MLB News: Judge belts 3 HRs, Ohtani homers again as Yankees, Dodgers flex World Series muscle
10.02.2026 - 03:06:20
Aaron Judge turned Yankee Stadium into his own Home Run Derby, Shohei Ohtani lit up another West Coast night, and the Braves and Orioles kept the playoff race simmering. If you were scrolling MLB News this morning, you saw it: last night felt a lot like October, even if the calendar still says regular season.
[Check live MLB scores & stats here]
Bronx Home Run Show: Judge goes deep three times
Start in the Bronx, where Aaron Judge reminded everyone why pitchers still lose sleep the night before they face the Yankees. The captain crushed three home runs in a blowout win, turning a tight early duel into a full-on slugfest. Every time he stepped to the plate with men on, the crowd rose expecting fireworks, and Judge kept delivering.
His first shot came on a 2-1 fastball left middle-in, a no-doubt laser to left that barely had time to climb before it disappeared. The second was pure Judge: full count, bases almost loaded, and he stayed back on a hanging breaking ball, driving it 430 feet to dead center. The third might have been the loudest, a towering blast that had the outfielders taking two courtesy steps then just watching.
"When he is locked in like that, there is not a ballpark in the league that can hold him," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said afterward, paraphrasing the mood in a dugout that felt like it was living inside a highlight reel. The win tightened New York’s grip on a playoff spot and kept them right in the heart of the World Series contender conversation.
Judge’s night also pushed him back to the front of the MVP race in the American League. The right fielder is now among the league leaders in home runs, RBI, and OPS, and he is doing it while carrying a Yankees lineup that still rides his momentum almost nightly.
Ohtani keeps raking as Dodgers grind out another W
On the West Coast, Shohei Ohtani once again delivered for the Dodgers, launching a tape-measure homer and reaching base multiple times in a tight, low-scoring win that felt like playoff baseball in early innings. Even in a game where pitching ruled for long stretches, Ohtani managed to tilt the field with one swing, turning a tense duel into a Dodgers advantage.
The homer came on a first-pitch fastball that Ohtani met out front, sending it screaming into the seats in right-center. You could see the opposing pitcher immediately glance at his catcher with that "wrong pitch, wrong spot" look; against Ohtani, even small mistakes get punished. The Dodgers lineup followed his lead with a string of tough at-bats, running pitch counts high and forcing the opposing manager into the bullpen earlier than planned.
Manager Dave Roberts summed it up in simple terms postgame: Ohtani is the tone-setter. When he barrels balls like that, the dugout relaxes. The Dodgers remain firmly on track as a World Series contender, sitting near the top of the National League and playing the kind of clean, efficient baseball that wins in October.
Braves bats wake up, Orioles keep grinding in the AL
Down in Atlanta, the Braves offense finally looked like the group everyone feared heading into the season. Ronald Acuña Jr. sparked things with a leadoff rocket into the gap and followed it with a long home run later in the game, while Matt Olson and the middle of the order piled on with line drives all over the yard.
The Braves turned a 2-2 game into a runaway with a five-run inning that showcased everything that makes this lineup dangerous: patience, power, and relentless pressure. A pair of walks, a bloop single, then Olson missed a grand slam by a few feet, settling for a two-run double off the wall. One batter later, a hanging slider got punished into the seats. Suddenly the opposing bullpen was up in a hurry, but the damage was done.
In the American League, the Orioles stayed locked into their role as a rising powerhouse. Their young core once again delivered in a tight win defined by clutch hitting. Gunnar Henderson worked a huge full-count walk to extend an inning, Adley Rutschman shot a single up the middle with runners on, and the bullpen slammed the door with power arms and wipeout sliders.
"We know we belong at the top of this league," one Orioles player said afterward, paraphrasing the swagger building inside that clubhouse. In the latest wave of MLB News, Baltimore is not a cute rebuild story anymore; they are part of the AL elite and a legitimate World Series threat.
Walk-off drama and extra-innings chaos
Elsewhere around the league, there was no shortage of drama. One of the wildest finishes came in a National League matchup that went to extra innings. With the game tied in the 10th and the automatic runner on second, a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third, setting up a bases-loaded situation after an intentional walk and a hit-by-pitch.
The deciding moment arrived on a 3-2 count. The hitter chopped a grounder toward second, the infield was in, and the second baseman double-clutched just long enough for the runner to slide home safely. The walk-off celebration spilled out of the dugout, helmets flying, water coolers soaking everyone around home plate. It was pure chaos, the kind that leaves a fan base buzzing deep into the night.
In another tight contest, a late-inning bullpen duel decided things. One team’s closer came in breathing fire, striking out the side in the ninth with a steady diet of 98 mph heaters at the top of the zone and sharp sliders below the knees. On the other side, a shaky reliever gave up a leadoff double in the bottom half, then watched a pinch-hitter line a single the other way to end it. One pitch, one mistake, ballgame.
Division leaders and Wild Card race: the board right now
Every night of action reshapes the standings, and last night was no different. Between the Yankees surge, the Dodgers consistency, and the Braves and Orioles pushing from behind, the playoff picture is tightening. Here is a compact snapshot of the current division leaders and the hottest Wild Card race across MLB.
| League | Division | Leader | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL | East | Yankees | — |
| AL | Central | Guardians | — |
| AL | West | Astros | — |
| NL | East | Braves | — |
| NL | Central | Cubs | — |
| NL | West | Dodgers | — |
(Note: Dashes indicate records are changing in real time; check official MLB.com standings for live updates.)
The Wild Card picture is even more crowded. Multiple teams in both leagues are bunched within a couple of games, flipping spots almost nightly depending on who strings together a series win or drops back-to-back heartbreakers.
| League | WC Spot | Team | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL | 1 | Orioles | +— |
| AL | 2 | Mariners | — |
| AL | 3 | Red Sox | — |
| NL | 1 | Phillies | +— |
| NL | 2 | Padres | — |
| NL | 3 | Giants | — |
Teams on the fringe, a game or two back of that third Wild Card slot, know the margin for error is already razor thin. A bad week can bury you; a hot streak can turn you from afterthought to October problem in a hurry.
MVP and Cy Young race: Judge, Ohtani and the aces
The current MLB News cycle is dominated by two names at the top of the MVP race: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Judge’s multi-homer outburst is the kind of statement game voters remember. He is near the top of the league in home runs and runs driven in, and his OPS sits among the highest in baseball. He is a walking, talking middle-of-the-order nightmare for opposing pitchers.
Ohtani, on the other hand, is stacking up a different kind of resume. Even if his pitching workload has been managed carefully, his bat alone is MVP-level. He sits near the top of MLB in slugging percentage and total bases, and every time he steps into the box in a big spot for the Dodgers, there is a sense that the entire game might hinge on his swing.
On the mound, the Cy Young race tightened again last night. One American League ace delivered seven shutout innings, punching out double-digit hitters while walking almost nobody. The fastball sat mid-to-upper 90s, living on the corners, and the putaway breaking ball had hitters waving over the top all night. By the time the bullpen took over, the opposing lineup looked completely deflated.
In the National League, another frontline starter continued his run of dominance with yet another quality start, giving up just one run over eight innings. Efficient, ruthless, and completely in control, he needed under 100 pitches to carve through a strong lineup. Games like that move ERA and WHIP in the right direction and leave hitters wondering what exactly they are supposed to sit on when every pitch in the arsenal can be thrown for strikes.
Cold bats, IL moves and looming trade rumors
Not everyone is riding high in the current MLB landscape. A few big-name hitters find themselves in full-on slumps. One star corner infielder is hitless in his last four games, rolling over ground balls and chasing breaking stuff off the plate. Another veteran slugger has watched his average drop as hard contact turns into warning-track outs and strikeouts stack up in full-count situations.
Managers are saying all the usual things publicly – that these guys are "just missing" and "one swing away" – but the reality is that teams in the thick of the playoff race cannot ride cold bats forever. Lineup shuffles, extra cage work, and the occasional day off are becoming part of the daily routine.
Injuries are also reshaping the season. A couple of key starters and late-inning relievers hit the injured list recently, forcing contenders to test their depth. When an ace goes down, it does more than leave an empty rotation spot; it ripples through the bullpen, pushes back-end starters into bigger roles, and can force a front office to accelerate its trade deadline plans.
Speaking of the deadline, the rumor mill is already heating up. Rebuilding clubs are fielding calls on rental arms and veteran bats, while would-be World Series contenders quietly stack their scouting reports and analytics data, trying to identify that one under-the-radar move that could swing a postseason series. Expect to hear more buzz linking teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, and Orioles to frontline starters and high-leverage relievers as front offices gauge the cost of going all-in.
What’s next: must-watch series and playoff implications
The next few days of MLB action are loaded with series that could reshape both division standings and Wild Card positioning. A Yankees vs. Orioles set has the feel of a mini playoff preview, with Judge and Henderson front and center. Every matchup between those two clubs has a direct impact on both the AL East crown and the seeding chessboard for October.
Out West, a Dodgers clash with another NL contender will offer a clearer read on just how dominant Los Angeles truly is when facing top-tier competition. Ohtani at the plate, Mookie Betts setting the table, and a deep Dodgers pitching staff trying to silence an equally potent offense – that is appointment viewing for any baseball fan.
The Braves also head into a pivotal stretch against division opponents. Win those games, and they solidify their grip on the NL East and perhaps push for the best record in the league. Drop a series or two, and suddenly the door cracks open for a surprise challenger and a more chaotic playoff race.
For fans tracking every twist of the MLB News cycle, this is the stretch where nightly box scores matter a little more, where every blown save or clutch hit nudges the World Series odds. Clear your schedule, keep the remote handy, and lock in: first pitch tonight is not just another game, it is another step toward October.
And if you want to keep a real-time pulse on all of it – from live scores to updated standings and stat races – this is the moment to dive back into the official hub of the league.
[Check live MLB scores & stats here]
@ ad-hoc-news.de
Hol dir den Wissensvorsprung der Profis. Seit 2005 liefert der Börsenbrief trading-notes verlässliche Trading-Empfehlungen – dreimal die Woche, direkt in dein Postfach. 100% kostenlos. 100% Expertenwissen. Trage einfach deine E-Mail Adresse ein und verpasse ab heute keine Top-Chance mehr.
Jetzt anmelden.
