The Opener usually takes the weekends off but today is a good day for an exception. It is Game 162, the final day of the regular season, with still a lot to be determined. In order for no team to have an advantage of a later start potentially altering their strategic decisions, all games will begin at essentially the same time, shortly after 2pm Central. Here are some of the things still at stake…
1. One last playoff spot in the National League:
The National League playoff field is mostly set. The Brewers have clinched the top seed, followed by the Phillies, Dodgers, Cubs and Padres. The Brewers and Phillies each get a bye through the first round. The Cubs will host the Padres in the Wild Card round. The Dodgers will be hosting the other Wild Card matchup but their opponent has not yet been determined. The Reds and Mets are currently tied for the final spot with identical 83-78 records, though the Reds hold the tiebreaker.
The Reds can get into the playoffs with a win or a Mets loss. For the Mets to get in, they need to win and have the Reds lose. In Milwaukee, the Reds are sending Brady Singer to the mound to face Freddy Peralta of the Brewers. The Mets are in Miami and are giving the ball to Sean Manaea against Edward Cabrera of the Marlins.
2. American League seeding:
The American League playoff field has been set, though the seeding is still largely up in the air. The six teams will be the Blue Jays, Yankees, Mariners, Guardians, Red Sox and Tigers. However, the Mariners are the only team locked into a seed. They have won the West and will be the #2 seed, getting a bye through the first round. The five other clubs still don’t have a seed locked in.
The Jays and Yankees are currently tied atop the American League East, though the Jays are technically ahead since they hold the tiebreaker. One of those two clubs will win the East and be the top seed, securing a bye. The Jays could get that spot with a win or a Yankees loss, whereas the Yankees need to win and have the Jays lose. Whoever comes up short in that battle will get the #4 seed as the top Wild Card team, squaring off against the #5 seed. The Jays are hosting the Rays with Kevin Gausman squaring off against Ian Seymour. The Yanks send Luis Gil to the mound as they host Kyle Bradish and the Orioles.
Similarly, the Guardians and Tigers are tied atop the Central, with the Guards holding the tiebreak. However, there’s no bye at stake here. The winner will just get home field advantage in the Wild Card round and will face the #6 seed. The Guardians are hosting the Rangers with Logan Allen facing Patrick Corbin. The Tigers are in Boston and will send Chris Paddack to the mound. The Red Sox had Lucas Giolito lined up to pitch if today was meaningful but he may be held back for the playoffs now that they have clinched. If Giolito doesn’t get the ball, Boston may do a bullpen game.
Boston is currently in the #5 spot but they could get bumped down to #6. If they lose to the Tigers and the Guardians win, those three clubs would all finish at 88-74. In that scenario, the Guards win the Central and are the #3 seed. The Tigers hold the tiebreaker over the Red Sox and would jump to #5.
3. Individual achievements:
Today is also the last chance for players to pad their stats for awards consideration. The A.L. MVP debate has been an ongoing talking point for months. Aaron Judge has better offense than Cal Raleigh on the whole but Raleigh’s production from the catcher position is unprecedented. The baseball industry seems divided on who should get the nod and we won’t know the answer for a few more weeks. For now, it’s one more chance to put up some numbers. Raleigh has already hit the 60-homer plateau but could tie Judge’s A.L. record if he can hit a couple more today.
There are lots of other milestones which could be hit today and races which could still be determined. Eugenio Suárez has 49 home runs, the same amount he hit back in 2019. Can he get to 50? Oneil Cruz has 38 stolen bases, tied for the N.L. lead with… Juan Soto? Bobby Witt Jr. leads the majors in hits with 183, two ahead of Bo Bichette and Luis Arráez. Bichette is on the injured list, so he won’t be a factor in that race. If you’re watching out for some specific achievement today, comment below!
Photo courtesy of Aaron Doster, Imagn Images
I would like to hear José Ramírez’s name mentioned in the MVP conversation. I’m not saying he should win it, but I would like to see him mentioned. That’s all I’m looking for.
Jose Ramirez was nearby when the MVP conversation was held… hint, the AL winner plays catcher.
judge is the mvp, cool season from cal but judge is still a clear step ahead of everyone else.
Might be best player of the year (probably is), but we’re talking Most Valuable Player here. You’re in a different conversation!
Based on WAR Judge is by far the most valuable player lol. If you take either player off their team both teams will stink
WAR is one way to value players, but it does not encompass every attribute of being a ballplayer and should not be used strictly in MVP voting
Agreed. Although this might be one of those years where Judge loses it because Raleigh hit 60 this year playing catcher. It’s an interesting race this year in the AL.
🤔. If Cal hits 3 HR today then I’d put him more in favor of that achievement. Otherwise I don’t see it. Unless of course the voter cabal decides, “meh let’s just give it to the new guy”?
If you want to hear him talked about in MVP conversations, you should tell him to play better.
Judge and Raleigh are head and shoulders above everyone else. Bobby Witt Jr. and Julio Rodriguez will probably get some honourable mentions love.
J-Ram is part of the next group below those 4. Don’t get me wrong, he’s had some great years, but this year has been more of a pretty good year for him and not a great year.
So, we’re really talking about best season in the league, and clearly not about the most valuable player to his team. Where were the Yanks when Judge was hurt? About the same. Raleigh has led the Mariners to a place they haven’t been in a quarter century! Slam dunk, I’m afraid…
Cal will be known as the Big Slumper in the playoffs. Judge is by far the MVP choice as the Bronx Bombers are en route to their 28th World Series championship. He’s best in most offensive categories and will finish just a few HRs behind. I mean, have you compared their OPS numbers?
Sorry Ms fans … Ralley really is a catcher only about 60% of the time since he DHs so much. Judge is the clear MVP. He has set the record for most HRs by a batting champion with highest avg as Big Lumper hits in 240s and strikes out nearly 40% of the time. Judge also is much better with the glove.
Case closed.
OK… Hitting the most HRs by a catcher in MLB history is going to count way more than your stat oriented, “homer” mind can apparently fathom. Surprise.. Case open.
Raleigh has generated 7.2 bWAR for the season. His teammate Julio Rodriguez has generated 6.8 bWAR. fWAR has them farther apart, Cal 9 to Julio’s 5.7.
Judge has 9.5 bWAR to the 2nd best Yankee, Bellinger’s 5.0 bWAR. Judge has 10.1 fWAR to Cody’s 4.9 fWAR.
Judge is actually the player who has the single biggest impact on his team.
Cal has a Robin to his Batman. Judge has more of a really good Alfred.
If I had a vote, I’d vote for Cal, but let’s not pretend that Raleigh has no support around him, or that Judge is some run of the mill player.
will – You can support Dumper without bashing Judge.
“Where were the Yanks when Judge was hurt?”
The Yanks went 4-6 without him, Will.
And they got swept in a 3-game series by the lowly Marlins for God’s sake.
2 games under without him.
27 games over with him.
That’s hardly “about the same” Will.
Even most of the players surveyed favor Judge for MVP!!!
Doesn’t change the fact that Judge has far better numbers than Raleigh and Yankees have a better record.
Fan – You don’t need to bash Dumper in order to support Judge.
A catcher only about 60% of the time? Try 77% dude.
In fact he’s caught the 3rd-most innings in MLB, dude.
Case closed, dude.
Why the hell do so many here waste our time with obvious BS comments?
Remember when Aaron Judge dropped the ball in the 5th inning of Game 5 last year? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Vin – Judge does seem to crap the bed in big regular season games, and his postseason numbers are atrocious.
Career .205 BA and .768 OPS in the postseason …. if I’m the Yankees I’d rather have Stanton (.994 OPS) at the plate in big postseason moments than Judge.
The idea that Yankees would be anywhere near the playoffs without Judge is so unbelievably ridiculous
NYC water is known for 2 things: Making good pizza dough and making Yankee fans delusional
I am the furthest thing from a Yankees fan. Going to have to make more than an emotional argument about this one
And where would the Mariners be without Raleigh?? The MVP was formed over 100 years ago to reward the player who is most valuable to his team…Cal slam dunk…
.240s hitting Lumper has caught 15 games LESS than last year! If he was catching 140-145 games a year his HR output would be admirable.
And Judge was DH for 56 games this year, OK Yanks. So why hold Cal’s DHing agaist him?
FPG
“I’d rather have Stanton (.994 OPS) at the plate in big postseason moments than Judge.”
That’s because you don’t understand sample size.
What a bias take. What Raleigh is doing as a catcher and switch hitter is unprecedented and that does it for me. No contest.
RR
“wRC+ 206, Let me know when Cal comes even close to matching that”
Defense Runs 16. Let me know when Judge comes even close to matching that
You’re not saying anything profound by noting that Judge is a better hitter than Raleigh.
RR
Mauer’s best season was 8.3 fWAR. His second best was 5.8
Raleigh has 9 fWAR
Raleigh has been as good, or better, than Mauer’s best season
RR
“hes putting up the 4th best offensive season EVER.”
Umm.
How did you figure that?
Razor, the fact that Cal has these gawdy numbers as a catcher is a huge, huge deal. Do you realize the toll on a player’s body catching as many games as he has? That fact alone puts him way over the top of Judge.
I’m well aware what wRC+ is
Judge’s 206 would be around the 20th best hitting season of all time
fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&st…
“Do you realize only 2 players have ever done what Aaron Judge did this year ? ”
What is that?
Juan – Do you not understand more than half a season’s worth of PA’s is substantial for postseason?
Yeah I’m pretty sure you’ll respond with “not enough” and try to disqualify Judge’s 262 PA’s.
Hey you’ve got a right to your opinion even though it’s silly 😜
FPG
“Do you not understand more than half a season’s worth of PA’s is substantial for postseason?”
You don’t understand what sample size means.
No. Half of a season is not an adequate sample for OPS
Source: Sabermetrics Library share.google/oSUOcKVRkUSIjYsmk
I’m hoping Springer gets some down ballot votes he may surprise folks with how many offensive categories he’s in the top ten in, for example tied with Raleigh in OPS at .948. With Bo injured and Vlad overall having a disappointing season given his massive contract Springer has carried the team as much as anyone. Doing this at 36 is pretty impressive.
Gomer, the Blue Jays are going to finish as no worse than the second best team in the AL and Springer has been the third best hitter in the AL to this point on a team that has had trouble getting the bats going at times. I think he’s going to get more than some down ballot votes. He’s split his time between corner OF and DH so his impact has been purely on one side of the ball, but for their particular roster, I think it’s still enough impact to be in the range of top five.
That’s what i meant by down ballot, his Astros days may hurt him a bit with some of the voters.
MVP is decided after the World Series, isn’t it?
It’s decided at the conclusion of the regular season.
Playoff MVP is decided after the playoffs.
MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Gold Gloves, and Silver Sluggers are all voted on shortly after the conclusion of the regular season (probably tomorrow). They aren’t announced until November, however.
It’s announced at some point after the World Series, but all votes have to be sent in and postmarked by Monday before the postseason starts on Tuesday.
Boone and Marmol are tied for the 2025 elections lead with 6 each. This is their last chance to get to 7 and take the season title!
Took me two reads to realize you meant ejections.
I was trying to figure out what position they were running for.
Ugh my bad! At least it didn’t autocorrect it to an “r” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I guess THAT would depend on who their favorite player is!
MVP voting is done based on regular season results,.the official announcements about award winners will be made after post season in November.
Mets love to twist the knife in their fans. Both teams losing today seems appropriate.
A loss by NYM to Miami would put Cincinnati into the postseason no matter what.
…..and appropriate it is, lol.
Hoping to see Tito in the playoffs ⚾
Yes!
Absolutely. That man has been responsible for my best baseball memories, I’ll always root for him
Mango – And the City of Cincinnati deserves some postseason excitement too.
Hopefully it’s not getting swept in LA.
I’m still, and always been, a believer in “managers actually matter” for a locker room and a team.
Kyle Schwarber can tie Ryan Howard’s Phillies single-season record for home runs with a couple of bombs today, and it’s been under-covered but Trae Turner at one time recently was the only National Leaguer batting over .300 (.305, I think). Kind of sad, I believe, but in an era of launch angle, exit velocity, and reading slash lines to calculate OPS, hits matter less than ever. Still, kudos to Trae!
I forgot: Chicks dig the long ball!
Actually, chicks dig HBP’s. Ron Hunt was a babe magnet.
Kayfus probably had a great evening last night then!
“Where’s Maaaarrrk ?”
The Fightin’s are activating Turner off the IL because he could be pipped to the NL batting title by Nico Hoerner of the Cubs.
Aaron Judge has the AL batting title locked down — and that could be the tipping point in the MVP race.
Nico needs to go 3 for 5 to reach .300. He’s not passing Trea.
So I looked over Raleigh’s career numbers.
We know Judge, he has done it over 50 four times.
Since I dont watch Raleigh regularly, somebody please explain how a guy doubles his career season average home run total?
What did he do differently this season to hit homers in a notoriously poor home run-hitting park?
Safeco Field / T-Mobile Park is actually neutral for homers. It’s roughly in the middle. What it does is crush batting averages. Singles and doubles are much harder to come by.
Cal has always been a power guy, but yes this year has been beyond his norm.
Well Statcast presents a home run factor of 92 so that is below neutral but you watch way more Mariners games than I do.
Well Cal has used a torpedo bat from 1 side of the plate this year. Not saying it’s the biggest reason for his power surge…but I vividly remember earlier this season when people were up in arms over some of the Yankees using them.
Sometimes a dude just has a year where he is locked in more than usual and Lady Luck also chips in to help him out. Baseball history is littered with those- Brady Anderson’s 1996 season, for example.
And before anyone says “hurr durr ROIDS,” there is no actual evidence that he used roids that season. He looked no different than any other season (i.e. no mysterious muscle gain or head swelling) and his name never appeared on any of the lists of players who received “supplements” from shady doctors/clinics.
Davey Johnson’s 43-homer season in 1973 was another one.
A couple of factors.
* 10% more ABs
* Higher FB%
* Higher launch angle (slightly different)
* Higher EV
* Much, much higher HR/FB, which is likely unsustainable.
Mets collapsing is a lifelong tradition
Like christmas every december
Thanksgiving every november
Independence day every july
Mets collapse every september
The first 3 are full of joy fun food family great memories
That last 1 makes you wanna throw up then drive off a cliff
If you think that’s bad you should experience an NFL season as a lifelong jets fan.
Every Sunday (and some Mondays and Thursdays) are a depression fest.
It’s a marriage you can never get a divorce from.
🙂
Such is NYC tabloid think, an ideology that’s dying as ad revenue falls away.
The Jets don’t have the culture of entitlement that’s prevalent in New York’s other NFL club.
On the bright side, the GM and coach for the Jets reports to the 18 year old grandson of the owner.
Not any more.
That last one is number one on my list. We in Philadelphia look forward to that every year
@Seahawk: Same thing we Braves fans do.
@chandler: That last 1 is the best of them all. Extra nice today.
Boston seems better served to play the bench guys to not mind losing/drop to 6 seed if chips fall. Playing the ALC winner and potentially Seattle later bracket portion is more appealing than NYY right away if Gausman seals deal for Toronto.
Not necessarily. I’d rather play a better team in a 3 game series than a 7 game series. In a short 3 game series, anything can happen.
Not a Dodger fan, but annoyed me when the Padres, who had won 22 less games than the Dodgers, defeated them in the playoffs one year. The regular season should ‘protect’ the division winners from having to ‘prove’ they are the better team in a short playoff series. By the way, nothing against the Padres, it could have been the Rockies and I would have felt the same. I guess I am one of those terrible baseball ‘purists’ who only wants to see the best teams in the World Series, now the WS is just another playoff round. The level of dominance in baseball is not the same as in other sports, so a short series is a crap shoot. A team that goes 100 and 62 is analogous to a NFL team that has a 10 and 6 record, back to the days when there was a 16 game schedule, and an NBA team that goes 50 and 32. In the latter 2 sports the teams with those records will probably make the playoffs but will be nowhere near being the best teams in those leagues. Those sports are mano a mano so the better regular season team, though hard to distinguish in the NFL because they play so few games, is likely to win anyway. Until the Nuggets won the NBA championship a few years ago, there claim to fame was winning a series again Seattle when they were an 8 seed and defeated the one seed Supersonics so unusual is it for a vastly inferior team defeat a vastly better team. I could go on and on but I already have.
@Rockies bad 2, careful now, you’ll enrage and anger and provoke the “parity! Dodgers ruined baseball! 162-0 Grrrrr!” crowd with that thinking…
The Mets are starting Manaea. So even if the Reds manage to lose a game that is meaningless for the Brewers, the Mets will lose too. Manaea can’t possibly be their best chance right now. He’s been awful as both a starter and reliever.
Not quite meaningless. Brewers are one win from a new franchise record, but I still think they get resting early today.
Freddy Peralta is still listed as the Brewers’ starter today. Maybe just to stay sharp and they pull him early?
Smart. Peralta is G1 starter next Sat after their bye. That’s just 1 extra day of rest between starts for his routine. Too much gap can be rust.
I think he has to start, but he might treat this as his BP outing and only go 2-3 IPs, and maybe not use all his pitches.
My mighty Angels have a chance to avoid 90 losses today! Wooo hoooo!
As a die hard Reds fan who has booked airfare to LA tomorrow I have no dog in the hunt for mvp. Both are having astonishing years. The biggest issue with the MVP vote is there is no specific criteria or at least it is subject to interpretation. Both are more than deserving.
On a side note please don’t let me “die hard” today.
Rooting for your Reds-hope they at least get a shot at the Dodgers.
The reason why tigers collapse is not as historic as people may believe is simply bc mlb now lets half the lg into playoffs
So even tho detroit might blow 9.5 gm lead with 16 to go (biggest collapse ever) they r still in postseason as WC. Mets collapse in 07 was historic. 7 gm lead 17 to go but they missed the playoffs altogether (bc of different format back then)
Agreed. It’s lost all suspense and “history” if they both get in. Imagine 78 Red Sox collapse to the Yankees and they both get in. Or 94 Angels to Mariners. 80 Dodgers to Astros. One game playoff loser go home. Day game the next day. I’m gonna miss those.
in 1962 giants + dodgers were tied at 101 wins and mlb made them play a 3 game regular season playoff.
i think mlb started thinking about adding the lcs after this happened and it was finally implemented in 1969. or am i thinking of the 1993 giants who missed playoffs with 103 wins and mlb invented the division series as a result?
The playoffs did begin in 1969, using the expansion in both leagues as the excuse or reason. The Montreal Expos and the San Diego Padres in the NL, the AL added Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots. The Pilots went to Milwaukee after one season. Not the sophisticated analysis as to what city and what stadium is needed as there is now when there is an expansion. The Pilots played in an old minor league park and were just not ready for a MLB team as far as a stadium is concerned. Expos had stadium issues, including the 1977 move to the 1976 Summer Olympic Stadium as it was not a great venue for baseball.
The Wild Card format was introduced in 1995. I don’t think it had anything to do with the Giants missing out in 1993, though. They had been planning for expanded playoffs for some time before that. They split the two leagues into 2 divisions each in 1969, after both leagues had expanded to 12 teams.
There was no postseason in 1994. Canceled by the strike, remember?
BTW Bowie Kuhn and Fay Vincent are both dead.
Despite the down years of several players, lack of offense and countless injuries Reds are almost in the post-season, hat trick again to Terry Francona, if he doesn’t earn Manager of the Year award I’m not sure what is needed then.
@raul: What Murphy/Milw are doing was way more impressive with modest payroll than a few games over .500……Francona was a key hire. Both things true if he is runner-up for that.
Over the past month I have always assumed that the Reds would not make it, both for a lack of confidence is their players and the belief that the Mets would some how come through. When you get around to analyzing teams around .500, it is a mix of weaknesses and a lack of consistency that prevents them from having a better record. If the Reds do make the playoffs, as much as I do not like the expanded playoffs, they deserve a lot of credit. Not sure how much credit Francona deserves but his not cliched answers to questions in his post game press conference shows how thoughtful he is and understands that the season is a marathon and what happens in any one game may or may not be a trend and may or may not have to do with some luck. As Ron Washington would often say in his post game comments, “Well, that’s baseball.” A lot of wisdom in that trite statement. It’s a long season, full of variables, and interesting to see the post game “wisdom” articulated.
You’ve got to be kidding, right? The only reason the Reds might make it is because of an expanded playoff that allows .500 teams in and a colossal collapse by NY.
EDIT: Brewers, led by Murphy, win nearly 100 games with a peanut payroll in his second full-season and Francona should win over Murphy? I think not.
And fwiw, the Reds were quite healthy this season.
The V in MVP rhymes with Raleigh.
Catchers are immensely more valuable than any other position, not even close.
It’s pretty much a no brainer and should be unanimous.
I despise the expanded playoffs and all the wild cards, but at least the AL is bunched up. The gap between the Brewers and Reds or Mets will be at least 12 games, so is there any doubt that neither of them should be voted on the island? It used to be, before some people got desensitized or brain washed, into believing that playoffs are acceptable when they played 6 months to show who is the best even if the gap is only a game or 2. Also, old generations die off and new ones come along who don’t know any other type of regime. A lot of reasons that baseball postseason ratings are have fallen over the years, baseball is one sport where it is obvious who the best teams are, and enduring all the rounds of playoffs is just too much for too many fans. Fortunately, we have the broadcasters for the networks and the broadcasters for the teams falling all over each other telling us how great it is for there to be 12 teams in the playoffs and how great interleague play is so that fans can have a reason to go to the games. Can’t wait for realignment so that they can fall all over each other praising the decision and a likely expansion of playoff teams to 14 or 16 to accompany it. I have the MLB season ticket and often watch 4 games at a time but don’t watch any of the playoffs. End of rant.
playoffs are acceptable when they played 6 months to show who is the best
=========================
So no World Series? Mil had 162 games to show that they are the best team, right?
No, I live in Colorado and could not bear to shell out the extra $99 bucks to see the unlovable Rockies, as I have no cable or satellite dish. I might do it next year just to see the opponents they play and to have live access to their games as well. Interestingly, I sometimes end up watching more games based on the broadcasters and love to watch post game shows just to see how the managers handle a dispiriting loss. The poise the Braves manager, Brian Snitker, handled the postgame press conference after blowing a 5 run lead at home against the Diamondbacks in a weekday afternoon home game. Very impressed, not angry, just even keeled and most managers are. I like the broadcasters for the White Sox, mainly for Steve Stone, and postgame with Ozzie Guillen, who I couldn’t stand as a player but like most of them, you get to know the person and realize they are just humans that do extraordinary things. Also like broadcasters for Mets, Giants, Angels, Padres, but often just like to listen to the variety. Pirates and Red Sox have very long and detailed post games with Phillies in there too as I love the ex relief pitcher Ricky Bottalico, caustic, critical and pitcher biased. I just love the year long soap opera, I like the Tour de France for the same reason, a shorter term soap opera. Behind all my criticism, it is great that elderly and shut-ins have a chance to be entertained. I love the Giants games as they are very much interested in showing who gets the foul balls and home runs and the celebrations that go with it. Love to see it when a female catches a ball or happens to get it. What other sport is it where you can go home with the object that was just in play and the focus of the entire game! My favorite memories are that as well as all the weird things that you can see from watching so many games!
The Tigers are in so its fun times again in the former motor city. Hopefully it’ll become the late great motor city once again ! Let the good times roll, roll. Busting out the hits with, “were going to party down, ya ya, were going to Tiger town ya ya” ! Clinching a playoff spot two years in a row was quite the accomplishment for Detroit. This is going to be fun this year.
The Tigers appear to be in the sweet spot in M.L.B today. A farm system that can take time drafting high school kids predominantly, and the pitching from college level in the later draft positions. I think at the end of the day they’ll match the highest offer for Skubal when that day comes, as they will I believe with Riley Greene. They have Dillon Dingler now so that is a mighty nice thing that happened this season. His first full season and its still going on.
The Tigers look to be on the super highway they’ve been searching for in the last decade plus. Good players in the farm system, and a young team currently. This is the sweet spot the fan base has been yearning for quite some time now. Kudos to the whole Tiger baseball club. GO TIGERS !
If the Tigers and Guardians stay tied I feel robbed of a 1 game playoff loser go home.
Butter – As a consolation, Iron Man Raffy Devers has played in 163 regular season games this year.
Is anyone saying Carlos Narveaz should be ROY over Kurtz because he’s everyday catcher on a playoff team. ?
Right !
Judge is MVP hands down.
Best hitter in baseball.
Best position player.
Ohtani is a different animal altogether.
Great hitter and great pitcher. Unique.
Most talented in baseball.
But Judge is the best hitter , best position player by far.
No, nobody in their right mind is saying that Narvaez should be voted Rookie of the Year over Nick Kurtz. And if they didn’t let all these teams in the playoffs the Red Sox wouldn’t be a playoff team anyway.
Just in case you’d like to break it down?
baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB-leaders.shtml
“However, there’s no bye at stake here. The winner will just get home field advantage in the Wild Card round and will face the #6 seed.”
I don’t like the language that 6 months and 162 games is only about seeding for a random tournament. The winner won’t “just” get home field advantage. They’ll get a division championship and hang a pennant. That should still matter.
Huge game 162 in Toronto. Going in, Jays and Yanks tied for best record in AL. Jays have the tie-breaker, so unless Yanks win and TB beats the Jays, Toronto has home field throughout and Yankees are a wild card. Game doesn’t mean much to Tampa, so they sit Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe and Chandler Simpson. I don’t know where Rays are playing their home games next season, but I doubt it will be George Steinbrenner Field.
Correction: Josh Lowe did start.
It is a wonderful New York sporting Sunday. Giants defeat the previously unbeaten Chargers … a Yankees-Red Sox series in the wild card round … Europe retains the Ryder Cup over USA … and the most poignant of all, LOLmets officially confirmed.
And Pete Alonso told reporters in the clubhouse that he’s opting out.