Outside The Confines: Bernie Brewer claims a new victim

Happy Friday BCB friends! We’re just going to jump right into the links today, with some stories about the Rangers' massive house-clearing; why the Umpire Association is needing to clear the air about home plate collisions; what major milestones we might get to witness before the season ends; and ending up with a reporter taking a slide in Milwaukee and ending up in a cast... but it’s somehow hilarious?

All that and more to start your Friday off right.

• Michael Harris is going to be in a Braves uniform for the foreseeable future. Story by Dan Szymborski.
• Jon Miller has been living under a rock and only recently learned about Wordle, and it blew his mind. Story by Henry Palattella.
• Jim Bowden looks at the most underrated player on each playoff contending team. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• The Umpires Association is speaking out regarding the home plate collision rule, writes Jesse Rogers.
• Why is that necessary, you might ask? Well, Austin Hedges had some words for them.

• Mets rookie Brett Baty (man, that’s a good baseball name), made a splash in his MLB debut hitting a home run in his first at-bat, shares Nick Selbe.
• The Astros absolutely annihilated the White Sox, 21-5. (ESPN)
• Ben Clemens looks at the big managerial shuffle happening with the Texas Rangers.
• Levi Weaver thinks the way the Rangers handled things lacked decency and respect. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Veronica Alvarez was only filling in as manager for the Lansing Lugnuts, but she managed to make history doing it, as the first female manager of the team and getting her first managerial win as well. Story by Stephanie Sheehan.
• I know, I know, no one wants me to post Cardinals news, but Albert Pujols did have a pretty “grand” 690th career home run, shares John Denton.
• Speaking of... Pujols’ potential to hit 700 home runs is just one of the milestones we’ll be watching for in the final months of the season.
• Will Laws wonders if the six-man rotation is the way of the future.
• Eno Sarris assesses which starting pitchers improved the most this season and which ones are poised to do it next year. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• I’m sorry, WHAT?

• Drew Rasmussen was nearly perfect this week for the Rays, and Ben Clemens digs into the cutter that helped turn him into an unstoppable force.
• Two no-hitters in one game? Sam Dykstra looks at the DSL’s unique matchup.
• Dellin Betances has announced his retirement, reports Daniel Chavkin.
• On Monday I shared a video of Rays reporter Tricia Whitaker going down the Brewers slide and having a pretty rough landing. Well, Dodgers broadcaster David Vassegh has her beat, as he suffered multiple fractures going down it this week. JR Radcilffe points out that while the end result might sting, watching Vassegh go down is pretty hilarious. And even The Athletic got in on sharing the viral video. You can judge for yourself if it was worth a few broken bones here:

And if that wasn’t enough, it gets better, as his legacy is now etched on the wall at the bottom of the slide.

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