SERIES PREVIEW – The Long Beach Dirt Bags were 39-70 and had the worst record in the National League on July 31st. They were eyeing lots of ping-pong balls, so they shipped Cy-Young hopeful Garrett Crochet off for a package of young talent. The youth movement re-energized the team, and they went 28-25 in their final 53 games to leapfrog five teams and grab the final playoff spot.

The Tempe Tempers had a solid 44-31 record in late June, but division rivals Columbus and Selkirk were both within two games, and Sacramento had a huge nine-game lead in the NL. The front office, knowing this may be their best shot at glory with this core, cashed in all their top draft picks and some key prospects to land four All-Stars. The added firepower helped the Tempers finish with a red-hot 70-17 record down the stretch.

SERIES PREVIEW – Goliath Meets David: Powerhouse Crushers Loom Large Over Underdog Skyliners

COCONUT CREEK — If the Cincinnati Skyliners are looking for a miracle, October is the time to find one. They’ll certainly need it.

The 2026 MWBL Wild Card round kicks off with what looks on paper—and on the diamond—like a massive mismatch. The American League West champion Coconut Creek Crushers enter the postseason as an undisputed juggernaut. Boasting an imposing 104-58 record, the Crushers overwhelmed the competition all summer, outclassing Cincinnati by 24 games in the overall standings.

The Skyliners, meanwhile, limped into the postseason dance at 80-82. While Cincinnati showed occasional fight during the regular season, Coconut Creek still took the head-to-head season series, 7-5.

Compounding Cincinnati’s uphill climb is the MWBL’s division-winner advantage: the Crushers carry an automatic “Ghost Win” into this best-of-seven clash. That spot gives Coconut Creek a virtual 1-0 series lead before the first pitch is even thrown. The Crushers need just three victories to punch their ticket to the Division Series; the sub – .500 Skyliners face the monumental task of taking four games from a 104-win buzzsaw.

Cincinnati will need flawless pitching and postseason luck just to make this competitive. Otherwise, expect Coconut Creek to make quick work of the AL East runners-up.

SERIES PREVIEW – On paper, the American League Wild Card clash between the Dallas Cougars and the Detroit Crime looks less like an October toss-up and more like an open-and-shut case.

The 97-win Cougars, fresh off securing second place in the A.L. West, enter the postseason riding heavy momentum and an overwhelming psychological edge. Dallas thoroughly dominated Detroit in the regular season, taking nine of their eleven meetings with relentless run-prevention and timely hitting.

Yet October baseball rarely adheres to regular-season scripts.

The Crime (87-75) scrap into the tournament as the third-place finisher out of the A.L. Central, having fought through an uneven summer to punch their playoff ticket. While Detroit was outclassed by Dallas over 162 games, a short three-game set flips the dynamic. With rotations condensed and high-leverage arms deployed early, Detroit needs only to steal Game 1 to turn an uphill climb into pure panic for the favorites.

To pull off the shocker, the Crime must solve the riddle that confounded them all year: cracking the Cougars’ frontline starters. If Dallas dictates tempo early, their season-long mastery should carry them through. If Detroit’s bats finally show up against their Texas nemesis, however, the MWBL could see its biggest upset of the fall.

Prairie’s rotation is headed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who finished with a 2.30 ERA, and Garrett Crochet, who logged 232⅓ innings, struck out 281, and posted a 2.63 ERA. The Falcons also feature Juan Soto, who hit 36 home runs between Tampa Bay and Prairie, and Trevor Story, who stole 34 bases. Sacramento counters with Brent Rooker (33 HR, 100 RBI), Michael Busch (31 HR, 88 RBI), Francisco Lindor (159 hits, 115 runs, 30 HR and 31 stolen bases), and Chris Sale, who went 16–3.

The Capitals won 33 more games during the regular season and carry a 1–0 Ghost Win into the series—a significant advantage. Unfortunately, October has never shown much interest in what is supposed to happen.