Jacob Petrarca
Staff Writer
In this issue:
NFL Week 1 + 2 Recap
MLB Playoff Races
Judge + Pujols Home Run Chases
Goldschmidt + Judge Triple Crown Watch
The National Football League kicked off its 103rd season on Thursday, Sept. 8, at SoFi Stadium as the Buffalo Bills took on the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. Led by 3 touchdowns from quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills handily took down the Rams, 31-10.
Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Elsewhere around the league, a trio of quarterbacks with new homes took on their former teams in Week 1.
2018 #1 overall pick Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers went up against Mayfield’s old Cleveland Browns. Super Bowl 48 champion Russell Wilson led the Denver Broncos- the team he beat in that Super Bowl- against the Seattle Seahawks, and Joe Flacco, who was replaced by the Baltimore Ravens four years ago in favor of Lamar Jackson, finally got to face his old team, as a member of the New York Jets, taking over for Zach Wilson, the 2021 first-round draft pick who was injured in the preseason.
Mayfield was traded after the Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, (a move that has its own issues, with Watson being suspended 11 games for domestic abuse) while Wilson, a longtime Seahawk, was sent away in the middle of a rebuild, with the Seahawks expected to finish at the bottom of a highly competitive NFC West. All 3 quarterbacks lost.
Mayfield fell, 26-24, completing 16 of 27 pass attempts while throwing for 235 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Flacco also lost, much less closely, 24-9, with a similar statline (37 for 59, 307 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). And on Monday Night Football, Wilson was servicable (27 for 42, 340 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT), but a missed 64-yard field goal attempt by Brandon McManus as time expired gave Seattle a 17-16 win and concluded an exciting first week in the NFL season.
A pair of games in Week 1 also went to overtime. The defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals came back from a 17-point deficit to tie the Pittsburgh Steelers, despite 4 interceptions by QB Joe Burrow, but lost on a 53-yard field goal by Steelers kicker Chris Boswell in overtime. A missed PAT by Bengals kicker Evan McPherson at the end of regulation cost Cincinnati the win. The Indianapolis Colts, propelled by the legs of running back Jonathan Taylor and his 161 rushing yards, also came back from a 17-point deficit, against the Houston Texans, however, nobody scored in OT and the two teams tied at 20.
Week 2 began with a bang. The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, 2 teams expected to compete for the highly competitive AFC West title, made the most of being on primetime TV, with the Chiefs taking an exciting Thursday game, 27-24. The Chargers very nearly had a chance to force overtime, when, after a field goal by Dustin Hopkins cut the deficit to three points, the Chiefs barely recovered an onside kick and were able to run out the clock, improving to 2-0 on the young season.
Despite the Chargers’ and Chiefs’ effort, the best game in the league this week belonged to the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins. When these teams met three years and ten days ago, to kick off the 2019 season, it was no contest, as the Ravens trounced the Dolphins 59-10, en route to a 14-2 record and best finish in the NFL, while the Dolphins floundered to a 5-11 finish and the 4th pick in the draft.
Tagovailoa and Jackson put up a game for the ages on Sunday.
Atlanta Falcons, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (left)
Office of the Maryland Governor on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (right)
However, in this, the second meeting of these teams since that massacre, it was that 4th overall pick, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who led the Dolphins to a 42-38 win over Baltimore after they trailed 35-14 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Both quarterbacks put up gaudy numbers, with Tagovailoa passing for a 72% completion rate, 469 yards, 6 touchdowns (most by a Dolphins quarterback since Dan Marino in 1986) and 2 interceptions. Jackson, one of the most mobile QBs in the league, also had a 72% completion rate, with 318 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 INTs, while also picking up 113 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Other notable games featured Tom Brady (pictured above) picking up his first regular season win against the New Orleans Saints since joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, in five tries; while the Indianapolis Colts lost their 7th straight game in Jacksonville, getting shut out 24-0. Famously, the Colts needed a win there last season to clinch the AFC’s 7th playoff seed, but were defeated by a Jaguars team that limped in with a 2-14 record and would pick first in the draft for the second straight year.
The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in overtime, 29-23. And although it wasn’t a comeback to the extent of Miami, the New York Jets scored two touchdowns in the final 2 minutes of their game against the Cleveland Browns and won, 31-30, thanks to a missed PAT by Browns rookie kicker Cade York and a recovered onside kick.
Plenty of teams are surprising early this season, for better and for worse. Despite little preseason expectations, the New York Giants won for the second week in a row, beating the Tennessee Titans 21-20 and Carolina Panthers 19-16. With the Jaguars’ win over Indianapolis, they’re the only team in the AFC South with a victory through two weeks. Meanwhile, the two teams who played in last year’s Super Bowl are stumbling out of the gate. The Rams have scratched to a 1-1 record, demolished by the Bills in Week 1 and nearly blowing a 28-3 lead to the lowly Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, while the Bengals are 0-2 after suffering close losses at the hands of the Steelers and Cowboys. And after Russell Wilson introduced himself to the Denver faithful with the phrase “Broncos Country, Let’s Ride,” his new team is a mere 1-1 with a loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks and a tight win over the Houston Texans, two teams considered among the worst in the NFL.
—————————————————————————————————————————
In Major League Baseball, both teams and players are chasing history. The Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies are coming close to breaking 20- and 10-year long playoff droughts, respectively, the two longest in baseball. The Mariners hold the American League’s third wild card spot and have a 5 game lead over the Baltimore Orioles with 15 games to play and the Phillies have the National League’s third wild card spot, holding a 2.5 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers with 15 to play for the Phillies and 16 for Milwaukee.
Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (left)
Ian D’Andrea on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (right)
The Mariners are led by their pitching. Robbie Ray, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert (pictured, left) have all put up stellar seasons in Seattle, and trade acquisition Luis Castillo has fit into the rotation nicely since coming over from the Cincinnati Reds just over a month ago. The bat of 21-year old phenom Julio Rodriguez is also working wonders. And although Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler are putting up solid seasons on the mound in Philadelphia, it is the bats of the Phillies that guide their success. Kyle Schwarber was a big free agent acquisition and he leads the NL with 40 home runs. Reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper (pictured, right) is also crushing the baseball when he’s been healthy, while JT Realmuto and Rhys Hoskins have put up solid home run totals. But, if we’re talking about home runs, you need to watch two players.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is trying to break the American League single-season record of 61 home runs set by fellow Yankee Roger Maris in 1961, and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals is aiming to become just the fourth player among MLB’s 20,000+ to reach the plateau of 700 career home runs.
On Sept. 11, Pujols passed longtime Mariners shortstop and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez for sole possession of 4th place on the all-time list, his 697th home run a 9th inning, go-ahead shot off of Pittsburgh’s Chase De Jong that led the Cardinals to a 4-3 win over the Pirates. Pujols enters Wednesday’s game against the San Diego Padres on 698 career home runs, with 13 games remaining in the Cardinals’ schedule. He’s already announced his retirement following the Cardinals’ likely playoff run, so no chance at attaining the mark in 2023.
Judge enters Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates sitting on 60 home runs, with a great chance to break the record either today, with what would be his MLB-record 12th multi-home run game, or in the upcoming 4-game series at home vs. the Yankees’ longtime rival, the Boston Red Sox. It was nearly 61 years ago that Maris broke the record held by Babe Ruth by hitting his 61st home run vs. Red Sox pitcher Tracy Stallard, on October 1st, 1961- the final game of the season. As of this writing, Judge has 15 games left to pass that total and set a new American League mark. Many fans argue that Maris’ record is the record that should stand for all of Major League Baseball, as the National League players that broke Maris’ mark (The Giants’ Barry Bonds with 73 in 2001, the Cardinals’ Mark McGwire with 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999, and the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa with 66 in 1998, 63 in 1999, and 64 in 2001) were all linked to steroid use that enhanced those totals.
It was Judge’s 60th that was most notable for the Yanks- it came leading off the 9th inning against Pirates closer Wil Crowe with the Yankees trailing 8-4 on the night of September 20th. The Yankees desperately needed a win- a loss would’ve kept the second place Toronto Blue Jays at just 4.5 games behind. However, after Judge made the score 8-5, Anthony Rizzo doubled, Gleyber Torres walked, and Josh Donaldson singled to set up a game-winning grand slam for Giancarlo Stanton. The Yankees defeated the Pirates 9-8, to keep their first-place lead at 5.5 games and move one step closer towards clinching a playoff berth.
Judge and Pujols chase history.
Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (left)
Dave Herholz, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (right)
Pujols’ teammate, Paul Goldschmidt, is trying to become the first player since fellow Cardinal Joe Medwick in 1937 to lead the National League in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in, thereby winning the National League’s Triple Crown, although he may be fading from that dream. As of the morning of September 21, Goldschmidt trails the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman by eight percentage points in batting, the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber by five home runs, and the Mets’ Pete Alonso by nine RBI. Even if Goldschmidt can’t come back and win the crown, he still should walk away with the National League’s MVP Award, the Cardinals’ first since Pujols in 2009.
Judge has a more serious shot at winning the Triple Crown in the American League, a feat that has been accomplished just once since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, (Miguel Cabrera, 2012, Detroit) Judge holds a slim lead over the Twins’ Luis Arraez and the Red Sox’ Xander Bogaerts in batting average, while holding commanding leads in home runs (23 over Houston’s Yordan Alvarez) and RBI (15 over Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez). Judge’s 60+ home runs would also be the most by any Triple Crown winner in either league. It would merely be gravy for Judge, who is the favorite to win the American League’s MVP Award (the Yankees’ first since Alex Rodriguez in 2007) in a contract year that should see him extract a big payday in the offseason.
Most home runs in one season – American League
Roger Maris- 61, 1961 New York Yankees
Babe Ruth- 60, 1927 New York Yankees
Aaron Judge- 60+, 2022 New York Yankees
Most home runs- career
Barry Bonds, 762 (1986-2007)
Hank Aaron, 755 (1954-1976)
Babe Ruth, 714 (1914-1935)
Albert Pujols, 698+ (2001-2022)
National League Triple Crown Winners since 1901
Heinie Zimmerman, 1912 Chicago Cubs (.372 batting average, 14 HR, 104 RBI)
Rogers Hornsby, 1922 St. Louis Cardinals (.401 batting average, 42 HR, 152 RBI)
Rogers Hornsby, 1925 St. Louis Cardinals (.403 batting average, 39 HR, 143 RBI)
Chuck Klein, 1933 Philadelphia Phillies (.368 batting average, 28 HR, 120 RBI)
Joe Medwick, 1937 St. Louis Cardinals (.374 batting average, 31 HR, 154 RBI)
American League Triple Crown Winners since 1901
Nap Lajoie, 1901 Philadelphia Athletics (.426 batting average, 14 HR, 125 RBI)
Ty Cobb, 1909 Detroit Tigers (.377 batting average, 9 HR, 107 RBI)
Jimmie Foxx, 1933 Philadelphia Athletics (.356 batting average, 48 HR, 163 RBI)
Lou Gehrig, 1934 New York Yankees (.363 batting average, 49 HR, 166 RBI)
Ted Williams, 1942 Boston Red Sox (.356 batting average, 36 HR, 137 RBI)
Ted Williams, 1947 Boston Red Sox (.343 batting average, 32 HR, 114 RBI)
Mickey Mantle, 1956 New York Yankees (.353 batting average, 52 HR, 130 RBI)
Frank Robinson, 1966 Baltimore Orioles (.316 batting average, 49 HR, 122 RBI)
Carl Yastrzemski, 1967 Boston Red Sox (.326 batting average, 44 HR, 121 RBI)
Miguel Cabrera, 2012 Detroit Tigers (.330 batting average, 44 HR, 139 RBI)
That’ll do it this time for the Payoff Pitch. These next two weeks should be equally as exciting, as MLB teams lock up playoff spots, the NFL season gets into full swing, and the NHL and NBA preseasons get underway.
The next issue will be releasing on October 5th, just in time for the MLB regular season to wrap up. Be sure to expect a full postseason preview, along with more NFL highlights and interesting storylines to look for in the upcoming NHL and NBA seasons. In the meantime, you can check out the current standings and league leaders below:
—————————————————————————————————————————
NFL Standings Through Week 2
| AFC East | W | L | T |
| Miami Dolphins | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Buffalo Bills | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| New England Patriots | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| AFC North | W | L | T |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cleveland Browns | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| AFC South | W | L | T |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Houston Texans | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| AFC West | W | L | T |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Denver Broncos | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| NFC East | W | L | T |
| New York Giants | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington Commanders | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| NFC North | W | L | T |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| NFC South | W | L | T |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Carolina Panthers | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| NFC West | W | L | T |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 1 | 1 | 0 |
League Leaders:
Passing Yards- Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins, 739
Passing Touchdowns: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs; Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders; Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins; Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills; 7
Rushing Yards: Saquon Barkley, New York Giants, 236
Rushing Touchdowns: Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns; Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles; 3
Recieving Yards: Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins, 284
Recieving Touchowns: Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills, 4
Field Goals: Ryan Succop, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos; 6
Longest Field Goal: Evan McPherson, Cincinnati Bengals, 59 Yards, Week 1
Sacks: Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys, 4
Interceptions: Marcus Williams, Baltimore Ravens, 3
MLB Standings as of the morning of 9/21
Postseason clinches:
Los Angeles Dodgers, September 12 (won National League West on Sept. 13)
Houston Astros, September 16 (won American League West on Sept. 19)
New York Mets, September 19
Atlanta Braves, September 20
Postseason eliminations:
Washington Nationals, September 7
Oakland Athletics, September 7
Pittsburgh Pirates, September 9
Detroit Tigers, September 10
Cincinnati Reds, September 13
Kansas City Royals, September 13
Miami Marlins, September 14
Chicago Cubs, September 17
Texas Rangers, September 18
Los Angeles Angels, September 19
Colorado Rockies, September 20
| AL East | W | L | Games Back |
| New York Yankees | 89 | 58 | 0 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 84 | 64 | 5.5 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 82 | 66 | 7.5 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 76 | 71 | 13 |
| Boston Red Sox | 72 | 75 | 17 |
| AL Central | W | L | Games Back |
| Cleveland Guardians | 81 | 67 | 0 |
| Chicago White Sox | 76 | 72 | 5 |
| Minnesota Twins | 73 | 75 | 8 |
| Kansas City Royals | 59 | 89 | 22 |
| Detroit Tigers | 57 | 91 | 24 |
| AL West | W | L | Games Back |
| Houston Astros | 98 | 51 | 0 |
| Seattle Mariners | 81 | 66 | 16 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 65 | 83 | 32.5 |
| Texas Rangers | 63 | 84 | 34 |
| Oakland Athletics | 54 | 94 | 43.5 |
| NL East | W | L | Games Back |
| New York Mets | 95 | 55 | 0 |
| Atlanta Braves | 93 | 55 | 1 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 80 | 67 | 13.5 |
| Miami Marlins | 61 | 88 | 33.5 |
| Washington Nationals | 51 | 97 | 43 |
| NL Central | W | L | Games Back |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 87 | 62 | 0 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 78 | 70 | 8.5 |
| Chicago Cubs | 63 | 85 | 23.5 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 58 | 90 | 28.5 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 55 | 93 | 31.5 |
| NL West | W | L | Games Back |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 103 | 45 | 0 |
| San Diego Padres | 82 | 66 | 21 |
| San Francisco Giants | 71 | 77 | 32 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 69 | 80 | 34.5 |
| Colorado Rockies | 64 | 84 | 39 |
| AL Wild Card | W | L | Games Back |
| WC1: Toronto | 84 | 64 | |
| WC2: Tampa Bay | 82 | 66 | |
| WC3: Seattle | 81 | 66 | |
| Baltimore | 76 | 71 | 5 |
| Chicago | 76 | 72 | 5.5 |
| Minnesota | 73 | 75 | 8.5 |
| Boston | 72 | 75 | 9 |
| Los Angeles | 65 | 83 | 16.5 |
| Texas | 63 | 84 | 18 |
| Kansas City | 59 | 89 | 22.5 |
| Detroit | 57 | 91 | 24.5 |
| Oakland | 54 | 94 | 27.5 |
| NL Wild Card | W | L | Games Back |
| WC1: Atlanta | 93 | 55 | |
| WC2: San Diego | 82 | 66 | |
| WC3: Philadelphia | 80 | 67 | |
| Milwaukee | 78 | 70 | 2.5 |
| San Francisco | 71 | 77 | 9.5 |
| Arizona | 69 | 80 | 12 |
| Colorado | 64 | 84 | 16.5 |
| Chicago | 63 | 85 | 17.5 |
| Miami | 61 | 88 | 20 |
| Cincinnati | 58 | 90 | 22.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 55 | 93 | 25.5 |
| Washington | 51 | 97 | 29.5 |
League Leaders:
Batting Average: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers, .330
On Base + Slugging Percentage: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees, 1.123
Home Runs: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees, 60
Runs Batted In: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees, 128
Pitching Wins: Kyle Wright, Atlanta Braves, 19
Earned Run Average: Justin Verlander, Houston Astros, 1.78
Strikeouts: Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees, 236
Saves: Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians; Kenley Jansen, Atlanta Braves; 36
Stolen Bases: Jon Berti, Miami Marlins, 36