Elephant Rumblings: Dodgers win World Series, off-season begins

MLB news roundup

Happy Halloween Athletics Nation! Have a wonderful holiday and stay safe while Trick Or Treating tonight, or any other adventures you get into.

The Los Angeles Dodgers finished off their World Series Championship run, ending a World Series that Major League Baseball wanted all along. It didn’t excite the way many thought and hoped after Los Angeles took the first three games. With the history of teams overcoming that deficit in the World Series non-existent, the series felt over after Monday evening when the Dodgers claimed Game 3. The Yankees fought valiantly and won Game 4 to avoid a sweep, then took a huge lead in Game 5. At that point it would be a lie to say the thought of this series making it to Game 7 wasn’t floating around. Instead the Dodgers executed the largest comeback in World Series-clinching games.

Taking home the World Series MVP was Freddie Freeman, who broke the record for consecutive World Series contests with a home run when he blasted a home run in each of the first four games, Add that to the final two games he played with the Braves and he hit a home run in six straight World Series games. He was also the first player to hit a walk off grand slam in World Series history. Astounding. He didn’t extend the record to seven with a home run in last night’s game-winning contest but he’ll surely take the ring and WS MVP instead of a meaningless stat. All of that is even more impressive when considering he’s been struggling with a sprained right ankle that actually kept him out of the lineup in the NLDS Game 4 against the Padres. This is Freeman’s second ring and the MVP award is the first time he’s received it, and well-deserved. Overall he smashed four long balls and recorded 12 RBI’s while hitting an even .300 on the series.

This wouldn’t be baseball if we didn’t give our flowers to superstar Shohei Ohtani. In his first season since leaving the cross-town Angels Ohtani is now a World Series Champion. Makes you think about the years he spent with the Angels and the type of postseason glory he could have already achieved if he didn’t choose a subpar organization as his first MLB team. Shohei will win the regular season MVP but he’ll undoubtedly value this first World Series championship way more than his third MVP award. And next year, he’ll actually be pitching again. The rich get richer.

Among the Dodgers are a pair of former Athletics who will be getting World Series rings. Los Angeles’ starting third baseman Max Muncy began his career in Oakland playing with the 2015-2026 clubs. As we all remember, Muncy struggled in his 96 games with the A’s before hitting 35 home runs for the Dodgers just one year later. Since then he’s hit 190 home runs for the Dodgers while helping them to two titles. Wish we gave him more time but we got a new Max Muncy coming up through the system. Let’s hold on to that one.

The other former Athletic is Dodgers reliever Blake Treinan. Origionally selected by the A’s Treinan found his way from Washington back to Oakland in the Ryan Madson-Sean Doolittle trade and immiedtay made the front office look genius. One year later Treinan was an All-Star closer for a playoff-bound Athletics team. Since then he’s spent the rest of his time with the Dodgers, battling injuries and ineffectiveness at times but still a reliable option for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. This will be Treinan’s second ring after winning the 2020 World Series with the Dodgers as well.

Well that’s a wrap on the 2024 baseball season folks, Hopefully one day we’ll be in the Dodgers’ shoes but probably not anytime soon. The offseason is officially upon us and it promises to be a long winter for our A’s. A new home next season, an uncertain future beyond, and a team that has young building blocks but no way to feasably supplement them this offseason. And even with all of that I miss baseball already. Spring can’t come soon enough.

A’s Coverage:

• Important dates for the A’s to know for the ‘24-’25 offseason
• MLB Says It’s a “Certainty” A’s Will Play 2025 Home Games in Sacramento amid rumors
• How did the prospect the A’s received from Mets fare in second half?
• Oakland Ballers receive 68 applications from fan investors to be on team’s board

MLB News & Interest:

• The Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series
• Freddie Freeman named World Series MVP
• Manfred: MLB To Test Ball-Strike System in Spring Training
• Fans who interfered with Betts catch banned from Game 5, tickets given to pediatric children
• MLB player will receive World Series ring regardless of Yankees-Dodgers outcome
• Portland City Council backs plan to build MLB city
• When Will Important MLB Awards Be Announced?
• Former closer Francisco Cordero robbed at gunpoint in D.R.
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Might take a minute for Kurtz to get going:

Is that the price nowadays? What do you think a roof in Vegas would cost?