MLB Bullets goes into orbit

It’s 1980 all over again.

• The Astros beat the Yankees in seven games to win the American League Championship Series and to become the first team to represent both leagues in the World Series. Grant Brisbee thinks it was the stupid, brilliant play by Alex Bregman and Brian McCann in game 7 that propelled Houston to the Fall Classic. He breaks down the play and why he thinks it was so critical.
• Ben Lindbergh breaks down that Bregman play and other critical moments from the Astros’ game 7 victory.
• Jeff Passan talks to the players about their game 7 victory and the team’s long journey from years of 100+ losses to the American League pennant.
• Scott Lauber writes that the catcher the Yankees didn’t want anymore, Brian McCann, came back to haunt the Bronx Bombers in the ALCS.
• “Bullpenning” was the hot term during this year’s postseason, but as Travis Sawchik notes, the Astros won game seven with a “tandem start” not often seen above the low minors. Also, curveballs. Lots of curveballs by Lance McCullers Jr.
• In fact, it was 24 straight curves by McCullers.
• Tyler Kepner on how McCullers learned to pitch like every pitch could be your last from his father’s injury-shortened career and the tragic death of his good friend Jose Fernandez.
• Cliff Corcoran as four lessons the Astros can take away from the ALCS.
• Buster Olney looks at how ALCS MVP Justin Verlander went from thinking his career was almost over a few season ago to the ace of a pennant-winning team.
• Dayn Perry wonders who is going to pitch for Houston after Verlander and Dallas Keuchel?
• Richard Justice writes about the connection between the Astros and the city of Houston as it recovers from Hurricane Harvey.
• Jorge L. Ortiz reminds us all of how the Astros went from losing 111 games to the World Series by mastering this one simple trick in just a few short years. It was more than one trick.
• Don’t forget: in 2014, Sports Illustrated declared that the Astros would be 2017 World Series Champions. They still have to beat the Dodgers, of course.
• Bill Baer looks at the dark side of the Astros rise, pointing out that their particular analytics-heavy approach is not very player-friendly. Even less friendly to the scouts they’ve all just fired.
• For all the momentum the Astros have going into the World Series, R.J. Anderson reminds us that the Dodgers are the better team “on paper.” Good thing they are playing on grass and dirt then.
• Tim Kurkjian has five questions for the World Series, including the question of how much the Astros “momentum” will count for.
• Anthony Castrovince gives you ten reasons to be excited about the World Series.
• Evan Davis traces how both the Dodgers and Astros built their current teams.
• Jonah Keri wants to remind you that the Dodgers were built with a lot more than just a huge payroll. The huge payroll didn’t hurt though.
• Good news for the Dodgers as they expect shortstop Corey Seager to play in the World Series.
• Matt Snyder notes that with the Dodgers and the Astros in the World Series, no playoff drought is safe anymore.
• If you’re older than 40 or so, the idea of the Astros taking on the Dodgers may seem a little familiar. That’s because the two teams were fierce rivals in the NL West of the early eighties. Joe Posnanski remember the showdowns between the two teams in 1980 and 1981.
• Michael Clair has a look back at 1981 when the Dodgers and Astros played the first-ever Divisional Series.
• The Yankees may not have advanced to the World Series, but Zach Kram is convinced that this year’s Bronx Bombers are the start of the newest Yankees dynasty.
• Jonathan Bernhardt compares the future of the Cubs and the Yankees.
• After the Astros beat the Yankees, New York manager Joe Girardi went to the Astros clubhouse to congratulate manager A.J. Hinch. He also told him to “go win it all.”
• Girardi also says he doesn’t know if he’ll be back managing the Yankees next season.
• One manager who won’t be back is Nationals manager Dusty Baker, who was fired on Friday. Bob Nightengale called the move to fire Baker “gutless” (because they waited until he had returned to California to do it) and “arrogant.” Also pretty stupid.
• Howard Bryant thinks that the problem with the Nationals wasn’t Baker, it was the ownership.
• Jon Tayler thinks the Nationals are just bringing more chaos upon themselves by firing Baker.
• The Mets have hired a new manager and it is Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway. Callaway was a “hot” managerial candidate, but it had been assumed that the Mets would go with someone with previous experience either as a manager or with the Mets.
• And in the worst-kept secret, the Red Sox will hire Astros bench coach Alex Cora for their managerial gig.
• Scott Lauber congratulates Cora on getting what he calls the best and worst job in baseball.
• The Cubs weren’t the only team to part with a long-time pitching coach. The Giants have “reassigned” Dave Righetti after 18 seasons as the pitching coach.
• The MLS team DC United just finished their 2017 season and with that, the last scheduled sporting event at RFK Stadium is over. DC United is moving into a new soccer-only stadium next season. (RFK had been “soccer-only” for a while, but that wasn’t by design and you know what I mean.) Andrew Means looks back at some great baseball memories from the Senators, Nationals and others at RFK.
• In Miami, all the Marlins have gone home except one. The 44-year-old Ichiro Suzuki is still working out every day at Marlins Park. He said that he just doesn’t like it when he’s not training every day. Ichiro would like to play in 2018.
• And finally, looking back at Ichiro’s career comes this adorable lunch between Ichiro and Ken Griffey Jr. and Ken Griffey Sr. in 1995. Ichiro is very young and he’s wearing a Tom and Jerry sweater.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. I can’t believe I’m cheering for the Astros.