The Buzz — Thursday, September 24

Ben Rice

The take Rice hits 40 then 41 HRs, joins Yankees lore

Aaron Boone told him in spring he would hit 39, and Rice spent the season treating that as an undercount. He hit his 40th and 41st home runs in the same game, a 9-2 win over the Rays, and the 41st ties him with Alonso, Yordan Alvarez, and Junior Caminero for the American League lead.

The franchise history is not decoration. Rice is the 13th Yankee to reach 40 in a season, and only the second Yankees draft pick to do it after Judge. Judge in 2017, DiMaggio in 1937, and Rice now are the only three to get there within their first three big-league years.

A .262 average and 97 RBIs ground the number: this is a full year from a middle-of-the-order bat, not a hot stretch in a short window. The lore is earned.

Ben Rice cards on eBay →(paid link)

Shohei Ohtani

The take Ohtani activated from IL; first game back eyed pre-playoffs

The crowd says he is back for the playoffs, and that is technically true. But "back" is doing a lot of work. The Dodgers activated him Wednesday from a 15-day IL stay for right biceps discomfort, and he went 1-for-4 with a single, a walk, and two strikeouts batting second. Dave Roberts said he looked good, hit the ball hard his first time up, was not sped up. A reasonable first night after two-plus weeks off. What it is not is much runway — five regular-season games before October, for a hitter who was .122 with 21 strikeouts and no home runs across his previous 13 appearances.

The season line — .277/.380/.522, 30 homers, 80 RBIs — says the slide was a rough patch tied to injury, not a collapse. The IL was the right call. The early returns are fine.

But five games is a short runway to turn "activated" into "right." The Dodgers need the version who was an MVP candidate through August, not the one who went 6-for-49 before the IL. The single and the walk are a start. The timing, the power — that is what the rest of the week is for, and "back" is a half-step ahead of the evidence.

Shohei Ohtani cards on eBay →(paid link)

Henry Bolte

The take Rookie Bolte first four-hit game in A's series sweep

He went 4-for-5 with two doubles in a 7-3 win over the Angels, and the four-hit game is the headline. What gives it weight is what sits underneath: Bolte has reached base safely in all 20 of his September games, batting .320 with five home runs, four doubles, 10 RBIs, and seven steals in that span. A 23-year-old center fielder batting .279 in his first 115 games is having a solid rookie year. The September stretch says he is finishing it better than he started.

Henry Bolte cards on eBay →(paid link)

Manny Machado

The take Machado HR and 3 RBIs lift Padres past Dodgers for top WC

A 409-foot home run to center in the fourth, a sacrifice fly later, three RBIs, and a 5-1 win that snapped the Dodgers' 11-game home winning streak. Machado has 29 home runs and the production is expected, but the number that matters from Wednesday night is 88-70. The Padres took sole possession of the top NL wild-card spot, one game ahead of Chicago and Philadelphia, both at 87-71.

That is home-field advantage in the Wild Card Series, and it is one win or one Diamondbacks loss from a clinch. The Dodgers, at 97-61, were kept from locking up a first-round bye. Machado hitting the ball hard in September is what he does. Hitting it in a game that rearranges the bracket is what the Padres needed.

Manny Machado cards on eBay →(paid link)

Sonny Gray

The take Gray career-best 18th win in Guardians shutout

Six scoreless innings, four hits, one walk, three strikeouts, and a 1-0 win over Cleveland — Sonny Gray is 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA, both career bests. He has never had a year like this: 169 innings, 149 strikeouts, a 1.15 WHIP across 29 starts, working as a command starter who pitches to contact. The Red Sox clinched a playoff spot, and Gray is lined up for a Wild Card Series that will likely mean the Yankees. Eighteen wins ties him for the major-league lead.

Sonny Gray cards on eBay →(paid link)