September, the last month of the MLB regular season, is in full swing, giving fans a ton to watch. From playoff pushes to award races to prospect call-ups, September has something for fans of teams in and even out of contention.
September is particularly important because it gives MLB fans an idea of how the postseason might play out. Not only will we find out which teams will get in this month, but the teams playing their best baseball around this time of year often are able to go on deep postseason runs. Oftentimes, it comes down to the hottest, not the best, teams in October.
With that in mind, let's take a look at which teams are looking poised to finish the season strongly based on how they've pitched in September thus far.
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AL East
Rank | Team | September ERA (MLB Rank) | Current Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Baltimore Orioles | 2.83 (1st) | 66-77 |
2 | Tampa Bay Rays | 3.00 (2nd) | 71-72 |
3 | New York Yankees | 3.91 (9th) | 80-63 |
4 | Toronto Blue Jays | 4.21 (13th) | 82-61 |
5 | Boston Red Sox | 5.16 (23rd) | 80-65 |
Where was this all season? The Baltimore Orioles have the best staff ERA so far in the majors in the month of September, and by a decent margin at that. The biggest reason they're going to miss the playoffs is that their pitching was nowhere to be found for the first two-plus months of the season. These games might be mostly meaningless for the O's, but watching their pitching staff, particularly Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers, shove, gives fans hope that 2026 will truly be better.
AL Central
Rank | Team | September ERA (MLB Rank) | Current Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cleveland Guardians | 3.52 (5th) | 73-70 |
2 | Chicago White Sox | 4.21 (14th) | 55-89 |
3 | Kansas City Royals | 4.35 (17th) | 73-71 |
4 | Detroit Tigers | 6.00 (26th) | 82-62 |
5 | Minnesota Twins | 6.04 (27th) | 64-80 |
If you wanted to know how the Cleveland Guardians are sticking around in the postseason race, this is how. The Guardians have pitched extremely well in September, and that's honestly been the case since the trade deadline, which is extraordinary considering both Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz remain on leave due to an ongoing gambling investigation. I'm not sure whether the Guardians actually have what it takes to squeak into the postseason, but if they continue to pitch well, they've got a puncher's chance at the very least. As for the Detroit Tigers, well, it might just be time to panic. Do they really have the pitching behind Tarik Skubal?
AL West
Rank | Team | September ERA (MLB Rank) | Current Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Texas Rangers | 3.46 (4th) | 75-70 |
2 | Athletics | 4.20 (12th) | 66-79 |
3 | Houston Astros | 4.36 (18th) | 78-66 |
4 | Seattle Mariners | 4.73 (21st) | 76-68 |
5 | Los Angeles Angels | 6.81 (29th) | 67-77 |
The same thing that was just said about the Guardians can be said about the Texas Rangers. Their lineup is depleted with Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia and Evan Carter all on the IL, but their pitching has stepped up, allowing them to remain in the thick of the AL Wild Card race. Nathan Eovaldi might be out for the year, but Jacob deGrom has had his healthiest season in quite some time, Merrill Kelly has been one of the most impactful trade deadline additions, and even Jack Leiter has stepped up. This team can be scary if they make the playoffs because of their pitching.
NL East
Rank | Team | September ERA (MLB Rank) | Current Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Philadelphia Phillies | 3.39 (3rd) | 84-60 |
2 | Washington Nationals | 3.77 (8th) | 59-84 |
3 | New York Mets | 4.88 (22nd) | 76-68 |
4 | Atlanta Braves | 5.74 (25th) | 65-79 |
5 | Miami Marlins | 7.20 (30th) | 66-78 |
No Zack Wheeler, no problem. The Philadelphia Phillies were widely considered to have the best rotation in the game when Wheeler is healthy. While it's hard to make that proclamation without him, a staff consisting of Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo and Aaron Nola can be quite good. Nola, in particular, has had a brutal year, but he just threw six shutout innings on Monday against a red-hot Mets offense. If the Phillies get that version of Nola down the stretch and into the postseason, watch out.
NL Central
Rank | Team | September ERA (MLB Rank) | Current Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Milwaukee Brewers | 3.63 (7th) | 89-56 |
2 | St. Louis Cardinals | 4.35 (16th) | 72-73 |
3 | Chicago Cubs | 4.43 (19th) | 81-63 |
4 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 4.50 (20th) | 64-80 |
5 | Cincinnati Reds | 5.54 (23rd) | 72-72 |
The Mets haven't exactly done anything to run away from the pack in the NL Wild Card race, yet the Cincinnati Reds sit 4.0 games back of New York and have been leapfrogged by the Giants in September. Their pitching, which had been their calling card all season, struggling, is a big reason why. Their ERA is inflated largely by two games in which the Toronto Blue Jays scored double-digit runs, but still, Cincinnati needs much more from its pitching to make things interesting in the NL.
NL West
Rank | Team | September ERA (MLB Rank) | Current Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | San Francisco Giants | 3.54 (6th) | 73-71 |
2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 3.94 (10th) | 80-64 |
3 | San Diego Padres | 4.14 (11th) | 79-65 |
4 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 4.29 (15th) | 72-73 |
5 | Colorado Rockies | 6.68 (28th) | 40-104 |
Don't look now, but the Los Angeles Dodgers have finally started to pitch better. It hasn't resulted in much winning in September as their offense has struggled to score runs, but they rank within the top 10 in ERA, a far cry from where they've been for much of the season (currently 18th in season ERA). The Dodgers are healthier than they've been in quite some time on the pitching front, should get a couple of more reinforcements in September, and are heating up at the perfect time. It goes without saying that this team has what it takes to repeat as World Series champions, and the pitching heating up in September gives fans reason to believe they'll mow down the competition in October when it matters most.