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  • David SchoenfieldSep 26, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

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    • Covers MLB for ESPN.com
    • Former deputy editor of Page 2
    • Been with ESPN.com since 1995

We made it to the final weekend of the 2025 MLB regular season.

It has been one wild, fun ride, especially if you’re a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers or Seattle Mariners or Cleveland Guardians — less so, especially recently, if you’re a fan of the Detroit Tigers or New York Mets.

What’s at stake this weekend? From teams playing out the string to those who are battling for a chance to play October baseball, here are the biggest storylines to follow over the next three days.

Battle for the AL Central: Miracle comeback or all-time collapse?

The American League Central was over … except it wasn’t. The Detroit Tigers finally snapped their eight-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, but, the Guardians have still won 17 of their last 20 games while the Tigers have lost 11 of 13. The teams are now tied for the division lead heading into the final weekend, and Cleveland holds the tiebreaker having won the season series — putting the Guardians on the verge of the biggest September comeback in MLB history to win a pennant or division (currently 8.5 games when the 1964 Cardinals chased down the Phillies)

Check out this timeline of the AL Central standings and odds for the Tigers and Guardians to win the division, via FanGraphs:

July 8: Cleveland 15.5 games back of Detroit (Tigers: 98.8%, Guardians: 0.1%)

Aug. 25: 12.5 games back (99.9%, 0.0%)

Sept. 1: 10.5 games back (99.8%, 0.2%)

Sept. 10: 9.5 games back (99.9%, 0.1%)

Sept. 17: 4.5 games back (95.4%, 4.6%)

Sept. 20: 1 game back (62.3%, 37.7%)

Sept. 24: Cleveland up one game (18.8%, 81.2%)

Sept. 25: Tied for division lead (34.1%, 65.9%)

The Guardians now lead the division by that tiebreaker heading into the final weekend after just winning two out of three games against the Tigers. The The Guardians host the Rangers while the Tigers are on the road in Boston, and since the Red Sox have yet to clinch a wild card, that Detroit-Boston series will have a definite playoff feel to it.

But maybe the Tigers can win the final wild card?

The Tigers do at least have a fallback option: They’re one game ahead of the Houston Astros, who snapped a five-game losing streak with a win on Thursday, and just one game behind the Red Sox. Detroit owns the tiebreaker over Houston, so the Astros will have to finish with a better record to claim the final wild card and avoid missing their first postseason since 2016. The Astros finish in Anaheim but will be without their top two pitchers in Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, who started the final two games of the series against the Athletics.

One important note for the Tigers: Tarik Skubal last started on Tuesday, so he would be ready to go on four days of rest on Sunday, if needed. If the Tigers have already clinched the wild card (or division title) by then, look for them to skip Skubal and have him ready to start Game 1 of the wild-card series on Tuesday.

To make matters even more confusing: The Red Sox, Guardians, Tigers and Astros could all finish 88-74, which is the scenario if the Tigers take two of three against the Red Sox, the Guardians win two of three against Texas, and the Astros sweep the Angels. If that happens, the Astros are out, having lost the season series against all three teams and owning the worst winning percentage against the other three clubs.

Who wins the final National League wild card?

On Sept. 1, the Mets had a 94.5% chance of making the playoffs via FanGraphs, but after going 11-17 in August, they’ve gone 9-13 in September. Their collapse might not be as disastrous as Detroit’s, but the Tigers also don’t possess a $340 million payroll. The Mets’ second-half woes have allowed the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks to stay alive — and the Reds are only 12-10 in September, having just lost two to the Pirates. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, were seven games under at the trade deadline when they dealt away Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor, Merrill Kelly and Shelby Miller, essentially punting on the season.

The Mets beat the Cubs on Thursday and the Reds beat the Pirates — thanks to Noelvi Marte’s home run robbery in the ninth to preserve the 2-1 victory — so the Mets head into Friday at 82-77, the Reds at 81-78 and the Diamondbacks at 80-79. The schedule and probable starters for each team:

Mets at Miami Marlins (Brandon Sproat, Clay Holmes/Sean Manaea, David Peterson)

The Mets haven’t officially announced their Saturday and Sunday starters, although Holmes and Manaea have been tag-teaming starts lately while Peterson would be in line to pitch Sunday, although he has hit a wall and has a 12.54 ERA over his past five starts. The Marlins pushed Sandy Alcantara back a day to start Friday’s series opener.

Reds at Milwaukee Brewers (Zack Littell, Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer)

Hunter Greene started on Wednesday, so he’s in line to start the first game of the playoffs if the Reds make it. Quinn Priester is scheduled to start for the Brewers on Friday and, get this, they’ve won 17 consecutive games he has started.

Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres (Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt)

Gallen had a rocky first four months but is 6-2 with a 2.82 ERA since the beginning of August. How all-in the Padres are will be determined by whether the NL West is still up for grabs.

Finally, there’s a good chance the tiebreaker comes into play — something the Diamondbacks are familiar with after tying with the Mets and Atlanta Braves last season for the final two wild-card spots, only to be eliminated via the tiebreaker rule. This year’s scenarios:

• Reds over Mets (won season series 4-2).

• Reds over Diamondbacks (won season series 4-2).

• Mets/Diamondbacks: To be determined. They split the season series and the second tiebreaker is intradivision record, with the Mets currently 24-24 and the Diamondbacks 25-23. The third tiebreaker is intraleague record and the Mets are 58-53 and the Diamondbacks 55-56.

Who wins the AL East?

The Toronto Blue Jays were five games up on Sept. 16 but have gone 2-6 while the New York Yankees have gone 6-1 — so now, the two teams are tied. Toronto does own the tiebreaker, having won the season series 8-5. The Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles to finish up while the Blue Jays host the Tampa Bay Rays. Scheduled starters:

Blue Jays: Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman

Yankees: Undecided, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil

The Yankees started Max Fried on Wednesday and Carlos Rodon on Thursday, with an eye turned to starting them in the first two games of a wild-card series, so they’re out of the picture this weekend. Will Warren is the likely starter on Friday.

The interesting name here is Yesavage, who has made just two career starts (allowing five runs in nine innings) after a recent call-up from the minors, where he posted a 3.12 ERA with an incredible 160 strikeouts in just 98 innings. The Blue Jays have already moved Jose Berrios to the bullpen, so it’s possible that Yesavage is part of the postseason rotation alongside Gausman and Bieber, with Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt the other possibilities.

The other factor in play: If Gausman, who has been Toronto’s top starter in the second half with a 2.49 ERA, is needed Sunday to secure the division title, that would leave him out of the wild-card series if the Blue Jays end up finishing second in the division.

The AL’s top seed remains in play, with the red-hot Seattle Mariners a game behind the Yankees and Blue Jays. The Mariners do lose the tiebreaker to both teams, so they would have to finish with the better record to secure the No. 1 seed. The Mariners host the Los Angeles Dodgers to finish the season.

Raleigh’s improbable season continues and after hitting home runs No. 59 and No. 60 in Wednesday’s AL West-clinching win for the Mariners, he’s two away from tying Judge’s AL record of 62.

Of course, “catch” has another meaning here: Can Raleigh catch Judge in the MVP race? Maybe he already has, as voters might find it impossible to ignore a catcher who has hit 60 home runs. Oddsmakers currently have Raleigh as the very slight betting favorite. But Judge, with another historic offensive season under his belt, holds a sizable lead in Baseball-Reference WAR, a metric voters won’t ignore. If Raleigh manages to get to 62, it can only help his case.

How many 50-home-run seasons will we have?

Other than the Raleigh Watch, it feels like the barrage of 50-homer seasons has flown a bit under the radar. We also have Kyle Schwarber with 56, Shohei Ohtani with 54 and Aaron Judge with 51 — matching 1998 (Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Vaughn) and 2001 (Barry Bonds, Sosa, Luis Gonzalez, Alex Rodriguez) as the only seasons with four 50-homer sluggers. In fact, no other season has more than two.

But we could get five 50-home-run hitters with Eugenio Suarez sitting on 49, looking to join his Mariners teammate in the exclusive club. Suarez hit 36 of those home runs with Arizona before the trade to Seattle, but if he gets to 50, the Mariners will match the 1961 Yankees with Roger Maris (61) and Mickey Mantle (54) as the only team to employ two 50-homer hitters in the same season.

As for Schwarber, he’s two home runs away from tying Ryan Howard’s franchise record of 58, while Ohtani has already matched his own club record he set last season.

Who wins the NL batting title?

While Judge has the AL batting title locked up, the NL race is down to the Philadelphia Phillies‘ Trea Turner, hitting .305, and the Chicago Cubs‘ Nico Hoerner hitting .299, who will need a big weekend to catch Turner. Turner has been out since Sept. 7 with a hamstring injury but has taken live batting practice and might return this weekend, although manager Rob Thomson just said on Wednesday that Turner is still running at only 75%. At least it looks like the winner will finish with a .300 average; if Turner returns, he would have to go 0-for-11 to fall under .300.

This is the Rockies we’re talking about, so you already know it isn’t a good kind of history. They enter their final series at San Francisco with a rotation ERA of 6.64, tied with the 1996 Tigers as the worst in modern MLB history (since 1901). A few random factors about Rockies starters:

• They have thrown 100 pitches in a game just twice all season: Kyle Freeland threw 100 pitches on April 8 and German Marquez threw 103 on June 29.

• The only Rockies starter to pitch eight innings in a game: Freeland threw eight scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over the Padres — at Coors Field — on Sept. 5.

• The Rockies have three starters with at least 15 losses (Freeland, Marquez and Antonio Senzatela), the first team to do that since the 2003 Tigers.

• Rockies starters have allowed seven or more runs in a game 26 times.

We could keep going. It was an ugly season in Colorado.

Will this be Clayton Kershaw‘s final start or game?

The future Hall of Famer announced his retirement last week and made his final start at Dodger Stadium last Friday, but he’s scheduled to start the season finale on Sunday in Seattle. With the Dodgers’ postseason rotation likely to feature Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, Kershaw looks like the odd man out. Keep in mind, though, that Ohtani has had at least six days off between all of his starts, and Snell has also had five or six days off for his starts, so it’s possible the Dodgers will use more than four starters in the postseason.

Kershaw pitched an inning in relief on Wednesday, making himself available rather than throwing his usual bullpen session between starts. It’s possible he pitches in relief in the postseason.

“We have six amazing starters,” Kershaw said. “And so it’s just … yeah, I can do the math. So if I want to be a part of it in any way, I’ll do whatever they want.”

With the Dodgers relegated to the best-of-three first round, however, there’s the chance he never gets in a game if they’re quickly eliminated.

With that in mind: Watch Sunday’s Dodgers game. It might be the last time you see one of the best pitchers of all time.

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AD: USC wants long-term benefits of equity deal

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November 15, 2025

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AD: USC wants long-term benefits of equity deal

In a letter to the USC fan base Friday, athletic director Jen Cohen addressed the school’s stance on the pending Big Ten private capital deal that could infuse the conference with up to $2.4 billion.

“As we continue to evaluate the merits of this proposal or any others, our University leadership remains aligned in our stance that our fiduciary obligation to the University of Southern California demands we thoroughly evaluate any deals that could impact our long-term value and flexibility, no matter the short-term benefit,” Cohen said in the letter.

The proposed deal would extend the league’s grant of rights an extra 10 years to 2046 and create a new business entity, Big Ten Enterprises, that would house all leaguewide media rights and sponsorship deals. Each school, as well as the league office, would get shares of ownership of Big Ten Enterprises, while an investment fund that is tied to the University of California pension system would receive a 10% stake in the new entity in exchange for an infusion of over $2 billion to conference athletic departments.

USC and Michigan are the two Big Ten schools that have pushed back on the deal, which has otherwise been supported by a majority of the programs in the conference, as well as Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.

In a call last month between USC and Michigan trustees, sources told ESPN’s Dan Wetzel that both programs were skeptical of the deal and talked about how it does not address the root issue — soaring costs — that has made cash so imperative for athletic departments. Just providing short-term money, sources said, does not solve that issue.

The schools also noted pending federal legislation that makes predicting the future of college athletics difficult, as well as a general apprehension about selling equity in a university asset — the conference media rights.

Beyond the potential impact to long-term value and flexibility in exchange for a “short-term benefit” that Cohen suggested (an extension to the grant of rights to 2046 could limit conference expansion and the departure of any programs, for example), she also noted in her letter that the $2.4 billion would be “unevenly distributed” among the schools and “create a tiered revenue distribution system moving forward.”

According to reporting from Wetzel and ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the exact equity amounts per school in Big Ten Enterprises are still being negotiated. There is expected to be a small gap in the percentage of the remaining equity among the schools that would favor the league’s biggest athletic brands, but it’s likely to be less than a percentage point. A tier system for initial payments is also expected, but with the lowest amount in the nine-figure range. Larger athletic departments could receive an amount above $150 million.

“We greatly value our membership in the Big Ten Conference and understand and respect the larger landscape,” Cohen said. “But we also recognize the power of the USC brand is far-reaching, deeply engaging, and incredibly valuable, and we will always fight first for what’s best for USC.”

The Big Ten is in the middle of a seven-year, $7 billion media rights package that runs through 2030. The money infusion is believed to be acutely needed at several Big Ten schools that are struggling to pay down debt on new construction and budgeting for direct revenue ($20.5 million this year and expected to rise annually) to athletes.

In a move that altered the college football landscape, USC left the Pac-12 and joined the Big Ten conference in 2024, alongside UCLA, Oregon and Washington, pushing the league to 18 members.

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‘Last Chance U’ coach Beam dies after being shot

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November 15, 2025

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'Last Chance U' coach Beam dies after being shot

  • Associated Press

Nov 14, 2025, 03:36 PM ET

OAKLAND, Calif. — Celebrated former football coach John Beam, who was featured in the Netflix series “Last Chance U” that showcased the connections he made with players others wouldn’t gamble on, has died after being shot on the college campus where he worked, the Oakland Police Department said Friday.

The suspect, who police say knew and targeted Beam, 66, has been arrested.

Beam’s death a day after he was shot at Laney College rattled the community with scores holding a vigil outside the hospital before he died and remembering him as someone who always tried to help anyone.

Oakland Assistant Chief James Beere said the suspect went on campus for a “specific reason” but did not elaborate on what that was. “This was a very targeted incident,” he said.

Beere did not say how Beam and the suspect knew each other but said the suspect was known to loiter around the Laney campus. The suspect had played football at a high school where Beam had worked but not at the time the coach was employed there.

The suspect was taken into custody without any altercation and a gun has been recovered, the assistant chief added. Charges were still pending.

Authorities credited technology, specifically cameras at the college campus, private residences and on public transit, in tracking the suspect identified as Cedric Irving Jr.

Irving was arrested without incident at a commuter rail station in Oakland just after 3 a.m. on Friday and police recovered the gun. He was being held at a local jail on charges of murder and carrying a concealed weapon, according to Alameda County’s inmate locator. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday morning. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Irving’s brother, Samuael Irving, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he was stunned to learn of the arrest and that his brother excelled academically and athletically in high school, where he ran track and played football. The brother said Cedric grew distant from the family in recent years after an argument with their father. Irving recently lost his job as a security guard after an altercation, his brother said, and then was evicted from his apartment.

“I hope it isn’t him,” Samuael Irving said quietly. “The Cedric I knew wasn’t capable of murder – but the way things had been going, I honestly don’t know.”

Police said the shooting happened Thursday before noon, and officers arrived to find Beam shot. Few other details were available. It was the second shooting in two days at a school in Oakland.

The Netflix docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges striving to turn their lives around, and Beam’s Laney College Eagles starred in the 2020 season. Beam gambled on players nobody else wanted. He developed deep relationships with his players while fielding a team that regularly competed for championships.

Beam’s family said in a statement that he was a “loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor and friend.”

“Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love,” the family said, requesting privacy.

Piedmont Police Chief Fred Shavies, who previously served as a deputy chief in the Oakland Police Department, said he was a friend, mentee and longtime admirer of Beam.

“John was so much more than a coach,” he said. “He was a father figure to thousands of not only men but young women in our community.”

Shavies said that he met Beam when he was in the eighth grade and that he supported him after Shavies lost his father in high school, calling him “an absolutely incredible human being.” He asked how Beam left his mark on so many people “with just 24 hours in a day, right?”

Two of Beam’s former players — brothers Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright, now in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints — posted on social media after the shooting.

“You mean the world to me,” Rejzohn Wright said in a post with a photo of Beam.

His brother shared a photo of the coach alongside a broken heart emoji.

Mayor Barbara Lee described Beam as a “giant” in the city who mentored thousands of young people, including her own nephew, and “gave Oakland’s youth their best chance” at success.

“For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family,” Lee said.

Beam, who was serving as athletic director, joined Laney College in 2004 as a running backs coach and became head coach in 2012, winning two league titles. He retired from coaching in 2024 but stayed on at the school to shape its athletic programs. According to his biography on the college’s website, at least 20 of his players have gone on to the NFL.

Beam’s shooting came a day after a student was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student is in stable condition. Beam had previously worked at Skyline High School, and the suspect had played football there after Beam had already left for another job.

Lee said the back-to-back shootings on Oakland campuses demonstrate “the gun violence crisis playing out in real time.” She gave no indication that they were connected.

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Belichick dispels Giants talk, reaffirms UNC focus

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November 15, 2025

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Belichick dispels Giants talk, reaffirms UNC focus

  • Andrea AdelsonNov 14, 2025, 09:05 PM ET

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    • ACC reporter.
    • Joined ESPN.com in 2010.
    • Graduate of the University of Florida.

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick said Friday he will not pursue any NFL head coaching vacancies after his name surfaced in connection with the vacant New York Giants job.

After the Giants fired Brian Daboll on Monday, Belichick became the subject of speculation around the opening. In a statement posted on Instagram, Belichick said, “Despite circulating rumors, I have not and will not pursue any NFL head coaching vacancies.”

Before coming to college coaching, Belichick spent his entire career in the NFL — winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.

But he won two Super Bowls with the Giants as a defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells in the 1986 and 1990 seasons.

“I have great respect and genuinely care for the New York Giants organization and both the Mara and Tisch families. The New York Giants played an important role in my life and in my coaching journey. It was a privilege for me to work for the Mara family and be a member of Coach Parcells’ staff for over a decade.”

Belichick is in his first season with North Carolina, which has won two straight games to bring its record to 4-5. He was asked during his news conference Tuesday about the speculation concerning the Giants and he reiterated he was focused on Saturday’s game against Wake Forest.

The statement Friday also reiterated his commitment to North Carolina, saying that has not wavered.

“We have tremendous support from the university, our alumni, and the entire Carolina community. My focus remains solely on continuing to improve this team, develop our players, and build a program that makes Tar Heel fans proud,” Belichick said.

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