Emptying out the notebook after eight days on the road covering the World Series:
⋅ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a five-time All-Star with a $500 million contract, so it’s not like he needs an introduction. But this postseason felt like his arrival on the big stage.
His performance on the field was outstanding, but Guerrero also let his personality show. He has welcomed the attention that comes with getting to the Series, and played with a smile.
After he homered off Shohei Ohtani in Game 4, Guerrero acknowledged it was an important moment for him.
“I respect Ohtani a lot,” he said. “I know basically myself and him, we are the talk of the Series. But when we are between those two lines, we’re competing. It felt good that tonight I could hit that homer against him.”
Guerrero appeared on Fox after the game and had fun with it, trading comments with David Ortiz.
“I’ve waited all my career for this,” Guerrero said. “I want to enjoy it. It’s the World Series, but once the game starts you’re playing the same game.”
⋅ Alejandro Kirk doesn’t look much like a professional athlete at 5 feet 8 inches, 245 pounds. But the Blue Jays signed the 26-year-old catcher from Mexico to a five-year, $58 million extension for a reason.
Kirk puts the ball in play, striking out only 59 times in 451 at-bats this season. He also hits for some power and is an excellent defensive catcher. Kirk was credited with nine defensive runs saved this year.
“He’s just so steady. That’s one of the many things we love about him,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
⋅ Schneider did the right thing by intentionally walking Ohtani four times in Game 3, three times with nobody on base.
MLB has improved the game with some of the rules changes in recent years. Is it time to consider intentional walks?
It would add more strategy to the game to give a manager one intentional walk a game instead of an unlimited amount. Yes, a pitcher could just work around a hitter. But that still creates an opportunity for something to happen.
Just something to think about.
⋅ The Dodgers need outfield help. Their standard alignment this season was Michael Conforto, Teoscar Hernández, and Andy Pages. Conforto had a .637 OPS and was left off the playoff roster. Pages hit well in the regular season, then tanked in the postseason.
As a group, Dodgers outfielders had a .714 OPS during the regular season, ninth in the National League.
The easy fix would be throwing money at free agent Kyle Tucker. But they also could match up on a trade with the Red Sox, who have a surplus of outfielders.
The Dodgers have two good outfield prospects in Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope. But winning teams can’t always trust prospects.
⋅ The Blue Jays traded productive outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and well-regarded catching prospect Gabriel Moreno to the Diamondbacks for outfielder Daulton Varsho before the 2024 season.
Toronto then sent prospects to Cleveland for Gold Glove shortstop Andrés Giménez before this season. Gimenez had $88.8 million remaining on his contract at the time.
Prioritizing defense paid off the Blue Jays.
“We talk about both sides of the ball all the time,” general manager Ross Atkins said. “We also felt that those guys are good offensive players [and] really good base runners.
“So the complete nature of those players is what was so attractive. Is defense exceptionally important to us? Absolutely. But for us, it’s always about the complete player. Maybe we have placed more value in defense subconsciously. But for us it’s always been about the whole player and what that means and how it impacts our ability to win.”
Varsho has given the Jays 11.3 bWAR in three seasons thanks to his defense. He was a Gold Glove center fielder in 2024. Gimenez was a slightly below-average hitter this season and dealt with injuries but provided high-level defense at second base.
⋅ Clayton Kershaw did something unprecedented in Game 3: He pitched in extra innings.
The 37-year-old lefthander entered in the 12th inning to face Nathan Lukes with the bases loaded. It took eight pitches, but Kershaw retired Lukes on a slow grounder to second base in what proved to be his final appearance at Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw said he had never thrown a pitch in extra innings in his career. Research showed that was true for 455 major league games, 40 prior postseason games, and 64 minor league games.
Kershaw said it also never happened in high school or any other level.
⋅ Excitable boy Max Scherzer became the first pitcher to appear in the World Series for four teams (Tigers, Nationals, Rangers, Blue Jays). Lonnie Smith is the only position player to have done that (Phillies, Cardinals, Royals, and Braves).
Smith had an .815 OPS in 32 World Series games and won three rings.
⋅ Kiké Hernández looked cooked when the Red Sox traded him to the Dodgers in 2023. He was struggling at the plate and the Sox dumped him for two minor league pitchers who didn’t stick around for long.
He’s only had a modest .661 OPS with the Dodgers since but has been worth 1.9 bWAR and started 30 postseason games.
“Playoff Kiké” is a real thing. He has a career .707 OPS in the regular season and .844 in 101 postseason games.
⋅ Dodger Stadium makes Yankee Stadium seem like a library with the relentless barrage of noise before and during games.
There’s the ballpark DJ and two in-stadium announcers who take turns pleading with fans to make noise.
Literally pleading.
“We need to show them what’s it like in LA. Get loud,” yelled the announcer during Game 4.
After a while, the fans seemed to ignore it.
In Game 5, as the Dodgers were going down to defeat, the announcer was angry as fans were headed for the parking lots in the eighth inning.
“If you’re still here you’re a real Dodgers fan,” he yelled.
For a ballpark that leans heavily into its history with retro signage everywhere, it’s jarring. The park looks like it did in the 1960s, but sounds like a techno club in Hollywood.
Maybe less screaming would bring in more fans. The Dodgers had nine home games in the postseason and only sold out five. Some major league team should try a “Less Noise Night” and see if that brings people in.
⋅ Magic Johnson threw out the first pitch before Game 5, which is fine. Everybody likes Magic.
But how could the Dodgers not find some prominent former player to do the job? Davey Lopes, Mike Marshall, Mike Scioscia, somebody.
You’d never see Larry Bird throwing out a first pitch before a World Series game at Fenway Park.
The funny part was the announcer saying, “Thanks for being here, Magic.”
Thanks for being here? He’s a part owner of the team.
BRING ’EM UP?
Sox have pitching prospects who could move fast
Baseball is a copycat sport and the Blue Jays may have lit a path for the Red Sox and other teams to follow.
The Blue Jays’ fast-forward development of 22-year-old righthander Trey Yesavage is proof that pitchers can be deemed ready for postseason starts in six months.
Yesavage opened the season in the Single A Florida State League and reached Triple A Buffalo by mid-August. He had a 3.12 ERA in over 98 innings in 25 minor league games and made his major league debut on Sept. 15.
He had a 3.21 ERA in three starts for the Blue Jays and was 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA in five postseason starts, including that gem in Game 5 of the World Series.
Yesavage was a first-round pick in 2024. The Red Sox took college pitchers with eight of their first 10 picks in June. Could Kyson Witherspoon, Marcus Phillips, or Anthony Eyanson follow the same aggressive path?
Witherspoon is viewed as the best possibility given his advanced skills. He was 10-4 with a 2.65 ERA in 16 starts for Oklahoma.
The Sox were aggressive with Payton Tolle this season, promoting him after only 20 minor league games and 91⅔ innings. He had a solid debut but allowed nine earned runs over 11 innings in the six games that followed.
Phillips has a big fastball and could present himself as a bullpen candidate for the major league team in 2026.
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
⋅ The Sox have an interesting decision to make this coming week on Lucas Giolito.
The righthander is eligible to receive a qualifying offer of $22.02 million. If he accepts, Giolito would be under contract for 2026. If he declines, he becomes a free agent, but his value would be bruised.
Signing a player who rejects a qualifying offer brings penalties contingent on whether the team pays the competitive-balance tax on its payroll or is a revenue-sharing recipient.
The question is whether Giolito is worth $22.02 million. He was 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts this season and pitched 145 innings.
At 31, Giolito is a No. 3 or 4 starter on a contending team. But he has proven he can succeed in Boston and was a positive clubhouse presence.
He’s a good candidate to receive an offer. The Sox would happily take a one-year contact on a reliable starter. If not, they’ll take the draft pick.
⋅ Aroldis Chapman endeared himself to Sox fans this season with how well he pitched. Now it turns out he hates the Yankees, too.
“No. Not even if I was dead,” Chapman told the “Swing Completo” podcast when asked if he would ever pitch for the Yankees again. “If you sent me to New York, I’d pack up my things and go home right now. And I’m done. I’ll retire.”
Chapman pitched for the Yankees from 2016-22, with the exception of a three-month stint with the Cubs in 2016. Chapman was a three-time All-Star in New York and a member of four postseason teams.
His tenure ended poorly in 2022, when Chapman skipped a workout before the start of the Division Series and was left off the roster. He had been replaced as closer that season and among other issues went on the injured list with a leg infection that was the result of getting a tattoo.
“I felt very disrespected,” Chapman said. “I put up with a lot of things that whole year. I knew they wanted me out. I knew they wanted that. They wanted to get rid of me, but they didn’t know how. And I just endured it silently. Playing badly, but I did what I always do. I carried the same attitude.”
Chapman said manager Aaron Boone was a friend but “the bosses upstairs” were an issue.
Counting the postseason, Chapman faced the Yankees eight times this season and allowed one run on six hits over 8⅓ innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks.
ETC.
Here’s what comes next on the baseball calendar
Here are some important dates on the baseball calendar that will be coming up after the World Series.
Players without contracts for 2026 become free agents the day after the World Series ends. They cannot sign with a new team until 5 p.m. Eastern time on the fifth day after the Series ends.
Player or team options must be decided within five days following the end the World Series. That same deadline applies for teams to extend a one-year qualifying offer of $22.02 million.
Nov. 10-13: GM Meetings in Las Vegas.
Nov. 10-13: BBWAA awards (Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young, and MVP) are announced on MLB Network.
Nov. 18: 4 p.m. Eastern time deadline to accept qualifying offers.
Nov. 18-20: Owners’ meetings in New York.
Nov. 21: Final day to offer contracts to unsigned players on 40-man rosters, known as the nontender date.
Dec. 7: Hall of Fame announces results of Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee vote.
Dec. 7-10: Winter Meetings in Orlando.
Dec. 10: Rule 5 draft in Orlando.
Dec. 15: Current international signing period closes at 5 p.m. Eastern time.
Jan. 8: Salary arbitration figures exchanged.
Jan. 15: New international signing period opens, 9 a.m. Eastern time.
Extra bases
Looking for a manager? Try the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League. Blue Jays manager John Schneider played for now-retired Chatham manager John Schiffner, as did new Nationals manager Blake Butera when he was at Boston College. Schiffner thought both would have careers in baseball once they were done playing. “You could see it in them,” he said. Schneider made his way up as a minor league manager. Butera managed in the minors for the Rays from 2018-22, before becoming a field coordinator and senior director of player development. Butera also coached in the Australian Baseball League and in the Dominican Winter League, along with serving as bench coach of Team Italy in the 2023 World Baseball Classic under Mike Piazza. At 33, Butera will be the youngest manager since Frank Quilici was 33 when he became manager of the Twins in 1972. Butera is the son of Barry Butera, an outfielder who was drafted by the Red Sox in 1977 and played four seasons in the minors … The Giants paid a steep price for new manager Tony Vitello. His three-year contact is worth $10.5 million. The Giants also paid the $3 million buyout to escape his contract at the University of Tennessee and are paying off $4 million on former manager Bob Melvin. Add it all up, and it’s not much for a starting pitcher but pricey for three years of a manager … It’s hard to take the MLBPA’s Players Choice Awards seriously when Kyle Schwarber was voted the National League’s Most Outstanding player over Shohei Ohtani. Schwarber had a terrific season, with 56 home runs and 132 RBIs. But he played only 66 innings in the outfield and finished with 4.7 bWAR. Ohtani had 55 homers, 102 RBIs, and a 2.87 ERA over 14 starts when he pitched. He had 7.7 bWAR … Double A Portland started single-game ticket sales on Saturday. Go to seadogs.com for information. If you haven’t been to Hadlock Field, it’s a great place to catch a game … Happy birthday to Coco Crisp, who is 46. Covelli Loyce Crisp played parts of 15 seasons in the majors from 2002-16, including 368 games for the Red Sox from 2006-08. Crisp had power (130 home runs) and speed (309 stolen bases) and appeared in 43 postseason games. The Sox acquired Crisp before the 2006 season as part of a seven-player trade with Cleveland. He was tasked with replacing Johnny Damon, who had signed with the Yankees as a free agent. A broken finger limited his impact in 2006, but Crisp was 3.3 bWAR player for the 2007 championship team thanks to his skill in center field. That included a terrific running catch in the Fenway Park triangle to end the American League Championship Series. But Crisp had only two at-bats in the World Series after being supplanted by rookie Jacoby Ellsbury. Crisp was the primary center fielder in 2008, then was traded to the Royals after the season. He has stayed in baseball doing some amateur and minor league coaching.
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.