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LOS ANGELES — They couldn’t move at first, almost in a state of shock, then looked around at one another, gasped and finally started making their way to the middle of the field.

It happened.

Really, it happened.

The Milwaukee Brewers, the Lil' Team that Could, pulled off one of the most stunning four-game sweeps in baseball history Thursday, ousting the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and ending their title dynasty at Dodger Stadium with a 6-4 victory.

The Brewers, for the first time in 44 years, are going to the World Series, with Brewers play-by-play announcer Jeff Levering screaming over the air: "The Brewers win the pennant! OH MY God, the Brewers win the pennant! The World Series will go through Wisconsin."

"This still doesn’t feel real," said a dazed Jake Bauers, MVP of the National League Championship Series. "This definitely feels like a movie. I don’t even know where I’m at right now."

MORE: Brewers end agonizing World Series drought, halt Dodgers dynasty with NLCS sweep

What we know: The Dodgers lost. Their season is no more. Their three-peat dream has been dashed. Their winter is upon us.

What we don’t know: What the future holds, in what could be a turbulent winter for the Dodgers and for all of Major League Baseball.

Here are four things we don’t know about the Dodgers, but well worth keeping an eye on:

Shohei Ohtani

Just three short months ago, we wondered whether Ohtani would win his fifth most valuable player award and his first Cy Young Award. Has the time come for the Dodgers to consider curtailing his pitching?

As the Dodgers trudged through the playoffs, we endured daily drama over where in the lineup Ohtani would bat (first, second, fourth, fifth or sixth) and what he could produce despite playing through multiple injuries.

We’ll soon get a better understanding of those injuries, and whether rest, rehabilitation and/or surgery might be recommended for each one. We’ll also get a better sense of what the future might hold for Ohtani as a two-way player, and for his potential to perform at an elite level on both sides of the ball.

Read more:Commentary: The Dodgers had everything needed to three-peat. This is why they failed

Ohtani said he plans to resume pitching next year. He is 32. He just completed his 14th professional season.

Ohtani has pitched more than 132 innings once since 2016, when he was 22 and playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters.

In his three seasons with the Dodgers, this was the first that did not involve rehabilitation from elbow surgery. He started 14 games before a knee injury prevented him from pitching any more this season.

Payroll

Major league owners are poised to shut down the sport this winter, in pursuit of a salary cap designed to restrain the Dodgers, since they won’t restrain themselves.

The owners’ initial proposal set a salary cap of $245 million next year. The Dodgers already have $347 million committed to 14 players next year, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

Under a cap, the owners have promised a transition period to account for existing commitments, and an actual negotiated cap could be higher.

Even if the players do not agree to a cap — and they insist they won’t — whatever economic system that would emerge from collective bargaining would be almost certain to make it painful for the Dodgers to spend so freely.

Whatever the case, the Dodgers could face the kind of difficult roster choices they often have papered over with money this decade. Two closers for $141 million? Good luck with that.

And would they be able to fit soon-to-be free agent Tarik Skubal into their payroll? Skubal might well sign before the lockout is expected to start in December, but there is nothing agent Scott Boras loves more than pitching a marquee free agent to a new owner. The two other Southern California teams — the Angels and San Diego Padres — both have one.

Age

When Andrew Friedman made his name as the general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, he did it in large part by taking advantage of one market inefficiency within the American League East: He beat up on the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees because they were stuck with rosters crowded with aging stars on big contracts. The Rays couldn’t have done that even if Friedman had wanted to.

He didn’t want to do it too much in Los Angeles, because it compromises roster flexibility. But, after seven National League West titles and no World Series championships, ownership went all in: Mookie Betts (12 years, $365 million), Freddie Freeman (six years, $162 million), Ohtani (10 years, $700 million), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12 years, $325 million), Tyler Glasnow (five years, $137 million), Blake Snell (five years, $182 million), Will Smith (10 years, $140 million) and Kyle Tucker (four years, $240 million).

It worked: three rings in six years. Now the bill comes due.

The Dodgers fielded the oldest group of position players in the major leagues this season. Ohtani and Betts are under contract through their age-39 seasons; Smith will be 38 when his deal’s up, Yamamoto and Max Muncy 37, Snell 36, Glasnow 35.

Something to watch this winter: Freeman is 37, signed through next year. He would like to play until 40 and finish his career here. That would take a two-year extension. Would the Dodgers say no?

Ownership

Mark Walter’s insurance empire is under investigation by federal authorities — and the subject of discussions with state regulators — over allegations the businesses he controls failed to properly follow laws designed to protect investors.

Walter’s company has denied wrongdoing, and neither Walter nor his businesses have been charged with a crime. He is, however, a defendant in multiple civil lawsuits in which insurance policyholders claim he and several of his companies committed fraud and breach of contract.

Walter may need more than $20 billion to satisfy regulators by recapitalizing insurance companies. He abruptly sold the Lakers in August, in a deal that valued the team — not just Walter’s controlling interest — at $12.5 billion. He and fellow Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly also sold a small stake in English soccer club Chelsea FC last month for about $1.27 billion, the Financial Times reported. It is uncertain how Walter would provide the rest of the money for recapitalization.

Read more:Dodgers' three-peat dream dies with Game 4 NLCS loss to 'relentless' Brewers

“Regarding the Los Angeles Dodgers, to be clear, the team is not being sold,” Walter’s holdings company said in a statement last month.

It is uncertain whether a resolution with insurance regulators would satisfy the Department of Justice, which reports to President Trump. In July, when the Dodgers visited the White House, Walter presented Trump with an official World Series championship ring with his name engraved on it. He also sold the Lakers to former Disney chief Bob Iger and venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law.

Major League Baseball is monitoring the situation and could conduct its own review after the state and federal matters are concluded.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

“He was the prototype for what they wanted us to be…They showed us a video of him striking out 15 people in Akron…they’re like ‘this is what we want you guys pitching like’.” – Parker Messick

“He’s, like, one of the best people ever…I saw him in Spring Training of ‘22, and I was like this is the best pitcher I’ve ever seen.” – Tanner Bibee

Mason Horodyski of News 5 Clevelandhas been along for the ride with the Guardians this season, and within this season-long journey, he, along with many others, including the esteemed Zack Meisel, have helped capture the sights and sounds of the odyssey of Daniel Espino. Many of the quotes you will see are from Mason’s social media pages.

On April 23, 2022, Daniel Espino struck out 14 batters in five innings in Double-A Akron. Just six days later, Espino made what would be his final appearance of the season. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he’d go over three years before doing that again. Espino hit the injured list, initially with patellar tendinitis, but a sore shoulder created a longer, more drawn out complication. On May 2, 2023, the meteoric rise of a former first rounder and baseball’s fastest rising pitching prospect was struck down in an instant. Espino underwent right shoulder anterior capsule surgery, and his life changed forever. Espino would undergo another surgery on the same pitching shoulder to the same capsule, as well as his labrum, the following May, and the once burgeoning future ace of Cleveland was staring down the barrel of his career possibly ending.

On September 20, 2025, after 1,241 days, multiple surgeries, and an intensive rehabilitation process, Daniel Espino took the mound in a game once again. Espino pitched two-thirds of an inning in Columbus, notching his first strikeout in over three years, and the tears were visible from the moment he walked off the mound.

Coming into Spring Training, there was palpable hype surrounding Espino. It was the first time in four years that he’d be entering a Spring camp healthy, working on actual development rather than focusing on just rehabilitation. It culminated in a pair of outings, and his second outing generated a lot of buzz. Espino ran his esteemed fastball, once capable of touching 101, up to 98, striking out three Padres. That ended Espino’s Spring Training outings, but the sense of positivity and proximity stirred.

For much of the early portion of 2026, Espino was on a very strict workload. He never pitched more frequently than every third day in Columbus. When June came around, Espino was pitching well. His command was touch and go, largely due to the inconsistent workload his injury history had forced upon him, but Espino went from touching 98 mph in Spring Training to sitting 98 in Triple-A. On June 12, Codi Heuer was sent down to Triple-A, and the single most significant debut since Francisco Lindor was about to happen; Daniel Espino finally got his call. On June 17, Espino made his debut against the Brewers, relieving a struggling Gavin Williams. He faced Garrett Mitchell, and in five pitches, Espino struck him out with a fastball. 99.5 mph. Espino then faced Cooper Pratt, and Pratt met the same fate, also via the fastball. 100.3 mph. After getting David Hamilton to fly out and as Espino walked off the mound, the camera panned to Espino’s emotional mother, cheering for her son.

Espino was asked about his reaction to finding out about his promotion.

“Crying. I was crying a lot. It’s been…” Espino had to pause, noticeably choked up, “…it’s been emotional days.”

Espino lost his father, Danilo, in 2023 to prostate cancer, and if you ask Espino, every bit of positive attitude and perseverance he displayed during his battle back to the mound came from the heart and strength his father showed during his battle with cancer.

Espino’s first trip around the majors was mostly successful. The only blip came in Houston when he surrendered his first home run. It’s also notably the first time in his career he had pitched on just one day’s rest. Even still, Espino was still largely on a strict protocol as the Guardians continued to both preserve and track the health of that right shoulder. On July 3, Espino was sent back to Columbus in favor of fellow rookie Franco Aleman. Espino, now with a taste of MLB on his tongue, went back to Columbus and dominated. From July 5 to September 1, Espino posted a 2.00 ERA across 18 innings, and in August, he ran a 31.7% strikeout rate. On September 3, as rosters expanded, Espino was recalled, and immediately the workload thickened.

Espino was asked to go multiple innings in a couple of his outings, and he even opened a few times. In his first appearance back, Espino tossed two scoreless frames in the 7th and 8th innings against the Tigers in a game Cleveland won via walk-off from Travis Bazzana. Cleveland, now in the thick of a division chase, was calling on Espino in all kinds of roles. Stephen Vogt and co. wanted to see how Espino could handle the different situations, including opening for Joey Cantillo in a must-win game in Boston where the Guardians blanked the Red Sox, 1-0, and then turning around the next day and pitching in Kansas City, his first back-to-back ever. Espino passed both tests with flying colors. Of course he did, it’s Daniel Espino.

Cleveland’s medical and training staff are as good as it gets, and Espino will tell anyone who listens about just how important they were in his recovery. They, along with the hard work from Espino himself, something that his coaches and teammates will tell anyone who listens about, saw Espino make Cleveland’s ALDS roster against the White Sox. His role was unknown, but his success as an opener for Joey Cantillo made the decision for him to start Game 3, with Cleveland down 0-2, an easy one for Stephen Vogt.

“You bet on the person in times like this,” Vogt stated, “and obviously we’ve seen his stuff, but what Daniel’s been through, there’s nothing that’s gonna rattle him or shake him.”

Espino pitched in Game 1, relieving Parker Messick with a runner on in the 5th inning. Espino induced a crucial double play to keep the deficit at 2-0. Espino surrendered a run in his Game 3 opening, but the bats picked him up this time, and Cleveland went on to win the final three games of that series, advancing to the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Enter Game 1 against Tampa Bay, and the bullpen trust tree of Stephen Vogt thus far this postseason consisted of getting the ball to Tim Herrin, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, and ultimately, Cade Smith. However, a looming seven game series meant Vogt had to extend a branch down from that tree for the sake of his best arms, and Daniel Espino grabbed on. After Foster Griffin surrendered two defense-aided runs in the 1st inning, he got through the next three frames strongly, but with the top of the Rays lineup looming, Vogt wasn’t going to let Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, and Junior Caminero see Griffin again. Vogt brought in Espino for the 5th inning to face Tampa’s terrifying trio. This fireman role had largely belonged to Colin Holderman, but wrist surgery took Holderman out of Vogt’s dealing deck for the entirety of the Postseason, and someone had to step up.

Espino toed the rubber to face former Cleveland first baseman Yandy Diaz. First pitch fastball, 97.9 mph above the zone. Diaz swings and misses. Second pitch fastball, 98.3 mph up and in the zone, fouled off. Third pitch fastball, 99.1, swing and a miss, strike three. Aranda was up next, and he worked a 3-2 count, but a 90.1 mph slider from Espino had Aranda looking foolish, and he struck out as well. Then came Junior Caminero, the infamous former Guardians prospect, destined for a top-5 AL MVP finish. Espino wasn’t phased at all. A first pitch curveball missed badly, so Espino and catcher Patrick Bailey adjusted.

No changeup, no curveball…you know the rest.

Espino rifled off four fastballs, each one higher than the last, all 98+ mph, and Caminero stood no chance, striking out to end a pivotal inning. This was the first time that trio had struck out consecutively all season, and of course it was against Daniel Espino.

Stephen Vogt has a newfound fireman, and it happens to be the guy with the best fastball on the team. Espino, after years of uncertainty, finally made it to the big leagues, and after months of preservation and experimentation, has found his role and is thriving just in time for the biggest games of his life.

Game 3 found Espino in a familiar spot. After Petey freakin’ Halpin gave the Guardians a 3-2 lead with the bat flip heard ‘round the world, Vogt pulled Gavin Williams and went to Espino for the 6th inning, again for Diaz, Aranda, and Caminero. Espino induced a weak flyout from Diaz, touching 101 on the out pitch. He didn’t throw a fastball under 100 the rest of the inning. Espino overpowered Aranda into an 0-2 count and induced a foul pop-out. It was once again his time with Caminero. In three pitches, Espino announced himself firmly to the national stage, blowing fastballs of 100.6, 100.6, and 100.3 past Caminero, each fastball higher than the last, with Caminero striking out swinging at a ball by his eyes.

Espino mean mugged his way off the mound, bridging his scoreless frame into scoreless outings from Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, and ultimately Cade Smith. The Guardians now have a 2-1 lead in an ALCS few people gave them a chance of winning, but that’s exactly how this team wants it, and those are the odds Daniel Espino has been proving wrong for four years now. Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis marvels at Espino, both as a pitcher and person.

“He’s a man that has a tremendous amount of faith,” said Willis to Horodyski. “…He’s stepped up to every challenge, and we’re seeing it evolve right now. It’s not only a blessing but it’s really exciting to watch, and hopefully we’ll be watching it for a number of years.”

Despite setback after setback, Daniel Espino has become exactly what every Guardians fan dreamed he could be: a valuable piece to this team’s future and in October. Parker Messick called him “the prototype”, and he will serve as that in every possible way for this organization. Espino’s recovery path has proven to be foundational for fellow multi-arm surgery prospects in Justin Campbell and Jacob Zibin, but the human being that Daniel Espino is and how he handled adversity will serve as the blueprint for his teammates, present and future. As Espino settles into his new role, the Guardians find themselves two wins away from where The Prototype’s big league career began: on a mound in Milwaukee.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are no more. For the first time in three years, some other team is going to win the World Series.

The Brewers completed an emphatic four-game sweep of the two-time defending champions last night, rallying back from a 4-0 deficit to stun the Dodgers in L.A. one last time, a 6-4 decision that punched the Brewers’ ticket to the World Series for the first time since 1982.

The Brewers had been one of only three teams with a longer World Series drought than the Orioles (1983). Now that list is down to two: the Pirates, who last made it there in 1979, and the Mariners, who have never gotten to a World Series since the birth of the franchise in 1977.

Congratulations to the Brewers, a truly well-rounded team who had the best record in baseball during the regular season and have continued to prove their dominance in the playoffs. They can really hit, especially in the clutch. They play defense. They play good fundamental baseball. Their bullpen is sensational. And they’ve got the presumed NL Cy Young winner, Jacob Misiorowski, atop their rotation. It really feels like this year is the best chance they’ve ever had to finally win their first championship.

As for the Dodgers, I don’t think anyone will be shedding a tear over their elimination. Probably not even Dodgers fans. When you win two World Series in a row, you don’t get to complain when you can’t get a third. Although maybe I would feel differently if it were the Orioles in that situation. I’d love the opportunity to find out!

Meanwhile, in the ALCS, the pesky Cleveland Guardians took a 2-1 series lead over the favored Rays with another splendidly pitched effort. I will admit that I fully expected the Rays to run away with this series, considering the 13-game difference in their regular season records and the fact that Cleveland barely edged out a morass of mediocre teams in the final weeks of the season. But the Guardians got hot at the right time, going 9-2 in their final 11 games before rallying back from a 2-0 deficit against the White Sox in the Wild Card Series.

Can the Guardians pull off the upset? I wouldn’t hate that. I don’t have any particular disdain for the Rays (and their roster full of former Orioles), but those Cleveland fans have suffered for nearly 80 years without a championship, so it’d be nice if they can keep that dream alive for another round. Game 4 is scheduled for tonight at 8 PM ET, but the dicey weather forecast in Cleveland could put that in jeopardy.

Links

Povich undergoes elbow surgery, expected to be ready for spring training – School of Roch

For everyone clamoring to know what Cade Povich has been up to this offseason, you’ve got your answer.

A scout’s take: An evaluator with some interesting insights on Triple-A O’s players – Steve Melewski

In this case, all of the scout’s insights on O’s prospects are basically, “The Orioles screwed this guy up” and “This guy needs a change of scenery.” Not exactly encouraging!

What’s the biggest mistake the Orioles have made since 2024? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Kudos to Rich Dubroff for answering this succinctly in two paragraphs, as opposed to the novella-length response I would’ve had to this question.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day: second baseman Jonathan Schoop (35), pinch-running specialist Mike Dimmel (72), and the late left-hander Don Hood (b. 1949, d. 2023).

Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the Orioles’ most recent World Series title. On this date in 1983, the O’s blanked the Phillies in Game 5 of the Fall Classic, 5-0, to win their third championship in franchise history. The Orioles had only five hits in the game — three by Eddie Murray and two by Rick Dempsey — but two of Eddie’s hits were dingers, as was one by Dempsey, the World Series MVP. Orioles starter Scott McGregor took care of the rest, tossing a five-hit shutout, which ended with Cal Ripken Jr. memorably squeezing Garry Maddox’s line drive to shortstop to kick off the celebration.

On this date in 1971, the Orioles stayed alive in the World Series with a dramatic, walkoff win in extras in Game 6 in Baltimore. Trailing 2-0 in the late innings, the O’s tied the game on a Don Buford solo homer in the sixth and a Davey Johnson RBI single in the seventh. After Dave McNally — pitching in relief — escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 10th, the Orioles walked it off in the bottom half, as Frank Robinson walked, hustled to third on a single, and aggressively rushed home on a Brooks Robinson sac fly to win the game, tearing his hamstring in the process.

The Orioles also played World Series games on this date in 1969 and 1979. We don’t need to get into those.

Halfway to Halloween. Halfway to the World Series matchup being decided.

On to the links.

Phillies news

Don Mattingly wasn’t bothered by the Phillies’ overtures to Alex Cora. ($)
Trea Turner is still the Phillies’ shortstop. But if he doesn’t play up to expectations, a change could be made.

The Phillies talked to two franchise favorites about the manager job. ($)

And if you missed it, here’s TGP’s summary of Dave Dombrowski’s press conference.

MLB news

We’re on the verge of a Fall Classic between two small-market clubs. What does that mean for the future of the sport?

One curious stat from each franchise’s farm.

You may have heard of Teruaki Sato. He’s one of four Japanese stars who could be coming stateside soon.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Rodney Scott, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1971 – In the World Series, Brooks Robinson drives in Frank Robinson in the 10th inning of Game 6 to give Baltimore a Series-tying 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente does all he can to win the game single-handed. Stranded after his 1st-inning triple to the wall in left center, his 3rd-inning solo shot puts Pittsburgh up, 2-0. All of Clemente’s offensive contributions notwithstanding, the reason the game reaches extra innings is his defensive gem in the bottom of the ninth, a no-look, one-hop strike from Memorial Stadium‘s right field corner, 310 feet away, to catcher Manny Sanguillen, preventing the runner at first, running on contact on Don Buford‘s two-out double, from even attempting to score. By extending the game, Clemente’s throw will force Baltimore’s best player, Frank Robinson, to win this game with his legs, challenging the arm of centerfielder Vic Davalillo on two consecutive plays. In doing so, Robinson tears his left hamstring and aggravates an already damaged right Achilles tendon, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1909 – The Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series as rookie pitcher Babe Adams registers his third victory of the Series by beating the Detroit Tigers, 8-0, in Game 7.
• 1911 – In the World Series, pitchers Rube Marquard of the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Athletics’Eddie Plank are in command of a 1-1 game when Philadelphia’s Eddie Collins hits a RBI double in the sixth inning and Frank Baker bats a home run for a 3-1 victory. The Series is even after two games.
• 1912 – Fred Snodgrass drops a fly ball in the 10th inning that helps the Boston Red Sox score two runs and take the World Series from the New York Giants in eight games, including one tie.
• 1923 – Soon after Babe Ruth receives his World Series winner’s share of $6,160.46, insurance agent Harry Heilmann, who beat Ruth for the batting title by ten points, sells him a $50,000 life insurance policy. Beneficiaries are Mrs. Ruth and adopted daughter Dorothy.
• 1928 – Mickey Cochrane wins American League MVP honors, edging Heinie Manush by two points. Neither Babe Ruth nor Lou Gehrig is eligible, having won the award before.
• 1936 – Lou Gehrig, who hit .354 with 49 home runs, 167 runs, and 152 RBI, is voted American League MVP.
• 1962 – With the tying and winning runs in scoring position, Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants hits a hard line drive at second basemanBobby Richardson for the final out and the New York Yankees win Game 7, 1 – 0, for their 20th World Series title.
• 1969 – The New York Mets win their fourth straight game from the Baltimore Orioles with a 5-3 triumph behind pitcher Jerry Koosman, who throws a five-hitter, to take the World Series in five games. 
• 1974 – Pitcher Ken Holtzman, who hasn’t batted in the regular season because of the designated hitter rule, belts a third-inning home run off Andy Messersmith in Game 4 and gets the 5-2 victory. Rollie Fingers holds the Dodgers in relief and Oakland takes a 3-1 Series lead. Holtzman will remain the last pitcher in American League history to hit a home run at home until two-way playerShohei Ohtani rewrites the record book in the 2020s.
• 1975 – Tony Perez breaks an 0 for 15 slump with two home runs to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox in Game 5 of the World Series.
• 1976 – Pitchers Don Gullett and Pedro Borbon combine on a five-hitter as the Cincinnati Reds win the opening game of the World Series over the Yankees, 5-1. Three hits by Tony Perez and Joe Morgan with a home run supply the offense.
• 1977 – In the World Series, the Dodgers stay alive with a 10-4 victory in Game 5 against the Yankees. Steve Yeager and Reggie Smith hit home runs, and Don Sutton pitches a complete game.
• 1979 – Pittsburgh Pirates starter John Candelaria and closerKent Tekulve combine on a 4-0 shutout over the Baltimore Orioles as the Pirates send the World Series to its seventh game. Jim Palmer is the losing pitcher.
• 1983 – Eddie Murray hits two home runs and Scott McGregor pitches a five-hitter to give the Baltimore Orioles a 5-0 victory, its fourth straight over the Philadelphia Phillies, to give the Orioles the World Series championship in five games. Baltimore catcherRick Dempsey, who hit .385 with four doubles and a home run, is named the Series MVP.
• 1985 – Major League Baseball gets its first intrastate World Series since 1974, as the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals win their respective playoff series. Kansas City wins the ALCS with a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7, capping a comeback from a three games to one deficit. While at Dodger Stadium, Jack Clark hits a dramatic three-run home run off the Dodgers’Tom Niedenfuer with two outs in the top of the ninth inning and first base open, to give the Cardinals a 7-5 victory and a 4-2 Series victory.
• 1999 – The Boston Red Sox roll over the Yankees, 13-1, behind the strong pitching of Pedro Martinez. Nomar Garciaparra gets four hits for Boston, while John Valentin get five RBI. Garciaparra, Valentin and Brian Daubach all hit home runs for the Sox. The Yankees now lead the ALCS, two games to one.
• 2003 – The New York Yankees capture their 39th American Leaguepennant, beating the Red Sox, 6-5, thanks to Aaron Boone‘s 11th-inning home run off Tim Wakefield at Yankee Stadium. Boone becomes the fifth player to end a postseason series with a homer joining Bill Mazeroski (1960 WS), Chris Chambliss (1976 ALCS), Joe Carter (1993 WS) and Todd Pratt (1999 NLDS2).
• 2009 – The Yankees take Game 1 of the ALCS with a 4-1 win over the Angels at New Yankee Stadium. The Yanks take advantage of three Angels errors to score their runs, but the critical play is a two-out pop-up that falls untouched between 3B Chone Figgins and SS Erick Aybar in the first, allowing Johnny Damon to score the Yankees’ second run. CC Sabathia pitches eight innings for the win and Mariano Rivera gets the save.
• 2011 – The Cardinals complete their very unlikely run to the World Series by beating the Brewers, 12-6, in Game 6 of the NLCS at Miller Park. Series MVP David Freese opens the scoring with a three-run homer off Shaun Marcum in the 1st, but the Brewers once again manage to chase the Cards’ starter early, scoring four runs off Edwin Jackson in two innings. 
• 2014 – The San Francisco Giants win their third National Leaguepennant in five years by defeating the Cardinals, 6-3, in Game 5 of the NLCS.
• 2016 – The Dodgers even the NLCS at one win apiece with a 1-0 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Adrian Gonzalez accounts for all the offense with a solo homer off Kyle Hendricks* in the second inning, while Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen combine on a two-hitter.
• 2017 – The Yankees notch their first win in the ALCS by defeating the Astros, 8-1, in Game 3 at home. Three-run homers by Todd Frazier and Aaron Judge help New York build an 8-0 lead by the end of the fourth, and they cruise from there as CC Sabathia is the winner over Charlie Morton.

Cubs Birthdays:Kurt Seibert, Rodney Scott, Milo Allison. Also notable: Goose Goslin HOF.

Today in history:

• 1492 – Christopher Columbus‘ fleet anchors at “Fernandina” (Long Island, Bahamas).
• 1577 – Francis Drake sights land in the Philippines after crossing the Pacific Ocean aboard the “Golden Hind”.
• 1901 – Booker T. Washington and his family are invited to dine at the White House with Teddy and Edith Roosevelt, prompting condemnation from the South.
• 1909 – In his fourth title defense, Jack Johnson knocks out Stanley Ketchel in the 12th round at Mission Street Arena, Colma, California, to retain his heavyweight boxing crown.
• 1962 – Cuban Missile Crisis begins as US President John F. Kennedy is shown photos confirming the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba.
• 1968 – Americans Tommie Smith (gold, 19.83, WR) and John Carlos (bronze) famously give the Black Power salute on the 200 m medal podium during the Mexico City Olympics to protest racism and injustice against African Americans.
• 1985 – Intel introduces the 32-bit 80386 microprocessor chip.
• 2023 – Model of a Star Wars X-wing Starfighter used in a “Star Wars” film sells for over $3 million from the collection of Hollywood model maker Greg Jein.

*pictured.

Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. You can now call them, for the first time ever, your NL Champion Milwaukee Brewers! How about that series? We’ll have plenty of time to discuss things as we await an AL Champion, with the World Series set to begin in Milwaukee on Friday, October 23.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread: