UCONN Professional Athletes

Anthony Kay is in the MLB playoffs. That sentence alone would have seemed far-fetched for a UConn product who has spent most of his career bouncing between rotations and bullpens — but here the White Sox lefty is, playing a central role in Chicago's 2026 postseason run against the Cleveland Guardians.

The role, specifically, is opener. And through two games of the ALDS, it has been a bumpy assignment.

Game 2: A Rough Turn in Cleveland

Manager Will Venable had telegraphed the strategy before the series began, acknowledging the White Sox could lean on bullpen games for the first three contests. In Game 2 on Friday, Kay drew the ball as the opener against Cleveland — a lefty deployed to disrupt the Guardians' lineup before handing things off to righty Sean Burke.

It didn't go to plan. Kay recorded just one out, surrendering two earned runs before being pulled for reliever Sean Newcombe. The damage started the way most Guardians damage does: a Steven Kwan infield single, a José Ramírez walk, a Chase DeLauter ground ball moving runners up. Kay was gone before the inning was over, exiting with an ERA ballooned to 10.13 for the series.

What followed wasn't much better. Newcombe walked Jo Adell intentionally, then uncorked a throwing error on a Nathaniel Lowe chopper that allowed two runs to score. The Guardians led 2-0 after one inning — the first time Chicago had trailed at any point in its 2026 playoff run — despite not recording a single ball in the air the entire frame. Guardiansball, as a philosophy, held.

The White Sox's opener-heavy approach has drawn comparisons to the Dodgers' pitching-by-committee model, though Defector noted it looks "suspiciously close to a cheap knock-off version" of that strategy. Cleveland starter Gavin Williams, well-rested and regularly touching triple digits, gave the Guardians a clear edge in conventional pitching matchup terms.

Game 1: A Modest Beginning

Kay's playoff debut came in Game 1 on Monday, another short outing in the opener's role. He again lasted just one-third of an inning, allowing one earned run — though Chicago still managed a 3-0 win in that contest, taking a 1-0 series lead heading into Game 2.

The results so far are ugly on paper: 0.2 total innings, 3 earned runs, and an ERA that tells a rough story. But the White Sox's overall series position — and their willingness to keep deploying the strategy — suggests Venable and his staff view Kay's role as a matchup lever, not a traditional starting assignment. Whether that gamble pays off as the series progresses is the question UConn fans, and frankly the entire AL bracket, will be watching closely.

For a program that has produced bullpen arms across the majors, Kay's moment in the October spotlight is notable. The results, so far, have been less so.

The Springer Send-Off

George Springer didn't need a postseason stage for his most memorable moment of 2026. The UConn product got something rarer — a Rogers Centre full of fans on their feet, tears in his eyes, and a locker room tribute video waiting for him after what may have been the final at-bat of his major league career.

On September 27, the final day of the MLB regular season, Springer started at DH for Toronto against the Cincinnati Reds — a game the Blue Jays won 5-1. He singled in the third inning, advanced to second on a fielding error, and was then lifted for pinch-runner Sean Keys. The substitution triggered a standing ovation from the Toronto crowd, a moment that felt less like a routine double-switch and more like a curtain call 13 seasons in the making.

It was the kind of exit that requires context to fully appreciate. Springer, 37, is finishing the last year of his six-year, $150 million contract with the Blue Jays — a deal he signed after winning a World Series MVP with Houston. He arrived in Toronto as a franchise cornerstone and, by all accounts, delivered on that billing. Manager John Schneider confirmed the team had prepared an emotional tribute video for Springer and described a teary conversation with him in the lead-up to the finale. Schneider was clear about his intent: give Springer and fellow departing veteran Max Scherzer the send-off they deserve.

Springer himself was characteristically understated in his post-game remarks, telling Sportsnet's Hazel Mae, "I tried, and that's all that matters." He declined to commit to playing in 2027, leaving retirement on the table as he weighs his options with a reported $190 million in career earnings behind him. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, missed the playoffs entirely after reaching the 2025 World Series — a disappointing backdrop for what may be a franchise-defining farewell.

His sister's emotional social media message after the season closed added another layer to what became a full-family moment for the Springer camp.

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Kay Contributes in Chicago's Unlikely Playoff Run

While Springer's story dominated the UConn alumni headlines, left-hander Anthony Kay had a workmanlike week for the surging Chicago White Sox. Kay turned in five innings of one-run ball in a 4-2 win over Colorado on September 27, striking out four and holding his ERA at 4.44 on the season. He followed that with shorter outings — 0.2 innings against Houston on September 30 and 1.1 innings against Cleveland on October 3 — as the White Sox leaned heavily on their bullpen in the playoff push.

Per Defector's breakdown of Chicago's rotation, Kay is one of only a handful of White Sox starters to log more than 15 starts this year, rarely pitching deep into games but remaining a reliable mid-rotation option on a staff that has tested manager Will Venable's creativity all season long.

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Austin Peterson Steady for Cleveland

Austin Peterson had a quietly strong outing for the Guardians on September 27, throwing five innings, allowing two earned runs, and striking out five against Kansas City in a 3-2 loss. His ERA sits at a sharp 2.57 — a number that suggests the UConn product has found his footing at the MLB level even if the box score didn't go his way.

The End of an Era in Toronto

George Springer is playing out the final days of his baseball life as a Blue Jay — and possibly as a major leaguer. The UConn product's six-year, $150 million contract expires after Toronto's home series against the Cincinnati Reds this weekend, and the 37-year-old DH has been refreshingly candid about the uncertainty ahead. He has not committed to returning for another season, and by his own admission, he doesn't yet know what comes next.

Springer's teammates have echoed the emotional weight of the moment. Multiple Blue Jays have spoken publicly about how much his presence has meant in the clubhouse, and Toronto media have been equally generous in their retrospectives. The consensus: Springer delivered on a massive, scrutinized contract in a market that doesn't forgive underperformance easily. That's no small thing.

On the field this week, Springer has shown flashes of why Toronto signed him in the first place. He went 2-for-his-final-games against Baltimore on Monday (Sept. 21), driving in a run and contributing to a three-run first inning that briefly had the Blue Jays in control before the Orioles rallied for a 4-3 win. He added a hit and a run scored Wednesday in Game 1 of the doubleheader, though Toronto fell again, 4-2. Then on Friday against Cincinnati — the series that will close the book on his Jays tenure — Springer scored a run in a 6-5 Toronto win, finishing the week hitting .248.

Toronto's postseason hopes are long gone, which strips the final games of stakes but adds a different kind of gravity. There's no pennant race noise to drown out what is, for Springer, a genuine crossroads. The Reds series is his curtain call in a Blue Jays uniform, and possibly his last in any uniform.

Other UConn Alumni Around the League

The Springer storyline dominates, but two other Huskies were active across the league this week.

Anthony Kay (White Sox) took the mound Tuesday against the Royals and delivered a workmanlike four innings, fanning four batters while allowing four earned runs in a 14-11 Chicago win. His ERA sits at 4.53 on the season — a serviceable mark for a White Sox team that has had precious little to celebrate this year.

Andrew Sears had a rougher outing. The 24-year-old Tigers lefthander allowed five earned runs in just 1.2 innings against Pittsburgh on Friday — a rough line that pushed his ERA to 7.11. Detroit had already optioned Sears earlier in the week to make room for Justin Verlander's activation off the injured list, so the callup was brief. It's been an uneven developmental season for the young pitcher, though there's no shortage of time to course-correct.

The week belonged to Springer, though. Whatever he decides — another contract, another city, or a quiet retirement — the UConn alum is finishing a defining chapter on his own terms, one final at-bat in the Rogers Centre at a time.