MLB Scores September 22, 2026: Rays Clinch AL East in Doubleheader Split

Tampa Bay secured the American League East, Chicago survived a late Kansas City charge, and Houston pulled even atop the AL West.

The MLB scores from September 22, 2026, settled one division race while tightening several others. First, the Tampa Bay Rays split a doubleheader with the New York Yankees and clinched their first AL East title since 2021. Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox outlasted Kansas City in a 25-run game and stayed one game behind Cleveland in the AL Central.

Houston also blanked Seattle to draw even with Texas atop the AL West. In the National League, Philadelphia beat Milwaukee, Miami stunned the Cubs in 12 innings, and the Dodgers shut out San Diego. Below is an original capsule recap of all 15 completed games. Scores, pitching decisions and records were checked against the official MLB scoreboard for September 22, 2026.

Washington Nationals 3, Detroit Tigers 1

CJ Abrams supplied all the offense Washington needed with two home runs. He opened the scoring with a solo shot, then added a two-run homer in the seventh to reach 33 for the season and move past 100 RBIs.

Meanwhile, Jackson Kent and the Nationals bullpen kept Detroit quiet. The Tigers scored only when Ben Malgeri came home on a wild pitch. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Jackson Kent (2-4)
Losing pitcher: Drew Anderson (5-7)
Save: Erik Tolman (4)

Pittsburgh Pirates 2, St. Louis Cardinals 0

Jared Jones carried a perfect game into the sixth inning and finished with nine strikeouts. As a result, Pittsburgh needed only two runs to secure the shutout.

Ryan O’Hearn broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single in the sixth. Later, Spencer Horwitz scored on a wild pitch, while the Cardinals finished with just one hit. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Jared Jones (5-6)
Losing pitcher: Andre Pallante (12-8)
Save: Gregory Soto (16)

Philadelphia Phillies 6, Milwaukee Brewers 4

Zack Wheeler reached 2,000 career strikeouts and set a Phillies record with seven consecutive strikeouts. However, Philadelphia still needed a three-run eighth inning to put away Milwaukee.

Brandon Marsh hit a two-run homer in the second and added an RBI double in the eighth. Although William Contreras tied the game with a two-run single in the sixth, Alec Bohm helped the Phillies regain control with a run-scoring double. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: José Alvarado (5-3)
Losing pitcher: Colton Gordon (0-1)
Save: Jhoan Duran (33)

Cleveland Guardians 3, Boston Red Sox 2

Nathaniel Lowe’s sacrifice fly in the ninth lifted Cleveland after Boston erased a two-run deficit. Earlier, David Fry delivered an RBI single as the Guardians built their lead.

Then Mickey Gasper tied the game with a pinch-hit homer in the eighth. Still, Cleveland answered immediately, and Cade Smith closed his 40th save. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Hunter Gaddis (5-3)
Losing pitcher: Erik Miller (4-2)
Save: Cade Smith (40)

Cincinnati Reds 4, Atlanta Braves 0

Brandon Williamson and the Cincinnati bullpen shut out the NL East champions. At the plate, Elly De La Cruz homered and added an RBI single.

In addition, Dane Myers went deep and Eugenio Suárez hit the 350th home run of his career. Atlanta also lost Ronald Acuña Jr. to an injury in the third inning. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Brandon Williamson (5-4)
Losing pitcher: JR Ritchie (1-4)

Chicago White Sox 14, Kansas City Royals 11

Chicago built a 14-4 lead with four home runs, then survived a furious Kansas City comeback. Chase Meidroth and Randal Grichuk each hit three-run homers, while Brenton Doyle and Munetaka Murakami also went deep.

However, the Royals refused to fold. Vinnie Pasquantino hit his first career grand slam during a seven-run push, but Chicago finally secured the last three outs and remained one game behind Cleveland. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Noah Schultz (4-9)
Losing pitcher: Daniel Lynch IV (6-6)

Miami Marlins 8, Chicago Cubs 2 — 12 innings

Miami erupted for six runs in the 12th after the teams traded zeros through three extra frames. Griffin Conine broke the tie with a single, and Jakob Marsee and Javier Sanoja followed with run-scoring hits.

Then Joe Mack capped the outburst with a two-run single. Earlier, Kyle Stowers homered for Miami, while Ian Happ’s blast had pulled Chicago even. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Josh Ekness (3-4)
Losing pitcher: Caleb Thielbar (3-4)

New York Mets 6, Texas Rangers 3

Francisco Alvarez turned a one-run deficit into a lead with a two-run double in the sixth. The Mets then added insurance through Luis Torrens and Carson Benge.

Meanwhile, A.J. Ewing stole his 25th base to establish a Mets rookie record. Sean Manaea earned the victory, and Kodai Senga handled the final three innings. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Sean Manaea (6-7)
Losing pitcher: Nathan Eovaldi (11-10)
Save: Kodai Senga (8)

Arizona Diamondbacks 7, Colorado Rockies 2

Arizona struck for three runs in the first inning and never looked back. Gabriel Moreno, Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll each delivered a run-scoring hit in the opening frame.

Later, Tim Tawa drove in two runs and Nolan Arenado added his 28th homer. Colorado managed only three hits and absorbed its 100th loss. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Michael Soroka (9-5)
Losing pitcher: Kyle Freeland (4-11)

Athletics 9, Los Angeles Angels 7

The Athletics erased a 6-0 deficit and completed the comeback with Carlos Cortes’ two-run homer in the eighth. Cortes also hit a pinch-hit triple, becoming the first Athletics player to triple and homer in a game he did not start.

Earlier, Denzer Guzman hit a three-run homer for the Angels. Nevertheless, Zack Gelof’s two-run shot and Cortes’ late power turned the game around. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Luis Medina (6-3)
Losing pitcher: Sam Bachman (1-3)
Save: Hogan Harris (16)

Houston Astros 7, Seattle Mariners 0

Houston combined a balanced attack with a four-hit shutout to move into a tie with Texas atop the AL West. Yordan Alvarez drove in his 100th run and later hit his 41st homer.

In addition, Christian Walker launched a three-run homer and Isaac Paredes also went deep. Miguel Ullola earned his first major-league victory. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Miguel Ullola (1-0)
Losing pitcher: Logan Gilbert (12-11)

Minnesota Twins 3, San Francisco Giants 2

Taj Bradley reached 200 strikeouts, while Minnesota scored all three of its runs in the middle innings. Luke Keaschall tripled home a run, Brooks Lee followed with an RBI single, and Walker Jenkins homered.

San Francisco pulled within one in the ninth. However, the Twins stopped the rally before the tying run could score. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Taj Bradley (12-6)
Losing pitcher: Anthony Molina (3-2)
Save: Jeff Hoffman (6)

Los Angeles Dodgers 7, San Diego Padres 0

Los Angeles scored four times in the second inning and coasted behind a five-hit shutout. Freddie Freeman delivered a two-run single in the rally and added another RBI hit later.

Meanwhile, Tommy Edman and Will Smith homered as the Dodgers widened the margin. Justin Wrobleski earned his 12th victory. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Justin Wrobleski (12-5)
Losing pitcher: Michael King (12-10)

New York Yankees 2, Tampa Bay Rays 0 — Game 1

Cody Bellinger hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, and that swing provided all the scoring in the doubleheader opener. Carlos Rodón also recorded his 1,500th career strikeout.

Finally, David Bednar protected the lead in the ninth for his 35th save. The Yankees’ victory delayed Tampa Bay’s division celebration for a few hours. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Carlos Rodón (7-3)
Losing pitcher: Nick Martinez (15-5)
Save: David Bednar (35)

Tampa Bay Rays 6, New York Yankees 1 — Game 2

Drew Rasmussen carried a no-hit bid into the seventh and struck out 10 as Tampa Bay clinched the AL East. Yandy Díaz drove in four runs with a pair of two-run singles.

Earlier, Taylor Walls helped manufacture two runs through aggressive baserunning and a bunt. As a result, the Rays secured their first division title since 2021 and home-field advantage through the AL Championship Series. MLB game story

Winning pitcher: Drew Rasmussen (16-5)
Losing pitcher: Max Fried (5-5)

Toronto-Baltimore postponed

Rain postponed the Blue Jays-Orioles game in Baltimore. The clubs scheduled the makeup game for Wednesday, September 23.

September 22 MLB Scores at a Glance

• Washington Nationals 3, Detroit Tigers 1
• Pittsburgh Pirates 2, St. Louis Cardinals 0
• Philadelphia Phillies 6, Milwaukee Brewers 4
• Cleveland Guardians 3, Boston Red Sox 2
• Cincinnati Reds 4, Atlanta Braves 0
• Chicago White Sox 14, Kansas City Royals 11
• Miami Marlins 8, Chicago Cubs 2 (12 innings)
• New York Mets 6, Texas Rangers 3
• Arizona Diamondbacks 7, Colorado Rockies 2
• Athletics 9, Los Angeles Angels 7
• Houston Astros 7, Seattle Mariners 0
• Minnesota Twins 3, San Francisco Giants 2
• Los Angeles Dodgers 7, San Diego Padres 0
• New York Yankees 2, Tampa Bay Rays 0 (Game 1)
• Tampa Bay Rays 6, New York Yankees 1 (Game 2)
• Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles — postponed, rain

MLB Division Standings Through September 22, 2026

American League

East

• Tampa Bay Rays: 96-61
• New York Yankees: 90-67
• Boston Red Sox: 84-73
• Toronto Blue Jays: 77-80
• Baltimore Orioles: 76-81

Central

• Cleveland Guardians: 82-75
• Chicago White Sox: 81-76
• Detroit Tigers: 74-84
• Minnesota Twins: 74-84
• Kansas City Royals: 67-90

West

• Houston Astros: 78-79
• Texas Rangers: 78-79
• Seattle Mariners: 73-84
• Athletics: 62-95
• Los Angeles Angels: 60-97

National League

East

• Atlanta Braves: 92-65
• Philadelphia Phillies: 87-70
• Miami Marlins: 77-80
• Washington Nationals: 74-84
• New York Mets: 72-85

Central

• Milwaukee Brewers: 98-59
• Chicago Cubs: 87-70
• Pittsburgh Pirates: 80-77
• St. Louis Cardinals: 76-81
• Cincinnati Reds: 73-84

West

• Los Angeles Dodgers: 97-60
• San Diego Padres: 87-70
• Arizona Diamondbacks: 83-74
• San Francisco Giants: 65-93
• Colorado Rockies: 57-100

Records reflect every game completed Tuesday, September 22. Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Milwaukee and Los Angeles have clinched their divisions. The Yankees have also secured home-field advantage in the AL Wild Card Series.