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Finally, we have arrived at the final week of the regular season. What do we know? Not as much as we thought we did even a week ago. Four of six postseason spots have been wrapped up in the NL, but there are three teams — three! — separated by one game for the final wild-card spot. Meanwhile, two divisions are still up for grabs in the AL, which officially only has one team in the postseason field. In theory, two of today’s AL division leaders, including one currently in position to get a first-round bye, could miss the playoffs. That only means one thing: These last seven days could be quite chaotic, especially without a Game 163 to decide things (now it is head-to-head regular-season records). Two of the three teams in the list below could make this year’s postseason.
The Guardians were under .500 thru 139 gamesThe D-backs: thru 149The Reds: thru 151most games into a season a team was under .500 & made the postseason that year:2005 Padres: 1571973 Mets: 1532009 Twins: 1432008 Dodgers: 139h/t @EliasSports
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Today’s Headlines
Clinchers: Blue Jays First In AL, Brewers Take Central
It was a champagne Sunday for two teams. The Toronto Blue Jays became the first AL team to punch their ticket to the postseason, while the Milwaukee Brewers captured their third consecutive NL Central championship. The Jays had a slow start at 13-16 before coming together and taking over the AL East lead on July 3. They earned their way in by beating the Kansas City Royals 8-5. For the Brewers, an afterthought to begin the season only to see the Crew claim the division and have MLB’s best record following 11- and 14-game winning streaks since the start of July, they have won four of the last five NL Central titles and five in the previous eight seasons. They officially won the division when the second-place Chicago Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Reds 1-0, a short time after the Brewers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1.
Streaking Guardians Halted, But Showdown Looms
A lot of the hard work had been done before Sunday, with the Cleveland Guardians winning 10 straight games to erase all but one of what had been a 15.5-game deficit in the AL Central. Now, even after a 6-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins that stopped the 10-game run, the Guardians truly do control their destiny. A three-game series against the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers begins Tuesday in Cleveland. The Guardians trail the Tigers by just one game after it looked like they were dead in the water last month. But they have gone 42-24 since July 8, when they trailed the Tigers by 15.5 games, to put themselves in position to overtake Detroit. The Guardians are also tied with the Houston Astros for the third and final AL wild-card spot, just one game behind the Boston Red Sox, who are currently second in the wild-card chase. If it comes down to a tiebreaker, the Guardians lead the season series vs. the Tigers 6-4 and won the season series vs. the Astros.
Reds Sweep Cubs, Tie Mets For Last NL Wild Card
It hasn’t been the blistering sprint to the finish that the Guardians have made, but the other team from Ohio is similarly surprisingly making a playoff push. With four pitchers combining on a six-hit shutout, the Cincinnati Reds completed a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs 1-0 to pull into a tie for the third and final NL wild-card spot. It has helped that the Mets have lost 12 of their last 17 games — including a 3-2 loss to the Washington Nationals on Sunday — to lose control of their playoff fate. The Reds, who have won six of their last seven, hold the tiebreaker over the Mets by winning the season series. Cincinnati was six games behind the Mets after losing to New York 5-4 on Sept. 6. Gavin Lux, a castoff from the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, drove in the Reds’ lone run with a third-inning double. The Reds and Mets are just one game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the last NL wild-card berth.
Young’s Defense Thwarts Mets
Ever feel like the universe was trying to tell you something? The already-struggling Mets, in desperate need of a win, dropped a 3-2 decision to the Nationals thanks to two highlight-reel catches by Washington center fielder Jacob Young. The first was one that makes you think Young has a future as a hockey goaltender with the kick save (and a beauty), while the other is the type that spells the difference in a pennant race. The fifth-inning catch, in which he put a glove on the ball but then saw it pop out, only to kick it back to himself and complete the catch, will get more play because of its unusualness. Young crashing into the wall to rob pinch-hitter Francisco Alvarez of a leadoff homer in the bottom of the ninth could decide a playoff spot. Nasim Nuñez hit a two-run homer as part of a three-run second inning for the Nats.
Raleigh’s 58th Sparks Mariners’ Sweep Of Astros
In a game that was a definite must-have for the Astros, the Seattle Mariners quickly showed they weren’t ready to surrender their newly acquired perch atop the AL West. Cal Raleigh hit his MLB-leading 58th homer of the season, and J.P. Crawford hit a grand slam as part of a seven-run second inning as the Mariners put an exclamation point on a huge weekend, throttling the Astros 7-3 to sweep a three-game series that swayed the division. The teams entered the weekend tied for the West lead, but the Mariners were the better team for these three games, never trailing in the series and now leading the second-place Astros by three games with six to play. Saturday’s win gave the Mariners the tiebreaker over the Astros, who have won seven of the last eight AL West titles.
Yankees’ Rice Cooks Up Slam In 10th
If the regular season is practice for the postseason, consider Ben Rice ready to make his mark on the playoffs. The young first baseman, finishing his first full season in MLB, hit his second career grand slam to break a tie as part of a six-run 10th inning as the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-1. The win put the Yankees three games ahead of the rival Boston Red Sox in the battle for the AL’s top wild card. Jazz Chisholm Jr. added his 31st career homer, and Anthony Volpe contributed an RBI single to complete the 10th-inning scoring. The late explosion overshadowed a really good effort by Yankees pitching, which allowed just four hits and struck out 13 to overcome issuing six walks.
Carroll Joins 30-30 Club, D’backs Stay In Wild-Card Hunt
Don’t tell the Reds and Mets, but the Diamondbacks want to play the ultimate spoiler in the NL wild-card chase. Corbin Carroll hit a three-run homer as part of a four-RBI day, and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez tossed six shutout innings as the D-backs pulled within one game of the last wild-card spot with a 9-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. In addition to hitting his 31st homer of the season, Carroll stole his 30th base to become the first D’backs player to achieve a 30-30 season. Jorge Barrosa added his first MLB homer, and Tim Tawa added his own solo shot as the injury-ravaged D’backs won for the sixth time in eight games.
Brewers’ Woodruff Goes On IL
Right-handed starter Brandon Woodruff, whose comeback from right shoulder surgery late in 2023 coincided with the first of two double-digit winning streaks, went on the 15-day injured list due to a strained right lat. Woodruff was injured during a bullpen session on Saturday. The timing of the injury allows for a possible return for the Brewers’ first postseason series, the NL Division Series, which begins Oct. 4. However, manager Pat Murphy called Woodruff’s strain “moderate” and wasn’t sure whether the big right-hander would be able to return for the NLDS. In a cruel twist, Woodruff’s shoulder injury happened around this time in 2023 and prevented him from the Brewers’ playoff appearance that year. Woodruff’s absence would leave a gaping hole in the Brewers’ rotation behind right-hander Freddy Peralta, who will receive NL Cy Young Award votes. In 12 starts, Woodruff has gone 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA. He has walked 14 and struck out 83 in 62.2 innings. He was skipped for 10 days before making his last start.
More Playoff Implications
⚾ Right-handed reliever Blake Treinen extended the Dodgers’ bullpen struggles, coughing up three runs on three hits and two walks in the eighth inning of a 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants. Treinen has taken five losses in his last seven appearances. The Dodgers’ NL West lead is three games over the second-place San Diego Padres, with their magic number to clinch the division at three. Willy Adames drew a go-ahead walk off of Treinen.
⚾ Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his 150th career homer as the Padres inched closer to a postseason berth with a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. The Padres can secure their postseason spot as soon as today, when they open a three-game home series vs. the Brewers.
⚾ Christopher Morel drove in four runs as the Tampa Bay Rays used three-run innings in the first and eighth innings to prevent a three-game sweep by the Red Sox with a 7-3 victory. The Red Sox, second in the AL wild-card standings, are just one game ahead of the Guardians and Astros, while dropping to three games behind the Yankees, who hold the No. 1 wild card.
Cubs’ Shaw Leaves Team For Kirk Ceremony
In a truly strange move, Cubs rookie third baseman Matt Shaw left the team to attend a memorial service for Charlie Kirk, a controversial right-wing political figure who was killed more than two weeks ago. The Cubs, who have wrapped up a playoff spot, were playing the Reds in Cincinnati as Shaw traveled to Glendale, Ariz., for the service, which at times appeared more of a political rally with many high-profile figures in attendance. Shaw did play in Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Reds. The Cubs are off today before hosting the Mets at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.
Matt Shaw was not with the Cubs today because he was attending the funeral of a friend, Counsell said postgame.
— Meghan Montemurro (@mmontemurro.bsky.social) 2025-09-21T21:55:34.966Z
By The Numbers
⚾ A little more than sweeping the Brewers and taking two from the Mets, the Texas Rangers were all but eliminated from postseason contention with their seventh straight setback, a 4-2 loss to the Miami Marlins. The Marlins have won six straight.
⚾ The Dodgers became the first MLB team since 2008 to surpass 4 million in home attendance. It was the first time the Dodgers passed the 4 million mark, finishing their regular-season home schedule with 4,012,470 fans at the turnstiles. The MLB single-season record is 4,483,350 by the expansion Colorado Rockies in 1993 at Mile High Stadium.
⚾ Four Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers combined on an eight-hitter in an 11-0 win over the Athletics, the Pirates’ MLB-leading 19th shutout of the season and second straight. It was also the Pirates’ 44th home win, their most since 2018.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Saying Goodbye?
Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado was a late add to the lineup, but there was a reason for it. Arenado took the field to warm up before the top of the first inning, but before a pitch was thrown, manager Oli Marmol made a trip to the mound to pull Arenado from the game and allow Cardinals fans a chance to give the star third baseman a standing ovation in what is likely his last game in a St. Louis uniform. While under contract for next season, it is widely expected that Arenado will be traded in the offseason.
He Gets Paid For This
This was Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton’s full official workday.
Giancarlo Stanton just speedran a day at the office 😭Brought in as a pinch-hitter, intentionally walked, and then removed for a pinch-runner
No Home-Field Advantage
As if things weren’t going poorly enough for the Mets, this grounder by the Nationals’ Jorge Alfaro looked to be going foul before it didn’t.
Just as Jorge Alfaro drew it up.
— Sam Dykstra (@samdykstramilb.bsky.social) 2025-09-21T18:44:09.213Z
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña was scratched from the lineup due to left oblique soreness.
⚾ Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu was activated from the 10-day injured list following his recovery from calf tightness.
⚾ Tigers right-handed starter Charlie Morton, acquired from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline, was designated for assignment. In his final start (possibly of his career), Morton got just four outs while allowing six runs on five hits Friday vs. Atlanta. He posted a 7.09 ERA in nine starts with the Tigers.
⚾ Nationals left fielder Daylen Lile left the game after sliding into the wall in foul territory while making a catch. He has a bruised left knee.
Articles You Should Read
Mets have one week to avoid unforgivable disaster — Joel Sherman, New York Post
Trout hit his 400th homer. Here is an appreciation, not a lament — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times
Can Atlanta bounce back and compete for a title in 2026 — Fred Zinkie, Yahoo Sports
MLB quietly omits LGBTQ+ references in Hendriks’ Clemente Award bio — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
