There is nothing better in baseball than a winner-take-all playoff game. And last night at Truist Park in Atlanta, the home Braves’ fans were treated to an unbelievable performance. They defeated their NL East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-2 and will move on to play the Dodgers in the Divisional round. The Braves were sparked by Atlanta-native “Money” Michael Harris, who blasted a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 1st inning off of Aaron Nola. Nola got the start over the Phillies’ ace Zack Wheeler, who came in the game after Nola gave up 3 runs in 1.2 IP. The Braves countered Nola with little-used Ray Kerr. Kerr, 32, only had 9 regular-season appearances in 2026, and before that hadn’t pitched since 2024 (Tommy John surgery). Kerr held it down for the Braves. He went 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 Ks. Kerr set the tone on the mound for the Braves bullpen. Grant Holmes, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Dodd, and ultimately Braves’ ace Chris Sale closed out the game. The Phillies never got started and ended a rollercoaster season that I feel may close the window for Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Zack Wheeler to win it all in the city of brotherly love. In addition to Harris, Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson hit homers for the Braves. Marico Durbon flashed his gold-glove leather — the Braves' defense was outstanding. It was do-or-die, and the Braves move on.

Looking ahead to the Divisional Rounds, which start Saturday, the Braves will face the Dodgers, the White Sox will face the Guardians, the Padres will face the Brewers, and the Yankees will face the Rays.

Special shout-out to Sed from Black at the Ballpark, Coach E from Black Baseball Media, and Kaytlin from MLB for contributing to this episode.

We have three teams moving on to the divisional round — congrats to the White Sox, Yankees, and Padres, and one epic showdown left between the Braves and the Phillies. Bryce Harper went from fall guy to hero in the matter of moments. His misplay on Drake Baldwin’s fly ball in left field gave the Braves a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 7th, but back-to-back homers from Schwarber and then Harper tied the game. The Phillies won the game in the 10th after Alec Bohm homered to the opposite field in the top of the 10th. The White Sox scored 4 runs in the top of the 1st and never looked back. Chase Meredith delivered the knockout blow with a 3-run homer in the top of the 6th. Mixtape love to Cam Smith on his first postseason homer, and Jordan Hicks, who pitched well in relief in both games. The Yankees scored 9 runs on 14 hits in the Bronx to send their rivals, the Boston Red Sox, home for the 2026 season. Luis Garcia Jr. had a homer and 3 hits. Rookie George Lombard Jr. had 4 hits, 4 runs, and an RBI in the 2-game sweep. Our favorite pseudo-Dominican, Papi Austin Wells, had 2 RBIs. Cody Bellinger delivered the big blow — a three-run homer in the 6th to blow the game open. The Cubs PCA (frontrunner for NL MVP) and Alex Bregman went 0-for-8 last night as the Padres move on in front of a boisterous home crowd in Slam Diego. 20-year-old Ethan Salas became the youngest player ever to catch a postseason game. Gavin Sheets put the nail in the Cubs' coffin with a 3-run homer in the 4th. The Padres bullpen held the lead for a 4-1 win.

By my count, there are 18 African-American players on MLB rosters in the Wild Card Round (8.6%). The Braves have the most African-American players on their roster, with five. This statistic will change as playoff rosters are set by round.

Special thanks to the BBM Discord family, Flobo, Malik, and Tony Gwynn Jr. for joining this supersized edition of Finish Your Breakfast.

Finish Your Breakfast: 9.30.2026 - We’ve waited out 162 regular-season games, but we are now here: It’s Playoff Time, Baby! And we’re back from now until the last pitch of the World Series with your recap of games and news you can use. This year, Finish Your Baseball will be even more personal. I’m adding comments from my friends in the BBM Discord and inviting special guests throughout the playoffs. Yesterday was awesome. Every home team won, sans the Astros, who decided on a bullpen game for Game 1 at home (ridiculous). Austin Riley sent Braves fans home happy after his 3-run blast in the bottom of the 8th off Duran to give Atlanta a 2-run lead. Colton Montgomery hit a towering blast to deep center to help the White Sox get their first playoff win since 2021. Congrats to Manager Will Venable, winning pitcher Jordan Hicks (in relief), and rookie Braden Montgomery on the win. The Bronx Zoo was rocking last night. CY Young frontrunner Cam Schlittler pitched a gem: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 10 Ks. Ben Rice 4 H, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, George Lombard 3-4, 2 Rs. The Yankees got the shutout win 9-0. And to close out the night the Padres dominated the Cubs 8-0. Tatis 2 H, 1 HR, Machado 2 H,1 HR, 2 RBIs, Merrill 2 H, 2 RBI - congrats to Kwanza Jones and Jose Feliciano on their first playoff win as majority owners. That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. Remember, you can join the BBM Discord for free and join our wonderful community.

Giants prospect Dakota Jordan stops by the Black Baseball Mixtape to share his journey through baseball.

Hosted by Cheats

Location: CarMax Park

Dana Brown, the only African-American General Manager in baseball, was fired by the Astros. Kwanza Jones is the first (and only) African-American woman owner of an MLB franchise. Does this make you want to buy Padres gear? And the podcast crew held a tribunal on the Black-on-Black crime: Tommy Pham versus Dane Myers. All of that and more.

The Black Baseball Mixtape Podcast is in partnership with the Players Alliance, Minority Prospects, and Numbers Game Scorebooks.

Back in April of 2025, I got my first and only opportunity to meet and interview Butch Huskey. Mr. Huskey was in New York for the Players Alliance Legendary Weekend. The brief interview took place at the Bronx Children’s Museum, where the museum was launching an exhibit that featured Mets and Yankees legends. Mr. Huskey was one of those legends.

Special shout-out to former TPA Executive Director Margertte Purvis for her action in making the event happen and bringing Mr. Huskey.

Butch Huskey played seven seasons in the MLB. He was a beloved Met and one of the last players to wear the number 42 before it was retired throughout MLB.

Mo Vaughn has never been a small man. He stands 6-1 and, in the height of his playing days, weighed around 225 lbs., mostly muscle. He hit towering home runs and was very light on his feet for a man of his stature. My guess is that if you saw the former 3X All-Star and 1995 AL MVP approaching you in a dark alley, you may walk the other way. But most who know Vaughn know the “hit dog” carries a jovial demeanor. Last weekend, at the Perfect Game All-American Classic, I saw Vaughn in his true element, at the ballpark. He flashed smiles and gave out daps and hugs like the true ambassador of the game he is. Vaughn was the Manager of the PG All-American East Team. The East team featured some of the very best high school players in the country (Class of ‘27), and, according to Perfect Game Rankings, the top two African American players in the game, Chase Fuller (#3) and Kinon Bastian (#4).

I visited with Vaughn at Citizen Bank Park for the Black Baseball Mixtape Podcast. We discussed his involvement with Perfect Game and his passion for leading young baseball players. We also talked about why there are not more Black coaches in the the professional and college ranks. Vaughn is insightful and passionate. His work at the grassroots level of youth baseball gives him a perspective worth sharing, and I know you will enjoy hearing it.

The Black Baseball Mixtape is in partnership with the Players Alliance, Minority Prospects, and Numbers Game Baseball Scorebooks.

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I’ve spoken to Kash Shaikh before. Kash’s mission-driven attitude is infectious, and his enthusiasm is contagious. You may remember him from his two previous appearances on the Black Baseball Mixtape podcast. In both episodes, Kash talked about his role as founder and CEO of Baseball United. This visit is different — Kash is different. For the first time in person, I spoke with Kash, now the Chief Marketing Officer for Perfect Game — the largest amateur baseball organization in the country. Kash’s mission is to grow PG both domestically and internationally.

Perfect Game is one of those ubiquitous organizations involved in everything amateur baseball. I bet you the majority of all players in MLB have had some interaction with PG at some point in their career. But do you really know how involved Perfect Game is in setting the standard for a multi-billion-dollar youth baseball industry? Let me tell you, PG is heavily involved. But does that mean PG is responsible for the current travel ball structure? Is PG responsible for the cost of every travel organization? The actions of every travel coach? They can’t possibly be responsible for all of that, right? What I can share is that PG takes the hit for a lot of things, good and bad, within the travel ball ecosystem. The honest answer is more complex, so I’ll let Kash explain. PG is indeed the leader within amateur baseball. PG’s decisions affect the entire travel ball landscape. They wear that mantle with pride, but it’s also true that some things are beyond PG’s control.

Last weekend, I set out to better understand Perfect Game. This is just the start of my journey. I thank Perfect Game and my friend Kash for sitting down with the Black Baseball Mixtape and sharing this conversation with our community.

On this episode of the Black Baseball Mixtape podcast, Cheats, Flobo, and April talk about the future of Black Nats All-Star CJ Abrams. Will moving to second base be the end of him in Chocolate City? Also, would you want Joshua Baez' historic debut? Flobo takes on Banana Ball in Denver. Cheats went on assignment to the Perfect Game All-American Classic in Philly, and April is still reminding us who won the last two World Series—all of that and more.

The Black Baseball Mixtape is in partnership with the Players Alliance, NumbersGame Scorecards, and Minority Prospects.

Breaking news: Tim Anderson AKA TA7, is saying goodbye to the game. The two-time All-Star, AL Batting Champion, and Silver Slugger leaves a legacy that cannot be denied by anyone who saw him play in his prime. The crew (Cheats, Flobo, April, and Malik) are joined by Guru Earnest Horton of Black Baseball Media (the other BBM - ha) to talk about what TA7 meant to Chicago and to Black culture.

The Black Baseball Mixtape is in partnership with the Players Alliance, Minority Prospects, and Numbers Game Scorebooks.

Contact the Mixtape at [email protected]