Outside The Confines: The regular season ends*

The regular season ends, except for two makeup games today. A look back and a look ahead to the playoffs. Plus other MLB news.

So in case you don’t know already or don’t want to click on the links, the Braves and Mets play their two makeup games in Atlanta today. Each team just needs to win one game to make the playoffs. So whoever wins game one has zero incentive to even try in game two. The Diamondbacks can only claim a Wild Card spot if one team sweeps the doubleheader. So basically, they’re hoping for a miracle.

Obviously it would be in both teams’ interests to just each forfeit one game, but Manfred’s not going to let that happen. So there will likely be a charade game in the second game.

• Here’s a more in-depth breakdown of what is at stake today.
• Jake Mintz outlines how this fiasco came to happen and more on the possible outcomes.
• Here are your MLB stat leaders at the end of the season. Unless Chris Sale pitches game two today, then things could change.
• Shohei Ohtani fell short of the first National League Triple Crown since 1937. Juan Toribio writes that he still had a season for the ages.
• That’s because the Padres Luis Arraez won his third-straight batting title with his third different team. No one has won batting titles with three different teams before, let alone in consecutive seasons.
• However, Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal did win the pitcher’s Triple Crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts) in the American League.
• A rainout on the final day of the season cost the Guardians’ José Ramírez the chance of becoming baseball’s first ever 40-40-40 player. (Doubles, home runs, steals) Ramírez said he’ll just have to do it in 2025.
• Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. won the American League batting title as the Royals clinched a Wild Card spot, just one year after losing 106 games.
• Brittany Ghiroli reports that the Royals turnaround was fueled by a complete top-to-bottom culture change for the organization. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Bradford Doolittle looks at the Royals, Guardians, Tigers and Brewers and explains how a small-market club can become a contender. (ESPN+ sub. req.) Surprisingly, or maybe not surprisingly, all four teams took a different path to the postseason.
• Picks for the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Awards.
• As far as NL Rookie of the Year goes, Stephen J. Nesbitt and Chris Kirchner note that Pirates hurler Paul Skenes had the best rookie season for a pitcher in 50 years. (The Athletic sub. req.) I would not have guessed who that pitcher was 50 years ago, but he was a pretty good pitcher who won over 150 games in his career and is mostly forgotten these days.
• Jeff Passan breaks down every playoff team, explains how they could win the World Series and then makes his pick. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• Manny Randhawa previews the teams that could break a long title drought this year.
• Gabe Lacques previews the Phillies, who claim they’re prepared to be the team to beat this October.
• Ben Clemens has some factors that could be difference makers in the NL playoffs, one for each team.
• R.J. Anderson previews 10 under-the-radar potential breakout stars this October.
• Jay Jaffe has the weakest positions from all AL playoff teams.
• Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo is a “long shot” to play in the AL Division Series, after getting hit in the hand with a pitch on Saturday.
• Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim will have season-ending shoulder surgery. Kim can become a free agent this winter. Healthy, he’d be in line for a big contract.
• Do-Hyung Park explains how the Twins collapsed down the stretch.
• Despite that, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli will return in 2025. Or so says team president Derek Falvey. I guess he would know.
• Marlins manager Skip Schumaker will not return in 2025. That was his choice, not the Marlins.
• Sad news as Ozzie Virgil Sr., the first Dominican to play in MLB, died at the age of 92.
• So I’m sure you’ve heard already, but for the record, the White Sox lost 121 games.
• White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf wrote a letter to the fans.
• There’s this:

In case you can’t see it, the date of the embedded Tweet is October 1, 2023.

• Brian Murphy looks back at other teams that lost at least 110 games.
• Zack Meisel talks to players (and a manager or two) who had been on terrible teams about how they dealt with all the losing. (The Athletic sub. req.) As one said, “You find a way.”
• The Cardinals plan to part ways with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. (Free The Athletic reg. req.)
• One final indignity for Oakland fans as they finish their final game.

• Tom Hanks and other famous A’s fans react to the team leaving town. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• David Adler celebrates the end of the season with the best example this year of players showing of each of the five “tools.” There’s a Cub for one example.
• And finally. Pirates infielder Oneil Cruz finally got to meet the man he was named after, former Yankees outfielder Paul O’Neill.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.