Lead Story - 9/6/2026

Permanent Player Requests and Player Stat Revisions

Player Revision
- Christopher Sanchez (Imported)
- Carlos Rodon (Stats upgrade)

Permanent Player Requests
- Los Angeles Angels - add Andy Messersmith, drop Frank Tanana
- Houston Astros - add JR Richard, drop Roy Oswalt
- San Francisco Giants - add Brian Wilson, drop Rod Beck
- Philadelphia Phillies - Add Christopher Sanchez, drop Zack Wheeler

6/21/2026

2046 World Series Champs, the Seattle Mariners!

The Pirates controlled the first three games behind strong pitching and timely power (Gibson, Ventura, Williams), building a commanding 3-0 lead that looked like a sweep in the making. Everything flipped in Game 4, when the Mariners' lineup, anchored by Suzuki, Brett, and Varitek, erupted for a franchise-altering offensive explosion and never looked back. Seattle's bats stayed hot through Games 5 and 6, squeezing out a tight extra-effort win and a clutch late-inning victory to force a decisive Game 7. Randy Johnson shut the door in Game 7, tossing a complete game as the Mariners' offense piled on early and often for a 12-2 rout. It capped one of the more dramatic reversals possible in a championship series, down 0-3 to eventual World Series champions.

Big Moments

1. Game 4's third-inning explosion. Down 0-3 in the series and facing a sweep, the Mariners blew the game open with a 6-run inning (Suzuki's bases-loaded single, Varitek's 2-RBI double, Keeler's RBI), turning a laugher into the spark for the entire comeback.


2. Ichiro Suzuki's Game 5 late-inning double. His 9th-inning RBI double was the game-winning RBI in a back-and-forth 7-6 win, showing the Mariners could win close games too, not just blowouts.


3. Game 7's first-inning knockout barrage. Brouthers' triple and a cascade of run-scoring hits before the Pirates recorded an out set the tone for a 12-2 rout, capping the improbable comeback with an emphatic finish rather than a nail-biter.

World Series MVP

Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners, CF)
.323/.323/.452 (10-for-31, 1 HR, 1 2B, 10 RBI, 4 R)

He was the most consistently dangerous bat in the pivotal games, delivering the go-ahead double in Game 5, a 3-RBI homer in Game 6, and multi-hit production in the Game 4 and Game 7 blowouts. He was at the center of nearly every big offensive outburst during the comeback stretch.

League Chat Box

Saberhagen blanks St. Louis with 6-0 shutout

St. Louis is hoping not to see Bret Saberhagen again for a long while. Saberhagen went the distance, leading Colorado to a 6-0 victory. | Box

Banks delivers in clutch, Astros win

Ernie Banks drove in 4 runs, carrying Houston to a 13-10 victory over the Angels. Houston's Joe Morgan had 4 RBIs. J.R. Richard struckout 8 Los Angeles batters in the contest. | Box

Yamamoto's 10-K performance not enough

Yoshinobu Yamamoto whiffed 10 batters, but the Phillies managed to beat the Red Sox, 4-3. | Box

Lincecum whiffs 12 in 4-2 win

Tim Lincecum struckout 12 Chicago batters in a 4-2 win for the Giants. | Box

Waddell blanks Pittsburgh with 4-0 shutout

Pittsburgh is hoping not to see Rube Waddell again for a long while. Waddell went the distance, leading Los Angeles to a 4-0 victory. | Box