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2026 MLB Postseason

Peralta Can Finish the Job

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ST. PETERSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Starting pitcher Nick Martinez passed the baton to Drew Rasmussen. Now, it’s up to Freddy Peralta to finish the job and take the Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series.

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The Rays return home to St. Petersburg, Fla., on Monday to host Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, holding a 3-2 lead over the Cleveland Guardians after two straight victories on the road.

Trade-deadline acquisition Peralta (1-0, 0.79 ERA), a right-hander, has an opportunity to win the best-of-seven set and send Tampa Bay into a matchup with the National League champion Milwaukee Brewers in the Fall Classic.

“It’s funny because our first goal when we got to Cleveland was just to get back to The Trop,” Rays closer Bryan Baker said, referring to their ballpark. “Then, to be able to go back in this position is exactly what we wanted to do.

“It’s what we worked for. It was a huge couple of games here to get to this spot, and I’m super proud of the guys to come this far.”

The Guardians boarded their flight to Florida with more questions than answers, shell-shocked after their momentum disappeared with a rainout Friday. Cleveland managed just two runs in 12 1/3 combined innings against Martinez and Rasmussen.

Peralta, who came over from the New York Mets, will make his second start and third appearance in the ALCS. He won Game 2 and pitched in relief in Game 4, tossing 6 2/3 total scoreless innings with six strikeouts and a .167 opponent batting average.

“Kudos to Freddy, he’s been awesome to have around as a human being,” Rasmussen said. “It’s not necessarily the most comfortable thing to get traded and being told we’re going to make some mechanical adjustments. But I think he’s gotten back to being an athlete and not quite so robotic.”

In ALCS history, the team that takes a 3-2 lead has advanced to the World Series 69.6% of the time (16 of 23).

Further complicating Cleveland’s comeback chances is its lack of options on the mound. All-Star Parker Messick lasted a career-low two innings in Game 5, and ace Gavin Williams is unavailable in any capacity after earning the win Thursday in Game 3.

Mercurial Joey Cantillo (0-0, 2.70) is likely, but not certain, to be the bulk reliever. The left-hander has given up one hit and two walks in 1 2/3 scoreless innings in the ALCS, but was ripped for five runs in 3 2/3 innings in a July 24 loss at Tampa Bay.

“We’ll have a plan, but we’re not sure who is going to take the ball first,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “But Gavin is not an option.

“We know we’ve got our work cut out for us, but if there’s a group I’m betting on to get this done, it’s our guys.”

Cleveland rallied from a 2-0 deficit to eliminate the Chicago White Sox in the best-of-five Division Series earlier in October. If the Guardians can survive Game 6 against the Rays, Williams and potentially Messick would be in play for the winner-take-all finale.

But it’s a steep hill for the Guardians to climb to get there.

“It will help a ton, knowing we’re able to do it when facing elimination,” Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan said. “And I think we feel better on this one, since we’ve got some wins under our belt against them.

“We’ll just have to trust our plans, turn the page and see what happens.”

–Field Level Media

Boone Warns Against Over-Confidence

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BRONX – (Wire Service Report) – The New York Yankees believed their starting pitching was strong enough entering the postseason and they possessed just enough offense to consistently win games.

In an impressive all-around showing in the opener of the wild-card series, both came together in a massive way for the Yankees, who hope they do enough again to close out the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 on Wednesday.

New York leads the best-of-three 1-0 and can advance to the division series against the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays in a best-of-five series that begins Saturday night.

Max Fried will pitch for New York on Wednesday, and if the Yankees close out the series, they can save Gerrit Cole for the opening game of the next round.

After New York’s rotation led the majors with a 3.30 ERA, Cam Schlittler allowed two hits and struck out 10 in 6 1/3 dominant innings against his hometown team before New York scored seven of its runs in the final two innings en route to a 9-0 rout on Tuesday.

Ben Rice, another Massachusetts native, fueled New York’s offense by following his 41-homer season with two homers and six RBIs. Rice hit a solo homer along with a grand slam while tying the team record for RBIs in a postseason game.

“It’s a more confident group, but it’s one game,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said postgame. “… So as much as tonight was a special night here in the Bronx and you could feel that energy, it was electric and so many guys played so well, you enjoy it for a minute. But it’s getting right back after it tomorrow knowing that we’ll have a chance to close it out.”

The Red Sox have lost their past three postseason games to the Yankees, the past two being shutout defeats.

Boston was held to three hits and one walk on Tuesday. Willson Contreras went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts after missing most of the final weeks of the regular season with a hand injury.

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The Red Sox may also be without Roman Anthony for Wednesday. The designated hitter exited after two at-bats in Game 1 because of hand and wrist issues that caused him to miss 101 games until returning Aug. 30.

“Now you have to win two in a row, so you’ve got to be aggressive and try to win as many moments as you can because we’ve got to win two games in a row now to keep the season alive,” Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said.

Fried went 5-5 with a 2.80 ERA in the regular season, including a 1-1 mark with a 2.73 ERA in five starts to end the campaign following his second IL stint.

He last pitched in a 6-1 loss against Tampa Bay on Sept. 22, when he allowed four runs in 6 1/3 innings. Fried went 1-0 with an 0.77 ERA in two starts against Boston this season, giving him a 4-1 record with a 1.93 ERA in seven career outings vs. the Red Sox. He threw 6 1/3 shutout innings against Boston in Game 1 of the 2025 wild-card series, which was eventually won by the Red Sox.

Sonny Gray gets the call for Boston after setting a career high with an AL-best 18 wins to go with a 2.72 ERA. He closed the regular season by throwing six shutout innings to beat the Cleveland Guardians on Sept. 23.

The right-hander is 3-3 with a 3.67 ERA in 10 career starts against the Yankees. This season, Gray went 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two games vs. New York.

– Field Level Media

The Two Who Got Away …

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BRONX – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New York Yankees starter Cam Schlittler – the most definite Cy Young Award winner since Cy Young – will always be known to the Red Sox as the kid from Walpole and Northeastern who got away. The un-hittable righty lasted until the seventh round and 220th overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft. That means every team had its chance to draft him, to call him one of their own – EVERYBODY.

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Schlittler fanned 10 batters in 6 1/3 dominant innings while Ben Rice homered twice and drove in six runs as the New York Yankees pulled away for a 9-0 rout of the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of an American League wild-card series on Tuesday night.

Speaking like a seasoned veteran, the young pitcher noted, “Ben has excelled very well in the organization,” Schlittler said. “He was someone I knew while I was in the minors of how well he was excelling. And, again, it’s great to be teammates with him and have that comfortability being from home. And he’s been dominant all season. It’s very exciting to watch. And I’m glad he can go out there today and get his flowers.”

The Yankees can close out the best-of-three series on Wednesday when Max Fried pitches. Sonny Gray will try to extend Boston’s season to a decisive Game 3 on Thursday.

Nearly a year after fanning 12 and allowing five hits in eight scoreless innings in Game 3 of last year’s wild-card series against Boston, Schlittler (1-0) was equally as sharp in his third career postseason start to help the Yankees take the 1-0 series lead.

Schlittler allowed just three baserunners, two singles and a walk. His 117 pitches were not only a career high but the most by a Yankee in a postseason game since CC Sabathia threw a 121-pitch complete game in Game 5 of the 2012 AL Division Series against the Baltimore Orioles.

“They took some tough at-bats against him, I thought, throughout the night that made it hard for him to get super deep,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But he was terrific. Probably his best curveball of the year to go with obviously, I thought, really good command and in control of his heaters.”

Schlittler threw 77 pitches for strikes while going up against the team he grew up rooting for from his home in Walpole.

“Cam was obviously awfully good,” Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said. “The fastball shapes are well-documented. He’s throwing hard. He also had a good curveball today that you know it’s there but he used it a little bit more often. He landed it if he wanted to for strikes. He was able to get it beneath for swing and miss. We weren’t able to do much with him.”

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Rice, a fellow native of Schlittler’s home state of Massachusetts in nearby Cohasset, hit a solo homer for a 2-0 lead in the fifth off left-handed reliever Erik Miller and added an RBI single in the seventh. He capped a five-run eighth by launching a Grand Slam off Brayan Bello over the right-center-field fence. Rice was a 12th round draft choice (363rd overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft. Again, he was a player everyone but the Yankees passed on.

Rice hit New York’s 16th grand slam in a postseason game and the first since Anthony Volpe hit one in Game 3 of the 2024 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Rice went 4-for-5 and had New York’s first four-hit postseason game since Gleyber Torres accomplished the feat in Game 1 of the 2020 wild-card series at Cleveland.

“He pummeled pitches all night,” Boone said. “They went after him a little bit and he made them pay. I mean, some great left-on-left at-bats, the double to right-center smoke, the homer out the front door in Monument Park. And an exclamation point there at the end. Just a big-time night by a great hitter.”

Catcher Austin Wells helped Schlittler by winning an ABS challenge on Wilyer Abreu for a called third strike to end the first inning and hit an RBI single with two on in the second against Boston starter Payton Tolle.

Rookie George Lombard Jr. had three hits and scored two runs.

Tolle allowed one run on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. The left-hander struck out four, walked one and threw 58 of 83 pitches for strikes.

Paul Blackburn (1 2/3 innings) and John Schreiber (one inning) finished the Yankees’ three-hitter.

–Field Level Media

 

Fireballers Take the Stage

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Preview) – While Cam Schlittler’s first full season with the New York Yankees was among the best in team history, Payton Tolle delivered a strong rookie campaign for the Boston Red Sox.

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Both starting pitchers did more than enough to earn their teams’ trust for Game 1 of the best-of-three wild-card series that begins Tuesday night.

After the intense Schlittler starts for the Yankees, Max Fried has been tabbed for Game 2 followed by Gerrit Cole if Game 3 is necessary. Sonny Gray follows the easygoing Tolle for the Red Sox, who will turn to Ranger Suarez in Game 3 if needed.

Schlittler, 25, won Game 3 in last year’s wild-card series against the Red Sox by striking out 12 in eight dominant innings as New York advanced with a 4-0 victory. He did enough in 14 starts over the final two months of last season to be entrusted with that start after Clarke Schmidt needed elbow surgery.

This season, Schlittler was an important part of the rotation from the start and the Walpole, Mass. native ranks as the prohibitive favorite to win the American League’s Cy Young Award after going 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 33 starts.

“It’s special,” Schlittler said. “Being able to get that experience last year in Game 3, it’s a good feeling to go out there and get the first one.”

Schlittler tied Dylan Cease for the AL’s second-most strikeouts. He joined Cole (2.63 in 2023) as the only Yankees to lead the AL in ERA since 1980.

Schlittler also held hitters to a .185 average and ended the season by going 6-1 with a 1.81 ERA in his final 15 starts that spanned 89 2/3 innings.

“We obviously love his makeup,” manager Aaron Boone said Monday. “He’s obviously super-talented and really skilled, but he’s also mentally really tough and able to focus and it seems like the bigger the game, the better he seems to be here in his young career.”

Schlittler also thrived against the Red Sox, who had the pick before the Yankees selected the right-hander in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. Schlittler went 2-1 with a 0.74 ERA in four starts against Boston this year. In those games, he struck out 27 in 24 1/3 innings while holding hitters to a .174 average.

“You’ve got to rely on your strengths,” Schlittler said. “At the same time, you got to see what adjustments they make and kind of just go from there.”

Tolle, 23, didn’t get to make as big of an impact as Schlittler last year. After making three starts and four relief appearances during the regular season, he got to face just one batter in the playoffs — and the lefty retired Trent Grisham for the final out of the eighth inning in Game 2.

This season, he debuted by striking out 11 in six innings against the Yankees during a no-decision on April 23. He stayed in the rotation the rest of the year and posted a 9-6 record with a 3.03 ERA.

Tolle was fourth among qualified AL rookies in ERA and second behind Cleveland’s Parker Messick with 171 strikeouts. He notched 97 of those strikeouts while going 5-0 with a 2.66 ERA over his final 13 starts, as the Red Sox recovered from a 32-46 start by winning 32 of 37 games, including a 15-game winning streak in July.

“When he’s starting, you’re not as much worried about who’s in the lineup, you trust him either way,” Boston manager Chad Tracy said. “I just feel like we’re pretty confident in who he is as a pitcher and what he brings to the table regardless of who he’s facing as far as difficulty to hit. That’s what we felt like was best.”

Tolle was 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two starts against the Yankees — both at Fenway Park. New York was 4-for-43 with 18 strikeouts in their two encounters with Tolle, who held hitters to a .222 average overall.

“It means a lot,” Tolle said. “I think it’s something that you work for for a long time. To be able to get this opportunity is really special. To be able to go out there and try to set the tone as best I can is really special.”

Both pitchers could face lineups missing prominent bats, as Aaron Judge and Willson Contreras are question marks with injuries. The teams must lock in their rosters by the 10 a.m. EDT deadline on Tuesday.

Judge missed the final 10 games with a strained right calf that Boone said was moderate last week. During Sunday’s rainout, he hit and did some throwing indoors. During Monday’s workout, he took batting practice on the field.

The Yankees were 41-25 in games Judge played and 52-43 in games he missed.

Contreras was hit on the hand Sept. 17 and did not return until getting two at-bats in Sunday’s regular-season finale. Tracy seemed to think the first baseman would be on the roster.

– Field Level Media