An Ode to October Baseball

Good morning, everyone. Or should I say, “Good morning to everyone except fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers.”

Every morning is a good morning for Dodger fans. The rest of us who love baseball are out here hoping to enjoy the magic of October, yearning for the suspense and surprises of playoff baseball. But these darn Dodgers keep winning. And not just winning. This team looks unstoppable and almost superhuman.

They’re like the Goldman Sachs of baseball, with a payroll almost triple the size of the team they crushed in the National League championship, the Milwaukee Brewers. Even as the city of Los Angeles falters, its entertainment industry shrinking and its civic identity shaken, the Dodgers appear more exorbitant and unbeatable than ever.

As a lifelong baseball fan, I’m pleased to see postseason viewership at its highest in 15 years. I love the game for many reasons, but one is how it reveals a certain vulnerability. Baseball players are not as gigantic or as classically athletic as the stars of other professional sports. There’s an imperfection to them: They can be short, skinny, kind of chubby or kind of slow.

And they’re not covered in armor and headgear. We can see their expressions — pride, embarrassment, anger or elation — after a miraculous play or a humiliating stumble. That makes us feel as if we know them. It makes baseball’s characters, subplots and soap operas irresistible.

It’s why I’ve been so captivated by Pat Murphy, the Brewers’ manager. He’s a former boxer who has been married three times, survived a heart attack and alcohol addiction, and has Bruce Springsteen lyrics tattooed on his body.

It’s why I root for Cal Raleigh, the Seattle Mariners catcher. He’s nicknamed “the Big Dumper” for his oversized derrière, and is so tough and so determined that he once broke a tooth biting into a sandwich, then played a full nine innings through the pain and even hit a home run.

And it’s why I got goose bumps Thursday watching the Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer, who is 41 years old and coming off yet another injury, loudly and profanely refusing to come out of the game when his manager approached the mound. Scherzer promptly struck out the next Mariners batter and got the win.

I’m a Red Sox fan. So I’ve had a lifetime of roller-coaster Octobers. And of course I was gutted to see the Sox eliminated by the Yankees (again) earlier this month.

But I love the game enough to appreciate other teams, too. I love the Dodgers’ history and defining personalities, especially Sandy Koufax and Jackie Robinson. I applaud their talent and I admire their fans, who are knowledgeable and loyal.

These Dodgers, though, lack vulnerability. They seem inevitable. Invincible. They have Shohei Ohtani, who may just be the best in the game since Babe Ruth. He looked the part on Friday night, when he pitched six scoreless innings, struck out 10 batters and hit three home runs. The Athletic’s Jayson Stark called it “the single greatest game any human has ever had on a baseball field.”

These Dodgers have five All Stars and an ace-filled pitching staff. And everything seems to fall into place for them. When they moved their sidelined rookie starter, Roki Sasaki, to the role of closer this postseason, suddenly he, too, was perfect.

October baseball, at its best, is about nail-biters and unpredictable outcomes. It’s about extra innings and unsung utility players stealing a base and changing the arc of a series.

The World Series starts this week, with the Dodgers facing Seattle or Toronto, depending on who wins the American League championship. For the sake of the fans and the sake of the game, let’s hope it will offer a bit more drama and much-needed diversion. And that the Dodgers will get a bit of competition instead of what seems like certain coronation.

THE LATEST NEWS

Politics

Large crowds turned out yesterday at “No Kings” rallies against the Trump administration across the country.
Vice President JD Vance’s trip to a military base in California illustrated rising tensions between the federal government and Democratic leaders, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Rachel Parsons write.
The Trump administration is repatriating two survivors of a deadly U.S. strike on suspected drug runners in the Caribbean Sea.
The federal shutdown has put President Trump and the Republican Party on the defensive on health care, an issue that has long been a major weakness for the party.
The Department of Homeland Security bought two private jets for Kristi Noem, the secretary, and other top department officials, for $172 million.

International

The Louvre closed today after a brazen daylight robbery. Thieves made off with “priceless” jewelry, France’s interior minister said.
“Everything is gone”: Residents who have returned to northern Gaza after the cease-fire have found many of their homes and neighborhoods obliterated.
Sanae Takaichi is poised to break Japan’s political glass ceiling. But some worry she will maintain policies that have held women back.

New York

Before early voting begins in the New York City mayoral election, Andrew Cuomo is trying to tie Zohran Mamdani — the race’s front-runner — to figures who said they opposed homosexuality.
Months of social media pleas and handwritten letters from solitary confinement: Here’s how George Santos won his freedom.

THE SUNDAY DEBATE

The United States wants to bail out Argentina’s economy. Should it be helping at all?

Yes. Argentina is an important economy regionally, and keeping it stable can prevent American adversaries from growing their influence in the West. “For U.S. businesses, a stable Argentina is not only useful, it is a strategic necessity,” Tomas Ballarati writes for The Hill.

No. The United States’ bailout to Argentina, which would help that country’s soybean market, is a slap in the face to American farmers. “They’re not so sure which side Trump is on,” Chris Brennan writes for USA Today.

FROM OPINION

The Insurrection Act gives no opportunity for congressional oversight or judicial review. Congress should change that, Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith write.

It’s not fair that Virginia Giuffre had to retell her story of trauma, but it was the only way to get her power back from Epstein, Amy Wallace writes.

Here is a column by Maureen Dowd on Pete Hegseth.

MORNING READS

“Island of Misfit Toys”: A zoo in upstate New York, once one of the country’s worst, transformed itself into a beloved menagerie for disabled and older animals. But money is running low.

Stuck to a pole near you: Paper fliers aren’t going away. They’re evolving.

Vows: He had left a thriving career to become an artist. She invested in his dream — and in him.

Sasquatch studies: Jeffrey Meldrum, the leading academic authority to vouch for the existence of Bigfoot, died at 67.

SPORTS

College football: Arizona State took down No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 9 Georgia gave No. 5 Ole Miss its first loss and No. 6 Alabama rode a 99-yard pick-6 to a win over No. 11 Tennessee.

Tennis: Jannik Sinner won the latest matchup between him and Carlos Alcaraz, taking home $6 million in Six Kings Slam prize money.

Soccer: As the regular M.L.S. season wraps up, the playoffs brackets are set.

Musical Olympics: The International Chopin Piano Competition, which takes place every five years, is in its final round in Warsaw. Here’s how to watch.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

” class=”css-dc6zx6 ey68jwv2″>

By Elisabeth Egan

“A Guardian and a Thief,” by Megha Majumdar: Majumdar’s sophomore novel — following “A Burning” (2020) — is slim and fable-like while also feeling weighty and realistic. The story, set in a near-future Kolkata in the throes of climate disaster, follows a woman who is about to emigrate with her family to Michigan and the impoverished young man who steals their passports. “The title of the novel applies to both protagonists; each is a guardian and a thief,” our reviewer wrote. “As they struggle against each other, ultimately becoming mortal enemies, Majumdar creates a tense and deeply compassionate portrait of desperation, fear and the combined selflessness and selfishness of parenthood.”

THE INTERVIEW

Lulu Garcia-Navarro

This week’s subject for The Interview is the Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, who is publishing a new book this month titled “The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last.” I talked to Wales about his ideas on trust, truth and faith in others, and also about the attacks on Wikipedia from some powerful people on the right, who call the site biased.

The Heritage Foundation, the architect of Project 2025, has said that it wants to dox your editors. How do you protect people from that?

It’s embarrassing for the Heritage Foundation. I remember when they were intellectually respectable.

But it does seem as if there is this movement on the right to target Wikipedia, and I’m wondering why you think that’s happening.

It’s hard to say. Some of it would be genuine concern, if they see that maybe Wikipedia is biased. For example, Elon Musk has said Wikipedia is biased because of really strong rules about only citing mainstream media, and the mainstream media is biased. OK, that’s an interesting criticism worthy of some reflection by everyone, the media and so on. Then, in various places around the world, not speaking just of the U.S., facts are threatening. And if you and your policies are at odds with the facts, then you may find it very uncomfortable for people to simply explain the facts. But we’re not about to say: “Gee, you know, maybe science isn’t valid after all. Maybe the Covid vaccine killed half the population.” No, it didn’t. That’s crazy, and we’re not going to print that. They’re going to have to get over it.

Read more of the interview here. Or watch a longer version on YouTube.

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE

Read this week’s magazine.

THE MORNING RECOMMENDS …

Find someone the perfect gift.

Watch Jennifer Lopez dance in “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”

Try these exercises for stronger ankles.

MEAL PLAN

Meatballs are a perfect weeknight food, Emily Weinstein writes. This week, she is recommending these chicken meatballs. Other options include classic Italian American meatballs and lion’s head meatballs.

NOW TIME TO PLAY

Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was luncheon.

Can you put eight historical events — including the origins of mac and cheese, Molotov cocktails and miniskirts — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz.

And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands.

Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times.

Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at [email protected].

Carolyn Ryan is the managing editor of The New York Times.

The post An Ode to October Baseball appeared first on New York Times.