Deadspin | MLB roundup: Cubs rally late, walk off in 10 as Mets’ skid hits 11 
Apr 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2), center, is surrounded by teammates after he hits an RBI sacrifice fly ball during the tenth inning against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Nico Hoerner lofted a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th inning for the host Chicago Cubs, who completed a three-game sweep of the reeling New York Mets with a 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon.
Michael Conforto, who spent the first seven seasons of his major league career with the Mets, forced extra innings by lacing a pinch-hit RBI double in the ninth against New York closer Devin Williams for the Cubs, who have won five straight and six of seven.
MJ Melendez homered in the fifth for the Mets, who have lost 11 straight — the longest skid for the team since an 11-game losing streak from Aug. 28-Sept. 8, 2004. New York hasn’t lost 12 straight since Aug. 10-23, 2002.
Chicago left-hander Caleb Thielbar (2-2) stranded a pair of runners in the top of the 10th before the Cubs’ automatic runner Pete Crow-Armstrong moved to third on a wild pitch by Craig Kimbrel (0-1), who struck out Dansby Swanson. Hoerner followed with a fly ball to medium right that easily scored Armstrong.
Yankees 7, Royals 0
Aaron Judge and Ben Rice homered off Cole Ragans in the opening two innings, and host New York continued its dominance over Kansas City with its 10th straight regular-season win in the series.
Trent Grisham added a three-run homer in the fifth and Austin Wells added a sacrifice fly in the first inning after Judge’s two-run homer, his ninth of the season. Ryan Weathers (1-2) earned his first win as a Yankee, scattering five hits over 7 1/3 innings.
Ragans (0-4) tied a career-worst seven runs allowed in 4 1/3 innings. Ragans also issued a career-high eight walks and yielded four hits while throwing six strikeouts for the Royals, who have lost seven straight and 10 of 12.
Tigers 6, Red Sox 2
Dillon Dingler finished a triple shy of the cycle on a 4-for-5, four-RBI day and Framber Valdez pitched six innings of one-run ball, leading Detroit to a win over host Boston.
Detroit rocked four total extra-base hits — including fifth-inning homers by Jahmai Jones and Dingler — off Boston’s Garrett Crochet (2-3), who had allowed a career-worst 11 runs in his last start on April 13. The southpaw did strike out eight Tigers but allowed five runs on seven hits through five frames in his second straight setback.
Matt Vierling and Javier Baez also had multiple hits for the Tigers. Valdez (2-1) struck out seven across his six innings of three-hit ball, with a Willson Contreras home run marking the only Boston run against him.
Braves 4, Phillies 2
Michael Harris II collected three hits, including a home run, as visiting Atlanta secured a three-game sweep of Philadelphia Phillies.
Grant Holmes worked into the fifth inning and five relievers put up zeroes for Atlanta, which has won nine of its last 11. The Braves outscored the Phillies 16-3 in the series.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, has dropped nine of its last 11. The Phillies managed only six hits, highlighted by Kyle Schwarber’s two-run homer.
Pirates 6, Rays 3
Mitch Keller (2-1) pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs to help lead Pittsburgh to a win over Tampa Bay.
Bryan Reynolds backed up the pitching with two hits and three RBI to lead Pittsburgh’s bats, while Spencer Horwitz and Nick Yorke each hit solo home runs. The Pirates did it with the long ball and small ball, as they recorded three bunt singles in a game for the first time since 1998.
Rays starter Shane McClanahan (1-2) allowed four runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. Junior Caminero hit a solo home run.
Nationals 3, Giants 0
Curtis Mead hit a two-run homer as Washington beat visiting San Francisco to avoid a series sweep.
Andrew Alvarez (1-0), called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Rochester, pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings to combine with PJ Poulin and Miles Mikolas for the shutout. Keibert Ruiz had two hits.
San Francisco’s Robbie Ray (2-3) gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings. Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert had two hits each for the Giants, but the team went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Guardians 8, Orioles 4
Jose Ramirez swatted two solo shots for his franchise-record 28th multi-homer game and Brayan Rocchio went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs as Cleveland defeated Baltimore for the third time in their four-game set.
Matt Festa (1-0) got the final out in the fifth as he, Peyton Pallette, Erik Sabrowski and Shawn Armstrong combined for 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Starter Joey Cantillo allowed four runs (three earned) with six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.
Ramirez hit both of his homers off Orioles starter Trevor Rogers (2-2), who gave up a season-high six runs (five earned) and six hits. Taylor Ward cracked a three-run homer, his first with the Orioles, to highlight a four-run fifth.
Marlins 5, Brewers 3
Eury Perez scattered three hits, one walk and one unearned run over six strong innings as host Miami snapped a four-game losing streak with the win over Milwaukee.
Perez (2-1) fanned seven and was staked to a 3-0 lead in the first as the Marlins took advantage of two hits, one walk, one hit-by-pitch, one error and one wild pitch. Kyle Stowers posted two hits in his season debut while Liam Hicks added two hits and one RBI.
Jacob Misiorowski (1-2) struck out nine over five innings, but allowed four hits and three runs (one earned). Gary Sanchez stroked a two-run single in the eighth for the Brewers, who had their four-game winning streak come to a close.
Reds 7, Twins 4 (10)
Rece Hinds cracked a two-run double as Cincinnati scored three unearned runs in the 10th to complete a three-game sweep in Minneapolis.
T.J. Friedl went 2-for-5 with a double, stolen base and three RBIs for the Reds. Starter Brady Singer gave up three runs over six innings. Emilio Pagan (2-0) allowed the tying run in the ninth while Graham Ashcraft collected his first career save.
Victor Caratini posted two hits and two RBIs for the Twins, who took a 3-1 lead into the ninth. Garrett Acton (1-1) gave up just one hit and one walk over 1 2/3 innings, but was responsible for the three unearned runs in the 10th.
Rockies 9, Dodgers 6
Mickey Moniak and Kyle Karros homered as Colorado rallied for the win in Denver and sent Los Angeles to its first consecutive losses of the season.
Edouard Julien had three hits and three RBIs, Troy Johnston added two hits and Antonio Senzatela (1-0) pitched two innings of relief for Colorado. Starter Michael Lorenzen allowed seven hits and three runs over five innings.
Max Muncy cracked three hits, Ryan Ward had two hits in his major league debut and Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland added two hits apiece for Los Angeles. Shohei Ohtani increased his on-base streak to 51 games with two doubles. Blake Treinen (1-1) allowed three runs without getting an out in the seventh. Starter Roki Sasaki lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits and three runs.
White Sox 7, Athletics 4
Noah Schultz allowed one run and one hit in his second big-league start as Chicago claimed the rubber match over the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.
Schultz (1-1) fanned six and walked one during his five-inning stint to collect his first win. Munetaki Murakami cracked his eighth homer of the year and third in as many days to pace the White Sox offense. Derek Hill, Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery also homered.
A’s starter Jeffrey Springs (3-1) struggled for the first time this season as he surrendered nine hits and seven runs over five innings. Darell Hernaiz homered while Zack Gelof knocked in two runs and scored another.
Cardinals 7, Astros 5 (10 innings)
Masyn Winn, whose two-out single sparked a four-run uprising in the fifth inning, delivered a bases-clearing double in the top of the 10th that lifted St. Louis over host Houston for a three-game interleague series sweep.
Winn plated Ivan Herrera, Jordan Walker and Ramon Urias by driving an 0-1 fastball from Astros left-hander Bryan King (0-1) into the left field corner. Winn, a Houston-area native, finished 5-for-15 with seven RBIs in the series.
The Astros countered the Cardinals’ four-run fifth by scoring three runs with two outs in the eighth. Yordan Alvarez ignited the comeback with his third home run of the series and 10th of the season before Jose Altuve singled and Christian Walker worked a 10-pitch walk. Isaac Paredes hit a two-run single off St. Louis closer Riley O’Brien (3-0) that tied the game at 4-4.
Padres 2, Angels 1
Michael King allowed one hit over five shutout innings en route to his third straight victory and Mason Miller struck out two during a perfect ninth to pick up his eighth save as San Diego edged Los Angeles in the rubber game of their three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
King (3-1) walked four, hit a batter and struck out six before departing after throwing 105 pitches, 63 for strikes. Miller extended his scoreless inning streak that dates back to Aug. 6, 2025, to 32 2/3 innings, one inning short of the Padres record set by Cla Meredith in 2006. San Diego has won five straight series while improving to 13-2 over its last 15 games.
Angels right-hander Walbert Urena (0-2) took the loss in his first major league start, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over six-plus innings while striking out eight.
Blue Jays 10, Diamondbacks 4
Kazuma Okamoto homered, doubled and drove in three runs, Nathan Lukes had three hits and three RBIs, and Toronto rode an eight-run first inning to a win over Arizona in Phoenix.
Okamoto had a two-run double in the first and leadoff man Lukes had two hits in the frame, including a three-run double to cap the big inning off right-hander Ryne Nelson (1-2), who retired one of the 10 batters he faced. Vladimir Guerrero had three hits and two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
Jorge Barrosa hit a two-run homer and Adrian Del Castillo had two hits and an RBI double for the D-backs, who had won four in a row and 10 of 13. Barrosa replaced right fielder Corbin Carroll in the fifth after Carroll left with low back tightness, the Diamondbacks said. Manager Torey Lovullo said afterward that Carroll is fine and is scheduled to start their next game Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.
Mariners 5, Rangers 2
Bryan Woo pitched seven strong innings for his first victory of the season and was backed by three home runs as host Seattle defeated Texas to take two of three games in the series.
Rob Refsnyder, J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena went deep to account for all the runs for the Mariners. Right-hander Woo (1-2) allowed two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out six. Andres Munoz struck out three in the ninth — the first reached base on a wild pitch — and got Evan Carter to ground out to first to earn his third save.
The Rangers finally got to Woo in the seventh as Corey Seager led off with a walk, Wyatt Langford singled on a soft liner to left and, with one out, Joc Pederson was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Josh Jung’s sacrifice fly to right spoiled the shutout bid and Carter’s double made it 5-2. Woo got Smith to ground to second to end the inning.
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#Deadspin #MLB #roundup #Cubs #rally #late #walk #Mets #skid #hits
Apr 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2), center, is surrounded by teammates after he hits an RBI sacrifice fly ball during the tenth inning against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Nico Hoerner lofted a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th inning for the host Chicago Cubs, who completed a three-game sweep of the reeling New York Mets with a 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon.
Michael Conforto, who spent the first seven seasons of his major league career with the Mets, forced extra innings by lacing a pinch-hit RBI double in the ninth against New York closer Devin Williams for the Cubs, who have won five straight and six of seven.
MJ Melendez homered in the fifth for the Mets, who have lost 11 straight — the longest skid for the team since an 11-game losing streak from Aug. 28-Sept. 8, 2004. New York hasn’t lost 12 straight since Aug. 10-23, 2002.
Chicago left-hander Caleb Thielbar (2-2) stranded a pair of runners in the top of the 10th before the Cubs’ automatic runner Pete Crow-Armstrong moved to third on a wild pitch by Craig Kimbrel (0-1), who struck out Dansby Swanson. Hoerner followed with a fly ball to medium right that easily scored Armstrong.
Yankees 7, Royals 0
Aaron Judge and Ben Rice homered off Cole Ragans in the opening two innings, and host New York continued its dominance over Kansas City with its 10th straight regular-season win in the series.
Trent Grisham added a three-run homer in the fifth and Austin Wells added a sacrifice fly in the first inning after Judge’s two-run homer, his ninth of the season. Ryan Weathers (1-2) earned his first win as a Yankee, scattering five hits over 7 1/3 innings.
Ragans (0-4) tied a career-worst seven runs allowed in 4 1/3 innings. Ragans also issued a career-high eight walks and yielded four hits while throwing six strikeouts for the Royals, who have lost seven straight and 10 of 12.
Tigers 6, Red Sox 2
Dillon Dingler finished a triple shy of the cycle on a 4-for-5, four-RBI day and Framber Valdez pitched six innings of one-run ball, leading Detroit to a win over host Boston.
Detroit rocked four total extra-base hits — including fifth-inning homers by Jahmai Jones and Dingler — off Boston’s Garrett Crochet (2-3), who had allowed a career-worst 11 runs in his last start on April 13. The southpaw did strike out eight Tigers but allowed five runs on seven hits through five frames in his second straight setback.
Matt Vierling and Javier Baez also had multiple hits for the Tigers. Valdez (2-1) struck out seven across his six innings of three-hit ball, with a Willson Contreras home run marking the only Boston run against him.
Braves 4, Phillies 2
Michael Harris II collected three hits, including a home run, as visiting Atlanta secured a three-game sweep of Philadelphia Phillies.
Grant Holmes worked into the fifth inning and five relievers put up zeroes for Atlanta, which has won nine of its last 11. The Braves outscored the Phillies 16-3 in the series.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, has dropped nine of its last 11. The Phillies managed only six hits, highlighted by Kyle Schwarber’s two-run homer.
Pirates 6, Rays 3
Mitch Keller (2-1) pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs to help lead Pittsburgh to a win over Tampa Bay.
Bryan Reynolds backed up the pitching with two hits and three RBI to lead Pittsburgh’s bats, while Spencer Horwitz and Nick Yorke each hit solo home runs. The Pirates did it with the long ball and small ball, as they recorded three bunt singles in a game for the first time since 1998.
Rays starter Shane McClanahan (1-2) allowed four runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. Junior Caminero hit a solo home run.
Nationals 3, Giants 0
Curtis Mead hit a two-run homer as Washington beat visiting San Francisco to avoid a series sweep.
Andrew Alvarez (1-0), called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Rochester, pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings to combine with PJ Poulin and Miles Mikolas for the shutout. Keibert Ruiz had two hits.
San Francisco’s Robbie Ray (2-3) gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings. Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert had two hits each for the Giants, but the team went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Guardians 8, Orioles 4
Jose Ramirez swatted two solo shots for his franchise-record 28th multi-homer game and Brayan Rocchio went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs as Cleveland defeated Baltimore for the third time in their four-game set.
Matt Festa (1-0) got the final out in the fifth as he, Peyton Pallette, Erik Sabrowski and Shawn Armstrong combined for 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Starter Joey Cantillo allowed four runs (three earned) with six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.
Ramirez hit both of his homers off Orioles starter Trevor Rogers (2-2), who gave up a season-high six runs (five earned) and six hits. Taylor Ward cracked a three-run homer, his first with the Orioles, to highlight a four-run fifth.
Marlins 5, Brewers 3
Eury Perez scattered three hits, one walk and one unearned run over six strong innings as host Miami snapped a four-game losing streak with the win over Milwaukee.
Perez (2-1) fanned seven and was staked to a 3-0 lead in the first as the Marlins took advantage of two hits, one walk, one hit-by-pitch, one error and one wild pitch. Kyle Stowers posted two hits in his season debut while Liam Hicks added two hits and one RBI.
Jacob Misiorowski (1-2) struck out nine over five innings, but allowed four hits and three runs (one earned). Gary Sanchez stroked a two-run single in the eighth for the Brewers, who had their four-game winning streak come to a close.
Reds 7, Twins 4 (10)
Rece Hinds cracked a two-run double as Cincinnati scored three unearned runs in the 10th to complete a three-game sweep in Minneapolis.
T.J. Friedl went 2-for-5 with a double, stolen base and three RBIs for the Reds. Starter Brady Singer gave up three runs over six innings. Emilio Pagan (2-0) allowed the tying run in the ninth while Graham Ashcraft collected his first career save.
Victor Caratini posted two hits and two RBIs for the Twins, who took a 3-1 lead into the ninth. Garrett Acton (1-1) gave up just one hit and one walk over 1 2/3 innings, but was responsible for the three unearned runs in the 10th.
Rockies 9, Dodgers 6
Mickey Moniak and Kyle Karros homered as Colorado rallied for the win in Denver and sent Los Angeles to its first consecutive losses of the season.
Edouard Julien had three hits and three RBIs, Troy Johnston added two hits and Antonio Senzatela (1-0) pitched two innings of relief for Colorado. Starter Michael Lorenzen allowed seven hits and three runs over five innings.
Max Muncy cracked three hits, Ryan Ward had two hits in his major league debut and Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland added two hits apiece for Los Angeles. Shohei Ohtani increased his on-base streak to 51 games with two doubles. Blake Treinen (1-1) allowed three runs without getting an out in the seventh. Starter Roki Sasaki lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits and three runs.
White Sox 7, Athletics 4
Noah Schultz allowed one run and one hit in his second big-league start as Chicago claimed the rubber match over the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.
Schultz (1-1) fanned six and walked one during his five-inning stint to collect his first win. Munetaki Murakami cracked his eighth homer of the year and third in as many days to pace the White Sox offense. Derek Hill, Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery also homered.
A’s starter Jeffrey Springs (3-1) struggled for the first time this season as he surrendered nine hits and seven runs over five innings. Darell Hernaiz homered while Zack Gelof knocked in two runs and scored another.
Cardinals 7, Astros 5 (10 innings)
Masyn Winn, whose two-out single sparked a four-run uprising in the fifth inning, delivered a bases-clearing double in the top of the 10th that lifted St. Louis over host Houston for a three-game interleague series sweep.
Winn plated Ivan Herrera, Jordan Walker and Ramon Urias by driving an 0-1 fastball from Astros left-hander Bryan King (0-1) into the left field corner. Winn, a Houston-area native, finished 5-for-15 with seven RBIs in the series.
The Astros countered the Cardinals’ four-run fifth by scoring three runs with two outs in the eighth. Yordan Alvarez ignited the comeback with his third home run of the series and 10th of the season before Jose Altuve singled and Christian Walker worked a 10-pitch walk. Isaac Paredes hit a two-run single off St. Louis closer Riley O’Brien (3-0) that tied the game at 4-4.
Padres 2, Angels 1
Michael King allowed one hit over five shutout innings en route to his third straight victory and Mason Miller struck out two during a perfect ninth to pick up his eighth save as San Diego edged Los Angeles in the rubber game of their three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
King (3-1) walked four, hit a batter and struck out six before departing after throwing 105 pitches, 63 for strikes. Miller extended his scoreless inning streak that dates back to Aug. 6, 2025, to 32 2/3 innings, one inning short of the Padres record set by Cla Meredith in 2006. San Diego has won five straight series while improving to 13-2 over its last 15 games.
Angels right-hander Walbert Urena (0-2) took the loss in his first major league start, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over six-plus innings while striking out eight.
Blue Jays 10, Diamondbacks 4
Kazuma Okamoto homered, doubled and drove in three runs, Nathan Lukes had three hits and three RBIs, and Toronto rode an eight-run first inning to a win over Arizona in Phoenix.
Okamoto had a two-run double in the first and leadoff man Lukes had two hits in the frame, including a three-run double to cap the big inning off right-hander Ryne Nelson (1-2), who retired one of the 10 batters he faced. Vladimir Guerrero had three hits and two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
Jorge Barrosa hit a two-run homer and Adrian Del Castillo had two hits and an RBI double for the D-backs, who had won four in a row and 10 of 13. Barrosa replaced right fielder Corbin Carroll in the fifth after Carroll left with low back tightness, the Diamondbacks said. Manager Torey Lovullo said afterward that Carroll is fine and is scheduled to start their next game Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.
Mariners 5, Rangers 2
Bryan Woo pitched seven strong innings for his first victory of the season and was backed by three home runs as host Seattle defeated Texas to take two of three games in the series.
Rob Refsnyder, J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena went deep to account for all the runs for the Mariners. Right-hander Woo (1-2) allowed two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out six. Andres Munoz struck out three in the ninth — the first reached base on a wild pitch — and got Evan Carter to ground out to first to earn his third save.
The Rangers finally got to Woo in the seventh as Corey Seager led off with a walk, Wyatt Langford singled on a soft liner to left and, with one out, Joc Pederson was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Josh Jung’s sacrifice fly to right spoiled the shutout bid and Carter’s double made it 5-2. Woo got Smith to ground to second to end the inning.
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![Pato O’Ward on the 2026 IndyCar season and finding where you belong One of the perks of a job like mine is the opportunity to spend time with race car drivers. They are a joy to talk with, and each conversation leaves me walking away with some new knowledge that will help shape my coverage of motorsport going forward.Every chance to chat with Pato O’Ward, however, takes that experience to a new level.The IndyCar driver has become a face of the sport with good reason. His infectious personality, incredible charisma, and ability on the track have seen O’Ward become a global sensation and one of the sport’s bigger figures. While the 2026 campaign has seen some difficult moments on the track for O’Ward, he enters this weekend’s OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland sitting fifth in the championship standings, and coming off a recent return to the top step of the podium with a win at Mid-Ohio.We caught up on Thursday night for a quick chat ahead of this weekend’s race in Portland, and while we did talk about racing, we talked about so much more.And I walked away with a life lesson that certainly hit home.Pato O’Ward 2026 IndyCar seasonThat was the word O’Ward used to describe his 2026 season to date when we spoke on Thursday night.“Unexpected and surprising in a lot of ways, I would say,” elaborated the Arrow McLaren driver. “Obviously, every season is different, right? But what’s been so weird to me is that actually, all the tracks that always have been like my championship savers, I’d say like 85% of them have been completely the opposite of what is expected.“Like the ovals this year has been the worst year I have ever had.”Bommarito is one such example. After finishing on the podium at the race a year ago, O’Ward qualified ninth for this year’s installment, and finished down in P11.“[The year] feels like it’s been glitching, in a way.”Still, there have been some high points for hte driver who, as noted above, sits fifth in the championship standings. O’Ward returned to the top step of the podium with a win at Mid-Ohio, and the driver pointed to that as the high point of the season.“It’s got to be the Mid-Ohio win,” said O’Ward when I asked him about the season’s high point. “Just being able to get things back on track where we’ve been strong, but also being able to execute in all cylinders, right?“The pit stops, the strategy, the car was great, so, it was a nice weekend to put under our belt with like a full-on execution and that’s definitely been the high point this year.”When asked about the toughest parts of the season so far, O’Ward pointed to a few different road courses.“I feel like there’s there’s a few races that I would love to have back and I would say road courses because I know we won in Mid-Ohio, but then Road America, we got destroyed by the yellow and we were legitimately in contention to win that race. And then the [Indianapolis road course] we got taken out and we would have also been in contention to win.“And then Barber, we were just nowhere and, just knowing what we do now, what was going on, it would have been nice to catch the issue first or earlier.”Pato O’Ward answers reader questionsEvery time I am lucky enough to chat with a driver, I ask readers to submit some questions. Some of the best interactions with a driver have come as a result.Thursday night’s chat with O’Ward was no exception, as we got to talk about food, and life itself.The first question focused on the brand-new McLaren Racing Center, a new state-of-the-art facility opened by Arrow McLaren in Indianapolis ahead of the 2026 season. One dear reader wanted to know how the facility made a difference in O’Ward’s preparation this season.He compared it to moving from a starter home, into the top-floor penthouse.“The vibe of it is completely different,” began O’Ward.“I mean, where we were, we were at a level one starter apartment, and we took the elevator to the penthouse. It’s a huge difference in just what it feels like to be there. I’m assuming it’s completely different for all the guys and gals as well, working there. There’s more space, and man, you get there, and you’re like ‘[T]his is so cool that I’m a part of this, right?’“And I think ultimately that just fuels you to be hungrier for success, and for wanting to make things come out the right way and just giving a little bit of the extra, the extra push that will go a long way.”Another reader wanted to know O’Ward’s favorite IndyCar race, with the caveat that he could not pick the Indianapolis 500.For not the first time during our conversation, and not for the last, O’Ward’s eyes lit up.“Dude, Arlington was Badass. Arlington was awesome,” said the driver about the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, a new street race in Arlington, Texas.“Oh my God, like Arlington … I’m so excited to go back there because the people that were there were so excited for this new event. Obviously, the turnout looked phenomenal on TV. It looked great, even for us in the car. It, it was awesome. So, Arlington definitely takes that one for me.”O’Ward’s eyes lit up at the next reader question, which focused on the race experience away from the track. What stop on the schedule has the best local food, or restaurant, that he looks forward to each year?The driver’s eyes lit up again.“All right, so Saint Pete. Saint Pete’s got good ones. Phoenix has got good ones as well.”O’Ward then returned to Arlington.“The Dallas scene is insane. Like, you find everything you want in Dallas.“And I might be a little bit biased because I love Texas, and I, you know, I spend a lot of time there.“Actually, in a perfect world, I’d probably be living in Dallas. That’s probably where I would pick to move, maybe I do in the near future, but I do love Dallas and I gotta go with that one, man.“It’s just, there’s too much at your disposal of whatever food you wanna, wanna look for, and it’s just a cool city.”The final question dealt with a bit of news O’Ward made this season, when he asked to be released from his Formula 1 duties as a reserve driver for McLaren’s F1 team, and focus on IndyCar. I asked O’Ward how that decision came about, and how it reframed his focus on IndyCar for 2026 and beyond.A lesson about life itself followed.“I think it’s probably been a bit of a mix of, you know, maybe maturing a little bit and learning that the one living your life is yourself, and you need to maximize it as much as you can, and you also need to do what’s good for your soul. And by that, I mean, you gotta do what you wanna do,” began O’Ward.“You gotta be where you are, where you are happy. Where you see a future where you are excited to come back to work every single year and keep going, right?“Like for me, IndyCar represents all of that. I love the direction that the series is going on, and I do think it’s only gonna get better.“I love being a part of it.”O’Ward then turned to life here in the United States.“You know, I’ve been challenged in America. I’ve been used to living in America, and I love that about my life, I wouldn’t change it for anything. I don’t wanna move anywhere else.“I’m close to home in Mexico, and I do think there’s so much potential and so much growth that can still happen, that want to be a part of that.He then concended that the decision was “tough,” as it meant closing the door on a dream.“So it was a tough decision because you’re basically, like, you’re going against your dream, right?“The dream that ultimately opened the doors to this situation, and to being here now, but it was a very easy decision for me to be like, you know, ‘[w]hat makes me happy and what do I wanna do?’“And, you know, I keep getting taken to the same decision every single time.”Pato O’Ward on the Grand Prix of PortlandO’Ward and the rest of the IndyCar grid is in Portland this weekend, for the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland.It is a race where O’Ward has enjoyed success, at least during qualifying, as well as some success early in his career in the Indy Lights series. Last year he put his Arrow McLaren on the front row, qualifying second, and he started first when pole-sitter and teammate Christian Lundgaard took a grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. O’Ward entered that race sitting second in the championship standings behind Alex Palou, needing something special to keep the pressure on the leader.But an electronics malfunction called O’Ward into the pits early in the race, and he finished down in P25. A third-place finish from Palou clinched another title for the Chip Ganassi driver.Can O’Ward finally taste race success in Portland this weekend?“I’ve yet to have this great IndyCar result here for me,” began O’Ward. “I’ve had good qualifying here.“I think last year is the one that’s most fresh on my mind. And we’ve had pace, but we haven’t had that, like, breakthrough Portland IndyCar weekend like I had the first time I was here in an Indy Lights car; That was a very cool weekend for me.“I ended up winning the championship, winning both races, and it’s also a track that I really, I truly enjoy driving.“It’s very old school.”So, I’d love to break through that and get ourselves, on the podium this weekend.“That’d be, that’d be fantastic.”O’Ward begins that pursuit later today with the first practice session ahead of the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland. #Pato #OWard #IndyCar #season #finding #belong](https://i0.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/gettyimages-2284208207.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.732984293194%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200&ssl=1 "Pato O’Ward on the 2026 IndyCar season and finding where you belong One of the perks of a job like mine is the opportunity to spend time with race car drivers. They are a joy to talk with, and each conversation leaves me walking away with some new knowledge that will help shape my coverage of motorsport going forward.Every chance to chat with Pato O’Ward, however, takes that experience to a new level.The IndyCar driver has become a face of the sport with good reason. His infectious personality, incredible charisma, and ability on the track have seen O’Ward become a global sensation and one of the sport’s bigger figures. While the 2026 campaign has seen some difficult moments on the track for O’Ward, he enters this weekend’s OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland sitting fifth in the championship standings, and coming off a recent return to the top step of the podium with a win at Mid-Ohio.We caught up on Thursday night for a quick chat ahead of this weekend’s race in Portland, and while we did talk about racing, we talked about so much more.And I walked away with a life lesson that certainly hit home.Pato O’Ward 2026 IndyCar seasonThat was the word O’Ward used to describe his 2026 season to date when we spoke on Thursday night.“Unexpected and surprising in a lot of ways, I would say,” elaborated the Arrow McLaren driver. “Obviously, every season is different, right? But what’s been so weird to me is that actually, all the tracks that always have been like my championship savers, I’d say like 85% of them have been completely the opposite of what is expected.“Like the ovals this year has been the worst year I have ever had.”Bommarito is one such example. After finishing on the podium at the race a year ago, O’Ward qualified ninth for this year’s installment, and finished down in P11.“[The year] feels like it’s been glitching, in a way.”Still, there have been some high points for hte driver who, as noted above, sits fifth in the championship standings. O’Ward returned to the top step of the podium with a win at Mid-Ohio, and the driver pointed to that as the high point of the season.“It’s got to be the Mid-Ohio win,” said O’Ward when I asked him about the season’s high point. “Just being able to get things back on track where we’ve been strong, but also being able to execute in all cylinders, right?“The pit stops, the strategy, the car was great, so, it was a nice weekend to put under our belt with like a full-on execution and that’s definitely been the high point this year.”When asked about the toughest parts of the season so far, O’Ward pointed to a few different road courses.“I feel like there’s there’s a few races that I would love to have back and I would say road courses because I know we won in Mid-Ohio, but then Road America, we got destroyed by the yellow and we were legitimately in contention to win that race. And then the [Indianapolis road course] we got taken out and we would have also been in contention to win.“And then Barber, we were just nowhere and, just knowing what we do now, what was going on, it would have been nice to catch the issue first or earlier.”Pato O’Ward answers reader questionsEvery time I am lucky enough to chat with a driver, I ask readers to submit some questions. Some of the best interactions with a driver have come as a result.Thursday night’s chat with O’Ward was no exception, as we got to talk about food, and life itself.The first question focused on the brand-new McLaren Racing Center, a new state-of-the-art facility opened by Arrow McLaren in Indianapolis ahead of the 2026 season. One dear reader wanted to know how the facility made a difference in O’Ward’s preparation this season.He compared it to moving from a starter home, into the top-floor penthouse.“The vibe of it is completely different,” began O’Ward.“I mean, where we were, we were at a level one starter apartment, and we took the elevator to the penthouse. It’s a huge difference in just what it feels like to be there. I’m assuming it’s completely different for all the guys and gals as well, working there. There’s more space, and man, you get there, and you’re like ‘[T]his is so cool that I’m a part of this, right?’“And I think ultimately that just fuels you to be hungrier for success, and for wanting to make things come out the right way and just giving a little bit of the extra, the extra push that will go a long way.”Another reader wanted to know O’Ward’s favorite IndyCar race, with the caveat that he could not pick the Indianapolis 500.For not the first time during our conversation, and not for the last, O’Ward’s eyes lit up.“Dude, Arlington was Badass. Arlington was awesome,” said the driver about the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, a new street race in Arlington, Texas.“Oh my God, like Arlington … I’m so excited to go back there because the people that were there were so excited for this new event. Obviously, the turnout looked phenomenal on TV. It looked great, even for us in the car. It, it was awesome. So, Arlington definitely takes that one for me.”O’Ward’s eyes lit up at the next reader question, which focused on the race experience away from the track. What stop on the schedule has the best local food, or restaurant, that he looks forward to each year?The driver’s eyes lit up again.“All right, so Saint Pete. Saint Pete’s got good ones. Phoenix has got good ones as well.”O’Ward then returned to Arlington.“The Dallas scene is insane. Like, you find everything you want in Dallas.“And I might be a little bit biased because I love Texas, and I, you know, I spend a lot of time there.“Actually, in a perfect world, I’d probably be living in Dallas. That’s probably where I would pick to move, maybe I do in the near future, but I do love Dallas and I gotta go with that one, man.“It’s just, there’s too much at your disposal of whatever food you wanna, wanna look for, and it’s just a cool city.”The final question dealt with a bit of news O’Ward made this season, when he asked to be released from his Formula 1 duties as a reserve driver for McLaren’s F1 team, and focus on IndyCar. I asked O’Ward how that decision came about, and how it reframed his focus on IndyCar for 2026 and beyond.A lesson about life itself followed.“I think it’s probably been a bit of a mix of, you know, maybe maturing a little bit and learning that the one living your life is yourself, and you need to maximize it as much as you can, and you also need to do what’s good for your soul. And by that, I mean, you gotta do what you wanna do,” began O’Ward.“You gotta be where you are, where you are happy. Where you see a future where you are excited to come back to work every single year and keep going, right?“Like for me, IndyCar represents all of that. I love the direction that the series is going on, and I do think it’s only gonna get better.“I love being a part of it.”O’Ward then turned to life here in the United States.“You know, I’ve been challenged in America. I’ve been used to living in America, and I love that about my life, I wouldn’t change it for anything. I don’t wanna move anywhere else.“I’m close to home in Mexico, and I do think there’s so much potential and so much growth that can still happen, that want to be a part of that.He then concended that the decision was “tough,” as it meant closing the door on a dream.“So it was a tough decision because you’re basically, like, you’re going against your dream, right?“The dream that ultimately opened the doors to this situation, and to being here now, but it was a very easy decision for me to be like, you know, ‘[w]hat makes me happy and what do I wanna do?’“And, you know, I keep getting taken to the same decision every single time.”Pato O’Ward on the Grand Prix of PortlandO’Ward and the rest of the IndyCar grid is in Portland this weekend, for the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland.It is a race where O’Ward has enjoyed success, at least during qualifying, as well as some success early in his career in the Indy Lights series. Last year he put his Arrow McLaren on the front row, qualifying second, and he started first when pole-sitter and teammate Christian Lundgaard took a grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. O’Ward entered that race sitting second in the championship standings behind Alex Palou, needing something special to keep the pressure on the leader.But an electronics malfunction called O’Ward into the pits early in the race, and he finished down in P25. A third-place finish from Palou clinched another title for the Chip Ganassi driver.Can O’Ward finally taste race success in Portland this weekend?“I’ve yet to have this great IndyCar result here for me,” began O’Ward. “I’ve had good qualifying here.“I think last year is the one that’s most fresh on my mind. And we’ve had pace, but we haven’t had that, like, breakthrough Portland IndyCar weekend like I had the first time I was here in an Indy Lights car; That was a very cool weekend for me.“I ended up winning the championship, winning both races, and it’s also a track that I really, I truly enjoy driving.“It’s very old school.”So, I’d love to break through that and get ourselves, on the podium this weekend.“That’d be, that’d be fantastic.”O’Ward begins that pursuit later today with the first practice session ahead of the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland. #Pato #OWard #IndyCar #season #finding #belong")
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