Showalter led the Mets to the second most wins in franchise history, while Francona won a division title in Cleveland despite having the league’s youngest roster.
Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge gave the Yankees an early lead in Game 5 of their division series and Nestor Cortes and the bullpen made it last. Next up: the Houston Astros.
Nestor Cortes’s gutsy performance on short rest helped the Yankees get past Cleveland and has the bullpen rested ahead of the American League Championship Series.
Intentional walks have fallen out of favor, but with every run in the postseason being precious, teams may be tempted to force a different Yankees batter to beat them.