2026 AMERICAN LEAGUE WILD CARD SERIES “B”
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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. |
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GAME #1 – Paul Skenes 16-8 (2.14) vs. Kris Bubic 7-3 (2.35) COUGARS STEAL ONE FROM THE CRIME IN WALK-OFF FASHION DALLAS — The Dallas Cougars erased a two-run deficit with a furious late-game rally and then completed the comeback in dramatic fashion, defeating the Detroit Crime, 4-3, in Game 1 of the Wild-Card Series. Brooks Lee opened the inning with a double off the wall, and Sal Frelick followed with a walk to put the tying runs aboard. Ramon Laureano then drew another walk to load the bases with nobody out. Andy Pages delivered the biggest hit of the comeback, lining a single into right field that scored both Lee and Frelick. Suddenly, the game was tied 3-3, and the Dallas crowd was roaring. The Cougars had an opportunity to take the lead immediately afterward. Victor Caratini singled to load the bases again, but Detroit escaped the inning when Josh Jung grounded into a double play. Dallas had to settle for a tie heading into the ninth. Detroit could not capitalize in the top of the ninth. Adrian Morejon, who had just entered in relief of Kris Bubic, retired the Crime in order, striking out Tommy Pham before getting Starling Marte and Bobby Witt Jr. on grounders and a fly ball. That set the stage for the Cougars’ winning rally. Andres Gimenez began the bottom of the ninth with a flyout, but Jarren Duran kept the inning alive by drawing a walk from Gabe Speier. Duran immediately put his speed to work, stealing second and then third to move the winning run 90 feet from home. With one out and Duran standing at third, Lee lifted a fly ball to right field. Duran tagged and raced for home as Starling Marte‘s throw came toward the plate. The throw was not in time. Duran slid in safely, and the Cougars erupted in celebration as the winning run crossed the plate. The comeback spoiled an otherwise strong effort by Detroit starter Paul Skenes, who held the Cougars to one unearned run through seven innings while striking out five. Dallas starter Kris Bubic also pitched effectively, working eight innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six. Detroit grabbed the early lead after Eli White‘s two-run homer in the second inning erased Dallas’ 1-0 advantage. Bryce Harper added a solo homer in the sixth to make it 3-1. But the Cougars’ late-game execution proved decisive. Dallas finished with five hits and four runs, while Detroit also collected five hits and three runs. The Cougars committed one error and left eight runners on base, while the Crime left seven on base. Morejon earned the victory, while Speier was charged with the loss. With the dramatic 4-3 victory, the Cougars take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Wild-Card Series. Player of the Game: BROOKS LEE Brooks Lee gets the nod for Dallas. His eighth-inning double ignited the comeback and put the tying run in scoring position, and his ninth-inning fly ball became the stage on which Jarren Duran scored the winning run. In a game where every inch mattered, Lee was right there in the middle of the action when the Cougars needed him most. DAL 4 – DET 3 Win: Adrian Morejon 1-0 (0.00) |
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GAME #2 – Zack Wheeler 12-10 (3.07) vs. Lucas Giolito 13-7 (2.85) COUGARS TAKE COMMAND IN GAME 2 Duran’s tying blast and eighth-inning double spark Dallas to a 4–2 victory The Dallas Cougars are halfway to a championship, and they got there with a little thunder in the sixth and a whole lot of noise in the eighth. Dallas rallied from an early 2–0 hole to beat the Detroit Crime, 4–2, and take a 2–0 lead in the Championship Series. Detroit struck first in the opening inning. Bobby Witt Jr. walked, and after Lucas Giolito struck out Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, Manny Machado turned on a pitch and sent it over the left-field wall. Two runs came home, and the Crime had an early 2–0 lead. Meanwhile, Zack Wheeler was dealing. The Detroit right-hander struck out the side in the first, added two more strikeouts in the second, and kept the Cougars quiet through five innings. By the fifth, Wheeler had reached double figures in strikeouts, and Dallas still had no hits. Giolito kept the Cougars within reach. He worked around traffic and finished seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Then came the sixth. Kyle Manzardo opened the inning with a walk, and two outs later Jarren Duran stepped in. Wheeler delivered, Duran drove one to deep left, and the ball carried over Mike Siani. Gone. Two-run homer. Tie game. The Cougars had their first hit of the night, and suddenly it was 2–2. Wheeler recovered to retire Brooks Lee, but the game had changed. Detroit threatened in the seventh. Brett Wisely singled, Witt Jr. followed with another base hit, and suddenly Giolito had two men aboard with two outs. But Bryce Harper grounded into a force play, and the threat disappeared. Dallas nearly struck in the bottom half when Sal Frelick singled and moved to second on a groundout. Wheeler answered by striking out Ramon Laureano and retiring Andy Pages, sending the game to the eighth still tied. That’s where the Cougars broke the door down. Kyle Manzardo led off against Wheeler and hammered a drive off the right-center-field wall. He hustled into second with the go-ahead run standing 180 feet away. Jonah Heim lifted a fly ball to center, but Manzardo held. Andres Gimenez went down swinging — Wheeler’s 12th strikeout of the night. Two outs. Runner at second. Jarren Duran at the plate. Wheeler fired, and Duran ripped a ground ball down the line. Manny Machado dove, but the ball skipped past him and rolled into the corner. Manzardo scored. The Cougars had their first lead of the night, 3–2. Wheeler’s night was over after 7⅔ innings, three runs allowed on four hits, one walk and 12 strikeouts. Lee lined the ball into left-center, and Duran came around from second. Another run. Dallas suddenly led 4–2. The ninth belonged to Daniel Palencia. Tommy Pham lifted a routine fly to right for the first out. Mike Siani then drove one deep to left, but Andy Pages tracked it down for a sparkling second out. Thairo Estrada kept Detroit breathing with a double off the wall. Now the tying run was standing in the on-deck circle. Andy Ibanez stepped in. Palencia came set, delivered, and painted the outside corner. Called strike three. Ballgame. The Cougars won 4–2, taking a 2–0 series lead. Dallas finished with five hits but made every one count. Detroit collected six hits and left seven men on base. Player of the Game: Jarren Duran Duran was the spark plug all night — a two-run homer to erase Detroit’s lead, followed by the go-ahead double in the eighth. He finished with two hits, three RBIs, and two runs scored. DAL 4 – DET 2 Win: Emmanuel Clase 1-0 (0.00) |
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GAME #3 – Adrian Houser 10-8 (3.32) vs. Ronel Blanco 3-4 (6.80) COUGARS STOMP CRIME 9-2 TO TAKE COMMAND IN GAME 3 The Dallas Cougars bounced back in a big way during Game 3, defeating the Detroit Crime 9-2 to push their series lead to 3-0. After Detroit jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI single from Bryce Harper and added another run in the second via a Brett Wisely solo home run, the Cougars’ offense caught fire. Dallas clawed back to tie the game 2-2 in the fifth behind a two-run homer from Kyle Manzardo. The Cougars then broke the game open in the sixth with a three-run rally highlighted by a two-run double from Andy Pages and an RBI double from Josh Jung. Dallas added insurance runs in the seventh and ninth innings—including a solo home run by Alek Thomas—to secure the 9-2 blowout victory. Cougars starter Adrian Houser earned the win, pitching six solid innings and allowing just two runs on seven hits while striking out five. Ronel Blanco took the loss for Detroit, surrendering four runs over 5.1 innings. Player of the Game: Josh Jung Josh Jung anchored the Cougars’ offensive surge, going 3-for-4 at the plate with three doubles, three RBIs, and a run scored, driving the engine for the Dallas lineup as they took a commanding 3-0 series advantage. DAL 9 – DET 2 Win: Adrian Houser 1-0 (3.00) |
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GAME #4 – Patrick Corbin 13-8 (4.88) vs. Paul Skenes 16-8 (2.14) COUGARS COMPLETE WILD CARD SWEEP WITH 10TH-INNING THRILLER DETROIT — The Dallas Cougars completed a dominant four-game sweep of the Detroit Crime on Wednesday night with a dramatic 3-2 victory in 10 innings at the park. Game 4 was a tense, low-scoring affair that remained deadlocked at 0-0 until the sixth inning. Both starting pitchers, Paul Skenes for Detroit and Patrick Corbin for Dallas, were masterful. Skenes allowed just one hit over 4.2 innings, while Corbin surrendered only two hits across six shutout innings. The Cougars broke the seal in the top of the sixth against Detroit reliever Gabe Speier. Brooks Lee and Ramon Laureano set the table with back-to-back singles, and Andy Pages delivered the decisive blow with an RBI single, giving Dallas a slim 1-0 lead. Detroit, however, showed resilience in the bottom of the seventh. Facing Cougars reliever Brock Stewart, Tommy Pham crushed a solo home run to right field, tying the game at 1-1. The Crime might have had a chance to take the lead later in the inning when, just before a Brett Wisely double, Cougars catcher Jonah Heim threw out pinch runner Jose Azocar trying to steal second. The score remained 1-1 until the ninth, when Dallas manufactured a run with some help from the Detroit defense. Nick Sogard singled, moved to third on a throwing error by reliever Dylan Lee, and scored on a fielder’s choice error by pitcher Jaden Hill. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Detroit rallied again. Starling Marte singled and stole second and third. With two outs, Wisely delivered a clutch RBI double to score Marte and force extra innings. Emmanuel Clase worked a scoreless bottom of the 10th, allowing only a double to Manny Machado before inducing a fly-out from Randy Arozarena to end the game. Player of the Game: Warming Bernabel Cougars designated hitter Warming Bernabel was named the Player of the Game for his clutch performance in the 10th inning. Bernabel, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, stepped to the plate with two outs and the go-ahead run on first base in the top of the 10th. He delivered a massive double to right field, scoring Andy Pages and providing the eventual winning run that clinched the series sweep. DAL 3 – DET 2 (10 Innings) Win: Daniel Palencia 1-0 (4.50) |
| SERIES SUMMARY – Some dramatic late-inning heroics propelled the Cougars into the next round of the playoffs with their sweep of the Crime. |