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MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 9/28/2024

Detroit clinches, Fried deals, and the playoff picture gains clarity

Scott Appleman
MLB Morning News 9/28/2024

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

I’d like to sign off this season with a big thanks to the Pitcher List news team and readers. I joined in June on my birthday, and I hope I earned enough service time to exceed rookie status this season. Everyone here is great to work with. Writing the recaps to go with your Saturday morning coffee has been a joy. Here’s to a fantastic last couple of days (maybe three if that double-header is necessary), Shohei Ohtani’s first MLB postseason, and a bracket full of teams with championship potential.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

Detroit Completes Surge to Playoffs

The Detroit Tigers get the How Can You Not Be Romantic About Baseball Award for 2024. On August 11, FanGraphs listed the Tigers’ playoff odds at 0.2%. After a 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox, Detroit will play October baseball for the first time since 2014. The Tigers sent Jack Flaherty to Los Angeles, traded Mark Canha to San Francisco, let Gio Urshela go, and shut down Javier Báez. They called demoted No. 1 pick Spencer Torkelson back from Triple-A, got more aggressive on the basepaths, and let the young players have at it. Since August 11, they’ve gone 31-11 and turned a sliver of a chance into a guaranteed ticket into MLB’s postseason chaos machine.

The final three outs proved eventful. After Miguel Vargas walked, the Tigers got one out on two straight double-play chances before bringing in Jason Foley for the final out. Detroit’s run couldn’t be stopped by a fly ball that caused a mild outfield collision. Right fielder Wenceel Pérez hauled it in, bounced off center fielder Parker Meadows, and held on for the clinching out.

In a “best of times, worst of times” twist, the flipside to Detroit’s improbable comeback was Chicago’s record-setting 121st loss of the season. The club’s social media team has gotten creative in avoiding reporting scores as the White Sox have crept toward history.

 

Fried Shines in Possible Last Atlanta Start

Max Fried threw 98 pitches and came one out away from a Maddux in Atlanta’s 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals. Free agency looms for Fried when the season ends, as the litany of contract extensions doled out in recent seasons by Alex Anthopoulos did not include an agreement with the eight-year veteran starter. Fried nearly capped his season with a CGSO, but a two-out double by Bobby Witt Jr. put runners in scoring position, and Brian Snitker brought in closer Raisel Iglesias. Fried tipped his hat to the home fans. Iglesias threw one pitch to earn the save and gave Fried the game ball.

 

Baltimore Win Settles AL Participants

The Royals may have lost to Atlanta, but they got help from a fellow AL wildcard team. The Baltimore Orioles took a 7-0 lead over the Minnesota Twins into the ninth inning. The Twins plated two before ending their hopes of a playoff berth with a loss. On August 11, when the Tigers were nearly non-existent in the playoff pictures, FanGraphs had the Twins at 82.1%. They peaked at 95.8% on September 2. 25 days later, they’re out. The Orioles locked up the top wildcard spot. The only shuffling left is at the top and the bottom: New York leads Cleveland by a game for the No. 1 seed, and Detroit leads Kansas City by a game for the No. 5 seed.

The Royals waited for the result of the O’s-Twins game and celebrated in the clubhouse. Sure, it followed a 3-0 loss, but they were 56-106 last year and missing from the playoffs since 2015, so pop the champagne.

 

San Diego Earns Top NL Wildcard

The San Diego Padres defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3. Luis Arraez went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a triple, keeping him on track to become the first player to win a batting title with three different teams.

The Padres will host Atlanta, New York, or Arizona at Petco Park on Tuesday when the playoffs start. All three NL wildcard hopefuls face two more games against teams already penciled in the postseason bracket. Kansas City could still move up a seed (with help from the White Sox beating Detroit), but Milwaukee and San Diego are locked into the third and fourth spots in the NL. Arizona needs wins to put pressure on the NL East competitors, who are staring down a Monday doubleheader before a flight to Southern California or Wisconsin.

 

Ohtani is 1/1

Shohei Ohtani slugged his 54th homer, set a new record for stolen bases by a Japanese player (57), and went 4-for-5 to make the NL Triple Crown a legitimate possibility. He leads the league in home runs and RBI (130) and trails Arraez .313-.309 in batting average. Ohtani’s homer, double, and two singles pushed his total bases to 408, 21st place on the all-time list. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 11-4 and reduced their magic number for the top NL seed to one, and Dave Roberts said Ohtani would play the remaining games in pursuit of history.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Jackson in Action

Jackson Chourio kept the Milwaukee Brewers in control of their game against the New York Mets. With the bases loaded and a five-run lead, Chourio sped to the left field wall and turned an extra-base hit into a sacrifice fly. The Brewers won 8-4.

 

Fastest in 14 Years

The Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs played a game lasting just a moment on Friday afternoon. Miguel Amaya’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth brought home the only run. Nick Martinez took a tough loss despite pitching all eight innings for the Reds. The Cubs are out of the playoff race but will finish with a winning record this season.

 

It’s Not Stolen If It’s a Gift

Marcell Ozuna took inspiration from Ohtani and stole his first base since May 15, 2022. He scored an insurance run on the errant throw and got to keep the bag.

 

Triple Triple

Xavier Edwards hit three triples in the Miami Marlins 15-5 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays. He also singled, scored twice, and knocked in four.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ The Arizona Diamondbacks recalled outfielder Alek Thomas and reinstated right-hander Ryne Nelson from the 15-day IL.

⚾ Freddie Freeman did not travel to Colorado with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team is hopeful he’ll be ready for the Divisional Series.

⚾ Manager Skip Schumaker left the Marlins due to a death in the family. The 2023 NL Manager of the Year may have managed his last game with Miami.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Inspiring young Tatis fan meets hero on a night neither will forget — Manny Randhawa, MLB.com

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

 

Starting Pitcher Roundup

Hitter Performances

Reliever Ranks

Starting Pitcher Streamers

Scott Appleman

Scott Appleman is a utility infielder with a master's degree in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure, a JV MVP award and two career home runs. He writes Thrill Shot, a Substack newsletter about champions and contenders.

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