Daily Briefing: Bronx Rules

The FanGraphs Newsletter, September 27, 2021 [READ IN BROWSER]( By Jeffrey Bellone - September 27, 2021 BRONX RULES: The New York Yankees received clutch home runs on back-to-back days in the eighth inning to sweep the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park this weekend, taking over the first Wild Card spot in the American League, after trailing Boston by two games entering the series on Friday. []( DISLOCATED: Yankees slugger Aaron Judge dislocated his left pinky finger while sliding into second base on his dramatic, RBI double in the eighth inning last night. He popped it back into place on the field and sounded confident after the game that it isn’t a serious issue. []( CLINCHED: The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their second National League Central title in four years after sweeping the New York Mets this weekend. The Brewers were projected to win 83 games during the preseason, but are now on pace to win 97, as they keep an arm’s length from the streaking Cardinals. []( NEVER LOSE: The St. Louis Cardinals might never lose a game again (or so it seems). After sweeping the Cubs at Wrigley Field this weekend, St. Louis has won 16 in a row, the longest streak in franchise history and the longest by any National League team since 1951. []( OHTANI’S FUTURE: After throwing another gem on Sunday, Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani told reporters the season has been “very frustrating” and expressed his desire to win. At 74-82, the Angels will finish with another losing record, their fourth straight with Ohtani, which appears to be wearing on him. “I really like the team […] But, more than that, I want to win,” Ohtani [told]( reporters yesterday. “That’s the biggest thing for me. I’ll leave it at that.” Ohtani is under team control through the 2023 season. This newsletter is made possible due to the generous support of our members. If you are reading this email or use FanGraphs in your daily baseball routine, please consider supporting us. [BECOME A FANGRAPHS MEMBER]( PRELUDE TO OCTOBER? No team that’s run off a late-season streak — starting in August or September — of more than 11 wins has even reached the World Series during the division play era (1969 onward). 👉 [The Cardinals' Impressive Winning Streak Doesn't Guarantee October Success, by Jay Jaffe]( IAN HAPP: Since the calendar turned to August, Happ has hit 14 home runs and posted a .301/.361/.607 slash line, good for a 153 wRC+. His 186 wRC+ in September is the 11th highest mark among all qualified batters in the majors. This two month stretch of success comes a bit too late for the beleaguered Cubs, but it’s a great sign for Happ’s development. 👉 [Ian Happ Found His Hitting Stroke a Little Too Late, by Jake Mailhot]( 📚 RECENTLY PUBLISHED [One Last Week For All the Marbles: ZiPS Projects the Postseason Home Stretch]( by Dan Szymborski [Juan Soto, Your Favorite Hitter's Favorite Hitter]( by Ben Clemens [Sunday Notes: D-Backs Prospect Brandon Pfaadt Came Out of the Blue]( by David Laurila [Computer Vision and Pitch Framing]( by Peter L'Oiseau [Final Week Hitter With 7 Game Schedules]( by Mike Podhorzer [Bullpen Report: September 27, 2021]( by Jon Becker 🗣 [Kevin Goldstein FanGraphs Chat - 9/27/2021]( 🎧 [Effectively Wild Episode 1751: The Playoff Matchups Draft]( 🎧 [Effectively Wild Episode 1750: The Gift of the Maggi]( ⚾️ ROSTER REPORT For the latest roster information, please visit our [RosterResource]( pages. [Seven days to go! Your guide to MLB season's final week]( via ESPN [A decade later, the ripples of MLB’s wild, legendary ‘Game 162’ are still felt]( by Rustin Dodd and Sam Blum, The Athletic ($) [How Much Speed Did You Really Need?]( by Jon Hegglund, Baseball Prospectus ($) [Cardinals Lead The Way ... Again]( by Mark Simon, Bill James Online [The Strong Case for a A.L. Manager of the Year Candidate No One is Talking About]( via Baseball Cloud Blog [@fangraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [RSS]( [FORWARD]( [SUBSCRIBE]( Copyright © 2021 FanGraphs Inc, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the FanGraphs Newsletter. Our mailing address is: FanGraphs Inc 1200 N Hartford St. Apt 312Arlington, Va 22201 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](