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A relatively routine infield batted ball became the source of much confusion and debate on Wednesday night in a game between the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers.

Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford hit the ball, which was picked up off a chop by Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck. Houck fired the ball over to first, but his throw was off target, toward the home plate side of the bag and low. First baseman Romy Gonzalez fumbled the catch and stood in the way of the bag as he corralled it. Meantime, Langford ran down the line but missed the bag, jumping over Gonzalez along the way to avoid a potentially dangerous collision.

The play was reviewed, and the safe call was confirmed. Fans, in response to an MLB social media post on the call, were completely split:

At first glance, it looks simple. Gonzalez fumbles the ball, and therefore, Langford should be safe. But further, slower angles show that Langford, as he jumped around Gonzalez, failed to touch the bag. Before Langford was able to return to first base after overrunning it, Gonzalez picked up the ball and stepped on the bag. A logical person may assume that means Langford is legally out.

Umpires reviewed the play, and the on-field call of safe was confirmed. No explanation was given on the public address system. Boston manager Alex Cora came out to dispute after the review and appeared to leave satisfied with what the umpires told him.

The Red Sox did not appeal the safe call in real time. Such an action could have prompted a change from "safe" to "out" on the field. Appeals are an inherent part of the game and are frequently referenced in the MLB rulebook for "missed base" situations.

Another possible interpretation is that González was interfering Langford's path to first base. Section 5.05(b)(3) of the 2025 MLB rulebook says a runner shall be safe if, "the catcher or any fielder interferes with him," and specifically says, "if the batter-runner missed first base… he shall be considered as having reached the base," if interfered with. He certainly impedes the first base path as he reaches to grab the errant throw.

So, in all, not an easy or straightforward call to make or review. And while Sox fans may not like the outcome, it does appear to be grounded in rulebook logic, assuming one agrees that Gonzalez committed interference.

Interestingly, an almost identical play happened a few years back, then benefiting the Red Sox.

Newcastle United arguably go into the Tyne-Wear Derby later today as the side expected to come up short.

Eddie Howe’s men have only won one Premier League away contest all season long, with their recent record in the Tyne-Wear Derby not raising the optimism levels, either, with the Magpies losing their last three visits to the Stadium of Light on the trot in league action.

Still, anything can happen in a one-off contest of this magnitude, with the form book going out the window the minute the 2pm kick-off gets underway.

Howe will hope his current batch of Newcastle stars can be seen as heroes come the full-time whistle, with Shola Ameobi still remembered fondly to this day at St James’ Park for all his memorable contributions in the Tyne-Wear Derby as a beloved fan’s favourite.

Ameobi's stunning record against Sunderland

Ameobi was never the most frightening goal machine presence for the Toon, with a respectable 79 goals put away from 398 total appearances, but he always seemed to be a man for the big occasion, especially when Sunderland came to town.

Indeed, from 16 career clashes against the Black Cats, the homegrown Newcastle attacker would manage to power home a clinical seven goals, with two of those coming way back in 2010 when the Chris Hughton-led outfit got the better of their main enemy 5-1.

Only ever on the losing side four times, as well, in the Tyne-Wear Derby, it was clear, whenever he played in the monumental game, that Ameobi knew of the critical importance of the match and what gaining a positive result could do for the Tyneside masses, having been on the books of Newcastle since 1997.

The academy talent turned senior star would even be branded a club “legend” by former boss Alan Pardew after he fired home another strike in the blockbuster showdown in 2012,

Perhaps, another homegrown diamond at Howe’s disposal could be ready to take the same game by storm later today, if he is thrown into the starting XI.

Newcastle's new Ameobi

The Nigerian attacker would first make his senior debut for the Magpies at the turn of the millennium, with Ameobi only 18 years of age when he was chucked into the first team fray versus Chelsea in 2000.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

With how long-standing his career on Tyneside turned out to be, it’s self-evident that he never looked back.

Lewis Miley has also been in and around the first team picture at St James’ Park under Howe from an extremely young age, with the energetic midfielder only 17 years of age himself when he was first handed first team opportunities in 2022.

He has also shown off a goalscoring edge on occasion that makes him even more comparable to Ameobi, as the teenage sensation headed home this effort last time out in the Champions League versus Bayer Leverkusen, from just 30 minutes of action, to gift his team a slender lead.

With a further ten goal contributions coming his way in senior action for Newcastle from 63 appearances, it’s clear that Miley is a talent that could become a well-established part of the Toon jigsaw in time, to reach the same crazy 398 game benchmark set by Ameobi before him.

Miley’s energy and drive being added to the starting XI against Sunderland could be key as Newcastle attempt to pick up a rare win in the Derby, with “the next young English superstar”- as pundit Pat Nevin once glowingly labelled him – winning all 100% of his duels back in November in the Premier League against Everton, away from clinching another goal and an assist for his troubles.

Ameobi was, of course, known for always having something up his sleeve to get his team out of trouble on the big occasion with his feared goalscoring record, with Miley hopeful he can be Howe’s secret weapon, too, as a leggy Joelinton likely drops out of the freshness of the Englishman.

An entire team effort will be required for Newcastle to get over the line, but in big games, often a moment of magic can decide a contest, with Miley desperate to be Howe’s own Ameobi later on, if he’s picked.

Howe's "diamond" looks like another Guimaraes in the making at Newcastle

Eddie Howe has now found his next Bruno Guimaraes in the making in this Newcastle United youngster.

By
Kelan Sarson

3 days ago

Vinicius Junior is all set to face Erling Haaland in the international arena as a Brazil football chief has revealed plans to organise a pre-World Cup friendly with Norway in a potential repeat of the 1998 classic. The Manchester City goal machine emerged as the highest scorer in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers as his 16 goals helped Norway reach the finals in North America.

• Brazil to face Norway in pre-World Cup friendly

  Brazil national football team sporting director Rodrigo Caetano has confirmed they are in talks with the Norway FA over organizing a pre-World Cup friendly match between the two nations before they head to North America to take part at the 2026 World Cup.

  Speaking to , Caetano said: "We are still negotiating the last warm-up match. Of course, we have a preference. It still requires negotiations, but our first choice is the Norwegian national team, which is a strong team right now."

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• GOAL/Getty
  

  Why are Brazil facing Norway before World Cup?

  According to Norwegian sporting commentator Arne Scheie, the five-time world champions are impressed by Norway's World Cup qualification performance, where they earned a direct qualification despite being in the same group as Italy and Israel. Also, Norway are the only national team the Selecao have never beaten. 

  Speaking to , Scheie said: "It's fantastic. There's not much that sounds better than having Brazil at Ullevaal as a last test before the World Cup. Norway is the only nation Brazil has faced that they have not beaten. In total, Norway has played Brazil four times. The first meeting between the national teams came in a friendly match in 1988, which ended 1-1. In 1997, Norway won 4-2 at Ullevaal Stadium, one year before the teams met again in the 1998 World Cup. As is well known, Norway won 2-1.

  "Brazil has upbeat leaders, and they have seen what Norway has achieved. They want to test themselves against the best teams, and they will get that matchup against Norway. That's how it is with the results Norway has had recently. They score a lot of goals, and hardly concede."

• Haaland to face Vinicius Junior before meeting Mbappe

  Haaland has a blockbuster list of fixtures in 2026. The City goal machine is guaranteed to face Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe at the 2026 World Cup as France, Senegal, Norway and the winner of FIFA play-off 2 – one of Bolivia, Suriname or Iraq – have been drawn together in the same group.

  Reacting to the World Cup draw, Haaland has said: "France and Senegal, that’s tough [laughing emoji]. What do you guys think?"

  With Brazil now organising a friendly against Norway, Haaland will go up against Mbappe's Madrid team-mate Vinicius Junior before facing the Frenchman in North America next summer.

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• Getty
  

  Where will Norway vs Brazil take place?

  The venue for the friendly has not been finalised yet as the two football federations are negotiating the game. However, VG reports that the match is unlikely to be held on Norwegian soil and rather a neutral venue will be picked. 

  The Norwegian Football Association (NFF) told NTB: "We will inform on our website when opponents in upcoming private international matches are ready."

It doesn't look fun to be standing in the batter's box just a mere 60 feet and six inches away from Colorado Rockies flamethrower Seth Halvorsen.

That's exactly the situation Washington Nationals outfielder Alex Call found himself in Wednesday night in a pinch-hitting appearance with two outs in the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Taking the place of teammate Jacob Young, Call was barely settled in the box when Halvorsen gave him a scare.

Halvorsen leaned back and fired in a four-seam fastball at 102.1 mph that zoomed behind Call's back and hit the wall behind home plate. Ball one.

That'll wake you up.

According to Bailey Freeman of Foolish Baseball, that was the fastest pitch to miss the plate by at least seven feet in the pitch tracking era (since 2008)—and well ahead of the second-fastest offering, an 88.3 mph pitchout from Denny Bautista in '08.

Call went on to strike out on the next three pitches: a 91.3 mph splitter, a 101.7 mph fastball and a 102 mph four-seamer. But can you blame him?

The question now remains: can they follow up this success with any consistency? All eyes on the ODIs that begin this weekend in St Kitts then

Mohammad Isam06-Dec-2024Shortly after lunch on the third day in Jamaica, Bangladesh seemed to be in deep trouble with the bat once again. Opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy had edged to the slips in the first over, a duck to go with his scores of 5, 6, 3 in the Test series. Bangladesh had scored 164 and 132 in their two previous innings. The batting had hardly come together at all in 2024. And now it seemed, another batting debacle awaited the visitors.West Indies were all over Bangladesh too. Their fast bowlers had something to say to the batters almost every ball. The slip fielders were loud. Substitute Kevin Sinclair ran up to the batters from gully every other ball. Umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Asif Yaqoob gave out a few warnings, but the chirping continued. Bangladesh’s batting looked meek. The TV commentators offered sympathy on air.Besides, this was the first time in 19 years that Bangladesh didn’t have any of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah and Mashrafe Mortaza in the XI. One of these five would often have been the player to intervene in such circumstances, whether with bat, ball or verbals.Related

• Give it up for 2024: Test cricket has had few better years

• Simmons praises Bangladesh's 'positive attitude' in bouncing back from first Test defeat

But then Shahadat Hossain offered some resistance. He cracked Alzarri Joseph through point, before swiping Shamar Joseph through midwicket. Kraigg Brathwaite dropped a stinging drive from him in the covers but that didn’t stop Shahadat from playing his shots. He smacked Alzarri down the ground next over.After Shahadat’s cameo, Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz showed further intent, going in to bat at No. 4 for the first time in his career. Mehidy and Shadman Islam went on a boundary-hitting spree in their 70-run third-wicket stand. When these batters got out and it was clear that Mominul Haque was too ill to bat, Jaker Ali hustled West Indies. After getting hit on the top of his helmet, he blitzed their fast bowlers on the fourth morning. Bangladesh finished with 268, meaning the hosts needed 287 for the win.The fightback continued with the ball. Taijul Islam and the fast bowlers dismissed the home side for 185 in the fourth innings, well short of their target. This was the quintessential Bangladesh win. Several performers, but, this time, none of them from the Big Five. A bunch of unlikely heroes had given Bangladesh their first Test win in West Indies in 15 years. This was another chapter in a wonderful year for Test cricket.

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Bangladesh have not had a great 2024 going by the numbers. They beat Pakistan 2-0 but then lost five successive Tests. Of particular disappointment was losing two Tests against a relatively inexperienced South Africa at home in October. The shift in mentality in Jamaica from survival mode to a positive attitude was therefore a welcome change.Jaker Ali went on the attack once he started running out of partners•Athelstan BellamyOne of those who led that recovery was Jaker Ali. A batter who has a fair amount of work left to do on his batting technique, but his approach has been spot on. He has now scored fifties in each of his first three Tests. In the second innings in Jamaica, Jaker held the Bangladesh batting together. He manipulated the field while batting with the tail-enders. His sudden attacking spree on the fourth morning was thrilling but it was also evidence that Jaker understands his limitations.Then there was Taijul. The left-arm spinner has often been overshadowed in the past, but Shakib’s retirement means he now has the senior bowler’s role. Taijul often merely looked like a steady foil for Shakib, bowling a defensive outside-off-stump line. In Jamaica, he bowled closer to the stumps. It is another subtle shift in roles in the absence of the big stars.

****

Bangladesh’s leadership too has undergone a change in the last 12 months. Najmul Hossain Shanto became captain in bits and pieces last year before the BCB appointed him the full-time captain in February this year. Shanto has looked like a good leader, especially reflected in their Rawalpindi wins. His batting form has suffered with the extra responsibility though and he offered to resign last month, but it seems the BCB talked him out of it.Here, Shanto’s injury gave Bangladesh a glimpse of Mehidy the captain. A player who always seems to put his whole heart into it, he led by example, often coming on to bowl in difficult moments. When the West Indies pace attack tested his batting with bouncer barrages in Antigua and Jamaica, Mehidy’s positive approach was quite encouraging.Mehidy Hasan Miraz stepped into the captain’s role•BCBShanto and Mehidy are the future of Bangladesh cricket. They have played together since their age-group cricket days. They praise each other often. Splitting the captaincy could be an option given Shanto has voiced some reluctance to lead while Mehidy has showed he can lead in a crisis. The BCB wouldn’t want the captaincy to become a race between the two though, so some deft handling of this situation is needed.

****

Bangladesh’s pace attack remains their most improved and consistent department. This year has been significantly better than any other. Taskin Ahmed was already a white-ball leader, but now he has shown that he can step up in Tests too. Hasan Mahmud has made the best start by any Bangladeshi fast bowler in Tests. Shoriful Islam seems to be improving steadily. Then there is Nahid Rana.The tearaway from Chapainawabganj has wowed folks in Rawalpindi, Sharjah and Jamaica. He is Bangladesh’s fastest bowler ever, but he has also shown discipline with his lines and lengths. His pace has proven a problem for batters, especially since he can still hit the mid-140s at the end of the day.Taijul Islam starred with five wickets in the fourth innings in Jamaica•Athelstan Bellamy

****

Bangladesh’s win in Jamaica was also extra special when you realise they essentially played with ten players. Mominul Haque was ill for most of the game, as he finished with a pair.Glorifying any Bangladesh Test wins however always comes with a caveat. They rarely follow up good results with consistency in performance. When they beat Pakistan twice in Rawalpindi, many hoped that the team had turned a corner. Then India, South Africa and Afghanistan (the last of these in white-ball cricket) beat them convincingly. West Indies won the first Test in Antigua by 201 runs. Then came the fightback.Is this another false dawn? All eyes on Bangladesh in the ODI series that starts in St Kitts on Sunday then. They will once again be without Shanto, Mushfiqur and Mustafizur Rahman among their regulars. Mehidy will lead the new-look side. Unheralded cricketers will once again be asked to step up. Jamaica should provide all the inspiration they need.

For the seventh time in the 10 games they've played against the Toronto Blue Jays this season, the New York Yankees lost. But it wasn't just any loss.

The Yankees' 8-4 defeat on Wednesday was a mistake-filled comedy of errors. There were a couple of wild pitches from starter Max Fried in the bottom of the fifth inning. An errant throw by Fried, who had fielded a slow roller up the third-base line, which cost the Yankees a pair of runs. In the bottom of the sixth inning, outfielder Cody Bellinger lost a ball in the lights, leading to a Blue Jays triple. Then, first baseman Ben Rice booted a ball, which led to another Toronto run scoring.

All told, New York made four errors, its second-most errors in a game this season. And while Yankees captain Aaron Judge knows the club needs to tighten up its act defensively, he also feels very strongly about the possibility of the club embarking on a hot streak.

"Oh, it’s coming," Judge said. "We haven’t hit our hot streak, but we’re going to. And when it does, watch out."

Despite his confidence in the club, Judge also knows that a performance like Wednesday night can't happen.

"We haven’t been playing that well on defense," Judge continued. "That’s one of the things we’ve got to clean up. Going into this off day, we’ve got to refocus and tighten it up on defense. If we give any good team extra outs, it’s not going to go well for us."

The Yankees (56-46) are four games back of the first-place Blue Jays in the American League East. A series against the Philadelphia Phillies (58-44) awaits.

Ahead of a new era, one former Ibrox star has fired a direct warning to Celtic as Rangers set their sights on climbing the Scottish Premiership table.

Rangers set to appoint Gerrard

It’s de ja vu for Rangers, who are reportedly on the brink of reaching a full agreement with Steven Gerrard to return to the club. The last manager to win the Scottish Premiership at Ibrox, the 45-year-old is set to step foot in the dugout in Scotland for the first time since leaving for Aston Villa. He has a lot of making up to do, but arrives with it all to do after Russell Martin’s disastrous tenure.

If the former manager can pick up where he left off, then Rangers should begin to bridge the gap on Celtic and Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership. As things stand, his first game back in charge of the club is likely to be Dundee United at Ibrox, before travelling to face Brann in the Europa League after the international break.

It will be a hectic start for Gerrard and the Rangers squad, but the manager will be hoping to have learned from recent lessons in the technical area to enjoy a quick start.

He recently told Rio Ferdinand when asked about returning to management: “I’d love another go at some point. I want to change a few things and improve a few things and come back fresh, with a few different people around myself.

“I’d love another couple of challenges doing this and that’s what I’m working on in the background at the moment. A few different ideas, a few different people around me.”

Rangers on verge of hiring new manager who shares agent with £100m+ Real Madrid superstar

The Gers are closing in on the appointment.

By
Ben Goodwin

Oct 10, 2025

It will certainly be interesting to see the current version of Gerrard compared to 2021 and one former Ibrox star has already issued a warning to Celtic with that in mind.

Kyle Laferty fires fresh warning to Celtic

Speaking about Gerrard’s return to the club, former Ibrox ace Kyle Laferty warned Celtic about the immediate plan that the Liverpool legend has, claiming that’s what Rangers fans will “want”.

Currently nine points away from Celtic and 11 away from leaders Hearts, it would take a monumental effort for Gerrard to win the league from here, but he’ll be looking to draw on his previous experience as a champion to do exactly that.

PHILADELPHIA — In the bottom of the second, he helped give away two runs. In the top of the seventh, he drove in three. This is the Teoscar Hernández Experience, and for the most part, the Dodgers have decided, it’s worth it. 

“At the end of the day, for me, anything that happened before a big moment like that, it’s in the past,” Hernández said after Los Angeles put the finishing touches on a 5–3 win over the Phillies in Game 1 of the National League division series. “I try to put it in the trash and just focus on the things that I need to do in that at-bat and especially in plays on defense and just trying to help my team.”

He has had plenty of practice. In Game 2 of the wild card series, he camped out under a two-out fly ball, stuck up his glove—and missed the ball. Afterward, he apologized to righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whom he believed he cost an inning or two by forcing him to pitch around the mistake, and promised to try harder. Five innings later, Hernández clubbed a two-run double to pad the lead. The Dodgers won that game, as they did the game before (Hernández home run) and the next one (Saturday’s Hernández home run).

Saturday’s miscue was less egregious, although potentially more costly. With the score tied at zero and runners on first and second, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto lined a ball to right-center field. Hernández is not terribly fleet of foot under the best of circumstances, but he averaged 28.0 feet per second running home to first this season. On Saturday, his rate to the ball was 25.0 feet per second. Center fielder Andy Pages beat him there; by the time the ball made it back to the infield, both runners had scored and Realmuto was at third base. 

“He wasn’t not trying,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “But, yeah, that’s a ball that you don’t want Realmuto to have a triple, certainly a short right field.” 

This sort of inconsistency is easier to swallow when Hernández is hitting, as he did last year, when he had an .840 regular-season OPS and almost singlehandedly won three playoff games en route to the 2024 title. It was that performance that made him beloved in Los Angeles and led the front office to sign him to a three-year, $66 million deal before his age-32 season. But Hernández missed two weeks with a strained groin in May, then battled bruising after fouling a ball off his left foot in July. He has insisted all season that those ailments have not slowed him, but he had a .933 OPS before the groin strain and a .672 OPS afterward. 

For a while, he became a symbol of a team that seemed to be recovering from a World Series hangover. The Dodgers wilted down the stretch, playing .417 ball in July, then coming close to letting the division slip away in August and September. Hernández was certainly not the only problem—the bullpen had a 4.90 ERA in the final month—but his mistakes were glaring. In August, he failed to come up with an easy ninth-inning pop-up; two pitches later, that run scored to give the historically awful Rockies a walk-off win. Reporters and fans began speculating that Hernández might be moved out of right field. The team insisted that was not the plan—if only because the Dodgers were too banged up to accommodate a positional shift. A week later, Roberts benched Hernández for two games. 

“He’s an every-day guy, but I do think that where we’re at, you’ve got to perform, too, to warrant being out there every single day, regardless, right?” Roberts said.

A few days later, Roberts lamented to reporters that he felt Hernández lacked focus. “He’s a guy that I really admire, because he can balance the fun part of baseball but also have that edge,” the manager said. “And I think we’ve lost a little bit of that edge over the last couple months. So I think, for me, I want to see that edge, that fight, that fire, and I’ll bet on any result.”

He had already spoken with Hernández himself. “He was, like, ‘You know what, I’ve got to be better, I gotta play better, I gotta play better defense, I’ve got to dial up the offense,’” Roberts recalled on Saturday. “We talked about it. And he delivered.”

Hernández told reporters he thought he was pressing. He felt a bit of that unhelpful energy early on Saturday, when he chased pitches well below the strike zone—two in his first at-bat, one in his second, another in his third—against Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez and struck out three times. So for his fourth at-bat, this one against lefty Matt Strahm with two runners on, Hernández decided to simplify his approach and just look for a pitch up. 

“Not trying to do overswinging or anything like that,” he said. “Maybe a hit. Try to bring in one run to tie the game.”

He brought in three to win it, and to ensure that the Dodgers get to enjoy the Teoscar Hernández experience at least a few days longer. 

With a 15 game slate on Independence Day, let’s hit the prop bet market. 

There’s plenty of games to choose from, but I’m eyeing three pitcher props that have caught my eye, namely the outs prop for Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta. Pivetta has been a victim of poor variance, but a matchup against the Marlins can cure all. 

Here’s three player props I’m eyeing on the Fourth of July. 

Best MLB Prop Bets for Thursday, July 4th 

• Nick Pivetta Over 16.5 Outs (-130)
• Kenta Maeda Under 3.5 Strikeouts (+116)
• Charlie Morton Under 17.5 Outs (-138)

Nick Pivetta Over 16.5 Outs (-130)

Pivetta has been volatile this season, but his underlying metrics indicate he has been unfortunate when the ball has been put in play. He has a 4.52 ERA with a 3.92 xERA with a 75th percentile walk rate, per MLBStatcast.

The righty will face a limited Marlins lineup that is last in OPS this season, meaning he should have little issue rolling through this lackluster set of hitters. 

He has only gone over in this in five of 12 starts this season, but given the matchup, I believe this calls for an over bet as Pivetta should face little resistance. 

Kenta Maeda Under 3.5 Strikeouts (+116)

Maeda’s strikeout prowess has diminished this season. He ranks in the third percentile in terms of pitching run value and is striking out a career lowe 17% of batters while posting a 5.76 ERA. 

It won’t get any better for the veteran Tigers starter against a Twins team that strikes out at a bottom third rate and is second in OPS over the last 30 days. With power in the lineup, Minnesota can chase Maeda from this game rather quickly. 

I’m interested in the plus money price tag with some outlier downside risk for Maeda, who can be pulled quickly from this game. For what it’s worth, he has only pitched into the sixth inning four times in 13 starts (one he left after two pitches), and he has tossed four or more strikeouts in seven of them. 

However, given this matchup, I’ll jump on the plus money price tag. 

Charlie Morton Under 17.5 Outs (-138)

This is a fairly average outcome for Morton, who has gone under this mark in eight of 15 starts, but I believe it’s worthwhile to take the under given the Giants ability to work pitch counts and for Morton’s shaky control. 

San Francisco is a league average strikeout team, but the team doesn’t chase much, a top 10 team in chase percentage. 

Further, Morton is walking batters at a 10.1% clip, 24th percentile in the big leagues. If the Giants are able to take pitches around Morton’s breaking ball pitch, this can be a quicker than expected outing for the 40-year-old. 

Until Sunday, the 12 teams in playoff position at the All-Star break were the same 12 teams holding playoff spots with one week to play. No more. The Reds leapfrogged the sagging Mets, and the molten-hot Guardians can replace the Tigers as soon as Tuesday. You want chaos? This is your week, when baseball becomes a high-stakes, minute-by-minute sprint.

The third wild card is proving its intention: inject sizzle back into September. And don’t worry about a watered-down playoff field. The six No. 6 seeds in three years of the 12-team format have won between 84 and 89 games with an average of 86.9 wins. We again should see the last two teams qualify in that range.

How crazy is the tournament? In the three seasons with six playoff teams in each league, the No. 6 seeds (32–26) have won as many postseason games as the No. 1 seeds (32–22). Just get in, baby.

Wild card spots are not all that’s at stake this week. We’ve got playoff seedings, major awards and MLB records also up for grabs. Here’s your guide to what’s on the line in Chaos Week:

The collapse of the Mets

They no longer control their playoff fate now that the Reds, who hold the tiebreaker over the Mets, caught them for the third wild card.

Since Aug. 19 the Mets are 13–18, including 3–8 against the Marlins and Nationals. But this is not just a late fade. From 45–24 in their first 69 games to 35–52 in their next 87, the Mets have been a bad team longer than they’ve been a good team.

They have used more pitchers than any team in history, received the fourth fewest innings from starters, lost more games out of the bullpen than any playoff contender, walked far too many batters, not once rallied to win after trailing after eight innings and whiffed on trade deadline acquisitions Cedric Mullins and Ryan Helsley, who had been in one organization for a decade before they were dropped into the heat of a New York pennant race.

This week the Mets play three games at Wrigley Field against the Cubs (where they see pitchers Cade Horton, Matt Boyd and Shota Imanaga) and three games in Miami against the Marlins, while asking three kids in their rotation to save their season.

The Reds have three at home against Pittsburgh (including one start by Paul Skenes) and finish with three at Milwaukee against the Brewers. Cincinnati has the edge because of its starting pitching. It also has the tiebreaker advantage over Arizona, which still lurks in the wild card race.

The Tigers in freefall

Detroit takes a six-game losing streak into Cleveland for a huge series against the Guardians that starts Tuesday, then goes to Fenway to finish against the Red Sox, another team hanging on by its fingernails. The Tigers are in a 7–18 freefall in which their 11.5-game AL Central lead has shrunk to one.

The length of the season has exposed the flaws of the Tigers. They strike out too much, their bullpen has the worst strikeout rate in baseball and they are a 46–54 team when anybody other than Tarik Skubal or Casey Mize starts.

American League musical chairs

The Tigers (85–71), Red Sox (85–71), Guardians (84–72) and Astros (84–72) are separated by one game with six to play and three spots up for grabs. One spot will go to either Detroit or Cleveland as the AL Central winner (Cleveland wins the head-to-head tiebreaker with one more win). That leaves three teams for two wild card spots. Here is the skinny on the race:

Tigers: The good news is by finishing against Cleveland and Boston they don’t need help. Their fate is smack in front of them. But that schedule—finishing on the road against two contenders—is also the bad news, especially after Detroit hit .182 against the Guardians while getting swept in three games last week. The Tigers are in trouble, especially if they lose with Skubal on the mound Tuesday in Cleveland.

Red Sox: They are 3–10 against Toronto and Detroit, their opponents this week. They see veteran pitchers Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber in Toronto. Holding tiebreakers against Cleveland and Houston and with head-to-head games with Detroit, Boston still has a good chance of getting in.

Guardians: Manager Stephen Vogt went to a six-man rotation to survive 17 games in 17 days. It worked, not just to keep his starters fresh, but also because pitching coach Carl Willis had them throw two bullpen sessions in between starts to dial in mechanics and pitch shaping. Cleveland is 16–5 with a 2.32 ERA this month. Cleveland is the only one of these four bubble teams to finish all this week at home. If they take two of three from Detroit, the Guardians will be in first place (by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker) and control their fate entering a series against Texas.

Astros: This is the bubble team in the most trouble, if only because they lose the tiebreakers to the Tigers, Red Sox and Guardians and they don’t have Yordan Alvarez (ankle) in the lineup. The Astros are 12–16 in August and September without Alvarez. They need to go at least 4–2 on the road against the Athletics and Angels.