Two Florida Gators defined MLB's most dramatic late-season moments this week — one on the postseason stage in Atlanta, the other chasing history in Baltimore.
Andrew Painter Rescues the Phillies
The Phillies were three outs from going home. Instead, they're playing Game 3.
Andrew Painter, the 22-year-old Florida product, delivered the defining pitching performance of Philadelphia's Wild Card Series against the Braves, throwing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in a 4-3 Game 2 win on Wednesday. It wasn't pretty at first — Painter's first six pitches were all balls, and the uncomfortable transition to a relief role was visible — but he locked in and punched out three while holding Atlanta's lineup at bay long enough for the offense to mount a comeback. Alec Bohm's go-ahead homer in the 10th capped the rally and forced a decisive Game 3.
The performance underscored what the Phillies have long believed: Painter is a cornerstone, not a project. He'd already been part of the clubhouse celebration when Philly clinched its postseason berth, and now he's earned October credibility to match. Philadelphia entered Game 3 with all top arms available — and Painter among the most trusted of them.
Pete Alonso Caps a Historic First Season in Baltimore
Across the Chesapeake, Pete Alonso wrapped up a 2026 regular season that made at least one front office deeply regret letting him walk.
The former Gator first baseman finished with 43 home runs, 113 RBI, and a .267/.884 line for the Orioles — numbers that, per The Sporting News, included an RBI milestone that had never been reached under those specific circumstances in MLB history. The details of that record are notable enough that even the Mets' own president, David Stearns, publicly acknowledged the miss. "I don't get mulligans," Stearns told Yahoo Sports, a quote that will follow the Mets' front office for some time.
A late-season rainout threatened to cost Alonso one final at-bat to pad his RBI total, but the damage to any would-be doubters was already done. Alonso's first year in Baltimore was, by any measure, a triumph — one that validated his decision to leave New York and reaffirmed why he was one of the most coveted bats on the open market.
Around the Gator Diaspora
Elsewhere in the Florida alumni network, Jac Caglianone went 2-for-4 for the Royals on Sunday in a 3-2 win over Cleveland, pushing his average to .289 as Kansas City wrapped its regular season. Jacob Young contributed a hit and an RBI for the Nationals in a 6-4 win over the Mets, while Wyatt Langford collected a hit for the Rangers in a loss to Minnesota — finishing his regular season at .238 as Texas looked back on a year that didn't live up to expectations.
Christian Scott logged 110 innings for the Mets, one of only four New York starters to crack triple digits in a rotation that ranked among the worst in baseball. It was a developmental year more than a successful one, but Scott's workload signals the Mets view him as part of whatever comes next.
The Gator spotlight this week, though, belongs to Painter and Alonso — one keeping a season alive pitch by pitch, the other closing the book on a campaign that already belongs in the record books.
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