Frayed Knot

That's your cue, Ronnie. [media=youtube]gckGvo3SWok[/media]

I fell asleep during one of the pitching changes in Toronto's 9-run 6th. So I saw them take the lead but ultimately missed the big fireworks which included the first ever WS PH GS (Addison Barger).

Snell got out of the 1st scoreless. But after getting the first two outs quickly, the Jays made him throw a ton of pitches in order to squeak out with a zero. And, although I already know the answer to this question: what's the point in having an hour-long pre-game show only to have another quarter hour of pre-game stuff once the supposed game time hits? First pitch was at 8:14

Today's WS anniversary photo, 32 years ago in this case [FIMG=550]https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_16x9/t_w1536/mlb/quh1jlpodoqopgvbnwyr.jpg[/FIMG] If Joe Carter isn't throwing out a first pitch sometime during one of the first two games in Toronto (there's no guarantee there will be more than two) a criminal investigation is warranted.

Friday, in Toronto, 8 PM, FOX Blake Snell vs Trey Yesavage Yesavage, who started the 2025 campaign in A ball, will be the second youngest WS Game 1 starter ever, bested only by Ralph Branca

[td] TEAM [/td][td]MANAGER[/td][td]HIRED[/td][td]CONTRACT [/td][td]STATUS[/td][td] BRAVES [/td][td]Brian Snitker[/td][td]May ‘16 [/td][td]Thru 2025 [/td][td]Will not return in 2026[/td][td] MARLINS [/td][td] Clayton McCullough [/td][td] Nov ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] METS [/td][td] Carlos Mendoza [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] NATIONALS [/td][td]Dave Martinez[/td][td] Oct ‘17 [/td][td]Fired 7/6/25[/td][td]Replaced by Miguel Cairo as interim[/td][td] PHILS [/td][td] Rob Thompson [/td][td] June ‘22 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] BREWERS [/td][td] Pat Murphy [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] CARDINALS [/td][td] Oliver Marmol [/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] CUBS [/td][td] Craig Counsell [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2028 [/td][td] [/td][td] PIRATES [/td][td] Don Kelly [/td][td] May ‘25 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td]Signed extension 9/29/25[/td][td] REDS [/td][td] Terry Francona [/td][td] Oct ‘24 [/td][td] Thru 2027 + ’28 club option [/td][td] [/td][td] DIAMONDBACKS [/td][td] Torey Loveullo [/td][td] Nov ‘16 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] DODGERS [/td][td] Dave Roberts [/td][td] Nov ‘15 [/td][td] Thru 2029 [/td][td] [/td][td] GIANTS [/td][td] Bob Melvin [/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td] Fired 9/29/25 [/td][td] [/td][td] PADRES [/td][td]Mike Schildt[/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td]Resigned Oct ‘25[/td][td] ROCKIES [/td][td]Bud Black[/td][td] Nov ‘16 [/td][td]Fired 5/11/25[/td][td]Replaced by Warren Schaeffer as interim [/td][td] BLUE JAYS [/td][td] John Schneider [/td][td] July ‘22 [/td][td] 2025 + ’26 option [/td][td] [/td][td] ORIOLES [/td][td]Brandon Hyde[/td][td] Dec ‘18 [/td][td]Fired 5/17/25[/td][td]Replaced by Tony Mandolin as interim[/td][td] RAYS [/td][td] Kevin Cash [/td][td] Dec ‘14 [/td][td] Thru 2030 [/td][td] [/td][td] RED SOX [/td][td] Alex Cora [/td][td] Nov ’17 - Jan ’20, Nov ’20 - present [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] YANKEES [/td][td] Aaron Boone [/td][td] Dec ‘17 [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] GUARDIANS[/td][td] Stephen Vogt [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] ROYALS [/td][td] Matt Quatraro [/td][td] Oct ‘22 [/td][td] 2025 + '26 option [/td][td] [/td][td] TIGERS [/td][td] A. J. Hinch [/td][td] Oct ‘20 [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] TWINS [/td][td]Rocco Baldelli[/td][td]Oct ‘18[/td][td]Fired 9/29/25[/td][td][td] WHITE SOX [/td][td] Will Venable [/td][td] Oct ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] ANGELS[/td][td]Ron Washington[/td][td]Nov ‘23[/td][td]Thru 2025[/td][td]Kurt Suzuki hired 10/21/25[/td][td] ASTROS [/td][td] Joe Espada [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] ATHLETICS [/td][td] Mark Kotsay [/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td] 2028 + ’29 option [/td][td] [/td][td] MARINERS [/td][td] Dan Wilson [/td][td] Aug ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] RANGERS [/td][td]Bruce Bochy [/td][td]Oct ‘22[/td][td]Thru 2025[/td][td]Skip Schumaker hired 10/3/25, 2026 - ‘29[/td]

OK, so it doesn't start until Friday. But starting the thread now gives me an excuse to tell you that today is the 50th anniversary of ... This [FIMG=800]https://www.si.com/.image/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/MTY4MTkwNjAzMzY0NjA3OTAx/carlton-fisk-hr-75-ap2jpg.jpg[/FIMG] Gotta love that the photog caught that little bit of the blur of the rising ball off C.F.'s left shoulder. Also, for anyone not around/old enough to have seen that game at the time, it was already an ALL TIME GREAT GAME even before Fisk stepped up to the plate in the 12th. But, man, what a capper that AB turned out to be!

=Gwreck post_id=207129 time=1761015794 user_id=56] Hopefully Toronto can get it done with a quick sweep in the World Series.

And Raleigh gets left on deck. Damn!

Two outs. Rodriguez and (potentially) Raleigh to save Seattle's season.

=Centerfield post_id=207120 time=1761012447 user_id=65] Seems like I bought the hype on Cy Young winner Shane Bieber.

Oooooh, boy!!

Tough to call him their 'Ace'. He's only been w/the Jays since this year's trading deadline and the seven games he pitched for them were his first since April of '24 w/Cleveland (so nine games pitched over two seasons). In between it was a year and a half of TJS recovery and it's five years since his CY season (in a shortened season).

Speaking of Schneider, this week has been more or less my intro to him, and he's kind of fun to listen to. His description of his meeting on the mound with Scherzer was great: 'I thought he was going to kill me, it was awesome'! 45 y/o, Princeton, NJ and University of Delaware (Blue Hen Alert!!) Drafted 2002 in the 13th round by the Blue Jays and spent his whole career w/them. That career consisted of six years in the minors [2001 - 2007] including several stints in AAA (Syracuse) but never got the call. Not surprisingly with that build [bB-Ref sez 6' 3" / 245] he was a catcher, but even in the minors was never not a backup and looked to possess typical backup catcher skills: low BA, good walk rates, occasional run-into-one power. Not sure if he went right into coaching when the playing part ended but I'd guess he did.

=Centerfield post_id=207112 time=1761010176 user_id=65] Why would they pull Bieber so early?

Others aren't long enough.

Montero was a huge Top-five-in-all-MLB kind of prospect coming up through the Yanqui system and was out of the typical NYY catcher factory of big power/who cares if he can play defense [Posada, Gary Sanchez, current 1B/C Ben Rice, others] kind of mold. Was dealt, after one ML season to Seattle in what was, at the time, a huge 'challenge trade' of first year players: Sanchez for the 6'7"/28, RH pitcher Michael Pineda who was coming off an All-Star/5th-RoY season. Brian Cashman was quoted as saying he "swallowed hard" before pulling that deal thinking about the offensive potential he was giving up. The kicker was that neither went on to have the careers expected. Montero played one full season with Seattle plus pieces of three others and never saw the majors again. Pineda wound up with a nine year career but consisting mostly of mediocre seasons, four of those with the Yanx.

And we'll see a Game 7 tomorrow night.

Game 6: Mariners load the bases with one out in the 3rd and then again in the 4th ... and went GiDP both times. Jays, otoh, had bases empty/two outs in the 3rd and went Triple - HR in a three pitch span. The Mariners have also played some shaky defense and threw in poor base-running (as well as just plain better Blue Jays hitting) which has them down 4-0 in the 4th

I didn't realize he was only one season from FA-gency already; also turns 29 in a few weeks. Drafted in '18 (9th round - just like deGrom!), debuted in '20, then really hit his stride in '23 but only w/a partial season (15 starts / 80 innings). That he followed that up with a unanimous CY season and possibly a second one is what put him on the map and in this position. One wouldn't think a Boras client would agree to a trade/extension on his FA-eve season. And, of course, that limits what a team would agree to give up for him. From California, HS in Arizona, college in Seattle. Not sure if any of that will play a factor.

I suppose that, in addition to talking about Ohtani, we should also say a few words about the Brewers too. These last two post-seasons have got to be rough on them, but particularly this one. 93 wins last season followed by a first-round exit to a WC team who got in by the skin of their teeth and who came in with less than no rest. And then there's the whole blown two-run/9th inning lead thing to swallow. This year they upped their game to an MLB-best 97 wins. But they then went 2-6 including losing the final four straight while scoring a total of four runs [1, 1, 1, and 1] to a team they had swept (6-0) during the season. Smaller/mid-market teams often have smaller windows to pull off a WS win (or even a trip there) so it gets tougher to say 'there's always next year' when you don't know how much longer you'll be able to keep the gang together and/or adequately replace the ones you're losing. Cincy & Chicago were on the upswing this year. Can Milwaukee hold them off again next season? I also said (somewhere in this forum) that I thought the Dodgers were more vulnerable this year than in recent years and, for a while they seemed to be just that. After starting the season 8-0 they were barely north of .500 over the next 134 games going 70-64 / .522 over a span constituting more than 80% of the season. Their starters were often hurt and their pen was more than a bit iffy. Their RA/G landed them just one slot ahed of the Mets in the NL if that puts it in perspective [8th / 4.22 RA/G vs 9th / 4.41]. But they then quickly reversed course by finishing September 15-5 and have now gone 9-1 in the post (can I interest anyone in a 24-6 September/October runs?). Snell, Glasnow, and Ohtani (as a pitcher) returning certainly helped, and now moving Sasaki to the pen after his less than stellar inaugural MLB season is stabilizing the back end of their post-season games. I'll be rooting for whoever comes out of the AL half of the bracket, but I'm not liking the odds.

Frayed Knot wrote: Ohtani: 6 innings, 2 hits, 3 walks, no runs, 100 pitches Leaves with two on/no outs in top 7 Plus, y'know, that whole three PA/two HR/one BB thing at the plate Did I say two HRs? Sorry, I meant three. Hey Reggie Jackson, ya wanna be an October hero? Call me when you learn how to pitch.

Ohtani: 6 innings, 2 hits, 3 walks, no runs, 100 pitches Leaves with two on/no outs in top 7 Plus, y'know, that whole three PA/two HR/one BB thing at the plate

Ohtani is an alien freak, there's no other explanation. He currently is throwing a one-hitter thru 5 and has two HRs (and a walk) in three PAs I'm not sure where the second HR landed ... or even IF it landed. 4-0 Dodgers, going for the sweep.

WOWZERS! Seattle, down 2-1 in the 8th with just 3 hits all game, starts the bottom 8th: HR (Raleigh), Walk, Walk HBP, Grand Slam (E. Suarez) 6-2 Ms, heading to the 9th