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Phillies clinch final NL wild card as Astros win AL West on MLB's final day

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

6 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 on the final day of the regular season to clinch the last National League wild-card spot, finishing 88-74 after losing six of their previous eight games. The result eliminated the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lost 9-4 to the San Diego Padres. In the American League, the Houston Astros clinched the AL West division title with a win, while the Texas Rangers were eliminated after losing to the Minnesota Twins. Phillies manager Don Mattingly delivered an expletive-laden message to his team before celebrating in the locker room, and CEO John Middleton described the final week as ‘a living hell in slow motion.’

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The Phillies beat the Rays 7-3 on Sunday to clinch the final NL wild-card berth, finishing 88-74

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. The Phillies had lost six of their previous eight games before the win

    Reported byLeftRight

  3. The Houston Astros clinched the AL West division title on the same day

    Reported byRight

  4. The Arizona Diamondbacks were eliminated after losing 9-4 to the San Diego Padres

    Reported byLeftRight

  5. The Texas Rangers were eliminated from postseason contention after losing to the Minnesota Twins

    Reported byLeft

  6. Phillies manager Don Mattingly gave the team an expletive-filled pep talk before celebrating with champagne

    Reported byRight

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The Guardian's headline centers on a direct quote describing the Phillies' stressful final week and frames the win as narrowly averting collapse.

    Phillies Loaded verb“scrape into”Implies the team barely and unimpressively qualified rather than neutrally stating they clinched a spot.More neutral: clinch a spot inDisagree with this highlight? MLB playoffs after week of ‘living hell in slow motion’
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Fox News' headlines emphasize the Phillies avoiding a historic collapse and the Astros' unusually weak division-winning record, while the New York Post highlights Mattingly's blunt locker-room message.

    Phillies manager Don Mattingly delivers expletive-laden speech as team makes playoffs after Game 162 win
    Fox NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left2

    brink of collapsescrape into

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right4

    devastating collapsesneak inmost embarrassing kind of Major League Baseball historymiraculously

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    devastating collapseMore neutral: missing the playoffs

    Adds dramatic emotional weight to what is simply a potential missed postseason berth.

    The Philadelphia Phillies needed a win to get in and avoid a devastating collapse and the Houston Astros just needed a victory to clinch their spot in the…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    sneak inMore neutral: clinch division

    Suggests the Astros' clinching was undeserved or lucky rather than simply stating they qualified.

    Phillies avoid collapse, Astros sneak in as MLB Postseason is set

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    brink of collapseMore neutral: a losing streak

    Dramatizes the team's losing streak beyond a neutral description of recent losses.

    …delivered like a Game 7 ace to bring the Philadelphia Phillies back from the brink of collapse and send them into the playoffs.

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    scrape intoMore neutral: clinch a spot in

    Implies the team barely and unimpressively qualified rather than neutrally stating they clinched a spot.

    Phillies scrape into MLB playoffs after week of ‘living hell in slow motion’

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    most embarrassing kind of Major League Baseball historyMore neutral: an unusual kind of Major League Baseball history

    Passes judgement on the team's achievement rather than neutrally describing the statistical record.

    Houston Astros secure the most embarrassing kind of Major League Baseball history with AL West win

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    miraculouslyMore neutral: unexpectedly

    Exaggerates the nature of the team's qualification rather than stating it factually.

    The Phillies are, miraculously, back in the playoffs.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Phillies nearly blew a comfortable lead
  • dramatic final week described via quote from team CEO
  • effect on Diamondbacks and Rangers

Leaves out

  • Astros clinching the AL West
  • Mattingly's clubhouse speech

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Phillies Loaded verb“scrape into”Implies the team barely and unimpressively qualified rather than neutrally stating they clinched a spot.More neutral: clinch a spot inDisagree with this highlight? MLB playoffs after week of ‘living hell in slow motion’

    Phillies were at risk of blowing comfortable wildcard lead Victory over Rays deprives Diamondbacks of comeback Bryce Harper and Edmundo Sosa homered, and Zack Wheeler delivered like a Game 7 ace to bring the Philadelphia Phillies back from the brink of collapse and send them …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Phillies narrowly avoiding collapse
  • Astros' historically weak division win
  • colorful clubhouse quotes from Mattingly

Leaves out

  • Texas Rangers' elimination

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    1 hr 11 min later

    Its first report, Sep 27, 8:17 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    Fox News, Sep 27, 7:06 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Fox NewsFar RightSep 27, 7:06 PM EDT
  2. The GuardianLeftSep 27, 8:17 PM EDT
  3. New York PostRightSep 28, 10:40 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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