MLB Baseball 24-Hour Briefing
×Last updated: October 9, 2026, 11:10 PM ET
Division Series
The Guardians kept their season alive with a do-or-die Game 3 win, as Jose Ramirez was a one-man wrecking crew at the plate. Cleveland now meets the White Sox in Game 4 as the series moves forward, with the Guardians' path back still very much in play.
The Rays completed a sweep of the Yankees, with Victor Mesa Jr. hitting the home run that effectively ended New York's season. Tampa Bay celebrated by trolling the Yankees with a pointed song in the clubhouse. A fan interference call in the sixth inning of Game 3 also drew attention, as the Bronx crowd's interference cost New York a chance to tie the game.
Aaron Judge watched the elimination from the home dugout, saying he was just hating every moment of it, while calling on the front office to go all in this offseason.
National League
The Dodgers advanced to a third straight NLCS, with No. 9 hitter Andy Pages delivering the clutch blow. In Milwaukee's series with San Diego, Garrett Mitchell's late robbery of Manny Machado's potential game-tying home run helped seal the win, sending the Brewers to a rematch with Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Padres' fans rendition of "All The Small Things" left Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge emotional.
Front Office & Labor
Alex Cora again declined the chance to manage the Phillies and plans to take the 2027 season off. President Trump announced he will award Roger Clemens the Presidential Medal of Freedom. MLB also proposed a shorter regular season of 154 games alongside an expanded best-of-7 division series, and the postseason's influence on the labor negotiations ahead of the 2026 collective bargaining agreement is now a live question for players and executives.
Analysis
Looking back on a week of postseason baseball, ESPN's experts weighed in on the stars, the pitches that could decide the playoffs, and the comeback chances still alive.