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clinch

Detroit Tigers clinch playoff berth for 2nd consecutive year

by admin September 28, 2025

Sep 27, 2025, 07:06 PM ET

BOSTON — Jahmai Jones hit a two-run single in the fifth inning, and the Detroit Tigers hung on to defeat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Saturday, clinching a spot in the American League playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Less than 24 hours after the Red Sox sealed their postseason berth, the Tigers claimed at least a wild card spot and pushed the Houston Astros closer to elimination. Detroit still could win the AL Central title but would need help from Texas, which played Cleveland on Saturday night.

Keider Montero and four relievers held Boston to one run and seven hits. Tyler Holton (6-5) got four outs for the victory. Will Vest pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.

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“Kind of a crazy ride, but it’s well worth it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told his team in the clubhouse Saturday night during the celebration. “We went up, we went down, we went up again.”

The Tigers (87-74) led the division by as many as 14 games in July and still held a 9½-game lead on Sept. 11 before losses in 12 out of 14 games dropped them into a tie with Cleveland (86-74). The Guardians, who were in fourth place and 15½ games back on July 7, are 17-4 since Sept. 5 and hold the tiebreaker against Detroit.

Detroit has ace Tarik Skubal (13-6) lined up to pitch in Sunday’s regular-season finale, but the Tigers would love to save him for the postseason opener.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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September 28, 2025 0 comments

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Red Sox clinch first playoff berth since 2021 on walk-off

by admin September 27, 2025

Sep 26, 2025, 10:12 PM ET

BOSTON — Ceddanne Rafaela tripled off the center field wall to drive in the game-ending run in the ninth inning on Friday night, giving the Red Sox a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers and clinching Boston’s first postseason berth since 2021.

Boston rallied from a 3-0 deficit to move two games ahead of the Tigers and 2 1/2 ahead of Houston in the race for the last two American League wild-card berths, with two games left to play. Detroit, which has lost 12 of its last 14 games, can still reach the playoffs and even win the AL Central with help from Cleveland.

Boston tied the game in the eighth inning and then Romy Gonzalez singled to center with one out in the ninth. Rafaela, who missed clearing the Green Monster in the seventh by about a foot, sent a 1-0 pitch off the wall in center.

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Gonzalez, who held up to make sure it wasn’t caught, raced around to score as his teammates streamed out of the dugout and nearly beat him to the plate.

Masataka Yoshida had three hits for Boston. Closer Aroldis Chapman (5-3) pitched the ninth for the win. Tommy Kahnle (1-5) got just one out in the bottom of the ninth.

Key moment

The Red Sox missed a pair of two-run homers by about two feet: Nathaniel Lowe hit a line drive off the Green Monster in the second inning, just missing the top of the wall. Rafaela also settled for a double with his liner off the top of the 37-foot wall in the seventh.

Key stat

It was Boston’s major league-leading 12th walk-off win of the season. That’s tied for the second most in franchise history. The Red Sox won on their last at-bat 13 times in 1940.

Up next

LHP Connelly Early (1-1) will start for Boston on Saturday. The Tigers had not named a starter.

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September 27, 2025 0 comments

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Cal Raleigh hits 59th, 60th home runs as Mariners clinch AL West

by admin September 25, 2025

Sep 24, 2025, 11:21 PM ET

SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh hit his MLB-leading 59th and 60th home runs Wednesday night as the Seattle Mariners clinched the AL West with a 9-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.

His 59th was a solo shot in the first inning and his 60th was another solo homer in the eighth.

The Mariners, the lone big league team that has never been to a World Series, clinched the fourth division crown in the franchise’s 49-year history and the first since 2001, when they set an AL record with 116 wins.

“To do it in this fashion, on this night, in front of these fans, mom and dad, obviously, was really cool,” Raleigh said.

He added: “It’s 20-plus years since we’ve done something like this, and it’s special. It’s special to this group, to this organization, to the city.”

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Raleigh, batting left-handed, connected off Tanner Gordon in the first inning for a blast to right field that reached the top deck at T-Mobile Park. In the eighth inning, Raleigh, batting left-handed again, connected off Angel Chivilli.

Raleigh has 11 multi-homer games this season, tied with Aaron Judge (2022), Hank Greenberg (1938) and Sammy Sosa for the MLB record.

With four games remaining in the Mariners’ regular season, Raleigh has a chance to pass New York Yankees star Judge for the American League single-season home run record. Judge hit 62 home runs in 2022 to break the previous record set by Roger Maris, which had stood since 1961.

Raleigh’s latest homers came just four days after he passed Ken Griffey Jr. for the franchise’s single-season home run record with his 57th homer. Griffey hit 56 in 1997 and 1998.

Raleigh also has surpassed Mickey Mantle’s previous MLB record of 54 home runs by a switch-hitter that had stood since 1961. He set the MLB record for homers by a catcher this season, eclipsing the 48 hit by Salvador Perez in 2021.

Raleigh is four home runs ahead of Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber and seven home runs ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

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Mariners clinch playoff berth, close in on AL West title

by admin September 24, 2025

Alden GonzalezSep 24, 2025, 02:16 AM ET
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SEATTLE — In the end, when they needed a big hit, it was Josh Naylor, the man who brought such a noticeable edge to this surging Seattle Mariners team over these past two months, who delivered it.

His eighth-inning, bases-loaded three-run double Tuesday night triggered a 4-3, come-from-behind victory over the Colorado Rockies, sent the Mariners back into the postseason and put them on the cusp of a long-awaited division title. The last time the Mariners won the American League West, it was 2001, a year highlighted by 116 regular-season wins. That can change as early as Wednesday, with either another win by them or another loss by the Houston Astros.

But first, the Mariners celebrated their first postseason clinch since 2022 — and hoped for many more.

“We wanna do all of ’em — and a big one in the end,” Naylor said, puffing on a cigar just steps away from a champagne-and-beer celebration in the middle of the Mariners’ clubhouse. “With a nice parade around the city.”

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Seattle remains the only current major league city that has yet to host a World Series game, but this season’s team is continually inspiring hope for October.

Tuesday’s win was the Mariners’ fifth in a row and 15th in a stretch of 16 games — immediately following a 6-15 stretch that made fans wonder if their team was poised for another late-season slide. It followed a resounding sweep in Houston, one in which the Mariners never trailed. And it has them thinking their best might be ahead of them.

The Mariners’ vaunted rotation — minus Bryan Woo, nursing a pectoral injury the team hopes won’t keep him out of the playoffs — is dominating again as so many expected at the start of the season. Their lineup, bolstered by the midseason additions of Naylor and fellow corner infielder Eugenio Suarez, is producing. Their bullpen looks lethal. In a year when practically every team possesses glaring weaknesses and has navigated tough stretches, the Mariners are making a case for being the most complete.

“There is a lot of work to do, starting with the division,” said Dan Wilson, a longtime Mariners catcher in his first full season as their manager. “Hopefully we get that done sooner than later and we keep going. But there’s a lot ahead of us. And this team I think is ready and primed for it.”

The Mariners won 90 games and snuck into the playoffs, ending a 21-year drought, in 2022. They followed by winning back-to-back games in Toronto during the wild-card round but lost three consecutive heart-wrenching ones to the Astros in the division series, the last one an 18-inning shutout. In 2023, they flamed out in September and were eliminated on the penultimate day of the regular season. In 2024, they blew a 10-game lead in the division and were eliminated with three games left.

“These last two years have felt really long,” Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh said. “Not going back, it’s been hurtful. A lot of pain.”

That struggle, some of the players believe, helped produce this moment.

“Those years served its purpose — to get us stronger,” Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez said. “To get us in a better position. To grow.”

Raleigh at one point put his arm around Jerry Dipoto, Mariners president of baseball operations, lamented how they had just played eight innings of bad baseball, then shifted the focus. “Let’s go win the World Series,” Raleigh recalled saying.

“We wanna do all of ’em — and a big one in the end,” Josh Naylor said as the Mariners celebrated their first postseason clinch since 2022. “With a nice parade around the city.” Steph Chambers/Getty Images

For seven innings, the Mariners’ offense lagged against a Rockies pitching staff that possesses the highest ERA in the major leagues. They trailed 3-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth, but Rockies reliever Juan Mejia started the inning by plunking Luke Raley. J.P. Crawford followed with a walk, but Randy Arozarena and Raleigh struck out. Rodriguez then took a 1-2, 97.5 mph fastball off his left elbow guard, to load the bases.

Three pitches later, Naylor — slashing .292/.333/.486 since being acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 24, seven days before Suarez also came over from the D-backs — sent a 2-0 fastball into the left-center-field gap, scoring Rodriguez from first base.

“It felt like two seconds,” Rodriguez said. “It felt like two seconds for me, honestly. As soon as I saw him hit the ball in the gap, I just started running.”

Andres Munoz, the Mariners’ lights-out closer, breezed through the ninth, sending a T-Mobile Park crowd of 35,925 into jubilation. The Mariners improved to 49-27 at home. Their lead over the Astros has stretched to four games with five left. Their lead over the surging Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers, suddenly tied in the AL Central, is at three games for a first-round bye.

It has been nearly a quarter century since the Mariners won a playoff game at home.

They want as many as they can get this year.

“We want to play at home,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t want to leave my neighborhood to play.”

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September 24, 2025 0 comments

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Yankees clinch playoff spot with walk-off win, close gap in AL East

by admin September 24, 2025

Jorge CastilloSep 24, 2025, 12:59 AM ET
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NEW YORK — José Caballero, a Yankee for all of 54 days, proudly carried a championship belt — given to the player of the game after every New York victory — around his left shoulder as alcohol-soaked chaos raged around him in the home clubhouse Tuesday night.

Acquired at the trade deadline to provide a versatile spark off the bench, the utility infielder fulfilled his duties to the max for the distinction: An inning after entering the game as a pinch-runner, Caballero swatted a two-out, walk-off single on the ninth pitch of his at-bat to lift the Yankees to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox and clinch the 60th postseason berth in franchise history.

“This is the best time to have the belt,” Caballero said, “and I’m not letting it go.”

Coupled with the Toronto Blue Jays’ loss to the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees moved within a game of first place in the American League East with five games remaining. Toronto, however, holds the tiebreaker over New York. The Yankees would have to surpass the Blue Jays in the standings by the end of Sunday to claim their 22nd division title and earn a bye into the ALDS to begin their pursuit of a second consecutive AL pennant after falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series last season.

“This is the best time to have the belt,” José Caballero, acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline, said after delivering a two-out, walk-off single Tuesday night to clinch the 60th postseason berth in franchise history, “and I’m not letting it go.” Al Bello/Getty Images

“This October we’re coming to prove a point,” Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said.

For now, the Yankees are guaranteed their eighth postseason appearance over the past nine years and their 26th trip in the 32 seasons since the playoffs were expanded to eight teams in 1994. Their magic number to clinch the top AL wild card spot — and guarantee home-field advantage in a three-game wild-card series — is three. The Yankees have not played in a wild-card series since it was first implemented in 2022.

“The ultimate goal is to win our division,” Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said as teammates bathed him with MVP chants and showered him with alcohol. “It’s still right there for us. So, we’re excited about getting in, but we got bigger things ahead of us.”

The Yankees, despite boasting the third-most expensive roster in baseball, entered the season with pressing questions after losing Juan Soto to the Mets in free agency and Gerrit Cole to a season-ending UCL tear in spring training.

What followed has, so far, been a three-chapter tale. Their 42-25 record to start the season through June 12 was third best in the majors. From there, they went 22-31 through Aug. 12, tied for the seventh-worst mark in baseball. They then went 25-12 since Aug. 13, the best record in the majors, to ignite Tuesday’s celebration and cut the Blue Jays’ division lead by five games.

Challenges surfaced throughout the season. Oswaldo Cabrera’s gruesome season-ending knee injury in May opened a gaping hole at third base that wasn’t addressed until the trade deadline. Giancarlo Stanton didn’t make his season debut until mid-June as he dealt with tendon injuries in both elbows. Clarke Schmidt, another rotation stalwart, joined Cole on the list of Tommy John surgery recipients in July. Luis Gil missed the season’s first four months with a lat injury.

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Anthony Volpe’s struggles at shortstop and in the batter’s box drew consistent boos all summer and, eventually, a dip in playing time. Devin Williams, acquired over the winter, lost his job as closer twice. Veterans DJ LeMahieu and Marcus Stroman were designated for assignment.

And, finally, the latest major blow: The flexor strain Judge suffered in his right arm in late July, which forced a 10-day trip to the injured list to interrupt his MVP-level campaign, limited him to designated hitter for a month upon his return, and has cast doubt over his ability to unleash full-effort throws from right field.

“It’s been a challenging year, no question about it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But, at my core, and especially as we got here to the final couple months and then we got to the final month, I’m looking around in there and knowing that we’re pretty healthy and getting guys back … I [felt] like our best baseball was absolutely ahead of us and, hopefully, even still is ahead of us.

“But I think we’re a really good club. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but I’ll certainly take our chances up against anyone.”

The Yankees overcame the obstacles with a combination of internal development and external additions.

“This October we’re coming to prove a point,” said second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. The Yankees are in pursuit of a second consecutive AL pennant after falling to the Dodgers in the World Series last year. John Jones/Imagn Images

Trent Grisham emerged as the everyday center fielder with a career year. Cody Bellinger, acquired over the offseason to compensate for Soto’s departure, gave the Yankees the left-handed bat they needed behind Judge while providing elite defense at four positions. Ben Rice solidified himself as a potent power hitter and a catcher the Yankees can trust. Rookie Cam Schlittler joined the rotation in July, just before the All-Star break, and didn’t relinquish his rotation spot. Chisholm became the third Yankee to ever post a 30/30 season.

And at the deadline, general manager Brian Cashman, recognizing the roster was clunky and short on relievers, acquired three position players for more roster versatility and four right-handers to overhaul the bullpen.

“The depth is very impressive,” Bellinger said. “Just the type of guys we got here, man. The culture here is very impressive, is very fun to be a part of. And we just believe in each other.”

One of those position players added on the final day in July starred when it mattered most Tuesday night, putting together the kind of at-bat that wins games in October to send the Yankees to the postseason again for another chance at World Series title No. 28.

“We are coming for the big thing,” Caballero said.

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September 24, 2025 0 comments

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2025 WNBA playoff picture: How five teams can clinch spots

by admin August 27, 2025

Alexa PhilippouAug 26, 2025, 09:00 AM ET
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- Covers women’s college basketball and the WNBA
- Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
- Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer

Sixteen days left in the WNBA regular season. Two playoff berths secured. Three teams eliminated. The 2025 WNBA playoff picture is taking shape.

The top teams in the league — the Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta Dream, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty — are fighting for playoff seeding and home-court advantage. But elsewhere in the WNBA standings, five teams, all within four games of each other, are realistically vying for the final three spots.

If the playoffs started Tuesday, the Seattle Storm (10.5 games behind the league-leading Lynx), Golden State Valkyries (11) and Indiana Fever (11) would be the sixth through eighth seeds in the playoffs, with the Los Angeles Sparks (12) and Washington Mystics (14.5) narrowly missing the cut.

ESPN breaks down what you need to know about each of these playoff hopefuls and their remaining path to clinching a spot in the postseason.

Chance to make the playoffs: 95.1% (per ESPN’s WNBA BPI)

Playoff outlook: Seattle has largely been defined by its inconsistencies this season, and a six-game losing streak to start August — a stretch in which each game was decided by 10 points or fewer and the team fell below .500 — put the Storm in danger of falling out of the playoff picture. But the team has recovered with four wins in its past five games, including its victory over Washington punctuated by Nneka Ogwumike’s buzzer beater.

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At No. 6 in the standings, the Storm might look safe for now. But they will want to avoid dropping further and landing a matchup against the likes of the Lynx or red-hot Aces to have a better chance to win their first playoff series since 2022. The Storm have notably been better on the road (12-8) than at home (8-10), a trend they’ll look to buck when they close the season with four consecutive contests at Climate Pledge Arena.

Pivotal player: Dominique Malonga has been a bright spot in Seattle’s up-and-down season. The 19-year-old has emerged as an indispensable part of the Storm’s rotation in recent weeks, with three 20-point performances and three double-doubles in August. Malonga might have one of the highest ceilings of anyone in the league.

Remaining games (6): @ IND (Aug. 26), @ MIN (Aug. 28), vs. CHI (Aug. 30), vs. LA (Sept. 1), vs. NY (Sept. 5), vs. GS (Sept. 9)

Series records: 1-2 vs. GS; 0-2 vs. IND; 1-2 vs. LA; 1-2 vs. WAS

Chance to make the playoffs: 88.2%

Playoff outlook: With Caitlin Clark limited to 13 games and three other guards now out for the season, injuries have lowered the Fever’s ceiling as they seek consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 2015-16. The team has prided itself on its resolve in the face of adversity but has won only two games (vs. Chicago and Connecticut in overtime) since Aug. 5 — begging the question of whether the Fever might be reaching a breaking point.

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New additions Odyssey Sims, Shey Peddy and Aerial Powers can’t entirely make up for the losses of Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham (and continued absence of Clark), but they bring veteran experience that could be valuable in these sorts of high-stakes situations.

Not helping matters: Indiana’s upcoming schedule isn’t very forgiving, with nearly all of the Fever’s remaining games against teams that are fighting for either a postseason berth or seeding.

Pivotal player: Clark hasn’t played since July 15 but participated in shootaround Sunday morning, her first time working out with the team in some capacity during her extended absence. How quickly will Indiana be able to get her back into the mix, and how will she look once she’s back on the floor? And might a continued slide in the standings mean her return ends up being too little, too late?

Remaining games (7): vs. SEA (Aug. 26), @ LA (Aug. 29), @ GS (Aug. 31), @ PHX (Sept. 2), vs. CHI (Sept. 5), @ WAS (Sept. 7), vs. MIN (Sept. 9)

Series records: 2-0 vs. SEA; 0-2 vs. GS; 0-3 vs. LA; 1-2 vs. WAS

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1:08

What does road ahead for Fever look like without Caitlin Clark?

Ari Chamber joins “SportsCenter” to discuss the Indiana Fever’s path to the playoffs while Caitlin Clark remains out with injury.

Chance to make the playoffs: 76.8%

Playoff outlook: The Valkyries have far surpassed preseason expectations, already setting a WNBA record for the most wins by an expansion team in their inaugural season when they notched No. 18 earlier this month. Now they’re within reach of becoming the first WNBA expansion franchise to make the playoffs in its debut season. All the more remarkable is that the Valkyries have managed to stay afloat while dealing with a host of injuries, particularly after losing All-Star Kayla Thornton (knee) for the rest of the year.

Golden State has led the league in attendance this summer and will look to capitalize on its home-court advantage when it hosts five straight contests over the next two weeks before ending the regular season on the road.

Pivotal player: Veronica Burton has been a revelation for the Valkyries, emerging as a leading candidate for WNBA Most Improved Player after more limited roles in previous stops in Dallas and Connecticut. She leads active Golden State players in scoring, assists and steals, tasked with even more after Thornton went down with her injury. But she has shined with at least 24 points in three of the past six games and a 24-point, 14-assist, zero-turnover performance last week. She’ll have to continue her stellar two-way play, especially her productivity on the offensive end, for the Valkyries to make more history in the coming weeks.

Remaining games (7): vs. WAS (Aug. 30), vs. IND (Aug. 31), vs. NY (Sept. 2), vs. DAL (Sept. 4), vs. MIN (Sept. 6), @ SEA (Sept. 9), @ MIN (Sept. 11)

Series records: 2-1 vs. SEA; 2-0 vs. IND; 3-1 vs. LA; 3-0 vs. WAS

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1:08

Valkyries defeat Wings to snap 3-game skid

Veronica Burton scores 25 points to lead the Valkyries past Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings 90-81.

Chance to make the playoffs: 39.3%

Playoff outlook: The new-look Sparks have been clear about their goal all year: make the playoffs. Not only has Los Angeles missed the postseason each year since 2020, but after trading away its No. 2 pick for Kelsey Plum, returning to the playoffs in 2025 became even more paramount. L.A. picked up steam around the All-Star break, winning eight of nine games in one stretch. But since then, the Sparks have alternated wins and losses, preventing them from achieving a better position in the standings.

Of all the teams left jockeying for the final few playoff berths, the Sparks have the most games remaining (nine), including six in the final 11 days of the regular season. And to stay in the hunt, they’ll have to do what Kelsey Plum commanded of them in the moments following their thrilling win over Dallas last week: “Play some f—ing defense.”

Pivotal player: Five or six players can reach double figures in the Sparks’ high-octane offense, but Rickea Jackson has been particularly crucial in this recent surge for Los Angeles. Leading up to the Sparks’ hot streak in mid-July, she averaged 12.1 points per game. That’s up to 17.3 PPG in the 15 games since. The Sparks’ best bet of going on a run hinges on them piling on the scoring against their opponents, and Jackson plays a huge role there.

Remaining games (9): vs. PHX (Aug. 26), vs. IND (Aug. 29), vs. WAS (Aug. 31), @ SEA (Sept. 1), @ ATL (Sept. 3), @ ATL (Sept. 5), vs. DAL (Sept. 7), @ PHX (Sept. 9), vs. LV (Sept. 11)

Series records: 2-1 vs. SEA; 1-3 vs. GS; 3-0 vs. IND; 2-1 vs. WAS

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1:07

Paige Bueckers’ historic game spoiled by Kelsey Plum’s winning bucket

Paige Bueckers drops 44 points, but the Sparks prevail over the Wings thanks to Kelsey Plum’s game-winning bucket.

Chance to make the playoffs: 0.6%

Playoff outlook: The Mystics are one of the pleasant surprises of the WNBA season behind the rookie All-Star tandem of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. But after sending Brittney Sykes to Seattle before the trade deadline, it appears they’ll miss the playoffs. They’ve dropped in the standings after losing nine of their past 12 (including four straight) and are sitting 3.5 games out of eighth place with just six games remaining. But in Year 2 of its rebuild, Washington might be content with missing the postseason and landing back in the lottery.

Pivotal players: Citron and Iriafen are the go-to players in D.C., but Shakira Austin is another increasingly important top option, shining recently with a 30-point (on 67% shooting), 5-rebound, 4-block game. The Mystics will need those three firing on all cylinders if they want to make a late playoff push and pass the likes of Indiana and L.A. in the standings.

Remaining games (6): @ NY (Aug. 28), @ GS (Aug. 30), @ LA (Aug. 31), vs. PHX (Sept. 4), vs. IND (Sept. 7), @ NY (Sept. 9)

Series records: 2-1 vs. SEA; 0-3 vs. GS; 2-1 vs. IND; 1-2 vs. LA

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August 27, 2025 0 comments