MLB | A Heart-Stopping Night: Yankees Crush Rays Behind Rice’s Multihomer match, Brewers Push Toward 100 Wins

One night after the Tampa Bay Rays clinched the American League East at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees delivered a statement of their own. Ben Rice launched his 40th and 41st home runs of the season, Ryan McMahon matched a career high with five RBIs including a grand slam, and Gerrit Cole turned in another strong outing as the Yankees pounded the Rays 9-2 on Wednesday night.

The victory improved New York to 91-67 and locked in home-field advantage for the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series that begins next week. Rice led off the bottom of the first with a first-pitch blast into the right-field second deck, then added a solo shot in the fourth for his fifth career multi-homer game. He finished with three hits and is now tied for the AL home run lead with Baltimore’s Pete Alonso, Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero and Houston’s Yordan Alvarez.

McMahon provided the knockout punch in a five-run third inning, clearing the bases with a grand slam off Rays starter Mason Englert. George Lombard Jr. also went deep for the Yankees. Cole (10-9) worked 5⅔ innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out eight on 105 pitches. Cedric Mullins and Jonny DeLuca accounted for the Rays’ offense in a game that felt like a postseason preview gone wrong for the newly crowned division champions.

“We’re locked in,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said afterward. “This group knows what’s coming next week, and nights like this help build that confidence.”

Brewers Keep Rolling, Delay Phillies’ Clinch

In Philadelphia, the Milwaukee Brewers continued their march toward history. Christian Yelich and Brice Turang each homered, William Contreras drove in two runs, and Logan Henderson pitched five solid innings as Milwaukee defeated the Phillies 4-1 to reach 99 wins.

The victory kept the Phillies (87-71) from clinching a fifth consecutive postseason berth. Philadelphia entered the night needing a win combined with a loss by either San Diego or Arizona. Both the Padres and Diamondbacks won, leaving the Phillies tied with the Chicago Cubs for the second NL wild-card spot — one game behind San Diego.

The Brewers are one win away from reaching 100 wins

Turang opened the scoring with a 406-foot solo shot in the first. Yelich followed with another solo blast in the second. Contreras’ two-run single in the third made it 4-1, and Trevor Megill closed it out for his 30th save. Henderson (11-3) limited the damage after the Phillies loaded the bases with nobody out in the second, allowing only a run-scoring groundout by J.T. Realmuto. Aaron Nola (7-11) struck out eight but surrendered the early long balls.

Milwaukee sits two games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball and continues to chase the franchise’s first 100-win season. The Brewers need just one more victory in their final four games.

Machado leads the Padres and ends the Dodgers' winning streak

Across the country at Dodger Stadium, Manny Machado delivered the kind of performance that has defined his career against Los Angeles. The Padres third baseman homered and drove in three runs as San Diego beat the Dodgers 5-1, snapping Los Angeles’ 11-game home winning streak and claiming sole possession of the top NL wild-card spot.

Machado’s 409-foot two-run shot in the fourth off Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave the Padres a 2-0 lead. An error by Yamamoto and Machado’s sacrifice fly in the fifth extended the advantage to 4-1. Freddy Fermin added an RBI single in the ninth. The win improved San Diego to 88-70 while the Dodgers fell to 97-61. Los Angeles still needs one more win or an Atlanta loss to secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.

Shohei Ohtani returned from the injured list and singled in his first at-bat, but the Dodgers’ offense managed only one run despite collecting 10 hits. Bradgley Rodriguez earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief.

Around the League: Extra-Inning Drama and Clinching Implications

The Seattle Mariners kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a 6-5 walk-off victory over the Houston Astros in 10 innings. Josh Naylor’s single scored Randy Arozarena with the winning run after the Mariners erased an early deficit. The loss left the Astros tied with the Texas Rangers atop the AL West.

Other results

Baltimore swept a doubleheader from Toronto, winning both games 4-2.

Boston edged Cleveland 1-0 behind Sonny Gray and a strong bullpen performance, keeping the Guardians’ AL Central lead at one game over the White Sox.

St. Louis defeated Pittsburgh 5-1.

Miami held off Chicago 3-2, preventing the Cubs from gaining ground in the wild-card race.

Arizona beat Colorado 5-3 to stay alive in the NL wild-card picture.

The Mets routed the Rangers 7-2, while the Athletics handled the Angels 7-3.

There's still a lot to be decided

With only a handful of games remaining before the regular season ends Sunday, the 2026 postseason field is nearly set but still full of intrigue.

American League

Division leaders: Rays (AL East, clinched), Guardians (AL Central), Astros (AL West, tied with Rangers)

Wild cards: Yankees (clinched), Red Sox (clinched), White Sox currently holding the final spot

National League

Division leaders: Brewers (NL Central, clinched), Dodgers (NL West, clinched), Braves (NL East, clinched)

Wild cards: Padres currently No. 1, followed by Cubs and Phillies (tied)

An exciting weekend lies ahead to wrap up the regular season

The final weekend will decide seeding, the last wild-card berths, and whether Milwaukee can reach 100 wins. For now, Wednesday provided the kind of high-stakes baseball that makes September special — power displays, delayed clinches, and late-night drama that will carry into the postseason.

Stay tuned for Thursday’s slate as the regular season heads toward its dramatic conclusion.