University of Washington Professional Athletes

Two Huskies, One Postseason Stage in Boston

The University of Washington sent a pair of alumni to the American League Wild Card Series this week — one on the roster, one on the outside looking in.

Braiden Ward's Debut, and the Door That Closed

Ward's story was the most compelling subplot of Boston's postseason buildup. Called up in the final stretch of the regular season after outfielder Roman Anthony went down with an injury, the lifelong minor leaguer made his MLB debut with the Red Sox — a moment years in the making for a player who had never appeared on a big-league roster before the call.

The intrigue didn't stop at the debut. With Anthony sidelined, Ward's name surfaced as a legitimate Wild Card roster candidate. MassLive's Red Sox beat reporter Chris Cotillo reported that Ward was "still in play" for the postseason roster, with no final decisions locked in. For a player who had just reached the majors, the prospect of appearing in a postseason series against the Yankees was remarkable territory.

But when Boston finalized its Wild Card roster, Ward was left off. The Red Sox instead prioritized the reinstatement of left-hander Garrett Crochet from the 60-day IL, a move that reshaped the pitching picture and effectively closed the door on Ward's October. The debut was historic for the former Husky — the roster outcome, bittersweet.

Durbin Active, Vocal After Anthony Injury

While Ward watched from the outside, fellow UW alum Caleb Durbin was very much inside the action. The third baseman was active on Boston's Wild Card roster for the series against New York and appeared in games during the stretch run — going 1-for-6 against the Cubs on September 27 with a .248 average.

Durbin also found himself in the spotlight for reasons beyond the box score. After Tuesday night's loss to the Yankees — a game in which Anthony exited with an injury — Durbin made a candid public statement about his teammate. The comments drew attention not because they were controversial, but because of their directness, a quality that has come to define Durbin's presence in the Boston clubhouse.

The Bigger Picture

It's rare for a single school to have two alumni directly embedded in the same MLB postseason series — one on the active roster, one whose debut storyline dominated the pre-series coverage. For Washington fans, this week was worth watching closely regardless of the result.

The Red Sox entered the Wild Card round as the road team for all three potential games at Yankee Stadium, with a trip to face the Tampa Bay Rays awaiting the winner. Durbin's role in that run, and Ward's near-miss at being part of it, gave Husky alumni plenty to follow in the opening week of October.

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Caleb Durbin Steps Into a Rules Firestorm

Leave it to a tight playoff race to bring out the rulebook.

University of Washington third baseman Caleb Durbin found himself at the center of one of the week's stranger MLB moments on Tuesday night, when Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges attempted to invoke an obscure rule to get Durbin called out during a tense 3-2 Cleveland win over the Boston Red Sox. The incident spotlighted how much every out matters in a pennant chase — and how far a veteran catcher will go to manufacture one.

The Guardians ultimately held on for the victory, and the rules controversy didn't swing the outcome in Boston's favor. But the moment underscored the high stakes surrounding both clubs as the regular season winds toward its final days. Durbin, hitting .254 at the time of that Tuesday contest, drew a walk in the game — one small contribution in a Red Sox lineup fighting to stay alive in the playoff picture.

It's been a grind of a week for the Huskies' most prominent MLB representative. Durbin played in five games between September 20–25, with Boston alternating between streaks and stumbles. He went 2-for-his-game against Tampa Bay on Sunday, nudging his average to .255, but the Red Sox dropped that one 5-1. By Friday's 4-3 win over the Cubs, his average had settled at .248 — a sign of a tough stretch at the plate, though his on-base contributions via walks kept him relevant in the lineup.

The Rest of the Dawg Pack

Durbin wasn't the only Husky logging innings this week. Red Sox reliever Andrew Kittredge made his presence felt in a different ballpark entirely, appearing in Baltimore's 4-2 loss to Toronto on Wednesday. Kittredge tossed a clean inning, punched out one batter, and carries a 3.54 ERA on the season — solid work for a reliever in a rotation-heavy late-season grind.

The rest of UW's MLB contingent — including Jeff Brigham (Cubs), Coby Morales (Yankees), Jake Lamb (Giants), and Braiden Ward (Red Sox) — didn't surface in notable statistical moments during the period, but several are on rosters still chasing postseason positioning, keeping the Huskies represented across both leagues.

The Bigger Picture

Durbin's rules controversy moment is a footnote in what's shaping up to be a genuinely consequential September for the Red Sox. Boston is in the thick of a playoff race, and every at-bat, every walk, every disputed call carries weight. For a 25-year-old former Husky carving out big-league at-bats at third base, being at the center of that kind of pressure-cooker moment — even an odd one involving an obscure rulebook maneuver — is its own kind of arrival.

Dawg fans tuning in from Seattle have plenty of reason to keep the Red Sox feed open through the final week of the regular season.

Two Huskies, One Playoff Push

With the Boston Red Sox fighting for October baseball, a pair of University of Washington alumni are at the center of the story — one grinding through an injury in the middle of the lineup, the other knocking on the door from Triple-A.

Caleb Durbin: Banged Up but Not Backing Down

Durbin addressed his injury status publicly ahead of Boston's series against Tampa Bay, offering a statement that signaled he had no intention of sitting out. The third baseman backed up those words on the field, going 2-for-2 with a run scored in Friday's 4-2 win over the Rays, then adding another 2-hit, 1-run game on Saturday in a 1-2 loss.

Those performances capped a strong week for the former Husky. Durbin opened the period on Sunday, September 13 against Kansas City with a home run, an RBI, two runs scored, and a walk — one of his best all-around games of the season. He worked through a quieter stretch against Texas — a walk and a run Thursday, a hit and a run Wednesday — before catching fire again against Tampa Bay and lifting his average to .253.

The Red Sox entered the Rangers series on a winning streak, having taken back-to-back games from Kansas City, and Durbin remained a key piece of that momentum. Whatever the injury is, he's clearly choosing to play through it at the most critical point of the season.

Braiden Ward: The Case Writes Itself

While Durbin grinds it out on the big-league stage, Ward is doing everything possible to earn his way onto it. The outfielder has been making noise at Triple-A Worcester, and the Red Sox brass is paying attention.

Interim manager Chad Tracy — who briefly managed Ward in the minors — publicly acknowledged Wednesday that a playoff promotion is very much in play. "I think that'd be considered for sure," Tracy said, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. "It's really hard to predict what a roster could look like, but…" The fact that the conversation is happening at all speaks to Ward's standing in the organization.

The timing isn't coincidental. Per Sports Illustrated, Boston is unlikely to see another speedster return in 2026, opening the door for Ward — who profiles as a similar athletic, outfield option — to step into a postseason role. His WooSox squad looked sharp in the sample window, including a dominant 16-1 blowout of Tampa Bay's Triple-A affiliate in which Ward's teammates feasted, reinforcing the lineup's depth heading into October.

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Andrew Kittredge, the third UW arm on Boston's 40-man, made appearances this week while on assignment with Baltimore — posting a strikeout across 0.2 innings Friday and a clean 1.0-inning outing Tuesday — though his postseason picture remains separate from Boston's current calculus.

The bigger story is clear: the Huskies have two legitimate contributors in a Red Sox organization chasing a pennant. Durbin is playing hurt and producing. Ward is producing and waiting. October will tell the rest.