MLB players

Justin Verlander has announced his retirement from Major League Baseball, closing out a career spanning nearly two decades. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and multiple World Series champion pitched for the Tigers, Astros and Mets, and finishes among the top strikeout pitchers in league history. Fans and fellow players have been flooding social media with tributes to one of his era's defining pitchers.

The ongoing Major League Baseball lockout has drawn private equity into the fray, with ownership and investment interests now shaping the league's labor standoff between players and team owners. The dispute centers on economics, and the growing financial role of outside investors is adding a new dimension to negotiations and to how the work stoppage is being discussed.

The MLB postseason begins Tuesday with the American and National League Wild Card Series, but several star players are dealing with injuries that could shape the outcomes. MLB.com takes a look at which key names are hurting, how serious the issues are, and what their availability or diminished production could mean for their teams' chances of advancing.

Major League Baseball is showing how its Automated Ball-Strike system works in practice: a batter challenged a called second strike, and the call was overturned after the ABS review confirmed the pitch was outside the zone. The moment highlights how managers and players are adapting to the new challenge rules, with fans debating whether automated umpiring improves accuracy or slows the game.

USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale reports that 60 games is emerging as the key figure in negotiations between Major League Baseball and the players' union ahead of an imminent lockout. The number is being framed as a possible compromise point for the length of the season should the labor dispute delay the start of play.

As the MLB season reaches its final stretch, attention is on the wild card and division title races, with a particular focus on the Los Angeles Dodgers and other teams featuring Japanese players. Fans are tracking how Shohei Ohtani and fellow Japanese players' clubs are positioned heading into the postseason, and how the playoff picture is shaping up across the leagues.

An automated ball-strike challenge in Major League Baseball has been resolved, with the original strike call confirmed by the ABS system. This marks continued use of the automated review technology, which players and managers can invoke to contest umpire calls at the plate. The league has been expanding use of the challenge system as it moves toward wider adoption.

Major League Baseball appears headed toward a lockout as negotiations between owners and the players' union stall, with reporting suggesting 60 games has emerged as a key figure in talks over season length. The number echoes the shortened 2020 pandemic season and is being framed as a possible compromise point, though players have pushed back on shortened-season economics. Fans are watching closely as the collective bargaining agreement deadline approaches.

Japanese baseball media report continued concern over Shohei Ohtani's physical condition, with the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly addressing his current status. The coverage quotes a club official saying his condition remains the key issue, suggesting lingering worry over a possible injury despite his ongoing two-way play in MLB.

Major League Baseball has launched the ballot for the 2026 All-MLB Team, the annual honor recognizing the top performances by players across the 2026 regular season. Fans can now submit their picks for the selected nominees at each position, with the resulting teams honoring the best hitters, pitchers and defenders from the year. Baseball fans are weighing in with their choices and debating which players deserve recognition.

Debate is growing over the MLB playoff system, with some calling it unfair because higher-seeded teams can be eliminated in a short series. The players' union has reportedly proposed a system modelled on NPB's format in Japan, where the top seed starts the series with a one-win advantage. Supporters say the change would reward regular-season performance; critics worry it distorts postseason competition.

The Philadelphia Phillies enter the final day of the MLB regular season needing a win on game 162 to avoid what would be a historic collapse. A franchise that spent much of the season among baseball's best has faltered down the stretch, and commentators note that the legacies of the team's core players and management are now at stake depending on the outcome.

The Seattle Mariners faced the Los Angeles Angels in an MLB game on September 26, 2026, drawing attention among Japanese baseball fans. Interest is high in Japan, partly due to Japanese players on both rosters, with fans searching for the final score and game results.

With the MLB postseason's Wild Card Series underway, attention has turned to how injuries will affect several star players in both the American and National League brackets. MLB.com examines the key names whose health status could shape their teams' chances, leaving clubs and fans weighing lineups and rotations around uncertain contributors.

Major League Baseball's postseason is underway, with the Wild Card Series matchups now set. A breakdown of the matchups outlines the teams facing off, key players to watch, and what each club needs to do to advance. With October baseball beginning, fans are closely following the brackets and predictions for which teams will move on to the Division Series.

A first strike call was overturned after a challenge under MLB's automated ball-strike (ABS) system, which allows players to contest ball and strike rulings. The replay of the automated review confirmed the call on the field was wrong, flipping the pitch to a ball. It is an early example of how the new challenge system is changing game management and officiating debates.

MLB is introducing the automated ball-strike challenge system for the 2026 season, allowing players to challenge umpire calls on balls and strikes. ESPN has launched a tracker ranking how teams and individual players fare with challenges across spring games and early action. Attention is focused on which catchers, pitchers and hitters are adapting best to the new strike-zone technology and how often challenges succeed.

The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres are set to meet in the MLB Wild Card Series, with previews laying out what fans should know before the best-of-three playoff matchup. Coverage is focused on pitching plans, key players and how each team got here, as both clubs look to advance in the postseason.

The Atlanta Braves are heading into the wild-card round with good health across their roster, and several players are returning from absences. That combination gives team management multiple options as they finalize their postseason roster. Reporting on the projected lineup and pitching decisions has drawn attention as fans await the official selections ahead of the playoffs.

In a game using MLB's automated ball-strike system, a batter challenged a called first strike, but the ruling was upheld after review. The challenge system, being used at the top level, allows players to contest ball-strike calls, with cameras determining whether the pitch crossed the zone. The incident is drawing attention as baseball rolls out robo-ump technology.

Major League Baseball saw a strike call overturned to a ball after a player used the automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system, with replay technology overriding the on-field umpire. The moment highlights how the ABS system, being used in MLB games, is beginning to change outcomes on close pitch calls and shifting the dynamics between umpires, players and technology.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are getting answers on some health questions heading into October, but new concerns continue to surface as the postseason approaches. The New York Times reports that the team's injury picture remains mixed, with some players cleared and others still uncertain, leaving the club's playoff roster far from settled.

In a Major League Baseball game, home plate umpire called strike three on a batter, but the call was overturned after Dodgers first base coach Danny Karros, or a player named Karros, successfully challenged the pitch using MLB's automated ball-strike (ABS) system. It marks another visible example of the robot umpire review system changing a strikeout outcome in real time, fuelling ongoing debate about technology in officiating.

The Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in an MLB game played on September 25, 2026, according to the league's official Gameday coverage. The one-run final suggests a close contest decided late. Beyond the confirmed score and date, no further details about the game, its standout players, or its standings impact are available at this time.