{"id":206936,"date":"2025-10-07T14:12:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/206936\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T14:12:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:12:07","slug":"nlds-heading-toward-2-quick-series-plus-can-you-name-these-league-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/206936\/","title":{"rendered":"NLDS heading toward 2 quick series. Plus: Can you name these league leaders?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB<\/a> newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Are we getting two NLDS sweeps? Plus: Ken has notes on the Yankees\/Blue Jays, and I look at a few select league leaders. I\u2019m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!<\/p>\n

Inevitable?: Dodgers take 2-0 lead over Phillies<\/p>\n

Dodgers 4, Phillies 3<\/a><\/p>\n

For the first three games and eight innings this postseason, it appeared the Dodgers had shaken off the complacency of the post-championship regular season, ascending into their final unstoppable form.<\/p>\n

Blake Snell was dominant (again) in Game 2: six innings, one hit, nine strikeouts (albeit with four walks). And after Phillies starter Jes\u00fas Luzardo had looked unhittable for six innings, L.A.\u2019s offense broke out for a big four-run seventh, breaking the scoreless tie.<\/p>\n

All that was left was for Dave Roberts \u2014 after surfing the rogue wave of a Dodgers bullpen for the last month \u2014 to choose from his new selection of starters-turned-relievers. Emmet Sheehan pitched the seventh and eighth, and Roki Sasaki was ready to\u2014 hang on, what?<\/p>\n

Blake Treinen? The guy with the 9.64 September ERA? OK sure, one more for old times\u2019 sake.\u00a0Three hits and two runs later, the Dodgers\u2019 4-1 lead was down to 4-3, and Nick Castellanos was on second base with no outs. Roberts came to his senses and brought in Sasak\u2014 hang on, no, sorry. It was Alex Vesia.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Dodgers fans, Roberts was not the only manager making head-scratching decisions in this moment. It was Rob Thomson\u2019s turn.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bryson Stott attempted a sacrifice bunt to move the tying run to third. Credit to the Dodgers infield for a\u00a0game-saving wheel play<\/a>, but still: It was a total backfire, with Castellanos thrown out at third. So when pinch-hitter Harrison Bader singled, it\u00a0did\u00a0put runners at first and second, but it\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0tie the game.<\/p>\n

Vesia followed by getting Max Kepler to ground into a fielder\u2019s choice, and with runners at first and third, two outs and the Phillies still trailing by a run \u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026 well, then it was time for Sasaki. He got Trea Turner to ground out.<\/p>\n

Even when the Dodgers falter, it seems, they\u2019re still on track for a relatively easy second round.<\/p>\n

Ken\u2019s Notebook: Notes from Blue Jays-Yankees<\/p>\n

Nathan Lukes\u2019 journey:\u00a0Spent 10 years in the minors and considered retiring after the 2021 season. Lukes\u2019 wife, Taylor, had just given birth to their first child, a daughter named Remy. He told Taylor he would see how minor-league free agency went, then decide whether he wanted to keep playing. He ended up with the Jays, and the following winter, general manager Ross Atkins called him with the news he had made the team\u2019s 40-man roster. \u201cThat\u2019s the golden ticket,\u201d the 31-year-old outfielder said. He hasn\u2019t considered retiring since.<\/p>\n

Ben Rice\u2019s breakout year:\u00a0Yankees hitting coach James Rowson said Rice\u2019s regular season was even more impressive than it looked on the surface. Rice at times has hit into poor luck, and his expected numbers reflected just how much he crushed the ball. His average exit velocity was in the top 5 percent of the league. His expected slugging percentage was in the top 3 percent. Rice is not simply going off natural ability. Rowson raved about Rice\u2019s preparation, saying, \u201cFor such a young hitter, he\u2019s light years ahead of where most guys with his time would be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blue Jays hitting coaches:\u00a0Daulton Varsho is one of many Jays who credits the team\u2019s first-year hitting coaches, led by David Popkins, with helping him break through this season. Varsho said the Jays\u2019 hitting group excels at helping players refine their approaches, offering each hitter individualized attack plans for each pitcher. The coaches are also adept at identifying and correcting small mechanical flaws quickly. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t take them two weeks or a month,\u201d Varsho said. \u201cIt takes them two days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Caballero\u2019s bizarre trade deadline:\u00a0When the Rays lost three position players to injuries at Yankee Stadium the day of the deadline, Yankees GM Brian Cashman feared they might resist trading Caballero. But the Rays had two other shortstops, Ha-Seong Kim and Taylor Walls, making Caballero expendable. They scratched him from their lineup, telling him he was about to be traded. He then had to enter the game as an injury replacement in the fifth, but was removed in the seventh, after which he could be seen hugging his Rays teammates in the dugout. To add to the strangeness: He was traded to the team the Rays were playing \u2014 the Yankees.<\/p>\n

Ernie Clement\u2019s vindication:\u00a0The A\u2019s released him in March 2023, seeing Clement as most other teams did \u2014 as a good-glove, light-bat utility guy who was not necessarily irreplaceable. Clement proved them wrong. He finished second on the Jays this season with 35 doubles and emerged as a candidate to win a Gold Glove as a utility player. He also torched the A\u2019s for the second straight year. Since getting released, he has batted .391 against them with a 1.070 OPS.<\/p>\n

More Yankees\/Jays:<\/p>\n

Dingers: Brewers go up 2-0 on Cubs<\/p>\n

Brewers 7, Cubs 3<\/a><\/p>\n

It has been asked for months now: Can the Milwaukee Brewers\u2019 style succeed in the postseason? They just don\u2019t hit very many home runs, you know?<\/p>\n

But after winning Game 1 by a 9-3 score despite being out-homered 3-0, the Brewers tried a different tactic in Game 2: \u201cWhat if we just \u2026 hit a bunch of home runs? Just to try it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first was by Andrew Vaughn, who matched Seiya Suzuki\u2019s first-inning three-run homer with one of his own. Then William Contreras hit a solo shot in the third, giving Milwaukee a lead. And for good measure, Jackson Chourio \u2014 in the lineup after all \u2014 hit a three-run blast.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re keeping track, you\u2019ll have noted by now:\u00a0All seven of the Brewers\u2019 runs scored on home runs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Jacob Misiorowski, playoff reliever, was something to behold. After posting a pedestrian 5.36 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) in the second half, he came out\u00a0hot\u00a0last night. In his first inning of work, all 13 of his fastballs were over 100 (topping out at 104.3) while his slider hit 98 mph, and his curveball \u2014\u00a0curveball!\u00a0\u2014 was 89.6 mph.<\/p>\n

He finished with three scoreless innings, striking out four while allowing one hit and two walks. And the rest of the Brewers bullpen was equally up to the task, allowing zero hits over the last four innings.<\/p>\n

The series now goes to Chicago, with the Brewers holding a commanding 2-0 lead.<\/p>\n

I Looked It Up: Guess these league leaders<\/p>\n

You know the big ones: Cal Raleigh (60) and Kyle Schwarber (56) had the most home runs, Trea Turner (.304) and Aaron Judge (.331) were batting champs, and Paul Skenes (1.97) and Tarik Skubal (2.21) led their leagues in ERA.<\/p>\n

But after every season, I like to look at a few other stats just to see if there\u2019s anything interesting. Try to guess these players before reading any further.<\/p>\n

bWAR:<\/p>\n

AL: Aaron Judge (9.7)
NL: Cristopher S\u00e1nchez (8.0)<\/p>\n

Yeah, I also would have guessed Shohei Ohtani (7.7). But S\u00e1nchez went 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA, striking out 212 batters in 202 innings. (FWIW, FanGraphs\u2019 version of the stat has Ohtani leading the NL at 7.5.)<\/p>\n

Triples:<\/p>\n

AL: Jarren Duran (13)
NL: Corbin Carroll (17)<\/p>\n

Carroll\u2019s 17 are the most triples anyone has hit since Jos\u00e9 Reyes in 2008 (19). Since then, there have been quite a few years when the league leader only had single-digit triples.<\/p>\n

Stolen Bases:<\/p>\n

AL: Jos\u00e9 Caballero (49)
NL: Oneil Cruz\/Juan Soto (tie, 38)<\/p>\n

I know. We did a quiz on this already. But it\u2019s just so wild to me that Soto \u2014\u00a0whose previous high was 12 \u2014 led the league in stolen bases before he ever led the league in home runs.<\/p>\n

Pitcher win\/loss percentage:<\/p>\n

AL: Max Fried (.792 \u2014 19-5)
NL: Quinn Priester (.813 \u2014 13-3)<\/p>\n

Not Skenes, not S\u00e1nchez, but Priester! Fun fact: Since 1937, when Johnny Allen went 15-1 (.938 winning percentage), only two pitchers have crossed the .900 mark, and they both did it in\u00a0the same year!\u00a0That was 1995, when Greg Maddux (19-2, .905) and Randy Johnson (18-2, .900) did it.<\/p>\n

Shutouts:
Thirteen guys tied at one.\u00a0(Hint: Welcome to 2025!)<\/p>\n

Handshakes and High Fives<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s games:<\/p>\n

Mariners at Tigers \u2014 series tied 1-1
Logan Gilbert vs. Jack Flaherty, 4:08 p.m. ET, FS1 (you can stream on Fubo \u2014\u00a0try for free<\/a>)
\nBlue Jays at Yankees \u2014 Toronto leads 2-0
Shane Bieber vs. Carlos Rod\u00f3n, 8:08 p.m. ET, FS1<\/p>\n

Britt Ghiroli has the rundown on\u00a0where the manager carousel stands<\/a>, including a few front-runners for some of the jobs.<\/p>\n

Steve Buckley says this was the\u00a0most entertaining Red Sox team<\/a>\u00a0in recent years, while Jen McCaffrey focuses on\u00a0what the team hopes to address<\/a>\u00a0this offseason.<\/p>\n

Tim Britton examines the possibilities for the Mets at different budget levels<\/a>, while Aaron Gleeman does a\u00a0similar-but-more-depressing exercise<\/a>\u00a0for Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Our collectibles crew ranks\u00a0the coolest cards of 2025<\/a>, so far.<\/p>\n

On the pods: The \u201cRates & Barrels<\/a>\u201d crew looks back at the huge weekend for the Blue Jays, and the other DS matchups.<\/p>\n

Most-clicked yesterday: Ken\u2019s column on\u00a0the Yankees\u2019 waning chances<\/a>\u00a0to maximize Aaron Judge\u2019s peak.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love The Windup? Check out\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":206937,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-206936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}