Welcome to the ultimate 5 Issues I Favored (Or Didn’t Like) This Week of the yr. As we put together to go away the conventional cadence of standard season baseball behind, we’re all already mentally getting ready for the madcap tempo of the playoffs, when the video games are fewer however extra momentous. This final week is extra of a transitional part; a few of the collection are monumentally essential, whereas others characteristic the Royals and Angels (simply to choose a random set) taking part in out the string. Possibly that is one of the best time for baseball, truly. In case you’re in search of it, there’s extra drama within the again half of September than in some other common season month. However in the event you simply need foolish baserunning in inconsequential video games, or position gamers benefiting from massive alternatives, there’s loads of that too. I like October baseball, however I’ll be unhappy when September ends.
After all, no 5 Issues intro can be full with out me thanking Zach Lowe of The Ringer for the format I’ve shamelessly copied. So Zach, I hope your Mets fandom isn’t too painful this week. To the issues!
1. Playoff Races
Clearly. If this isn’t the factor you want most in baseball this week, you’re most likely a Mets or Tigers fan, and even then, you’re most likely mendacity to your self a bit of. The joys of a pennant race coming right down to the wire is among the nice joys of this sport. More often than not, I like baseball as a result of no single end result issues all that a lot. Lose a recreation? Play the following day. Strike out in an enormous spot? Everybody does that generally. Surrender a walk-off hit? I imply, there are 162 video games, you’re going to surrender some walk-offs. However every now and then, as a deal with, it’s enjoyable when the video games all of a sudden transmute from seemingly limitless to “will need to have this subsequent one.”
Has the brand new playoff format performed a task right here? It’s arduous to argue it hasn’t. That is the fourth yr of the 12-team subject, and it’s the fourth straight yr with an unsettled playoff race within the final week of the season. It’s the third straight yr with a number of good races, actually. That’s not precisely unimpeachable proof – the ultimate yr of the previous format noticed its personal thrilling conclusion to the common season – however the level is that when the final week of the common season is full of drama, it makes for an important playoff appetizer. I’m nonetheless not sure what the brand new format does to the aggressive construction of the sport, and I haven’t favored the best way commerce deadlines work when the road between contender and pretender is so hazy. However in late September, it positive appears to be giving me extra of what I would like.
In April, Tarik Skubal permitting three runs in six innings is a hiccup, a still-solid begin that nobody will keep in mind in every week. In September, a freak accident and some infield singles can drive Detroit to despair. Hunter Greene in opposition to Paul Skenes? I’d watch that any day of the yr, however when the Reds completely want a win to catch the Mets, it’s appointment viewing. I needed to see Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s final pre-playoff begin anyway, however I favored it extra as a result of the Diamondbacks got here into the sport with playoff aspirations.
It would truly be higher, from a fandom perspective, to not have a horse within the race throughout every week like this. It’s so nerve-racking to look at your workforce wrestle for survival that you just may not recognize the drama taking part in out elsewhere. However for a impartial observer like me, this week has been pleasant. Each single day, I activate the TV and a few workforce is preventing for his or her playoff lives, in full desperation mode. Playoff baseball is superior. Getting a style of it in September, when half the video games are meaningless and the others may be remembered for years? What an important bonus.
2. One Final Battle
On September 3, Andrew McCutchen launched what may be the final dwelling run of his illustrious Pirates tenure:
Then he rounded third base and entered the rock-paper-scissors enviornment, as he does after each dwelling run:
McCutchen is one in all my favourite gamers in all of baseball. He’s universally admired and clearly loves the sport. I feel he’s additionally been usually underrated, which solely makes me like him extra. He’s declined from being a perennial MVP contender in his 20s to being a task participant in his late 30s, however that hasn’t dissuaded him from coming again yearly, even with no clear path to the playoffs. He additionally looks like he’s having enjoyable on the market, which is tremendously essential to me as somebody who writes a weekly column on the enjoyment I get from watching baseball.
As greatest as I can inform, McCutchen began his post-homer rock-paper-scissors battles in 2019, his first yr in Philadelphia. On the time, it was simply one in all many choreographed celebrations on a meme-heavy workforce. However whereas virtually all the things else on that listing pale away, McCutchen saved his custom going. As he moved from the Phillies to the Brewers after which again to the Pirates, he and his third base coaches dutifully went one-two-three-shoot at common intervals.
Sadly, I don’t have McCutchen’s profession post-homer rock-paper-scissors successful proportion for you. It’s not that I didn’t attempt, to be clear – I will need to have watched 50 movies slowed down and shut up making an attempt to determine whether or not he’d thrown paper or scissors, and in search of alternate angles as a result of the usual post-homer view usually obscures third base coaches’ arms. However I didn’t watch a single video the place he clearly didn’t play, and he’s hit 109 homers in that point. If somebody occurs to have his general document, or can ask him about it, the 5 Issues Committee (that’s simply me, however with a fancier title) would like to know the outcomes.
I’m unsure if McCutchen goes to play subsequent yr. It looks like it’s just about as much as him; he’s taking part in on one-year offers at this level and grinding out replacement-level worth for love of the sport. I couldn’t take the possibility of letting him play his final recreation with out nodding to this pleasant little sidegame, although. I’m an enormous fan of nice gamers doing foolish issues, and I get an additional thrill each time I watch a Pirates recreation as a result of I’m rooting for a McCutchen bomb. I hope this isn’t farewell to one of many nice gamers of our technology, however whether it is, I’m going to recollect him each for his dominance and for a way a lot enjoyable he at all times gave the impression to be having.
3. Baserunning Blunders
I’ve made no secret of my love for good-bat/bad-glove-and-run outfielders. I’ve even written about Jordan Walker, one in all at present’s entrants, and his contributions to the sector in this column already. I used to be despairing – gamers are so good as of late, simply so un-bumbling. However Monday evening’s Cardinals-Giants recreation, the final I’m planning on attending this yr, featured so many nice achievements in unhealthy baserunning that I’m getting optimistic yet again.
It began with Walker, after all. Within the high of the second inning, he hit into a type of hard-luck fielder’s decisions that simply occur generally. Thomas Saggese, on third, had no hope of creating it dwelling:
Why didn’t Saggese take off? He noticed the ball hit Walker’s foot, because it seems:
That’s not reviewable, although, and the ball was reside. As Saggese noticed when he recovered from his preliminary instinctual rest, he had no likelihood of creating it dwelling safely. As an alternative, he began retreating slowly. That gave him a greater likelihood of escaping or at the very least delaying the inevitable, nevertheless it most likely wasn’t going to work in opposition to Patrick Bailey and Matt Chapman, two of one of the best defenders on the earth. Certainly, Chapman put a cease to Saggese’s rundown shortly by charging Bailey’s throw and giving Saggese no time to spin again dwelling.
Bummer. That’s most likely an infield single for Walker with nobody on base, however a tricky luck out with a runner on third. Or, effectively, it’s alleged to be a foul ball, however even when that didn’t pan out, he ought to have gotten out of it with one thing to point out for his effort; the one motive Willy Adames might even make a play is that the infield was in to contest the run at dwelling. However the play wasn’t over:
Oof. Walker paid the worth for not realizing how shortly the Giants have been going to shut out the rundown. When he bought to first, Saggese was already in full retreat. Setting apart why Walker ran after the ball clearly hit his foot – perhaps he has a very good protecting plate in his shoe, or perhaps he figured the decision was already missed so he ought to hustle to be secure – this is able to be an excellent time to throttle down and keep at first. As an alternative, he put his legs on autopilot and began advancing to second. The outcome was an embarrassing double play.
Don’t fear, although. Unhealthy baserunning loves firm. Over within the dwelling dugout, Heliot Ramos made his personal declare on the title of most bat-only hitter. He’s one of many worst outfielders within the majors, and a ghastly three runs beneath common on the basepaths this yr, however he’s an everyday anyway as a result of the bat performs. Like Walker, he’s most likely bought hustle on the thoughts after a bummer season. Like Walker, he ought to most likely simply have stopped at first:
Yeah, that one’s fairly unhealthy. The cutoff man was proper in entrance of him. Was he actually going to make it to second base there? It virtually makes me suppose he simply noticed Walker make an out on the bases and thought “Oh, proper, that’s a factor I do too.”
The enjoyable wasn’t over. Bailey is dying to finish his season on a excessive word, and a technique to try this is popping singles into doubles. On a clear single within the fourth inning, he rounded first base so arduous that he practically bought hung up midway to second. Within the sixth inning, he hit one other clear single and determined that it was a double:
That’s simply what occurs while you, a catcher, attempt to get fancy on the basepaths. Bailey regarded appropriately chagrined on his stroll again to the dugout, at the very least:
I love unhealthy baserunning. All of this, in a single recreation, from 4 gamers I like rooting for anyway? On the final recreation I bought to attend all yr? And all of it coming in a pleasant 6-5 contest the place I additionally bought to see Justin Verlander? The baseball gods are actually nice.
4. It Was Written
It’s at all times tempting to take a defensive wizard within the Rule 5 draft. There are some minor leaguers who can actually decide it. Why aren’t they within the majors already? Nicely, they will’t hit simply but, or perhaps ever. The Nationals picked Nasim Nuñez within the Rule 5 draft in 2023 after he’d simply spent his age-22 season hitting .224/.341/.286 in Double-A, the platonic preferrred of a light-hitting utility infielder. He stayed on the most important league roster for everything of the 2024 season, however he racked up simply 78 plate appearances. With the phrases of the Rule 5 decide accomplished, Nuñez spent a lot of 2025 in Triple-A, the place he once more posted a below-average batting line with no energy to talk of.
That glove, although? It’s downright electrical. For as a lot as he appears like a fish out of water on the plate, he’s phenomenal within the subject. Most second basemen don’t get wherever close to this ball:
However after all, most second basemen aren’t monitor stars with unbelievable defensive instincts. And take a look at this gem from a number of innings later:
That is mainly what you’ll be able to count on from Nuñez. Whether or not he’s taking part in second base or shortstop, he’s a superlative defender. The Mets are certainly uninterested in seeing him flash into body from outrageous beginning factors to make a catch or snare a seemingly surefire hit.
He even has a robust throwing arm, which he continuously breaks out to show two in opposition to speedy runners. Simply watch him taking part in brief:
Is Nuñez ever going to be an All-Star? Most likely not. He can’t hit! However who cares? He clearly belongs within the main leagues. I perk up when the Nats are on protection as a result of he would possibly do one thing phenomenal. What number of utility infielders are you able to say that about? I want Nuñez an extended and profitable main league profession – and I hope he spends that point hitting indifferently and making wizardly performs on protection. It’s the type of ability set that I’d like to see extra of within the recreation, whilst I perceive that offense is king. A workforce of 9 Nasim Nuñezes most likely wouldn’t be a powerhouse, however it could nonetheless be appointment viewing each evening.
5. Wild Swings
I minimize off that first Nuñez defensive play in opposition to the Mets as a result of I wanted a complete merchandise to take care of the fallout. How do I do know that Nuñez’s sprawling play briefly proper subject robbed a surefire hit? As a result of the Mets baserunners took off like they have been late for dinner:
I can’t actually blame them. Francisco Lindor thought he was going to attain there. It’s an important hustle play. He simply didn’t depend on Nuñez turning into Spiderman. So when the catch was made, each Lindor and Juan Soto have been frolicked to dry. Nuñez made what felt just like the pure play, throwing to first, the place he had at the very least gotten a peek at Soto operating. Only one downside: It’s arduous to throw out of your again. The one motive that didn’t price Nuñez an error is that Lindor was to date off of second that he was nonetheless retreating when the Nats corralled Nuñez’s errant throw.
A single turning into an out turning right into a double play turning right into a wild throw? That’s a variety of drama packed into one play. And this whole recreation was filled with turns of fortune, with the Mets clinging to a slim Wild Card lead and the Nats taking part in spoiler.
The Mets got here into the ninth inning down 2-3 and struggling for offense. Naturally, they parlayed a single, a sac bunt, a success by pitch, and a bloop into the game-tying run. They pulled off a double steal to place the successful run on third with only one out. However destiny wasn’t completed, and strikeouts abounded:
It nonetheless ought to have been simple from there. Nuñez led off the tenth, and enjoyable as he’s, he isn’t essentially an important bunter:
That gave the Mets an opportunity to drive the zombie runner dwelling within the backside of the inning and name it a day. However this fluke play someway didn’t finish issues:
Starling Marte stayed at second as an alternative of charging for third as a result of he couldn’t be certain the ball would land; it bounced off of Riley Adams‘ glove, actually. The following batter hit right into a double play, which didn’t rating Marte as a result of he hadn’t reached third. The Mets couldn’t rating. This recreation would simply not finish.
The Nats, given new life, nonetheless couldn’t determine the best way to get a runner to 3rd. What on the earth was CJ Abrams doing right here?
However that was okay, as a result of new hotness Daylen Lile introduced the home down with an inside-the-park homer:
By the point the Mets went quietly within the dwelling half, I used to be relieved for the break. This recreation was continuous wildness, unhealthy bunts and loopy protection and electrical hits one after one other. So to convey issues full circle, thank goodness for the playoff race; it turned what would in any other case have been an simply forgettable recreation into a few of the greatest theater I’ve seen all month.