MLB Bullets sends everyone home

Good morning. The World Series is all set for tomorrow night.

• Astros second baseman José Altuve joined the legends of baseball history, writes Zach Kram, when he hit the walk-off home run to beat the Yankees and send the Astros to the 2019 World Series. Kram looks at Altuve’s post-season career and notes that it was only the eighth time in baseball history that a team either won the World Series or clinched a trip to the World Series with a walk-off home run.
• Eric Stephen notes that it was a beautiful moment for a beautiful player. Stephen also mentions a Baseball Prospectus podcast from 2011 that I remember being the first time I had heard of Altuve.
• Tom Verducci reports on Altuve’s Game 6 heroics and notes that good things come in small packages.
• Richard Justice looks back at Houston signing Altuve for $15k in Venezuela. Everyone overlooked him because of his height, but A’s third base coach Al Pedrique, then a scout for the Astros, told his bosses the kid was special. He was right.
• Ken Rosenthal writes that Altuve optimizes all that is good about baseball. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Tim Brown takes a larger look at Game 6 and notes that it encapsulated all that is right with baseball while at the same time, highlighted its many flaws.
• Here’s why the Astros didn’t tear off Altuve’s jersey when he crossed home plate.
• Mark Townsend has five reasons the Astros are going to the World Series. But they only won four games. Is he counting just one ALDS game?
• Astros reliever Ryan Pressly, who left Game 6 with “right knee discomfort,” says he should be good to pitch in the World Series.
• Ian O’Connor notes that in the new Astros/Yankees rivalry, the Astros have been the dominant team because they’re the better run organization. He also blames former commissioner Bud Selig for moving the Astros to the American League.
• Mike Axisa looks at four big mistakes the Yankees made that cost them Game 6.
• Before Altuve became the hero, it looked like Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu was going to be the hero with his game-tying two-run home run in the top of the ninth. Travis Sawchik notes that LeMahieu has a lot of similarities to Yankees legend Derek Jeter.
• For the first time since 1910 to 1919, we have a decade where the Yankees won’t be going to the World Series. Of course, that’s interesting but simply a trick of the calendar. The Yankees were previously absent from the World Series from 1965 to 1975 and 1982 to 1995.
• Stephanie Apstein writes that the Yankees neglected to strengthen their starting rotation and that’s why they’re going home before the World Series.
• Mike Mazzeo agrees that the Yanks problem is starting pitching and that it’s time to stop making excuses and sign free-agent-to-be Gerrit Cole.
• David Schoenfield has some expanded thoughts about what’s next for the Yankees. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• Zach Kram notes that the Yankees rebuild/reload arrived ahead of schedule, but now it’s in danger of going off the rails. He also suggests signing Cole this winter.
• Before we move on to the World Series, there was sad news yesterday as umpire Eric Cooper died at age 52. The baseball world mourns his passing and we send our condolences to his friends and family.
• Now to preview the Big Show starting tomorrow. Bradford Doolittle has five reasons that the 2019 World Series should be special. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• A big reason is that the Nationals and the Astros both have the two best starting rotations in all of baseball. At least from the standpoint of the top three pitchers on each team that will likely get six of the seven starts should the Series go a full seven games.
• Marc Normandin notes that in a season that offense and home runs went wild, it’s notable (and “redeeming”) that the two teams in the World Series did it with dominating starting pitching.
• Craig Edwards notes how remarkable the number of innings Justin Verlander has thrown over the course of his career.
• Mike Petriello compares the Nationals and Astros, position-by-position.
• Gabe Lacques notes with these two starting rotations and all the recent talk of sign-stealing and pitch-tipping, this is going to be one paranoid World Series. It’s too bad Robert Redford has retired. Sounds like just the kind of paranoid conspiracy thriller he would have starred in years ago.
• The oddsmakers have spoken and the Astros are the biggest favorites in a World Series since the 2007 matchup between the Red Sox and Rockies.
• Dayn Perry writes that history doesn’t say that the extra rest that the Nationals got will hurt them.
• Richard Justice notes that Houston native, Rice alumnus and Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon has been a legend in his hometown for a long time. Now he’s looking to break all their hearts.
• Ben Walker remembers what it was like to cheer for the Washington Senators.
• Jacob Bogage goes to Montréal to see how Expos fans are dealing with the former Expos making the World Series. Ambivalence, mostly, but some did transfer their loyalty to the Nats.
• Minor League Baseball president Pat O’Conner says that Minor League Baseball will defend itself from MLB’s proposal to eliminate up to 42 minor league teams. (The Athletic sub. req.) And if you don’t know what this is about, read my piece from Friday.
• Keith Law is mostly in agreement with MLB’s proposal to eliminate many teams, (ESPN+ sub. req.) although he thinks MLB is being a little heavy-handed going about it. As much as I don’t want to see minor league teams eliminated, Law does have a point that it’s hard to see the rationale for the continued existence of the Appalachian League, and a few teams in other leagues as well. The problem is getting rid of the franchises that probably should go away without cutting teams that deserve to stay.
• Jayson Stark speaks with Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper who says he has no regrets signing with Philadelphia and he’s thrilled and rooting for his former teammates in the World Series. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• John Tomase lists five teams that the Red Sox could trade Mookie Betts to.
• The whole city of Houston is behind the Astros. Here’s the NFL’s Houston Texans re-enacting Altuve’s home run with football equipment.
• The Texans also wore Astros clothing on their road trip to their game in Indianapolis on Sunday.
• James Harden and Russell Westbrook from the NBA’s Houston Rockets were sitting behind home plate and cheering for the Astros in Game 6.
• And finally, Hannah Keyser does an investigation and concludes that the Astros have the best-dressed fans in the game.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. There will be baseball tomorrow.