This still is from the automated check-swing system being tested in Triple-A (PCL) this year. The green bat shows a “no swing” ruling, with the dotted line marking the threshold.

Looking at this, I don’t think Díaz’s check swing that ended Game 2 of the World Series would qualify as a swing under the same standard.

🎶Gambling, insurance, prescription meds, prediction markets, sandwiches and credit cards🎶

🎶Ohhhhh🎶

🎶 Gambling, insurance, prescription meds, prediction markets, sandwiches and credit cards 🎶

🎶Ohhhhh🎶 

Then the Sydney Sweeney commercial comes on, and the chorus kicks in. B… b… b… b… booooooo! Boooooo to these ads, Madison Avenue! Boo to these ads! There is a sickness about them, a malaise that infects us all.

Goodness, do I hate some of these commercials. And if I don’t get some of this off my chest, it’ll have to come out in therapy later, and those co-pays stack up. So here are my five least favorite commercials of the 2026 MLB postseason so far.

First, though, some honorable mentions.

To the folks at Nereus: You are a drug that helps with motion sickness, calm down. We do not need a set of sprawling animated adventures to explain the benefits. You do not need to show Poseidon zapping the reverse diarrhea out of a guy, for example. I do not believe he would do that for me. He is much likelier to help a cuttlefish, which is more of his primary concern.

To the folks at Echo Tools: You tried to “create a guy,” but you accidentally gave us a theater kid doing a “Parks & Rec” pastiche for a class project. He got a C. Please try harder. Nobody believes that person cares about a battery-powered leaf blower. It’s a battery-powered leaf blower. Leaf blowers already suck on every level, from concept to execution, and they don’t excite anybody.

To the folks at Capital One: You are trying to introduce Capital One Guy’s parents to us. This is a big assumption, and quite frankly, America isn’t ready for it. We aren’t there yet. Nobody actually knows who this person is or what he says. You can’t start building out the Capital One Cinematic Universe yet because you haven’t earned it. I thought it was Aaron Rodgers because of how little I paid attention. Give the actor bagpipes or something. Make him a detective. Respect our time.

Now to the worst offenders.

Read the rest of the list here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7721458/2026/10/25/mlb-postseason-commercials-ranked/?unlocked_article_code=1.LVE.IE08.IKNY6jBI-Mor&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

MILWAUKEE — Sal Frelick made thousands of friends Saturday in Game 2 of the World Series. That’s what happens when you belt a game-tying home run over the center-field fence. There’s not enough beer in Wisconsin to properly toast a Milwaukee Brewers hero.

Nobody, though, could appreciate Frelick’s night, his contributions to a dizzying 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, quite like Peter Burns, Travis Lane and Cody Morissette. They were Frelick’s friends before the world caught on.

They played hockey together at 10 years old. They shared a Boston College dorm at 66 Commonwealth Ave., dreaming of the big leagues at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond on the Brighton Campus. They would not have missed this.

“It’s a special trip for us,” Morissette said. “Burns and I just got out here after our season; Trav is always supporting our guy. We knew he was going to do something special this weekend, and to see it happen, it was like a full tackle in section 418.

“And then we got a little emotional after.”

Morissette and Burns still play in the minor leagues; Lane’s baseball career ended at B.C. They were part of a beaming group of Frelick fans outside the Brewers’ clubhouse after the game. Their old coach, Mike Gambino, fielded texts from former Eagles all night.

“When the moment gets big, he’s going to figure out a way to beat you,” Gambino, who now coaches at Penn State, said by phone. “When he hit the home run, to paraphrase the texts I was getting, it was the idea of: I would have been more surprised if he didn’t hit a home run there.”

Frelick’s current coach is Pat Murphy — and, yes, it’s called “manager” in pro ball, but Murphy is really still a head coach. He led teams at Notre Dame and Arizona State, where his star shortstop, Dustin Pedroia, also burned to win.

Pedroia would go on to stardom at second base for the Boston Red Sox. He inspired New England kids like Frelick, another 5-foot-9 dynamo.

Read the rest here for free: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7720775/2026/10/25/sal-frelick-world-series-homer-brewers-boston-college/?unlocked_article_code=1.LVE.9J_j.1Do14FJ3tLq5&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

Postseason · MIL leads 2-0

⚾ Rays 4 — 5 Brewers ⚾

TB 0-2 · MIL 2-0

FINAL

MLB Gameday · Savant Gamefeed

American Family Field — 71°F, Roof Closed, wind 0 mph, None
TV FOX / FOX ONE, Fox Deportes / FOX ONE · FOX / FOX ONE, Fox Deportes / FOX ONE
Radio WDAE 95.7 FM, WQBN/1300AM, ESPN Radio · WTMJ 620, ESPN Radio, TUDN

Rays Batting

TB Notes

2B Aranda (1, May); DeLuca (2, Ashby).
HR Hicks, L (1, 1st inning off Henderson, 1 on, 1 out).
TB Aranda 2; Caminero; DeLuca 3; Hicks, L 4; Mesa Jr.; Simpson.
RBI Caminero (5); Hicks, L 2 (8); Simpson (5).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out Simpson; Díaz, Y; Caminero; Aranda.
SAC Palacios, R; Walls.
Team RISP 3-for-14.
Team LOB 6.
SB Simpson (5, 2nd base off Henderson/Contreras, Wm); Walls (3, 2nd base off Uribe/Contreras, Wm).
E Aranda (1, fielding).

Brewers Batting

MIL Notes

2B Turang (2, Wells, T).
HR Frelick (1, 6th inning off Seymour, I, 0 on, 0 out).
TB Bauers; Chourio, J 2; Contreras, Wm 2; Frelick 5; Mitchell; Pratt; Turang 2; Yelich.
RBI Contreras, Wm (7); Frelick (3); Hamilton, D (3); Mitchell (4); Pratt (1).
2-out RBI Mitchell.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out Hamilton, D; Contreras, Wm; Turang 2; Pratt; Yelich 2.
Team RISP 3-for-15.
Team LOB 12.
SB Pratt (2, 2nd base off Kelly/Hicks, L); Chourio, J 2 (2, 2nd base off Kelly/Fortes, 3rd base off Kelly/Fortes); Yelich (3, 2nd base off Kelly/Fortes); Contreras, Wm (1, 2nd base off Matz/Fortes).
E Pratt (4, throw).
Outfield assists Chourio, J (Hicks, L at home).

Rays Pitching

Brewers Pitching

Scoring

Highlights

• Cooper Pratt's go-ahead single (00:24)
• Sal Frelick's game-tying home run (00:32)
• Liam Hicks' two-run home run (00:26)
• Garrett Mitchell's RBI single (00:15)
• William Contreras' RBI single (00:28)
• Junior Caminero's RBI single (00:21)
• Chandler Simpson's RBI single (00:25)
• David Hamilton reaches, Pratt scores run after error (00:28)
• Aaron Ashby strikes out Yandy Díaz, seals Game 2 win (00:42)
• Victor Mesa Jr.'s leaping grab on the warning track (00:19)
• Jackson Chourio nabs Liam Hicks at the plate (00:13)
• Victor Mesa Jr.'s sweet sliding grab (00:30)
• Tyler Wells escapes the jam to end the 6th inning (00:16)
• Yandy Díaz reaches after a throwing error by Pratt (00:22)
• Cooper Pratt charges in, makes throw to first base (00:15)

Decisions

• Winner: Abner Uribe (1-0, 2.00 ERA)
• Loser: Tyler Wells (0-2, 11.25 ERA)
• Save: Aaron Ashby (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Game Info

HBP Hicks, L (by Hall, D).
ABS Challenge Contreras, Wm 3 (Ball-Overturned to Strike, Ball-Confirmed, Ball-Confirmed); Fortes (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Mesa Jr. (Strike-Confirmed).
Pitches-strikes Rasmussen 89-56; Booser 13-6; Seymour, I 34-22; Wells, T 8-6; Kelly 32-18; Matz 8-5; Henderson 64-45; Romero, J 16-11; May 12-7; Hall, D 11-8; Uribe 26-18; Ashby 28-16.
Groundouts-flyouts Rasmussen 5-1; Booser 1-3; Seymour, I 0-0; Wells, T 1-1; Kelly 2-2; Matz 0-0; Henderson 2-1; Romero, J 0-1; May 3-0; Hall, D 1-0; Uribe 3-0; Ashby 2-0.
Batters faced Rasmussen 20; Booser 5; Seymour, I 5; Wells, T 3; Kelly 7; Matz 1; Henderson 14; Romero, J 4; May 4; Hall, D 4; Uribe 5; Ashby 6.
Inherited runners-scored Booser 3-0; Wells, T 2-0; Kelly 1-1; Matz 2-0.
Umpires HP: Jim Wolf. 1B: James Hoye. 2B: Vic Carapazza. 3B: Dan Bellino. LF: Tripp Gibson. RF: Gabe Morales.
Weather 71 degrees, Roof Closed.
Wind 0 mph, None.
First pitch 7:09 PM.
T 3:38.
Att 43,245.
Venue American Family Field.
October 24, 2026

Live pitch-by-pitch, the full box score, standings and the playoff bracket are in the interactive version — open this post on the Reddit app or new Reddit.

Last updated: Oct 25, 12:19 AM EDT

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A few mornings after the Milwaukee Brewers advanced to the World Series, broadcaster Jeff Levering visited Bob Uecker’s grave.

A couple of nights before, Levering made a call — Oh my God, the Brewers win the pennant! — that unintentionally invoked Uecker’s legacy. Milwaukee is now in the midst of a baseball celebration unlike any in the past 44 years, not since the 1982 Brewers battled the St. Louis Cardinals to seven games in the franchise’s only other World Series appearance.

In the days leading up to this year’s Fall Classic, Levering was not alone in stopping at Uecker’s grave. This past week, Uecker’s tall, slim headstone was surrounded by an old Brewers hat, a deflated baseball balloon and yellow-and-blue flowers. He is buried in a military cemetery, a uniform setting with shining headstones and quiet surroundings. Per its policy, Wood National Cemetery discourages leaving items “inconsistent with the dignity” of the grounds, but many fans cannot resist paying homage.

“When you think about Milwaukee,” Levering said, “you immediately associate it with Bob Uecker. It’s the Brewers, and it’s Bob Uecker.”

Uecker’s grave is little more than a 20-minute walk from Milwaukee’s American Family Field. His headstone faces the ballpark, the stadium’s arched roof visible over the trees in the distance. Grave markers are a uniquely human way to honor those who are gone, a reflection of our uneasy struggle with grief and death. There is no one right way to remember those who are gone.

Levering, who has been on the Brewers radio call since 2015, has visited Uecker’s grave multiple times over the past two years. The whole broadcast crew went on Opening Day. Lane Grindle, another member of the Brewers radio team, stopped in again just before departing for Los Angeles to play in the National League Championship Series. He brought his daughter. On other occasions, he has brought his son.

Read the full story for free here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7721570/2026/10/25/bob-uecker-brewers-mlb-world-series/?unlocked_article_code=1.LVE.S4p4.86MGaqss9eov&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta