only Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, and Verlander are part of that club.

2 As a winner of all major individual awards (Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, MVP) and a World Series champion, Verlander’s career accomplishments are certainly noteworthy. However, his most impressive may be that he won 2 unanimous Cy Young awards, becoming only one of six pitchers with multiple such selections. This select fraternity includes Koufax, Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, and Johan Santana.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

The Power of Baseball

I’m not crying, you’re crying. That was the feeling for most of the baseball world as we got the chance to witness Justin Verlander make his final career start. Verlander was far from perfect, but it became evident that he was giving it his all to deliver a final memory to the Detroit faithful. He labored through 5.1 innings, allowing two runs versus six strikeouts, but that was almost beside the point. Following the first out of the sixth, manager A.J. Hinch stepped out of the dugout to remove Verlander for one final time, and that is when all the emotions took over the future Hall of Famer. Alongside Hinch, Verlander’s daughter ran straight to him to share a warm embrace, with a standing ovation from the crowd and the rest of his family sharing this amazing moment.

It was later revealed that this was all a surprise for Verlander, as he got the chance of saying goodbye in the stadium where he became a legend. Baseball usually finds a way of honoring its brightest stars as they retire, and Verlander’s farewell will rank at the top of memorable final home games, like Derek Jeter’s, Mariano Rivera’s, and Joe Mauer’s. While Verlander was on the hook for the loss, his teammates provided a final reprieve, scoring three times in the ninth to earn a 4-3 win, adding a nice touch to the festivities. Enjoy retirement, JV.

Slapshot!

Ceremonial first pitches have become an integral part of the game, leading teams to try to one-up each other whenever they can. Just in recent weeks, we have seen Korean pop stars on the mound, a rescue kitten, family members, and even Pikachu tossing a first pitch. In that vein, the White Sox made sure to get creative with last night’s pregame festivities, inviting Olympic hockey player Abbey Murphy for the first pitch. An Illinois native, Murphy brought her hockey gear and made an immediate impact, slapping a perfect strike from the mound to home plate. While Chicago would ultimately lose and miss their chance at a division title, this sports crossover episode was certainly memorable.

So Wholesome

To complete this memorable day of baseball and family, Atlanta’s media team put together this nice look into Ronald Acuña, Jr.’s wife and kids as they cheered him on during a recent home game. Provided with a mic, the kids found the perfect balance of paying attention to their famous dad while also being themselves, as their mom summarized their sibling relationship perfectly. It is always wholesome to look at major leaguers interacting with their loved ones, especially as they start to understand the magnitude of what their dads are doing on the field. With Acuña set to have a pivotal October, his family is sure to be there all the way.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Boston’s super utility infielder Mickey Gasper is likely out of the playoff roster due to a biceps injury. Gasper, who became a cult hero in Boston with a torrid stretch in late August, had settled into a nice platoon option playing first base and catcher. He finishes 2026 with 10 homers over 225 plate appearances, as the Red Sox will now need to rely on Adley Rutschman as primary catcher and hope that Willson Contreras makes a full recovery to play first base. 

⚾ The Padres have placed starter Casey Mize on the 15-day IL with a right ankle sprain. While Mize had dealt with the nagging injury for the past month, it flared up during Friday’s start against Arizona. This means that he would be available to return until Game 1 of the NLCS, should San Diego make it that far. In the meantime, Michael King and Nick Pivetta look certain to start in the wild card round, while Walker Buehler and Robbie Ray could work long relief, if necessary.

⚾ The Rangers have lost Josh Jung to the 10-day IL due to a fractured right hand. Texas kept its season alive for one more day, but Jung would be unavailable for any initial playoff rounds, should the Rangers make it. He has been one of Texas’ top hitters, with 12 homers and a .827 OPS. In his absence, Ezequiel Duran becomes the top candidate to take reps at third base.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

How the Tigers Gave Verlander the Perfect Sendoff — Jason Beck, MLB.com

WBC Impact on MLB Players During 2026 — Dan Szymborski, Fangraphs

 

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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