⚾ Headlines Around the League
Padres 5, Brewers 4 (F/11) — Fermin’s walk-off clinches postseason berth
What’s Up! Short slate last night, only 3 games across the league. At this point in the season I mainly focus on covering relevant games.
Before we dive into the recap of the Padres clinching win, let’s take a look at the playoff picture if the season ended today:
With the postseason one week away, the stakes could not be higher. Six teams have already locked in their October tickets: the Brewers, Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Padres.
The Brewers and Phillies have secured division titles and are battling for the NL’s top seed, while the Dodgers are trying to hold off the surging Padres for the West. Chicago sits comfortably as the top NL wild card, but the fight for the final spot is pure chaos: the Mets are spiraling, the Reds are charging, and the D-backs are lurking just one game back.
In the AL, the Blue Jays became the first team to clinch and are closing in on the East title and the No. 1 overall seed. The Mariners have seized control of the West for the first time in over two decades, but the Astros and Guardians are still grinding for survival in the wild-card chase. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ once-commanding lead has evaporated, setting up a dramatic three-game showdown starting TONIGHT with Cleveland that could decide the Central.
Here are the full standings for teams that are left:
3 KEY GAMES ON TUESDAY
Tigers at Guardians, 6:40 p.m. ET
Red Sox at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. ET
Mets at Cubs, 7:40 p.m. ET
And for one more side note, the AL MVP race is pretty much dead even. Here are the current odds:
I personally have flipped flopped on this race every week for the last 3 months, but in my opinion I think you have to go with Aaron Judge. I think what Cal Raleigh is doing is unbelievable but Judge’s numbers blow Raleigh’s away. I think there is possibly a little voter fatigue as well (if that is a thing) which could help Raleigh win.
Let’s take one final poll from the readers, who do you think is AL MVP??
Who is your pick for AL MVP?
Hope everyone has a great day and as always, thanks for reading First Pitch!
📊 Final Scores and Highlights
Padres 5, Brewers 4 (F/11)
The Padres secured their fourth playoff trip in six years with a thrilling 5–4 walk-off win in 11 innings, as Freddy Fermin singled home the winning run to spark a celebration at Petco Park.
🔑 Key Moments
San Diego struck first in the 1st, taking a 1–0 lead before the Brewers answered in the 2nd. Caleb Durbin tied it with an RBI single, and Christian Yelich followed with a two-run hit to make it 3–1 Milwaukee.
Jose Iglesias kept the Padres in it with a solo homer in the 5th, trimming the deficit to 3–2.
In the 7th, Luis Arraez lined a single to right to bring home Iglesias, evening the game at 3–3.
Milwaukee pulled back ahead in the 10th on Sal Frelick’s fielder’s choice, but the Padres answered as Gavin Sheets grounded out to score the tying run, knotting it 4–4.
The Brewers threatened again in the 11th, but San Diego turned a clutch double play to escape.
In the bottom half, Fermin delivered the decisive swing, singling to center to score Bryce Johnson and send the Padres into October.
📊 Notable Stats
Padres
Freddy Fermin: 1-for-2, walk-off RBI single
Jose Iglesias: 2-for-3, HR (2), 2 R
Luis Arraez: 1-for-5, RBI
Nick Pivetta: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 K
Brewers
Christian Yelich: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 3 BB
Caleb Durbin: 2-for-5, RBI, SB (17)
Andrew Vaughn: 2-for-3, R, BB
Freddy Peralta: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 6 K
Like this newsletter? Help us keep the content free by sharing our newsletter and supporting our sponsors.
Thanks for reading!
