AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar

The Rundown: Bregman Scare Casts Pall Over Big Win, Playoff Push Enters Final Week, Yastrzemski Leads Red Sox Back to Postseason

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterSeptember 21, 2026

“I was bitten by a boar, I was gouged and I was gored, but I pulled through.” — Monkey Man by The Rolling Stones

I don’t want to jinx the Cubs, but they’re going to make the playoffs. They’re probably going to play the Padres again, though the home team is still to be determined. I’d feel a lot more confident that the Wild Card round would be played at Wrigley Field had Alex Bregman not caught a heat-seeking missile just below his left eye. If I’m Bregman, the thought of facing Mason Miller seems very unappealing, at least in the short term.

Bregman is a throwback, however, and though he could have been killed by the line drive, I expect he’ll be anything but gun-shy once he returns to playing. That said, a hitter needs pristine vision when trying to connect to a sphere that looks something like a pebble at 100+ mph thrown downhill from 60 feet six inches away. Whether he will be healed in time to face Miller or anybody else is still to be determined. Bregman’s effectiveness will also be in question until he is physically healed and once again feeling fearless. Hitters have to be fearless because they’re basically trying to avoid and redirect bullets.

His teammates hold their collective destiny in their own hands. Chicago’s magic number to make the playoffs is one with six games to play, and it is six to host that first series. They’re also on a path that could pit them against the Brewers in the NLDS. It’s déjà vu all over again, if you will allow me to warmly quote Yogi Berra, but the Cubs need Bregman if they have any hope of a long postseason run. He and Pete Crow-Armstrong have carried this team for most of the second half.

Chicago’s bats will need to be explosive once the playoffs start. ESPN ranked their rotation 13th among 15 MLB contenders, and the bullpen isn’t any better. Scoring five runs per game is therefore optimal, though that still doesn’t feel all that safe. Six or seven would be much better and it’s not impossible: This is a team that has scored 10 or more runs in a single game 21 times this season. They’re 59-8 (.881) when plating six runners or more.

I’m going to try to avoid scoreboard watching this week, but if you’re prone to worrying about what other teams do, a quick perusal of the upcoming schedule will give you relief or anxiety, depending on how you evaluate the current contenders. The Cubs host the Marlins starting Tuesday and then finish the season with three against the Red Sox in Boston. The Padres play three against the Dodgers in Los Angeles followed by three at home against the Diamondbacks. The Phillies host the Brewers and the Rays.

It’s worth noting that the Dodgers and Brewers are still fighting for the No. 1 seed, which makes things a little tougher for San Diego and Philadelphia. Finally, and because nothing is ever easy, the weather in Boston may not be suitable for baseball this weekend. Keep an eye on that, as those games could be canceled or played at a neutral site. The Red Sox are locked into third place and the second Wild Card spot, so they have nothing to play for but pride.

Cubs News & Notes

Ball Four

Central Intelligence

  • Milwaukee (98-58): The Brewers set a franchise record on Sunday with their 98th win of the year. Hats off to Milwaukee, which has owned the NL Central for four straight seasons and five of the last six. They are the first NL Central team to win the division four consecutive times since it was created in 1994.
  • Chicago (87-69): The Cubs will finish second in the NL Central and have yet to win a division title in the Jed Hoyer era.
  • Pittsburgh (79-77): Paul Skenes believes the World Baseball Classic is the root of his 2026 struggles.
  • St. Louis (76-80): The Cardinals have now missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons.
  • Cincinnati (72-84): Hall of Fame shortstop and former Reds great Barry Larkin provided a blunt assessment of this year’s team.

Wild Wild Life

How About That!

Look at that! Montreal is officially entering the chat regarding baseball’s expansion to 32 teams.

For what it’s worth, the Expos’ unofficial Twitter page is one of the best in baseball.

The Yankees are getting a nice influx of cash thanks to a sale of 16% of their shares to private equity giant Apollo Global Management. The sale will make the American League New Yorkers the most valuable franchise in baseball.

The White Sox are a game out of the division lead with six left, three apiece with the Royals and Rockies. The winner of the AL Central will get a bye while the runner-up likely gets a sixth seed and a series with the Rangers or Astros.

A Yastrzemski home run is responsible for putting the Red Sox in the playoffs. No, this is not 1975.

Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio hit the 20/20 mark for the third consecutive season, a major league record. He was given his 20th stolen base of the year on an overturned challenge.

Three from the Bill Chuck Files

  • The Brewers and Braves hold tiebreakers over the Dodgers. The Cubs hold the tiebreaker over the Padres and Phillies.
  • Kyle Tucker has 164 career homers and he has now hit at least one against every MLB team.
  • This is the Yankees’ third straight postseason berth, eighth in nine seasons under Aaron Boone, and their 27th in 32 seasons.

Missed it by this Much…

This year’s Cubs might have been more dominant than the 2016 team if Steele, Ben Brown, and Cade Horton were healthy. I imagine Hoyer would have acquired a bona fide closer at the deadline were that the case.

Extra Innings

“You didn’t get me down, Ray. I don’t go down for nobody.” – Jake La Motta

They Said It

  • “At the end of the day, you just hope your friend’s OK. That’s the news that I’m hoping for. I heard no concussion, maybe, so that’s a plus. Scary stuff.” – Crow-Armstrong
  • “We got to get good results at the hospital. That’s what’s first. He got hit in the face, so you’re worried just about general well-being first. If we get a good report, then we’ll kind of move to the next step. I want to get a good report first.” – Counsell
  • “You try to focus on the game, but it’s tough. First and foremost, just hoping that he’s all good. He’s a gamer. He wants to be out there more than anybody. I hope everything’s OK to where he can continue to play with us. Hopefully, he’s healthy. Hopefully, he can get back on the field as soon as possible because he loves to win. He loves to help others. [We’re] praying for him.” – Michael Busch
  • “The best way for us to think about it is on a daily basis,” Counsell said. “It’s not the standings. It’s: Does how we do things today affect tomorrow? And can we survive tomorrow? Can we survive the following day? Am I going to put people in bad situations if we do this? That’s just how you think about it all the time. As you get to the end of the season, you can start to push a little bit harder, but you still have to be very careful with that. Everybody can tell you that, because there are longer-term [concerns]. Pushing too hard can lead to something worse for more games than just two outs or three outs. You always have to consider that.” – Counsell

Monday Walk-Up Song

With six games remaining, the NL Wild Card race is shaping up to be a photo finish.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterSeptember 21, 2026
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