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Bo Bichette not on 26-man roster for series against Mariners

Yesterday, the Blue Jays ran Bo Bichette from first to second base. And let’s just say it didn’t go well.

As you can see from Shi Davidi’s piece on the subject, Sportsnet’s cameras caught the sequence in question. Bichette rounded second base… and he looked like he was in pain.

It didn’t look good.

He was seen coming back close to some members of the organization without being able to walk properly. And quickly, he threw himself on the ground while the pain was visible.

It was easy to draw conclusions.

And now, according to what Hazel Mae reported this morning, unsurprisingly, Bichette won’t be in the 26-man roster for the series against the Seattle Mariners.

Note that he could, if necessary, replace another player and arrive in the middle of the series. However, the player who would be replaced would not be eligible to play until the end of the playoffs.

And from the way he reacted, I have a feeling that Bichette’s season may be over. It’s a big deal, a knee injury.

Bichette, who will be a free agent shortly, had seen manager John Schneider say recently that he didn’t see him being benched “for a Kirk Gibson moment that may never happen” for the Blue Jays. Basically, if he’s there, he needs to be able to play games, at least as a DH.

So the rest of the club – starting with Anthony Santander – will have to get up without Bichette, who is a sure-fire hitting machine. It was done against New York, but will it be done against Seattle?

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Final game: Brewers eliminate Cubs

After watching the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners battle it out for fifteen innings in the final game of their American League Division Series, we were treated to another Game 5, this time in the National League between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers.

For the occasion, Drew Pomeranz took to the mound for the Bears, while Trevor Megill did the same for the Brewers in a bullpen day for both teams.

And Milwaukee got off to a good start, with William Contreras sending the Apple’s offering over the fence in the first inning. However, Seiya Suzuki put things right in the same way against Jacob Misiorowski in the following half inning.

Then, at the end of the fourth set, Andrew Vaughn broke the tie at one-all with a long ball at Colin Rea’s expense. Brice Turang added another in the same way against Andrew Kittredge in the seventh and that was that for the Windy City representatives, with Abener Uribe closing the door in the last two sets.

The Brewers will join the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Game 1 is scheduled for Monday night in Milwaukee, when we should see Shohei Ohtani take the mound for the California outfit.

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Clayton Kershaw: the Yankees wanted him in a trade

Clayton Kershaw has enjoyed an illustrious MLB career. The Dodgers starter, who won’t be back in 2026, was unquestionably one of the best pitchers of his generation.

In fact, he was one of the best pitchers in history, period.

In the end, Kershaw spent his entire career in a Dodgers uniform. The idea of him joining the Rangers in his native Texas at the end of his career has circulated in recent years, but the left-hander has never worn another uniform.

And yet, it’s not because other teams never tried to get Kershaw: in an interview with MLB Network Radio, Brian Cashman revealed that when Kershaw was in the minors, he worked hard to try to pry him away from the Dodgers.

As a result, Kershaw could have worn a Yankees uniform instead of a Dodgers one.

We know that Kershaw, a first-round pick (seventh overall) in 2006, quickly put himself on the map as he made his way through the Dodgers’ affiliates. He made his major league debut in 2008, but was already known to be special as a prospect.

His curveball, which made him a legend in the Majors, was already attracting attention as a prospect.

Of course, it’s interesting to wonder if other teams also considered getting their hands on Kershaw before he arrived in the Majors. That said, you get the feeling that the Dodgers knew they had a top-quality pitcher on their hands, and weren’t exactly eager to part with him.

And history has proven them right.

For the Yankees, a rotation led by Kershaw and CC Sabathia in the 2010s would have produced a ferocious duo at the top of the club’s rotation. And arguably, it could have brought an extra World Series or two to that group.

But in the end, the Dodgers have to be happy with their decision. And in a few years, Kershaw will be walking into Cooperstown wearing a Dodgers cap.

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MLB in brief: David Ortiz surprised by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Relievers start tonight

David Ortiz surprised by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Wednesday night’s infamous viral sequence caught one of the main players off guard.

Albert Pujols, the Angels’ favorite

He should inherit the job if he can come to an agreement on money.

Munetaka Murakami will be made available

Which team will get the Japanese slugger?

Jack Flaherty is undecided

He still doesn’t know if he’ll exercise his player option for 2026.

Cal Raleigh’s big series

He was solid against the Tigers.

Gleyber Torres under the knife

He’s been nursing an injury (sports hernia) for months. Obviously, this explains his setbacks in the second half of the season.

Starting relievers tonight

Drew Pomeranz and Trevor Megill, two relievers, will be the starters in tonight’s ultimate matchup.

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Mariners: the club’s plan on the mound tomorrow

The series between the Mariners and Blue Jays kicks off tomorrow evening. While the Jays were able to take advantage of the last few days to recharge their batteries, the Mariners found themselves playing a 15-inning marathon last night to continue their playoff run.

We’re talking about a game in which the club used a ton of pitchers… including three starters (George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo).

Obviously, with less than 48 hours to go before a new series, burning almost your entire rotation is far from ideal. Under the circumstances, it was the right thing to do… but we wondered what the Mariners’ plan would be for Game 1.

And the club has just confirmed who their starter will be: it will be Bryce Miller.

And that’s even though he pitched last Wednesday. So he hasn’t had a ton of rest.

Miller showed great promise in 2024, but had a tough 2025 season. His 5.68 ERA in 18 starts isn’t exactly exceptional, and on Wednesday, he allowed two runs in 4.1 innings of work.

So he’s fair game… especially with little rest in his arm.

That said, the Mariners were somewhat forced to turn to Miller, their only starter who didn’t pitch yesterday. The club was probably hoping to see Bryan Woo (who didn’t pitch against the Tigers) be able to pitch tomorrow, but he won’t be ready.

However, we expect to see him at some point in the series. And that could make the difference.

Of course, since Miller hasn’t had much rest, we expect the reliever to enter the game quickly. Once again, many of them played yesterday, but they’re likely to be in demand tomorrow.

And it’s safe to assume that they will be again on Monday, given that Luis Castillo, who pitched yesterday, is expected to be the starter.

Dan Wilson will have his work cut out for him in the first two games if he is to find a way to get his 54 strikeouts. And for the Jays, in front of a Toronto crowd that will be going wild, this will be a great opportunity to take an early lead in the series, especially with Kevin Gausman on the mound tomorrow (and Trey Yesavage likely to be there on Monday).

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Mariners vs Blue Jays: setting the table for the series

For the first time in about a decade, the American League Championship Series will not feature the Astros or Yankees. Instead, it’s the Blue Jays and Mariners.

It’s going to be different, and it’s going to take place starting Sunday evening, at 8 p.m.

The Blue Jays had set foot in the Championship Series in 2015 and 2016, but had failed to reach it since. Their goal will be to reach the World Series for the third time in their history.

On the other occasions (1992 and 1993), the club had won it all.

As for the Mariners, they haven’t qualified for the World Series since 2001. And their goal will be to qualify for the first time in their history. No other baseball franchise has ever made it to the World Series.

So, what are we watching for?

Pitchers

Since the crazy Game #5 between the Mariners and Tigers, one question remains: which starting pitchers will be available for Sunday’s game against the Blue Jays?

Colleague Pascal Harvey summed it up nicely in a piece on the pitchers used in Friday’s final game.

George Kirby pitched just over five innings as a starter on Friday, but Logan Gilbert (2+) and Luis Castillo (1.1) were also used for more than one inning in the ultimate game.

Bryce Miller (game #4, October 8), Gilbert (game #3, October 7), Castillo (game #2, October 5) and Kirby (game #1, October 4) were the starters for the other four games.

They’re all excellent pitchers. But who will be ready on Sunday the 12th? Will it be a bullpen day? A day when we’ll expect a short outing from the starting pitcher? Nobody really knows.

Let’s note that Bryan Woo is getting better and would be the perfect option for Game #1, as he was the Mariners’ best pitcher in 2025. But even though he’s recovering well from his injury and will surely be in the line-up for the series against the Blue Jays, he won’t be available at the start of the series.

What about the Blue Jays?

Not only will they be able to line up their rotation any way they want (Kevin Gausman will pitch on Sunday and Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber should follow), but Chris Bassitt should be able to return to pitch game #4. They know they’re in a strong position.

He’d have to tamp down a reliever from the 26-player lineup. Justin Bruihl, perhaps?

Obviously, the Blue Jays bullpen has its flaws (it may be the club’s biggest question mark), but at least the club is rested. I’m sure the Mariners didn’t like seeing Eduardo Bazardo pitch 2.2 innings on Friday…

Andres Munoz is clearly the Mariners’ go-to guy, but if the Blue Jays can hit his slider, they’ll be fine. We’re also keeping an eye on Matt Brash, who had some success against Detroit.

In Toronto, we wonder which Jeff Hoffman will show up on the mound. Seranthony Dominguez and Louis Varland, the two deadline additions, are also ones to watch.

Position players

The player to watch right now is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. After all, he beat the Yankees almost single-handedly (we’re exaggerating here, but you get the idea) in an emotional series.

Will he be as good in a series where the intensity won’t be the same? There’ll be no “DAAAAA MARINER LOSE” after the series…

Obviously, we’ve seen just how formidable the Blue Jays’ forwards can be. Ernie Clement and Daulton Varsho really supported Vladdy against the Yankees.

Alejandro Kirk, George Springer, Anthony Santander, Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger, Davis Schneider, Andres Gimenez, Myles Straw: the Blue Jays have the resources to dominate offensively and defensively.

But the big question is whether Bo Bichette will be able to play. He recently hinted that he’ll be in the 26-man roster for the championship series. We’ll see if he does.

But how fit would he be to contribute? That’s the question.

In Seattle (where the hitters must also be tired after a loooong game #5), the forward line is different from that of the Torontonians. It’s less explosive and less conducive to big innings, as we saw in the games against Detroit.

I don’t know how much more dynamic it will be in a batting stadium like the Rogers Centre… but I do know that if the Blue Jays had played Game #5 against Detroit, they wouldn’t have scored just two runs in 14 innings before winning in the 15th.

Cal Raleigh, the Mariners’ playoff MVP, struck out eight against the Tigers, including a long ball. He was the only qualified hitter with an OPS over .708 in the last week.

J.P. Crawford, Jorge Polanco (who has two home runs against Tarik Skubal in the Division Series), Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor (the Canadiens whose wife could give birth at any moment), Julio Rodriguez and Mitch Garver are also ones to watch.

The managers

Dan Wilson and John Schneider won a series this week for the first time in their managerial careers. The Mariners man has the advantage of having been to the championship series often (three times) as a Mariners catcher, back in the day.

That said, with the state of his pitching staff, Wilson starts with a catch against him. His pitching management will be crucial in the American League Championship Series.

The imponderables

The Blue Jays have probably chased their playoff demons (the current core had never won a playoff game before this season) recently, but the fact remains that the Mariners beat the Blue Jays in the playoffs in 2022.

We all remember the historic collapse in Game #2 and the collision between George Springer or Bo Bichette.

This season, the Mariners won two of the three games between the two clubs in April at Rogers Centre, but the Blue Jays swept their three-game series in Seattle in May.

Both stadiums are capable of being quite loud, especially if the roof is closed. On Friday night, Tarik Skubal didn’t hear his teammates tell him that Josh Naylor had started stealing third base because of the noise. #AvantageDuTerrain

By the way, will the Mariners prevent Canadian fans from filling the stadium for Games 3, 4 and 5 by limiting ticket sales in Canada? After all, Canadian Blue Jays fans often leave from Vancouver for Blue Jays games in Seattle.

The Mariners must have thought of this.

But more importantly, will the Mariners have gas after traveling across the continent twice in the last few days AND after playing a crazy game on Friday night?

We’ll see in due course.

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Crazy game: Mariners win and face Blue Jays on Sunday

Tonight, in Seattle, the Mariners received a visit from the Detroit Tigers. Both teams were playing for survival, as the loser would not have the chance to continue playing this season.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays were patiently awaiting the winner of the first duel on the heels of the American League Championship Series, starting Sunday in Toronto.

George Kirby and Tarik Skubal (who didn’t necessarily have the Mariners’ number in 2025) were on the mound in what promised to be a noisy game. When a club plays in a stadium where the roof is closed, let’s just say it creates noise.

At the start of the game, it was the Mariners who had the advantage. They had Skubal throwing a lot, unlike Kirby, who wasn’t being challenged as much by the Detroit boys.

In the end, it was Seattle who struck first.

In the second inning, Josh Naylor hit a double via a defensive swing. He stole third base (without Tarik Skubal seeing him or hearing his teammates over the noise) and the Canadiens found a way home via a long sacrifice fly by Mitch Garver.

Cal Raleigh, known for his power with the bat, made an excellent defensive play to keep his side in the game. He retired Colt Keith on a steal attempt with a… perfect shot.

You couldn’t ask for more.

But in the sixth inning, Dan Wilson shot himself in the foot. Managers like to remove starting pitchers too quickly, and the Mariners’ manager wanted to avoid the clash between Kirby and Kerry Carpenter, who has the pitcher’s number.

Even though a left-hander was brought in, the Tigers batter slammed a two-run long ball to give his club the lead – and silence the crowd in Seattle.

So Skubal (who retired seven straight batters on strikes at one point, which is a playoff record) finally had some support and wiggle room.

It looked good for Detroit in the short term.

But seeing that the Tigers had removed Skubal after just six innings (two hits, no walks), one had to wonder whether the Tigers might make the same mistake as the Mariners.

After all, Skubal was fine. 13 strikeouts in a final playoff game is extraordinary – and a record under the circumstances.

No surprise: Kyle Finnegan didn’t last into the seventh, and the Mariners still had good contact in their bats. Imagine if the Tigers had kept the world’s best pitcher on the mound….

Tyler Holton came to the mound with traffic on the paths (but after Josh Naylor’s turn at bat) and Leo Rivas (who, you might ask?) created the tie for Seattle.

A.J. Hinch has looked better than this… #ComeOn

The game went into extra innings, which was good for the Blue Jays as many pitchers were used. In particular, Logan Gilbert was used in relief for the first time in his career.

In the bottom of the 10th, Victor Robles hit a double on the first pitch of the half inning… but to no avail.

In the 11th, Kerry Carpenter hit his fourth home run of the game – his club’s fifth – and moved to second base on Cal Raleigh’s first passed ball of the season behind home plate.

But to no avail. The excellent ball game continued.

In the 12th, the Tigers attacked again. They sent their first two batters of the inning to the plate against Gilbert, who was eventually replaced on the mound. A bunt advanced both runners, but Zach McKinstry was pinned at the plate.

With the bases loaded (Kerry Carpenter had been awarded an intentional walk… and rightly so), Gleyber Torres was pulled on a fly ball to end the half inning.

No one wanted us to go down.

In the bottom of the 12th, Rivas (again) got on base with a walk before moving to second on a naughty throw to first. Then, Victor Robles was hit on the hand on a bunt attempt, the ball fell into play… and the runner made no attempt to go to third.

Who knows why?

The batter was judged to have been hit, so Rivas couldn’t have stayed at third base. But he had to at least take a shot.

The umpire recovered by stealing a base on balls from J.P. Crawford on the next sequence. And finally, Crawford sac flied to his helmet when he returned to the dugout, after being called out on a fly ball in the outfield.

And guess what? The inning ended on a double play right after. #PasCouché #ViveLeCadran #MatchOfPitchers

Back in the 13th inning, Luis Castillo and Jack Flaherty were seen warming up. The Mariners and Tigers had no choice but to consider it, but let’s just say a lot of cartridges were used up on this Friday night.

It was Flaherty who came into the game – no doubt to the delight of the Blue Jays – in the bottom of the 13th. He had a hard time finding the strike zone and two guys went to the cushions.

BUT IN VAIN!

The longest deciding game in series history was transported to the 14th inning, when Luis Castillo finally entered the game. It was his first time in relief in his career, and he came in with a runner in scoring position.

But he held down the fort as the sixth starting pitcher to pitch in the game.

After the second Take me out to the ball game (in the 14th) of a game nobody wanted to win, the Mariners sent two guys on base (first and second) with no outs for Cal Raleigh.

The result? Tommy Kahnle had Raleigh hit to the outfield, but the sacrifice fly had both guys facing off. Julio Rodriguez received an intentional walk and Jorge Polanco came to the plate with only one out. He didn’t miss. #Walkoff

So the Seattle Mariners will be celebrating (quickly) before heading to Toronto for the American League Championship Series. It starts Sunday night.

Who’ll be pitching? We’ll see in due course.

PMLB
  • Great story.

  • The Brewers are dedicated to the task. On an optional day, everyone showed up at the ballpark.

  • Touching scene.

  • 2026 will be Miguel Rojas’ last season. At least that’s the plan.

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Yankees: “One of the worst-built teams” Alex Rodriguez has seen

The Yankees’ 2025 season came to an end on Wednesday night, as the club was eliminated by the Blue Jays in the Division Series. The Jays dominated the series, despite losing Game #3.

It was clearly one-sided.

All of which means that it’s time to take stock in the Bronx. The club needs to figure out how it can get back on track… and in Alex Rodriguez’s eyes, there’s a lot of work to do.

On the set of FS1, the former Yankee chatted about the 2025 version of his former team… and says it was simply one of the worst-built teams he’s ever seen.

All nuance.

Rodriguez came to Aaron Boone’s defense, saying the manager did what he could with “three catchers hitting from left, five designated hitters and a constantly changing first baseman.”

I’m having trouble understanding who he thinks the five designated hitters are (Giancarlo Stanton is the main one, and Aaron Judge has been on occasion because of his elbow)… but hey.

All of which means that according to A-Rod (who, let’s not forget, really doesn’t hold Brian Cashman in his heart), Aaron Boone is the person least to blame for his club’s elimination. We salute colleague Sébastien Berrouard in passing.

Rodriguez is right that there are elements that could be reviewed and corrected. That said, from the perspective that Brian Cashman had to revamp his entire offense after losing Juan Soto this winter, finding a way to have nine hitters with at least 19 home runs this year in addition to a big rotation (despite the absence of Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt) isn’t ugly at all.

There’s still work to be done, but to say that the 2025 Yankees were “one of the worst-built teams in recent history” is a bit of a stretch. In fact, I stand corrected: it’s completely ridiculous.

We’ll see what the Yankees are able to do this winter, because there are indeed some things to readjust in town.

But setting fire to the shack would be a disservice to a team that finished the year with the best record in America (tied with the Jays).

PMLB
  • Bryan Woo is getting better.

  • Jose Iglesias suspended for one match for his behaviour towards the umpires following the Padres’ elimination. Xander Bogaerts was fined.

  • Today’s line-up.

  • Expect to see him in MLB in 2026.

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MLB in brief: Cody Bellinger to become a free agent | Brandon Hyde interviewed

Cody Bellinger to become a free agent

Unsurprisingly, he’s getting out of his contract. Will he return to the Yankees?

Speaking of the Yankees: are they still the crème de la crème?

Kyle Schwarber emotional

Did he play his last game for the Phillies?

Brandon Hyde interviewed

He talked to Buster Posey about managing the Giants.

Notice to interested parties

The movie “Who Killed the Montreal Expos?” will be in theatres this Sunday.

What makes Trey Yesavage so good?

Read on.

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Top-5: available management positions

Only six teams remain in the race to win the 2025 World Series. This means that 24 MLB teams are currently on leave until the next campaign.

And some of them still don’t have a manager. Here are the top-5 teams looking for a new skipper, with the most enviable position at number one. We’re not talking about the Colorado Rockies and Minnesota Twins here, of course.

5. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels in our countryside have one of the worst affiliate systems in all of Major League Baseball and already have over $126 million committed to 2026 for a roster that’s no good. The next manager won’t have much to work with.

4. Washington Nationals

The representatives of the U.S. capital aren’t close to winning a Fall Classic title, but they do have some good elements to build on. C.J. Abrams, Dylan Crews and James Wood form an excellent core of position players, while MacKenzie Gore could become a legitimate number-one starter in the Manfred circuit.

The Nats currently have only fourteen million dollars committed to their active roster, which happens to be the lowest amount in MLB. So there’s plenty of room to add pieces to the puzzle.

3. Baltimore Orioles

Along with the New York Mets, the O’s were among the most disappointing teams in Major League Baseball during the 2025 campaign.

With Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo, the Birds’ offensive future is rosy. However, they’ll need to find a way to revamp this much-needed starting rotation and relief bullpen with the injury to Felix Bautista. The staff will have to be willing to spend to win, and do it the right way.

2. San Francisco Giants

The Giants collapsed in 2025 after acquiring the services of Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox. In addition to Devers, however, the Bay Area outfit has good position players in Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and young Bryce Eldridge, plus Logan Webb and Robbie Ray on the mound. Depth will have to be improved, however.

1. Atlanta Braves

Injuries played a big part in the Braves’ downfall in 2025, but the team never seemed to take off even when healthy. However, with a rotation consisting of Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep and Grant Holmes, Atlanta should return to its former standards. At forward, Matt Olson Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley are still in place and can take theirs to the next level.

Whoever accepts this position also knows that he has an excellent general manager in Alex Anthopoulos over his head, and that Anthopoulos will do everything in his power to return to the top.

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