MLB the ninth: twelve teams in struggle and some mets in purgatory

ByDavid Mitchell
MLB the ninth: twelve teams in struggle and some mets in purgatory

Not even the highest list of baseball and Juan Soto’s impressive season reached the Mets to qualify for Playoff, where another 12 protagonists will fight for the commissioner trophy.

1. Mets … to purgatory and beyond!

AS A RULE At the end of the regular season, those classified to the MLB postseason usually monopolize the greatest attention in the debate spaces, it is the logical thing, those who did the task during 162 games still survive to fight for the final objective: to conquer the ‘commissioner trophy’. However, this time, a loser has stolen prominence at 12 classified to the playoffs. Milwaukee Brewers (97-65), Philadelphia Phillies (96-66), Los Angeles Dodgers (93-69), Chicago Cubs (92-70), San Diego Padres (90-72) and Cincinnati Reds (83-79) for the National League and Toronto Blue Jays (94-68), Cleveland Guardians In whose payroll for the opening day of 2025 touched the $ 323.1 million and was the largest in baseball. Come, let’s say, “money does not buy happiness”, and for this occasion the part of the “but imitates it very well.” In Queens everything is unease. From snatching Soto from the Yankees to the last day eliminated you. You could not fall lower. (Damián L. Delgado Averhoff)

2. An epic anger

If you still doubt Of me, about the capital letter disappointment caused by the Mets, check the video below … then tell me. Here is applying that maxim that a picture is worth more than a hundred words.

3. Cal raleight does not stop surprising us

The curtain has just downloaded Of the regular major leagues campaign and we continue talking, of the popular Cartcher of the Seattle Mariners. He has left us with his mouth open. Raleight starred in one more than memorable campaign for a receiver. He sealed his feature film production last Wednesday after connecting his 59 and 60 flycracks, making sure to be the seventh toleter in the MLB annals capable of shooting 60 or more home runs in a season. The ambidextro connected the 59 on Tanner Gordon in the first inning; Then, in the eighth roll, again on the left -handed side, he punished the reliever of the Colorado Rockies, Angel Chivilli, to sign the historic cannon. Cal united his name to those of Babe Ruth (1927), Roger Maris (1961), Sammy Sosa (1998, 1999, 2001), Mark McGwire (1998, 1999), Barry Bonds (200 SO1) and Aaron Judge (2022) as the only major league players in showing off at least one season of at least 60 homers. And there is more. As a dressing of Raleigh’s historic night, who, by the way, had the good detail of sharing a few minutes with Glenn, the fan who caught the 60 -year -time home run to give her away a child in the stands in the stands, the sailors secured her first division title since 2001. This year, when he shot 57, Raleigh became the holder of the record of more homes in a season A Mariners player. In addition, he now has the record of more winds for an Ambidextro (he left behind the 54 of Mickey Mantle in 1961) and more home runs for a starting cetcher (he pulverized the 48 of Salvador Pérez in 2021). Without a doubt, Mariners fans have a lot why get excited about the playoffs and Cal Raleigh will continue to be a topic of conversation between baseball specialists, responsible for giving or not the MVP prize, and fans in coffee talks. (Vania Ravelo)

4. The managers on the edge of a nervous attack

The bliss of some is the misfortune of the others And with the closure of the regular season, guillotine is approaching for some manager who seem not to enter the plans of their respective clubs for the 2026 campaign. The question is, which pilots are authentically close to losing their job. There is no total security about who will be fired, but we are going to enlist here the names of which, for obvious reasons, they will have to vacate their respective Lockers. Warren Schaeffer, with Colorado Rockies, who with his 119 losses is placed in the fifth position of more lost games in a season since 1901, while Colorado adds his third campaign of at least 100 collapses. Let’s talk about Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery. The second replaced the first in Angels’s helm due to heart surgery. It seems that it will be difficult to see Washington back, even healthy and recovered. And why, no? We are going to sign, perhaps the opportunity is for someone like Albert Pujols. Tony Mansolino, from the Baltimore Orioles, replaced Brandon Hyde on May 17. The Orioles lost eight of the first 12 games under the command of Mansolino and disappointed in the east of the American League with a poor season. An air change is inevitable in Baltimore. Things also did not walk on other fronts. Brian Snitker, from Atlanta Braves; Bob Melvin, by San Francisco Giants; and Torey Lovullo, from Arizona, must also be nervous about the news they can receive in the next hours, days or weeks. And yes, let’s close this entry with the name of Carlos Mendoza. The Venezuelan does not pug the Mets to the postseason in the National League. And the way in which this happened is precisely what must be very upset to Steve Cohen, who gave Juan Soto in a contract for $ 765 million, in addition to one of the most expensive payrolls of all baseball to see them sweat, without success, to reach the playoffs. (Vania Ravelo)

5. José Ramírez is, again, a victim of history

If in the big leagues There is a player who is synonym for consistency season after season, his name is José Ramírez. The antealist has been one of the best MLB players from 2016 to date, constantly placing themselves among those who receive votes for the most valuable player of the American League, playing for a Cleveland Guardians team in which an important piece comes out every year. However, despite his great season in 2025, Ramírez is destined to stay again as a finalist of the MVP award, given the seasons of historical proportions that Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh had. It is not the first time that Ramírez will stay close to the award, despite having had an excellent season, since in the past he has been three times as a finalist and has a chain of five campaigns in a row receiving votes for the award. To have a north, Ramírez built an offensive line of .283 AVE/ .360 OBP/ .503 SLG/ .863 OPS, in addition to 5.8 War, 67 extrabases-among them 30 homers-85 trailers, 41 stolen bases and was the team leader in one of the largest comebacks in the history of MLB to win a division title. (Juan A. Recio)

6. Juan Soto showed that it is not about how the season starts, but how it ends

Juan Soto 2025 It was, in a word, particular. The Dominican season went from being “an error of the Mets”, due to its poor performance in the first two months of the campaign, to one of the best offensive years in the history of the franchise, testing that it is not the way a player starts, but how it can end after 162 games. Soto not only established a personal brand of home run (43), but, of the absolute nothing, he managed to steal 38 bases, something that no one had seen before during his career. Unfortunately, he could not avoid the catastrophe of his team, whose elimination of the postseason qualifies as one of the greatest disappointments in the recent history of the game. (Juan A. Recio)

7. Fernando Tatis Jr. was the case contrary to Soto

Talking about beginnings Spectacular and final disappointing, it is mandatory to mention Fernando Tatis Jr. during his first month of the campaign, “El Niño” was probably the most dazzling batter of the National League and there was even talk that finally, Shohei Ohtani would have a strong rival for the MVP award. After several months of the season, what happened in April is extremely distant and although Tatis Jr. will not end up having a bad season, in the strictest sense, again it has been low of all the expectations that there were on him at the offensive level. Thus he wore his offensive line .268/ .368/ .446 /.814, including a 5.9 War, 54 extrabases, 25 of them home runs, and 71 pushed. Numbers above average, but not star level. However, it is worth rescuing two positive factors from 2025. The first, Tatis Jr. played the greatest number of games in a season in his career, so there is no doubt that his health is back and the second, he is a solid candidate for the platinum glove, again, for his defense in the gardens. (Juan A. Recio)

8. Mexicans to the cry of war in MLB since 2016

With the premiere of four Players-Supporting the previous two campaigns-the 2025 major league season had for the tenth year at least 15 players born in Mexico in each of them. Since the 2016 campaign it has been a constant, after in 2015 only 12. For the first time they participated this year they took a coffee in the biggest Omar Cruz, Tirso Ornelas, Alejandro Osuna and Alan Rangel, as the injured Javier Assad returned in August and José Urquidy in September to maintain the streak. Luis Urías is the one that has appeared for the most years in the Rosters of each campaign, in doing so since 2018 to add eight. Since the 2020 season shortened by the pandemic, they have debuted 23 born in Mexico, but of the seven who made their first appearance in 2020, only Ramón Urias, Isaac Paredes and Alejandro Kirk have played the six campaigns. Urquidy and Andrés Muñoz debuted in 2019, but both have lost a campaign for surgery operations Tommy John, so they also have six campaigns played. Manuel Rodríguez, Jonathan Aranda, César Salazar and Valente Bellozo are the other four born in Mexico who played in 2025. (Rubén Castro)

9. Andrés Muñoz was two sighs of the 40 bailouts

August 22the Sinaloense reliever of the Seattle Mariners, Andrés Muñoz, became the third born in Mexico in adding at least 30 saved in a year, and when it seemed that he was aimed at being the second in adding 40, in the end he fell short, despite just having a Blown Save in his last 14 relays in which he had nine salvage opportunities. Muñoz finished with 38 bailouts with the sailors in 45 opportunities in 64 surveyed matches, struggling at 83 in 62.1 entries released. It matched the fourth best bailout for a born in Mexico achieved by Roberto Osuna in 2019 with Houston Astros. Joakim Soria remains the only one born in Mexico that has reached 40 rescues, and did so with 42 in 2008 and 43 in 2010, both seasons with the Kansas City Royals. Osuna stayed to match him at the end of 39 in 2017 with Toronto Blue Jays. (Rubén Castro)

David Mitchell
David Mitchell

As a passionate sports journalist with over a decade of experience, I strive to uncover the heart and soul behind every game. Supported by a dedicated team of fellow enthusiasts and storytellers, I am committed to delivering insightful and engaging content that connects fans worldwide. Together, we celebrate the victories, challenges, and unifying spirit of sports through every article we craft.