Let me begin with President Donald Trump, for he is on the cover of the current Time magazine.
His biggest problem today? Says he won't be extorted by Democrats to end the government shutdown, which tomorrow will tie the record of 35 days his administration set in 2018-2019.
His record will also be tested tomorrow when several states vote. His unpopularity in these races has kept him away, but his funding assistance will be helpful to Republicans. He does have a tele-rally for those governors races tonight at 7PM EDT. Interesting that, while he has endorsed Ciattarelli, he has not quite officially said so for Earle-Sears.
- The most watched is for Mayor of New York City.
- Pits 34-year-old state Democratic lawmaker Zohran Mamdani against former state governor 67-year-old now independent Andrew Cuomo and 71-year old Republican Curtis Sliwa.
- At last check, Mamdani held a +14.7 point lead over nearest rival Cuomo.
Two are for governor.- In New Jersey, one poll shows Democrat Mikie Sherrill leading Republican Ciattarelli 51-43. There is a sense that this race is narrowing, even though Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by 2-1.
In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger is leading Republican Winsome Earle-Sears 55 to 44. Virginia has never before had a female governor.- Republicans have been gerrymandering like crazy for a very long time. Democratic states are finally pushing back, and California has Proposition 50 to make electing Democrats to House next year easier. This could well give California five more Democrats in the House. About the House of Representatives, one forecast has it returning to Democratic control in 2026.
The Los Angeles Dodgers somehow managed to sneak by the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series to become the Major League Champion, a repeat for the first time in a quarter century. I've been citing Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated the past week, so will send you to him again.
The hero Saturday night was Will Smith, who hit that walk-off 11th inning homer.
But I'll select two human interest stories worthy of your memory.
- One hero was Dodger Miguel Rojas, who on leaving home on Saturday for Game 7 receiving from his wife Mariana a kiss and a message: You're going to hit a home run today.
- He chuckled, because she did had done the same before every post-season game.
- Rojas had two problems, for he hardly started and did not have a hit in 31 days.
- But Saturday was to be very different:
- “I am 100% sure you’re going to hit a home run in this game,” she said. “You have to believe it. You have to trust in God that this is going to happen for us.”
- So came the bottom of the ninth inning with one out, Rojas came up to bat with the Dodgers behind 4-3.
- Count was two balls and two strikes.
- Rojas took the next pitch...ball three.
Mariana was in the stands and happened to look at the digital clock in right-center field. The numbers glowed 11:11. Our number, she said.- Oh, Shohei Ohtani was the next batter, so Toronto closer Jeff Hoffman just had to throw a strike.
- Rojas is not a long-ball threat, especially against breaking pitches from righthanders, like Hoffman. Three homers in 3,696 pitches. What are the odds of another?
- Rojas hit the next pitch farther (387 feet) and harder (104.9 MPH) than any of his previous homers. It was the swing of his life.
- Maria? Miguel crossed home plate and pointed toward her in the stands.
“But I was screaming and crying,” she said, “so I really didn’t know. ... It was like I felt God is telling me, ‘I told you it's going to happen, and you have to have your faith in me no matter what happened.’ Because it looked like everything was lost. It’s amazing. God is amazing.”
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw 96 pitches in Game 6 of the World Series on Friday night, the previous day. Allowed one run, and won the game.
- He decided not to celebrate that night because he was thinking about Game 7....could he possibly contribute?
So he arrived the next afternoon at Rogers Centre, 2PM, for the 8PM start of Game 7.- With Mark Prior, former star pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, who is now in his 5th season as the Dodgers pitching coach, Yamamoto in the outfield tried a long toss to see how his arm felt.
- Said Prior, most guys can't lift their arms the next day.
- Said Yamamoto, I don't know how much I've got, but I can give you something. All I need is to be given enough time to warm up.
But going way back to the 17th inning of Game 3, two days after Yamamoto threw a World Series complete game for the win, he gave Manager Dave Roberts a look that showed eagerness. Roberts was thinking about using Miguel Rojas (there was no one else left) in the next inning if the Dodgers did not score. So he told Yamamoto to go warm up. Turned out that Freddie Freeman hit a home run to end the game in the 18th. Yamamoto was not needed.
So late in this 7th Game, Yamamoto gives Roberts that same look. Yamamoto again is asked to warm up in the bullpen.- Rojas hit that ninth inning homer to tie the game, 4-4.
In the bottom of the 9th, Toronto had two runners on and one out.- Yamamoto was summoned to pitch. Remember that he had just pitched six innings the previous night and won that game for the Dodgers.
- He hit Alejandro Kirk, bases loaded.
- Daulton Varsho bounced a hard grounder to Rojas, who stumbled, but somehow recovered to throw home to Smith to barely force an out. Two outs.
Then Ernie Clement hits a long fly ball just over the head of left fielder Kike Hernandez in left center field that seemed headed for the wall to score two runs for the win. Out of nowhere comes Andy Pages, just inserted into center field that inning for defense purposes, who shows up in time, jumping for the series winning-catch. There are many heroes. Manager Roberts is prescient.
Bottom of the 10th inning, Yamamoto is back, and has a 1-2-3 inning. Returns to the dugout and says to Roberts, Daijoubu, meaning I'm good in Japanese. Roberts is half-Japanese. He was born in Okinawa to a local girl and an African-American father who was stationed there.- Top of the 11th, Smith hits his home run, Dodgers lead, 5-4.
- Bottom of 11th.
- Yamamoto is back still again.
- The person who would have won the Most Valuable award if Toronto was victorious, Vlad Guerrero, opens with a leadoff double.
- Gets sacrificed to third base. One out.
- Addison Barger gains a walk. Men on first and third.
Alejandro Kirk hits a ground ball to Mookie Betts, who steps on second base and throws to Freddie Freeman for a double play. Guerrero scores, but, so what, three outs, score doesn't count, so the Dodgers win the 2025 World Series.
Back in 1926, Grover Cleveland Alexander won World Series Game 6 for the Cardinals and saved Game 7 the next day. Randy Johnson won Game 6 for the Diamondbacks in 2001 and Game 7 the next day. Yamamoto joined them in World Series tireless excellence in crunch time. Said Prior, “He’s been in his zone for this last month. And we’re just kind of the beneficiaries of being able to watch as fans, as coaches, as people who support him. It’s pretty special. He cares about winning.
- Yamamoto selected as 2025 World Series MVP.
- You know, after reading this article, I'm beginning to think that the most valuable person for the 2025 was Dave Roberts. They call him Doc because his initials are DR.
Third championship next year to match the Yankees in 1998, 1999 and 2000? They will then call it the Yo, Ro and Sho Show, all from Japan. The most likely Japanese player to join the Major Leagues in 2026 is 26-year old slugger Munetaka Murakami, a left-handed power hitter, having a single-season record of 56 home runs in 2022, also winning the Triple Crown that year. It would be so unfair for the Dodgers to have him next year at third base. Anyway, Mu would not rhyme with Yo/Ro/Sho.
Saturday Night Live was live on Saturday, so here is the cold opening.
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