Yankee Stadium, NY — From a pure fan perspective, this World Series has been a dud. Game 1 in Los Angeles was a classic, but Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam crushed the hearts of Yankees fans and stole the thunder from the vaunted Bronx Bombers bats.
World Series Brings Highest Viewership Since 2017
Two games later and the LA Dodgers, MLBbro manager Dave Roberts and star player Mookie Betts are on the verge of winning the franchise’s second World Series since 2020. It’s the matchup everyone wanted and despite the one-sided results, the series is averaging 14.55 million viewers, the best numbers since 2017.
As far as the MLBbros are concerned, it was a win-win situation. There’s a combined seven MLBbros on World Series rosters this season. The Yankees have five with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm, Trent Grisham and Stro Show. The LA Dodgers have Mookie Betts, ace Black Jack Flaherty and Roberts is leading the way. It’s been years since we have had that kind of melanated representation.
Giancarlo Stanton has six homers in 12 games this postseason as Aaron Judge has suffered through a treacherous stretch that laid waste to his dreams of leading the Yankees to the promised land this season. But Playoff Stanton’s been front and center. According to former WFAN radio legend and avid Yankees fan Mike Francesca, appearing on Mad Dog Russo’s radio show, Stanton has already solidified his Hall of Fame status with 429 career homers and 17 more in the postseason.
Jazz Chisholm is batting .167 in these playoffs, but he is getting his first taste of NY Yankees playoff life. If he sticks around, he will be competing for something every season and will get his chance to shine on the big stage.
Dave Roberts & Mookie Betts Building MLBbro Hall of Fame Legacies
Dave Roberts and Mookie Betts’ legacies will benefit most by closing out the NY Yankees sooner rather than later.
Roberts will become the second Black manager in history to win two World Series titles, joining Cito Gaston. Mookie Betts will win his third World Series title and second since Boston discarded him after he won an MVP and brought them a championship.
Mookie is batting .291 with four homers and 14 RBI in these playoffs. He’s been typically sensational with the glove and could win World Series MVP. He surely would deserve team MVP for the way he held down the shortstop position, graciously accepted Shohei Ohtani into the fold, even if his own popularity suffered, returned from his wrist injury and proceeded to be the MVP caliber leader he’s always been.
Boston hasn’t come close to a World Series since Mookie was shipped out after the 2019 season. The LA Dodgers have been perennial contenders, and it appears as if they are going to breakthrough with another title. Now we can stop all of the discussion about whether or not Dave Roberts is the guy to lead the Dodgers. All he does is win.
Everyone knows the LA Dodgers would rather close out the World Series back home in Game 6 in front of the fans. Major League Baseball probably wants that scenario as well. The entire Yankees organization wants to avoid a sweep at this point and Aaron Judge probably wants to extend the series as long as he can to get more chances to redeem himself.
MLBbros Will Make More Noise Before World Series Ends
There’s still much at stake for all the MLBbros. Will Marcus Stroman get a chance to make an appearance? The usually raucous Yankee Stadium crowd didn’t have much to get excited about before Alex Verdugo hit a two-run blast late that gave the pinstripes some hope to avoid a sweep in Game 4.
Regardless of how this shakes out, the MLBbros are continuing to edge their names in the history of baseball, among the elite to ever do it at their position. Shohei Ohtani’s presence on the LA Dodgers and his impact on MLB and his 54-59 season definitely helped elevate the media hype surrounding the team. He will walk away with his third MVP award this year (won in 2021 and 2023 with LA Angles) and join the legendary MLBbro Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVP in both leagues.
You’re a two-time World Series champion, an American League MVP, an eight-time All-Star, a six-time Silver Slugger award winner, a member of the 30-30 club, part of three All-MLB first teams and these aren’t even half of your accolades.
You’re smack dab in the middle of your prime and still one of the most dangerous hitters In Major League Baseball today with a batting average of .303, 15 bro bombs, 62 RBI and 65 runs scored for the World Series favorites. You’re also known for being clutch.
Sunday August 25, 2024; Mookie Betts #50 of the Dodgers during the game. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays by the final score of 3-1 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Kevin Reece for MLBbro.com)
It’s the tenth inning, you’re up 3-2 with a runner on base. You’re standing on the on-deck circle when something happens. They don’t pitch to the person in front of you; they walk him intentionally… to get to you.
Sure, that person is Shohei Ohtani, but something isn’t adding up. When it comes to the LA Dodgers lineup. You pick your poison.
The “Respect” Won’t Be Tolerated from Betts
That feeling you just felt is a little something called disrespect. That had to be the feeling MLBbro Mookie Betts felt on Tuesday night, when Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington decided to walk Shohei Ohtani to try his luck at getting Betts out instead.
“You’re picking your poison when you deal with the first three hitters (Ohtani, Betts, Freeman). I wasn’t going to let Ohtani swing there, and I have all the respect in the world for Mookie Betts.” Washington said via Bally Sports West.
We get that it’s Sho… but walking anybody to get to #MLBbro Mookie Betts just doesn’t sit right with me 🤷🏾♂️ https://t.co/8IW6Bbx9yi
As Rapper Jadakiss would say that sounds good… but it’s not enough. The Angels would pay for this showing of “respect”. On the first pitch Mookie would hit a 3-run homer to blow the game wide open for the Dodgers.
Be Careful What You Wish For
“Yeah, that doesn’t happen often so I kind of black out.” Mookie would say about the strategy of fellow MLBbro Washington. “They walked Sho to get to me, and I was just like alright I mean, if that’s what you want.”
"You know, they walked Sho to get to me, and I was just like, alright." Mookie Betts with @kirsten_watson on his 3-run homer in the 10th. pic.twitter.com/7FbEB94h5W
In fairness I understand the strategy of walking Shohei Ohtani (who’s having a monster season on pace to become the first member of the 50/50 club). Here’s the thing. I understand it, if it’s to anybody EXCEPT Mookie Betts.
“I was hoping Contreras could make a pitch, get a ground ball, and get us a double play and keep the game at (2). First pitch, he left in the middle of the plate and up, and Mookie didn’t miss it. That’s what he gets paid for” Washington would say about the homerun.
Indeed, this is a scenario where MLBbro Mookie Betts gets paid to show up in. Unfortunately for the Angels, it was their turn to pay the tab.
Lawrence Butler was not only named the American League Player of the Week, thanks to his second three home run game of the year and a .500 average, he also set an A’s franchise record with nine straight games with an extra base hit. The “Law Dawg” is becoming a superstar right before our eyes as he takes the top spot on Week 22 of our #HighFive list.
1. Lawrence Butler “Law Dawg”
Things seemed to click for Lawrence Butler right before the All-Star Break when he hit his first career three homer game on the final Sunday against the Phillies.
Ever since, Butler has been playing at a superstar level and this week he earned his second American League Player of the Month award this season, becoming one of six Athletics ever to win the award twice in a season.
Last Thursday Butler became the third player age 24 or younger with multiple three home run games in a season, joining Ralph Kiner and Mookie Betts.
In total, Butler had six home runs, drove in 10 runs, had three doubles, stole two bases and slashed .500/.517/1.767 to clinch the award.
His Athletics continue their final month as a franchise this weekend when they welcome the Tigers to Oakland for the final time.
2. Josh Naylor
After a lackluster July and August, Josh Naylor stepped his game up this week with multiple hits in four of six games including two three-hit games to take the two spot on our #HighFive List.
After homering on Labor Day for the 29th time this season, he is only one blast away from joining the 100 RBI-30 home run club for the first time in his career. This week Naylor along with fellow All-Star Jose Ramirez became the first pair of Major League teammates to each reach 100 RBI.
In his last seven games he is slashing .429/.467/.679 with eight RBI, a homer and a stolen base.
3. Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Through 26 games as a Yankee, Jazz Chisholm is showing to be one of their better trade deadline additions for New York in recent memory.
Over that stretch he has a .333 average, 1.007 OPS, scored 22 runs, stole 11 bases and nine home runs, almost more than the 13 he had in 101 games with the Marlins this year.
“He is a better player than I knew,” said Yankee manager Aaron Boone.
“Defensively his instincts have been good as well as on the base paths. He is a really good player that may just be scratching the surface.”
Chisholm had four straight games this week with multiple hits and over his last seven games he has a .462 average with a .500 OBP and six steals.
4. Mookie Betts
Monday August 19, 2024: (Photo: Kevin Reece MLBbro.com)
Mookie Betts made the Angels pay for the ultimate disrespect Tuesday with a three-run bomb in the 10th to put the game on ice.
It becomes pick your poison when facing the top three MVP hitters in the Dodger lineup and Tuesday, Ron Washington decided Ohtani was not going to be the one not to beat them.
With a runner on second they intentionally walked Ohtani to go at Betts. The rest, like they say, is history.
“They walked Sho for me and I was like alright if that is what you want,” Betts told reporters postgame.
Betts has hits in 10 of his last 11 games and has driven in 10 runs in his last seven games and posting a .360 average.
5. Jack Flaherty “Blackjack”
Jack Flaherty made a statement by shutting down the Diamondbacks in his first start as a Dodger against the National League West.
He got the win after throwing 5.2 innings and gave up only one run on five hits and seven strikeouts.
Since joining the Dodgers, the same team he grew up rooting for in his hometown of Los Angeles, Flaherty is 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA and 41strikouts in 34 innings.
His next start will be Sunday against one of Blackjack’s familiar foes, Josh Naylor and the Cleveland Guardians.
Aaron Judge is the leader in the American League MVP. Judge made history in recent weeks with his 300th career bro bomb and is the youngest Yankee to do so. Of course, the American League is stacked with heavy hitters in the race such as Gunthar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr, and even his own Bronx teammate Juan Soto are all in the conversation.
With all those big names in the convo, we could be looking at a two-time MVP. The 2022 season was Judge’s MVP season where he broke the AL home run record and carried a batting average of .311. This year, he is on pace again for 60 home runs; his batting average is through the roof at .331.
Hurlers don’t even want to pitch to him, which is why his walk rate is at a career high as well.
Aaron Judge is on easy street, but the National League race is up in the air. The Los Angeles Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani leading the conversation. Mookie Bett is just now getting back from the injury that he obtained near the All-Star Break, so he’s fallen out of the race. Ohtani has surpassed him since then.
Betts, however, returned from his injury in MVP form, even hitting a game-tying double to left field, which inspired fellow Bro Jason Hayward to hit a three-run home run to win the game. Betts coming back and producing like he never left, is all the more reason why his name will always at least be mentioned. Betts won the AL MVP back in 2018 when he was playing for the Boston Red Sox and won a World Series title that year.
Betts and Judge are both searching for their second MVP award, in the very near future we could be witnessing two Black Major leaguers win this award which hasn’t been done since 1993 (Frank Tomas & Barry Bonds).
These two will continue to carry their teams to plenty of wins and World Series contention. The New York Yankees and Dodgers are also favorites to meet in the World Series, so you know the Bros will continue to bring their A-game to the field.
Mookie Betts has returned to the LA Dodgers lineup. Does that mean they will cakewalk to the World Series? Is there enough pitching? Manny and Mark go at it on #Debatable
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