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Tag: 2025 mlb postseason

  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto etches himself into World Series lore with gutsy performance in Game 7

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    (CNN) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a contract ahead of the 2024 season worth $325 million over 12 years.

    He had never thrown a pitch in Major League Baseball. But the Los Angeles Dodgers had enough money to take that kind of risk, making the bet that such an insane amount of money will eventually be worth it.

    From October 31 to the early hours of November 2, Yamamoto didn’t just prove to be worth that incredible contract. He proved to be priceless.

    The Los Angeles Dodgers began play on Friday with their backs against the wall, facing a roaring Rogers Centre crowd as the Toronto Blue Jays were one win away from their first title in 32 years. They had just lost two straight games at home in Chavez Ravine and it seemed like time was about to run out on their dynasty claim.

    Enter Yamamoto.

    Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning in Game 7. Credit: Patrick Smith / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    He shutdown the Blue Jays again on Friday, going six innings and allowing five hits and just one run while striking out six. It was his second victory of the series.

    But that achievement paled in comparison to what he did in Game 7.

    Pitching on roughly 24 hours of rest, Yamamoto entered the game in the most intense of situations. The Blue Jays had two men on base, needing just one run to win the championship. On his second pitch, he hit Alejandro Kirk and loaded the bases. There was no room for error.

    He forced a ground ball to Miguel Rojas, the man who tied the game with a home run in the top of the ninth, who fired home and got Isiah Kiner-Falefa by an inch. Facing Ernie Clement, who tied the postseason record for most hits in a single playoffs, he forced a popout and ended the threat.

    In the 10th, he put the Blue Jays down in order. In the 11th, he allowed a double to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a walk to Addison Barger, putting runners on first and third with one out. With one last nasty splitter, he shattered Alejandro Kirk’s bat and forced a game ending double play.

    Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto celebrates with teammate Will Smith after the team defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7. Credit: Chris Young/The Canadian Press / AP via CNN Newsource

    It was his third win of the World Series. It was baseball heroics. It might change the course of his career – starting pitchers are not meant to pitch on such little rest in such high-leverage situations. But it was the stuff legends are made of and no Dodgers fan will ever forget it.

    “He was the MVP of this series. That was incredible,” catcher Will Smith said. “I talked to him yesterday and was like ‘Hey, if you can give one, we can win.’ He gave us three. That was special. He will have a few months off, I know he’s going to need it. I’m just happy for him.”

    His manager, Dave Roberts, put it more succinctly.

    “Yamamoto’s the GOAT!” he yelled repeatedly on the Fox broadcast, using the abbreviation for Greatest of All Time.

    That might be a stretch to say at this point in the Japanese star’s career, but it’s undisputed that his World Series will go down as one of the greatest in baseball history. Winning three games in a single World Series hasn’t been done since Randy Johnson did it in 2001. And he almost got in a fourth game – he was warming up in the 18th inning of Game 3 when Freddie Freeman went deep to give the Dodgers the win, just two days after he pitched a complete game.

    Yoshinobu Yamamoto raises his World Series MVP trophy. Credit: Ashley Landis / AP via CNN Newsource

    He’s now in the same conversation as pitchers such as Bob Gibson, Christy Mathewson and Mickey Lolich. It’s telling that only six pitchers have accomplished the feat since World War II.

    The kind of toughness and grit that it takes to do what Yamamoto did on Saturday – and early Sunday – can’t be overstated.

    Starting pitchers are creatures of habit. They start their game and then spend the next four days recovering, resting and following a dedicated routine that gets them ready to pitch on the fifth day. They repeat that cycle through the season, over and over from March until October.

    And when they pitch, it’s a more strategic task than what relievers often go through. Starting pitchers have to face the same batters two or three times, forming a game plan to keep hitters guessing and then executing it. Reliever often come into a game aiming to overpower hitters with their stuff, either velocity or wicked movement, and use full effort on most pitches.

    Starters don’t always make good relievers, but somehow when the games get to be the most important, managers always put their top guys on the mound whether they want to be there or not.

    Yamamoto most certainly wanted the ball.

    “I was not sure if I could pitch tonight until I went to the bullpen, but I’m glad I was able to,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter when asked about his superhuman effort pitching on back-to-back nights.

    He went two-and-two-thirds innings, allowing one hit and striking out one batter. He lowered his ERA for the postseason to a paltry 1.45 and held opposing hitters to a .143 batting average in five starts and one relief appearance.

    For all the ink spilled about his teammate Shohei Ohtani’s two-way prowess and the two incredible games that he had in the NLCS and Game 3 of the World Series, Yamamoto’s performance is arguably more connected to baseball’s glorious past.

    A complete game victory in Game 2, followed by volunteering for relief duty two days later. Then another six-inning performance, followed by two-plus innings of clutch relief pitching less than a day later.

    It’s the kind of stuff October legends are made of.

    Yamamoto, as is his wont, approached that rarefied air with humility.

    “I did everything I was supposed to do, and I’m so happy that I was able to win this with these teammates,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter.

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    Kyle Feldscher and CNN

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  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 2-run HR off Shohei Ohtani helps Blue Jays even World Series at 2-2 against Dodgers

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    (CNN) — The Toronto Blue Jays bounced back from a tough Game 3 loss to even the World Series at two games apiece following a 6-2 Game 4 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

    Down 1-0 in the third inning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drilled a go-ahead two-run home run off Dodgers two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani to give the road team a 2-1 lead. It was Guerrero Jr.’s seventh homer this postseason.

    “I get that it’s easy to write Ohtani versus Guerrero. To us, it’s Toronto versus Los Angeles. But that swing was huge,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters after the game. “After last night and kind of all the recognition that went into Shohei individually and he’s on the mound today, it’s a huge swing from Vlad. It’s a huge swing to get us going.”

    Guerrero Jr. said he never lost faith in the Blue Jays despite the Game 3 defeat.

    “Yesterday was a tough (loss) but we flushed it right away, to us it’s one game at a time, one pitch at a time and thank God we come in with a ‘W’ today,” Guerrero Jr. said after the game on the FOX broadcast. “I believe in this team and this team is something special.”

    Fresh off a historic Game 3 performance, Ohtani made his first career World Series start on the mound. In six-plus innings, the Japanese pitcher gave up four runs on six hits while striking out six batters and walking one.

    Shohei Ohtani is the first-ever starting pitcher to bat leadoff in the World Series. Credit: Harry How / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    Ohtani was lifted in the seventh inning. Toronto would score four runs in the inning as Ohtani took the loss.

    Ohtani had reached base safely a World Series-record 11 consecutive times after walking in the first inning, but Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber struck him out in the third inning, ending the impressive streak. Ohtani went hitless in three at-bats and struck out twice.

    Bieber picked up the victory for Toronto after tossing five-and-a-third innings and giving up just one run on four hits.

    After what he described as “the biggest start of my career,” Bieber spoke to broadcaster FOX about the Blue Jays’ fortitude.

    “We have so many guys that are capable of impacting the game in a positive way, and since I got traded over here, that’s exactly who we’ve been,” the mid-season acquisition said.

    “It’s just a pleasure to be a part of this group.”

    Toronto third baseman Ernie Clement, who was 2-for-4 in Game 4 and is riding a 10-game postseason hitting streak, echoed his teammate’s sentiments.

    “That’s what we do – we bounce back,” Clement told FOX. “We got a resilient group, and it’s a testament to the character in our clubhouse.”

    The winner of Game 4 of the Fall Classic has won the title 72% of the time.

    Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday at Dodger Stadium in a rematch between Game 1 starters Trey Yesavage for Toronto and Blake Snell for Los Angeles.

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    Wayne Sterling and CNN

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  • Longest World Series game in years ends in the 18th inning on Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman’s walk-off home run

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    (CNN) — The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 on Monday in 18 innings, which matched the longest World Series game ever, to take a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.

    In a thrilling back-and-forth extra innings battle, the Dodgers needed a history-making night from their two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who had three RBIs and three runs scored in an incredible four-hit, two-homer performance that saw the three-time MVP reach base safely an astonishing nine times.

    In the end, it was an 18th-inning, walk-off home run from 2024 World Series MVP Freddie Freeman that delivered the win for the Dodgers.

    Toronto’s 41-year-old starting pitcher Max Scherzer put his name in the MLB history books in the opening inning Monday night, becoming the first pitcher ever to appear in the World Series with four different teams. The three-time Cy Young Award winner was greeted rudely by a Shohei Ohtani lead-off double, but Scherzer managed to escape the inning unscathed.

    Los Angeles right fielder Teoscar Hernández would get the Dodgers on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second with a solo home run off Scherzer for a 1-0 lead.

    Ohtani would double the Dodgers’ lead in the third inning, turning on a Scherzer fastball and sending it 389 feet into the Blue Jays’ bullpen.

    Los Angeles was poised to add another run, but a perfect throw from Toronto right fielder Addison Barger cut Freeman down at the plate after a single from Dodgers catcher Will Smith.

    The crucial outfield assist from Barger swung the momentum of the game in Toronto’s favor.

    The Blue Jays got two runners on base with no one out in the fourth inning after Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman made a fielding error on a possible double play ball off the bat of Toronto’s Bo Bichette. Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk then turned the game on its head with a three-run homer off Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow to put the Jays in front 3-2. Toronto would tack on another run on a Andrés Giménez sacrifice fly.

    The Dodgers bounced back with a two-run fifth inning to tie it up. Ohtani collected his third extra-base hit of the game with a double to plate Kiké Hernández. Freeman then drove in Ohtani with a single down the first base line to knot the game at 4-4.

    Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays narrowly beats the tag by Los Angeles Dodgers Will Smith. Credit: Luke Hales / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    Toronto reclaimed the lead 5-4 in the seventh inning on a spectacular play. Bichette laced a double down the first base line that sent Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. racing around the bases, slapping his right hand down on the plate just ahead of a diving tag attempt from Smith.

    Ohtani once again came to the rescue, belting his second home run of the game in the seventh inning to tie the game at 5-5. The reigning National League MVP’s fourth extra base hit of the game tied a World Series record set by Frank Isbell of the Chicago White Sox in 1906. Ohtani also established his own MLB record with his third multi-homer game in a single postseason.

    Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting his second home run of World Series Game 3 in Los Angeles. Credit: Luke Hales / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    The game would remain tied into the bottom of the ninth inning, when Toronto manager John Schneider made the decision to intentionally walk Ohtani rather than give him a chance to do more damage at the plate. Ohtani was promptly caught stealing when he slid past the base and was tagged out by second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa to snuff out the rally.

    As the game progressed to extra innings, the Blue Jays threatened to score in the top of the 10th inning, but a great throw from Teoscar Hernandez in right field and a perfect relay from Edman had Blue Jays baserunner Davis Schneider dead to rights at the plate as the game remained all square.

    With neither team able to score, the contest dragged on into the 18th inning and passed the six-hour mark. It tied the record for longest World Series game ever, matching 2018’s Game 3 between the Boston Red Sox and Dodgers, also at Dodger Stadium.

    The Dodgers got heroic efforts from a couple unlikely relievers – two shutout innings from Edgardo Henriquez and four from Will Klein, who picked up the win in a career-long outing.

    With Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched a complete game for Los Angeles in Game 2, warming up to take the mound if the game went to a 19th inning, Freeman made sure that wasn’t the case with a towering walk-off home run to center field off Toronto reliever Brendon Little.

    After six hours and 39 minutes of nerve-racking agony, more than 50,000 fans in Dodger Stadium erupted into celebration as Freeman rounded the bases to the familiar tune of Randy Newman’s “I Love LA” to put an end to one of the most epic games in MLB history.

    The Dodgers team mobbed Freeman at home plate as the Blue Jays retreated to their clubhouse to lick their wounds with roughly 17 hours until the teams will do it all again in Game 4 Tuesday night.

    Freeman described his emotions rounding the bases to broadcaster FOX after the game.

    “Just pure excitement,” Freeman said. “When you grind and fight, and our bullpen and our pitching staff did what they did, to have that go six hours and 40 minutes or so, that’s as good as it gets.”

    Ohtani, who will have limited time to rest as he is the Los Angeles’ scheduled starting pitcher for Game 4, made another bit of MLB postseason history by becoming the first player to reach base nine times in a playoff game. Prior to Monday, no player had reached base more than six times in a postseason game. After his 4-for-4 start to the game, the three-time MVP was the recipient of four intentional walks and one traditional walk.

    Ohtani was asked after the game how he felt following his historic night.

    “I want to go to sleep as soon as possible so I can get ready (for Game 4),” a grinning Ohtani told FOX through an interpreter.

    Los Angeles will enter Game 4 with a decided advantage – historically when the teams split the first two games of the World Series, the winner of Game 3 has won the championship 67% of the time.

    This story has been updated with additional information.

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    Kevin Dotson and CNN

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  • George Springer’s epic home run helps send the Toronto Blue Jays to the World Series with ALCS Game 7 win over Seattle

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    (CNN) — The Toronto Blue Jays are headed to their first World Series since 1993 after a dramatic 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.

    Things were looking bleak for the Blue Jays until designated hitter George Springer delivered a huge three-run home run in the seventh inning as Toronto surged into the lead.

    Springer’s late-inning heroics set up a compelling World Series match-up pitting the American League’s best team against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

    The Mariners opened the must-win game with an exciting first inning that featured a little bit of everything. Julio Rodriguez opened the game with a lead-off double down the left field line to set the table for Seattle.

    Seattle’s MVP candidate, Cal Raleigh, then struck out swinging at a high fastball, but Josh Naylor picked up his teammate with a single to drive in Rodriguez with the game’s first run.

    Controversy followed when Jorge Polanco hit a groundball to Toronto third baseman Ernie Clement, who was shaded toward shortstop. Clement took the ball to second base himself and whipped the ball towards first base for a would-be inning-ending double play.

    But Clement’s throw ricocheted wildly off the helmet of baserunner Naylor, allowing Polanco to reach first base safely. Replays showed Naylor turn his back toward the oncoming throw and leap into the air as the ball caromed off the crown of his helmet.

    After a huddle in the infield, the six-man umpiring crew determined that Naylor had deliberately obstructed Clement’s throw and called Polanco out at first to end the inning.

    The Blue Jays carried that momentum into the bottom of the first inning and tied the game 1-1 on a soft groundball single from Daulton Varsho.

    After a scoreless second inning, Rodriguez led off the third inning with a solo home run off Shane Bieber to put the Mariners back in front 2-1. The blast was Rodriguez’s third of the series.

    Raleigh, who led MLB with 60 home runs during the regular season, smacked his fifth long ball of the playoffs, his fourth against the Jays, to extend the M’s lead to 3-1 in the fifth inning.

    The mood was getting very nervous in Toronto’s Rogers Centre as the game reached the seventh inning stretch with the home team trailing and time running out on the Blue Jays’ season.

    But a walk and a softly hit single set the stage for Blue Jays’ lead-off hitter Springer, the 2017 World Series MVP with the Houston Astros.

    Facing Eduardo Bazardo, fresh into the game from the bullpen, Springer cranked a three-run homer to catapult the Blue Jays into the lead for the first time in the game at 4-3. The crowd at the Rogers Centre erupted as Springer rounded the bases as the unforgettable moment played out.

    Toronto’s George Springer celebrates his three run home run in the seventh inning of ALCS Game 7. Credit: Mark Blinch / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    Toronto then turned to its bullpen to close the game out,

    Chris Bassitt pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth, striking out all three Mariners batters he faced to end the game and send the Canadian crowd into ecstasy.

    After the victory, Springer was asked about what he would remember about his dramatic moment. A modest Springer replied, “The at-bats before me. If it’s not for those guys, that moment doesn’t happen.

    “I’m so happy for our team, our fans, our city, our country. I am so happy right now,” he told Fox Sports while the joyous crowd cheered.

    Springer was forced to leave Game 5 of the series after getting hit in the knee by a pitch and appeared to be in discomfort in Games 6 and 7. When asked about the pain, he doubled down on his love for Toronto. “I owe it to these fans, this city, this country to give it my all. It doesn’t matter. So, I’ll take it,” he said.

    Toronto superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was named ALCS MVP after batting .385 and crushing three home runs in the series.

    The Blue Jays will host the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

    As for the crestfallen Mariners, they remain the only franchise in Major League Baseball yet to appear in a World Series.

    This story has been updated with additional information.

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    Kevin Dotson and CNN

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  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits sixth homer of postseason as Blue Jays dominate Mariners to force ALCS Game 7

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    (CNN) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his sixth home run of the 2025 postseason as the Toronto Blue Jays dominated the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Sunday to force Game 7 in the American League Championship Series (ALCS).

    The only major league team without a pennant, Seattle will play a Game 7 for the first time in its history Monday in Toronto. It will be the second Game 7 the Blue Jays have ever played and their first since 1985.

    The winner faces the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series with Game 1 taking place on Friday.

    Although Toronto staved off elimination admirably, the Blue Jays were given a helping hand by Seattle’s season-high three errors – two of which came moments apart in the second inning.

    First, Julio Rodríguez had a fielding error on a single from Daulton Varsho to left center-field, allowing Varsho to take second base.

    The next batter, Ernie Clement, hit a groundball to Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who ended up losing the ball on the transfer to throw.

    Addison Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa immediately took advantage with back-to-back RBI singles to open an early 2-0 advantage for Toronto.

    “Balls just kind of in and out of the glove there that put a couple extra guys on base,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said, according to NBC Sports. “Unfortunately, it led to a couple runs.”

    Barger doubled the advantage an inning later when he smacked a two-run homer to right center field.

    With a 4-0 lead by the bottom of the fifth, up stepped Guerrero Jr.

    The slugger’s solo shot to left field was his sixth homer of the playoffs and extended the Blue Jays’ lead to 5-0.

    The Mariners eventually got on the board in the sixth after Josh Naylor homered to right field. Randy Arozerana followed with a single that knocked Trey Yesavage out of the game after 87 pitches. Suárez then welcomed reliever Louis Varland with a single down the right-field line to score Arozerana from first base.

    But the game was put beyond Seattle’s reach after a wild pitch from Matt Brash in the seventh which allowed Guerrero to score, extending the lead to 6-2 and consequently sending the series to a deciding Game 7.

    “Got to enjoy it, man. This is what we sign up for,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, according to the Associated Press. “It’s special and unique, but you have to look at it as a game.”

    It was six days since the Mariners scored five runs in four innings against Yesevage in Game 2, giving the 2024 first-round pick his first taste of adversity at the highest level.

    But on Sunday, 22-year-old threw a season-high 31 splitters, getting seven strikeouts and giving up only six hits and three walks on the night, showing a level of composure that gave his team a huge win.

    “I just believed in myself. I know my stuff plays at this level,” Yesavage said, according to AP.

    “I know the defense behind me is going to play at the best of their abilities, and getting three double plays in back-to-back-to-back innings was huge.”

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    CNN

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  • Rob Thomson Set to Return as Phillies Manager in 2026 – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

    The Phillies announced on Monday that Manager Rob Thomson will be returning for the 2026 season.

    Thomson will be entering the final year of his contract, making 2026 a true make-or-break season for both Thomson and the Phillies.

    Philadelphia Heartbreak

    It’s been five days since the Phillies lost Game 4 of the NLDS in the most heartbreaking fashion you could imagine. The first series in MLB history to end on an error. Of course, it would happen to the Phillies.

    It took me all day Friday to go through the stages of grief following the loss. I was not angry at Kerkering for a miscue throw to—the. In fact, I completely understand the mental state when you first bobble a ball. Even if you knew where you were supposed to go with the ball, the second you bobble it, panic sets in, and that’s exactly what happened. I know Kerkering can be a good reliever, and I hope he bounces back next year with us.

    Different Year, Same Result

    While my sympathy was with Kerkering, my anger was directed towards Rob Thomson, the entire lineup aside from JT Realmuto, Alec Bohm, and Nick Castellanos. The big three of Turner, Schwarber, and Harper went 1-14 in the Game 4 elimination game. The third season in a row, the big guns disappeared when it mattered most. That part of it is on the players, and while Rob Thomson makes the lineup, he can’t control what pitches these guys are swinging at.

    Rob Thomson controls the bullpen and who comes in certain situations. This is part of his job; Rob Thomson has been horrible at it in the postseason. In 2023, he brought Craig Kimbrel in against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which eventually led to the Phillies blowing the lead and the series. Since that series, Rob Thomson has poorly managed the bullpen when it matters the most. It’s led to the Phillies blowing leads in multiple playoff games over the last few years, including in this year’s series. Going to Kerkering with runners on was a terrible idea from the start. 8/13 inherited runners have scored on Kerkering since August. Having him in the game in that moment was a terrible decision by Rob Thomson. Even leading up to that, one might question why we walked Ohtani in the 7th inning to load the bases? Duran would walk in a run, tying the game 1-1 after Mookie Betts worked a walk. Thomson made a few questionable decisions, but it’s not solely on him to blame.

    What Went Wrong?

    Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

    I touched on the lack of production from Turner, Schwarber, and Harper before, but it’s important to know how flat-out bad these three were in this series. Aside from the Game 3 outburst, these three underperformed when the lights were the brightest. While I still want the Phillies to re-sign Kyle Schwarber, you have to wonder if he decreased his price tag following his poor October showing. Harper and Turner need to figure out a way to make their $300 million price tags worth it come October. Harper had an incredible postseason in 2023 and 2024, but his last two postseason showings have been lackluster. You aren’t gonna win many baseball games when the highest-paid players don’t show up.

    Harrison Bader was injured with a groin injury, which also hurt the Phillies in terms of their lineup. Bader was such a spark for this team down the stretch, and his absence should not go unnoticed. I’m hoping the Phillies could bring him back, but the question is for how much and where he would play. If Bader did play his last game in a Phillies uniform, he was an incredible addition to this team, and it’s a shame he got injured when he did.

    I tip my cap to Alec Bohm and JT Realmuto, who had really strong showings at the plate in the division series. I would love to have JT back behind the plate next year, as he is set to hit free agency. If JT walks, I expect the Phillies to possibly pursue a trade with the Baltimore Orioles for catcher Adley Rutschman. Rutschman would be a nice replacement for the Phillies if Realmuto isn’t on the team next year. With that being said, I do hope JT works out a deal and hopefully ends his career as a Phillie.

    Pitching Excellence

    The starting pitching once again showed up when it mattered most, despite not having Zack Wheeler. Christopher Sanchez pitched two great games and further solidified himself as a true ace during this series. Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez all pitched great throughout the series as well. The starting pitching was dominant all year, and they performed well above expectations in this series.

    Ranger Suarez is the only starting arm that is a free agent this upcoming winter. The big question is, do you pay Ranger Suarez knowing you have a replacement in Andrew Painter coming up? Suarez has been one of the best lefties in the game over the last two years, so although it would hurt to lose him, the Phillies might not be able to afford to keep him. It’s going to be very interesting to see where Suarez lands this upcoming offseason.

    Season Conclusion

    That’s officially a wrap on the Phillies’ 2025 season, as well as my first season covering the team. It was a pleasure to bring you weekly storylines and my thoughts on this ball club throughout the year. The season ended like no one could have expected, with a game-losing error. One of the main things I love about baseball is that you can shake off whatever happened in the game before and get right back at it within a day or two. But in this scenario, having to sit with this feeling all offseason is certainly going to sting.

    While some fans (including myself) are still angry with this team and the result, I can already feel the excitement and optimism of opening day 2026 when the Texas Rangers come to town. Only 163 days until The Bank is packed for Opening Day on March 26, 2026!

    One Last Weekly Prediction: The Seattle Mariners are going to be your 2025 World Series Champions.

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    Matt Saglembeni

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  • Seattle Mariners reach ALCS for first time in 24 years after 15-inning classic

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    (CNN) — Four hours and 58 minutes after it had begun, the longest winner-takes-all playoff game in MLB history was decided in suitably dramatic fashion on Friday night.

    With the bases loaded, one out and a full count, Jorge Polanco – who was 0-for-5 up until that point – sent the 472nd pitch of the night into right field, and sent the Seattle Mariners to their first American League Championship Series (ALCS) in 24 years with a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.

    “A lot of emotions since the start of the game,” Polanco reflected afterward. “I know we played a long game, but this team never gives up. I know there is a lot of emotion but we always try and keep it simple and just try and go out there and play.”

    Jorge Polanco’s hit has already gone down as one of the biggest moments in franchise history. Credit: John Froschauer / AP via CNN Newsource

    Polanco’s single may be the moment that fans will still be talking about in 20 years, but Seattle’s victory in Game 5 of the American League Division Series (ALDS) was defined by an extraordinary night from its pitching staff.

    Starters Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo both pitched in relief for the first time in their major league careers, while relievers Matt Brash and Eduard Bazardo made their longest ever appearances.

    There were also contributions from Gabe Speier and Andrés Muñoz, after George Kirby had given up one run in five innings to kick things off.

    “I don’t even know where to begin to try to recap all the heroic efforts that went into today. Just from one guy to the next,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson told reporters afterward. “Just an incredible ballgame from top to bottom.”

    For the Tigers, another wonderful showing from Tarik Skubal would come to mean nothing. The two-time All-Star gave up one run off two hits and no walks in six innings, striking out 13 – a record number of punchouts for a postseason winner-takes-all game.

    His dominance had Detroit 2-1 up after the sixth, in which Kerry Carpenter had hit a two-run homer off Speier.

    But Skubal’s subsequent exit would see the Mariners tie the game immediately thanks to one of the evening’s many unlikely heroes.

    Leo Rivas, a journeyman minor leaguer who only made his MLB debut last year, stepped up for the first postseason at-bat of his career on his 28th birthday. His single to left field brought home Polanco, and the game was tied again.

    “It’s hard,” Rivas said afterward of a career which had seen him wait the best part of a decade for his opportunity. “(Watching) everybody go all the way like that. Most people just give up.

    “It’s not easy. I was thinking to give up back then also.”

    Rivas’ RBI single took the game to extra innings, where missed opportunities for Seattle in the 10th, 12th and 13th had the crowd at T-Mobile Park fearing a potential repeat of 2022, when the Mariners were eliminated at this stage by the Houston Astros after 18 innings.

    The Seattle Mariners had not reached the ALCS since 2001. Credit: Steph Chambers / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    J.P. Crawford went 1-for-7 that night, and so it was only fitting that it should be him who touched home off Polanco’s single on Friday to clinch the walk-off victory and begin the wild celebrations.

    The Mariners begin their bid to reach a first ever World Series on Sunday, facing off against the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada.

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    Jamie Barton and CNN

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  • Philadelphia Phillies crash out of MLB postseason after a baffling error against Los Angeles Dodgers

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    (CNN) — Look away now, Philly faithful.

    It was another heartbreaking night for the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, after a disastrous error in the 11th inning of Game 4 saw them crash out of the MLB postseason at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    The Dodgers won 2-1 on the night to clinch a NL Division Series win and advance to the NL Championship Series (NLCS), but the game will likely be remembered more for how the Phillies lost it, than how the Dodgers won.

    Extra innings were needed to separate the two teams at Dodger Stadium after a tense contest saw Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos driving in Max Kepler in the top of the seventh and Justin Dean scoring for LA off a walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning.

    The stage was then set for a moment the Phillies and pitcher Orion Kerkering would love to forget as quickly as possible.

    With the bases loaded and two outs in the 11th, Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages struck a routine ground ball back towards Kerkering.

    On any normal given day, the reliever would have thrown to first base for an easy out, but the occasion seemed to get to the 24-year-old.

    Instead, he fumbled the ball, before trying to throw back to home plate, where his attempt totally missed Phillies catcher JT Realmuto’s outstretched mitt. The baffling error allowed Kim Hye-seong to score the winning run and send the home fans into a frenzy.

    During the incident, Realmuto was seen pointing for Kerkering to throw to first base and, afterwards, Kim said he was equally surprised the pitcher chose to throw home. The Dodgers second baseman initially ran past home plate before returning to touch it.

    While wild celebrations sparked around him, Kerkering was left standing motionless, head bowed, in the middle of the field, before some of his Phillies teammates came to comfort him.

    “Just hit off my foot,” Kerkering, still visibly emotional, told reporters after the game.

    “Once the pressure got to me, I just thought there’s a little faster throw to JT, little quicker throw than trying to cross-body it to Bryce (Harper at first). So just a horsesh*t throw.”

    Dodgers players flooded onto the field to celebrate the win. Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn / Reuters via CNN Newsource

    Kerkering added that his Phillies teammates were quick to shoulder some of the blame themselves for several missed opportunities throughout the game.

    Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson also had words of support for Kerkering when speaking to reporters after the defeat. The pair had been seen speaking together as the relief pitcher trudged off the field.

    “He just got caught up in the moment a little bit,” Thomson said. “Coming down the stretch, he pitched so well for us.

    “I feel for him because he’s putting it all on his shoulders, but we win as a team and lose as a team.”

    The Dodgers, meanwhile, progressed into the NLCS for the eighth time in the last 13 seasons, where they will face either the Chicago Cubs or the Milwaukee Brewers – who play a series-deciding Game 5 of their NLDS on Saturday night in Wisconsin after the Cubs won Game 4 6-0 at Wrigley Field.

    The team’s celebrations in the locker room post-game showed a squad eager to enjoy every bit of its World Series title defense.

    “That was a nail-biter,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith, soaked in beer, said after the victory. “They cracked. We didn’t.”

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    Ben Church and CNN

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  • Toronto Blue Jays knock out New York Yankees to reach first ALCS in nine years

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    (CNN) — After nine long years, the Toronto Blue Jays are heading back to the American League Championship Series once more.

    The Jays defeated the New York Yankees 5-2 on Wednesday night to stamp their ticket for a best-of-seven ALCS playoff matchup against the Detroit Tigers or Seattle Mariners, starting Sunday in Canada at Rogers Centre.

    Having blown a five-run lead at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday to fumble a potential sweep, the AL East champions returned to the Bronx to take care of business and progress with a 3-1 series win.

    Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and DH George Springer each drove in a run earlier in the game before outfielder Nathan Lukes provided a two-run single in the top of the seventh to put the Blue Jays up 4-1. Eight Toronto pitchers combined to keep the Yankees in check offensively with Jeff Hoffman retiring New York catcher Austin Wells with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth to effectively ice the game.

    “I feel amazing,” Guerrero Jr. told MLB after sealing the Blue Jays’ ticket to the ALCS.

    “I feel so good. We played for this, and I feel so good. I don’t have the words to say how I feel right now.”

    The Blue Jays celebrate wildly in the locker room after victory over the New York Yankees sends them to first ALCS in nine years. Credit: Ishika Samant / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    Toronto overjoyed, but Judge’s dreams dashed again

    The Blue Jays now wait to see the outcome of the decisive Tigers vs. Mariners Game 5 clash in Seattle on Friday but can get excited for their first trip to the Championship Series since 2016.

    Toronto will be hoping to flip the script this time around, having been comprehensively beaten in five games by the then-named Cleveland Indians. Do that, and they can start dreaming of a third World Series title to add to the back-to-back triumphs in 1992 and 1993.

    “We’ve wanted to win a World Series our entire careers,” said Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, who was spotted jogging at Yankee Stadium ahead of Wednesday’s win having been out injured since early September.

    “We’re not there yet, but this is a huge step. It’s a blessing to be part of this group.”

    For the Yankees, following last season’s fall at the final hurdle, the wait for a 28th World Series title will tick over to at least 17 years.

    Team captain Aaron Judge went down swinging in a deflating end to another stellar individual season – yet again with no World Series ring to complete his glittering cabinet of accolades.

    “That’s sports. It doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen, and he (Judge) and I wholeheartedly believe that it will,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

    “You keep working your tail off to get back to this position and punch through.”

    New York’s Aaron Judge is still chasing a first World Series ring. Credit: Al Bello / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    Wednesday’s Division Series results

    Winners in bold

    New York Yankees 2 – 5 Toronto Blue Jays (Toronto wins ALDS series 3-1)

    Seattle Mariners 3 – 9 Detroit Tigers (ALDS series tied 2-2)

    Philadelphia Phillies 8 – 2 Los Angeles Dodgers (LA leads NLDS series 2-1)

    Milwaukee Brewers 3 – 4 Chicago Cubs (Milwaukee leads NLDS series 2-1)

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    Jack Bantock and CNN

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  • What we know about the Phillies vs. Dodgers NLDS schedule

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    The Phillies already know their National League Division series opponent, and already know the start time for Game 2. Other than that, the schedule remains incomplete.

    Game 2 between the Phillies and Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park will start at 6:08 p.m., Major League Baseball announced Thursday night. Still up in the air are the times for Game 1 and any other games in the best-of-five series.

    Game 1 will either begin at 6:08 p.m. or 6:38 p.m., depending on the outcome of the ALCS Wild Card series between the Yankees and Red Sox, which will be decided Thursday night in Game 3. 

    Whatever time MLB decides for Game 1, “The Bank” will surely be rocking as the Phillies welcome the Dodgers, who swept the Reds in two games in the NL Wild Card series. 

    Phillies ace left-hander Cristopher Sánchez will toe the rubber for the Phils, and Red October will officially begin.

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    Geoff Mosher

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