LOS ANGELES Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani. What will his role in the post-season be ?/Kyusung Gong)
The 2026 regular season for Major League Baseball is done. The Los Angeles Angels ended the year with a worst-ever 62-100 record, while the Los Angeles Dodgers won 100 games and are the National League West champions.
They will head into the playoffs starting on Saturday, Oct. 3 against the winner of the best two-of-three National League wild card series between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Those aren’t the best seasons-ever, though
Those aren’t the “best” seasons-ever, though. The Dodgers posted a 43-17 record (.717 winning percentage) in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. They won the World Series that year, too.
REID DETMERS has been the top Angel starter in 2026 (File photo).
As for the Angels, a decision is anticipated soon on the status of manager Kurt Suzuki. Typically the Angels have fired their “field general” after a poor finish, but there’s new ownership so it’s anyone’s guess what happens next.
There’s a lot to fix for 2027. The Angels lost a lot of one-run and extra-innings games. In the final week, the bullpen wasted a 7-2 lead and lost a game 9-7.
The batter’s box was a sad place, too
The batter’s box was a sad place, too. They led the American League in strikeouts and put together several disheartening losing streaks.
There’s some hope. Reid Detmers pitched fairly well, posting a 7-8 record and a 3.36 ERA. Even more impressive is his work in his last dozen starts during which he had a sterling 2.05 ERA.
And don’t forget Wade Meckler, who – in 93 games – batted .292 with three home runs and 27 RBIs.
That’s probably not enough to make a winning record in 2027, but stranger things have happened … when you have a new billionaire owner.
