Guardians designated hitter David Fry was expected to be hospitalized overnight after he being hit in the face by a pitch from Detroit’s Tarik Skubal in the sixth inning of Cleveland’s 5-2 win over the Tigers. The victory moved the Guardians into a tie for first place in the AL Central. Fry squared around to try to bunt a 99 mph fastball from Skubal and the pitch struck him in the nose and mouth area. As Fry collapsed and grabbed his bloodied face, a visibly shaken Skubal threw off his glove and cap as Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt and trainers rushed onto the field.

Oneil Cruz hit a two-run homer and the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates beat the wild-card chasing Cincinnati Reds 4-2. With the loss, the Reds fell a game behind the Mets for the third NL wild card. The Pirates scored all four of their runs in the second inning against Brady Singer (14-11). Jack Suwinski doubled and scored on Nick Yorke’s single. Yorke scored on Alexander Canario’s double. Cruz’s homer made it 4-0. Elly De La Cruz hit a two-run homer for the Reds to make the score 4-2. The Reds had runners on first and third with two outs in the sixth, but Pirates rookie Hunter Barco (1-0) got Matt McLain to ground into a force play.

José Ramírez drove in a run with a swinging bunt when Cleveland rallied in a strange sixth inning against Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, and the Guardians beat the Tigers 5-2 to move into a tie for first place in the AL Central. Cleveland caught Detroit after being 15 1/2 games back on July 8. The Guardians are 17-5 in September. The Tigers have dropped seven straight. Skubal fell apart in the sixth. He became visibly shaken when Cleveland’s David Fry was struck in the face by his 99 mph fastball. The team said Fry was being assessed at a hospital.

Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee has approved use of the Automated Ball/Strike System in the major leagues in 2026. Human umpires will still call balls and strikes, but teams can challenge two calls per game. Challenges must be made by a pitcher, catcher or batter. A team retains its challenge if successful. Reviews will be shown as digital graphics on outfield videoboards. Adding robot umps could reduce ejections, as most are related to balls and strikes. The Automated Ball/Strike System has been tested in the minor leagues since 2019. The challenge system allows for ABS without eliminating pitch framing, a skill for catchers. This is MLB's first major rule change since 2024.

Major League Baseball's playoff race has become unexpectedly exciting as the season nears its end. The National League wild card race is tight, with the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds tied for the final spot. The Arizona Diamondbacks are close behind. In the American League, four teams, including the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros, are fighting for the last three playoff spots. Seattle's Cal Raleigh has hit 58 homers, setting a record for catchers. The postseason format includes 12 teams, with the top two in each league advancing directly to the Division Series. The Phillies are currently favored to win the World Series.

Major League Baseball will use robot umpires to call balls and strikes as part of a challenge system next season.

The Detroit Tigers are facing a crucial series against the Cleveland Guardians beginning Tuesday. Detroit has a one-game lead in the American League Central. They had a 10 1/2-game lead at the start of September but have lost nine of their last 10 games. Cleveland, on the other hand, has been on fire. The Guardians have won 16 of 21 games with the best pitching staff in the majors this month. The Tigers are trying to avoid a collapse similar to the 1978 Boston Red Sox, who squandered a 14-game lead.

Baseball’s regular season is set for a dramatic final week in the state of Ohio. The Cleveland Guardians have a chance to complete the biggest comeback in the history of divisional play. They now trail Detroit by one game in the AL Central after once being 15 1/2 back. At the southern end of the state, Cincinnati pulled into a tie Sunday for the final wild card in the National League with the New York Mets — and the Reds have the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two.

The surging Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 on Sunday and moved into a tie with the New York Mets for the final wild card spot in the National League. The Reds have won a season-high five straight games and six of seven. The Mets lost to the Nationals earlier in the day. Sunday’s game was delayed one hour and 11 minutes by rain. Matt McLain doubled and scored on Gavin Lux’s two-out double to right, putting the Reds ahead 1-0 in the third.

Brooks Lee hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth, pinch-hitter Royce Lewis had a three-run shot in the seventh and the Minnesota Twins ended the Cleveland Guardians’ 10-game winning streak with a 6-2 victory on Sunday. The Guardians lost for only the fourth time in 20 games and missed a chance to pull even with Detroit in the AL Central after the Braves finished off a sweep of the Tigers with a 6-2 victory. Cleveland will host Detroit for three games beginning Tuesday.