Chaos? Not quite. Just a couple of days ago, it looked like we would have a wild final day of the MLB season. Even heading into Saturday, we still had the possibility of a three-team tie in the American League West — with the Toronto Blue Jays potentially matching the AL West teams at 89 wins. But then we set a record for most playoff spots clinched in a 90-minute span. In rapid-fire fashion, the Miami Marlins clinched a wild card when they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Texas Rangers clinched with a win over the Seattle Mariners, the Blue Jays clinched when the Mariners lost, the Arizona Diamondbacks clinched with their game in progress when the Cincinnati Reds lost, and then the Houston Astros clinched when they beat the Diamondbacks.
Whew.
So all 12 2023 MLB playoff teams are now set — but there are still a couple of things to decide. Here’s what to watch on Sunday in the playoff races and elsewhere.
Who will win the American League West?
The Rangers beat the Mariners 6-1 as they handed Luis Castillo his shortest outing of the season; the Astros beat the Diamondbacks 1-0 behind Justin Verlander‘s five scoreless innings to clinch their seventh straight postseason berth. The Rangers, in the postseason for the first time since 2016, maintain a one-game lead over the Astros, but the Astros won the season series — so if Houston wins and Texas loses, the Astros take the title and the No. 2 seed.
The Rangers are likely to go with a bullpen game of sorts, as they did five days ago. They haven’t announced their starter yet — Cody Bradford started that game but pitched in relief on Saturday. They could go with Martin Perez, but he last started on July 29, before his banishment to the bullpen; they also could conceivably go with Dane Dunning on three days of rest after he threw 87 pitches in seven scoreless innings against the Angels on Wednesday. The Astros will have Cristian Javier going on regular rest.
Both teams will be all-in to try to avoid the unpredictability of a three-game series, so I doubt either team partied too late into Saturday night. Remember, just last season three of the four road teams won their wild-card series. Getting a few extra days of rest for your bullpen and lining up your rotation for the division series is a strong incentive for both squads today.
How will the seeding shake out in the American League?
The Rangers enter Sunday with 90 wins; the Astros and Blue Jays sit at 89. The AL West winner is determined first, so here are the scenarios:
1. All three teams finish with 90 wins. The Astros are division champs and the No. 2 seed. The Rangers won the season series over the Blue Jays (6 to 1) so they are the No. 5 seed and the Jays the No. 6 seed. This is arguably an advantage for Toronto, as the Jays would travel to Minnesota while the Rangers head to Tampa Bay. 2. The Rangers finish with 91 wins and the Astros and Blue Jays finish with 89. The Jays won the season series 4-3 over the Astros, so they would be the No. 5 seed and the Astros the No. 6 seed. 3. The Rangers and Astros finish with 90 wins and the Blue Jays with 89. The Astros are division champs, the Rangers are the fifth seed and the Jays the sixth seed.
Seattle’s loss that clinched a playoff spot for Toronto was a huge gift for the Blue Jays. With a playoff spot up in the air, they would have been forced to start ace Kevin Gausman (remember, all games on Sunday start at the same time), which meant he wouldn’t have been ready to start in the wild-card series. Now he won’t have to pitch and can get ready for Tuesday.
What about theNational League wild-card seeding?
The first four seeds are set — Atlanta, Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. The Marlins are 84-76 and the Diamondbacks are 84-77. The Marlins have a suspended game against the Mets that they’re leading 2-1 in the ninth inning that might have to be finished on Monday at Citi Field. The scenarios for the fifth and sixth seeds:
1. The Marlins win and the Diamondbacks lose. The Marlins clinch the fifth seed and won’t have to finish the suspended game. 2. Both teams lose. The Marlins won the season series against Arizona, so this would also clinch the No. 5 seed for them. 3. The Diamondbacks win and the Marlins lose. The Marlins would have to complete the suspended game. If they win, they would be the fifth seed; if they blow the lead and lose, they drop to the sixth seed.
No matter what happens, it’s been quite a ride for the Marlins, who make the playoffs in a full season for the first time since 2003. They also made it after being under .500 through 133 games — the latest a team has been under .500 in a season and made the playoffs since the 2009 Twins.
Freeman isn’t chasing a record, but he is chasing the most underrated achievement of 2023. There have been fewer seasons with 60 doubles than 60 home runs, and the six players who have done it are all in black-and-white photos. Joe Medwick and Charlie Gehringer were the last to do it, in 1936, when Medwick hit 64 and Gehringer hit 60. Todd Helton hit 59 for the Rockies in 2000 and Nick Castellanos came close in 2019, when he hit 58 for the Tigers and Cubs (and missed the final four games of the season).
This will be Freeman’s third time in four seasons leading the majors in doubles, and he has done it in dominating fashion, with 17 more than his closest competitor, Corey Seager. When Castellanos hit 58 in the lively ball season of 2019, for example, Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts also topped 50. Freeman’s 17-double lead over the No. 2 guy would be the second highest in major league history, behind only the season Earl Webb set the record with 67 and owned a 20-double advantage. Freeman’s doubles are testament to two things: (1) his pure hitting skill, since players who hit a lot of doubles are hitting line drives from foul line to foul line and that’s Freeman, similar to a left-handed version of Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez; (2) a guy who is busting it out of the batter’s box and taking that extra base.
Can the Braves hit three home runs?
That’s how many Atlanta needs to surpass the 2019 Twins’ single-season record of 307 home runs. The Braves have matched the Twins with five 30-homer sluggers, became the first team with four 35-homer players, and Matt Olson set the franchise record with 54 home runs. We’re not only watching the home runs, however. The Braves are also slugging .501 heading into the final game. If they have a good game, they’ll be the first team to ever slug .500 in a season. Put it this way: The entire team is hitting .275/.343/.500, which is a higher OPS than the career totals for Carl Yastrzemski, Robinson Cano, Eddie Murray, Jose Altuve, Roberto Clemente or Manny Machado, among others.
Join the club!
With stolen base totals way up and home runs still flying out of parks, it’s been invigorating to see the return of the power-speed player, reminding fans of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, when 30/30 seasons — and then 40/40 with Jose Canseco the first to achieve it — were symbolic goals for the all-around player. Ronald Acuna Jr., of course, has been the headliner, becoming the fifth member of the 40/40 club and the founding member of the 40/70 club.
Acuna, Julio Rodriguez, Francisco Lindor and Bobby Witt Jr. are already members of the 30/30 club in 2023, the first time four players have hit those marks since 2011. It’s the fourth time in history as many players have done it. But wait: Kyle Tucker is sitting on 29 home runs and stole his 30th base Saturday night, so he has a chance to become the fifth member. Witt is one stolen base away from 50, which would put him in a club that includes only Acuna, Eric Davis (1987) and Barry Bonds (1990). This year there have been 18 players who have reached 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, just one short of the record set in 1999.
American League batting title up for grabs
There are only nine players hitting .300 this season — don’t act so surprised! — and only four qualified hitters in the American League. Since the wild-card era began in 1995, this will be the fewest number of .300 hitters. The previous low? Last season, when only 11 players did it. (Hey, hitting is hard.) Anyway, winning a batting title is still a nice line for a player’s résumé. Luis Arraez has had a comfortable margin all season in the NL, but the AL comes down to the final day with Corey Seager of the Rangers hitting .330 and Yandy Diaz of the Rays hitting … .330. Diaz missed a bunch of games this past week with a hamstring issue, returned on Friday and pinch hit on Saturday, so we’ll see if he’s in the lineup. Seager was at .344 on Sept. 15, but hit .222 over 14 games heading into Saturday.
Saying goodbye to …
It will be the final game for at least a couple of legends, and maybe more than we think:
Miguel Cabrera hit his 511th career home run on Sept. 27 to tie Mel Ott for 25th on the all-time list. If he can go yard in the finale, he’ll match Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews. He drove in his 1,881st run with a sac fly on Saturday and ranks 13th on that list.
Adam Wainwright made his final pitching appearance a couple of weeks ago and, after a miserable season that saw him post a 7.40 ERA, tossed seven scoreless innings to earn his 200th career victory. He’s done pitching, but he wanted to get a couple final at-bats — he has 10 career home runs — and has been taking batting practice. The Cardinals didn’t use him in Saturday’s blowout win, but now that the Reds have been officially eliminated, Sunday’s game is meaningless. No doubt he’ll get an at-bat in front of the home crowd.
Zack Greinke starts for the Royals today. Unlike Cabrera and Wainwright, he hasn’t made any official announcement on his retirement — not that anyone would expect one from him. He’s 1-15 with a 5.18 ERA for the Royals, although still a clear Hall of Famer in my book, and I think he could still help a team as a reliever as he was effective enough the first time through the batting order. Whether he wants to return — and whether a team would give him an opportunity — is unknown, but at least he’ll get a final start in Kansas City, where he began his career and won the Cy Young Award in 2009.
Joey Votto has also given no indication on his future. What we know is his contract is up — well, the Reds hold a $20 million team option or a $7 million buyout, so we feel pretty confident about which direction that will go. Votto still has some pop and draws some walks, so despite a low average (the past two seasons dropped him under .300 for his career), he still has been about a league-average hitter this season. You might envision a scenario where the Reds bring him back on a lower salary, except they have a bunch of young infielders who need to play. Votto is one of the game’s treasures, a master at getting on base (he led his league seven times in OBP), an MVP winner and a great ambassador for baseball. I’d love to see one more season.
Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.
Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.
The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.
If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.
Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.
“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”
Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.
“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”
The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.
“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”
Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.
Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.
The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”
Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.
Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.
San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.
SAN FRANCISCO — Giants designated hitter Rafael Devers is dealing with a disk injury in his lower back that has limited his production since joining his new club.
Manager Bob Melvin is hopeful Devers won’t require a stint on the injured list given the upcoming time off for the All-Star break.
Devers has begun anti-inflammatory medication for the irritation symptoms he is experiencing and is playing through the issue. He underwent an MRI exam Thursday.
“He went on some medication, feels a little bit better today. We’ll see how he responds to that,” Melvin said Friday. “I’m glad we got the MRI done so we know what’s going on.”
Acquired last month from the Red Sox, Devers entered the series opener Friday against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers batting .245 with 23 strikeouts, four doubles, a home run and six RBIs over his past 14 games dating to June 26. He was hitting .261 with 17 homers and 67 RBIs overall.
The Giants took on Devers’ mega contract when they traded for him June 15 to boost their offense after the slugger made it known he didn’t want to play first base for Boston. But he arrived in the Bay Area insisting he would do anything asked of him to help San Francisco win.
A three-time All-Star, Devers signed a $313.5 million, 10-year contract with the Red Sox in 2023.
On Friday, he was in the lineup as DH batting third. He isn’t ready to play the field, including first base, where he has been doing regular fielding work.
“He feels it mostly running, probably a little bit at the plate, but not as much as when he’s running bases,” Melvin said. “I think with the break hopefully [he’ll be OK]. I think he’s been playing through it for a little bit, basically since he’s been here. It’s the reason he’s not out in the field right now.”
Arenado, who was 1-for-3, was replaced in the seventh inning by Thomas Saggese. While it was unclear how Arenado hurt the finger, it is the same injury that kept him out of two games last week during a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Arenado has 10 home runs and 42 RBIs in 84 games this season.