Day: September 3, 2026

The Yankees got most of their scoring in late. Ronald Acuña Jr. made history. Jacob Misiorowski looked off, but the Brewers’ lineup did not. Wednesday’s MLB action provided all that and much more. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball: So much of the excitement in last night’s Yankees-Angels game came after hours. For one, the game was on the west coast, and then the scoring didn’t begin until the fourth, when New York went up 1-0. A homer by Angels’ first baseman Vaughn Grissom tied things up in the seventh, and the score stayed that way until extras. Cy Young candidate Cam Schlittler looked the part, going eight innings with nine strikeouts against two baserunners and a lone run allowed, but Los Angeles’ starter Reid Detmers was nearly as impressive, going seven frames with six hits, eight strikeouts, no walks and one run. The Yankees’ bullpen took care of business in the ninth. The Angels’ pen was also on point… until it wasn’t. Luke Murphy entered in the top of the 10th, and started his appearance by striking out rookie outfielder Spencer Jones. The right-hander then allowed a single to shortstop José Caballero and walked second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr before getting the second out. That’s when things really unraveled. Catcher Austin Wells, who had come on as a pinch-hitter earlier in the game, hit a two-run single off Murphy. Then left fielder Cody Bellinger picked up his third hit of the game, a liner to center, to make it 4-1. New York’s own center fielder, Trent Grisham, then singled to score Wells, and DH Ben Rice made it four singles in a row and a 6-1 game. Murphy was lifted, but the damage was done: New York scored five runs in a row with two outs, and while L.A. managed to get two back against new pitcher Michael Fulmer in the bottom of the inning, the Angels needed more than that to keep the game going. The Yankees climbed to 3.5 behind the Rays in the AL East — Tampa Bay fell to the Mets, 10-4 — and also picked up a game on the Red Sox in the wild-card race, since Boston lost to the Marines, 8-3. Pretty good night for the Yankees after it nearly going awry. Things did not work out as well for the Dodgers. While Los Angeles went up on the Cardinals 3-0 in the first on a Freddie Freeman homer… …and then made it 5-3 in the sixth when shortstop Mookie Betts also went yard… …even Yoshinobu Yamamoto couldn’t keep St. Louis down the whole game. Yamamoto went seven innings and pitched into the eighth, but gave up another two runs to leave with the score 5-4. Then first baseman Alec Burleson tied the game off reliever Tanner Scott in the same inning with a sac fly. The game stayed tied thanks to this fantastic play by second baseman José Fermín… …and then it was Fermín who came around to score in the 10th, on a single by shortstop Thomas Saggese. St. Louis got some insurance right after when Joshua Báez — who had entered as a pinch-hitter earlier and hit an RBI double to make it a 5-4 game — doubled in two more runs. The Dodgers scored once in the bottom of the 10th thanks to a passed ball and ground out, but Riley O’Brien shut them down otherwise and picked up his 35th save of the year. St. Louis is now .500 once more after winning the series against Los Angeles, and 3.5 back of a wild-card spot. With the Braves and Brewers both victorious on Wednesday, the Dodgers find themselves a game back — and effectively two since Atlanta has the tiebreaker — of the second Wild Card Series bye. The Brewers could have easily lost on Wednesday to the Cubs, given that ace Jacob Misiorowski did not look like one. He struck out five batters over four innings while also walking four, and was charged with five earned runs. The bullpen, though? Five scoreless frames, with just one walk and one hit marring them. That gave the offense time to do its thing. Left fielder Jackson Chourio would go 4-for-6 with two runs and an RBI — of those two knocks, one was a double and another a homer. Catcher William Contreras was a more modest 2-for-5, but his one RBI came at the right time, and gave the Brewers a lead they would not relinquish. Shout out to rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt, too, who went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run and an RBI against the Cubs on Wednesday, adding to what has already been a big series for him. The Cubs already had little chance of taking the NL Central from the Brewers with what limited time is left in 2026, but losing these last two games after the football-esque score on Monday has Chicago nine back now. Luckily for the Cubs, they have the third-best run differential in MLB, and have a cushy wild-card lead, too. Chicago lost, yeah, but check this catch by shortstop Nico Hoerner, anyway. Absolutely ridiculous. The Orioles are not in as comfortable a situation as the Cubs — Baltimore began the day 1.5 out of the AL wild-card race, and the Guardians lost, giving the O’s a chance to make up ground. That did not happen. The Rockies scored a run in the ninth to tie the game, 3-3, and then in the 11th Baltimore made it a 5-3 game. Bad news for the Orioles, but the Rockies were at home and came to bat once more. Grant Wolfram came on in relief, and allowed an RBI single to first baseman TJ Rumfield on the seventh pitch of the at-bat. Wolfram got two outs after this, but getting through the heart of the Rockies’ order wasn’t enough. Second baseman Adael Amador hit a ground-rule double to move Rumfield to third, and then catcher Brett Sullivan — brought on as a defensive replacement — got the walk-off knock. The Orioles are still 1.5 behind the Guardians, an opportunity wasted against a Rockies team trying to avoid having the worst record in MLB. Good news for Colorado on that front: this dub paired with the Angels’ loss has the Rockies with the second-to-worst record, one up on L.A. With San Diego’s series loss to the Reds, the Diamondbacks were in position to get back into the last wild-card spot despite losing their own series. Arizona is now half-a-game up thanks to defeating the Phillies and ending their six-game winning streak, and pulled it off with an eighth-inning homer from catcher James McCann. A 1-0 dub, and pulled off in a bullpen game: Taylor Clarke went just 1 ⅔ innings, and six other relievers followed him. None of them gave up a run to the Phils, so even though Andrew Painter went seven scoreless, that solo dinger was all it took for an L. Or a win, if you’re looking from the D-backs’ perspective. How many home runs would Ronald Acuña Jr. have if he hadn’t missed significant time with torn ACLs, plural? Hard to know! But what we do know is that the 28-year-old right fielder has 200 actual career long balls, after launching his 14th of the season on Wednesday against the Nationals. Acuña has 200 dingers and 225 career steals after 904 games, 25 games quicker than Alfonso Soriano managed, per MLB, making him the fastest-ever player to reach that mark. Dozens of players have had 200 steals and 200 homers, but the list gets a lot shorter fast: just 25 have even 250 or more of each, and all of eight have 300 a piece. Acuña is young enough to make progress on becoming the ninth. Or 10th, rather: Guardians’ third baseman José Ramírez is four dingers away from being ninth on that list. The Rangers aren’t in a position where they can lose very many games, not with four teams within 1.5 games of the last wild-card spot in the AL and the Twins just 3.5 behind. And not with the Astros seeming to get their footing a little better than Texas is in the AL West race. The Rangers lost to the lowly A’s on Wednesday, 9-2, and that occurred opposite an Astros’ W over the White Sox, to give Houston the series win. All the scoring came in the eighth, when left fielder Nelson Velázquez, who had come on earlier as a pinch-hitter, drove a two-run single to center to score infielders Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve. Davis Martin, now blisterless, looked great for the White Sox in his return from the IL, going 5 ⅔ while scattering five hits. Hayden Wesneski did better than that, though, going seven scoreless with one hit and three total baserunners, and the difference ended up mattering: Sean Newcomb gave up those two runs in relief of Martin, and the Astros’ pen didn’t give up a thing to Chicago. Houston is now 71-69, two games up in the AL West, while the White Sox are further ahead than that in the Central but also lucky everyone else in the division besides the Tigers — who are nine out — lost.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

If you were building an NFL team from the ground up, where would you start? The obvious answer is “quarterback.” This is a QB-driven league, and the quickest path to a championship is finding a franchise passer. That’s typically the case, at least. But the 2025 season showed other ways to build a contender. Teams quarterbacked by Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Dak Prescott missed the postseason entirely. Josh Allen couldn’t make it past the divisional round, and Justin Herbert was one-and-done. Meanwhile, teams quarterbacked by mid-level guys dominated the postseason. It’s difficult to win in the NFL without a great quarterback, but teams are learning that it’s equally difficult to win without a dominant unit elsewhere on the depth chart. The Super Bowl champion Seahawks were led, first and foremost, by a dominant defensive line. The play of the Patriots’ secondary offset Drake Maye’s putrid playoff run. And the Broncos rode their elite offensive line to an AFC title berth. With the 2026 season just a week away, let’s look at the units that could be building blocks for a championship team. We’ll rank the 20 best based on value. A few notes before we start: These units were ranked based on both depth of talent and positional value. Receivers, tight ends and running backs are grouped together as “skill players.” The “total cost” figures are based on 2026 cap hits and were pulled from Spotrac. With that out of the way, let’s get to the list. Players: LT Bernhard Raimann, LG Quenton Nelson, C Tanor Bortolini, RG Matt Goncalves, RT Jalen TravisTotal cost: $40.9 million Quarterback Daniel Jones’ redemption arc and running back Jonathan Taylor’s all-around brilliance stole the spotlight from the engine that powered the Colts’ shockingly good offense in 2025. The right side of the line is a little iffy in pass protection, but Raimann and Nelson form one of the best tackle-guard pairs in the NFL, and Bortolini is a road grader in the run game. I’m optimistic Indy’s offensive success last season will carry over to 2026 if this line stays healthy. Players: CB Pat Surtain II, CB Riley Moss, S Talanoa Hufanga, S Brandon Jones, CB Ja’Quan McMillan, CB Jahdae BarronTotal cost: $54.2 million Ranking the Broncos’ secondary this low may be insulting to Surtain, who’s emerged as the best corner in the NFL. I just don’t trust the rest of the unit. Moss is better than his numbers show, but playing across from Surtain is a thankless task that comes with a constant barrage of targets. If Moss could be less handsy and draw fewer flags, his coverage stats would look a lot better. Players: RB D’Andre Swift, WR Rome Odunze, WR Luther Burden III, TE Colston Loveland, TE Cole KmetTotal cost: $43 million At this time next year, we could be talking about Loveland as the best tight end in the NFL. He was unguardable down the stretch last season and emerged as one of quarterback Caleb Williams’ most trusted targets. Swift is a flawed running back with suspect vision, but head coach Ben Johnson’s running game gets him into open space where he’s awfully hard to corral. Odunze and Burden are a perfect pair at receiver, with the former offering contested catching ability and the latter providing the big-play threat. Players: Edge T.J. Watt, Edge Alex Highsmith, Edge Nick Herbig, DT Keeanu Benton, DT Cam HeywardTotal cost: $98.6 million The Steelers’ defensive line can take over games. Benton and Heyward are immovable objects in the interior, and Watt, Highsmith and Herbig form one of the more productive pass-rushing groups in the NFL. Getting Watt back to his Defensive Player of the Year form would elevate this unit even higher. Players: LT Alaric Jackson, LG Steve Avila, C Coleman Shelton, RG Kevin Dotson, RT Warren McClendon Jr.Total cost: $64.7 million The Rams quietly put together one of the most efficient run games in league history last season, and the offensive line led the way. This unit just mashes defensive fronts and keeps L.A.’s offense moving along four or five yards at a time. Injury is a concern across the front, but McVay and GM Les Snead have fortified the unit with solid depth. Players: CB Christian Gonzalez, CB Carlton Davis, S Craig Woodson, S Kevin Byard, CB Marcus JonesTotal cost: $52.3 million The Patriots secondary has a “best in the league” ceiling. Gonzalez can blanket most WR1s and will hold his own with the very best. Woodson, a second-year safety, was one of the best players on the defense throughout the postseason run. If Davis returns to form and gives New England a second man-to-man corner next to Gonzalez (I’m skeptical), and Byard keeps up his ball-hawking after nabbing seven picks last season (skeptical!), this group will outplay this ranking. Players: CB Quinyon Mitchell, CB Cooper DeJean, S Andrew Mukuba, CB Riq Woolen, S Marcus EppsTotal cost: $20.6 million The Eagles placing this high is a bet on two things: 1. Mukuba taking a step forward as a deep safety who can drop down and play man coverage when needed. He flashed that ability last season but was inconsistent in the role, as most rookies are. 2. Riq Woolen can fill the hole at the second cornerback spot. He doesn’t have to be a lockdown cover guy to clear that bar. If he makes enough plays when the ball goes his way—which will happen a lot with Mitchell and DeJean on the field – the Eagles will be happy with their offseason addition. If both of those boxes are checked, Philly’s defense will be even better than it was a year ago. Players: WR Puka Nacua, WR Davante Adams, RB Kyren Williams, and too many tight ends to countTotal cost: $72.4 million Let’s put a Myles Garrett-sized asterisk on this one with Nacua facing possible discipline from the league due to off-the-field issues. On paper, though, the Rams have so many options for Sean McVay to mix and match thanks to his committee of useful tight ends and receivers who are willing to block. Los Angeles had four tight ends go for at least 200 yards last season, and all of them have different skill sets. For instance, Terrance Ferguson is more of a receiver who just happens to play tight end. The Rams played more 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs) than any team, but when Ferguson was out there, it was essentially 12.5 personnel. McVay could split him out wide and create mismatches against a linebacker if teams put their base defense on the field. If defenses put an extra defensive back out there, L.A. would just bludgeon them with the run. Players: CB Derek Stingley Jr., CB Kamari Lassiter, CB Jalen Pitre, S Calen Bullock, S Reed BlakenshipTotal cost: $35.1 million Every player in Houston’s secondary can cover, but it’s their desire to hit anything that moves that makes them special. Lassiter and Pitre would take a speeding bus head-on, which helps the Texans play lighter bodies even on run downs. Stingley is an eraser on the outside, and Bullock owns the deep middle. Players: WR Justin Jefferson, WR Jordan Addison, TE T.J. Hockenson, RB Aaron Jones, WR Jauan JenningsTotal cost: $85.2 million Jennings was the missing piece for the Vikings receiving corps. Jefferson and Addison can strike for an explosive play at any time, but Minnesota was missing a pass catcher who could do the dirty work over the middle of the field when Jefferson is doubled. Jennings mastered that role in San Francisco. Players: RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR Jameson Williams, TE Sam LaPortaTotal cost: $70.5 million Gibbs and Williams are the fastest pair of teammates in the NFL. If they touch open grass with the ball in their hands, it’s six for Detroit. In St. Brown and LaPorta, Goff has two reliable chain movers who keep the offense on schedule in between the Gibbs and Williams fireworks. Players: LT Dion Dawkins, RG O’Cyrus Torrence, RT Spencer Brown, C Connor McGovern, LG Alec AndersonTotal cost: $50.7 million The Bills offensive line is solid in pass protection, but it’s their work in the run game that lands them on this list. These guys are bulldozers in human form. New head coach Joe Brady, who served as offensive coordinator before getting a promotion this offseason, has built Buffalo’s offensive identity around his offensive line’s ability to move bodies. The powerful run game keeps Josh Allen out of too many obvious passing situations. Players: WR CeeDee Lamb, WR George Pickens, RB Javonte Williams, TE Jake Ferguson, WR Ryan FlournoyTotal cost: $75.1 million Pickens was everything the Cowboys needed him to be: a playmaker in the deep and intermediate areas of the field and a ball-winner on the outside. His presence made it harder to throw extra bodies at Lamb, who’s become one of the league’s elite possession receivers. Ferguson has become Dak Prescott’s go-to guy for his trademark throws up the seam. Players: RT Lane Johnson, LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Cam Jurgens, RG Tyler SteenTotal cost: $60.8 million This ranking is either too high or too low. The best version of the Eagles offensive line – the version that led Philly to a Super Bowl in 2024 – would land significantly higher on this list. But that’s not the version we saw last season, with injuries affecting Dickerson, Jurgens and Johnson. Steen was a liability, as expected. Mailata is still one of the best left tackles in the sport, but he’s getting up there in age. Still, this is a very strong unit. It will have to prove it’s still elite after a down year – and do so without Hall-of-Fame offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. Players: LT Tristan Wirfs, RT Luke Goedeke, C Graham Barton, RG Cody Mauch, LG Ben BredesonTotal cost: $66.4 million The value of the Bucs offensive line was apparent last season. Eight offensive linemen played at least 250 snaps in 2025, per FTN’s Football Almanac 2026. Barton, arguably the weakest member of the group, was the only starter to play the full slate. With the offensive line in shambles, the offense imploded. But with everyone back and healthy for 2026, this unit will show why it’s one of the best in the NFL. Players: DT/DE Leonard Williams, DT Byron Murphy II, Edge Demarcus Lawrence, Edge Jarran Reed, Edge Dante Fowler Jr.Total cost: $79.5 million Mike Macdonald put Seattle’s defensive success in simple terms: “If you can defend the run [with two safeties deep], that’s high-powered stuff. It’s not easy to do. There’s a lot of stress on the interior of your defense and on your edge … if you can do it, it just gives you such an advantage.” Thanks to this defensive line, MacDonald gets free access to that high-powered stuff. Williams, Murphy, and Williams can blow up run games on their own, so Seattle rarely has to load the box on early downs. That takes stress off the players responsible for pass coverage and makes their jobs a lot easier. Players: WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Tee Higgins, RB Chase Brown, WR Andrei Iosivas, TE Mike GesickiTotal cost: $78.9 million Chase is the best receiver in the game, and Higgins might be the NFL’s best No. 2. There’s a reason why Burrow was begging his front office to pay both of them. Both receivers can dictate coverages and pull attention away from their less talented colleagues, giving Burrow plenty of options on every single dropback. Throw in Brown, who’s become one of the league’s most consistent backs, and you get a skill group worth nearly $80 million in cap hits this season. Players: LT Garett Bolles, RG Quinn Meinerz, LG Ben Powers, RT Mike McGlinchey, C Luke WattenbergTotal cost: $65.5 million With the Eagles taking a step back last season, it’s time we pass the “best OL in the league” title off to a new line. The Broncos are my pick for the honor. These guys can move bodies in the run game, and they keep quarterback Bo Nix in pristine pockets. Bolles and Meinerz are the stars, but there are no weak links. Players: Edge Will Anderson Jr., Edge Danielle Hunter, DT Tommy Togiai, DT Sheldon RankinsTotal cost: $49.8 million Playing against the Texans’ defense just looks painful, and the first wave of punishment comes from the front four. Anderson and Hunter don’t defend the edges; they demolish them, like two Kaiju thrashing through a city. They will eventually blow up a run play on early downs, put the offense in a passing situation, and let their two pass-rushing monsters go to town. Players: Edge Myles Garrett, DT Aaron Donald, Edge Byron Young, DT Braden Fiske, DT Kobie Turner, DT Poona FordTotal cost: $61.8 million The Rams may have topped this list before Donald came out of retirement and ruined every offensive line coach’s weekend. Even if Darnold is a non-factor, there’s plenty of depth behind Garrett with Fiske, Turner and Ford clogging up interior run gaps on early downs, and Young providing more pass rush juice on third down. This unit will be a nightmare to contend with in any scenario.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports