After six months of baseball, everything comes down to one frantic Sunday, with two playoff spots still undecided and a few individual honors hanging in the balance. All 30 teams will start Game 162 at 3 p.m. ET, setting up a league-wide sprint to the finish with no room for scoreboard-watching or gamesmanship.
The wildest situation is out in the AL West, where the Rangers and Astros are both sitting at 80-81 and somehow still alive for a division crown. Texas kept the race alive with a win at Minnesota on Saturday, while Houston stayed level by pounding the Athletics 13-2.
It leaves the two clubs tied heading into the finale, though the Astros hold the edge because they won the season series and have the tiebreaker. That means Houston can wrap up the division and claim the No. 3 seed with a win in West Sacramento.
Texas will put MacKenzie Gore on the mound against the Twins at Target Field. Houston hasn’t named a starter, but manager Joe Espada said every pitcher except Saturday’s starter, Hayden Wesneski, will be available for the season finale. The winner of the division will host the sixth-seeded Chicago White Sox in the wild-card series, even though Chicago owns the better record.
The National League’s final playoff spot has turned into another high-pressure mess, with the Phillies and Diamondbacks still battling for the No. 6 seed. Philadelphia once led the wild-card race by 6.5 games and looked set for a comfortable October berth, but now the Phillies are hanging on after blowing another chance to put Arizona away. They were blasted 12-1 by the Rays on Saturday, while the Diamondbacks did their part by losing in San Diego.
The setup is simple for Philadelphia: beat the Rays and the Phillies are in. If they lose and Arizona wins, the Diamondbacks will steal the spot and send Philadelphia into a collapse that would sit right alongside the infamous "Phold of '64." Arizona owns the tiebreaker thanks to the better intradivision record, after the teams split their season series 3-3.
Zack Wheeler gets the ball for Philadelphia in a game that could save the season. The tradeoff is obvious: if the Phillies do advance, Wheeler may not be available for the wild-card series. Philadelphia will also have Jesús Luzardo back, with the left-hander coming off the injured list Sunday and available out of the bullpen.
Arizona will counter with Michael Soroka against the Padres, who have nothing left to play for except maybe the chance to wreck a division rival’s October plans.
Beyond the playoff races, there are still a few individual storylines worth keeping an eye on. Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez remains alive in the Triple Crown chase, though he has work to do. Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno can also make history, as he has a shot to become just the fifth catcher ever to win a batting title.
And Sunday could also bring some final curtain calls. Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer is set to pitch on short rest in what may be the last start of his future Hall of Fame career. Another Toronto veteran, George Springer, has talked about retirement and could be taking his final swings in the Blue Jays’ season finale.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Face A Brutal Final-Day Playoff Reality
The Diamondbacks head into Sunday with everything still on the line, even if the path is no longer entirely in their own hands. Arizona needs a win, and it also needs help from the Phillies, which is the kind of final-day setup that turns a regular-season game into a scoreboard-watching exercise with postseason implications hanging over every inning.
Across the diamond, the Padres have already locked up the No. 4 seed in the National League and will open the wild-card round Tuesday against the Cubs at Petco Park. Before that, they get one last look at Arizona, and manager Craig Stammen has already been talking about the way his club is approaching the moment. For the Diamondbacks, though, the focus is simpler: handle their part first, then wait to see whether the rest of the standings line up. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Give Fans A Powerful Reason To Rally Beyond Baseball
The Diamondbacks put their reach beyond the diamond on display again this weekend as downtown Phoenix and the area around Chase Field filled with runners, walkers and supporters for the 13th annual Diamondbacks and Dignity Health 5K Race Against Cancer. The event continues to be one of the clubs most visible community efforts, with proceeds going toward cancer research, treatment programs and health screenings across Arizona.
Participants included cancer survivors and community members who turned the morning into more than a race. Their stories centered on the value of early detection and the kind of support that can carry families through treatment, a reminder that the clubs connection to the city stretches well past baseball and into the causes that matter most to its fans. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Enter Offseason With Torey Lovullo Uncertainty Looming
The Diamondbacks are heading into the offseason with one of the biggest questions sitting right at the top of the dugout. Torey Lovullo is being evaluated for a potential 11th season as Arizonas manager, and even after a contract extension signed after the 2023 World Series run, there has been no discussion yet about another one.
Lovullo and team executives have both said the matter is still unresolved, which leaves the club in an oddly familiar place for a team trying to plot its next step. Lovullo has made it clear he would like to keep going if he feels wanted by the organization, but for now the future of the dugout remains one of the key decisions hanging over the Diamondbacks offseason. [Read more 🡒]