Schadenfreude 372 (A Continuing Series)

 

June 25-28
Red Sox 6, Yankees 3
Red Sox 6, Yankees 1
Red Sox 4, Yankees 1
Red Sox 5, Yankees 4 (10)

Yankees – 100 100 100   – 3  8  4
Red Sox – 000 040 02x   – 6  7  0

Yankees – 000 000 010   – 1  3  0
Red Sox – 121 001 01x   – 6  9  0

Yankees – 000 010 000   – 1  3  0
Red Sox – 112 000 00x   – 4  7  0

Yankees – 000 000 002 2 – 4  3  1
Red Sox – 000 200 000 3 – 5  6  2

"wheeeeee!"

More Langs:

Sonny Gray with a 7 1/3 IP no-hit bid vs the Yankees 
He’s the first former Yankees pitcher with a no-hit bid of at least 7 innings against the Yankees since 6/30/57 Ralph Terry (7 1/3 IP)

Most consecutive quality starts, Red Sox since ER official (1913):

1988: 14
1917: 13
1915: 12
1914: 12
2026: 11 *active
1933: 11

1917: 11

2:21 [Friday]

2:22 [Saturday]

This is the first time consecutive Yankees-Red Sox games have been 2 hours, 22 minutes or shorter since they played three straight Sept. 27-29, 1983

Since earned runs became an official stat in 1913, this is the first time the Red Sox have swept the Yankees in a series of 4+ games in which Boston pitchers recorded a quality start in every game.

                      IP  H ER BB  K  PIT
Thu: Connelly Early: 6.0  5  2  1  9   98
Fri: Payton Tolle:   7.0  1  0  2  7   88
Sat: Jake Bennett:   6.1  3  1  2  3   87
Sun: Sonny Gray:     7.1  1  0  1  9   97
                    26.2 10  3  6 28   1.01 ERA

Bottom of the 10th

Sunday

Yankees Swept By Red Sox After Blowing Lead In Extras As Rally Goes For Naught In Brutal Loss
Greg Joyce, Post

A late rally gave the Yankees a chance to finish a brutal weekend on a high note.

Instead, somehow, it only delayed the misery.

On a night when Sonny Gray took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, Aroldis Chapman and the Red Sox defense melted down in the ninth inning, and the Yankees took the lead in the 10th, it still all came crumbling down for them . . . to deliver one last knockout punch on the way back to New York.

After the Yankees took their first lead since Thursday night with two runs in the top of the 10th, [Boston] came back to win it in the bottom of the frame against Fernando Cruz, as Jarren Duran's walk-off single lifted them to a 5-4 win that finished off a four-game sweep Sunday night at Fenway Park. . . .

[MFY manager Aaron Boone:] "It's one of those crap moments of the season, crap times of the season . . ."

On a weekend in which they were dominated by Red Sox starting pitching — Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett and Gray combined for 26.2 innings in which they gave up just three runs, 10 hits and six walks while striking out 28 — the Yankees have now dropped eight of their past 11 after suffering their first four-game sweep to their archrivals since 2018.

The Red Sox had not won four straight games all season until this series. . . .

A month that began with the Yankees losing Aaron Judge to the injured list (his timeline for a return is still very fuzzy) is nearing an end with the club looking like it is feeling the effects . . . along with [the absences of] Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham. . . .

The Yankees[' bats] . . . have all gone cold at the same time, resulting in a four-game sweep in which the Yankees combined to hit just 17-for-128 (.133) with 10 walks. . . .

The night had begun like the last few before it, with Gray mowing down the Yankees.

Tolle had retired the first 16 Yankees on Friday night before Bennett carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning Saturday. Gray took flirting with history a step further before another former disgruntled Yankee, Chapman, flushed it in the ninth.

But even after the Yankees rallied and went ahead in the 10th . . . Cruz could not finish it off in the bottom of the inning.

He left pitches up that turned into a single, double, sacrifice fly and then Duran's walk-off winner.

"Great teams go through this," Cruz said. 

[Shitty teams go through it, too.]

Oswaldo Cabrera's First Game Back Since Gruesome Ankle Injury Comes With A Costly Yankees Error
Greg Joyce, Post

For the first time since a gruesome ankle injury last May, Oswaldo Cabrera was back in a big league lineup Sunday night.

It did not go as well as he had hoped, though, with a crucial fielding error giving way to a pair of runs early on the way to the Yankees' crushing 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Cabrera went 0-for-3 . . . But his fielding error at third base loomed large in the fourth inning.

With a runner on first and one out in a scoreless game, Carlos Rodón got Willson Contreras to hit a hard grounder to third. Cabrera bobbled it and by the time he threw over to first, it was too late.

One out later, the Yankees should have been out of the inning, but instead Caleb Durbin came up next and hit a two-run single in what became a 37-pitch inning for Rodón, a big reason why he only lasted five innings.

The Yankees defense had let them down Thursday night, committing four errors, and then came back to bite them again Sunday. . . .

Thursday

Yankees Unravel In Fifth Inning In Sloppy Series-Opening Loss To Red Sox
Greg Joyce, Post

Cam Schlittler played with fire for four innings and got away with it.

But then in the fifth, his defense added some lighter fluid, and his start went up in flames.

After Amed Rosario let a smoked ground ball go through his legs instead of turning a potential inning-ending double play, the first of four unearned runs came in on Schlittler to sink the Yankees in a sloppy 6-3 loss to the Red Sox on Thursday night . . .

Former Yankees prospect Caleb Durbin delivered the deciding blow before the fifth inning was over, taking Schlittler deep for a two-run shot just over the Green Monster to break a 2-2 tie.

The Yankees tried to mount a comeback in the ninth against their former closer, Aroldis Chapman, who loaded the bases with two outs before finally shutting the door.

It was a messy loss for the Yankees, who committed a season-high four errors . . . and wasted some chances to cash in offensively before the scuffling Red Sox came alive. . . .

The offense . . . [went] 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position — including Ben Rice, the Yankees' best hitter, going 0-for-4 in those situations and leaving seven men on base.

Schlittler stranded a pair of runners in each of the first, second and fourth innings. He might have been able to do it again in the fifth, until Rosario's fielding error opened the floodgates. . . .

Yankees' Defense Falls Apart In Tough Loss To Red Sox: 'Didn't Do A Good Job'

Dan Martin, Post

. . . the season-high four errors they made in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park were especially tough. 

And even as they made the most errors in a game since the four they committed in a loss to Boston at Yankee Stadium last Aug. 21, there were even more miscues than the ones that made the stat sheet. . . .

Among the culprits was José Caballero, whose defensive versatility is part of what the Yankees were looking for when they acquired him from Tampa Bay last season. 

But they probably didn't foresee him starting in left field five times over an eight-game period as he's been forced to with Judge and Trent Grisham sidelined. . . . [H]is errant throw on Jarren Duran's very shallow fly ball [in the fifth] allowed Ceddanne Rafaela to score and helped Boston take control of the game. 

The fact that Rafaela even tried to score on the play indicated what the Red Sox thought of Caballero in left. . . .

Ball goes right under Amed Rosario's glove and the Red Sox score pic.twitter.com/WpfNGlZdiD

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 26, 2026

As for his throw home, which took Austin Wells away from the plate, Caballero said, "I put good velo on it. It was just a little off the line. And mistakes happen." . . .

[Thirs baseman Amed] Rosario let Willson Contreras' rocket 112 mph grounder go through his legs for a two-base error in the fifth . . . 

Wells was charged with an error on a catcher's interference that wiped away a groundout by Abreu in the first. Schlittler threw a pickoff attempt at second base that went into center field for an error, and the right-hander also watched Caleb Durbin's pop-up drop in front of him for an infield single in the second. Yerry De los Santos made the fourth error of the night in the eighth. 

Friday

 

Yankees' Bats Silenced In Loss To Red Sox As Payton Tolle Flirts With Perfect Game
Greg Joyce, Post

The Yankees at least spared themselves the infamy of having a perfect game thrown against them [on Friday]. . . .

Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle dominated them across seven innings, allowing just one hit to Spencer Jones after retiring 16 straight to start the game, as the Yankees stumbled to a second straight loss by a score of 6-1. . . .

Tolle, who struck out 11 in six innings of one-run ball against the Yankees in April, was even more untouchable on Friday night while striking out seven. Jones poked a single into center field off him with one out in the sixth, and Tolle later walked a pair in the seventh. But all three base runners proved harmless as he mowed down the Yankees, who have now lost six of their past nine. . . .

Besides Tolle vying for a perfect game, the only real drama — if you can call it that — of the night came in the bottom of the fifth inning, when the benches cleared after Will Warren walked Willson Contreras. Ball four was up and in on Contreras, who essentially stands on top of the plate, and he flipped his bat before jogging down to first and jawing at Warren. 

Contreras, who had crushed a 418-foot homer off Warren earlier in the game, seemed to want to know why the Yankees pitcher was looking at him. . . .

That only added to the frustration for Warren, who gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks across 5.2 innings. For the first time in his career, he did not record a single strikeout. Warren was consistently hit hard even on outs, as 10 of the 24 balls the Red Sox put in play against him came off the bat at 95 mph or higher. 

Yankees, Red Sox Clear Benches In Tense Rivalry Scene

Dan Martin, Post

What's become a mostly docile matchup in the AL East got some heat in the bottom of the fifth of a 6-1 Red Sox win, when Willson Contreras jawed at Will Warren as he headed to first base following a walk. 

Warren, whose second pitch of the at-bat was up and in to Contreras — clearly crowding the plate — said some words back to Contreras and the benches cleared. 

After Contreras homered and had an RBI single off Warren earlier in the game, Contreras flipped his bat after Warren walked him on a 3-2 pitch that was close to Contreras' elbow. 

Contreras continued to shout at the right-hander once he got to the bag, with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt looking to calm the situation. 

Warren clearly wasn't pleased with Contreras' behavior at the plate, saying the slugger was "playing games in the [batters'] box." 

Aaron Boone said it's what Contreras is known for. 

"I think that's what he does a lot,'' the manager said. "His arms hang over the plate, so I don't know where we're supposed to go [with pitches]. I think there's probably a method to what he's doing. He probably wants that. . . ."

Contreras was a menace to the Yankees all night, as he singled in a run in the first and homered to left in the third before the walk. 

The Yankees, losers of six of nine, have bigger concerns than any antics by Contreras as they try to right themselves . . .

Saturday

Yankees' Bats Go Quietly Again, Gerrit Cole Struggles In Third Straight Loss To Red Sox
Greg Joyce, Post

Contrary to popular belief, those were not toothpicks the Yankees were swinging Saturday. 

But they essentially would have served the same purpose as the lumber they did use, which has been ineffective the past few days. 

Once again, the Yankees got shut down by a lefty, with their bats going silent and offensive woes growing louder in a third straight loss to the last-place Red Sox, this time 4-1 on a fine afternoon at a sold-out Fenway Park. 

For a second straight game, Jake Bennett and the Red Sox bullpen held the Yankees to just three hits while Gerrit Cole got hit around, resulting in their seventh loss in the past 10 games. . . .

[New York] suddenly looks like it dearly misses Aaron Judge, not to mention Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham, who are also on the injured list. Grisham should return within the week, but Judge and Stanton do not appear anywhere close to coming back . . . 

Cole got hit hard for a second straight start, giving up four runs on seven hits, including a pair of solo home runs to Masataka Yoshida (to lead off the bottom of the first) and former Yankees first-round pick Anthony Seigler (in the bottom of the second). 

But the bigger culprit was the offense. After Tolle took a perfect game into the sixth inning against the Yankees on Friday night, Bennett had a no-hitter into the fifth Saturday . . . 

Over the first three games of this four-game set, the Yankees have gone just 14-for-94 (.149) with eight walks. 

Some of their most dependable batters have contributed to the recent malaise. Ben Rice went 0-for-4 Saturday and is now 2-for-23 over his past six games. Bellinger went 1-for-2 with two walks, improving him to 2-for-19 over his past six games. Amed Rosario, who had been a reliable lefty killer early on, is now 7-for-42 over his past 15 games. . . .

Ben Rice's Ugly Stretch Hits Low Point In Loss To Red Sox: 'He's Grinding A Little Bit'

Greg Joyce, Post

Ben Rice has spent most of the season looking like an MVP candidate. 

But the past six games have been much more pedestrian, magnified by the rest of the Yankees offense going through a cold stretch with him. . . .

He is batting just 2-for-23 with a .174 OPS over his past six games, of which the Yankees have lost four. . . .

To be clear, Rice is far from alone in having a rough week. But it is noticeable because of how impactful he has been for most of the season — he finished Saturday batting .276 with a .940 OPS — with this marking the quietest stretch of his season so far. 

It comes during a week in which the Yankees have faced a heavy dose of lefty starters — including each of the past four games, with Red Sox southpaw Jake Bennett holding him down Saturday. . . .

In a bit of an oddity, Rice grounded out in eight straight plate appearances before striking out in his final at-bat Saturday. 

There's still no timetable for the Yankees to get their two biggest bats back from the injured list in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton . . . 

More 2026 Predictions and Projections (mlb.com, ESPN, SI, The Athletic, CBS Sports, FanGraphs)

Here are some more incorrect 2026 predictions . . .

MLB.com Picks

[Why can't they give the # of votes each team received, like ESPN does? I mean, they're counting the  fuckin votes, anyway.]

AL East: Blue Jays

AL East baseball will not be for the faint of heart this year; it has the look of the most competitive division in the Majors. But ultimately, our voters expect Toronto to hang on to its division crown following its worst-to-first turnaround in 2025. . . . Others receiving votes: Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles

AL Central: Tigers
The 2025 season was still a pretty successful one for the Tigers, even after they squandered a 6.5-game lead in the AL Central over the regular season's final two weeks and limped into the playoffs as a Wild Card. . . . Others receiving votes: Royals

AL West: Mariners
Is it finally Seattle's time? The Mariners were nine outs away from their first pennant last season before everything went awry in ALCS Game 7 against the Blue Jays. But this might be the best roster they have fielded since their record-setting 2001 team, which won 116 games. . . . Others receiving votes: Astros, Rangers and Athletics

AL Wild Cards: Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles
Red Sox: Even though the Red Sox lost Alex Bregman via free agency, the inclusion of first baseman Willson Contreras and a full season of burgeoning star Roman Anthony could make this lineup more threatening than it was for much of last season's second half. Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran make up one of the sport's best -- albeit crowded -- outfield groups. Boston's most noteworthy offseason moves were focused on the mound, however, as it stabilized the rotation behind AL Cy Young runner-up Garrett Crochet by trading for Sonny Gray and signing Ranger Suarez to a five-year contract. . . .

AL Champion: Mariners
The Mariners finally get over the hump and win the American League for the first time in franchise history, according to our voters. Seattle received more than twice as many votes as any other club to be the champions of the Junior Circuit. Others receiving votes: Yankees, Blue Jays, Tigers, Red Sox, Orioles and Rangers

NL East: Mets
Few teams experienced more roster turnover this offseason than the Mets. Change was needed in Queens after a three-month tailspin ended with the club missing the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. . . . Others receiving votes: Phillies, Braves and Marlins

NL Central: Cubs
The Cubs re-established themselves as legitimate contenders last season, snapping a four-year playoff drought and winning the franchise's first postseason series since 2017. The next challenge? Dethroning the Brewers, who have won three consecutive NL Central titles and sent Chicago home in last year's NLDS. Others receiving votes: Brewers and Pirates

NL West: Dodgers
This one shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. The back-to-back defending champions have won 12 of the last 13 NL West titles, only failing to do so in 2021 -- even though they still won 106 games. With an admirable combination of depth and star power, the Dodgers are well-suited to overcome any obstacle in their path . . . Shohei Ohtani is returning to being a full-time two-way player, and the four-time MVP expects to be in the Cy Young conversation.

NL Wild Cards: Phillies, Padres, Brewers

NL Champion: Dodgers
According to FanGraphs, the Dodgers are projected to win 96 games this season. The next closest team in the National League is projected for 88 wins. 

World Series Champion: Dodgers
If they win another championship, the Dodgers will be just the fifth team to claim three titles in a row. . . .  Others receiving votes: Mariners, Cubs, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Phillies, Tigers and Rangers

ESPN

AL East: Yankees (16 votes), Blue Jays (8), Red Sox (6)

Despite the Blue Jays being the reigning AL champs, our voters favored the Yankees to win the division. What made New York the pick? . . . New York overhauled its roster over the course of last season, punctuated by a busy trade deadline. . . . The floor for this Yankees team is higher over 162 games as long as three-time MVP Aaron Judge stays healthy. . . . As for the Blue Jays, they had themselves a very busy offseason, adding Dylan Cease among others, but injuries to the rotation have already surfaced and Bo Bichette's departure is significant. . . .

The Red Sox shook off the Rafael Devers mini controversy and righted the ship last season to the tune of 89 wins. There's no reason they can't take the next step, possessing a well-rounded roster that also includes a really good top of the rotation in Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray. Not to mention Boston gets a full year of Roman Anthony. It's a sneaky good lineup behind him. The sum will be better than the parts for the Red Sox -- and the parts aren't shabby.

AL Central: Tigers (23 votes), Royals (6), Guardians (1)

AL West: Mariners (25 votes), Astros (3), Texas (1), Athletics (1)

AL Wild Cards: Blue Jays (21), Red Sox (19), Yankees (14)
Royals (10), Orioles (7), Astros (5), Mariners (5), Tigers (4), Texas (3), Athletics (1), Guardians (1)

Our voters view the three most likely wild-card teams to all be AL East teams. What does that say about the state of that division? It's the best division in baseball -- and largely has been this decade, with four different division winners in the past five seasons (only the Red Sox haven't won) and all five teams having playoff hopes. . . . 

AL Champion: Mariners (15), Red Sox (6), Tigers (5), Yankees (3), Blue Jays (1)

NL East: Mets (16 votes), Phillies (13), Atlanta (1)

NL Central: Cubs (27 votes), Brewers (3)

NL West: Dodgers (29 votes), Padres (1)

NL Wild Cards: Brewers (18 votes), Phillies (17), Atlanta (14)
Mets (13), Pirates (11), Padres (8), Reds (2), Giants (2), Marlins (2), Cubs (1), Diamondbacks (1), Dodgers (1)

NL Champion: Dodgers (27 votes), Phillies (2), Mets (1)

World Series Champion: Dodgers (14 votes), Mariners (6), Red Sox (3), Tigers (2), Yankees (2), Phillies (1), Mets (1), Blue Jays (1)

AL MVP: Aaron Judge (11 votes), Bobby Witt Jr. (10), Roman Anthony (3), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3), Cal Raleigh (1), Junior Caminero (1), Julio Rodriguez (1)

AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal (14 votes), Garrett Crochet (11), Hunter Brown (3), Framber Valdez (1), Max Fried (1)

AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle (12 votes), Munetaka Murakami (5), Carter Jensen (4), Kazuma Okamoto (4), Trey Yesavage (2), Samuel Basallo (2), Tatsuya Imai (1)

NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani (21 votes), Juan Soto (6), Ronald Acuña Jr. (2), Bryce Harper (1)

Ohtani would tie the record for most consecutive MVP awards -- four, held by Barry Bonds -- with another MVP win this season. Can anyone stop him from making more history? With Ohtani gearing up for a full season of pitching, it might be impossible, but let's throw out three players who could challenge him -- two of which were MVP picks by some of our voters. Acuña had an 8.4-WAR season when he won his MVP award in 2023. If he does that, he'll be in the vicinity of Ohtani (who had 7.8 WAR last year). Soto had a career high 7.9 WAR with the Yankees in 2024. If he's the best hitter in the league, he'll have a shot. And how about Paul Skenes? If he can get some run support and lead the Pirates to the playoffs, you never know.

NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes (23 votes), Cristopher Sanchez (4), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3)

NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean (11 votes), JJ Wetherholt (7), Konnor Griffin (6), Sal Stewart (4), Bubba Chandler (1), Justin Crawford (1)

Sports Illustrated

Red Sox: After a three-year playoff drought (tied for their longest in three decades), the resurgent Red Sox captured a wild card last season. Boston will now rely on a retooled rotation behind ace Garrett Crochet and a young offense that scored the seventh-most runs in the majors last year. 

AL East

Blue Jays   95–67*
Orioles     91–71*
Red Sox     87–75*
Yankees     86–76*
Rays        73–89
*: postseason team

Red Sox: Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow seems to have the Red Sox on the right track. The veteran arms they've added greatly enhance their chances of advancing in the playoffs, and Alex Cora is one of just four active MLB managers with a World Series title.

Yankees: Fans are running out of patience with GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone. Cashman has won four World Series with the Yankees, but none since 2009 despite vast resources. New York has MLB’s third-largest payroll but little depth.

AL MVP: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners

AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet, Red Sox

AL Rookie of the Year: Kazuma Okamoto, Blue Jays

AL Manager of the Year: Craig Albernaz, Orioles

NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes, Pirates
NL Rookie of the Year: JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals

NL Manager of the Year: Tony Vitello, Giants

Postseason Predictions

AL Wild Card
Tigers over Yankees in 3  /  Red Sox over Orioles in 3

AL Division Series

Mariners over Tigers in 4  /  Red Sox over Blue Jays in 5

AL Championship Series

Mariners over Red Sox in 6

NL Wild Card

Mets over Giants in 3  /  Phillies over Brewers in 2

NL Division Series

Cubs over Mets in 5  /  Dodgers over Phillies in 4

NL Championship Series

Dodgers over Cubs in 5

World Series

Dodgers over Mariners in 6

The Athletic

Keith Law:

It's an annual tradition: My column explaining why I think your favorite team isn't going to win as many games as you think they are.

These predictions are for fun, not a demonstration of my deep-seated loathing for your favorite team, and not the product of a sophisticated machine-learning algorithm to produce impeccable forecasts. I make it all up, and then I talk about it. (I do, however, rely on FanGraphs' projections as a starting point for several things here, especially some individual player projections, and this piece would be far harder without them.)

I've done this for 15+ years now, and the reactions are always the same — people look for what I said about their favorite teams and then yell at me about it. I got two division winners right last year, counting the Dodgers (who shouldn't even count as getting it 'right'), and a team I picked to finish last ended up two outs away from a championship. I did get the NL Cy Young Award winner right, at least, but that’s not a whole lot to write home about.

American League East: The Yankees lead baseball's most competitive division

Yankees     91-71
Orioles     88-74
Red Sox     87-75
Blue Jays   85-77
Rays        75-87

The Yankees led the American League in runs scored by a wide margin last year, and I expect them to lead the league again, although they are so dependent on Aaron Judge that even a modest injury to the soon-to-be 34-year-old MVP could have a dramatic impact on their fortunes. . . . The rotation is in decent shape to start the year, but it'll get better when Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole return later this spring from their elbow surgeries . . .

The Red Sox were aggressive this winter, adding three starting pitchers, a first baseman and another infielder, although it looks like the Red Sox agreed that Johan Oviedo wasn't actually an upgrade over Connolly Early, and I hate that they're moving Marcelo Mayer out of position in deference to Trevor Story's dead-cat bounce year. There's still a lot of upside across this roster, though, enough that I think they can overcome some of this roster churn and end up with 90+ wins in many scenarios. . . .

The Rays are dancing on the edge of disaster with their roster, with several starters I do not trust to throw 120 innings this year, a left fielder who has less power than a dead AirTag battery, a second baseman who can't seem to field, a center fielder who can't throw or get on base and I dare you to name either catcher on their 40-man roster. They have three good hitters, and their pitchers throw a lot of strikes. . . .  [LOL]

AL Central: Tigers, by 5 games over Royals, Guardians, Twins, White Sox

AL West: Mariners, by 9 games over Astros, Texas, Athletics, Angels

NL East: Mets, by 4 games over Phillies, Atlanta, Marlins, Nationals

NL Central: Cubs, by 2 games over Pirates, Brewers, Reds, Cardinals

NL West: Dodgers, by 15 games over Giants, Diamondbacks, Padres, Rockies

CBS Sports

Four of five writers (Mike Axisa, Kate Feldman, Dayn Perry, Matt Snyder) pick Garrett Crochet for Cy Young winner. Alex Cora gets one pick (Perry) as Manager of the Year.

Feldman: I think Tarik Skubal will out-pitch Garrett Crochet but I also think Skubal will be traded at the deadline -- to a National League team (let's call it the Mets) so he'll be ineligible.

Snyder: Crochet can topple Skubal for the Cy too, and he wasn't far off last year. 

FanGraphs

Projected Standings

            W-L   RS/G  RA/G   DIFF
Yankees    87-75  4.72  4.34  +0.38
Red Sox    86-76  4.55  4.27  +0.28
Blue Jays  86-76  4.64  4.36  +0.28
Orioles    84-78  4.83  4.61  +0.22
Rays       81-81  4.32  4.30  +0.02

Playoff Odds

             W     L
Yankees    86.6  75.4
Red Sox    84.8  77.2
Blue Jays  84.7  77.3
Orioles    83.5  78.5
Rays       79.8  82.2

Over 162 games, FanGraphs projects only a razor-thin margin of 1.9 wins to separate the top three teams and 3.1 wins to separate the top four teams. . . . 

Every Game Counts.

2026 Red Sox W-L Contest Entries

Here are the entries for this year's W-L contest:

               W-L   TEAM ERA
Paul H.       95-67     3.57
Benjamin B.   95-67     3.66
Rich G.       93-69     3.57
Jacob L.      92-70     3.43
Brett H.      92-70     3.45
Allan W.      92-70     3.75
Jeff M.       91-71     3.70
Eddie N.      90-72     3.69
Dave I.       90-72     3.90
Warren S.     90-72     4.50
Michael G.    87-75     3.62

There has almost always been a decent amount of optimism when it comes to the predictions. I note, however, that the Red Sox have not won 90+ games since 2021 (when they went 92-70 and lost the ALCS (2-4) to Houston), having secured 78, 78, 81, and 89 victories in the subsequent seasons.

The ERA guesses are all pretty similar, within 45 points of each other (eight of the 11 entries are within 27 points (3.43-3.70). I was curious how Boston had ranked ERA-wise since the pandemic season. Huge improvement since 2023.

Red Sox ERA, 2021-25

         ERA    AL    MLB
2021    4.26     7     15
2022    4.53    14     25
2023    4.52    11     21
2024    4.04     9     17
2025    3.70     2*     4*
*: tied

2026 Predictions and Projections: Lindy's Baseball Preview

From Lindy's 2026 Baseball Review:

AL East Projected Finish

Blue Jays
Orioles
Red Sox
Yankees
Rays

AL Division Winners: Blue Jays, Royals, Mariners
AL Wild Cards: Orioles, Red Sox, Tigers
AL Champion: Mariners

NL Divisions: Atlanta, Brewers, Dodgers
NL Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Padres
NL Champion: Dodgers

AL MVP: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet, Red Sox
AL Rookie: Samuel Basallo, Orioles
AL Rookie Pitcher: Payton Tolle, Red Sox
AL Manager: Matt Quatraro, Royals

NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers 
NL Cy Young: Hunter Greene, Reds 
NL Rookie: JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals
NL Rookie Pitcher: Nolan McLean, Mets
NL Manager: Walt Weiss, Atlanta

RED SOX

After missing the playoffs each year from 2022-24, the Red Sox have started moving in the right direction. Things were touch-and-go at times last year, but in the end, a pitching staff led by two major acquisitions and a burgeoning core of young position players carried boston to a postseason berth. Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman are back to lead the rotation and bullpen, respectively, while even more homegrown hitters will be looking to make their mark in 2026.

The starting rotation is in a terrific spot, featuring what could be the best one-two punch in the league; facing Crochet and Sonny Gray on back-to-back days will be exhausting for opposing lineups. Alongside that top-end talent, the Red Sox have significant depth, including several MLB-ready (or near-MLB-ready) starters stashed away in the minors. Their bullpen is similarly loaded for the late innings, though the bridge from their starters to their back-end arms could be treacherous.

The outfield was this team's biggest strength last season, and it should be a strong point again, replete with athletic defenders and powered by Roman Anthony's thunderous bat. The infield is less predictable, as the Red Sox will be counting on injury-prone players to stay healthy and promising youngsters to progress. Ultimately, if the offense is going to be meaningfully better than average, at least one player in the infield mix has to exceed expectations.

More broadly, how far the Red Sox will go in 2026 hinges on how far their numerous breakout candidates will take them. This is a good team as-is, but for the Red Sox to be great, they need some new contributors to achieve greatness; it's not going to be thrust upon them.

Starting Pitching: Crochet was seen as something of a risk when the Red Sox added him last winter, but he quickly proved to be one worth taking. After signing a six-year extension, Crochet firmly established himself as a top-three pitcher in the sport. The paradoxical Sonny Gray (even his name connotes both youth and age) has been on the injured list 12 times in a 13-year career. Yet, since his debut, no MLB pitcher has started more games. The 36-year-old should be an excellent deputy for the ace 10 years his junior. With Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval and Johan Oviedo, the Red Sox have a surplus of starters with mid-rotation credentials. . . . In a best-case scenario in which all six starters are healthy, either Crawford or Oviedo could be optioned to Triple A or placed in the bullpen. In a more realistic scenario, the Red Sox won't have the luxury of stashing anyone in the minors or the arm barn, but they'll be glad they stockpiled depth. Boston has further depth in the form of Peyton Tolle and Connelly Early. . . . Both will probably start the year in the minors, but few teams have such exciting options so far down the Opening Day depth chart.

Relief Pitching: Who ever sold old closers can't learn new tricks? Aroidis Chapman issued walks at the lowest rate of his career in 2025, and he did so without sacrificing velocity. While he did throw more strikes, what really helped was a massive increase in swings outside the zone. . . . Garrett Whitlock returns as Chapman’s set-up man. Moving to the bullpen full time was just what the injury-prone right-hander needed, and leaning more on his changeup should help him reach even higher heights. Justin Slaten . . .  stuff looked just as good in his sophomore season, but the stats won't back that up: his strikeout rate plummeted, and he struggled to strand runners as a result. Aside from that trio, Alex Cora's circle of trust isn't wide. Greg Weissert has been effective in a low-leverage role, while Jordan Hicks will look to regain his triple-digit velocity now that his flirtation with starting is over.

Catching: Carlos Narváez was barely on anyone's radar before he earned an everyday role for the Red Sox in his rookie season. He'll be looking to prove his emergence was no fluke. A strong defender, his balanced (if unremarkable) skill set at the plate should allow him to be something like a league-average catcher. Connor Wong lost his starting job to Narváez in a disappointing 2025 campaign. He's yet to show any above-average skills at the big-league level . . .

Infield: New first baseman Willson Contreras has a swing that should generate lots of balls off the Green Monster, but he hits it too low (and runs too slow) to get the most out of his new home. There will be many long singles, and few added home runs. Trevor Story played the first full season of his Red Sox tenure last year, and while he hit 25 homers and stole 31 bases, his defense wasn't what it once was. . . .  Marcelo Mayer has the inside track on third base. The highly touted prospect looked overmatched as a rookie, flashing plus bat speed (74.1 mph) on his swings but whiffing on far too many. His glove should be fine in the long run, though he needs to hone his instincts to compensate for a mediocre arm. The presumptive second baseman is Kristian Campbell, another prospect who struggled in the majors. His power, theoretically his defining trait, was AWOL, and his defense was disastrous. Romy González and Ceddanne Rafaela can also cover the keystone, but the lefty-mashing González has no business facing righties, and Rafaela's elite outfield glove would be wasted on the dirt.

Outfield: Roman Anthony already looks like his team's best hitter, and he still has room to grow. His power numbers were low in his rookie season, considering how hard he hit the ball, and he'd do even more damage with a less passive approach. On top of everything he does at the plate, he's a talented fielder as well, and he'll join Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu to form the best defensive outfield rotation in the majors. Rafaela's superhuman jumps enable him to cover swaths of ground in center field. His bat is weak, but his speed helps him reach base just enough to wreak havoc once he's there. Duran and Abreu are strong fielders themselves, with above-average bats to accompany their gloves. . . . The Red Sox could free up more playing time by moving on from Masataka Yoshida. Like Anthony, Duran and Abreu, Yoshida bats left-handed; and he's the worst defender of the bunch. Trading or cutting him would free up DH reps for whichever of Anthony, Duran and Abreu isn't playing the field.

Designated Hitter: Yoshida is the de facto DH, but he hasn't proved he deserves those at-bats over teammates like Anthony, Abreu, Duran and González. His contact skills thrived in Japan, but MLB pitching has limited his power and tested his discipline.

Organization/Management: None of Boston's top baseball people came away from last year's Rafael Devers drama looking great, but a strong second-half showing earned . . . some goodwill from their fanbase. Craig Breslow has already made several splashes in his brief tenure as chief baseball officer. Now, he needs the on-field results to confirm he committed to the right players — and the right manager. Breslow didn't hire Alex Cora, but the executive quickly gave the skipper he inherited his full support, extending Cora through the 2027 campaign.

This season, Cora will be tasked with finding playing time for all his guys; helping top prospects (and recently graduated top prospects) reach their ceilings; and keeping a pitching staff full of aging and injury-prone arms healthy. As for Breslow, he's likely going to have to make some tough decisions about who to keep and who to part with. The Red Sox have possible logjams at several positions, and fans will certainly expect a more active trade deadline.

YANKEES

The Yankees bounced back from their worst season since the early 1990s with a trip to the World Series in 2024. They weren't quite as successful in 2025 . . . 

The pressure on the pinstripes will be unrelenting. Two of their top hitters, Judge and Stanton, are in their mid-30s while two more, Chisholm and Grisham, can be free agents after the season. None of Fried, Cole and Carlos Rodón is younger than 32 . . . The Blue Jays, Red Sox and Orioles all have younger cores, and Brian Cashman's payroll advantage isn't what it once was. . . .

Starting Pitching: Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón will miss the start of the season, while Clarke Schmidt will spend most (if not all) of it recovering from Tommy John surgery. That leaves a top four of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil and Will Warren to open the year. . . . Warren, Schlittler and Gil are pitchers the Yankees want competing for back-end roles, not comprising the middle of their rotation. Gil was worryingly hittable . . . His velocity was down, and his strikeout rate paid the price. . . . Warren made a commendable 33 starts, but he wasn't dominant. . . . Cole is coming back from Tommy John surgery in March, and Rodón had loose bodies removed from his elbow in October. . . .

Relief Pitching: . . . Setting up for Bednar will be Camilo Doval and Fernando Cruz. Doval reintroduced his sinker last year, when his cutter couldn't cut the mustard . . . Neither the cutter nor the sinker stands out like they did when Doval could touch 102 mph . . . Veteran sinkerballer Tim Hill will be the go-to lefty, while Jake Bird and his breaking balls are a promising work in progress.

Catching: . . . There was a time when [Austin Wells] looked like a bat-first backstop, but . . . he hasn't proved he's anything more than average when he's standing at the plate instead of crouching behind it. . . . 

Outfield: It wouldn't be enough to call Judge the backbone of the Yankees’ offense; he's more like the whole skeletal system. . . . [He] has scored or driven in 23.1 percent of his team's runs over the last four seasons. . . . Trent Grisham look a chance on himself by accepting a qualifying offer . . . His career numbers say he's due for regression, as does his lopsided 34:9 home runs-to-doubles ratio. . . . Jasson Dominguez shows power potential . . . but the player he's been is a mediocre hitter with a lot to learn in left field. . . . 

Designated Hitter: Giancarlo Stanton is 36 and hasn't played a full, healthy season in eight years. . . .

Organization/Management: No longer are the Yankees the Evil Empire that wildly outspends the rest of the league. . . . No manager in Major League Baseball faces more criticism than Aaron Boone, but the Yankees' skipper has the backing of the front office. That has inevitably led to chirping that it's really Cashman calling the shots in the dugout. The simplest explanation is that Cashman hired a manager whose opinions align with his own.

Everyone Loves A Contest #32: 2026 Red Sox W-L Record

The 2026 Red Sox begin their regular season this Thursday in Cincinnati – so it's time for the annual Red Sox W-L Contest!

Guess the Red Sox's 2026 regular season W-L record and you will win a copy of The Baseball 100, Joe Posnanski's 2021 best-seller. (If you already own this book, you can choose a different book.)

Tiebreaker: Anthony Castrovince (mlb.com) ranks the Red Sox as the #4 best pitching staff in mlb. FanGraphs' projections have the Red Sox's starters leading both leagues in pitching WAR. So . . . what will the team's regular season ERA be?

Entries must be emailed to me before the first pitch on Thursday, March 26. Please include:

1. Red Sox 2026 regular season record
2. Red Sox team pitching ERA

Remember: Happiness is a warm puppy . . . and pictures of sad yankee fans.

WS 7: Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 4 (11)

UPDATED! . . . WORDS! . . . PICS! . . . TYPOS! (probably)

Dodgers   - 000 101 011 01 - 5 11  0
Blue Jays - 003 001 000 00 - 4 14  0

It was only the sixth World Series Game 7 to need extra innings. And it ended up being one of the most memorable Game 7s of all time. 

How the Los Angeles Dodgers, down by two runs with only eight outs remaining, rallied to tie and eventually win the game (and the World Series) in eleven innings, while also snuffing out three harrowing potential rallies in the final four innings, any one of which could have given the Toronto Blue Jays its first World Series championship in 32 years, was improbable, astonishing, and anxiety-producing and exhausting even for fans with no serious stake in the outcome.

After wishing dearly that all the hopes and dreams of Blue Jays fans would be crushed into dust before their disbelieving eyes, by the time the tenth inning began tonight, I no longer felt that way. I felt truly bad for Blue Jays fans, maybe even had some compassion. To witness the unprecedented ending of Game 6, when the ultimate victory seemed so close, they could almost surround it with their arms and never let it go, and then have to sleep and gear up for yet another game, that was bad enough. But the torture was only beginning. Forgetting the Dodgers pulverizing hopes and dreams. The Blue Jays ground up their own fan base, forcing them to witness events so brutal, they should qualify as extreme emotional abuse. More than a few of those fans may never recover. 

While the Dodgers enjoyed their on-field celebration, as their families ran onto the field to join them, Sportsnet showed many shots of stunned Blue Jays fans, who had watched Mookie Betts glove Alejandro Kirk's ground ball, step on second base, and throw to Freddie Freeman at first to end the game, and simply collapsed into their seats, staring blankly out at the field. I saw one young person with his mouth open in apparent astonishment 15 minutes after the game had ended.

One picture will stay with me for a long time. A young boy with red-orange hair was standing, his head face down on the dugout. He wasn't moving. His father stood beside him, his hand gently on his son's back. Had he been in that position since the final out, about five minutes earlier? The camera lingered; the boy never even twitched. Sportsnet finally cut away. How old was this kid? We never saw his face, even when the camera returned a few minutes later. Now he's being hugged by his father, who seems to be speaking softly, consolingly, to him. At some point, the boy had lifted his head and been enveloped by his father's arms, and I know – I know – he never opened his eyes and risked seeing the celebration on the field.

He could be ten years old. He's just old enough to care – to really care about the Blue Jays for the first time – and this is what fuckin happens. This is what happens to an innocent child when, for maybe the first time in his life, he allows his tender, untested emotions to be put on the line. He didn't decide to do that, of course; he didn't even realize it had happened. But at some point over the summer, an investment was made. He unknowingly gave himself over to something very powerful that he had absolutely no control over. He understood nothing of the depth of his investment or the range of possible consequences. How could he, at ten years old? I didn't fully understand it when it hit me like a battering ram at the age of 40. You can't understand it until after you go through it. You never see the emotional cost coming. The Blue Jays lost many games throughout the season – 75, by the time Game 7 began – but this one was nothing like any of the others. This is pain of a magnitude that will shock you. You probably told yourself they might lose tonight, but that's no protection. There is no barrier against any of the worst pains of life. There will be others, though none of them will have anything to do with baseball (not any more). . . . You'll never see any of them coming – you'll be utterly defenseless. Sorry, kid. 

[I found the second picture online (there are a few variations), but not the first. No identifications. After trying 15 or so different search strings, I took a picture of my computer screen. Rewatching it, I would have sworn the camera was more elevated and seemingly further away.]

Let's start in the eighth inning. Both teams had scored a run in the sixth, the Dodgers cutting Toronto's lead to 3-2 and the Blue Jays restablishing their two-run cushion in the bottom half. 

Shohei Ohtani had been a bust on the mound (2.1-5-3-2-3, 51). After throwing 43 pitches in two innings and leaving the bases loaded in the second, should he have come out for the third? A Dodgers fan messaging with my partner Laura throughout the World Series said, in real time, no fuckin way. Dave Roberts didn't listen. Springer single, Lukes sac bunt, Guerrero BBI, Bichette three-run homer (442 feet to dead center).

The Dodgers' ability to string together hits for a multi-run rally had vanished several games ago. And it was absent from this game, too. LA got a run when Smith doubled to start the third. Scherzer had given up a single to Ohtani to start the game but retired the next nine batters. I thought Smith's double had hit the wall in left-center above Varsho's glove, but the replay showed the ball landed inside his glove and caromed out. Freeman singled and Smith played it safe, stopping at third. Betts popped to right and Muncy walked, loading the bases. Teoscar H. lined a ball to center and Varsho made a sterling catch diving forward towards the infield. Smith tagged and scored. Edman then lined a shot down towards first, heading for the right field line, but Guerrero dove to his left, snaring the ball and sliding across the foul line chalk. It was one of several exceptional plays for Guerrero in this game.

LA scored another run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Betts walked and took second on Muncy's liner to right. Teoscar forced Muncy at second and Betts scored from third on Edman's fly to center. As mentioned, Toronto matched that run in the home half. Clement singled to left, setting a record with 29 hits this postseason (usual caveats about the numerous rounds of the postseason). He stole second without a throw and came home on Gimenez's double to right-center. 

T8: The Dodgers got one run closer on Max Muncy's one-out home run to right. The Blue Jays now led 4-3.

B8: That pesky fucker Clement doubled to left-center, his 30th hit of this postseason, off Sheehan. Snell entered the game (and was the third LA starter to pitch in this game, after Ohtani and Glasnow (both went 2.1 innings); there would be one more). After some mound grooming by the grounds crew, Snell got to work. Gimenez, after trying to bunt the runner to third, smoked a liner right at Muncy who was on the infield grass and made the catch. Springer fanned on three pitches and pinch-hitter Schneider also went down swinging.

T9: It's 11:10 in Toronto, the Blue Jays are three outs from a championship, Jeff Hoffman is on the mound, and Skydome is rockin'. Kike Hernandez lunges after a 1-2 slider out of the zone and strikes out. Those splitters and sliders must be extraordinarily enticing because none of the Dodgers hitters have been able to stop chasing them all night. Two outs to go. Miguel Rojas, the man who recorded the final out of Game 6 at second base, battles Hoffman: swing/miss, ball, ball, foul, foul, ball – and then a drive to left that carries over the fence (387 feet) for a game-tying home run! Ohtani has been hacking at everything all night and he drives the first pitch to the edge of the track in left for the second out. Smith looks at two strikes, then watched four balls sail outside – Wait! Plate umpire Jordan Baker blows the final call, ringing Smith up and ending the inning. One of many shitty calls by Baker, whose incompetence is altering the course of the ninth inning of Game 7, for fuck's sake. Manfred allows this to happen year after year after year after year . . . but, hey, teams will be allowed to challenge two pitch calls per game next year. TWO! Thank you, oh benevolent commissioner.

B9: Snell returns to the mound and goes to 3-0 on Guerrero. Vlad swings at the next one and drives it to deep center, where Edman catches it just in front of the warning track. (I attended many games at Skydome and Jays fans are notorious for truping themselves on anything hit in the air. A pop-up to short right is greeted off the bat with the same excitement as a 450-foot blast. The fans never learned to either wait a second before reacting or to simply watch the outfielder. They got fooled soooooo many times in Games 6 and 7.) Bichette lines a single to left and after hobbling to first, leaves for pinch-runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Umpire Baker blows a 2-1 call to Barger, putting the count at 2-2 instead of 3-1. Barger ends up walking on nine pitches. And here comes last night's starter: Yamamoto! After throwing 96 pitches to 23 batters in Game 6, what will he have here? How long will he go? No one has even an inkling of a clue. 

Yamamoto's second pitch to Kirk comes inside and drills Kirk on the right arm. The Dodgers challenge the call, but the replay makes the HBP obvious. (The benches and bullpens emptied in the fourth when Gimenez was hit with the third pitch thrown up around his melon by Wrobleski. Some players were pissed off at opposing players, but it appeared to have nothing to do with the HBP. Anyway, that incident seems like it was many hours ago, not five innings.) With only one out, Toronto has the bases loaded and the WS-winning run at third. The Dodgers pull Edman and put Andy Pages in center. All of the outfielders are extremely shallow and the infielders are on the grass of the infield. There was a mound meeting, but the infielders all know the only play on a ground ball is a force at the plate. Varsho grounds a 1-2 splitter to second baseman Rojas. The ball is hit fairly hard and Rojas staggers back a step, but has time to set himself and fire the ball to Smith at the plate, retiring IKF for the second out. Clement is next. 

Yamamoto throws a low curveball and Clement clocks it to deep left-center. The fans are certain this game is over. The outfielders were not playing at a normal depth, so Kike is sprinting from left and Pages is coming hard from center. For a brief moment, it looks like Kike might try to catch the ball over his shoulder on the warning track (which would be an eye-popping play). Instead, Pages (listed at 6-1) leaps and appears to slightly hip-check Kike (5-11) out of the way before making a great catch and crashing into the wall. Kike is laying in the dirt at the base of the wall. Pages knows it's the third out, so he checks on his teammate. I imagine Kike asking, "Did you catch it?", knowing that if the answer is "No", then he plans to stay here for a while. But the answer is "Yes!", and we see Kike turn his face to the field, he's smiling, and he starts getting to his feet. Skydome is as silent as a tomb. The tenth inning cometh.

T10: I've already deduced, from my experience watching the "one-game doubleheader" in Los Angeles (so is this really Game 8?) that I'll be hoping the Dodgers score in the top half and if they don't, I'll be terrified at the possibility the Jays might win it all in the bottom. What I really want, of course, is lots of scoreless innings (no trick-or-treaters tonight and it's not even 8:30 PT), when both managers will be forced to finally call in their actual relievers to get outs. Maybe it will get so late Mookie will pitch. (If any player could be considered as a likely candidate to play all nine positions in a game, it's Mookie.)

I recall some games that have a furious amount of activity in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, but once they go into extras, both teams relax and the game's rhythm slows to a calm cruising speed for a few innings before everyone re-engages with the game. Maybe this game will be like that. (It won't, of course.) 

The Blue Jays bring in Hoffman to face the middle of the Dodgers order. Freeman flies to left. Betts walks on five pitches. Muncy singles up the middle on a 2-2 fastball. Teoscar sees seven pitches (bcsbfbb) and walks. Bases loaded. This threat ends in a much calmer fashion than the Jays' in the previous half-inning. Pages grounds into a 6-2 force. Kike grounds the ball to Guerrero's right. He dives to grab it, then spins arounds quickly and tosses the ball to Sir Anthony, who does a little stutter-step with his feet at the bag. An out call is made, and the Dodgers challenge it. I found it impossible to tell if the call was right as the play happened. The first two replays leave me in the dark. The call is upheld and I finally see Dominguez first put his right foot forward to the bag, but it did not quite reach, so he quickly pushed his left foot forward to get the out.

B10: Yamamoto has a clean inning. It's an absolute rarity in this game. It's the only frame in which the Blue Jays are retired in order; the Dodgers had only two: the second and third against Scherzer. Out of what will be 22 half innings, in 19 of them someone bats with someone on base. Over 13 pitches, Gimenez grounds to second, Springer strikes out, and Straw flies to right.

T11: Game 4 starter Shane Bieber is Toronto's seventh pitcher of the game, ready to face LA's 9-1-2 hitters. Rojas grounds to third. Clement charges onto the grass and makes a superb run-and-gun for the first out. Ohtani hacks at the first pitch (again!) and hits a routine ground ball to IKF at second for Out #2. Two outs on three pitches; the Jays fans like it. (Ohtani saw only 15 pitches in his six plate appearances: 4-1-3-5-1-1. Interestingly, the 4 and 3 were singles, the 5 a walk. The three 1s were outs.) Weird Factoid: The last six WS champs have each had a Will Smith on the roster. Not the same Will Smith, of course. There are two: a pitcher and a catcher.) Here, the catcher clubs a 2-0 slider that's down the heart of the plate over the wall in left for the first extra-inning home run in a winner-take-all World Series game. The Dodgers have hit three solo home runs in the last four innings and have their first lead of the night, 5-4. Freeman grounds out to shortstop.

B11: When the Blue Jays were two outs away from a World Series trophy back in the ninth, their win probability was 91.3%. As they prepared to bat in the bottom of the eleventh, that probability was down to 19.4%, producing in the Toronto fans the queasing feeling of a rollercoaster or being on an airplane that suddenly starts plummeting to the ground. The Dodgers made a couple of substitutions, bringing in better gloves at second and in center. Yamamoto began his third inning on the mound. Guerrero led off,  and although his bat had cooled off a bit, I could certainly imagine him cranking one here. Vlad took two balls down and away and two strikes at the belt. Yamamoto missed with a splitter inside (full count,) and then went back to the same spot with a fastball. Guerrero lined it into the left field corner for a double. Kiner-Falefa dropped a bunt on the third base side. It did not roll far. Yamamoto made a nice play, getting to the ball and then firing a seed to first to nip the runner. The Jays were back in what was becoming a common situation: an important runner at third and only one out. Yamamoto proceeded to walk Barger on four pitches, with only the first one being close (just off the outside black). Now a double play was a possibility. It was now up to the chubby, fire-hydrant-shaped Kirk, who stands at 5-8 and was 8-for-25 in the World Series, .320. The always placid Yamamoto threw three pitches well within the zone: a cutter (fouled off), a curveball (called strike), and a splitter (a broken-bat grounder to shortstop). Betts moved to his left to get the ball, chose to keep on running to the bag rather than flip the ball to Hyeseong Kim, stepped on the bag and fired to first. Freeman recorded the out well before Kirk crossed the bag – and for the Blue Jays, the end comes at 12:18 a.m. in Toronto.

The Dodgers are the 2025 World Series Champions, and their journey to the trophy over the last few days was the most improbable and treacherous path possible. They are the first major American sports team to repeat as champions in a quarter-century (the 2000 MFY). It's the longest span without a repeat champ in MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL history.

The Blue Jays gave themselves so many chances to score runs, so many baserunners (14 hits, 5 walks, and 2 HBP in this game alone), put themselves in numerous great positions to score, yet they failed over and over and over, to a ridiculous degree. 

In Game 7, they left 14 men on base and managed only three hits in 17 (!) chances with runners on second and/or third. In the final four innings, the Jays had five chances to bring home a runner from second and four chances with a runner on third – and they failed all nine times.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto – the man who started Game 6 and finished Game 7 – was named the Most Valuable Player of the series.

Yamamoto:

. . . is the ninth pitcher to pitch in a postseason game the day after pitching at least six innings. 

Art Nehf           WS 1924 G6-7  0.2 IP,  4 BF
Grover Alexander   WS 1926 G6-7  2.1 IP,  7 BF (Save)
Lefty Grove        WS 1930 G4-5  2.0 IP,  8 BF (Win)
Schoolboy Rowe     WS 1934 G6-7  0.1 IP,  3 BF
Max Lanier         WS 1943 G4-5  1.1 IP,  7 BF
Vic Raschi         WS 1952 G6-7  0.1 IP,  4 BF (Hold)
Orel Hershiser   NLCS 1988 G3-4  0.1 IP,  1 BF (Save)
Randy Johnson      WS 2001 G6-7  1.1 IP,  4 BF (Win)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto WS 2025 G6-7  2.2 IP, 10 BF (Win)

. . . faced the most batters and recorded the most outs of that select group.

. . . is the first pitcher to win three games in a single WS since Randy Johnson did it against the Yankees in 2001.

. . . is the first pitcher in major league history to record three wins on the road in a World Series.

. . . is the fourth pitcher to record a win in both Games 6 and 7 of a World Series (Ray Kremer 1925, Harry Brecheen 1946, Randy Johnson 2001), but he is the first to get both of those wins on the road.

WS 6: Dodgers 3, Blue Jays 1

G1: Blue Jays 11, Dodgers 4
G2: Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 1
G3: Dodgers 6, Blue Jays 5 (18)
G4: Blue Jays 6, Dodgers 2
G5: Blue Jays 6, Dodgers 1
G6: Dodgers 3, Blue Jays 1
G7: ?

Dodgers   - 003 000 000 - 3  4  0
Blue Jays - 001 000 000 - 1  8  0

The last World Series to that needed a Game 7 was in 2019, when the Nationals beat the Astros 6-2. The home team lost every game in that series. Since then, the World Series has been completed in six, six, six, five, and five games.

Max Scherzer was the starting pitcher for the Nationals in that Game 7 on October 30, 2019. He will be the starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays tonight in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.

The Dodgers won Game 6, at Skydome in Toronto, by a 3-1 score. The bottom of the ninth inning was both remarkable and bonkers. Roki Sasaki was beginning his second inning of work. The Dodgers had just left the bases loaded in the top half of the eighth, missing a chance to pad their lead and remove a lot of drama from the next two innings. Sasaki had struggled with his control and needed 25 pitches to get through the eighth inning, giving up a leadoff single and a one-out walk (a seven-pitch battle against Guerrero) before stranding both runners.

The importance of the bottom of the ninth was emphasized by the fact that Sportsnet did not go to commercial, using the mid-inning time to set the stage for the Blue Jays' final chance to tie the game.

Sasaki got two strikes on Alejandro Kirk before coming up and in and hitting on the left ar, just above the wrist. Myler Straw pinch-ran. Sasaki alternated between fastballs in the zone and splitters away to Addison Barger, establishing a 2-2 count before lifting a fly ball to deep left-center. The ball landed at the base of the wall and stuck under the padding. 

Dodgers centerfielder Justin Dean, who had taken over at the start of the inning, immediately indicated the situation to the umpires, who agreed the ball had been stuck. The hit was ruled the equivalent of a ground-rule double. Straw would have scored easily from first, but was sent back to third. The Blue Jays challenged the call – and it certainly looked like Dean could have grabbed the ball and thrown it in. It had not disappeared under the wall. Dean made a split-second decision to argue the ball was stuck, knowing a runner on first would be awarded only two bases. The original call stood, and Toronto's second run was taken off the board.

Even after this bit of bad luck, the Blue Jays had runners at second and third, with the potential World Series-winning run in the batters box. A single could tie the game. I cannot imagine many (if any) of the excited Blue Jays fans in attendance believe the team would not at least tie the game, if not outright grab the championship within minutes.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts brought in Game 3 starter Tyler Glasnow, who began warming up as the inning began. Glasnow faced 22 batters on Monday and now it was Friday and he had to get out of this extremely jam.

Ernie Clement had singled and doubled in his last two at-bats and was hitting .360 (9-for-25) in the series. Andrés Giménez would next and then it was back to the top of the order with George Springer (who was 2-for-4 and had driven in Toronto's third-inning run). Glasnow's first pitch, a sinker, ran up and in on Clement's hands and he popped up to first. One pitch, one very big out.

Giménez looked at a very high curveball for ball one. Glasnow threw the left-handed batter an outside sinker, which Giménez hit towards shallow left field. It seemed like it could be a single, but the ball was not going to drop in. But Kiké Hernández had it played perfectly. He was running in and, in one fluid motion, caught the ball and threw to second base. Barger desperately dove back to the bag, but he had been just a little too far away.

The throw came in on one hop. Second baseman Miguel Rojas had his left foot on the base and he recoiled a bit to glove the ball. Barger's hand was only a few inches from the bag. This play was not close. His momentum knocked Rojas on his ass; by the time the infielder had rolled over and was on his knees, he was already yelling and celebrating. The out call was made – a game-ending double play – a Game 7-creating double play – and the Dodgers had won. 

Mookie Betts took flight. He suddenly appeared in the camera shot, sailing through the air towards Hernández, who had kept running to the infield, and now happily caught his shortstop. (Betts, mired in a 3-for-24 WS slump, drove in the Dodgers' second and third runs with a two-out single in the third inning. They were his first RBI since NLCS 3.) Several "Fuck Yeahh!!!s could be heard on the Fox broadcast, thanks to those microphones in the bases.

It was the first time a postseason game ended with a 7-4 double play.

ALSO: It was not the first time in this postseason that Hernández had made this exact (double) play. In the third inning of NLCS 3 against the Brewers, Hernández came sprinting in on a similarly-hit ball, made the catch, and fired a perfect, one-hop throw to first, doubling off Blake Perkins of the Brewers. The athleticism of that play – to make a perfect throw from that far away, while running hard – was (and is) absolutely astonishing.

AJ Cassavell (mlb.com) wrote a great recap and has some analysis along with Hernández's version of events:

This was an all-timer of a finish, largely made possible by Hernández. Let's start with the positioning, which was perfect:

• Hernández played Giménez 272 feet deep – a whopping 26 feet shallower than the average for left fielders against left-handed hitters this season.

• To some extent, that's because of Giménez, who isn't much of a power threat. On average, left fielders started at just 285 feet against Hernández, ranking 151st of 158 lefties (min. 200 PA from the left side).

• Hernández himself clearly likes to play shallow, also averaging 285 feet against lefties (ranking 107th of 119 left fielders).

• Still, Hernández crept even further than all of those averages. That's mostly just the way he's been playing Giménez all week. Hernández had averaged a starting point of 273 feet against Giménez (which was a full 24 feet closer than the Dodgers' other left fielders in this series).

"With Glasnow's stuff, I was anticipating him hitting the ball to the left side of the field," Hernández said. "I was playing shallow, tying run on second base. I just wanted to make sure that if he got a hit through the six-hole, I was going to be shallow enough to keep the tying run that was at second base, keep him at third."

Hernández's positioning was perfect. So was the play itself. Hernández still needed to cover some serious ground – 52 feet in 3.4 seconds to be exact. His read off the bat was exquisite. Hernández got the best jump imaginable to make a catch Barger never saw coming.

"I was pretty surprised he got to it," Barger said. "Off the bat, I thought it was going to get over the shortstop's head. I didn't think it was going to travel that far. It was kind of a bad read. Obviously, I was too far off the base. … I was being too aggressive."

Per Statcast, Hernández's jump was 7.3 feet better than the league average (with jump defined as feet covered in the correct direction within the first 3 feet after the ball was hit). If Hernández's jump is any worse, it's possible he still makes the catch. But he almost certainly isn't able to double up Barger.

Which brings us to the final part of the play – one that shouldn't be overlooked. Hernández did his best to get the ball out of his glove as quickly as possible. The throw was accurate – but it came with an in-between hop.

"I was coming in full speed, so I didn't want to really throw hard, because I was probably going to throw it over his head," said Hernández.

Added Rojas: "When he threw the ball to second, I said, 'No way this ball is getting past me.'"

Indeed, Rojas put the finishing touches on the play – and Game 6. He planted his left foot on the bag, then let the ball travel past him, which gave him additional time to read the hop. He squeezed the ball in his glove, a split second before Barger's left hand hit the bag.

The Dodgers poured out of the dugout as Rogers Centre settled into a hushed silence.

And so tonight's Game 7 -- with Max Scherzer and Shohei Ohtani as starting pitchers -- will determine who gets to call themselves the champions of baseball for 2025.

Toronto's Blue Jays Game 6 starter Kevin Gausman began the evening with an absolutely unhittable splitter than the Dodger batters could not stop chasing. Gausman struck out the side in the first, two more in the second, and three in the third. He retired the Dodgers in order in five of his six innings.

Gausman was the first pitcher to strike out the side in order in a World Series first inning since Blake Snell (2020 WS 6 for Rays against Dodgers). It was the 12th occurence in a World Series game. It was also the first time Gausman struck out the side in the first inning of any game since July 22, 2023.

Gausman's eight strikeouts in the first three innings tied the record for a World Series game. Cleveland's Corey Kluber fanned eight Cubs in the first three innings of 2016 WS 1.

The lone inning in which Gausman (6-3-3-2-8, 93) gave up all of his hits, all of his walks, and all of his runs, was the third, and it ended up being the difference in the game. And all that occurred with Gausman receiving significant help from the plate umpire.

Adam Hamari was calling balls and strikes and he rung up Kiké Hernández for Gausman's first out on a 2-2 slider that was too far outside. Tommy Edman lined a first-pitch double into the right field corner. Then Hamari called a strike 3 on Rojas on a 2-2 fastball that was below the bottom of the strike zone. That was the second out. Ohtani was intentionally walked. Will Smith drove a 1-0 pitch into the left field corner for a run-scoring double. Freddie Freeman fouled off a pitch and then took four balls out of the zone, two of them low and two in the dirt. Bases loaded. Betts, on 1-2, lashed a single to left, scoring two more runs. 

The Jays got one of them back in the bottom half, against Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Barger doubled down the left field line; the ball took two hops before caroming off the jut of the box seats into short left. Clement striuck out and Giménez grounded to second, moving Barger to third. George Springer attacked a 3-0 cutter, singling to right-center and bringing home Barger.

The Blue Jays had men on base all night long, but it usually happened with one or two outs. 

1st: Lukes one-out single, Guerrero GIDP 5-4-3.
2nd: Jays retired in order.
3rd: Barger leadoff double, Springer two-out single.
4th: Bichette single with one out, Varsho GIDP.
5th: Clement two-out single, Giménez F8 (deep left-center).
6th: Guerrero two-out double, Bichette walk, Varsho struck out.
7th: Clement two-out double, Giménez struck out.
8th: Springer leadoff single, Guerrero one-out walk, Bichette PF6 (long run by Betts), Varsho 4-3.
9th: Kirk leadoff HBP, Barger double, Clement pop up to first, Giménez hits into 7-4 DP.

Yamamoto (6-5-1-1-6, 96) pitched only six innings – and everyone in Toronto was glad to see him go. Roberts went with Justin Wrobleski to face the bottom of the Blue Jays' order in the seventh. It paid off. Kirk struck out and Barger grounded to second (a high chopper on which Rojas was forced to field barehanded and make a quick throw). Clement doubled to left-center and Giménez struck out.

Sasaki worked for his outs in the eighth, stranding two runners. Then came the ninth. . . . And now comes Game 7.

Scherzer will be the oldest starting pitcher in a winner-take-all World Series game. It will also be his record-setting ninth winner-take-all game that he has pitched in, in any role.

In best-of-seven series with the current 2-3-2 format, teams that have won Game 6 in order to force a game 7 have won that series 35 of 56 times (62.5%)

When the Game 6 winner has forced a Game 7 on the road, that road team has won the series 14 of 22 times (63.6%)

Max Scherzer will be the fourth pitcher to start multiple World Series winner-take-all Game 7s, joining Bob Gibson (3), Lew Burdette (2), and Don Larsen (2).

If Louis Varland pitches in Game 7, he will set a new record of 15 appearances in a single postseason.

Most total bases in a single postseason
2020 Randy Arozarena: 64 (20 games)
2025 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: 56 (18 games, so far)

Most hits in a single postseason

2020 Randy Arozarena: 29

2025 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: 28

2025 Ernie Clement: 26

2014 Pablo Sandoval: 26