September 27 marked the end of the 2026 MLB regular season, and 28 of 30 teams played game #162. It was an eventful day, as there were two playoff spots on the line, one for the NL Wild Card & the other for the AL West title. The Phillies and Astros were the winners of those spots.
Phillies clinch final NL Wild Card spot
The Phillies won 7-3 to clinch the last playoff spot in the National League.
Philadelphia approached this game as a de facto playoff contest, tossing out Zack Wheeler. Wheeler struck out five over six innings on a day when the offense did its job. Bryce Harper and Edmundo Sosa both went deep, while Kyle Schwarber had two hits and two RBI.
Jonny DeLuca hit two home runs for Tampa Bay.
Astros win AL West
While the Astros won the AL West thanks to the Rangers’ loss in Minnesota, Houston did shut out the Athletics 9-0 in their regular-season finale.
Christian Walker went deep for his 29th home run of the year, while Cam Smith, Jeremy Pena, and Yainer Diaz all had two hits on the day.
Six pitchers shut out the A’s, with Ethan Pecko going three innings for his second win of 2026.
Dodgers win 100th game
The Dodgers defeated the Giants 5-1 in 10 innings on the 27th, becoming the second and final club to reach the 100-win plateau (Milwaukee did so earlier this week).
Alex Call broke up a 1-1 tie in the 10th, before Andy Pages put the game away with a three-run shot later on in the frame. It was Pages’ 23rd home run of the year.
Between the Dodgers and Giants, 17 pitchers were used.
Cubs beat Red Sox in St. Pete
Thanks to a nor’easter in Boston, the Cubs and Red Sox played the final game of their regular season in St. Petersburg, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Chicago won the contest 6-2.
Alex Bregman, one week removed from suffering facial fractures, hit two home runs against his old team. Braxon Garrett was the bulk man for the Cubs, as he went five innings and earned the win after Shota Imanaga got his inning before the playoffs.
Tanner Houck allowed three runs in three innings. It was Houck’s first outing in the Majors since 2025.
Scherzer starred in potential finale
The Blue Jays defeated the Reds 5-1.
Max Scherzer, in what might have been the final start of his illustrious career, struck out seven over seven plus innings, allowing just one run. Mason Fluharty and Paul Sewald finished things afterwards.
Brandon Valenzuela and Charles McAdoo each hit home runs. Brett Bateman had two hits, and George Springer picked up a hit in potentially his final game with Toronto.
Everything else
- Nationals def. Mets 6-4
- Royals def. Guardians 3-2
- Pirates def. Tigers 4-2
- Padres def. Diamondbacks 9-4
- Mariners def. Angels 7-3
- Twins def. Rangers 6-4
- White Sox def. Rockies 4-3
- Marlins def. Braves 5-3
- Brewers def. Cardinals 6-4
The Orioles & Yankees were cancelled due to rain. Both teams ended the year with 161 games played.
The playoffs will begin on September 29. Check out the playoff picture, plus more of our MLB coverage.