Kevin Long, who spent the past four seasons with the Washington Nationals, is the new hitting coach for the Philadelphia Phillies, replacing Joe Dillon, who was fired on the final day of the regular season.
Shohei Ohtani, the favorite for American League MVP, is the first player who also pitches ever nominated as a finalist for the Hank Aaron Award, which is given to the best offensive player in each league.
The defending World Series champions advance to NLDS for ninth straight season.
What's in store this postseason? Who has locked up awards voting? And which non-playoff team is best set up for 2022? Jeff Passan answers 20 burning questions for October and beyond.
Shortstop Alcides Escobar agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract on Tuesday to stay with the Washington Nationals next season.
Last time we saw Soto's Silver Slugger Award, it was on the floor of his apartment, next to the cable outlet and some power cords. With more awards potentially on the way, he's trying to do better by his hardware.
October isn't in the cards, but there's still plenty of work to do. Here's what each non-playoff team needs to ask itself first.
— Rafael Devers and the rest of the Boston Red Sox knew going into the regular season's final day that they were in a win-and-in scenario for the playoffs.
— Christian Vázquez tripled home the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox moved to the brink of a postseason berth with a 5-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.
— Staggered down the stretch in their push for a postseason spot, the Boston Red Sox used two mighty punches to gain ground in the AL playoff chase.
Who is rising and falling with the end of the season mere days away?
— Trevor Story ran out to his position to start the game like he typically does and noticed one thing — no one was following him.
Yes, there's still a month of playoff baseball before the offseason begins. But we couldn't wait to look ahead at one of the deepest classes in years.
— Trevor Story is sure of one thing if his homer Tuesday night winds up as his last at Coors Field for the Colorado Rockies.
As the legendary QB prepares to return to Gillette Stadium with Tampa Bay, ESPN reporters take you inside other notable return games in sports.
— Josiah Gray pitched into the sixth inning to earn his second career win, and the Washington Nationals beat the Colorado Rockies 5-4 on Monday night.
— Tyler Stephenson and Nick Castellanos hit consecutive home runs, Kyle Farmer broke open the game with a grand slam and the Cincinnati Reds kept alive their slim playoff hopes by routing the Washington Nationals 9-2 Sunday.
— Nick Castellanos hit a solo home run with one out in the ninth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Nationals 7-6 on Saturday night.
— Aristides Aquino drove in TJ Friedl with a game-ending single off the glove of second baseman Luis Garcia, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Nationals 8-7 in 11 innings Friday night.
— National League batting leader Juan Soto homered in consecutive innings, and the Washington Nationals pushed the Cincinnati Reds further from playoff contention with a 3-2 win Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series.
Who is rising and falling as the end of the season rapidly approaches?
— Juan Soto took over the NL batting lead, getting three hits and three RBI to help the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 7-5 Wednesday night.
— Josh Rogers pitched 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball and the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 7-1 Tuesday night.
Which up-and-comers have jumped onto Kiley McDaniel's radar in 2021?
— Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered twice before scoring from third on a wild pitch in the 10th inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 8-7 Monday night.
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 88 | 73 | .547 | - | W2 |
| Philadelphia | 82 | 80 | .506 | 6.5 | L2 |
| New York | 77 | 85 | .475 | 11.5 | L2 |
| Miami | 67 | 95 | .414 | 21.5 | W2 |
| Washington | 65 | 97 | .401 | 23.5 | L5 |
