Yesterday, Garrett Mitchell’s incredible catch to rob Manny Machado of a game-tying home run drew a fantastic quote from The Athletic MLB’s Jayson Stark. The baseball reporter wrote on X: “An expected batting average of .960! A home run in 19 of 30 parks! 106.7 mph off the bat! An incredible, game-changing, series-changing moment in October time.” 

Then someone asked if it was the first time three home teams had been eliminated from the playoffs on the same day. Yes. The Atlanta Braves were eliminated at Truist Park after losing 4–1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLDS, with the Dodgers winning the series 3–1.

The New York Yankees followed the same path at Yankee Stadium after losing 4–3 to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the ALDS, with the Rays completing a 3–0 sweep. The San Diego Padres were also eliminated at Petco Park after losing 3–1 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the NLDS, with the Brewers winning the series 3–1.

That was the day in a nutshell. But apart from these results, there were a few more incidents during the games. Let’s take a look at those.

Yankees vs. Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays’ victory over the New York Yankees, 4–3 at Yankee Stadium, officially eliminated the Yankees from the 2026 postseason and extended their World Series championship drought to 17 years, dating back to 2009. Also, after the victory, Tampa Bay advanced to the ALCS for the first time since 2020 and only the third time in franchise history.

Now, among the on-field incidents, the Rays opened the scoring on the top of the third when Jonathan Aranda drove in a run with an RBI single off Yankees starter Max Fried. The Yankees responded in the bottom half as Ben Rice drove home Spencer Jones to tie the game at 1–1.

In the fourth inning, Ryan Vilade launched a solo home run to put Tampa Bay back up 2–1, but New York answered once again with an RBI double by Jones to level the score at 2–2.

In the top of the sixth inning, with two outs, Tampa Bay’s Victor Mesa Jr. delivered the decisive blow, a 401-foot, two-run home run off Fried to give the Rays a 4–2 lead. Then, the crucial fan interference controversy followed.

In the bottom of the sixth, Anthony Volpe hit a ball deep to left field that initially looked like a game-tying two-run home run. However, following a video review, the play was ruled as fan interference and overturned to an RBI double, reducing the score to 4–3 instead of tying the game. Here’s what happened:

The fan in question stuck his hands over the wall, and the ball disappeared into the stands. And so, the home run was overturned.

Regardless, what did Yankees manager Aaron Boone say about this?

“Seeing the replay and seeing it unfold, I thought they did the right thing. I thought they got it right.”

Padres vs. Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the San Diego Padres 3–1 in Game 4 of the NLDS at Petco Park, clinching the series 3–1 and advancing to the NLCS for a rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Brewers struck first in the top of the third inning when Garrett Mitchell lined an RBI single to score Sal Frelick, giving Milwaukee an early 1–0 lead. The Padres immediately answered in the bottom of the frame when Fernando Tatís Jr. crushed a solo home run to tie the game at 1–1.

Jackson Chourio delivered a clutch RBI single in the fourth inning to restore Milwaukee’s lead at 2–1. But in the top of the sixth, Jake Bauers singled, and Cooper Pratt hit a ground-rule double to put runners on second and third. Sal Frelick brought Bauers home with a deep sacrifice fly, extending the Brewers’ lead to 3–1.

With the Brewers clinging to a 3–1 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, Padres slugger Manny Machado drove a high fly ball deep to right-center field that appeared destined to be a game-tying two-run home run.

Center fielder Garrett Mitchell sprinted to the wall, timed his leap perfectly, and reached over the fence to rob Machado of the home run, preserving Milwaukee’s 3–1 advantage.

Milwaukee utilized an effective bullpen day, led by starter Robert Gasser, who allowed one earned run over four innings while striking out three, and Aaron Ashby, who threw three scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill then closed out the game.

Additionally, San Diego was held to just three total hits on the night against Milwaukee’s pitching staff. Now, the Brewers have advanced to the NLCS, setting up a high-stakes rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dodgers vs. Braves

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves 4–1 in Game 4 of the NLDS at Truist Park, clinching the series 3–1 and advancing to their third straight NLCS.

Michael Harris II opened the game with a leadoff single, stole second base, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice, and scored on a wild pitch by Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow to give Atlanta an early 1–0 lead. But the Dodgers made a quick comeback.

In the second inning, Shohei Ohtani drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error by Braves catcher Sean Murphy. Max Muncy then hit a pop-up to shallow left that Mauricio Dubón dropped, allowing Ohtani to cross home plate and tie the game at 1–1. Meanwhile, Tyler Glasnow’s performance also deserves a special mention.

In his first start since late September, Glasnow allowed just one hit and one run over 4.2 innings, striking out five batters while walking five. Alex Vesia relieved him in the fifth inning with two runners on base and escaped the jam by inducing a groundout from Matt Olson.

In the seventh inning, with the score tied 1–1, the Dodgers loaded the bases. Atlanta brought in reliever Robert Suárez, who threw a 99.7 mph 3–2 fastball. Outfielder Andy Pages lined a clutch two-out, two-run single up the middle to give Los Angeles a 3–1 lead.

Not to forget, Max Muncy provided insurance in the top of the ninth with a full-count solo home run off Raisel Iglesias, his 19th career postseason home run, extending the lead to 4–1.

The Dodgers’ bullpen, consisting of Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henríquez, Tanner Scott, and Edwin Díaz, combined for 4.1 scoreless innings while allowing only two hits. Closer Edwin Díaz struck out pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez and retired the next two batters in the ninth to earn his second save of the series and secure the win.

White Sox vs. Guardians

Yesterday, the Cleveland Guardians kept their season alive with a dominant 9–3 victory over the Chicago White Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS at Guaranteed Rate Field, cutting Chicago’s series lead to 2–1.

During the game, the Guardians’ pitchers recorded 19 strikeouts against White Sox batters, setting an MLB record for a nine-inning postseason game. Meanwhile, Chicago’s starter Sean Newcomb delivered two scoreless innings, but the White Sox bullpen collapsed in the third inning, walking three batters and giving up a bases-clearing three-run triple to Jo Adell, turning a 1–1 game into a 4–1 Cleveland lead.

Also, White Sox catcher Kyle Teel gave Chicago an early 1–0 lead in the first inning with an RBI double. In the late-inning blowout, José Ramírez sparked the Cleveland offense with a double, a triple, two RBIs, and two runs, capping off a nine-run, 11-hit night for the Guardians.

Teel’s night quickly deteriorated in the pivotal third inning when he used both of Chicago’s Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system appeals during a single inning.

After losing Chicago’s final ABS challenge, a visibly frustrated Teel was caught on the broadcast exclaiming, “What the f**k,” as the lost challenges severely depleted manager Will Venable’s tactical options for the remainder of the game.

With Chicago down 8–3 in the ninth before Cleveland added a ninth run, fans chose to leave early to avoid traffic rather than watch Cade Smith close out the game by striking out the final three batters.