Can't imagine there are many MLB MGRs who have lost World Series games in which their teams held 5-0 leads ... Dusty Baker has now done it twice, when his #Giants lost to #Angels 6-5 in Game 6 of 2002 World Series and his #Astros lost to #Phillies by same score in Game 1 tonight.

*bottom of the 10th ...

Home plate umpire James Hoye missed a few ball-strike calls tonight, but he absolutely made the right call on Diaz leaning in for that HBP in the bottom of the ninth ... didn't even hesitate on the decision. Well done.

Justin Verlander is done for the night.

In 8 World Series starts: 0-6, 6.07 ERA.

In 3 Game 1 starts: 0-2, 10.29 ERA.

Dusty Baker-managed teams and 5-0 World Series leads ... not a good match.

The Astros will always have their haters, but that doesn't mean people aren't rooting for Dusty Baker -- and that includes former Dodgers.

latimes.com/sports/story/2…

Somewhere Joe Maddon is smiling ...

'I don’t look it as a third-place team being in.'

As Astros meet third-place Phillies in World Series, MLBPA chief Tony Clark on the chance of more playoff expansion, and on what he would say to Dodgers fans aggrieved by a 111-team ousted in 4 games.

latimes.com/sports/story/2…

“We can just keep winning, and maybe people will ease up. Maybe they won’t.”

The Dodgers and their fans aren’t the only ones sore at the Astros. One of the Phillies believes he was robbed in 2017 too.

On the real “just win, baby” team:

latimes.com/sports/story/2…

Finalists for MLB Players Choice Awards (player vote) include:

MLB player of year: Shohei Ohtani
AL player of year: Shohei Ohtani
NL player of year: Freddie Freeman
NL outstanding pitcher: Julio Urias
AL comeback player: Mike Trout
NL comeback player: Albert Pujols

During the bye week Rams LB Bobby Wagner brought to Los Angeles a program that exposed kids to financial literacy and opportunities outside football. He discussed the program, launched last year with a tour in Silicon Valley, in this story. latimes.com/sports/rams/st…

Rams star Aaron Donald among athletes cutting ties with Kayne West's Donda Sports latimes.com/sports/rams/st…

New: Former Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu has refused to publicly disclose emails and texts from personal accounts in the midst of an FBI public corruption investigation tied to the aborted Angel Stadium sale.

(With Gabriel San Román 🎃 and Adam Elmahrek)

latimes.com/california/sto…

Joe Davis is about to join Joe Buck as 'the only guys to call the World Series on national television in the social media era.' Talked with Davis and Buck about the impact on the broadcasters:
latimes.com/sports/story/2…

On sale in St Louis: Pujols Crunch, a cereal described in a press release as having a “honey-nut oat profile.”

Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris takes you inside the Dodgers’ collapse: Why baseball’s winningest team isn’t in the World Series.

latimes.com/sports/dodgers…

'I don’t even have the words for how hard it feels — I mean, the feeling of not getting to play anymore, because you want to keep playing.'

GOOSE COOKED: Padres' season ends on Bryce Harper's home run sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/…

Agree 100% and thought that before the HR. Smoltz kept talking about how it would be asking a lot of Hader to get six outs. You have him pitch to Harper and heart of order and, if he gets through it and can’t return for ninth, you go to your next-best arm.

“We’ve won three in a row against supposedly the best team in the game, right? So let’s just do our best to flush this, get back at it tomorrow, take it back to our place and see what happens.”

Phillies take commanding 3-1 lead over Padres in NLCS sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/…