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Not one, not two, but three winner-take-all Game 3s? Yes, please! For the first time in MLB history, there will be three Game 3s in the Wild Card Series. In the first three years of the format that was adopted for the 2022 postseason, there were only two of 12 series that went the distance. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 postseason that had the expanded playoff field, two Wild Card Series went to a Game 3. Only the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers swept their series. Otherwise, the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners benefit from their first opponent being stretched and extra day, which is likely to tax bullpens.
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Wild Card Wrapup
Wells Delivers Jazz As Yankees Stay Alive
Final score: Yankees 4, Red Sox 3
Series: Tied 1-1
Next game: Today, 8:08 p.m. ET, ESPN (Red Sox LHP Connelly Early vs. Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler)
MLB’s oldest rivals will do something they have never done before: Play a decisive Game 3 of an AL Wild Card Series. That came to fruition when Austin Wells sliced a two-out single down the right-field line that sent Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a race home from first with the go-ahead run as the New York Yankees stayed alive with a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
There was a bit of a redemption theme from a Yankees perspective that contributed to the win. Rookie Ben Rice, who didn’t play in Game 1, got the start at first base and hit the first pitch he saw in his postseason career for a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. He finished 2-for-4. Chisholm was surprisingly left out of the Game 1 starting lineup, but was back in at second base for Game 2. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Chisholm drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch. Wells, the starting catcher because of his defense, then delivered his second hit of the night. With Chisholm getting a jump on the 3-2 delivery from Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock, Wells pulled a changeup down the right-field line. The ball hit just inside the line and then deflected off the wall in foul territory back into fair territory that right fielder Nate Eaton tracked down and threw a nice one-hopper to catcher Carlos Narváez, but Chisholm’s head start gave him the edge he needed to slide in safely before being tagged to break the 3-3 tie.
Chisholm also had a nice defensive play in the seventh inning by making a diving stop on pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida’s infield single up the middle that prevented a run from scoring. Trevor Story accounted for all the Red Sox’s scoring with a game-tying two-run single in the third inning and tying the game again in the sixth inning with a solo homer. The Yankees had taken a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth when Aaron Judge hit a two-out sinking liner that left fielder Jarren Duran made a diving attempt to catch but was unable to corral, allowing Trent Grisham to score from second.
Rocchio, Guardians Force Game 3
Final score: Guardians 6, Tigers 1
Series: Tied 1-1
Next game: Today, 3:08 p.m., ABC (Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty vs. Guardians RHP Slade Cecconi)
It wasn’t exactly prototypical GuardsBall, but isn’t that the beauty of GuardsBall? Brayan Rocchio hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the eighth inning and Bo Naylor added a three-run shot later in the inning as the Cleveland Guardians bounced back to beat the Detroit Tigers 6-1 at Progressive Field and take this AL Wild Card Series to a decisive Game 3. Rocchio also had the three-run walk-off homer in the 10th inning in Game 162 Sunday that capped the Guardians’ historic 15½-game comeback to take the AL Central crown from the Tigers.
The Guardians, offensively challenged all season, entered the eighth inning with two hits as Tigers rookie right-hander Troy Melton came on in relief in a 1-1 game. With one out, Rocchio — who earlier extended his club-record hitting streak to begin postseason career to nine games — turned around an 0-2 99.9 mph four-seamer to put the Guardians up 2-1. Melton wasn’t able to recover as Daniel Schneemann followed Steven Kwan’s double with an RBI double for a 3-1 lead before intentionally walking José Ramírez. Brant Hurter came on for Melton and got a groundout, moving the runners to second and third. Naylor then drove a sealing three-run blast to right off a 2-2 sweeper.
Cade Smith then worked around a walk, hit batter and a two-out error to earn the save. Guardians relievers held the Tigers scoreless over the final 5⅓ innings. That included Tim Herrin coming in with one out in the seventh and runners on the corners, escaping the jam by striking out Jahmai Jones and Wenceel Pérez.
The Tigers had a run taken off the board in the fourth inning. Javier Báez singled up the middle with two outs to drive in Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler, with Zach McKinstry initially being ruled safe at third base following a terrific throw by center fielder Chase DeLauter, who was making his MLB debut. Replay review, however, ruled that third baseman José Ramírez applied the tag just before McKinstry touched third base and before Dingler crossed the plate, making the score 1-1.
Javy Báez ties the game for the @Tigers!After review, the out at third base happened BEFORE the go-ahead run crossed the plate 🤯 #Postseason
Machado Homers, Miller Blazes In Padres’ Win
Final score: Padres 3, Cubs 0
Series: Tied 1-1
Next game: Today, 5:08 p.m., ESPN (Padres RHP Yu Darvish vs. Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon)
Sometimes, it is the small decisions that end up coming to light in big ways. The Chicago Cubs used an opener in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series. The San Diego Padres scored a run off him. The Cubs also chose not to intentionally walk superstar Manny Machado in a key situation in the fifth inning. Machado took full advantage. The third baseman crushed the first pitch he saw from left-hander Shota Imanaga for a big two-run homer as the Padres evened the series with a 3-0 victory at Wrigley Field. The Padres’ tremendous bullpen did the rest of the work, holding the Cubs to one hit over 5⅓ innings, including a magnificent outing by right-hander Mason Miller.
Miller, the Padres’ big acquisition at the trade deadline who struck out all three batters he faced in Chicago’s 3-1 win in Game 1, was even more dominant, striking out all five Cubs he faced, including unleashing a 104.5 mph four-seam fastball to strike out Carson Kelly in the seventh inning — the fastest pitch recorded in postseason history. Two of Miller’s other strikeouts were clocked at 103.3 and 102.7 mph. The eight straight strikeouts ties the postseason record set by Josh Hader.
With reliever Andrew Kittredge, who pitched in Game 1, getting the call as an opener, the Padres pounced. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arraez opened with singles before Machado struck out. A double steal with Jackson Merrill at the plate moved the runners to second and third before Merrill lofted a fly ball to right field, easily scoring Tatis.
Yamamoto, Dodgers Sweep Reds, Face Phillies In NLDS
Final score: Dodgers 8, Reds 4
Series: Dodgers win 2-0
Next game: Dodgers at Phillies in Game 1 of NL Division Series, Saturday, 6:08 or 6:38 p.m. (TBS)
While questions may abound about the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ bullpen, their rotation looks to be in fine shape. And the defending World Series champs will need all they can get out of their starters. Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto turned in a standout 6⅔ innings, while Mookie Betts went 4-for-5 with three RBIs to lead a resurgent offense as the Dodgers completed a NL Wild Card Series sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with an 8-4 win at Dodger Stadium. The NL West champion Dodgers advance to the NL Division Series, where they will face the NL East-winning Philadelphia Phillies, who had bye after posting the second-best record in the NL. The Dodgers and Phillies last meet in the postseason in the 2008 and 2009 NL Championship Series, both won by Philadelphia.
Yamamoto’s day didn’t start off strong. With one out, Yamamoto hit Spencer Steer. One out later, Austin Hays reached when Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández dropped a fly ball down the right-field line for a two-base error. Rookie Sal Stewart then hit an opposite-field grounder to right to bring in both runners for a quick 2-0 Reds lead. Betts singled home a run in the third inning and the Dodgers took the lead for good when Enrique Hernández and Miguel Rojas drove in runs. It was in the sixth inning against Reds reliever Nick Martinez when the Dodgers broke it open with four runs as Shohei Ohtani, Betts and Teoscar Hernández (two-run double) drove in runs.
Yamamoto, who had a stretch in which he retired 13 straight, finished by allowing those two unearned runs on four hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in 6⅔ innings. Emmet Sheehan, usually a starter, opened the eighth as the Dodgers seek bullpen solutions and he struggled, only getting one out while allowing two runs on two hits. After left-handed reliever Alex Vesia got out of the jam, rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki, a starter when healthy, came in to close out the ninth and needed just 11 pitches to retire all three batters he faced and set off a clinching celebration.
By The Numbers
⚾ In postseason history, home teams are 64-66 in winner-take-all games.
⚾ When George Valera hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning, he became the fourth Guardians rookie to go deep in the postseason in the last two years. Up to that point, only five other rookies had homered in that same time span.
⚾ The Yankees’ Cam Schlittler will be making the 15th appearance of his career and the Red Sox’s Connelly Early his fifth when they square off in Game 3. It marks the first time in MLB history that two postseason starters have 15 or fewer MLB appearances.
⚾ Shohei Ohtani was named the Dodgers’ starter for Game 1 of the NLDS vs. the Phillies. It will make him the first player in MLB history to start one game as a pitcher and one game as a position player.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Not Ideal
Imagine being just the sixth player in history to make your MLB debut in the postseason. Now imagine it being in an elimination game. Then imagine the first chance you get as the center fielder comes from the second batter of the game. And you drop it. Welcome to The Show, Chase DeLauter of the Guardians. (As noted in the recap above, DeLauter came up with a huge throw that prevented a run from scoring.)
Chase DeLauter is making his MLB debut in Game 2 of the postseason and he just dropped the first ball hit to him
— Talkin’ Baseball (Bot) (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-01T17:13:13.000Z
Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee and rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter are able to laugh about his first inning error now that the Guardians escaped without allowing a run
— Talkin’ Baseball (Bot) (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-01T17:27:01.000Z
Yeah, It’s Emotional
You never know who is going to provide that emotional swing. Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz worked out of a seventh-inning jam, entering with two on and no out. When he barely got the final out when Trevor Story flew out deep to center field with the bases loaded and the game tied, he let his feelings be known. It is part of the beauty of the postseason.
Noteworthy News
Snitker Out As Atlanta Manager
Brian Snitker, who spent the last 49 years in the Atlanta organization and led the team to the 2021 World Series championship, will not return as the team’s manager in 2026. Snitker, whose three-year contract expired at the end of the season, will remain with the team in n advisory role. He had been the manager since replacing Fredi Gonzalez 37 games into the 2016 season, leading Atlanta to six straight NL East titles before a fourth-place finish in 2025 at 76-86. Atlanta becomes the ninth team to change managers going into 2026.
Rockies GM Schmidt Resigns
The Colorado Rockies will have a chance to reshape their front office following the resignation of general manager Bill Schmidt. The Rockies already were in the market for a new manager after Bud Black was fired May 11 and replaced by Warren Schaeffer. Schmidt stepping down comes after the Rockies finished one of the worst seasons in MLB history at 43-119, 50 games behind the NL West champion Dodgers and a minus-424 run differential, the worst in MLB’s modern era. Colorado has finished last in the West each of the last five seasons and were fourth in the three before that. In all seven of those 162-game seasons, the Rockies finished at least 32 games out of first place (they were 17 back in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).
Extra Bases
⚾ Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette has not started running yet as he tries to come back from a sprained left knee.
⚾ Despite some odd timing in separate announcements, it does not appear that Bruce Bochy will be returning to the San Francisco Giants as a manager. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said “I don’t see us going that route.” On Monday, the Giants fired Bob Melvin after two seasons as manager, then hours later the Texas Rangers announced Bochy and the team mutually decided he would not be the skipper next season.
⚾ Outfielder-first baseman Bryce Eldridge, the San Francisco Giants‘ top hitting prospect who made his MLB debut in September, will have surgery to remove a bone spur in his left wrist. Recovery time is expected to be eight weeks.
⚾ The Houston Astros were the most successful team in making replay challenges at 71.9%.
⚾ The Dodgers led MLB with combined hitter and pitcher pitch-clock violations with 26, one ahead of the New York Mets. Of those 26, Dodgers pitchers had 23 violations to lead MLB, while the Rockies and Giants tied for the most by batters with six. Shane Baz of the Tampa Bay Rays led all pitchers with six, while Lawrence Butler of the A’s paced batters with three.
Articles You Should Read
Can the Rockies be fixed? Executives weigh in on how to rebuild laughingstock — Andy McCullough, The Athletic
New POBO Toboni reveals vision for Nationals’ future — Mark Zuckerman, MASNSports.com
I was fired as an MLB manager; I was grateful for the experience — Bryan Price, The Athletic
Pujols appears to be top candidate to be Angels manager — Ken Rosenthal, Sam Blum and Katie Woo, The Athletic
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
The dynasty value of pitchers with small sample sizes — Matt Heckman, Pitcher List
The PLV power report: Best in show and next year’s breakouts — Ryan Amore, Pitcher List
