Yordan Alvarez leads the qualified board at .317; Chandler Simpson is next at .312.
Season recap
The 2026 Season — So Far
The season reduced to the stories that mattered, ranked the way the nightly page ranked them when they happened. Every line comes from the stored nightly ledger — nothing here is written from memory — and each date links to that night's report for context.
A rolling draft through the games of September 1, updated nightly across 158 nights of coverage; it becomes the season's record on the final day.
Still open
The races
The questions the season has not answered yet, as of September 1.
Luis Arraez leads the qualified board at .315; Nick Gonzales is next at .310.
Junior Caminero and Yordan Alvarez share the AL lead at 37.
Yordan Alvarez leads the AL with 94.
Kyle Schwarber leads the NL with 40.
Sal Stewart leads the NL with 105.
The site's published odds give Yordan Alvarez 23% to win the AL Triple Crown.
The AL West: Astros (70-69) lead Rangers (69-70) by 1.
Ranked, not remembered
The front section
The 25 biggest stories of the season, by the same impact ordering the nightly page uses.
| # | Date | The story |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-08-31 | CJ Abrams stole his 27th base — one homer and three steals from a 30/30 season. |
| 2 | 2026-06-15 | Pete Crow-Armstrong hit for the CYCLE (4-for-4, HR, 3B, 2B, 1B) |
| 3 | 2026-06-20 | Bryce Harper hit for the CYCLE (4-for-5, HR, 3B, 2B, 1B) |
| 4 | 2026-07-10 | Tristan Peters hit for the CYCLE (4-for-4, HR, 3B, 2B, 1B) |
| 5 | 2026-08-22 | JJ Bleday hit for the CYCLE (4-for-6, HR, 3B, 2B, 1B) — cycles happen about 4 times a season — the first since July 10, 2026 — his first. |
| 6 | 2026-08-31 | Jacob deGrom reached 2,000 career strikeouts |
| 7 | 2026-05-25 | HOU threw a NO-HITTER against the Rangers — two or three happen a season |
| 8 | 2026-08-18 | The Milwaukee Brewers hung 22 runs on the Seattle Mariners (22-0) |
| 9 | 2026-08-31 | Mookie Betts reached 300 career home runs |
| 10 | 2026-09-01 | Gerrit Cole reached 150 career wins |
| 11 | 2026-08-20 | Willy Adames reached 200 career home runs |
| 12 | 2026-08-31 | Jacob deGrom reached 100 career wins |
| 13 | 2026-08-31 | Jeff McNeil reached 1,000 career hits |
| 14 | 2026-08-31 | Merrill Kelly reached 1,000 career strikeouts |
| 15 | 2026-07-21 | A TRIPLE PLAY was turned (batter: Jose Altuve) — happens two or three times a season |
| 16 | 2026-03-28 | Dominic Smith hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM |
| 17 | 2026-03-30 | Michael Soroka threw an IMMACULATE INNING (inning 5: 3 K on 9 pitches) |
| 18 | 2026-04-09 | Xander Bogaerts hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM |
| 19 | 2026-05-13 | Daulton Varsho hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM |
| 20 | 2026-05-24 | Heriberto Hernández hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM |
| 21 | 2026-06-10 | Bryce Eldridge hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM |
| 22 | 2026-07-23 | Gavin Williams threw an IMMACULATE INNING (inning 4: 3 K on 9 pitches) |
| 23 | 2026-07-30 | Kody Clemens hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM — walk-off grand slams happen about 5 times a season |
| 24 | 2026-08-25 | Taj Bradley threw an IMMACULATE INNING (inning 5: 3 K on 9 pitches) — immaculate innings (3 strikeouts on 9 pitches) happen about 4 times a season |
| 25 | 2026-04-10 | Max Muncy hit 3 home runs |
The season's arc
Month by month
The loudest stories of each month, capped so one hot week cannot narrate the whole year.
March
- 2026-03-28 — Dominic Smith hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM
- 2026-03-30 — Michael Soroka threw an IMMACULATE INNING (inning 5: 3 K on 9 pitches)
- 2026-03-29 — Yandy Díaz went 5-for-6
April
- 2026-04-09 — Xander Bogaerts hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM
- 2026-04-10 — Max Muncy hit 3 home runs
- 2026-04-24 — Paul Skenes took a PERFECT GAME into the 7th — broken up by a single
May
- 2026-05-25 — HOU threw a NO-HITTER against the Rangers — two or three happen a season
- 2026-05-13 — Daulton Varsho hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM
- 2026-05-24 — Heriberto Hernández hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM
June
- 2026-06-15 — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit for the CYCLE (4-for-4, HR, 3B, 2B, 1B)
- 2026-06-20 — Bryce Harper hit for the CYCLE (4-for-5, HR, 3B, 2B, 1B)
- 2026-06-10 — Bryce Eldridge hit a WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM
July
- 2026-07-10 — Tristan Peters hit for the CYCLE (4-for-4, HR, 3B, 2B, 1B)
- 2026-07-21 — A TRIPLE PLAY was turned (batter: Jose Altuve) — happens two or three times a season
- 2026-07-23 — Gavin Williams threw an IMMACULATE INNING (inning 4: 3 K on 9 pitches)
August
- 2026-08-31 — CJ Abrams stole his 27th base — one homer and three steals from a 30/30 season.
- 2026-08-22 — JJ Bleday hit for the CYCLE (4-for-6, HR, 3B, 2B, 1B) — cycles happen about 4 times a season — the first since July 10, 2026 — his first.
- 2026-08-31 — Jacob deGrom reached 2,000 career strikeouts
September
- 2026-09-01 — Gerrit Cole reached 150 career wins
- 2026-09-01 — The Minnesota Twins hung 15 runs on the Detroit Tigers (15-2)
- 2026-09-01 — TJ Rumfield's tiebreaking home run in the 7th put the Rockies ahead for good in a 4-2 win over the Orioles