Baseball

The San Diego Padres swept the Chicago Cubs in the National League Wild Card Series, setting up a best-of-five NL Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers starting Saturday

The Padres leadoff hitter homered for the first time this season, connecting against Washington starter Foster Griffin as San Diego fell 9-4

The 2026 MLB postseason began with four matchups, including a National League East rivalry game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves.

Two postseason berths remain undecided as Major League Baseball's regular season ends, setting up a competitive finish in the National League wild-card race.

Owners are pushing for a salary cap ahead of the Dec. 1, 2026 expiration of baseball's collective bargaining agreement, a position the Players Association opposes.

With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire Dec. 1, a World Series win by Los Angeles could strengthen owners' push for a salary cap.

Catcher Austin Wells hit two home runs in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter, the first player ever to accomplish the feat without starting

Pete Alonso reached the 300-homer milestone with a tying ninth-inning blast against his former team, the Mets, as Baltimore won 7-5 in extra innings

Milwaukee became the first National League team to secure a postseason berth in 2026 after defeating Cincinnati 20-0, holding baseball's best record at 92-56.

The Cubs center fielder reached 40 home runs Sunday against Miami and needs seven more stolen bases to join baseball's exclusive 40-40 club.

Seattle promotes 21-year-old infielder/outfielder Michael Arroyo, ranked No. 45 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, as the team sits 3.0 games out of playoff position.

The Atlanta Braves outfielder has 199 career home runs and won the 2023 NL MVP after becoming the first player to record a 40-70 season.

Beaver Field in Boone, N.C., combines striking scenery with a 1,200-seat capacity and AstroTurf surface that has fueled consistent home-field advantage for the Mountaineers.

The 22-year-old Brewers outfielder becomes the 17th player in MLB history to record three 20-homer seasons before turning 23.

Houston's Yordan Alvarez leads MLB in batting average and home runs while pursuing his first RBI title, seeking to become the first Triple Crown winner since Mickey Mantle in 1956

The Minnesota Twins are promoting outfielder Walker Jenkins, MLB Pipeline's No. 15 overall prospect, for his debut against the Chicago White Sox.

By removing the batter from the equation, a pitchout gives the catcher a clear lane and a direct throw to any base — collapsing a runner's margin to steal.

Jake Bauers hit a three-run home run and Brice Turang added a solo shot as Milwaukee defeated St. Louis 8-4 on July 9, 2026

A 1987 fishing-trip debate between Williams and Bobby Doerr, recovered from late Red Sox teammate Boo Ferriss's home, shows how far ahead of his era Williams truly was.

The 28-year-old reliever struck out two Guardians, drew an ejection from Stephen Vogt and helped New York to a 6-5, 10-inning win in Cleveland.

Los Angeles holds the top spot at 71-48 while Milwaukee sits second at 74-45, with the Dodgers targeting bullpen depth heading into the final two months.

Detroit has gone 23-11 since June 29, sitting at 58-60 overall and tied with Cleveland for second in the AL Central, three games back of Chicago.

Ryan Waldschmidt hit a two-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning to give Arizona a 4-3 win over Los Angeles at Chase Field.

Riley has hit a home run and a double in back-to-back games, fueling Atlanta's longest winning streak of the season.

Ceddanne Rafaela hit his first career grand slam in the sixth inning against the Athletics, sparking a Red Sox comeback and an animated response from pitcher Payton Tolle.

Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a two-run home run after two Miami outfielders collided and deflected the ball over the wall, part of a two-homer night in Atlanta's rout.

Francisco Lindor has nine home runs and 51 hits this season, delivering clutch walk-offs and multi-hit games to drive New York's offense.

Francisco Lindor hit.271 with three home runs and eight RBIs in July, reaching base five times in a recent win over Philadelphia.

Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez takes the mound against Washington chasing the league's top win total, while Atlanta and Boston each pursue an eight-game winning streak.

Called up to New York, Yan marked his first career MLB strikeout against Cleveland with an energetic on-mound celebration he has carried throughout his professional career.

Tarik Skubal exited with a 3-1 deficit in the seventh inning Tuesday as the Chicago Cubs rallied at Wrigley Field in Game 2 of a three-game series.

Luis Arraez drove in two runs with two hits in his Philadelphia debut, helping the Phillies win their fourth straight game.

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo earned his 10th victory of the season, matching a career high, after a quality start against the Baltimore Orioles.

Tom Seaver and Rod Carew each reached a career milestone Aug. 4, 1985, on opposite coasts in the same afternoon.

Contenders made significant moves before Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline, with Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago among the most active buyers.

Boston's Wilyer Abreu and Atlanta's Drake Baldwin earned AL and NL Player of the Week honors as Ceddanne Rafaela posts a scorching 23-game run.

Ceddanne Rafaela hit two home runs Saturday, extending his streak to three straight games with a homer as Boston beat Los Angeles 3-2 for its eighth consecutive series win.

Bryce Harper's 22nd home run sealed a rain-shortened win in Baltimore, making the Phillies the first team in MLB history to hit go-ahead ninth-inning homers in three straight games.

Atlanta has won five straight after losing more than half of its previous 44 games, and the front office is now focused on adding a starting pitcher.

Analytics models project 3.03 combined home runs for Washington-Atlanta, the highest total on Thursday's MLB slate.

From lineup construction to nine-figure contracts, the long ball drives every major decision in Major League Baseball.

Fernando Tatis Jr. recorded the first five-hit game of his career, driving in three runs as San Diego rolled past San Francisco in a division showdown at Petco Park

The rookie outfielder's first career grand slam in the eighth inning turned a 3-3 tie into a 7-3 Boston win, pushing the Sox to within 1.5 games of a Wild Card spot.

Cincinnati erupted for three runs in the 10th inning to defeat St. Louis 6-3, moving above.500 for the first time in July.

The switch-hitting outfielder secured his place in Cooperstown on the first ballot, capping a 20-year run that earned him more than $200 million.

James Wood's 430-foot, two-run shot off Jose Alvarado in the ninth erased a 5-3 deficit and set up Washington's walk-off win in the tenth.

Houston's surge puts them 2.5 games out of a wild card spot, with Bregman's expiring $28.5M deal looming over the front office.

Salvador Perez launched a two-run shot against the Minnesota Twins, passing George Brett's franchise record and staking his claim as Kansas City's greatest power hitter.

Vaughn Grissom's eighth-inning line drive knots the score at 5-5, giving an Angels team fighting for a wild card spot a reason to believe.

Los Angeles rode an explosive offensive burst to victory, pushing within two games of a Wild Card spot