On September 10, Jacob deGrom came to the Emerald City and threw a masterpiece against our Mariners, a game that perfectly encapsulates his whole career. He was absolutely lights out for Texas, going six innings, facing just 19 batters, which is only one over the minimum! The man struck out a mind-blowing 12 of our guys, gave up just one hit, walked nobody, and didn’t allow a single run. He left the game with Texas leading by three, looking like he’d sealed the win.
When a Masterpiece Gets Flushed
You know what happened next, right? Classic deGrom. The bullpen came in and completely flushed away the lead, and Texas wound up losing the game. It’s almost unbelievable, but that’s been the story for him, hasn’t it? This season alone, three of his top 10 career starts, ranked by Pitchers’ Game Score, have happened in 2026. We saw a historically significant outing right here in Seattle at T-Mobile Park, but the guy just can’t catch a break from his own team. It’s frustrating to watch, even when it’s against your own squad, because you know you’re seeing greatness.
AL Powerhouses and NL MVPs
Look, while that deGrom game was wild, there’s been other huge stuff going on in the league. Over in the American League, Yordan Alvarez is still doing Yordan Alvarez things. He’s the only qualifier in baseball rocking an OBP over .400, and he’s leading the AL in batting, on-base, slugging, OPS, *and* walks. He’s still the favorite for AL MVP, even if his numbers dipped a bit late in the season. You gotta wonder where Joe Espada’s Astros would be without him. Then you have guys like Bryan Baker for Tampa Bay. Their record of 93-59 is nine games better than what the Pythagorean Theorem suggests it should be, and Baker, with his league-leading 40 saves, is a massive reason why they’re pulling it off.
Meanwhile, Pete Crow-Armstrong is running away with the NL MVP. When the Cubs were suffering through a brutal 10-game losing streak in May, PCA hit a dismal .161. But in the 85 Cubs victories through September 17, his slash line is an insane .357/.442/.740, scoring 89 runs! You simply cannot tell the story of this season without talking about him. And Freddie Freeman? He’s got 32 doubles this year and 579 career, 90 more than Paul Goldschmidt! He’s just a little over a season away from passing Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds for career doubles, which is just insane. Raisel Iglesias for the Braves has 33 saves on 36 chances, but only one postseason save in five years. That absolutely has to change.
What’s next for our M’s? We need to keep our heads up, especially after seeing what can happen when a team can’t close out a game, even one where the opponent’s pitcher was basically unhittable. We learn from these moments. Let’s look forward to the next time our M’s step onto the field, ready to show everyone what the Emerald City is all about!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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