Rays clinch division, AL's top seed

Plus: Playoff 1st-timers you'll want to watch

Wednesday, September 23 View In Browser  The 5 teams nobody wants to face in postseason   The heightened urgency and strategic roster construction in the playoffs mean the scariest clubs in October aren't always the best teams over the course of a 162-game season. TOP NEWS Boundless confidence powers Rays to AL East title, home-field through ALCS Another start, another Messick gem as first-place Guardians win 6th straight 'Let’s go 5-0': Astros control their destiny after moving into tie for AL West lead Wheeler achieves career, franchise milestones as Phils close in on Wild Card Brewers secure bye, home-field advantage in NLDS Cubs' clinch put on hold after rocky 12-inning loss to Marlins Guards-Red Sox, Astros-Mariners amid tight playoff races on ESPN MORE TOP NEWS PERSONALIZE STORIES STAFF PICKS 10 October newbies set to make an impact While we will see many returning players who have excelled in the playoffs, there will be plenty of potential new names to showcase their skills in their first postseasons. She doesn't know why she threw the ball back, but it was adorable A fan celebrating her 6th birthday wound up with Eugenio Suárez's 350th career homer, and while flashing the biggest smile imaginable, she tossed it onto the field. Her reasoning? "I don't know. I just wanted to throw it." Queens take winner-take-all Game 5 for WPBL title Ayami Sato threw a complete game as the Los Angeles Queens defeated the San Francisco Firebells to wrap up the Women's Professional Baseball League's inaugural season. ADD MLB AS YOUR PREFERRED SOURCE ON GOOGLE TOP PERFORMANCES Longest Home Run Mickey Moniak   431 ft 3rd Inning   Watch   Hardest Base Hit  Francisco Alvarez   112.3 mph 3rd Inning   Watch   Fastest Strikeout Josh Ekness   102 mph 11th Inning   Watch   Decisive Play Athletics   46.1% WPA 8th Inning   Watch   Longest Home Run Mickey Moniak   431 ft 3rd Inning   Watch   Hardest Base Hit  Francisco Alvarez   112.3 mph 3rd Inning   Watch   Fastest Strikeout Josh Ekness   102 mph 11th Inning   Watch   Decisive Play Athletics   46.1% WPA 8th Inning   Watch   CJ Abrams 12th in Nats history (since 2005) with 100-RBI season, 1st since 2019 Drew Rasmussen 11 K's on career-high 114 pitches; took no-hitter into 7th inning Carlos Rodón 8 IP, 0 R; recorded 100th career win, 1,500th career strikeout Jared Jones 1.08 ERA in September (25 IP, 35 K's) Chase Meidroth 3-for-4, 5 RBIs; .844 OPS this month PLAY A SPORCLE BASEBALL QUIZ! MORE FREE GAMES AT MLB PLAY MUST-SEE PLAY Only one player on the field was catching this ball, and it was Brice Matthews.  MORE TOP PLAYS MLB NETWORK Blue Jays vs. Orioles Kazuma Okamoto and the Blue Jays take on Pete Alonso and the Orioles in Game 1 of a doubleheader at 1:30 p.m. ET. MLB Tonight pennant race coverage MLB Tonight brings you the latest news, highlights, live look-ins and more from the action around the league starting at 4:30 and 10:30 p.m. ET. MORE FROM MLB NETWORK SCOREBOARD TB 0 NYY 2 TB 6 NYY 1 WSH 3 DET 1 STL 0 PIT 2 MIL 4 PHI 6 CLE 3 BOS 2 CIN 4 ATL 0 CWS 14 KC 11 MIA 8 CHC 2 NYM 6 TEX 3 AZ 7 COL 2 LAA 7 ATH 9 HOU 7 SEA 0 MIN 3 SF 2 SD 0 LAD 7 © 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Please review our Privacy Policy. You (geoffgould.gr8iphone@blogger.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com. Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe  or log in and manage your email subscriptions. Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.