Good morning. Two of the three baseball teams in our markets had a very good Thursday and the third had the best ending. The Dodgers clinched the West. The Padres scored seven in one inning at Coors and moved to within a weekend of clinching a playoff spot of their own. And at Angel Stadium, a man named Wade Meckler ended it in the last at-bat. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
⚾ The West is won. Dodgers 8, Reds 2, and a 14th straight October — Anthony Arroyo at Great American Ball Park.
⚾ Seven in the second. The Padres are four up on Arizona and could clinch Sunday — Armando Dueñas at Coors Field.
⚾ Miracle Meck. Wade Meckler walked it off against Minnesota — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.
🏀 Career best. Jackie Young carried her World Cup form into Seattle — Derek Hegna at Climate Pledge Arena.
🏒 The longtime desire. Drew Doughty on finally wearing the C — Alex Hutton at the Toyota Sports Performance Center.
🏀 A hard night in Dallas. The Sparks were blown out in Nneka Ogwumike’s last WNBA game in Texas — Rey Moralde at College Park Center.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — THURSDAY
⚾ MLB: Dodgers 8, Reds 2 (NL West clinched) · Padres 9, Rockies 2 · Angels 5, Twins 4
🏀 WNBA: Aces 114, Storm 77 · Wings 97, Sparks 77
⚾ THE NUMBER IS FOURTEEN
Anthony Arroyo has the clinch from Cincinnati, and the number worth holding onto is not 13 division titles since 2013, impressive as that is. It is 14 straight postseason appearances, which ties the all-time record — held, until Thursday, only by the Atlanta Braves from 1991 through 2005.
Kyle Tucker picked the right week. His season has not been what Los Angeles hoped for when they got him. Thursday he went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer in the first, an RBI double, a single, and then came up in the eighth needing a triple for the cycle and hit another double instead. Three weeks from October, that is the version the Dodgers have been waiting on.
Justin Wrobleski threw 32 pitches across three innings — no hits, no walks, three strikeouts — in what was effectively a bullpen game. The Dodgers moved him to relief earlier this month after he hit a career high in innings, the same role in which he was effective during the 2025 World Series run, and they were not going to stretch him out on a day like this.
Freddie Freeman added a sacrifice fly. Max Muncy doubled home two. Josue De Paula singled in a run for his third hit as a major-leaguer, with Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes watching from the stands — De Paula is the first player of the Friedman era called up straight from Double-A, which makes every at-bat a data point. Miguel Rojas homered in the ninth. Blake Treinen gave up a solo shot to Sal Stewart; Landon Knack covered three innings behind Wrobleski.
Tyler Glasnow (4-1, 3.50) opens the homestand against the Giants today.
GO DEEPER
› Anthony Arroyo: Dodgers clinch NL West with 8-2 win over Reds (The Sporting Tribune)
⚾ AND SAN DIEGO COULD BE NEXT
Armando Dueñas opens it plainly: the Padres are rolling. They could clinch their fifth postseason berth since 2020 as early as Sunday.
The second inning at Coors did it — seven runs, 11 men to the plate, Tanner Gordon chased. Xander Bogaerts hit a 441-foot home run and a triple in the same frame, finished 3-for-5 with two RBI, and, like Tucker in Cincinnati, fell a single short of the cycle. Two teams in our markets, same afternoon, both a single away.
“This was a big game for us,” Bogaerts said. “I mean, every game is big. Take one at a time, but this was definitely one that, knowing this ballpark, things can get tricky.”
Across the four games in Denver, San Diego scored 29 runs on 52 hits.
Michael King went six on two runs with six strikeouts, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the sixth by striking out Troy Johnson. “Offense put up nine,” King said. “Makes my job a lot easier.”
The quieter win: Craig Stammen got a third straight day of rest for Adrian Morejon and closer Mason Miller. Yuki Matsui threw a scoreless seventh, Griffin Canning covered the last two.
Where it leaves them. Four games clear of Arizona for the final NL wild card, one behind the Cubs for the No. 4 seed, magic number six. Miami comes to Petco tonight; Arizona hosts the Yankees.
“It’s not like we take a four-game lead for granted,” King said. “We still got to go take care of the Marlins now.”
GO DEEPER
› Armando Dueñas: Padres use seven-run second to drop Rockies; narrow gap in Wild Card race (The Sporting Tribune)
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🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
Active today across Southern California — brought to you by Ike’s Sandwiches, home of the world famous Arash Markazi sandwich, which has fried chicken, purple slaw, wasabi mayo, honey mustard, and cheddar on a Dutch Crunch roll. Just ask for the 500 at any Ike’s location. Six live — both teams won, and it shows.
🍟 McDonald’s (Dodgers) — free 6-piece Chicken McNuggets with a $2 purchase. Eight runs in the clincher; six is the bar. Rewards & Deals in the app.
🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Eight strikeouts. Code GODODGERS26, through midnight.
🍟 McDonald’s (Angels) — free medium fries with a $2 purchase. The walk-off over Minnesota. Rewards & Deals in the app.
🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Dodgers win, home or away. Order online for pickup.
☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.
🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Bogaerts’s 441-footer at Coors was the longest of four balls to clear 420 feet Thursday. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.
Dark today: Panda Express, the Habit Burger Double Char, ampm and Sunright all need a Dodgers home game, and Thursday was still Cincinnati. That changes tonight — the Dodgers are home against the Giants for the first time in ten days, so a win at Chavez Ravine puts the full board back in play tomorrow morning.
⚾ MIRACLE MECK
Jack Haslett was at Angel Stadium for the ending. Wade Meckler walked it off, the Angels beat Minnesota 5-4, and a season that has mostly been about what the Angels can’t do produced a night about what one of them did.
It is the Angels’ third win in four games against Seattle and Minnesota, after they dropped three straight in Washington.
GO DEEPER
› Jack Haslett: Miracle Meck — Wade Meckler walks it off in Angels win (The Sporting Tribune)
🏀 A BIG WNBA NIGHT, TWO WAYS
In Seattle, Derek Hegna watched Jackie Young carry her FIBA World Cup form straight into the WNBA, turning in a career-best performance as the Aces beat the Storm at Climate Pledge Arena. Young spent the break in Berlin with the national team; whatever she found there came home with her.
In Arlington, Rey Moralde has the other side — the Sparks blown out by the Wings in their first game back from the World Cup break, and in what was Nneka Ogwumike’s last WNBA game in Texas.
Both games were on USA within two hours of each other. Two of our three markets, national television, same night.
GO DEEPER
› Derek Hegna: Jackie Young carries over World Cup effort with career-best performance against Storm (The Sporting Tribune)
› Rey Moralde: Sparks get blown out against Wings in Ogwumike’s last WNBA game in Texas (The Sporting Tribune)
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS.
The C, at last. Alex Hutton has Drew Doughty on what wearing the Kings’ captaincy means to him, a day after the announcement. It is not a letter he pretended not to want.
Camp, day two. Steve Carp writes that new Golden Knights coach Craig wasted no time getting his message across at City National Arena.
Camp roster. Carlos Yakimowich reports the Lakers have added Anton Watson ahead of training camp.
An investment in Inglewood. Yakimowich also has Savannah James joining LOVB Los Angeles as an investor — professional volleyball continuing to find money and attention in this market.
GO DEEPER
› Alex Hutton: Drew Doughty fulfilling longtime desire as new Kings captain (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Craig wastes no time getting his message across (The Sporting Tribune)
› Carlos Yakimowich: Lakers add Anton Watson to training camp roster (The Sporting Tribune)
› Carlos Yakimowich: Savannah James joins LOVB Los Angeles as investor (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
⚾ MLB: Twins at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV
⚾ MLB: Marlins at Padres — Petco Park — 6:40 p.m. — Padres TV
⚽ NWSL: KC Current at San Diego Wave — Snapdragon Stadium — 7:00 p.m. — Prime Video
⚾ MLB: Giants at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 7:15 p.m. — SNLA
Coming up: The Padres can clinch a postseason berth as early as Sunday. The Rams host the Giants on Monday night at SoFi. UNLV and Hawai’i return from bye on Sept. 26 — the Rebels at Akron, the Rainbow Warriors at Wyoming. Shohei Ohtani is eligible off the injured list on Sept. 23.
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
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⚾ Giants at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $54
⚾ Marlins at Padres — Petco Park — $50
🏈 Giants at Rams — SoFi Stadium (Monday) — $100
🌴 TST TRIVIA
The Dodgers’ postseason berth Thursday was their 14th in a row, which ties the all-time major-league record. Which franchise set it, and over which years?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
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Today’s episode: a Dodgers division title that ties a record set in Atlanta thirty-five years ago, a Padres team that could be in by Sunday, and a walk-off in Anaheim.
› Listen to the latest episode
Trivia answer: The Atlanta Braves, who reached the postseason in 14 consecutive seasons from 1991 through 2005.
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