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MLB in brief: John Gibbons leaves the Mets | Alex Bregman feels honored

John Gibbons leaves the Mets

He’s not retiring: he just feels the club needs another bench coach to back up Carlos Mendoza, whom he likes. So he’s gone.

In fact, big changes are in store for the Mets’ coaching staff. Firings have taken place.

Cam Schlittler denied the Red Sox

It looks like dirty water,” he said. Dirty Water is the Red Sox slogan.

Forward the Dodgers’ bullpen

That’s the thing about Philly. And you have to get to the bullpen quickly, so be patient with the starters to get them to pitch.

Alex Bregman feels honored to have worn the Red Sox uniform

Is he on his way out?

Mason Miller versus Jasson Dominguez and more?

Cameron Maybin suggests it.

Sportsnet Team

Here’s who’ll be there for the games. Note that Kevin Pillar is there.

Yadier Molina on the Cardinals coaching staff?

Could be.

Skip Schumaker, a formality in Texas?

That seems to be the case for the manager’s job.

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Blue Jays: No word on who will start game #2 | The Bo Bichette case

It’s here: the Blue Jays are approaching their first playoff game.

Tomorrow and Sunday, at 4:08 p.m., the Blue Jays will host the Yankees at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. And there are several things to watch out for in connection with the Toronto club, which had success in Toronto against the Bombers.

1. Unsurprisingly, Kevin Gausman will be pitching tomorrow. Despite his more difficult end to the season, he’s clearly the club’s best pitcher in 2025, which means he deserves the start.

With the five-day break, the club can shape its rotation as it sees fit.

2. We still don’t know who will pitch game #2: John Schneider wouldn’t confirm anything. But we do know that, logically, it should be between Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage.

To go any other way would be a surprise.

Normally, Bieber would be the choice. But going with Yesavage at home, so with home advantage, might make sense to accentuate the surprise effect against him.

But if the club doesn’t go with Bieber and loses match #2, there could be tears in town. It’s a risk, you know.

3. We still don’t know if Chris Bassitt will be able to pitch in the division series, but we do know that Jose Berrios won’t be available. He hasn’t started pitching yet. He’s still on the injured list.

If Bassitt can pitch, he could be the #4 starter. But if not?

Eric Lauer, on a day when the bullpen would be highlighted, could be an option if the series goes that far. But you also have to consider Max Scherzer, who had a very bad end to the season.

Yesterday, in a simulated game, he pitched… five innings. That’s a lot and leads me to believe that the club doesn’t want to count on him. However, others think that the club sees him as a fourth starter, if need be, and that his simulated game yesterday served to keep him in the rhythm of a starter.

Whether or not Max Scherzer makes the 26-man roster for the division series will also depend on this: will the Blue Jays go with 13 pitchers and 13 hitters, or with 14 hitters and only 12 pitchers?

Both scenarios are on the table right now.

4. The question on everyone’s mind is whether Bo Bichette will be able to play in the division series or not – although we suspect the answer is no. John Schneider is taking it day by day.

Nothing is officially decided, then.

That said, since John Schneider said Bichette would have to be able to contribute regularly (not just Kirk Gibson-style) to play and the shortstop hasn’t started running again… we suspect his presence is pretty unlikely.

Remember that the 26-player roster is drawn up at the start of each series. And even if a substitution is possible in the middle of a series (but it’s complex, since it involves ending the current series AND the next series of a teammate), it’s not the ideal scenario.

5. The Blue Jays are going to need Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to win. The latter knows he has to play up to his talent and contract, which hasn’t always been the case in the playoffs.

But Vladdy (like his manager) wants to represent Canada and its fans. He wants to beat the Yankees to advance to the next round.

6. The Yankees also have a star who knows his playoff reputation isn’t the best: Aaron Judge. And Judge has played the good captain by praising the Queen City outfit.

He knows the Blue Jays will put the ball in play.

He knows full well that the Blue Jays don’t often get retired on strikes and that this will test the Yankees’ defense. And since the Yankees don’t have the best defensive team, it’s the right thing to do in Toronto.

In this first-ever playoff meeting between the two teams, the stakes are high. And since Judge knows he may not get the chance to make a difference with his stick, he wants to see his club be sharp defensively. #ButOnBallsIntentional

7. On the other side, the Blue Jays tend to give away home runs a lot. And the Bronx Bombers are aptly named, as they tend to hit a lot of long balls.

This will be a big aspect to keep an eye on, as it could make the difference in the series.

8. Yesterday, the Red Sox outfielders could hardly hear themselves talk in the field, so much was the noise in the stands at Yankee Stadium. Blue Jays fans can do the same in Toronto – especially if the roof is closed.

Will it be an issue in favor of the Blue Jays, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2016? #FieldAdvantage

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Cubs vs Brewers: setting the table for the series

The Chicago Cubs were pushed to the limit of their Wild Card Series by the San Diego Padres, but managed to emerge victorious as the Bears’ offense picked up a bit of steam.

The win gives them a bye into the Division Series against their sectional rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, who finished first in all of MLB and were waiting comfortably this week.

This will be the first playoff meeting between the two teams.

The pitchers

The loss of Brandon Woodruff could hurt the Brewers in a best-of-five series.

Freddy Peralta will take the mound for the Brewers in Game 1 and should give them the upper hand in this first duel, after a regular season that saw him finish with a record of 17 wins against 6 losses and a career-best 2.70 earned-run average.

How Quinn Priester, Jose Quintana and Chad Patrick perform on the mound afterwards will probably dictate the pace of the series. Because it sure looks like Jacob Misiorowski could be used in the relief bullpen by manager Pat Murphy.

Milwaukee pitchers have allowed the third fewest runs and the fifth fewest home runs. They have the ninth-best WHIP in MLB and the fifth-most strikeouts.

For Chicago, Cade Horton was one of the best pitchers in baseball during the second half of the season, with an earned run average of 1.03 after the All-Star break. But he found himself on the injured list with a fractured rib just before the end of the season. There’s a chance he could pitch late in the Division Series.

Cubs starters are posting a 4.41 ERA against the Brewers this season, although Jameson Taillon, Collin Rea and Shota Imanaga finished the last series between the two teams by allowing five earned runs in 18 and two-thirds innings of work with a 2.41 ERA.

Chicago’s relief bullpen improved greatly in September, with the acquisition of Andrew Kittredge making a difference, and Brad Keller being very effective. The Cubs also have quality options in Drew Pomeranz and Caleb Thielbar.

Hitters

The Cubs ranked sixth in Major League Baseball with 223 home runs and third in runs batted in with 771.

Chicago has the eleventh-highest number of hits (1,371), the fourteenth-best team batting average (.249) and the tenth-best on-base percentage (.320) in MLB in 2025.

Flanked by Seiya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong, to name but a few, the Windy City outfit is an aggressive team on the offensive side of the ball and likes to attack opposing pitchers, but it won’t be easy against the Milwaukee pitchers.

For their part, with Christian Yelich and Jackson as leaders, the Brewers are a smart team that does all the little things the right way and avoids making the catastrophic mistakes that lose games.

However, at the fall dance, the Wisconsin representatives’ lack of power could hurt them badly.

The managers

Prodigal son Craig Counsell returns to Milwaukee for the first time in the playoffs. The Whitefish Bay native, who is the winningest manager in Brewers history during his tenure from 2015 to 2023, shocked the baseball world when he left for the archrival before the 2024 season.

Brewers fans expressed their displeasure with him quite loudly at times when he returned to American Family Field, and will do so again in the coming days.

Pat Murphy, meanwhile, has worked miracles with his team in 2025, but will have to ward off fate in the playoffs, as the Brewers often collapse when it comes to October baseball.

It will be two great friends facing off for the manager’s job in this series, Murphy having spent eight seasons as bench coach alongside Counsell before the latter quit.

The imponderables

Both teams are in the top-3 of MLB’s best defenses, whatever statistics are analyzed. The Cubs, however, have much more power, but the Brewers are a team that runs the bases very well and can put pressure on the Bears’ pitchers.

So it’s a battle of two completely different styles that’s likely to come down to the wire.

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“Beating the Red Sox was personal for me” – Cam Schlittler

If the New York Yankees were able to win a first playoff series against the Boston Red Sox since 2003, it was thanks in part to the performance of their electrifying young pitcher Cam Schlittler.

And let’s just say that the 24-year-old had extra motivation, as the Massachusetts native declared that beating the Red Sox was personal for him after fans lashed out at him.

There’s a line they crossed a little bit. I’m a competitor. I went out there to make sure I put them out.

And that’s exactly what he did, completely muzzling the Bas Rouges and their fans.

Indeed, the rookie pitcher had the outing of his life, pitching eight innings without allowing a run. Schlittler allowed just five hits and recorded twelve strikeouts to no walks, throwing 107 pitches.

All this after Schlittler started the 2025 campaign at Double-A level before being promoted to AAA in June. Then, the Bombardiers recalled the tall, six-foot-five right-hander on July 9 to replace Clarke Schmidt, who suffered a season-ending elbow injury.

Schlittler’s performance enabled the New York Yankees to become the first team to win a best-of-three Wild Card series after losing the first meeting since the format was introduced.

Schlittler is now expected to be on the mound for Game 4 of the Division Series between New York and the Toronto Blue Jays. He will then attempt to redeem his only poor start of the season on September 5, when he gave the Jays four earned runs in just one and two-thirds innings of work.

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Padres looked like they wanted to fight with the umpires

The San Diego Padres lost yesterday.

Like all the teams (except the Yankees vs. the Red Sox) that lost their first game of their Wild Card series, the Padres failed to qualify for the division series.

Once again, the club struggled in the playoffs.

But the Padres gave the Cubs a run for their money in the ninth inning yesterday. There was traffic on the paths, but the club wasn’t able to capitalize.

One of the reasons? The umpire behind home plate.

I don’t like to blame the umpires for a setback. That said, there’s no doubt that if Xander Bogaerts had had the opportunity to finish his appearance at bat, the story might have been different. After all, it was a horrible call for a third strike.

Clearly, at the moment, everyone is talking about the ABS system. Because this system, which will be in place in 2026, would have been a game-changer for Bogaerts, who would have asked for a review and had the decision overturned.

A pat on the head would have changed everything.

But failing that, it was on the umpires’ heads that the Padres players felt like tapping yesterday. After the game, the umpires passed close to the Padres players, and the latter were not calm.

With emotions running high, we understand where this is coming from.

Of course, the Padres will have to look in the mirror and ask themselves why they got into this position in the first place. But I would have liked to see Bogaerts not get robbed.

However, it wouldn’t have mattered so much if the San Diego Padres’ stars had played up to their talent. Yesterday, Fernando Tatis Jr. was particularly bad at bat.

PMLB
  • Weekend schedule.

  • The guys know it’s tough, losing. They didn’t want to talk about their exit option.

  • The Yankees pitcher was incredible.

  • The scout who signed Derek Jeter has passed away.

  • Max Scherzer pitched five innings yesterday in a simulated game. That’s… a lot.

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Cam Schlittler and the Yankees eliminate the Red Sox

Red Sox. Yankees. The ultimate playoff game. What more could you ask for in the final game of the best-of-second series?

The two natural rivals faced off in the Bronx tonight for the right to face the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, on the heels of the start of the division series.

Rookies Cam Schlittler and Connelly Early were on the mound. And to start the game, both players didn’t look like rookies. We wondered who would go down first.

In the end, it was the Yankees who struck first. Early let batters get on base and Amed Rosario produced the game’s first run by driving in Cody Bellinger.

Clearly, the fourth inning was too much for the Red Sox rookie. With the bases loaded, Anthony Volpe put the ball safely into the outfield to make it 2-0. But the bases were still loaded, thanks in part to the Red Sox’s ugly defense.

Another play related to the questionable defense allowed the Yankees to score two more runs, to make it 4-0. And that’s WHEN Alex Cora chose to change his pitcher… three or four batters too late.

Meanwhile, Schlittler continued to dominate on the mound.

In fact, he pitched eight innings, didn’t give up a run or a walk… and passed 12 guys in the mitt, which is a record for a Yankees rookie pitcher in the playoffs. He even inspired Ryan McMahon to do… this.

It was really the pitcher (and the big offensive inning) that took his team to the division series tonight. Because yes, the Red Sox are eliminated and the Yankees will face the Blue Jays, in Toronto, starting Saturday.

It’s going to be a fascinating series.

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Tigers vs Mariners: setting the table for the series

The Detroit Tigers managed to take out the Cleveland Guardians on the heels of the best-of-second series. It took three games, but the Tigers are finally in the division series.

For months, we thought it would happen by avoiding wild card games , but the Tigers’ end of season was so catastrophic that it took longer than expected.

As for the Mariners, we agree that their end of the season was surprising, but in the other way. The club dislodged the Astros from the top of the West Division with a strong end to the season.

Let’s put it this way: a month ago, I would have expected a duel between the two teams… but I would have thought that Game #1 would have been played in Detroit.

The pitchers

On paper, the Mariners’ rotation is much better than the Tigers’ – and it’s not particularly close. Plus, the guys will be rested and the manager can line up his starters as he sees fit, given the break since Sunday.

The big problem, though? Bryan Woo, their best pitcher in 2025, isn’t in top form. We don’t know when he’ll be able to pitch again, but I don’t expect him to pitch in Game #1. His health is questionable.

Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby are possibilities for the first game.

The Tigers’ rotation won’t be as good. Sure, they have the best pitcher in the world (Tarik Skubal), but they don’t really have four starters. And Skubal won’t be available for game #1. Will a committee of relievers do the job?

The Tigers bullpen better be good. Tyler Holton, Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest were the three men manager A.J. Hinch trusted against Seattle: all three pitchers came up empty.

Andres Munoz, Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier and Matt Brash are the main names to watch in the Mariners’ bullpen. That’s solid stuff. Really, on the mound, things are going well for Seattle.

The hitters

In the playoffs, three players stood out for the Tigers: Javier Baez, Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene. Parker Meadows, Spencer Torkelson and Gleyber Torres are also ones to watch.

Dillon Dingler also has the potential to do some damage.

For the Mariners, the additions of Josh Naylor (who has also become a goal-stealer) and Eugenio Suarez have helped. Randy Arozarena is capable of standing up in the playoffs, Julio Rodriguez is a star, J.P. Crawford is excellent at shortstop…

Oh, I forgot: Cal Raleigh is one to watch. He hit 60 home runs this season.

The managers

Dan Wilson is a good regular-season manager. He’s been in Seattle for a year and a half and he’s doing a great job. We’ve never seen what he can do as a playoff manager, though.

A.J. Hinch, on the other hand, has quite a bit of playoff experience: he won it all with Houston. And for the past two years, with Detroit, he’s had his moments in the playoffs.

The imponderables

This won’t be the most-watched series in baseball, but both teams are out to prove themselves. The Tigers will want to show they can play like the club that dominated much of the regular schedule.

And the Mariners want to go far in the playoffs. The club has never played in the World Series, and the 2025 squad has the potential to change that this year in an American League that’s… takeable.

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Cubs send Padres on vacation

The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres had the chance to advance to the Division Series at the end of their final Wild Card duel today (Thursday).

For the occasion, Jameson Taillon was pitted against Yu Darvish on the mound.

And things didn’t go well for the latter, as in the second inning, the Cubs took the lead by two thanks to a timely Pete Crow-Armstrong single and a bases-loaded walk.

That was it for the Padres starter, who pitched just one complete inning. For his part, Taillon was on the mound for four innings, giving up no runs to the Padres.

True to form, however, the San Diego reliever did an outstanding job, not allowing a run until Michael Bush blasted Robert Suarez’s shot over the fence in the bottom of the seventh inning to give his team a 3-0 lead.

Despite a solo home run by Merrill Kelly and two runners left on base in the top of the ninth inning, that was it for the Padres, who once again go on vacation after the first round of the playoffs.

The Cubs will face the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday for the start of their divisional series.

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Pat Murphy: “Christian Yelich is a lot bigger than me” in terms of leadership

Team leadership starts at the top of the pyramid. When the top of a company is doing well, it can be felt everywhere.

That’s true when you’re talking about the owner of a ball team, but it’s also true in the hierarchy of players. And at the Milwaukee Brewers, it goes through Christian Yelich.

Manager Pat Murphy, who will be considered for Manager of the Year, understands this reality. And in his eyes, Christian Yelich’s leadership qualities are a big reason for the Brewers’ enormous success in 2025.

Murphy was quick to mention (on the heels of an interview with Bob Costas) that Yelich, who leads by example, is having a positive effect on the Brewers’ youth gang.

He leads the club. He’s more important than I am. A lot more important. – Pat Murphy on Christian Yelich

Clearly, a good manager is a game changer. No one’s going to deny that.

However, when it’s among the players and the players motivate each other, it makes the manager’s job much easier to connect with the whole group.

Murphy gave the example of Derek Jeter, for whom he has the utmost respect. The Yankees captain bought Joe Torre’s game plan, and that’s a big part of the Yankees’ success in those years.

Obviously, we’re not comparing Yelich (who’s having a great season) to Jeter here. However, we understand that the impact of an impact player on a team can be a game-changer. It remains to be seen whether this will have an effect in the Wisconsin playoffs.

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The Tigers eliminate the Guardians and put their historic rout behind them

It was a busy day in the MLB today, with three final games on the schedule in the best-of-second round.

To kick things off, the Tigers and Guardians faced off mid-afternoon. Both clubs were trying to survive elimination in Cleveland.

And after two scoreless innings, it was the Tigers who opened the scoring. Kerry Carpenter produced the first point of the game on a… bizarre play.

But one set later, the Guardians responded. And unsurprisingly, it was Jose Ramirez who was at the heart of it all.

He hit the ball to safety to allow George Valera to cross the plate.

But then Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler took matters into his own hands. With Ramirez on first, Dingler pinned him with a good throw to second base as the Guardians star attempted to steal home.

A major league relay, that.

Then, in the sixth inning, Dingler came to bat… and gave his team back the lead with a long ball.

He really took control of the game.

In the seventh inning, the Tigers began to threaten again… and this time, they took the opportunity to give themselves quite a cushion.

Wenceel Perez and Spencer Torkelson each produced two runs to give the Tigers a 6-1 lead.

In the eighth inning, the Guardians began to threaten again. With two guys in scoring position, Jose Ramirez hit a roller to first base… but took advantage of an error by reliever Will Vest to produce two runs.

Except that Vest recovered… and retired Ramirez, who was trying to get to second base.

The Tigers closed the books in the ninth and eventually won 6-3. The club thus wins the series and eliminates the Guardians.

After a historic rout in September, the Tigers finally had the last laugh. The Guardians’ wild comeback finally ran out of gas once they reached the playoffs, and the Tigers’ mental strength in this series is to be commended.

But now, the next step is a duel against the Mariners in the Division Series. Let’s see if the Tigers can keep their momentum going.

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