Best games on Monday, October 5

Monday, October 5, 2026 · final

The Lineup Is ranked 87 games on Monday, October 5 and found 2 worth watching, led by White Sox at Guardians (importance 106). Here's how that day's slate finished.

  1. #1 · MLBImportance 106
    Final·TBS

    White Sox at Guardians

    White Sox84-784
    Guardians85-773

    The White Sox beat the Guardians 4-3, ahead for good from the sixth, despite Gavin Williams' 11 strikeouts.

    Why it scores 106 →
  2. #2 · MLBImportance 69
    Final·TBS

    Yankees at Rays

    Yankees93-682
    Rays98-645

    The Rays beat the Yankees 5-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the ALDS, leaving them one win from advancing. Rice hit two solo home runs for New York, but Tampa Bay broke the game open with four runs in the fifth.

    Why it scores 69 →
  3. #3 · NHLImportance 37
    Final·ESPN+

    Jets at Penguins

    Jets2-0-13
    Penguins2-1-02

    Cole Perfetti broke a 2-2 tie at 9:02 of the third period, and the Jets beat the Penguins 3-2.

How the ranking works

Every game gets an importance score, built from 11 factors — rankings, playoff stakes, rivalry, star power, elimination pressure, how close the game actually projects to be, and more. The score is explained, never a black box. Narratives are written from the real state of the season — not "tune in tonight."

Get The Lineup Is on iOS — free See how the app decides →