White Sox surge, Guerrero's words and a vent cover: MLB's 2026 oddities
The short version
- Ryan O'Hearn hit three homers and drove in 10 runs in six innings for Pittsburgh on July 7
- Royals made three errors on one play, allowing Carson Benge's inside-the-park home run
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drew criticism for comments on his $500 million contract
- Cal Raleigh's drop from 60 to 23 homers is the largest ever by a 60-home-run hitter
- Fernando Tatis became the first player with 25 homers after starting 50-plus games without one
A roundup of the 2026 MLB regular season's standout performances, strange mishaps and surprising collapses as the postseason arrives.
The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season delivered no shortage of surprises before the playoffs begin. The Chicago White Sox, a laughingstock two years ago, reached the postseason, while the Toronto Blue Jays, who came within 90 feet of a World Series title last year, missed October entirely.
The Seattle Mariners provided one of the season's strangest stories. Playing in what may be the weakest division in baseball history, they collapsed into what the source calls the biggest embarrassment in franchise history rather than cruising to a playoff berth.
Spending patterns told conflicting stories across the league. The high-payroll New York Mets flopped, while the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays proved small budgets can build contenders. The Los Angeles Dodgers, meanwhile, showed how money can paper over roster flaws.
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ryan O'Hearn delivered the year's best single performance. On July 7 in Pittsburgh, he hit three home runs and drove in 10 runs within the first six innings of a 12-4 win over Atlanta, with none of his hits coming off a position player.
The Kansas City Royals authored the worst performance of the year, committing three errors on one play against the Mets in July. After starter Seth Lugo's errant throw past first baseman Jac Caglianone, Caglianone's throw sailed into foul territory, and third baseman Nick Loftin's relay went to the backstop, letting rookie Carson Benge score an inside-the-park home run while laughing. It was the first time in Mets history an opponent made three errors on one play against them. Kansas City still won 16-12.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle supplied the season's best quote about trying to make the roster in spring training: fight like the third monkey trying to get on the ark as rain starts falling. The worst quote belonged to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who said in year one of his 14-year, $500 million contract that the money was for what he had already accomplished, not what he would do. He hit only nine home runs, one at home, and apologized two days later.
Chicago Cubs reliever Ethan Roberts landed on the injured list in bizarre fashion in Philadelphia. While throwing a medicine ball against a wall in the Citizens Bank Park tunnel, the ball bounced off, knocked loose a vent cover, and the falling metal cut under his right middle finger. Manager Craig Counsell called it random bad luck.
Arizona's Ketel Marte produced the strangest disappearance, reportedly skipping work, ignoring calls and refusing to open his hotel room door while Arizona lost two of three games, losses that may have cost the Diamondbacks an earlier postseason clinch. Seattle's Cal Raleigh had the worst encore, falling from 60 home runs to 23, the largest one-year drop ever by a 60-homer player, along with historic declines in total bases and a .156 average through 90 games.
Two brighter notes closed the season. Fernando Tatis, homerless through his first 55 games, recovered to hit .291 with 25 home runs and 81 RBI, the first player with 25 homers after going homerless through 50-plus games per Elias. And Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander celebrated Tampa Bay's AL East title by walking roughly five miles from midtown Manhattan to Yankee Stadium.
