Chase DeLauter doubles, scores go-ahead run in win

Only in this game because Ceddanne Rafaela had to leave early with hamstring tightness, Duran was the spark plug that the Red Sox needed. He helped break a 0-0 tie with a lead-off single in the sixth, advanced to second on a groundout, then came around to score on a single by Andruw Monasterio. That lone run held up as the only scored in this game and Duran stole a base later on as well to give him 20 on the season. That plus his 20 home runs, .207 batting average, and .629 OPS give Duran one of the most disappointing 20-20 seasons of all time.

Needing a win to ensure their one game lead in the American League Central would stay intact, the Guardians were shutout by Sonny Gray and three relievers against the Red Sox. Kwan did all he could though with two knocks and now has an astounding .355 batting average and .440 on-base percentage in the second half.

A master escape artist, Griffin somehow held the Red Sox to just one run while scattering 10 hits. He only tossed one cleaning inning out of six and let runners into scoring position in all five of those. Yet, he forced key whiffs when he needed them – on his sweeper especially – and was practically never behind in the count. Of course, that’s because Boston’s hitters were often aggressive early in the count, but Griffin never faced a 2-0, 3-1, or 3-0 count in this game. He closed the regular season with a strong 3.60 ERA and 15 wins. He will likely pitch next for the Guardians in the postseason.

Rice took Mason Englert deep twice for his second two-homer game this year and fifth of his career. His is the 36th 40-homer season in Yankees history. He’s now two RBI away from reaching the century mark there, which is pretty good for someone who has mostly hit second and first.

Cole struck out eight and walked three to conclude the regular season 10-9 with a 3.61 ERA. Cedric Mullins homered off him, but that was one of only three hard-hit balls he allowed. It’s unclear if Cole will be penciled in for a start in the Wild Card series next week. He seems like the Yankees’ fourth-best option right now.

Englert was a late addition to the rotation today, with the Rays pushing back Ian Seymour. The Rays didn’t care much about results from him, but they would have liked some additional length. He wound up surrendering four homers, bringing his career total to 33 allowed in 161 2/3 innings as a major leaguer with Detroit and Tampa Bay. That’s just not going to cut it, so he’ll probably wind up on the waiver wire in the offseason.

The slam was hit 109.1 mph, though with a high launch angle and the wind blowing it, it made it just 332 feet down the right field line. Fortunately for him, that’s far enough at Yankee Stadium. It’s his fourth career five-RBI game, but his first since 2023. He actually had totaled just 35 RBI in 352 plate appearances this season, and he had hit .143 with four RBI in his previous 21 games.

Wetherholt collected singles in both Cardinals rallies as the team scored three runs in the third and two in the fourth. He had been 3-for-16 since coming off the injured list.

Liberatore, who was looking at a completely winless second half, gets to finish on a positive note. He ends the year 6-14 with a 5.23 ERA, and he was pretty fortunate to never having been sent to the pen by the Cardinals. His one saving grace was a 23 percent strikeout rate that was a nice improvement over his mark of 19 percent from his first full year as a starter in 2025. That’ll probably keep him in the Cardinals’ rotation mix to open next year, but he shouldn’t be promised anything.

After a mediocre August, Lowe has bounced back with his best month or an excellent 2026 season, hitting .338/.413/.620 with six homers in 19 games in September. Still, it looks like he’s going to finish a little short of 100 runs scored or RBI. He has 93 runs scored and 94 RBI with four to play.