Three Wild Card series are already in the books, and one more is headed to a winner-take-all finale after a busy night across October baseball.
The White Sox were first to finish the job, rolling past the Astros 7-3 to complete a sweep and move on to the ALDS. The Yankees followed by leaning on their offense again, this time hammering Garrett Crochet in his first outing back from injury and cruising to a 9-2 win that sent them to the next round as well. The Cubs, meanwhile, never got their bats going, and the Padres took advantage with a 4-1 win to finish off the sweep.
The Phillies and Braves delivered the night’s tightest battle. Philadelphia evened the series with a 4-3 win powered by three home runs, including an extra-inning blast from Alec Bohm. That matchup will be decided tonight.
On the Mariners side, Ryan Rowland-Smith made the case for why the club should extend right-hander Logan Gilbert.
Around the league, Red Sox right-hander Sonny Gray said he was frustrated with manager Chad Tracy after being removed during Boston’s loss to the Yankees. Astros outfielder Daulton Varsho is done for the season after wrist surgery. And for the fourth straight year, Major League Baseball saw attendance rise across the league.
There was also a notable defensive leap from Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki in 2026, according to Davy Andrews at Fangraphs. Matthew Roberson at Fangraphs examined Fernando Tatis Jr.’s eye-popping first-to-home stolen base from Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. And Jarrett Siedler at Baseball Prospectus put together a list of 10 players to watch at this year’s Arizona Fall League.
In Other News...
Mariners Must Decide Which Outfielder Is Actually Worth Keeping
Randy Arozarena gave the Mariners exactly the kind of spark they hoped for when they brought him in, turning in a strong season and finishing as the American League leader in runs while also earning the Mariners MVP award from the local Baseball Writers Association of America chapter. For a club that spent much of the year looking for reliable offense, that kind of production matters, and it is why the front office has a clear case to make if it wants to keep him around on a moderate-length deal.
Taylor Ward, meanwhile, did not offer the same kind of return after arriving in Seattle, and his struggles left the Mariners with a much different offseason question. If the goal is to trim dead weight and create room for a better fit, the recommendation is to move on rather than try to force a reunion, especially with Arozarena having already shown he can be a central piece of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Coaching Shakeup Still Leaves One Big Staff Question
The Mariners have already made a notable reset on the staff, parting with manager Dan Wilson and several coaches, but they are not tearing everything down. Pitching coaches Pete Woodworth and Trent Blank are staying put, a nod to a staff that has remained one of the organizations steadier pieces even as the team has worked through injuries and uneven results on the mound.
Jerry Dipoto said the club is taking an exhaustive approach to finding its next manager, and that process is now shaping the rest of the offseason decisions. For now, no additional coaching moves are expected until that hire is made, which leaves the Mariners with one central question still hanging over the shakeup: who will be leading the dugout when the rest of the staff is finally filled in? [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Manager Search Now Comes Down To One Serious Commitment
With Torey Lovullo set to finish the season with his contract running out in Arizona, his name has quickly surfaced in the Mariners managerial search as Seattle weighs a replacement for Dan Wilson. Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall made clear Lovullo is highly regarded and would not be short on options if he does leave, which only adds to the sense that the Mariners are looking at a candidate with both experience and an established track record.
The bigger question is whether Seattle is prepared to make the kind of commitment that comes with a proven manager, both in approach and in salary. Jeff Passan has noted the Mariners could also lean toward first-time managers who better match the culture they want to build, so this search may end up revealing as much about the organizations priorities as it does about the names on the list. [Read more 🡒]