Why 60 games is magic number in MLB’s imminent lockout | Nightengale’s Notebook

Why 60 games is magic number in MLB's imminent lockout Nightengale's Notebook.

Key points

• The 2021-22 lockout was the longest in history at 99 days, but the two sides agreed on a accord that preserved a full 162-game season.
• Skenes threw 75 pitches at 95-mph or faster during the WBC, topping out at 99.7-mph.
• San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas, 20 years, 116 days.
• According to The ownership group, GM Nick Krall and his staff are returning for 2027.
• Randal Grichuk, who was published by the Yankees and signed a $1.25 million contract, has been an absolute godsend for the White Sox.

Phillies, Cubs and Padres battle down to the wire in NL Wild Card race.

Bob Nightengale breaks down the NL Wild Card race as the Phillies, Cubs and Padres fight for playoff positioning in the season's final days.

Meanwhile, a growing number of executives believe that the 2027 Major League Baseball season will commence around Memorial Day weekend next year considering that if 60 or more games are cancelled next season, players will miss concerning four paychecks and national TV contracts would be extended through 2029.

Meanwhile, the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, with the league demanding a hard salary cap and that idea being an absolute non-starter for the players.

For context, the 2021-22 lockout was the longest in history at 99 days, but the two sides agreed on a accord that preserved a full 162-game season.

While manager Dan Wilson will be blamed for the Seattle Mariners' embarrassing season and is projected to pay the rate by being fired as early as Monday, Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners' president of baseball operations, is under heavy scrutiny.

Dipoto doesn't appear to be in jeopardy of being fired, but critics point out that the Mariners have reached the postseason just twice in his 11-year tenure, and veteran catcher Cal Raleigh went public regarding the Mariners' cultural woes.

"I think it was a collective failure, unfortunately, '' Raleigh remarked to journalists. "It's going to take a lot of individuals having some self-reflection, myself included, on the direction of where we're heading, what we want to be, and who we want to be as a team. What is our team identity? I don't feel like there was one this year.''.

In practice, the Mariners have plenty of disgruntled employees, with everyone from assistant GMs to equipment managers to strength and conditioning coaches being fired over recent years. And if the Mariners don't reach the postseason next year, those fingers will be pointed directly at Dipoto.

Former Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels. This person guided the Rangers to back-to-back pennants, pulled himself out of consideration for the Athletics' GM vacancy for family reasons. Daniels, who has two kids in college and one in high school, was flattered by the opportunity, but enjoys his job as a senior advisor in baseball operations for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Meanwhile, the straightforward solution to avoid another Alex Bregman incident (suffering facial fractures when hit by a foul ball getting ready to hit), MLB executives say, is for the hitter in the on-deck circle to stand on the same side the batter is hitting. So, if Bregman had been standing on the other side of the field from left-handed hitting Michael Busch, the accident could have been prevented.

For context, the World Baseball Classic took a massive hit this week when 2025 Cy Young winner Paul Skenes blamed his participation in this year's WBC for his massive struggles, with San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb additionally suffering his worst season.

Skenes threw 75 pitches at 95-mph or faster during the WBC, topping out at 99.7-mph. He didn't reach that velocity the entire season, with his fastball down 2-mph from his rookie season in 2024.

"It definitely affected the year, " Skenes remarked to journalists. "Unfortunately, I don't think I'm the only one."

Notably, the WBC is scheduled to resume in 2030, two years after the Olympics, but GMs are hoping that MLB could change the format to have at least the final rounds played during the All-Star break, to avoid the rash of pitching injuries when arms simply aren't ready in March.

Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, preaches the importance of veteran clubhouse leadership, believing it's essential for teams with postseason aspirations.

"I think veteran leadership is extremely important, " Dombrowski tells USA TODAY Sports. "Not everybody necessarily agrees with this, but veteran leadership on what it takes to win."

Dombrowski has leaders Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in Philadelphia, had Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts in Boston, Victor Martinez, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in Detroit, and insists they wouldn't have won the 1997 World Series without Darren Daulton and Craig Counsell in Florida.

What a storybook ending to Justin Verlander's Hall of Fame career, not only showing flashes of his greatness in his final outing, but having his 7-year-old daughter wearing a Tigers jersey with her dad's name and number, running to the mound to hug him after being lifted from the game. Verlander stood on the mound sobbing. That hit me, '' Verlander said, like a ton of bricks.

San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas, 20 years, 116 days. This person was not old enough to drink during the Padres' clinching celebration, so the Padres offered him a bucket containing apple cider, baby bottles and a tiny jersey with a letterboard that read: BABY'S FIRST CLINCHMAS.

Salas will be the youngest catcher in baseball history to participate in the postseason.

Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin raised some eyebrows when he criticized the Reds' front office in his final broadcast. It drew solid backing from former Reds All-Star MVP Joey Votto.

I think these last three weeks of baseball playing against some of the better teams that are going to be going to the postseason really illustrate how far we are behind at this big-league level, Larkin remarked. Change has to happen. This city deserves better than that, and I know every player down there feels that. But something has to offer. We have to obtain better as we are so, so far behind.''.

It's hard to believe that with more than 125 years of co-existence, this will be only the fourth postseason that the Cubs and White Sox have played in together, and they clinched their postseason berths just two minutes apart on Thursday.

Miami Marlins Gold Glove infielder Javier Sanoja has had a surreal year. It began when he scored the winning run for Venezuela in their WBC championship game, and continued through the season, hitting.294, including a league-leading.339 since Aug. 1. He's additionally the only National League position player to play in 10 or more games at five different positions this season (22 games at second, 117 at third, 10 at shortstop, 10 in left field and 14 in right field).

Notably, the highlight, though, Sanoja tells USA TODAY Sports, will always be winning the gold medal for his country.

"It meant so much for our country, and our people who are such big fans of the game, " Sanoja remarked. "Every city I go, someone in the stands is congratulating me for the championship. It fills me with a lot of emotion. It's a night I'll never forget as long as I live."

There's just something regarding September that brings out the best in the Guardians. They have won eight of their last nine games entering Saturday, and are 83-48 in September since the 2022 season_second-best in the AL behind only the Yankees.

Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox, who grabbed Luis Castillo at the trade deadline, need to find a way to fix him in 2027 or else they just wasted $20 million. He was an albatross on their staff since his acquisition, going 1-2 with an 8.42 ERA in nine appearances.

You can expect Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle to be a key to their hopes of defeating the Yankees in the wild-card round. Tolle now only has a 2.44 ERA in his last eight starts, but he has given up just one run and four hits in 13 innings with 18 strikeouts in his two starts against the Yankees this year.

Notably, the Guardians are the first team to reach the postseason without a single qualifying player hitting.300 or hitting 20 homers or driving in 75 runs or stealing 40 bases, according to OptaSTATS.

Grichuk signed with the White Sox on May 4 after Austin Hays suffered a left calf strain, and has hit.304 with 14 homers and 41 RBIs for the Sox, slashing.400/.408/.733 with four doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs in his last 15 games entering Saturday.

"He's obviously responded to the opportunity here, taking advantage of it, " White Sox manager Will Venable remarked to journalists. "He's been as good as anybody in this league offensively."

Former Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo. This person led his franchise to its 2001 World Series title, was not part of the 25-year reunion celebration last week but intends to have his own dinner party for the team and staff in November.

If the Pittsburgh Pirates want to be taken seriously, they do everything feasible to bring back Brandon Lowe, who's a free agent this winter. Lowe has hit 33 home runs, the most by a Pirates' player since Josh Bell in 2019, with his 19 homers at PNC Park the most in the ballpark's history.

For context, the Yankees cringe watching Ezequiel Durán with the Texas Rangers. They traded him at the 2021 trade deadline for outfielder Joey Gallo.

This is the Astros' worst season since 2014. And yet may win the AL West with a losing record.

In short, why 60 games is magic number in MLBs imminent lockout is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.