NC State Professional Athletes

Patrick Bailey, October Unlikely Hero

NC State has produced its share of MLB talent, but few Wolfpack alumni have chosen a bigger moment to announce themselves than Patrick Bailey did in ALDS Game 4.

With the Cleveland Guardians down two runs and their season teetering on elimination, Bailey came off the bench in the fifth inning and launched a pinch-hit solo home run against the Chicago White Sox — a swing that cracked open the floodgates. After Bailey's blast, Cleveland outscored Chicago 9-2 the rest of the way, rolling to a 9-5 win to extend the series.

The homer wasn't Bailey's only contribution to the decisive rally. He also drove in a run during the Guardians' six-run sixth inning — a frame that also featured RBI hits from Travis Bazzana, Jose Ramirez, Chase DeLauter, and Jo Adell — that put the game out of reach at 9-4. Bailey finished Game 4 slashing 2-for-2 with a homer, two RBIs, and two runs scored, lifting his ALDS batting average to .417. For a catcher whose reputation is built almost entirely on his glove, the offensive eruption was a genuine surprise — and one that kept Cleveland breathing.

After the game, Bailey was generous with the credit, calling teammate Jose Ramirez — who also homered in the fifth — the "best player" he's ever seen. Ramirez contributed two hits, a home run, and three RBIs in the win, but the spark, by all accounts, came from the Wolfpack alumnus stepping out of the dugout with the season on the line.

The moment had extra weight given Game 2. In that contest, Chicago outfielder Brenton Doyle made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Bailey of extra bases and cap a White Sox victory — a near-miss that made Game 4's redemption arc all the sharper.

Trea Turner's Uncertain Future in Philadelphia

The postseason spotlight also flickered, less flatteringly, on fellow NC State alum Trea Turner. After the Philadelphia Phillies were bounced in the NL Wild Card Series by the Atlanta Braves, Turner's place in Philadelphia has become a genuine question mark heading into the offseason.

Multiple reports indicate the Phillies are at least entertaining conversations about moving Turner from shortstop — or potentially trading him outright — as the front office confronts a closing championship window. The complications are considerable: Turner's contract makes a trade extremely difficult to execute, and the market for his services may not be what Philadelphia would hope. The organization's next manager, whoever that turns out to be, will inherit the Turner situation as one of the most pressing items on the agenda.

Turner's situation stands in stark contrast to Bailey's October triumph — one Wolfpack alum riding high, another facing an uncomfortable offseason reckoning.

Carlos Rodón in the Mix

NC State's Carlos Rodón factored into a Yankees postseason subplot as New York faced Tampa Bay in their own ALDS. With Max Fried slotted to start a must-win Game 3, Rodón was squarely in the conversation as a contingency option should Fried be unavailable. Personal news surrounding Fried briefly elevated Rodón's chances of getting the ball, though the Yankees ultimately stayed with Fried for the start.

Two NC State alumni found themselves on opposite ends of the MLB postseason this week — one still standing, one already packing.

Trea Turner's Phillies Run Ends in Atlanta

The Philadelphia Phillies' Wild Card Series against the Braves turned into a brutal referendum on Trea Turner's tenure in Philadelphia, and Turner didn't help his case. The former Wolfpack shortstop batted just .091 across the series, going 1-for-11 with a lone RBI and a run scored in Game 2, a 4-3 Phillies win. He was held hitless in Games 1 and 3 as Philadelphia dropped the deciding game and was eliminated.

The offensive struggles were compounded by defensive concerns that have followed Turner throughout his Phillies tenure. Heavy Sports reported that Philadelphia was urged to make a "major" positional decision regarding Turner following the series loss, with multiple analysts calling his shortstop defense a liability. FanSided went further, declaring the Wild Card "disaster" should "stick a fork" in Turner's time at short, noting that a move to center field has been floated — though analysts were quick to add that a position switch alone won't resolve the Phillies' broader postseason shortcomings.

Turner did flash some moments. In the Wild Card opener on Sept. 27 against the Rays — a 7-3 Phillies win before the bracket shifted — he went 2-for-4 with a run scored and also sent a line drive off starter Griffin Jax's lower back, forcing the pitcher from the game after three innings. But those flashes were buried beneath a series that ended his and his teammates' October far too soon.

Carlos Rodon Enters the ALDS with Redemption on His Mind

Meanwhile, Turner's fellow Wolfpack alum Carlos Rodon is still very much in it. The Yankees dispatched the Boston Red Sox in a lopsided Wild Card sweep — outscoring them 18-2 across two games — and have moved on to face the No. 1-seeded Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS at Tropicana Field.

Rodon's exact role in the series opener became a storyline of its own. Analytics-minded observers pushed for the left-hander as the Game 1 starter, but manager Aaron Boone ultimately went with Gerrit Cole, a decision FanSided noted "went against the analytics." Rodon, for his part, was candid about the Rays matchup in media availability, per The Sporting News, giving what was described as an "honest take" on the challenge ahead.

That challenge is real. Sports Illustrated framed the ALDS as a chance for Rodon to rewrite his postseason narrative with the Yankees — his October track record in New York has been inconsistent, and the pressure to deliver in a five-game series against a top-seeded opponent is significant.

Also Worth Watching

On the AL side, NC State catcher Patrick Bailey had a standout night for the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians on Oct. 3, hitting a home run as part of a multi-hit game that helped Cleveland clinch the division title. Bailey and the Guardians are now postseason-bound as well, giving Wolfpack fans another reason to keep the MLB bracket open.

The week left NC State's MLB footprint pointing in two directions: one alumni group still fighting in October, and another left asking hard questions about what comes next.

Rodón Turns In a Gem When It Mattered Most

Carlos Rodón has spent much of his career being described as a pitcher with tantalizing stuff and inconsistent results. In 2026, that narrative is dead — and he buried it emphatically on Tuesday, September 22.

Facing a first-place Tampa Bay Rays lineup in a pivotal doubleheader, the NC State product delivered eight scoreless innings, striking out eight while the Yankees secured a 2-0 win. Per Heavy Sports, the outing checked off two individual milestones for Rodón and dropped his ERA to 2.67 on the season — the kind of number that puts him in genuine Cy Young conversation. Manager Aaron Boone suggested afterward that Tuesday's start could be Rodón's final regular-season appearance, with the Yankees protecting him heading into October.

The Yankees had already clinched a postseason berth, but this game carried weight in the AL standings race. Rodón didn't just handle the moment — he defined it. Eight innings, no runs, eight strikeouts against the league's best team. That's not a guy managing through a start; that's a staff ace operating at the peak of his powers.

It's a long way from the pre-2026 version of Rodón, who could be electrifying one outing and unavailable the next. This season, anchoring a Yankees rotation that also includes Gerrit Cole, he's been among MLB's most dependable starters from wire to wire.

Elsewhere in the Pack

Rodón wasn't the only Wolfpack alum making noise during the week. A pair of NC State products made contributions worth noting at the other end of the diamond.

Patrick Bailey had his best stretch of the week on Saturday, September 26, going 2-for-the-game for Cleveland with two home runs, three RBI, and two runs scored in an 11-5 win over Kansas City. The catcher, who entered the week batting .205, pushed his average up to .208 on the back of that performance — not a gaudy number, but the power output was real. He also chipped in a run and a walk during the Guardians' 12-9 victory over Kansas City on Friday.

Trea Turner stayed active for Philadelphia throughout the week as the Phillies navigated a busy schedule against Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, and the Mets. He collected hits in four of the seven matchups tracked during the period, including a multi-hit game against Tampa Bay on Saturday. Turner's average held at .241 — steady production for a shortstop whose value extends well beyond the stat line.

Andrew Knizner logged multiple appearances for San Francisco across the week, picking up hits in contests against Minnesota and the Dodgers. The veteran catcher is sitting at .219 and continues to serve as a reliable option behind the plate for a Giants team managing the final days of its season.

The week belonged to Rodón, and it wasn't close. But the depth of NC State's MLB footprint — from an ace posting sub-3.00 ERA numbers to a catcher going yard twice in a September Guardians win — is a reminder that Raleigh keeps sending legitimate big leaguers to the show.