Samwise MLB Newsletter
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Pete Alonso Blasts HR No. 42 and 43 as Orioles Rout Yankees 10-2
Pete Alonso put on a home run display in Baltimore’s 10-2 rout of the New York Yankees on Friday night, blasting his 42nd and 43rd home runs of the season to claim sole possession of the American League home run lead. Alonso’s 471-foot blast into the left field bleachers off Brendan Beck was the signature shot, and his 113 RBIs are tied with the Cardinals’ Alec Burleson for the major league lead. Dylan Beavers added his first career grand slam in a five-run fourth inning, and Jeremiah Jackson hit an inside-the-park home run in the sixth. Beck (0-2) allowed seven runs and six hits in five innings.
Sources: NBC Sports
Freddy Peralta Shuts Out Phillies as Rays Win 2-0, Delay Wild Card Clinch
Freddy Peralta pitched into the sixth inning to deny Philadelphia another wild card clinching opportunity, as the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays beat the Phillies 2-0 on Friday night. Peralta struck out four and allowed four hits over 5 1/3 innings, earning his fourth consecutive win. Jonny DeLuca’s RBI single in the first and Nick Fortes’s homer in the second provided all the scoring Bryan Baker needed, as he nailed down his 41st save. The Phillies entered leading Arizona by two games for the final NL wild card spot, but have now lost three straight and will wait at least another day to clinch.
Sources: NBC Sports
Connor Wong Double Lifts Red Sox Past Cubs 4-3, Clinch No. 5 AL Seed
Connor Wong hit a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning, and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in a doubleheader opener on Friday to clinch the No. 5 seed in the American League playoffs. Trailing 3-1 entering the fifth, Boston tied the score when Adley Rutschman’s slow-rolling single through the middle plated two runs. Wong then broke the tie with a seventh-inning double off the Green Monster, enough to hold up through a windy late-September night. Boston will play its Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium for the second straight year; the Yankees won last year’s matchup two games to one.
Sources: CBS Sports
Aaron Judge Expected to Miss Wild Card Series with Right Calf Strain
The New York Yankees are planning for their Wild Card Series opener without Aaron Judge, as the slugger is expected to miss the three-game set against the Boston Red Sox due to a right calf strain. Judge was placed on the 10-day injured list after straining the soleus muscle in his right calf, with a typical recovery of two to six weeks. He has played just 66 of New York’s 155 games this season, having also missed more than three months with a fractured right rib. Manager Aaron Boone said the Yankees are planning on Judge being absent for the Wild Card round, though his longer-term playoff availability remains uncertain.
Astros and Rangers Tied 79-80 Entering Final Weekend of AL West Race
The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers enter the final weekend of the 2026 regular season locked in a tie atop the American League West, both at 79-80, with the division title and a Wild Card Series home field on the line. The Astros hold the tiebreaker over Texas due to their head-to-head advantage, meaning they would claim the division if the two teams finish with identical records. The Rangers will face the Minnesota Twins this weekend, while the Astros host the Oakland Athletics. The loser of the division battle, if they lose outright, is expected to miss the postseason entirely.
Guardians Lead White Sox by One Game as AL Central Race Enters Final Weekend
The Cleveland Guardians have a chance to clinch their fourth American League Central title in five years, but must navigate the season’s final weekend with the Chicago White Sox refusing to go away. The Guardians enter Saturday holding an 83-76 record and a one-game lead over the White Sox (82-77), who have been on a remarkable run after spending much of the summer in first place. Chicago would make history as the first team to reach the postseason after losing 100-plus games in each of the previous two seasons. The two clubs will not face each other this weekend, making each game in their separate series a must-watch event.
Sources: NBC Sports
Phillies Drop Third Straight, Still Hold Two-Game NL Wild Card Lead
The Philadelphia Phillies are tantalizingly close to a fifth straight playoff berth but have made fans wait through three consecutive losses. Philadelphia still holds a two-game advantage over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final National League wild card spot with three games remaining, but the inability to close out has become a story in itself. The Phillies would have clinched Friday with a win over Tampa Bay and an Arizona loss to San Diego, but both conditions failed to materialize. Luis Arraez was also pulled from a recent game with a left ankle sprain, though he has not been placed on the injured list.
Sources: NBC Sports
Tatis and Salas Power Padres Past Dodgers 4-2, Clinch Third Straight Playoff Berth
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ethan Salas each drove in runs during a three-run seventh-inning rally Thursday night, and the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 to clinch their franchise-record third consecutive postseason berth. Tyler Glasnow struck out a season-high 11 batters and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning for the Dodgers before leaving in the seventh with a deficit. Shohei Ohtani hit an RBI double in the ninth to pull Los Angeles to 4-2, but Mason Miller held on for his 38th save. San Diego will enter the NL Wild Card round for the third straight year, one of the top-five seeds in the National League.
Sources: NBC Sports
American League
| Team | W | L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL EAST | |||
| Tampa Bay Rays ★ | 97 | 63 | — |
| New York Yankees | 93 | 69 | 4.5 |
| Boston Red Sox | 87 | 74 | 10.5 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 80 | 82 | 18 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 78 | 82 | 19 |
| AL CENTRAL | |||
| Cleveland Guardians | 83 | 76 | — |
| Chicago White Sox | 82 | 77 | 1 |
| Detroit Tigers | 73 | 82 | 7.5 |
| Minnesota Twins | 72 | 83 | 8.5 |
| Kansas City Royals | 67 | 89 | 14.5 |
| AL WEST | |||
| Houston Astros | 79 | 80 | — |
| Texas Rangers | 79 | 80 | — |
| Seattle Mariners | 73 | 83 | 5.5 |
| Oakland Athletics | 60 | 97 | 18.5 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 56 | 102 | 23 |
National League
| Team | W | L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL EAST | |||
| Atlanta Braves ★ | 93 | 66 | — |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 87 | 72 | 6 |
| Miami Marlins | 76 | 79 | 14.5 |
| Washington Nationals | 73 | 83 | 17.5 |
| New York Mets | 71 | 85 | 19.5 |
| NL CENTRAL | |||
| Milwaukee Brewers ★ | 100 | 59 | — |
| Chicago Cubs | 87 | 72 | 13 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 79 | 77 | 19 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 76 | 80 | 22 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 72 | 84 | 25.5 |
| NL WEST | |||
| Los Angeles Dodgers ★ | 97 | 62 | — |
| San Diego Padres | 89 | 70 | 8 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 84 | 73 | 12 |
| San Francisco Giants | 64 | 91 | 30.5 |
| Colorado Rockies | 57 | 98 | 37.5 |
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency