Oakland rookie Connelly Early shined in Boston, beating the Red Sox 2-1 in his second big league start. He logged 5.1 innings, one run, seven strikeouts and no walks, mixing a sinker with a sharper changeup to keep Boston off balance after an 11-strikeout debut in Sacramento. Early joined a rare club with 18 strikeouts across his first two starts, a mark last reached by Paul Skenes in 2024. Alex Cora praised his command as Boston’s offense again struggled with runners in scoring position, tightening the playoff picture.

Two-start sample size points to a high-upside rookie with a clean delivery and a versatile mix. The performance provides Oakland a blueprint: efficient innings, a varied arsenal, and a relentless approach through the lineup. The context of Skenes’ historic pace adds historical weight to Early’s early success and questions remain for Boston’s lineup and playoff odds.

Toronto tightened its grip on the AL’s Best Record race, moving two steps closer to home-field advantage for the playoffs for just the fourth time in franchise history. With a four-game cushion over Detroit and a favorable finish, the Jays own their destiny in the final stretch as the magic number drifts toward clinching scenarios.

The chase revolves around seven wins by Toronto or losses by rivals to clinch the league’s best record, six to seal the AL East, and three to lock a playoff berth. A potential Friday night clinch looms, though debates persist after a Jays-Royals clash lands on Apple TV while fans crave Sportsnet.

Cal Raleigh capped a late-season power surge, belting his 55th and 56th homers to pass Mickey Mantle’s 54 for the season’s top switch-hitter mark. A milestone that cements Raleigh as a rare lefty-power source and ties Seattle’s push to baseball lore.

64 years after Mantle’s blast, Carl Yastrzemski watched from left field while his grandson Mike—then with Kansas City—watched Raleigh’s feat from the same corner. The moment threads lineage and history, reminding fans how baseball history travels through generations.

Houston edged Texas 6-5 to keep pace in the AL West and widen its hold on the second wild-card spot. Blubaugh’s three shutout innings as an opener set the tone, the bullpen finished six innings of solid work, and Houston capitalized on early blows to build a 6-0 lead before a late Ranger rally forced a tense finish. With a crucial Mariners series on the horizon and the Silver Boot trophy at stake, the Astros stay in striking distance for both division and playoff positioning.

Texas saw Merrill Kelly falter, surrendering six runs in three innings, as the Rangers’ playoff hopes took a hit. The win reinforces Houston’s reliance on bullpen depth and timely hitting from Peña, Correa, and Altuve, while the Rangers must regroup quickly to keep wild-card and division ambitions alive.