The Buzz — Monday, September 28

Max Scherzer

The take Emotional possible final start with ovations and family hug

The ceremony was the story everyone came for. Scherzer took the mound alone before the first pitch, 42,131 on their feet, teammates hanging back. When he came out in the eighth he argued to stay in, then climbed into the stands to hold his wife and kids — a scene that looks like a period at the end of a sentence.

The sentence wasn't done. On three days' rest at 42, coming off a rough season, Scherzer threw 114 pitches — his season high — and gave up one run across seven-plus innings for his 225th career win. Seven strikeouts, one walk, 77 strikes, and a career total of 3,557 — ninth all-time, three behind Justin Verlander. This was a pitcher still grinding through a lineup on short rest.

He has not said this was it. He said he'll wait for the offseason and let distance bring clarity, which is what a free agent at 42 says when he does not know yet. The crowd wrote the ending before the start did, and the start refused to cooperate. A farewell needs a fading arm. This was 114 pitches on short rest and an argument to stay on the mound.

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Alec Burleson

The take Burleson is 2026 MLB RBI champ at 116

116 RBIs is the number, and it is the right one — he led the majors outright over 160 games as the Cardinals' everyday first baseman. The line underneath tells you how: 26 home runs, a .279 average, a .816 OPS in 605 at-bats. This is a contact hitter who drove in runs all season, and the last Cardinal to do it at this level was Joe Torre in 1971. Fifty-five years is the gap. The crown is earned.

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Yordan Alvarez

The take Alvarez wins AL bat title, Astros clinch West, MVP buzz

His .316 won the AL batting title, but 1.033 led MLB in OPS — and that combination is the whole MVP case. Forty-two home runs, 106 RBIs, a .432 on-base and .601 slugging: this is a near-Triple Crown season that landed on the same schedule as his first batting title.

The Astros clinched the AL West at 81-81 — the worst record ever for a full-season first-place team — and that matters to the MVP question. The division was weak enough that 81-81 won it. But Alvarez carried a mediocre roster to October with the best offensive season in the sport, and that is what the award is for. The vote isn't official. The case is closed.

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Jacob Misiorowski

The take History-making ace leading MLB ERA and Ks into playoffs

Four pitchers since 1950 have led the majors in ERA, strikeouts, and opponents' average in the same season. The others are Koufax, J.R. Richard, and Mike Scott. The fourth is Misiorowski, at 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts over 174 2/3 innings. The .157 opponents' average is the lowest full-season mark on record. He closed Sept. 27 with 5 1/3 scoreless against the Cardinals, and the Brewers — 103-59 — take him into October with home field. The history is not framing. It is the stat line.

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Gabriel Moreno

The take Moreno wins rare catcher NL batting title on final day

He won it from the bench. Moreno was scratched from the Diamondbacks' finale on Sept. 27 with a left hamstring injury, and Arraez sat for the Phillies with an ankle issue — the National League batting title was decided by neither player taking the field. Moreno finished at .311, Arraez at .310, one percentage point the margin of a career honor.

What makes it more than a tight race is the position. Moreno is the first catcher to win a batting title since Buster Posey in 2012 and only the fifth since 1900. The wear of catching usually costs a hitter his average by August. His held, and he is the first Diamondback to win one. The title is real. The way it was locked — sitting out with a hamstring while a one-point lead held — is the part nobody scripted.

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