MLB

Schlittler draws the starting assignment in another pivotal moment for New York as he’ll attempt to force a winner-take-all Game 5. The 24-year-old rookie authored a masterful performance last week in his postseason debut, striking out 12 over eight shutout innings to send the division-rival Red Sox home for the winter.

Judge finally delivered the kind of signature postseason moment every superstar is supposed to have when he connected for a game-tying homer off Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland in the fourth after scalding an RBI double the inning before. The 32-year-old generational talent’s first homer of the postseason ignited a comeback win and kept New York’s playoff hopes alive after dropping the first two games of the best-of-five series. The division rivals will square off in Game 4 on Wednesday evening at Yankee Stadium. It’ll be rookie Cam Schlittler taking the ball for the Pinstripes with Toronto likely rolling with a bullpen game.

Guerrero’s postseason power surge feels less like a hot streak and more like a suspension of reality. He opened the scoring with his third homer in as many games — a gargantuan 427-foot moonshot to left field off Yankees starter Carlos Rodón in the first inning. He also drew an international walk and motored around to score on Ernie Clement’s third-inning single as Toronto raced out to an early lead before New York eventually rallied to stave off elimination.

Bednar got the call for a multi-inning save with New York leading by three runs and facing elimination. He recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning without incident before returning to face the top of Toronto’s red-hot lineup in the final frame. He struck out George Springer and Nathan Lukes before coaxing a game-ending grounder from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The 30-year-old’s effort capped off an incredible performance by New York’s bullpen as they reeled off 6 2/3 scoreless frames after starter Carlos Rodón surrendered six runs over 2 1/3 innings to open the contest.

Rodón gave up nearly as many runs as outs recorded in an unexpected implosion at the worst possible moment for New York with their season on the line. The veteran southpaw found himself in hot water right away as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took him deep for a two-run homer in the opening frame before things snowballed completely out of control in a calamitous four-run third inning that featured three consecutive run-scoring singles that chased him from the contest. He struck out two and also issued two walks in the abbreviated 67-pitch outing.

Bieber was staked to an early two-run advantage before taking the mound at Yankee Stadium and received a full touchdown worth of run support by the time he went back out for the third. He gave up three consecutive hits to open the frame and departed after a two-out walk with the lead slashed in half. It wasn’t the extended outing Toronto probably envisioned, but Bieber managed to avoid an all-out disaster and keep the lead intact.

It’s been a long road back for Espino, who has barely pitched over the last four years due to persistent shoulder issues. The hard-throwing 24-year-old was arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball back in 2022 before injuries derailed his development. He returned to minor league game action in late September and will make up for lost time in the fall circuit. It’s challenging to forecast his future given the extended layoff, but his stuff has looked formidable in the brief glimpses we’ve gotten lately. He averaged 96.9 mph on his four-seam fastball in his AFL debut and generated five swinging strikes on 16 pitches. He’s a fascinating pitching prospect to monitor heading into next season.

It’s a two-year pact for Cronin, who will spend all of next season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. The 280year-old righty spent all of last season pitching at the Triple-A level after compiling a respectable 4.35 ERA across 70 1/3 innings over 56 appearances for the Marlins back in 2024. He represents a relatively low-risk gamble for the Rangers.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson made it official that Miller will get the ball on Wednesday afternoon with a chance to send Seattle to the ALCS. The 27-year-old righty will be making his first career postseason start at Comerica Park.

Eugenio Suárez and J.P. Crawford also homered in support of Logan Gilbert. Raleigh’s first hit made it a 4-0 game in the fourth, and he added insurance with his two-run blast in the ninth. It was his second homer in eight career postseason games. The Mariners will try to finish off the Tigers on Wednesday, though they’ve yet to announce whether Bryce Miller or someone else will start. Casey Mize will get the ball for Detroit.