CLE 7, TB 3

An unexpected barrage from the Guardian line-up led to this unexpected (to me anyway) Game 1 outcome. The Rays didn't seem to expect it either, although the booth making a big whoop of the fact that Tampa Bay hadn't been behind in the box score "the entire postseason" was maaaaybe not the insight they thought. Tampa's "postseason" prior to last night was three games, so this -- like the "one triple short of the cycle" foolishness -- is meaningless as commentary.

"...Yeah, speaking of which." I hear you. Points!

Mr. DeLauter! 7!
Kwan 1

Caminero 1
Diaz 3

Caminero was involved in an almost collision that looked pretty scary for both dudes; here's hoping that isn't a developing story later today. For now, the money:

50 Yuhan 2, O'Reilly
46 Bauer 2
44 Wonsetler Head

42 Reid Dumb
41 Stempelson and MArbour 2

Top of the pool standings is not so much a developing story, since the majority of the remaining picks come out of the NL. Decent amount of activity in the middle of the pack, though; have a look after the jump.

MIL 7, LAD 4

Not everyone feels this way -- many people feel resolutely the opposite -- but in the "my team's out of it, who cares" sense, I enjoy the Dodgers. (On the field. The visit to the White House...don't get me started.) It's always a good story and it's always a different story...usually. 

This year, it feels off. Ohtani, whom I usually love watching because he's...him, looks not just hurt but ill. Some of their "not so fast" vibe is the same, but they mostly feel like they're trying to get the band back together and they don't know that you can't. 

Not to get philosophical about a pretty straightforward situation -- aging juggernaut faces faster, hungrier team -- and you never know. But: you maybe know, this year.

Okay: points.

Betts 1
Tucker 2
all other Dodgers 0

Bauers 1
Chourio 0
Contreras 6
Mitchell 0
Turang 3
Yelich 2

Ugly night for a lot of slates...but gorgeous shuffling action for a lot of others, and here's the money after the first game:

50 Yuhan 2 and O'Reilly
46 Bauer 2
43 Wonsetler Head

42 Reid Dumb
41 Stempelson and MArbour 2

Fair number of points in the ALCS opener already in progress, so I'll save full standings for that update. Hold onto your butts!

MIL 2, LAD 1

A surprising number of points for a low-scoring game. I was sort of right about the Miz but didn't expect the Brewers to do much authoritative against Skubal; shows what I know.

Betts 1
Freeman 1
Kiké 0
Teo 2
Bax Buncy 1
Ohtani 1
Pages 1
Smith 1
Tucker 0

Bauers 1
Chourio 2
Contreras 0
Mitchell 0
Turang 4 (!)
Yeli 0

Weirdly, because there's now a tie for second, a zombie slate is now back in the standings...

50 Yuhan 2
44 O'Reilly and Bauer 2
39 Fell 2 and Reid Dumb

38 Stempelson
37 Wonsetler Head

Everyone else after the jump!

CLE 2, CHW 0; Guardians move on

I had a feeling this would be the result, not just because the "line" had Cleveland winning but because starting in like Game 4, the Sox seemed to have gotten out over the canyon, looked down, and plummeted a la Wile E. Coyote. I watched a mostly hapless Met team all season; I know that look. It's a bad one. 

No points for Sox pickers on their way out...

Meidroth 0
Montgomery 0
Murakami 0
Vargas 0

Mr. DeLauter 1
Kwan 1

Nobody but JoRam looked like much on the Guardian side either, to be fair, so I guess he's our best Victorino candidate. MVP was Meidroth; Kwan is chipping away, a base a night, but is still the LVP for this round.

And the italicized picks drop out. A Chicago win was better for the pool, broadly, but neither AL Central team was heavily picked, and only one slate is out. It wasn't a bad plan, Crase! See you next year (and/or in the comments), I hope.

With the LDSes finally all in the books, your full standings:

49 Yuhan 2
44 O'Reilly
42 Bauer 2

37 Wonsetler Head, Crase

34 Reid Dumb and Stempelson
33 Izzo 1
32 LoPorto 1
30 Green

Everyone else after the jump...

CLE 9, CWS 5

What a way to make etc. etc. ...It's been sort of amusing, albeit only sort of, to hear the booth trying to edit The Narrative on the fly as the Guardian bats get in gear. "This is what they've done all year when their backs are at the wall" this, "everyone knew Chicago didn't have the pitching for" that.

Not that any of that's incorrect, but what's also not incorrect is that that entire division was a mediocrity "all year"; "everyone" also "knew" the AL overall was an unpredictable mess from jump -- one or two very good teams, a couple streaky teams, whatever odds-proof foolishness was happening in the AL West on a given night, and...this.

Specific to this series, hey: it's more baseball, which is always good. I don't envy Ronnie and the gang having to "Ramirez, amirite" it for three hours a night because exactly no people thought the Sox wouldn't sweep; ya gotta say something. It's just...you know, sort of amusing.

"You know what else is amusing?" On it! Sorry!

Meidroth 2
Montgomery, C 2
Murakami 1
Vargas 4

Mr. DeLauter 1
Kwan 1

Not a ton of points, but a little something for every pick.

New look for the money:

49 Yuhan 2
44 O'Reilly
42 Bauer 2

37 Wonsetler Head and Crase
34 Reid Dumb and Stempelson
33 Izzo 1
32 LoPorto 1
30 Samantha Green

High to mid-20s: LoPorto 1, MArbour 2, and Brady

Low 20s: Reid Smart, Bauer 1, Quinn 2, AK 2, Cameron 1, Wonsetler Heart

Teens: almost everyone else
Tweens: Bingham 2, Drake's Dis Track, and Yuhan 1
Singles: Shotwell 1 and Bingham 1

Guards/Vargas pickers on the move, to an extent, though many of those slates' early-out picks or underperformers may have put them in too deep a hole to climb out of.

Something to contemplate with a night off; Game 5 of this ALDS is at 8 PM ET tomorrow on TBS, and then it's straight into the NLCS on Sunday at 8 PM on FOX. Questions/corrections, LMK, and good luck!

MIL 3, SD 1; Brewers move on

I want good things for the Brewers -- do it for Ueck! -- but this kind of makes me sad; this has been a fun Padres team to watch. The Crew heads to the NLCS, which I think they'll win in 6.

Last night's points:

Bauers 1
Chourio 1
Contreras 2
Mitchell 4
Turang 1
Yelich 1

Bogaerts Cronenworth France LLC 0
Merrill 1
Tatis 4

Not exactly an impressive showing from any of the picks in this series, was it? Tatis Jr. notching another four on his way out brought him even with Bogaerts for 10, but Contreras The Younger was the pool's most valuable with 12. Turang and Bauers, meanwhile...

But they're still in it and have a chance to help their pickers. A bunch of top-half slates hit hard but only two more down, Winklepleck and Fell 2. Let's look at the full standings, which in fact haven't changed much at the top...yet:

49 Yuhan 2
42 Bauer 2
40 O'Reilly

39 Fell 2
37 Wonsetler Head

34 Winklepleck, Reid Dumb, Stempelson
33 Izzo 1
32 LoPorto 1
30 Green

29 LoPorto 2
28 Crase
26 MArbour 2
24 Reid Smart, Brady

22 Bauer 2, Quinn 2
21 Cameron 1, Wonsetler Heart, AK 2

18 Cameron 2
17 JArbour
16 the SDBs, Tormey, AK 1, MArbour 1, DGB

15 Izzo 2, Fell 1
13 Quinn 1, Shotwell 2
12 Bingham 2, Drake's Cakes
11 Drake's Dis Track, Yuhan 1

9 Shotwell 1
5 Bingham 1

Slates in italics will not appear in future updates; thanks so much for playing, and we'll see you in the comments, I hope!

And it could get verrrrry interesting from here, depending on whether the White Sox prevail -- and even if they don't, there's still a handful of complete slates towards the back of the pack that could close the gap in the next week or ten days.

First, we need to lock the ALCS match-up; Guardians and White Sox go again at 8 PM on TBS. (All-NL slates can put your feet up until Sunday night.) Until then, good luck, eyeball the arithmetic, and I'll see you late-night.

TB 4, NYY 3; Rays move on

A more painful than necessary exit for the Bronx Bombers; as noted yesterday, I thought they'd postpone the inevitable at least one more day, but it was not to be. Maybe if the asshats in the bleachers could keep their hands to themselves?

The points:

Caminero 1
Diaz 1

Bellinger 0
Chisholm 0
Garcia 1
Rice 1

Chisholm did nothing in actual October and has to be our LVP here, although nobody except Rice was much use in the LDS; Rice of course was great, most valuable pick by far. TB's Aranda bucking for a Victorino.

All four italicized picks will leave us; confidence in the Yanks was not high this year, so, while this is not great, it's not going to leave the pool in tatters. I'll wait 'til the next update for a complete survey of last night's pool carnage.

For now, here's the top half of the standings.

45 Yuhan 2
42 Bauer 2
38 O'Reilly

35 Wonsetler Head
34 Fell 2
33 Reid Dumb, Izzo 1

32 LoPorto 1
30 Winklepleck

29 Stempelson, Green
28 Crase
27 LoPorto 2

22 Brady
21 Cameron 1
20 Wonsetler Heart, Red Smart
19 Bauer 1

A few spots back is the first slate to go out, DGB. Stand by for the late-game update and full standings, including zombies, in a little while...

LAD 4, ATL 1; Dodgers move on

Do I think the Trolley-Dodgers have it in them to get to the Classic? Not really, but I feel like I said that last year, and they repeated with whatever magicks that required.

Do I care given they've dismissed the Barves? Not one bit! Hope all those former-Met coaches enjoy the golf course and whatever magicks those require! 

Last points for this LDS, with eliminated picks in italics:

Baldwin 0
Harris 3
Olson 0

Betts, Freeman, and Kiké 0
Teo 1
Muncy 4
Ohtani 0
Pages 2
Smith 0
Tucker 1

LVP for this series is a tough call -- Smith, given expected playing time, is IMO excused, but Ohtani and Baldwin were both solid picks; the former looks like he's hurting, the latter did squat in this series, so let's go Baldwin.

MVP, with respect to Harris, is ol' Bax Buncy, though 2026's bar is...lower? different? Unlikely to see a Victorino off a Dodger team with nine total BPP picks.

No slates knocked out with this result, but the night, she is young (and mean), so here's where the money is halfway through tonight:

44 Yuhan 2
41 Bauer 2
37 O'Reilly

34 Fell 2
33 Wonsetler Head
32 Reid Dumb

It's the ninth in the Bronx rn, so eyeball my math and I'll see you when I see you!

CLE 9, CHW 3

Shows you what I know! Sox took their foot off the gas a little bit, I think, and Cleveland bats -- things that exist! -- surged to a win. Let's see what they did points-wise:

Meidroth 2
Montgomery 0
Murakami 0
Vargas 1

Mr. DeLauter 1
Kwan 1

Enough old BPP hands have gotten burned on Ramirez in the past that nobody went for him this year, and he's baaa-aaaaack.

It's tied in Atlanta still, and Rays/Yankees starts in about 15 minutes; until then, here's the money and environs:

44 Yuhan 2
39 Bauer 2
34 O'Reilly

33 Wonsetler Head
32 Reid Dumb
31 Fell 2

Good luck, see you back here in a bit!

SD 4, MIL 3

I fell asleep before this seesaw ended, but was gratified to wake up to more baseball in the MIL/SD series. I still think this is the Brewers' in the end -- imagine if all those picks were hitting -- but that's why they play the games.

And they're playing all four later, probably for the last time in 2026, so let's housekeep this one real quick. Points!

Bauers 0
Chourio 0
Contreras, Wm 6
Mitchell 0
Turang! Finally! 1

Bogaerts 1
Cronenworth 5
France 0
Merrill 1
Tatis 0

Top of the money remained fairly stable; top half of the pool overall looks a bit different this morning:

44 Yuhan 2
39 Bauer 2
33 Wonsetler Head and O'Reilly

32 Reid Dumb
31 Fell 2
30 Izzo 1, LoPorto 1, and Winklepleck

Everyone/-thing else after the jump break.

LAD 3, ATL 1

Does this series seem joyless to anyone else? Not just because it's the Barves trying to take down a three-peat money juggernaut, either. It's just over-it vibes on the field from almost everyone. Even Ohtani looks kinda cranky.

But of course Freddie's powering through it, and Kiké, everyone's favorite longshot Victorino-block pick.

Tonight's points so far:

Baldwin 0
Harris II 1
Olson 1

Betts 2
Freeman 4
Hernandez, K 4
Teo Max Shohei LLC 0
Pages 2
Smith 1
Tucker 1

Pages and Smith notching their first postseason TB this evening, so that's something, and Freeman makes it interesting at the top:

44 Yuhan 2
39 Bauer 2
31 Reid Dumb

30 Izzo 1, Fell 2, LoPorto 1

And the rest of the usual suspects in the mid-20s. 

Turang could really help a lot of people out -- starting with himself! -- by doing literally anything tonight, but we'll see how things look after the late game; look for that update tomorrow morning. 

(Math not mathing? LMK!)

TB 5, NYY 2

From a non-pool standpoint, I don't super-care how far the Yankees get this year, but as the man sang, I got friends that do. The box score has four errors for the Bombers, which is probably generous -- fine with it; we're not getting points for biffs over here -- but it was painful to watch, and painful to watch Yankee fans watch. They have an expectation of baseline competence that Flushing faithful like myself don't; they have a belief in the fundamental legibility of player performance to civilians that Met fans have long since discarded.

I think the previously afore-insulted off days in the DS schedule aren't helping this Yankee team, but I...also think the team is not great this year. Not bad, mind you, but a little...provisional, I guess is the word.

We know what that's like too, Lord knows, but it's getting late on this side of the bracket, eh?

All of that said: holy crap, Ben Rice!

The points:

Bellinger 1
Chisholm 0
Garcia 0
Rice 8

Caminero 3
Diaz 1

Our most popular pick this year is finally on the board; let's see how the standings look now.

40 Yuhan 2
38 Bauer 2
30 Izzo 1

29 Fell 2, LoPorto 1

Everyone else after the jump!

CWS 4, CLE 3

Not the pitching changes I'd have made as the Guards' manager, but that's why I do this and they do that, I suppose. Cleveland just seems...stuck, grinding uphill; I don't know.

Got some points, though, finally...

Meidroth 2
Montgomery, C 0
Murakami 1
Vargas 1

DeLauter 2
Kwan 1

The money looks the same --

32 Yuhan 2
29 Bauer 2, Fell 2
26 O'Reilly

-- but it's interesting near the podium --

25 Crase
24 Winklepleck

-- and thanks to Mr. DeLauter*, the last point-less slate is on the board, so no Gol-Dunn Sombrero this year, huzzah!

*I had a history teacher with a nearly identical last name back in the day; can't bring myself not to use the "Mr."

Thanks to this asinine stagger sked for the ALDSes, these teams don't go again until Wednesday night. Stand by for the Rays/Met-- er, Yankee score in a few minutes!

ATL 3, LAD 2

With a couple of exceptions, the Dodgers look flat. I hate the Barves and don't think they have a World Series run in them regardless, but I don't know if this Dodger team is the one to get rid of them.

In any event, what's wanted BPP-wise is a long series with a lot of points. What'd we get tonight?

Baldwin 0
Harris II 6
Olson 1

Betts 0
Freeman 5
Hernandezes 0
Muncy 4
Ohtani 1
Pages 0
Smith 0
Tucker 1

Money looks a little different after all, thanks to Harris II taking over the top TB slot from Ben Rice...

32 Yuhan 2
29 Bauer 2, Fell 2
25 O'Reilly

24 Winklepleck

Everyone else after the jump!

MIL 4, SD 3

That's the kind of game you love this time of year -- always tense; life-giving/back-breaking result. And the Padres head home down 0-2.

The points, which were a bit sparse:

Bauers 0
Chourio 1
Contreras 0
Mitchell 1
Turang 0
Yelich 2

Bogaerts 0
Cronenworth 0
France 2
Merrill 1
Tatis 0

Turang really dragging down a bunch of slates here.

The money, with a couple of small shifts:

28 Bauer 2
27 Yuhan 2
24 Winklepleck

23 Fell 2
21 Crase
19 Izzo, Stempelson, O'Reilly, Wonsetler Heart

Doesn't seem like the night game's going to move the needle much, but I'll see you shortly with that result and tomorrow's schedule.

MIL 3, SD 2

A somewhat unpleasant game to look at, strictly visually -- the combination of the odd lighting at the Brewers' park and those "iconic" Pads unis just felt nightmarish; trying to backseat-drive that home run that wasn't, forget it -- but a fun one in terms of gameplay. The folks who get paid to write about this stuff think this series is the closest contest on paper so we may get a full five of close games like this one.

No shortage of points, either...

Bauers 2
Chourio 4
Contreras the Younger 4
Mitchell 1
Turang 0
Yeli 1

Bogaerts 1
Cronenworth 0
France 1
Merrill 0
Tatis 1

...but the less said about Machado hogging all of them, the better, probably. ("No, say more." - Aaron)

Every slate is now nominally on the board. No huge changes to the leaderboard since last night, but here's the money currently:

28 Bauer 2
25 Yuhan 2
22 Fell 2 and Winklepleck

21 Crase
19 Izzo 1, Stempelson, O'Reilly
18 Wonsetler Heart

Everyone else after the jump...

TB 1, NYY 0

Nice moment for Rasmussen, we all love a regular-season pitchers' duel...but a low-scoring game is annoying for the BPP, lbr. 

Yankee picks: 0

Caminero: 0
Diaz, Y: 1

No substantive change to, well, much of anything, except a couple more slates got on the board -- but we should see some significant shuffling once SD/MIL goes final. I'll have that update and complete standings tomorrow morning.

LAD 5, ATL 3

Skubal wasn't completely untouchable on a scorching day at Chavez Ravine, but the Dodger line-up did what it does for a fairly routine win.

Baldwin 1
Harris 0
Olson 0

And [huge inhale]...

Betts 1
Freeman 1
Hernandez, K 0
Hernandez, T 5
Muncy 4
Ohtani 1
Pages 0
Smith 0
Tucker 5

It never fails; I'm like "surely THIS is the deranged one-off pick that blows up in Bauer's face" and then that slate leaps right over everybody. Every year! Anyway: welcome back, Kyle Tucker.

Here's the money halfway through today's schedule:

28 Bauer 2
23 Yuhan 2
21 Crase, Fell 2

19 Izzo 1, Winklepleck
18 Stempelson
17 LoPorto 1

And even more slates climb into the fray; the last five need the Brewers to take the field.

No score yet in Tampa in the middle of the second. Good luck, check my math, see you later tonight.

CHW 3, CLE 0

A subdued start at the plate for the AL Central champs; everything the Guardians tried to get going seemed to happen with two outs.

Sox still producing, though:

Meidroth 0
Montgomery 3
Murakami 5
Vargas 1

DeLauter 0
Kwan 0

A couple of slates join us thanks to Vargas, and the money looks a bit different after our first game:

22 Yuhan 2
21 Crase
20 Fell 2

Izzo 1, Winklepleck, Bauer 2, and Stempelson just off the pace, and plenty of point opportunities in the ATL/LAD game underway right now (which I think I'll leave on mute). See you around dinnertime ET...

ATL 6, PHI 2; Barves move on

That's a wrap on the WC round -- an uglier one than we usually see. A wide range of picks team-wise is interesting, and protects us from having to re-pick at the Classic, but the flip side is that you might have a bunch of slates staggering into divisional play...and losing PCA and Kyle Schwarber in the first round leaves us with a handful of "Mario Celeste"s going into the LDSes.

The points:

Baldwin 0
Harris 4
Olson 4

Harper 1
Schwarber 2
Stott 0

Italicized picks are out, of course. Harris II, a known Met-killer, is the pick MVP this round but the Schwarb wasn't far behind. Nobody really sucked, but Stott didn't do what we hoped. Albies making a case for the Victorino (usually he and Acuña get decent action if they're available; feels like nobody really believes it for Atlanta this year).

No games today, so here's a look at the money while we wait.

22 Yuhan 2
20 Fell 2
19 Winklepleck, Izzo 1

18 Bauer 2, Stempelson
17 LoPorto 1

Everyone else plus Saturday's sked after the jump...

SD 4, CHC 1; Padres move on

I can't say I expected quite such a brisk dismissal of the North Side team, even from a scorching San Diego team. CHC picks were 0 for last night --

Bregman 0
PCA 0

-- and 0 for BPP 2026, aaaaand are out. Not great news for the pool broadly; PCA was a very popular pick.

In happier news,

Bogaerts 3
Cronenworth 0
France 3
Merrill 2
Tatis 0

Bogey's your MVP for this match-up. I would propose Machado as a future Shane Vic, but those are guys nobody would have thought to pick, versus Machado, who tends to burn us...except when he doesn't.

Here's a look at the money:

22 Yuhan 2
19 Winklepleck, Izzo 1
18 Bauer 2, Stempelson

Everyone else after the jump...

NYY 9, BOS 2; Yankees move on

Off to Tampa for the Yankees, who were more or less untroubled by the Sox. The pool, less so -- one pick was felled by injury last night; Contreras excepted, the others did little to help -- but the players in italics below are out:

Abreu, W 0
Anthony 0
Contreras, Wi 5
Rafaela 0

Better news for the Bomber pickers:

Bellinger 5
Chisholm 2
Garcia 6
Rice 1

Here's where the money is as we wait to see whether the CHW/SD series is going to break the pool...

19 Yuhan 2 and Izzo 1
18 Stempelson and Bauer 2
14 Fell 2

13 Winklepleck, Reid Dumb, LoPorto 1, DGB
12 Crase, Green, Wonsetler Head
10 Izzo 2, Wonsetler Heart, O'Reilly

9 Brady
7 AK 2
6 Quinn 2, Reid Smart, Yuhan 1, Cameron 2

5 Drake's Dis Track
4 Bingham 2
3 LoPorto 2

2 Tormey, AK 1
1 Cameron 1, SDB Goliath

It seems like maybe a Gol-Dunn Sombrero is in play for this go-round? Lord, I hope not. Corrections, log 'em in the comments and I'll see you later/tomorrow for the CHI/SD wrap.

CHW 7, HOU 3; White Sox move on

Not an unexpected result, but pool-wise you hope at least for some production from losing picks. That didn't happen for Alvarez, although he was obviously a tough pick to resist...but he's out, as you'll see because he's in italics below.

The points:

Meidroth 5

the rest of the Chisox 0

Alvarez 0

Alvarez actually not the pool LVP for this round (that's Vargas); Meidroth the clear MVP, Kyle Teel shaping up as a Victorino, but it's very early yet.

Earlier for some than others, Chad Tracy, but we've only lost one pick here and there's no change to the money. The next update is likely to get gnarly, but until then, check my math and good luck!

PHI 4, ATL 3 (10)

Despite a Harper biff that looked psychologically fatal (and a Phillie pulling up short and asking out of the game after running to first), the Phils hang on to force a decider tomorrow. 

Lots of points on offer this afternoon, with Baldwin putting another handful of you on the board:

Harper 5
Schwarber 4
Stott 1

Baldwin 3
Harris 1
Olson 1

Very slight change to the money --

18 Yuhan 2
17 Stempelson
14 Fell 2

-- with Winklepleck and Izzo Reid Bauer LoPorto LLC just off the pace. 

Houston's trying to climb back into it after an inning in the 5 o'clock game; I should be back in a couple hours with that update. 

SD 8, CHC 0

Me, every year I pick Machado: "...dammit."

Me, every year I don't pick Machado: "...DAMMIT!"

Plenty of points on offer from a game that seemed to get away from Cubs pitching almost immediately. Not exactly a plot twist given that so much Cubs pitching, uh, used to be Mets pitching? 

Your points:

Bregman 0
PCA 0

Bogaerts 5
Cronenworth 1
France 2
Merrill 2
Tatis 5

An authoritative restructuring of the money thanks to the Pads; below, your standings after the first WC day...

18 Yuhan 2
17 Stempelson
13 Winklepleck

12 Izzo 1, Reid Dumb, Bauer 2
11 LoPorto 1, Green, Wonsetler Head
10 Fell 2

7 Crase, AK 2
5 Quinn 2, Reid Smart

4 Brady
3 O'Reilly, DGB 

2 Yuhan 2, Tormey
1 Izzo 2, Wonsetler Heart, Bingham 2

Everyone else either picked Sox, picked byes, or just picked poorly (hi hello, it's me) and waiting to get on the board.  

The schedule's exactly the same today -- Phils/Barves at 2, Pale Hose/'Stros at 5, Yanks/Red Hose at 8, Cubs/Dads at 10. My only prediction is that the Red Sox, who look overwhelmed, submit quietly, but I'm always rooting for more baseball; we'll see!

In the meantime, check my math, make sure I didn't let any other Shlobotniks through, and good luck!

NYY 9, BOS 0

Not the start Boston pickers were hoping for -- AND it looks like Anthony's hurt, again -- and it's probably not far from the end for Boston pickers, either...but boy howdy did Rice's pickers make out like bandits.

Abreu 1
All other Hose 0

Bellinger 1
Chisholm 0
Garcia 0
Rice 11

Huge pick for y'all, and before the final Day 1 update and its legion of Padre points comes to get you, the money is 

12 Izzo 1, Reid Dumb, Stempelson, Bauer 2
11 LoPorto 1, Green, Wonsetler Head, Yuhan 2
7 Crase

See you momentarily with the late game, and full(-er) standings for Day 1.

CHW 6, HOU 3

(Before we start, a correction note: one slate had a "Merritt, C" listed as a CHW entry, which looked reasonable/I don't follow the AL Central so I failed to cross-check it. No such player exists, and the entry was intended to read "Meidroth, C" -- who DOES exist.

I've updated the spreadsheet; my apologies for the error; anything else like this pops up, LMK, otherwise on with the update!)

The points for the evening game, minus Phantom Merritt LLC:

Meidroth 2
Montgomery, C 4
Murakami 1
Vargas 0

Alvarez 1

That leapfrogs Crase into the lead, for now, but with Ben Rice homering minutes ago, standings will shuffle (probably a few times) before Day 1 is in the books.

ATL 5, PHI 3

Hell of a time for Duran to look mortal, eh what? Especially since nobody picked Riley this year...

Your points for the postseason opener:

Baldwin 0
Harris 3
Olson 0

Harper 0
Schwarber 1
Stott 1

Fell 2 and O'Reilly take the first lead of the post with 3 each; DGB has 2; Izzo 2, Wonsetler Heart, and Yuhan 1 each with 1.

Lotta baseball left to play today (and as of this writing, Houston ain't playing any of it); see you in a few hours!

[lights 'ON AIR' sign] BPP 2026 is underway

And we're back! Most of the old heads back for the 21st (...!) Bunting's Postseason Pool; a couple of newer names too. 

We've got 39 slates in play this year; that's $273 to first place, $78 to second, $39 to third. My eyes could well have glazed over after the midnight formula-set session, but I don't see any dupes here.

All the slates below*:

*sing it with me if you know the words: let me know about errors/corrections ASAP -- wrong names, arithmetic foul-ups, whatever! might take me a few hours but I'll fix/update whatever it is with all due speed

All postseason teams got at least one pick, although it's just Alvarez for Houston, but he got a fair bit of action. Widest range of picks for a single team is the defending champs, with nine different picks; everyone's trying to guess which Dodger's going to Victorino it in 2026 (including me). 

Heaviest individual-pick action is on Caminero; PCA, Ohtani, Ben Rice, and Turang also very popular. 

Curtains up on the drama at 2 ET with PHI/ATL, when we'll see if the general uneasiness with the Phils' backing into the playoffs reflected in the picks is warranted. Then it's Chisox/Astros at 5 ET, Bosox/Yanks at 8, and Cubs/Dads at 10. (This round is on the NBC/Peacock system; schedule here if you need it.)

Hold onto your butts/good luck!

BPP 2026 rules 'n' regs

Hey all -- we're back! Any questions, hit me up via email, but nothing's changed since last year. I already held my nose and picked ;) so if you want to do the same, feel free; if you want to see what messing with Texas looks like, that's fine. 

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Welcome (back) to Bunting's Postseason Baseball Pool -- the postseason pool for everyone! You don't need to know a lot about baseball; you just have to know who's in the playoffs, and how to count. And that last one is optional, now that I think about it.

The set-up and instructions for entry appear below. No substantive changes since last year, but if you're new or have any questions, LMK.

For an overview of previous years' action, feel free to browse around the BPP blog, http://buntingspostseasonpool.blogspot.com. (You'll also find a postseason overview here -- https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-playoff-picture-and-bracket-2026 -- although as of this writing, the bracket still isn't quite locked.)

Think I left someone off the dist list? Forward at will; the more the merrier! (Don't want to play this year? You'll fall off this dist list next week.)

Deadline for picks/payment this year is MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 AT 10 (ten) PM ET.  

(I know...it seems to get earlier every year.)


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THE SCORING

It works like this: you pick four (4) position players; points come from total bases.

single, e.g. = 1 pt.
double = 2 pts.
triple = 3 pts., etc.


For example, in the game linked here, Jackson Chourio and Kyle Schwarber notch 3 points each, Bryce Harper 2, and so on: https://www.mlb.com/gameday/brewers-vs-phillies/2026/09/24/823411/final/box

 

THE MONEY

Entry is $10 a pop. PayPal it to bunting at tomatonation dot com (or Venmo/sarahdbunting).

Winner takes 70 percent of the pot; second place takes 20 percent; third place takes 10 percent. In the event of a tie, the money will be divided evenly between/among players with the same point totals.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

"Do my players all have to be on the same team as each other?"  No.

"CAN all my players be on the same team as each other?" Yes.

"Can I duplicate other people's picks?" Yes. (You won't see everyone else's picks until all the picks are in anyway.)

"Can I play a half slate for half the money?" No. Too complicated.

"Can I play more than one slate?" You can play two (2) slates max. Your slates must be different from each other. Each slate is $10.

"Can I pick my slate early and just risk it re: the wild-cards/byes?" Yes, you can turn in your picks now if you like. 

"But...you don't think I should." Real talk: I don't know. This is quite literally why they play the games; short serieses behave strangely, and we don't really know what's going to "work" until like Halloween, usually, so go with your gut.   

"What if everybody's out by the World Series?" This is, historically, unlikely; should it occur, everyone will receive one (1) amnesty pick, with previous points carrying. ...We'll jump off that bridge if we get to it.

"How am I supposed to keep track of all these stats?" You aren't; I do that. Do feel free to check my work, though! (I use MLB.com's box scores.)

"Can I forward this to my friend/loved one/co-worker?" Please do! If they've got the ten bucks, they're welcome to play. 

"Who won last year?" Rich "Nobody Beats The" Izzo is your incumbent.


 

HOW TO ENTER

Get me $10 and your picks by MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 AT 10 (TEN) PM ET.  bunting@tomatonation.com is my PayPal; sarahdbunting is my Venmo. 9/28 at 10 PM Eastern is the deadline and is not negotiable. If we are neighbors or related by blood or marriage, you may hand me a sawbuck. Everyone else needs to use PayPal or some other electronic means. 

When you send your pool money, I will send you an email confirming your picks and receipt of the money. I'll also post the points breakdown on the blog on a daily basis (or as close as possible to that); once again, that's here: http://buntingspostseasonpool.blogspot.com/.

You must pay to enter; you are not entered until you get an email from me saying so; you may not enter late. $10 by 9/28 at 10 PM ET.

Have fun! Questions/edits/human frailties, email me. 

Putting the "squee" back in "squeeze bunting"

 ...Yeah, no. It's just been that kind of year? Anyway: helloooooo, welcome back to the 21st (!) BPP!

 A week out from the official start of 2026 postseason play and we still don't have schedule/match-up lock...but you can start thinking about (or even sending!) your picks now if you like.

Deadline for picks and payment this year is Monday, September 28 at 10 PM ET. 

I'll repost rules 'n' regs soon, but nothing has really changed since last year; scroll back to a previous September's posts if you need a refresher. It's still $10; I'm still at bunting at tomatonation dot com; you're still welcome to invite folks if you'd like.