World Series Game 4: Eventually Everything Rhymes

 

An extra-inning game happening on the 15th anniversary of David Freese's walk-off-, in a Game 4 that began with Brett Phillips throwing out a first pitch. The universe set the table. The possibility of recurrence was there. The Rays delivered.

Wild game, first of all. Griffin Jax and Dustin May doing surprisingly nice starting jobs is proof that the starting pitching job should not die off in the playoffs, as much as many teams want to keep using openers. The Rays found the guy who the Brewers had trouble with, and it was somehow Griffin Jax, who, along with the bullpen, shut out basically every hitter except for Cooper Pratt. Hamilton had a homer, Chourio broke a record, but if it wasn't for Pratt's 4-for-5 day, this wouldn't have been close. It was a full-club pitching effort that the Rays needed. It will exhaust them going forward, but it was worth it to keep the Brewers at bay.

This also exhausted the Brewers' bullpen, as once it was down to Shane Drohan, the only real pitcher that anybody's had fun with this month, the Rays struck, getting everybody on base, the tying run home and the Williamson single to win it, not hurt by more Brewers errors. They pushed on this team til the good relievers were used, and it sets up a Game 5 that will live and die by starting pitching. Jacob Misiorowski will likely get the ball for Milwaukee, and the Rays might have to go with Drew Rasmussen on short rest. The idea is to strike while the fatigue is hot and force a Game 6 without getting overly exhausted themselves. When they needed the help, the Rays got great work from Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca, and Chandler Simpson, and someone like infield whiz kid Ben Williamson could be the hero. Now...Junior Caminero was walking a little funny to end the game, and there may be something amiss with the star third baseman, which is not a good thing heading into another do-or-die game, but this was a game the Rays won with contact work, and if they can locate that same stuff again, they could bring this back to Milwaukee.

This series felt predictable for approximately 5 seconds, then the Rays broke it open and kept the fun going. It'll be interesting to see how Game 5 goes, and who'll come out on top there. I'm still pulling for Milwaukee, but if this thing keeps going I won't exactly complain.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2025: Mariners

 

It was a pipe dream that became a reality. 'What if the Mariners caught fire, took the West and made a run?' It'd be cool if it happened. Switch-hitting catcher hitting 60, that was already a thing. Maybe it was possible. And sure enough, this Mariners team stopped the Tigers from making it deep, and nearly caught the Jays. With Julio, Randy, Cal, Jorge and Logan all doing what they were brought here to do, the Mariners finally seemed like they were fulfilling the promises of so many lost seasons. With Dan Wilson at the helm, there's firmer footing, and there's a big chance this team can rule the West going forward.

Victor Robles was looking to repeat his surprise 2024 success, then got hurt a week into the season. So his output was ultimately kind of limited, but he did show up in a few spots for the Ms. He hit .245 in 32 games for the Mariners, with six steals and some slightly limited defense.

2026 Prediction: Who even knows with this guy? He's almost never been good when his team has needed him to be. Maybe he has a decent year, I dunno if it'll be starting.

Before the Eugenio Suarez deal, the Mariners used rookie Ben Williamson as a 3rd base option. Williamson was average, hitting .253 without much to show for it and having 21 RBIs in 85 games. 

2026 Prediction: Might get to start once or twice, but unless he really levels up and acclimates to the majors, he's not gonna have much of a role here. It also has to do with...

...foundational rookie prospect Cole Young, who got plugged in at 2nd as Polanco took more reps at DH. Young similarly struggled at the plate, hitting only .201 in 77 games. Even if the Mariners really want this guy to succeed, they used a different young second baseman in October.

2026 Prediction: Of Williamson, Young and Rivas, Young will have the furthest reach, and it'll start with a breakout 2026.

One of the best middle relief pieces in Seattle this year was Eduard Bazardo, a 29-year-old who had failed to click with Boston or Baltimore but somehow found a place here. This year Bazardo was very sharp, going 5-0 with a 2.52 ERA and 82 Ks in 72 games. In the playoffs he struck out 13 in 12 innings, getting his first postseason win.

2026 Prediction: Slightly lesser numbers but same amount of reps.

The guy who saw the most time at 2nd this postseason for Seattle was another young guy, Leo Rivas, a 27-year-old second year who got 48 games and wound up as the victor thanks to a .244 average and a .721 OPS. The playoffs brought a ton more cool moments from Rivas, with a very crucial RBI against Detroit.

2026 Prediction: I'm not sure how much staying power he has, but until they figure out what the proper formula is, they're gonna need pieces like Rivas to test out.

And even in a season where the starting catcher did the unthinkable, there was still room for a rookie backup, organizational favorite Harry Ford, no doubt a lock for UK's WBC team next year. Ford got 8 games in the MLB this September, and got his first MLB hit and RBI, then went 1 for 1 in a postseason at-bat. Unfortunately, Raleigh's incredible season spelt doom for any notion of Ford being the starting catcher in Seattle anytime soon, and the M's dealt him to Washington for Jose Ferrer.

2026 Prediction: This is what Ford needed. In Washington, his biggest rivals will be Keibert Ruiz, who was once a promising prospect but hasn't accomplished much at all, and Riley Adams, a professional backup. I think he will ascend to everyday catcher and be the next piece of the Nats rebuild. 

Coming Tomorrow- The Marlins, as bad as they were, were still entertaining, and I have a bunch from their season.