No Heaven in Sight | Los Angeles Angels | MLB The Show 26

[Caesar]

MLB • Game Recap

Seattle takes final season series to head into October on a high

By Jordan Reyes • Staff Writer • Updated September 27, 2026 • 4 min read

The Mariners celebrate after clinching the best record in the American League. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

The Mariners were crowned the best team in the American League in the regular season after a hot August and September.

Los Angeles Angels (65-97)3

Seattle Mariners (94-68)6

W Dunning (3-1) • L Klassen (0-3) • S Munoz (47)

Final • T-Mobile Park • 9 innings • 44,573

Line Score

123456789RHE

Angels001020000360

Mariners01031100X670

Seattle closed the regular season by clinching the AL pennant, beating Los Angeles 6-3 behind a three-RBI night from Luke Raley and a two-hit finale from Julio Rodríguez.

The Mariners got on the board in the second without a run-scoring hit. Cal Raleigh was hit by a pitch, Raley singled to right and Rodríguez walked to load the bases before Randy Arozarena grounded into a double play that brought Raleigh home.

Los Angeles tied it in the third. Josh Lowe singled to center, Ben Williamson reached on a fielder's choice, and Addison Barger doubled to center to score him.

Raley put Seattle ahead for good in the fourth. Dominic Canzone singled and Raleigh walked ahead of him, and Raley drove one 368 feet to right for a three-run shot and a 4-1 lead. George Klassen came out an inning later having allowed six hits and five earned over 4.1 innings, taking the loss.

The Angels pulled within one in the fifth. Nolan Schanuel opened with a 368-foot homer to right off Bryan Woo, Lowe walked and stole second, and Barger's fielder's choice on a deflected ball brought him in. Seattle answered immediately on Ryan Bliss's double and a Josh Naylor two-bagger to left, then added the last run in the sixth when Rodríguez went 428 feet to center. Dane Dunning, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz combined for 4.2 scoreless innings the rest of the way, with Muñoz picking up his 47th save.

Raley took Player of the Game honors going 2-for-4 with the homer, three RBI and a run scored. Rodríguez finished 2-for-2 with a homer and a walk. Schanuel led Los Angeles at 2-for-4 with a home run. The Angels end the year 65-97; Seattle finishes 94-68 after a late surge past the Rays, Blue Jays and Guardians.

"See y'all when I see y'all." - Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki

Batting

ABRHRBIBBKAVG

Los Angeles Angels

Nolan Schanuel412101.222

Addison Barger301201.250

Josh Lowe311011.252

Ben Williamson411000.247

Totals33363211

Seattle Mariners

Luke Raley412301.223

Julio Rodriguez212110.261

Josh Naylor401100.315

Ryan Bliss311001.182

Totals2967528

Pitching

IPHRERBBKERA

Los Angeles Angels

George Klassen4.1655234.74

Drew Pomeranz1.0111023.56

Robert Stephenson1.2000013.05

Tayler Saucedo1.0000023.97

Totals8.076628

Seattle Mariners

Bryan Woo4.1433143.01

Dane Dunning1.2000025.51

Gabe Speier1.0100032.05

Matt Brash0.2000112.38

Andres Munoz1.1100012.37

Totals9.0633211

Angels • Seattle • AL West • Game Recap

[Caesar]

MLB • League Roundup

Majors head to the playoffs with Dodgers the favorite

October 2026 • Through games of September 27, 2026

Standings

American League

AL East

WLPCTGB

y-Rays8775.537—

w-Blue Jays8775.537—

Yankees8577.5252.0

Orioles8082.4947.0

Red Sox7191.43816.0

AL Central

WLPCTGB

y-Guardians9072.556—

w-Tigers8874.5432.0

White Sox7686.46914.0

Royals7587.46315.0

Twins59103.36431.0

AL West

WLPCTGB

z-Mariners9468.580—

w-Astros8775.5377.0

Rangers8280.50612.0

Athletics7884.48116.0

Angels6597.40129.0

National League

NL East

WLPCTGB

y-Phillies8874.543—

Mets8379.5125.0

Braves8082.4948.0

Marlins7785.47511.0

Nationals7092.43218.0

NL Central

WLPCTGB

y-Cubs9270.568—

w-Brewers9171.5621.0

w-Reds8973.5493.0

Cardinals7785.47515.0

Pirates6894.42024.0

NL West

WLPCTGB

z-Dodgers10755.660—

w-Padres9270.56815.0

Giants7785.47530.0

Diamondbacks6894.42039.0

Rockies6795.41440.0

Stat Leaders

American League

Batting Average

1. Jacob Wilson (ATH).326

2. Miguel Andujar (KC).325

3. Josh Naylor (SEA).315

Home Runs

1. Aaron Judge (NYY)49

2. Jose Ramirez (CLE)48

3. Junior Caminero (TB)44

Runs Batted In

1. Junior Caminero (TB)121

2. Aaron Judge (NYY)115

3. Cal Raleigh (SEA)108

ERA

1. Tarik Skubal (DET)2.50

2. Hunter Brown (HOU)2.62

3. Nick Martinez (TB)2.64

Wins

1. Tarik Skubal (DET)19

2. Hunter Brown (HOU)17

-. Gerrit Cole (NYY)17

Saves

1. Cade Smith (CLE)54

2. Josh Hader (HOU)50

-. Kenley Jansen (DET)50

National League

Batting Average

1. Shohei Ohtani (LAD).349

2. Spencer Horwitz (PIT).331

3. Gabriel Moreno (ARI).324

Home Runs

1. Shohei Ohtani (LAD)56

2. Kyle Schwarber (PHI)48

3. Manny Machado (SD)42

Runs Batted In

1. Shohei Ohtani (LAD)145

2. Austin Riley (ATL)121

3. Kyle Schwarber (PHI)118

ERA

1. Brandon Woodruff (MIL)2.19

2. Shohei Ohtani (LAD)2.63

3. Tyler Mahle (SF)2.86

Wins

1. Shohei Ohtani (LAD)20

2. Brandon Woodruff (MIL)18

3. Christopher Sanchez (PHI)16

Saves

1. Daniel Palencia (CHC)55

2. Edwin Diaz (LAD)51

3. Jhoan Duran (PHI)49

Award Races

American League

MVP

1. Aaron Judge (NYY).308, 49 HR, 115 RBI

2. Jose Caminero (TB).272, 44 HR, 121 RBI

3. Jose Ramirez (CLE).295, 48 HR, 106 RBI

Cy Young

1. Tarik Skubal (DET)19-6, 2.50, 215 K

2. Gerritt Cole (NYY)17-4, 2.92, 180 K

3. Hunter Brown (HOU)17-7, 2.62, 198 K

Batting Title

1. Jacob Wilson (ATH).326, 24 HR, 62 RBI

2. Miguel Andujar (KC).325, 17 HR, 71 RBI

3. Josh Naylor (SEA).315, 33 HR, 88 RBI

Reliever of the Year

1. Josh Hader (HOU)50 SV, 1.82, 84 K

2. Kenley Jansen (DET)50 SV, 2.13, 80 K

3. Cade Smith (CLE)54 SV, 2.52, 78 K

Rookie of the Year

1. Kevin McGonigle (DET).243, 29 HR, 81 RBI

2. Kazuma Okamoto (TOR).277, 22 HR, 82 RBI

3. Dylan Beavers (BAL).282, 21 HR, 58 RBI

Hank Aaron Award

1. Aaron Judge (NYY).308, 49 HR, 115 RBI

2. Jose Ramirez (CLE).295, 48 HR, 106 RBI

3. Wyatt Langford (TEX).309, 32 HR, 104 RBI

National League

MVP

1. Shohei Ohtani (LAD).349, 56 HR, 145 RBI

2. Kyle Schwarber (PHI).290, 48 HR, 118 RBI

3. Austin RIley (ATL).293, 38 HR, 121 RBI

Cy Young

1. Shohei Ohtani (LAD)20-3, 2.63, 229 K

2. Brandon Woodruff (MIL)18-4, 2.19, 214 K

3. Nick Lodolo (CIN)14-7, 3.11, 220 K

Batting Title

1. Shohei Ohtani (LAD).349, 56 HR, 145 RBI

2. Spencer Horwitz (PIT).331, 20 HR, 63 RBI

3. Gabriel Moreno (ARI).324, 22 HR, 76 RBI

Reliever of the Year

1. Mason Miller (SD)47 SV, 1.95, 75 K

2. Emilio Pagan (CIN)48 SV, 2.09, 85 K

3. Daniel Palencia (CHC)55 SV, 2.82, 92 K

Rookie of the Year

1. Sal Stewart (CIN).258, 28 HR, 69 RBI

2. Owen Caissie (MIA).260, 18 HR, 71 RBI

3. Ryan Waldschmidt (ARI).253, 18 HR, 64 RBI

Hank Aaron Award

1. Shohei Ohtani (LAD).349, 56 HR, 145 RBI

2. Ronald Acuna, Jr. (ATL).317, 32 HR, 93 RBI

3. Kyle Schwarber (PHI).290, 48 HR, 118 RBI

[Caesar]

Los Angels Angels • Final 2026 Stats

Player by Player Statistics

Batting

ABRHHRRBIBBAVG

Jo Adell57072130277859.228

Nolan Schanuel54556121125568.222

Zach Neto58581144327537.246

Mike Trout54976123174562.224

Josh Lowe52463132195930.252

Logan O'Hoppe50048116256239.232

Yoan Moncada38949106235734.272

Addison Barger2963274144118.250

Ben Williamson271276772117.247

Denzer Guzman2673061113617.228

Ke'Bryan Hayes249255352415.213

Oswald Peraza199203841415.191

Kyren Paris99919389.192

Rafael Marchan111717159.153

Team55426221270214620466.229

Pitching

WLSVERAIPKBB

Alek Manoah111103.97154.014948

Grayson Rodriguez81405.04157.015969

Reid Detmers71305.13156.015059

Jordan Romano6604.3194.09826

Robert Stephenson5413.0579.27920

Victor Mederos4604.3580.26033

Ben Joyce31272.1870.17523

Drew Pomeranz3413.5693.211338

Sam Bachman2102.9736.14310

Chase Silseth2502.5471.09332

Joey Lucchesi1204.8341.0388

Tayler Saucedo1503.9795.18329

George Klassen0304.7424.22211

Team6597384.061151.11467520

[Caesar]

MLB • Roster News

The Angels clean house after another losing season

By Jordan Reyes • Staff Writer • September 28, 2026 • 5 min read

Kurt Suzuki has been fired after one season in charge in Anaheim. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Angels tore the whole thing down Monday, and this time they did not stop at the manager.

The Angels fired general manager Perry Minasian, manager Kurt Suzuki and the entire major league coaching staff following a 65-97 finish, the second worst record in baseball behind only the Minnesota Twins. It is the most sweeping single-day purge the organization has undertaken in more than a decade.

"You cannot look at a .229 team batting average and a fourth straight losing season and tell yourself the problem is one guy in the dugout."

Gone alongside Suzuki are bench coach John Gibbons, hitting coach Brady Anderson, assistant hitting coaches Derek Florko and John Mabry, third base coach Keith Johnson, first base and outfield coach Adam Eaton, infield coach Andy Schatzley, catching coach Max Stassi, interim pitching coach Tim Leveque, interim bullpen coach Michael Wuertz, staff assistant Tim Buss, batting practice pitcher Mike Ashman and bullpen catcher Jason Brown.

The two interim titles tell their own story. The Angels had already changed pitching coaches once during the season and never found stable footing.

The offense was the clearest indictment. Los Angeles hit .229 as a team and scored 622 runs while striking out its way through the summer. Jo Adell led the club with 27 home runs but hit .228. Zach Neto put up 32 homers and 81 runs and was the only regular who looked like a building block. Nolan Schanuel hit .222 in 545 at-bats. Logan O'Hoppe hit .232. Ke'Bryan Hayes, acquired at the deadline for his glove, hit .213 in 249 at-bats after the trade. Rafael Marchan finished at .153 and Oswald Peraza at .191.

At the center of it was Mike Trout, and there is no gentle way to frame what happened. Trout hit .224 with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs in 549 at-bats, by any reasonable measure the worst full season of his career. Only his injury-shortened 2024 and his 40-game cup of coffee in 2011 rate lower, and neither of those was a season he was asked to carry.

Trout is signed through 2030. The contract that once looked like the price of keeping a generational player in Anaheim now looks like the single largest obstacle to rebuilding around anyone else.

The pitching staff was not much better, though it was at least young. Alek Manoah led the rotation with a 3.97 ERA over 154 innings and an 11-11 record. Grayson Rodriguez went 8-14 with a 5.04 ERA and Reid Detmers 7-13 with a 5.13 mark. The staff finished with a 4.06 ERA overall.

The bullpen was the one genuine bright spot. Ben Joyce converted 27 saves with a 2.18 ERA, Robert Stephenson posted a 3.05 in 79.2 innings, Chase Silseth a 2.54 and Sam Bachman a 2.97 in limited work. Drew Pomeranz struck out 113 in 93.2 innings.

George Klassen, the top pitching prospect who was supposed to be the season's proof of concept, finished 0-3 with a 4.74 ERA and 22 strikeouts against 11 walks in 24.2 major league innings across his September call-up. The stuff showed. The results did not.

Minasian took over before the 2021 season and never produced a winning club. The roster he leaves behind is genuinely cheaper than the one he inherited, with payroll set to drop sharply as the Angels move past several long-term obligations, and it is defensively sound at second, short and third after the deadline additions of Hayes, Marchan, Ben Williamson and Addison Barger. It is also a lineup that could not hit and a rotation that could not get outs.

Owner Arte Moreno is expected to conduct a full external search for the first time in years, and the new front office will inherit real financial room to work with. It will also inherit arbitration decisions on Adell and O'Hoppe, a farm system whose best arms are still unproven at the highest level, and the question the organization has been avoiding since 2015, which is what exactly to do with the back half of Mike Trout's career.

[Caesar]

MLB • World Series

Dodgers win three in a row behind stellar Ohtani

By Michael Sharpton • Staff Writer • October 30, 2026 • 5 min read

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani had a season for the ages. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the first team since the 1998-2000 Yankees to win three straight World Series titles.

The Dodgers closed out the Cleveland Guardians 7-1 at Dodger Stadium on Friday to take the series in six games, capping a 107-55 season that produced the best record in baseball by 13 games.

"The rest of the sport is playing for second place and everybody knows it."

Shohei Ohtani took World Series MVP after hitting .478 with two home runs and 10 RBIs against Cleveland. He is the third different Dodger to win the award in three years, following Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2025 and Freddie Freeman in 2024, which is the clearest illustration of how deep this roster runs. There is no single player to game plan around.

Cleveland made it competitive for a stretch. The Guardians took Game 1 by a 6-5 score in Los Angeles and stole Game 4 at home 7-6, but the Dodgers answered every time. Game 3 was a 13-2 blowout in Cleveland and Game 5 a 5-1 win that effectively ended it.

The Guardians won 90 games in the AL Central, beat Houston 3-2 in the ALDS and knocked off 94-win Seattle 4-2 in the ALCS behind Steven Kwan, who hit .327 with five homers and 13 RBIs to take series MVP. They got to the World Series on pitching and defense and ran out of both.

Ohtani's regular season was the best individual year in recent memory. He led the National League with a .349 average, 56 home runs and 145 RBIs to win the Triple Crown, then went 20-3 with a 2.63 ERA and 229 strikeouts on the mound. He led the league in wins and finished second in ERA behind Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff. He won both the MVP and Cy Young.

Los Angeles beat 92-win San Diego in five in the NLDS and the 92-win Cubs 4-2 in the NLCS, where Teoscar Hernandez hit .295 with four homers and 12 RBIs.

The roster comes back largely intact. Ohtani, Freeman, Hernandez and Yamamoto are all under contract, the farm system has not been gutted by three straight October runs, and the payroll flexibility that has driven the last four winters has not gone anywhere. The Dodgers will open next season as the favorite to win a fourth.

[Captain Canada]

Fuck the Dodgers.

Love me some Ben Joyce, I think he's money. Wouldn't mind a Trout resurgence somehow someway.

Off-season

[Caesar]

Fuck the Dodgers.

Love me some Ben Joyce, I think he's money. Wouldn't mind a Trout resurgence somehow someway.

Off-season

All my homies hate the Dodgers.

Joyce was the revelation of the season. Long-term closer potential.

The plan for Trout is to only use him as a DH next season and I'm debating switching his primary position to 1B to limit his fielding asks in the rare moments he does have to field. We'll see if DH-only gives him some solstice in his twilight years.

[Caesar]

MLB • Organization News

Angels tab Ng as next general manager

By Jordan Reyes • Staff Writer • October 31, 2026 • 5 min read

The Angels have turned to Kim Ng to right the ship. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Angels have hired Kim Ng as their general manager, ending a search that began the day the 2026 season did.

Ng, 57, replaces Perry Minasian, who was fired along with manager Kurt Suzuki and the entire major league coaching staff following a 65-97 finish, the second-worst record in baseball. She becomes the fourth general manager of the Arte Moreno era.

"This is a roster problem, not a dugout problem, and she has fixed roster problems before."

Ng arrives with a résumé almost nobody else in the sport can match. She became the first female general manager in Major League Baseball history when the Marlins hired her in November 2020, and the first woman to hold the job in any of the four major North American men's professional leagues. She held it for three seasons.

The Marlins were 31-29 in her first year and 69-93 in her second. In 2023 they won 84 games and reached the playoffs, Miami's first full-season postseason berth since 2003, and Ng was named National League Executive of the Year. She then declined a contract option and left the organization that offseason after ownership moved to install a president of baseball operations above her.

Before Miami she spent nearly three decades in front offices. She started with the White Sox in 1990, worked in the commissioner's office, and was named an assistant general manager with the Yankees in 1998 at 29, the youngest person ever to hold the title at the time. New York won three World Series in her four years there. She moved to the Dodgers as assistant GM in 2002 and stayed nine seasons, then spent nine years as MLB's senior vice president of baseball operations, overseeing international operations and the amateur draft. She was also commissioner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League before returning to a club front office.

The job in Anaheim is not a subtle one. The Angels hit .229 as a team in 2026 and scored 622 runs. The pitching staff finished with a 4.06 ERA and no starter posted a mark under 3.97. Zach Neto, who hit 32 home runs and scored 81 runs, was the only regular position player who clearly belongs in a competitive lineup.

Then there is Mike Trout, who hit .224 with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs in 549 at-bats, the worst full season of his career, and is signed through 2030.

Ng inherits arbitration cases on Neto, Jo Adell and Logan O'Hoppe among others, a bullpen that was genuinely good with Ben Joyce converting 27 saves at a 2.18 ERA, and a payroll set to drop sharply as long-term obligations come off the books.

Her first task is hiring a manager. The Angels have not announced a timeline, and Ng did not indicate whether any of the fired coaching staff would be considered for retention.

[Caesar]

MLB • Organization News

Baldelli tabbed as new Angels manager

By Jordan Reyes • Staff Writer • November 1, 2026 • 5 min read

Rocco Baldelli leaves his role with the Dodgers to become the Angels' manager. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Angels have hired Rocco Baldelli as their manager, giving new general manager Kim Ng a dugout partner with a decade of experience running young pitching staffs on tight budgets.

Baldelli, 45, replaces Kurt Suzuki, who was fired along with the entire coaching staff and former general manager Perry Minasian after the Angels finished 65-97, the second-worst record in baseball.

"He has spent his whole career getting more out of less. That is the job here."

He arrives from Minnesota, where he managed seven seasons and won three AL Central titles. His clubs went 96-66 in his first year in 2019 and 87-75 in 2023, when the Twins won a playoff series for the first time since 2002. He was named AL Manager of the Year in 2019. The tenure ended after a 70-92 in 2025, following an ownership-driven payroll reduction that stripped the roster over consecutive winters.

That last part is why he was available, and it is also why the Angels wanted him. Baldelli spent his final Minnesota seasons managing rosters that were deliberately cheaper than the ones he inherited, leaning on young starters, bullpen games and defensive positioning to stay afloat. The Angels spent the second half of 2026 doing the same thing without much success, carrying four starters after the Yusei Kikuchi trade and patching the rest together.

Before Minnesota he spent parts of his career with the Rays in nearly every capacity. He was a first-round pick in 2000, made the majors as an outfielder in 2003 and hit .289 with 78 doubles over his first two seasons before mitochondrial disease and a series of injuries ended his playing career at 29. He moved into Tampa Bay's front office in 2011 and worked as a special assistant, minor league coordinator and eventually first base coach and field coordinator before the Twins hired him.

The roster he takes over hit .229 as a team and scored 622 runs. Zach Neto, who hit 32 home runs, was the only regular position player who produced at a league-average level. The rotation had no starter finish under a 3.97 ERA.

The bullpen was the exception and may be the reason the hire makes sense. Ben Joyce converted 27 saves with a 2.18 ERA, Robert Stephenson posted a 3.05 mark over 79.2 innings and Chase Silseth a 2.54 in 71 innings. Baldelli's reputation in Minnesota was built substantially on leverage management and getting length out of relievers, and he now has the pieces to do it.

The larger question is Mike Trout, who hit .224 with 17 home runs in 549 at-bats in the worst full season of his career and is under contract through 2030. Neither Ng nor Baldelli addressed Trout's role directly.

Baldelli will assemble his own staff. None of the coaches dismissed in October have been retained.

[Captain Canada]

Starting to fill out the staff here. I like the two names and reasoning behind hiring them.