The Dodgers have punched their ticket to the World Series and await the winner of Game 7 between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners tonight. Despite having the best record in the majors this season,
the Milwaukee Brewers could not overcome the pitching prowess of the Dodgers, with their four starters of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani giving up a combined two earned runs and 35 strikeouts. Ohtani also continued to rewrite the record books, with three homers in addition to his six shutout innings in Game 4 to send the Brewers home.
The ALCS has been a much more back-and-forth affair, with the road team winning the first four games. It’s been more of a slugfest between the two teams, rather than shutdown pitching, with the Mariners hitting 12 homers and the Blue Jays having 10 homers. Game 7 will feature George Kirby pitching at home against Shane Bieber.
The Past Week on Twinkie Town:
- Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
- Zach Koenig reminds us all of why Johan Santana probably should be a three-time Cy Young winner (and a Hall of Famer).
- Brandon Brooks checks on the state of the AL Central in the Rival Roundup after no teams made the Championship Series.
- If you’re bored during the offseason, James Fillmore has an idea: How about a movie night?
- Zach Koenig looks back at one of the bright spots of 2025 – Byron Buxton.
Elsewhere in Twins Territory:
- After the trade deadline cleaned out the bullpen, Theo Tollefson at Zone Coverage looks at what relievers from St. Paul could fill that void.
- The Twins have started interviewing candidates for their open managerial position, which includes fan favorite Nick Punto. Dan Hayes at The Athletic has more on the search ($).
- Bobby Nightengale at the Star Tribune evaluates the 2025 Twins’ defense.
- Matthew Leach at MLB.com chronicles how Kaelan Culpepper has developed into a solid hitter in his time in the minors.
In the World of Baseball:
- According to reporter Joon Lee, the Dodgers have already made back the entirety of Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract just from ticket sales, marketing deals, and merchandise.
- Per Jeff Passan and Pete Thamel at ESPN, the San Francisco Giants plan to fill their vacant managerial position with University of Tennessee coach Tony Vitelo. Vitelo led the Volunteers to the College World Series title in 2024, but has never worked in the pros.
- Jomboy breaks down Max Scherzer’s less-than-cordial response to John Schneider’s mound visit in Game 4 of the ALCS.
- Even in a losing effort, the Brewers, and more specifically Sal Frelick, pulled off an 8-6-2 double play that may never be replicated.
- Also, in case you were wondering, the Mariners have $164 million payroll while the Blue Jays have a $225 million payroll. The Mariners rank 15th and the Blue Jays rank 5th in the majors in total payroll.
