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STETSON BENNETT WAS — shall we say — not himself when he sat down for an interview with “Good Morning America” just hours after beating Alabama and winning the national championship a year ago. The conquering hero of Georgia football, who was the game’s MVP and led the program to its first title in 41 years, looked to be on the verge of falling asleep as Michael Strahan introduced him to a national television audience.

Bennett said he’d gotten little rest, so maybe that was the reason for his disheveled appearance. Or maybe it was the price of that long pull of Pappy Van Winkle from the night before. Whatever the case, he spoke to GMA about betting on himself as a former walk-on and how he’d learned about perseverance during the course of his college career.

But with a year of eligibility left, his time in college wasn’t necessarily over. Asked what his future held, Bennett said, “I’m going to play football next year. We’ll see where. We’ll see if I can trust the decisions made by the staff.”

It was an eye-opening moment, hearing a title-winning quarterback question his team’s commitment to him. But a year later, Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken can laugh about it. “Although he was drunk,” he said, “he was right in a lot of ways.”

Monken put himself in Bennett’s shoes back then, wondering whether former blue-chip prospect JT Daniels would return from injury or whether another quarterback would emerge and supplant him in the starting lineup. It had been a hotly debated question whether Bennett should play throughout the team’s postseason run. Was that finally over? Would the staff still have confidence in him next season?

“His heart was always to come back,” Monken said. “But it was just a matter of, ‘All right, if I do all this and come back, am I going to be the guy?’ Which makes a lot of sense.”

No one is wondering whether Bennett is “the guy” for Georgia anymore. As Monken said, he’s been even better this season, guiding the Bulldogs to an undefeated regular season, an SEC championship and the No. 1 seed in the playoff. On a decidedly not pass-happy team, Bennett has thrown for the ninth-most yards in the FBS (3,823) with 23 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He’s also rushed for eight touchdowns and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. On Monday, he’ll lead Georgia against TCU in the College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T in Los Angeles (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

But the essential question about his future remains: What’s next? Now that he’s one game away from being out of NCAA eligibility, is his next step the NFL? In the GMA interview, he spoke about his interest in going to law school. But he said he had plenty of time for that.

Recent interviews make it clear Bennett isn’t ready to give up football. But is football ready to give up on him?

EVERYONE CAN APPRECIATE the Stetson Bennett story. It’s as close to a true underdog tale as you’ll find in modern college football. For a former walk-on to reach the heights he has is incredible.

“Because you’re not given the benefit of the doubt,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “You have to earn it. You have to beat guys out. We as coaches did everything we could to not give him the opportunity, but he kept banging away at the door and he was very persistent.”

But it’s been six years since Bennett paid his own way at Georgia and four years since he kicked down the door by coming back on scholarship, and the world won’t let him forget his humble beginnings. He’s become a starter, won a national championship and even been a Heisman Trophy finalist, and still he can’t shake the walk-on label.

“He has heart, the heart of a lion, just knowing all the adversity, all the criticism he has faced since he has been here,” Bulldogs receiver Kearis Jackson said. “I don’t understand why people don’t want to respect him yet, just look what he did. He led us to a national championship, led us to an SEC championship, led us to a Peach Bowl win this last weekend, now leading us to another national championship. When is going to be the point when people are going to start giving him his respect?”

Bennett’s height is part of the problem. At 5-foot-11(ish), he doesn’t fit the mold of a Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning.

Never mind his arm strength and accuracy. Never mind his athleticism and intelligence. Never mind all the yards, touchdowns and wins he’s amassed over the years. There’s a ceiling when it comes to how much people are willing to believe in him. It happens the moment he’s anything less than perfect.

Take the Peach Bowl a week and a half ago. For three quarters, Bennett wasn’t himself. His aim was off and he threw only his seventh interception of the season as Georgia fell behind against Ohio State. Inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, you could feel a sense of doubt sweep through the stands. Online, the I-told-you-so crowd fired off their snarky tweets.

Trailing by 14 points with the third quarter about to end, Bennett started firing back. He got the ball rolling with a 12-play, 62-yard drive that ended in a field goal. And then, on the first play from scrimmage after an Ohio State punt, he hit a wide-open Arian Smith for a 76-yard touchdown before converting the 2-point attempt with a pass to Ladd McConkey.

Down 6 with one final possession remaining, Bennett spoke up in the huddle. They hadn’t played their best. “But we’re here now,” he said. “It’s in our hands.” The defense did its part, he said, then asked, “Where else would you rather be?”

After a short gain to Kenny McIntosh, Bennett took the snap and surveyed the field. Ohio State defensive lineman Zach Harrison beat the right tackle off the edge and was closing in fast. But just as Harrison swung at Bennett from behind, Bennett dropped his arm angle and zipped a sidearm pass to tight end Brock Bowers over the middle, fitting the ball in perfectly between the linebacker and safety for a gain of 15 yards.

It was an Aaron Rodgers-esque throw, which is no wonder considering Bennett studies the Green Bay Packers quarterback on YouTube.

Three plays later, Bennett found Adonai Mitchell in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Against Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud — a prospective top-10 pick — Bennett more than held his own. Technically speaking, he threw for more yards (398 to 348).

Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was asked earlier in the week whether he saw a walk-on quarterback when he studied Georgia’s games. He was emphatic: “No, I don’t.”

“I haven’t thought about it once until you just brought it up,” he said. “You look at what a guy does — just look at the tape. The guy, he does a great job, you know, at handling all aspects of the game. One of the few guys in college football that can effectively make all those decisions on the field.”

Knowles said Bennett runs an offense that’s more pro-style than some pro teams.

“He has the mental capacity and he can make all the plays,” he said.

Knowles brought up a linebacker he once coached, Malcolm Rodriguez. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy was only 6-feet tall, so despite being an All-American with 408 career tackles, he fell to the sixth round of the NFL draft. And now he’s a key contributor for the Detroit Lions with 83 tackles this season.

“Stetson Bennett is the same kind of guy who’s gonna play wherever he goes, whoever takes a chance on him,” Knowles said.

CONSIDER THE LAST calendar year and all the future pro quarterbacks Bennett has watched from the opposing sideline. It’s not just Stroud’s Buckeyes that he found a way to beat. He did the same to Alabama and Bryce Young, Florida and Anthony Richardson, Tennessee and Hendon Hooker and Kentucky and Will Levis.

For those keeping track at home, that’s every one of Mel Kiper Jr.’s top-five quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft. Nowhere to be seen on his or any other draft expert’s list is Bennett — granted he doesn’t have to play against the Georgia defense.

One NFL scout who saw Bennett in-person at the Florida-Georgia game said it was no contest. He’d take Bennett over Richardson. But another scout was less bullish. “He’s an athletic kid,” the scout said, “but he’s not built to last. He’s 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds. It’s just not big enough.”

Jim Nagy, a former scout with the Seattle Seahawks who now runs the Senior Bowl, thinks there’s a “self-fulling prophecy” when it comes to how Bennett is viewed in relation to the draft. Because everyone knows his story so well — the “Mailman” nickname and the fact he started out as a walk-on — it leads to a first impression that’s hard to shake.

“Most guys get embraced for that overachiever, underdog thing,” Nagy said, “and for some reason he hasn’t.”

Bennett’s arm strength is “above average” and “good enough to play at the next level,” according to Nagy. While he’d like to see more consistent ball placement, “he can run around and he can buy a second chance.”

“If you’re an NFL scout … if you put a franchise-level grade on Bryce Young and you put a free agent grade on Stetson Bennett, in my opinion you’ve really hurt your argument for Bryce Young,” Nagy said. “Because the size is a drawback on both of those players. Now Bryce has a stronger arm, no question about that. But from talking to those guys there, Stetson’s going to run [the 40-yard dash] in the 4.5’s, which is rolling for a quarterback. So the kid can legitimately run. He’s very efficient. Has full command of that offense. Could potentially win back-to-back national championships. So if one guy is a franchise quarterback and a top-five pick, this other guy at least you have to give a seventh-round grade.”

Nagy concedes Bennett doesn’t “look like” an NFL quarterback. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, there have been only three quarterbacks drafted since 2006 that measured shorter than 6 feet and less than 200 pounds: Michigan’s Denard Robinson, Appalachian State’s Armanti Edwards and Navy’s Malcolm Perry. All of them moved to receiver in the pros.

“But you put on the tape and you look at his actual football résumé, shoot, he deserves to get a chance,” Nagy said of Bennett, “and he will get a chance.”

Bennett’s 85.6 Total QBR ranks seventh in the FBS. Among the top 10, his 68.1 completion percentage trails only Hooker, who played in three fewer games.

Big picture, he’s 28-3 and trying to become the eighth starting quarterback in AP Poll history to win back-to-back national titles.

Smart believes Bennett has “earned” a shot at the NFL. If there’s one trait that will translate to the next level, he said, it’s Bennett’s ability to quickly process information.

“So much of the NFL game is what you can do pre-snap and what you can do post-snap,” he said. “He’ll be as good as anybody at the pre-snap. He just has to continue that into the post-snap.”

But if Bennett never truly gets the chance to start — if he’s drafted late and can do little more than hold a clipboard as a backup — how will he accept it? Some scouts wonder if that chip on his shoulder will be OK sitting on the bench.

“If he didn’t have that, he wouldn’t be who he is,” one scout said.

BENNETT IS COMFORTABLE talking about the past. He’ll tell you all about growing up in Blackshear — a small town in the middle of Nowhere, Georgia — and why none of the 120-plus FBS programs offered him a scholarship coming out of high school. He put up good numbers but was only second team all-state. Not only was he not a prized recruit, he said, “there was really no threat of me ever becoming one.” After one season at Georgia, five-star Justin Fields was brought in and it was clear Bennett didn’t figure into the competition. “Well, that’s all right,” Bennett decided. “You got your guy, but I’m out of here.”

So he went to a junior college in Mississippi and proved he could play, scoring 20 touchdowns and leading the school to an appearance in the MACJC conference championship game. The University of Louisiana was going to be his next stop, but Smart swooped in at the last minute with an offer to come back to Athens on scholarship. If that doesn’t happen, if Bennett goes to Lafayette or transfers somewhere else, does this college football fairytale ever come to fruition?

“Who knows?” Bennett said. “But that’s why it’s so cool, right? Like how can you have stories if you end up exactly where you wanted to go, right? Or with following the exact plan that you planned out, right? It’s life, man, and it’s a lot more interesting that way.”

Bennett has perspective, that’s for sure. It’s clear he’s thought a lot about his journey and what it all means. He said he used to make throws in practice and think to himself, “Man, there’s no way that’s not good.” But people kept telling him he wasn’t good. He said he’d look around and wonder, “Am I dumb?”

Monken confirmed last week that after Daniels aggravated an oblique injury against Clemson in the 2021 opener and couldn’t play against UAB the next week, coaches were ready to go with Carson Beck. But then Bennett outplayed Beck in practice that week — and it wasn’t close. “Stetson played his ass off,” Monken said.

Bennett played his rear off against the Blazers, too. He threw for 288 yards with five touchdowns in a 56-7 rout. Still, Georgia’s coaches went back to Daniels the next week. Bennett took over for good when Daniels was injured again during a 62-0 victory at Vanderbilt.

Bennett admitted last season he was playing not to get benched. He still wasn’t sure his coaches had his back. Maybe that’s why when Smart was asked about the obstacles Bennett had overcome in his career, he said, “He overcame us.”

This season, Bennett is more loose, more confident, more himself. He’s thrown for nearly 1,000 more yards and increased his completion percentage by 3.6 points. He said he’s no longer trying to prove anyone wrong. He stays in the moment, just trying to win football games.

But when he was asked about his future — Where do you see yourself in five years? — he paused for what felt like an eternity. Earnestly, he said, “I don’t know.”

“I want to be …” he said before sighing and cutting himself off for another moment of reflection. “I have no clue.”

But speaking of getting cut off …

“I will not be making the call to cut off my football career unless my leg gets cut off,” he said. “That will be somebody else’s call.”

Never mind the scouts. Does he believe he can play in the NFL?

“I’m not going to go over my résumé right now,” he said. “But, yeah, I do. I think I’ve got the skill set.”

Monken, who spent eight seasons as an assistant in the NFL, believes Bennett’s intelligence and knowledge of pro concepts would be an asset at the next level. Unlike some other backup quarterbacks, Monken said, Bennett could add value without taking reps.

Bennett, for his part, doesn’t see it the same way.

“I don’t think that would be my best attribute on the team,” he said. “I think my football playing skills would probably be my best attribute.”

But he concedes Monken’s point.

“Who knows,” he said. “You’re getting me sidetracked here, thinking about the NFL and I’ve got a game to think about.”

Whether he beats TCU or not, Bennett’s place in college football history is safe. And maybe that’s enough.

But if he does win back-to-back championships and he’s invited on “Good Morning America” again in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, the question will be asked: What’s next?

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MLB playoff contender tiers: From the locks to the long shots

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2 hours ago

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August 11, 2025

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MLB playoff contender tiers: From the locks to the long shots

  • David SchoenfieldAug 10, 2025, 07:00 PM ET

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

The early returns from the MLB trade deadline are filtering in. The dog days of August are challenging pitching staffs. The Boston Red Sox are humming, the New York Yankees are stumbling and the New York Mets might be crumbling. Yes, it’s going to be a fun stretch drive.

How do the postseason races stand? Let’s break down the contenders into playoff tiers.

Tier I: The locks

Biggest surprise: Andrew Vaughn has been raking since coming over from the White Sox in a trade in which Chicago was clearing him off its roster. Rhys Hoskins might return from the injured list later this month, but Vaughn has hit so well that Hoskins has likely been Wally Pipp-ed and relegated to part-time DH duty (depending on how often Christian Yelich can play the outfield). Vaughn has — so far — provided some much-needed power, which had been the Brewers’ only weakness.

Injury to watch: Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is out because of a shin contusion but should be back soon, and the Brewers probably welcomed the break to limit his innings anyway. So keep an eye on Jackson Chourio, who is likely out a couple more weeks because of a strained hamstring. Chourio had been red-hot in July, with an OPS over 1.000 before hitting the IL.

Player to watch: Brandon Woodruff. The one-time Brewers ace hadn’t pitched since September 2023 before finally returning in July and has delivered six excellent starts with a 2.29 ERA, 45 strikeouts and just six walks.

His fastball velocity isn’t where it was before his shoulder injury, but Woodruff has been locating where he wants, as batters are hitting .111 against his four-seamer and .156 against his sinker. A playoff rotation with Freddy Peralta, Woodruff, Misiorowski and Quinn Priester, who has won 10 consecutive decisions, looks like one that could deliver the Brewers their first World Series title.

Biggest surprise: Well, there are two ways to look at this. The Dodgers are in the bottom half of the majors in ERA with Yoshinobu Yamamoto their only starter who has been in the rotation all season. Sitting in first place despite those injury issues can be viewed as a pleasant surprise. Or maybe it’s a bad surprise that a team that was a huge favorite to run away with the National West has to fight for the division title.

The Dodgers have essentially used a six-man rotation all season, with pitchers making just seven starts on four days of rest. Yamamoto hasn’t started on all four days of rest all season. With the Dodgers battling the Padres for the division crown, will manager Dave Roberts go to a five-man rotation? What about in the postseason, when four days of rest is generally the norm if you want to use just your top four starters?

Injury to watch: Just one? While the rotation is slowly getting healthier (Blake Snell is back), late-game relievers Tanner Scott (elbow) and Kirby Yates (back) are on the IL.

Player to watch: With Mookie Betts seemingly mired in seasonlong mediocrity, the Dodgers will need Freddie Freeman to heat up again. The first baseman was hitting .374 with a 1.078 OPS through May but then hit .226 with just two home runs in June and July. In late July, he said he fixed something in his swing, and he hit .400 with three home runs in his first 14 games after that proclamation. If Freeman is back, the offense might be the best in the majors again.

Biggest surprise: The Blue Jays were 26-28 on May 27 but have the second-best record in the majors since, and journeyman starter Eric Lauer has been a key reason. After not pitching in the majors in 2024 and finishing the season in Korea, he joined the rotation for good on June 11 and has gone 5-1 with a 3.16 ERA since then, with the Jays winning nine of his 11 starts.

Injury to watch: The Jays signed Anthony Santander to a five-year, $92.5 million contract after a 44-homer season with the Orioles, but he has been out since May 29 because of a shoulder injury and hit just .179 before that. Getting back a productive Santander would help boost an outfield that has been mix-and-match all season.

Player to watch: The Blue Jays acquired Shane Bieber from Cleveland at the trade deadline, getting a pitcher still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He should have two more rehab starts before he’s ready to join the rotation — and the Blue Jays will be counting on him to be in the playoff rotation.

Depending on how Bieber performs, it wouldn’t be shocking for him to leapfrog Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman as the Game 1 starter. Lauer and Max Scherzer will be in that mix, with Chris Bassitt hanging around as well. That rotation depth is why the Jays rate as the heavy favorite to win the division — and at the minimum look like a playoff lock.

Biggest surprise: Everyone knew about Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s defense, but certainly nobody expected him to hit for this kind of power and turn into an MVP candidate in his first full season. He’s doing it despite the highest swing rate in the majors, which gives him one of the worst chase rates. He would have the lowest OBP for an MVP winner. Still, he had his highest monthly batting average (.308) and slugging percentage (.637) in July, although he’s slumping in August.

Injury to watch: The big one was Justin Steele going down for the season because of Tommy John surgery. Jameson Taillon is still out because of a calf strain. The Cubs acquired Michael Soroka at the deadline to help the rotation, but he lasted two innings in his first start before going down because of a sore shoulder, and his availability the rest of the season is unknown.

Player to watch: Rookie starter Cade Horton is emerging as a force. He joined the rotation in May and had a 4.80 ERA through his first two months but has allowed no runs in five of his past six starts, including his past four in a row. Coming off an injury-plagued 2024, the Cubs are being very conservative with the 23-year-old’s pitch counts (fewer than 90 pitches in his past four outings), but he has been efficient enough to give them five or six innings.

Some of Horton’s peripheral numbers — so-so strikeout rate, not a ton of swing-and-miss — don’t necessarily match up with all the zeros, but he’s limiting hard contact. With Soroka out, Horton is vital to the Cubs’ hopes of running down the Brewers in the NL Central.

Biggest surprise: Kyle Schwarber hitting a lot of home runs is hardly a surprise — he has reached 40 three times — but Schwarber as a potential MVP candidate? That wasn’t on anyone’s preseason scorecard. OK, maybe that’s still a long shot given that Crow-Armstrong’s all-around value gives the Cubs outfielder a big edge in WAR and Shohei Ohtani is now pitching to go with his Schwarber-like offensive numbers. Still, Schwarber looks unstoppable at the plate right now and leads the NL in home runs and RBIs as his OPS inches closer to 1.000.

Injury to watch: Aaron Nola has been on the 60-day IL with a stress fracture in his right rib and has made a couple of rehab starts, so he should be returning to the rotation soon. The Phillies haven’t really missed him because of their pitching depth, but a healthy Nola will bump Taijuan Walker from the rotation, plus he could leap over Jesus Luzardo as the fourth starter in the playoff rotation.

Player to watch: Trea Turner hit well for three months to begin the season but went homerless in July, and his OBP dropped way off. At his best, he’s an offensive force who hits for average and some power while setting the table for Bryce Harper and Schwarber behind him. He can also have spells when he starts chasing too much and the offense dries up. The Phillies are a lock to get in, but they need the best version of Turner down the stretch to hold off the Mets in the NL East.

Tier II: Should get in

What they need to do to become a lock: The Tigers seemed like a lock when they held a 14-game lead in the American League Central before the All-Star break while playing like the best team in baseball. Then they lost 12 out of 13 games, and Cleveland got hot. The Guardians are at least close enough to put a little fear in the Tigers.

The lineup scuffled in July, but the bullpen still feels like the key here. The Tigers are 19th in the majors in bullpen ERA and 28th in reliever strikeout rate. It’s not good when you’re ranked with the Nationals and Rockies. They added some reinforcements at the trade deadline, but Kyle Finnegan and Rafael Montero aren’t solutions.

Injury to watch: The Tigers signed Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract in the offseason, but the 37-year-old right-hander has yet to pitch in the majors this season because of hip inflammation. After his first rehab stint was cut short in June, he’s trying to get healthy enough to provide a boost to the rotation.

The Tigers traded for Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack, but Cobb could be in the same scenario he was with Cleveland last season, when he made just three regular-season starts but was in the playoff rotation.

Player to watch: It has been an odd season for Riley Greene, whose strikeout rate is over 32% and whose walk rate has plummeted from last season (11% to 6%). The home run and RBI numbers are there, although he has been in a deep slump since the All-Star break. Can he be consistent enough to lead the Detroit offense and deliver in crunch time, or will the better pitchers in the postseason exploit his swing-and-miss tendencies?

What they need to do to become a lock: In 2022, the Padres made the biggest splash at the trade deadline, acquiring Juan Soto and Josh Hader and eventually reaching the NLCS. This deadline, general manager A.J. Preller was again on a mission, trading top prospect Leo De Vries to acquire Athletics closer Mason Miller to strengthen what was already perhaps the game’s best bullpen. Preller also filled some holes in the lineup with the additions of Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano and Freddy Fermin.

The Padres have the deepest bullpen and a deeper lineup. Will that be enough to cover their lack of power (next to last in the majors in home runs) and a middle-of-the-pack rotation (getting Dylan Cease on a roll would be nice)? Maybe. But it’s clear that to not just lock up that playoff spot but also chase down the Dodgers in the NL West, Padres manager Mike Shildt will have to ride those bullpen arms.

Injury to watch: On Saturday, Michael King made his first start since May 18 after being out with a pinched nerve in his shoulder. If King is at full health, having him and Nick Pivetta lead the rotation would pair nicely with that loaded bullpen.

Player to watch: Second-year center fielder Jackson Merrill hasn’t replicated his rookie power numbers, and his OBP cratered in July, when he hit .196/.262/.304. The early returns are better this month, and though the Padres upgraded their offensive depth, they need Merrill to be a force.

New York Mets

What they need to do to become a lock: It’s not so easy to buy your way into the playoffs, is it? The Mets correctly upgraded a struggling bullpen by adding Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto, but now it’s the offense that is going through some rough times. Despite adding Juan Soto and getting a much better season from Pete Alonso (he has already surpassed last year’s RBI total), the Mets are scoring fewer runs per game than in 2024.

The Mets were 21-10 at the end of April with a plus-54 run differential. Since then, they’ve gone 42-45 with a minus-24 run differential. Soto, Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo have scuffled of late, and Soto has been terrible all season with runners in scoring position (.190/.331/.360). There’s too much talent here for the Mets to miss the playoffs.

Injury to watch: Tylor Megill, out with an elbow sprain, is the one injured player who could return and help, whether in the rotation or the bullpen.

Player to watch: Soto. It’s time for him to put the team on his back.

Tier III: Have work to do

How they make the playoffs: Hit better with runners in scoring position. The trade deadline additions of Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez, plus the gradual improvement of rookie Cole Young and the surprising production from Dominic Canzone, have made this one of the deeper lineups in the league. The Mariners rank 10th in OPS and second in road OPS — but they’re just 24th in OPS with runners in scoring position.

Injury to watch: Bryce Miller (elbow inflammation) has made two rehab starts. He threw four scoreless innings in the first outing but served up three home runs in the second. His fastball velocity was sitting at 96. He could be in line for two more starts before potentially replacing Logan Evans in the rotation — and giving the Mariners their projected five-man group for the first time all season.

Player to watch: Naylor was acquired for his bat, not his legs, but he is running like Rickey Henderson since joining the M’s, swiping 10 bases in his first 13 games — pretty remarkable for a player who ranks in the third percentile of all players in running speed. He left Thursday’s game because of some discomfort after a swing, but the Mariners said it’s likely just a day-to-day situation.

Boston Red Sox

How they make the playoffs: Keep pitching like they have. While going 24-10 since June 30, the Red Sox have a 3.08 ERA. Garrett Crochet has led the way and is now toe-to-toe with Tarik Skubal in the AL Cy Young race, but Lucas Giolito is also 7-1 with a 2.43 ERA over his past 11 starts and Brayan Bello is 5-2 with a 2.42 ERA since July 1.

Injury to watch: Though he’s not on the IL, closer Aroldis Chapman left a game in late July because of back tightness. He has allowed one earned run over his past 32 innings, so keeping the 37-year-old healthy is vital.

Player to watch: Rookie outfielder Roman Anthony just signed an eight-year, $130 million extension (escalators could bring the total value up to $230 million). Though the 21-year-old has shown precocious plate discipline that suggests the bright future the Red Sox are banking on, his home run power hasn’t shown up yet, in part because he’s still hitting a lot of balls on the ground. He’s already good, but maybe he’ll be great down the stretch.

How they make the playoffs: Have Carlos Correa turn back the clock. In a shocking trade deadline deal, the Astros reacquired their former shortstop to play third base with Isaac Paredes injured. Correa was having a poor season with the Twins, with the worst OPS of his career, although he has hit better in his first week with the Astros. With an offense that has been forced to play a lot of Triple-A fillers because of injuries, Correa could provide a huge boost.

Injury to watch: Will Yordan Alvarez make it back? The superstar DH has played just 29 games, none since May 2, because of a right hand fracture. He has been taking batting practice in Florida. Meanwhile, Paredes remains out because of a serious hamstring injury, choosing rehab with the hope of returning this season. Center fielder Jake Meyers is still rehabbing a calf strain.

Player to watch: The Astros have struggled to fill the rotation behind Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez because of the injuries. Spencer Arrighetti just returned from the 60-day IL and allowed 11 hits and five runs in 3⅔ innings. He had a strong second half last season, so the Astros would love for him to step up as a strong No. 3 starter.

New York Yankees

How they make the playoffs: Hit better. Field better. Pitch better. Run the bases better. The Yankees are 20-31 since June 13, losing 10 games in the standings and dropping from first to third place.

It has been a comedy of errors at times, but, at the minimum, they need the bullpen to figure things out. The Yankees rank in the bottom third of the majors in bullpen win probability added. Maybe David Bednar‘s five-out save the other day will at least settle down the closer situation, as he’s likely to take over that role from Devin Williams.

Injury to watch: Aaron Judge is back from the flexor strain in his elbow that sidelined him for 10 days, although still serving only as a DH. It shouldn’t affect his offense, but the Yankees would love to get him back on the field defensively so they can use Giancarlo Stanton, who had been hot, as the DH. Stanton is unplayable on defense, so he’s limited to pinch-hitting duties with Judge occupying the DH spot.

Player to watch: If Judge is producing, the Yankees will score. The bullpen has the talent to get hot down the stretch. But suddenly, the rotation has some concerns as well. Carlos Rodon has walked 15 over his past 20 innings across four starts. Even going back to June 8, his ERA is just 4.50 after a great first two months. Is he a reliable No. 2 starter behind Max Fried?

Tier IV: The long shots

How do they get in? Continue to ride Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom in the rotation, figure out the closer situation and have the offense keep hitting like it did in July, when it was better than it had been all season.

Journeyman Robert Garcia had been closing of late, but he gave up two critical home runs to the Mariners last weekend and now that role is once again in flux. The Rangers are done with the Mariners, but their six remaining games against the Astros loom large.

How do they get in? The Guardians looked out of it when they were 40-48 in early July, with the Tigers seemingly running away with the division. But Cleveland has gone 21-8 since then, and the upcoming schedule is pretty soft as they finish this series against the White Sox and then play the Marlins, Braves and Diamondbacks.

Six games against the Tigers in September means the AL Central might not be decided until then. The offense, hitting just .224 through July 6, has averaged more than five runs per game since then, with a lot more of the timely hitting we saw last season. It helps that Jose Ramirez got hot right at that time.

Tier V: The really long shots

How do they get in? They’re the seventh team in a race where only six teams get in, so they’ll need to get some help, which the Mets seem to be accommodating right now. But the Reds also need to get the rotation back in a groove.

After posting a 3.69 ERA in April and 3.17 in May, the rotation ERA rose to 4.52 in June and 4.16 in July, but there are some positive developments. Hunter Greene is about ready to return from his rehab, and Zack Littell had a terrific first start with the Reds after coming over in a deadline deal, allowing one run in seven innings with a season-high 15 swing-and-misses.

How do they get in? If the Reds need a little help, the Giants will need a lot of help. They blew up the bullpen, which had been the strength of the team, by trading Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval, so we’ll see whether they have enough depth there. Same with the rotation. With Landen Roupp injured and Hayden Birdsong demoted to the minors, the rotation features recent call-ups Carson Whisenhunt and Kai-Wei Teng. Justin Verlander has reeled off three good starts in a row, although each was limited to five innings. They’ll need those three to pitch well behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray.

How do they get in? In the American League, anything still feels possible. Just look at last year, when the Tigers were already buried at this point, only to reel off an improbable run to the postseason. The Royals would need to leap past three teams to get a wild card, but if the Yankees keep fading, all it would take is a little hot streak to jump past Texas and Cleveland as well.

The Royals will have to score more runs, but the offense had its best month, and it has had a few big offensive games in August. Bobby Witt Jr. has had another strong season, but what if he really heats up like he did last July and August?

How do they get in? They’ve run hot and cold all season, going 16-12 in May and 17-10 in June before stumbling to 7-18 in July. The key will be the offense, which scored 151 runs in June but just 98 in July. Junior Caminero saw his OPS drop 150 points; Jonathan Aranda dropped over 100 points and then fractured his wrist; Brandon Lowe got injured and had just two RBIs in nine games (he’s back now); and Josh Lowe hit .186. The odds are slim, but we’ve learned to never count out the Rays.

How do they get in? The starting pitching will have to improve, as the Cardinals rank 25th in rotation ERA and 29th in strikeout rate. That suggests improvement — at least enough to produce a late surge — is unlikely. Oh, the offense also tanked in July.

It looks as if it will be a third straight season without making the playoffs. No wonder attendance has declined to its lowest per-game average since 1995 (not including 2021) and because that was the post-strike year, the lowest in a non-strike-affected year since 1984.

How do they get in? When the Marlins swept the Yankees last weekend to climb to .500, they momentarily offered a glimpse of hope, climbing six games out of a wild card. Then they lost three of four, so their playoff odds have dipped back to around 1%. You never know, of course, and maybe Sandy Alcantara will suddenly reel off eight Cy Young-caliber starts in a row.

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‘Cool milestone’: Verlander gets 3,500th career K

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August 11, 2025

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'Cool milestone': Verlander gets 3,500th career K

  • ESPN News Services

Aug 10, 2025, 07:58 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO — Justin Verlander added another memorable chapter to his legendary pitching career Sunday, yet was hardly in the mood to celebrate.

Verlander struck out the side in the first inning against the Nationals to become the 10th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,500 career strikeouts. Not long after, things began to unravel for the three-time Cy Young Award winner as the Giants dropped an 8-0 decision to Washington in front of 40,000 fans at Oracle Park.

Washington scored four times in the second inning and five overall on 11 hits against Verlander in the latest outing in what has been a season-long struggle for the 42-year-old.

“I was happy to get there, happy to have a moment with the fans,” said Verlander, who is 1-9 in 20 starts with the Giants and has a 4.53 ERA. “Cool milestone. I really appreciate what it’s taken to get there.”

Verlander hasn’t given the Giants much to celebrate this season, though he had been in the best stretch of the season before getting roughed up Sunday. In his three previous games, Verlander had a 0.60 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 15 innings.

He finished with six strikeouts against the Nationals, but spent most of his postgame media session focused on his season rather than the 3,500 strikeouts.

Though acknowledging frustration about his 2025 results, Verlander likened his performances to the 2022 campaign, when he went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA with the Houston Astros en route to winning his third Cy Young.

“Stuff’s great, stuff’s fine,” Verlander said. “I’ve spent a lot of the season looking at comparables. It’s right on par, literally almost up and down the board, with [2022] when I won the Cy Young. So, I think the stuff is just fine. The results have been frustrating.”

With 3,503 career strikeouts after Sunday’s outing, Verlander trails Walter Johnson by 11 strikeouts for ninth most on the all-time list.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Raleigh clubs MLB-best 45th HR in Mariners’ win

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August 11, 2025

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Raleigh clubs MLB-best 45th HR in Mariners' win

  • ESPN News Services

Aug 10, 2025, 07:35 PM ET

SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh hit his major-league-leading 45th home run in a four-run first inning, and the Seattle Mariners hung on for a 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

Raleigh’s two-run shot came off Rays starter Adrian Houser, before Eugenio Suarez added a two-run single for the M’s in the first.

Raleigh, who went 1-for-5, joins Ken Griffey Jr. as the only Mariners players to hit 45 home runs in a season, according to ESPN Research. Griffey did it 5 times.

Raleigh also moved into a tie with Johnny Bench (1970) at second all time for most homers by a catcher in a season. The Kansas City Royals‘ Salvador Perez belted 48 in 2021.

Raleigh homered in all three games of the series.

Sunday’s win was Seattle’s seventh straight, the longest active run in the American League. Josh Naylor also homered for the M’s, who wrapped up a 9-1 homestand.

Seattle starter Bryan Woo (10-6) allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings with nine strikeouts. It was his 23rd start this season of six innings or more. Woo, who walked one batter, also tied the MLB record set by Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal in 1968 for the most consecutive games at the start of the season pitching that long and also allowing two walks or fewer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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