Welcome to Episode 104 of Tablesetters. Devin and Steve are back to capture the drama, joy, and heartbreak of a September week that revealed everything we love and fear about baseball.
In Los Angeles, the Phillies turned fatigue into fuel, clinching their second straight NL East crown in a game that began after a sleepless night of travel and ended in extra innings with Bryce Harper’s fist-pumping eighth-inning home run and J.T. Realmuto’s sacrifice fly. When the champagne popped, it was...
Welcome to Episode 104 of Tablesetters. Devin and Steve are back to capture the drama, joy, and heartbreak of a September week that revealed everything we love and fear about baseball.
In Los Angeles, the Phillies turned fatigue into fuel, clinching their second straight NL East crown in a game that began after a sleepless night of travel and ended in extra innings with Bryce Harper’s fist-pumping eighth-inning home run and J.T. Realmuto’s sacrifice fly. When the champagne popped, it wasn’t just about celebration — it was about perspective. Garrett Stubbs made sure Harper could join the party with apple juice, and Harrison Bader’s mantra rang through the room: “What a gift.” For a club that has known nothing but heartbreak since 2022, that phrase has become the soul of the team: gratitude, joy, and belief that this year can be different.
Contrast that spirit with the Bronx, where Anthony Volpe has been grinding through a partially torn labrum since May, hitting just .197 with his defense slipping. Brian Cashman insists this is merely a “tough stretch,” but José Caballero’s hot bat and steady glove have complicated the conversation. Caballero is hitting .314 since mid-August, and his emergence is forcing Aaron Boone to consider whether loyalty to Volpe is holding the team back.
North of the border, the Blue Jays found a new reason to believe. Trey Yesavage, their top prospect, debuted with nine strikeouts in five innings, a franchise record, his splitter producing an absurd 11 whiffs on 14 swings. His 19 total whiffs put him in Kevin Gausman territory, and for a team already leading the AL East, his arrival feels less like the future and more like a weapon for right now. Toronto hasn’t won a World Series since 1993, but Yesavage’s debut makes that drought feel vulnerable.
The Giants are also leaning into youth, promoting Bryce Eldridge, a 20-year-old, 6-foot-7 slugger ranked the No. 15 prospect in baseball. With 25 homers across Double-A and Triple-A and elite exit velocity numbers, Eldridge is being thrown straight into the fire of a Wild Card chase, where San Francisco sits just 1 ½ games back. With their first basemen producing a meager .614 OPS, Eldridge isn’t just a curiosity — he’s an immediate solution.
In Detroit, fear gave way to relief when Tarik Skubal, the frontrunner for the AL Cy Young, exited his last start with side tightness. Initial panic subsided after imaging revealed no structural damage, and he’s slated to pitch Thursday against Cleveland. His numbers speak to his dominance: 13–5, 2.26 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 224 strikeouts in 185 innings. In a franchise that hasn’t seen an ace like this since Hal Newhouser, Skubal is the difference between a quick October exit and a run that could echo through history.
Out in Arizona, the Diamondbacks are embracing the stars — literally. Blaze Alexander’s joke about undergoing a “horoscope” on his bruised elbow became a clubhouse rallying cry, and suddenly the D-backs are aligning at the right moment. Zac Gallen notched his 1,000th career strikeout, joining Randy Johnson and Brandon Webb, while a six-run sixth inning powered them to an 8–1 win over San Francisco. With Jordan Lawlar’s RBI double, Geraldo Perdomo’s five times on base, and James McCann’s homer, Arizona is playing like a team that refuses to fade.
In Milwaukee, the Brewers clinched their own ticket to October in a celebration filled with laughter and tenderness. After the fireworks and walk-off, manager Pat Murphy read aloud a letter he pretended came from the late Bob Uecker. Players laughed at the imagined line about being God’s “third catcher,” but the tribute brought misty eyes too. Christian Yelich captured the moment perfectly: enjoy it, but don’t forget — the job isn’t done.
And then there’s Juan Soto, whose brilliance continues to collide with the Mets’ collapse. His 40th home run put him in Barry Bonds and Jeff Bagwell’s company with a 40–30–100 season, the first of its kind in Mets history. He is the ninth player to hit 40 for different teams in consecutive years, joining legends like Griffey, A-Rod, and Ohtani. Yet while Soto shines, the Mets stumble, 21–30 in the second half, their Wild Card lead slipping away. His season is a masterpiece, but without October, it may be remembered as a monument to wasted potential.
From Philadelphia’s “what a gift” mantra to Soto’s historic swing in Queens, from rookies Yesavage and Eldridge redefining futures to Skubal and Gallen reminding us of aces past and present, Episode 104 is the story of September baseball. It’s belief, heartbreak, and joy — colliding night after night as October looms.
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