Outside The Confines: Championship Series edition

Happy Monday, BCB readers!

It is a fine, brilliant fall day here, and also happens to be Canadian Thanksgiving, so I’m going to keep my intro short and sweet. We saw some nail-biting baseball played on Friday evening as the Rays became the final team to win their way into the Championship series, securing a slot opposite the Houston Astros for this week’s series.

That series kicked off yesterday with the Rays taking the first win in the best-of-seven series. Meanwhile the Braves and Dodgers will face off in Houston (how weird is that, with the Astros playing in San Diego?) as the NLCS gets under way.

In a season that has been bizarre to say the least, it’s actually nice to be experiencing a postseason that has now, finally, settled into someone recognizable and incredibly exciting.

Let’s look at what the great minds of baseball wrote for us this weekend.

• Joe Posnanski remembers the late, great Whitey Ford, who passed away late last week. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Want to know what those involved at the inner levels of MLB have predicted for the postseason? Rob Biertempfel has some anonymous insights. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Buster Olney shines a spotlight on the incredible postseason pitching that has helped get the Braves as far as they have this year.
• Ben Clemens isn’t sure if the Braves work matters, because the Dodgers are such a fearsome foe.
• Nick Selbe, likewise, admits it’s hard to believe any team could beat the Dodgers this season.
• Yoan Moncado admits he hasn’t felt like himself since getting COVID earlier this year, reports Dayn Perry.
• Tony Wolfe takes a look at the incredible home run Mike Brosseau hit off of Aroldis Chapman to help the Rays win the ALDS (and maybe get some revenge).
• Zach Kram also has a piece about the unlikeliest Rays hero.
• And while we’re on the topic of that incredible Rays win, Eno Sarris is covering their postseason beat, and has a great piece on all the brilliant ways the Rays got to where they are now. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Sean Doolittle has figured out the perfect description for Tyler Glasnow.

• Dusty Baker breaks down the fine art of MLB managing for Rustin Dodd and Brittany Ghiroli. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• ESPN looks at what comes next for all the eliminated postseason clubs.
• Clair McNear bids a very fond farewell to the incredibly fun 2020 Padres.
• Emma Baccellieri has three key questions that will help decide the NLCS champions.
• And if you though SI would forget about the AL, Matt Martell has three key questions that will help decide the ALCS champions.
• What if the Phillies had won game five of the 2011 NLDS, wonders Meghan Montemurro. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• What have we learned so far from the 2020 postseason? ESPN has answers.
• Freddie Freeman’s son is ready for the NLCS.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.