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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/3-sneaky-mlb-free-agents-astros-must-target');   ga('set', 'title', '3 sneaky MLB free agents Astros must target');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Astros-Astros-free-agency-Astros-free-agents-JD-Martinez-Andrew-Benintendi.jpg"></figure><h1>3 sneaky MLB free agents Astros must target</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-26T12:07:42-08:00">November 26th, 12:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-26T12:08:12-08:00">November 26th, 12:08pm</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>My name is Owen Crisafulli, and I recently received my Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Sport Management, and for awhile I ran my own sports website. Sports are my passion, and I thoroughly enjoy writing about my thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. I have been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston, and love discussing all topics surrounding those teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros are riding high after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-houston-receives-icy-new-gift-on-top-of-world-series-rings" rel="noopener">winning the 2022 World Series</a>. But the celebration has already ended for the most part, and the team is beginning to focus on how they can raise the World Series trophy again in 2023. The good news is that they already have a strong roster that should be among the best in baseball, regardless of what happens in free agency.</p><p>The Astros rode an incredibly deep roster to a championship last season, and while no roster is ever perfect, their’s was about as close you will see to a perfect roster. There weren’t many holes on Houston’s latest championship team, and that seems likely to be the case once again in 2023, especially if they manage to put together a strong offseason of work.</p><p>Houston will likely be in on some of the bigger name players this offseason, but they likely won’t hit on every big name target they have. Let’s take a look at three sneaky free agent targets that the Astros should take a look at this offseason, and see why they would be of use to Houston in their quest to make it back to the World Series next season.</p><h2><b>3. Gary Sanchez</b></h2><p>The Astros seem intent on letting Martin Maldonado continue to hang onto the starting catcher role, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need a backup catcher. Houston would ideally like to keep a hold of Christian Vazquez, who they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-christian-vazquez-headed-to-houston-in-trade-with-red-sox" rel="noopener">traded for</a> at the trade deadline, but that doesn’t seem <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10056734-cubs-rumors-michael-conforto-christian-vazquez-being-considered-in-free-agency" rel="noopener">very likely to happen</a> given the need for starting caliber catchers throughout the league right now.</p><p>That makes Gary Sanchez a possible addition, as he would make a strong complement for Maldonado’s light-hitting, defensive mindset. Sanchez doesn’t hit for much but power these days, and it seems like his 2022 numbers (.205 BA, 16 HR, 61 RBI, .659 OPS) are becoming the norm for the all-or-nothing catcher.</p><p>Sanchez would be a good alternative to have behind Maldonado, who has managed to keep his starting spot in Houston’s lineup despite hitting below .200 over the past two seasons. Sanchez offers a more offensive-minded production, and that wouldn’t be a bad option to turn to if Maldonado struggles, making Sanchez a worthwhile player to pursue this offseason.</p><h2><b>2. Andrew Benintendi</b></h2><p>It’s been an odd road for Andrew Benintendi, but he finally appears to be finding his way back to normalcy after a couple of down years. Benintendi was having a strong season with the Kansas City Royals before being traded to the New York Yankees, where he dealt with a wrist injury and only played 33 games.</p><p>The Astros don’t have a ton of weaknesses, but they could probably find an upgrade for Chas McCormick in center field this offseason. Benintendi has stuck mostly to the corner outfield spots in recent seasons, but he’s a good enough fielder that he should be able to stick in center field. And with his bat finally waking up after some rough years, Houston would gladly take a guy who can hit at a .300 clip over McCormick.</p><p>Benintendi is still searching for his power stroke, and while it may ultimately never come back, he’s always been a contact hitter first, and anything in the power department would be a plus if he could continue to hit .300. Benintendi is still just 28 years old, and considering how high his ceiling is, that makes him a worthwhile target while everyone focuses on Judge.</p><h2><b>1. J.D. Martinez</b></h2><p>J.D. Martinez likely is beginning to regress, but he’s still one of the best designated hitters in the game. The Astros didn’t get a ton of production from their designated hitter spot last season, and they could completely address the position by bringing in Martinez on a cheaper two or three year deal this offseason.</p><p>Martinez took a step back for the Red Sox last season (.274 BA, 16 HR, 62 RBI, .790 OPS) but still has some worth as a strong all-around hitter. Martinez is 35, and again, he may be hitting the wall that comes with aging, but he’s a consistent option at a position where the Astros didn’t have any sort of consistency last season. That immediately makes him a worthwhile target.</p><p>This would be a homecoming of sorts for Martinez, who spent his first three seasons in the majors with the Astros. He would return and help an already deadly lineup attempt to win their second straight World Series, and he would have the most support he’s had since the Red Sox 2018 season. Martinez’s decline may be underway, but that shouldn’t stop the Astros from giving him a two-to-three year deal this offseason to man their designated hitter spot.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 sneaky MLB free agents Astros must target

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-houston-receives-icy-new-gift-on-top-of-world-series-rings');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros receive icy new gift on top of World Series rings');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Astros-Astros-World-Series-Jeremy-Pena-Lance-McCullers.jpg"></figure><h1>Astros receive icy new gift on top of World Series rings</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-17T08:47:00-08:00">November 17th, 8:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-17T08:49:08-08:00">November 17th, 8:49am</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a freelance sports journalist and full-time editor for ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP, he's writing predictions across the European soccer and NBA world for bettors at Sports Betting Dime, one of the fastest-growing sports betting sites in North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-the-unreal-dusty-baker-jeremy-pena-connection-proves-world-series-win-was-destiny" rel="noopener">are still enjoying their World Series victory</a> earlier this month over the Philadelphia Phillies and aside from the traditional rings all the players typically get, a local jeweler, IceMan Nick, and rapper, Trae The Truth, wanted to gift all 60 members of the organization with another piece of bling: A $5,000 diamond encrusted pendant of the Astros logo.</p><p><a href="https://www.tmz.com/2022/11/16/houston-astros-diamond-chains-world-series-mlb-trae-the-truth-ice-man-nick/" rel="noopener">Via TMZ:</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Houston Astros are receiving diamond pendants courtesy of Trae Tha Truth and Iceman Nick as a thank-you for winning the World Series. <a href="https://t.co/rIUDepfhau">https://t.co/rIUDepfhau</a></p><p>— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TMZ_Sports/status/1593022558018109442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Now that is a clean look. It just goes to show how appreciative the city of Houston is for the Astros bringing it home for the first time since 2017. Dusty Baker’s squad took down the Phillies in six games, with Justin Verlander finally getting his first Fall Classic win in the series after some brutal luck previously on the big stage.</p><p>The Astros were truly the best team in baseball all year long and deservingly won it all. It was also the first time in Baker’s managerial career that he’d captured a ring after 25 years of coaching. Talk about bittersweet.</p><p>Back to the jewelry. The pendants were given out to several players on Wednesday, including Jeremy Pena and Lance McCullers Jr, as you can see in the tweet. The rest of the organization will receive it at a later date through delivery. It’s only fitting that Pena was one of the first players too because he starred in the postseason, winning ALCS and World Series MVP.</p><p>If that pendant costs $5,000, one can only imagine how much the World Series rings will cost. The Astros will now go and enjoy their offseason before starting their title defense in April.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros receive icy new gift on top of World Series rings

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-jim-cranes-justin-verlander-max-scherzer-free-agency-comment-comes-under-scrutiny');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jim Crane’s Justin Verlander-Max Scherzer free agency comment comes under scrutiny');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Astros-Jim-Crane-Justin-Verlander-Max-Scherzer.jpeg"></figure><h1>Jim Crane’s Justin Verlander-Max Scherzer free agency comment comes under scrutiny</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-17T07:26:17-08:00">November 17th, 7:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-17T07:26:17-08:00">November 17th, 7:26am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>ClutchPoints' Sixers beat reporter | Marist College '22 | earned my stripes at TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>MLB free agency is starting to heat up after some signings and a big trade sending Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners. But there is also some potential foul play afoot between the ALCS finalists: the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.</p><p>In addition to an investigation regarding collusion between the Yankees and New York Mets over <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-mlb-investigating-yanks-mets-collusion-aaron-judge">Aaron Judge’s free agency</a>, the Astros could find themselves under investigation after team owner Jim Crane <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/astros-owner-jim-crane-plans-long-gm-search?partnerID=mlbapp-iOS_article-share,">reportedly said</a> that 2022 AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander wants a contract similar to that of Max Scherzer.</p><p>According to <a href="https://theathletic.com/3905988/2022/11/16/mlb-yankees-mets-aaron-judge-investigation/">Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic</a>, the Astros may be subject to punishment if the MLB Players Association sees (and makes the case) that Verlander’s market was damaged by the comments.</p><p>“A separate comment by Astros owner Jim Crane on his team’s web site Tuesday, saying Justin Verlander was seeking a contract similar to Max Scherzer’s, also could prompt scrutiny from the Players Association if the union perceives it be a violation of the CBA…the union remains sensitive to the threat of the owners conspiring to hold down free-agent salaries, as they did more than 30 years ago in the sports’ biggest collusion cases.”</p><p>Last offseason, at age 37, Scherzer signed a contract with the Mets worth $130 million with two guaranteed years and a player option for a third. The 40-year-old Verlander will surely be looking to land a deal with similar parameters. Crane naming Scherzer by name, tough, could bring even more turmoil to a team already reeling from internal strife that led to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-jim-cranes-decision-that-led-to-houston-parting-ways-with-james-click">ouster of its general manager</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jim Crane’s Justin Verlander-Max Scherzer free agency comment comes under scrutiny

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-justin-verlanders-cy-young-feat-puts-him-with-mario-lemieux-and-no-one-else-ever');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros ace Justin Verlander’s Cy Young feat puts him with Mario Lemieux and no one else, ever');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Astros-news-Justin-Verlander_s-Cy-Young-feat-puts-him-with-Mario-LeMieux-and-no-one-else-ever.jpg"></figure><h1>Astros ace Justin Verlander’s Cy Young feat puts him with Mario Lemieux and no one else, ever</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-16T21:38:19-08:00">November 16th, 9:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-16T21:38:19-08:00">November 16th, 9:38pm</time><address><a>Tristin McKinstry</a>I have experience covering sports going back to 2014. Major The Last of Us fan. #1 Jar Jar Binks propagandist. I am currently pursuing a degree in communications.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Justin Verlander <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-justin-verlander-al-cy-young" rel="noopener">won</a> his third American League Cy Young thanks to his incredible season with the Houston Astros. And the future Hall of Fame superstar made not only MLB history, but sports history in general.</p><p>According to OptaSTATS, Verlander is the <a href="https://twitter.com/OptaSTATS/status/1593042708267835392" rel="noopener">second player</a> in major North American sports history to win an MVP award after missing the previous year with an injury or illness.</p><p>Verlander missed the 2021 season with the Astros after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He signed a one-year contract with the team last offseason and won the World Series earlier this month.</p><p>The other athlete to accomplish this feat is Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux. Super Mario missed the 1994-95 season due to fatigue from his radiation treatments for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.</p><p>He returned for the 1995-96 season and lit the NHL on fire. He scored an incredible 69 goals and notched 161 points to lead the league. The Penguins lost in the Eastern Conference Final, but Lemieux won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP.</p><p>Verlander won this Cy Young unanimously. Combined with Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara’s victory, this is the <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1593043983286124544" rel="noopener">first time</a> the Cy Young winners both won unanimously since 1968.</p><p>Verlander’s last Cy Young came in 2019 as a member of the Astros. His first came in 2011 with the Detroit Tigers. Verlander also won the American League MVP that season, the first pitcher to do so since Dennis Eckersley in 1992.</p><p>The Tigers traded Justin Verlander to the Astros in 2017. Though Verlander remained with the Astros since the trade, he is currently a free agent. Verlander <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-justin-verlander-drops-cryptic-hint-on-whether-there-is-a-chance-for-a-houston-return" rel="noopener">spoke about</a> the possibility of returning to the Astros after winning the Cy Young on Wednesday night.</p><p>It remains to be seen whether the future Hall of Famer returns to the Astros. Reports indicate he seeks a contract similar to the three-year, $130 million deal signed by former Tigers teammate Max Scherzer last winter with the New York Mets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros ace Justin Verlander’s Cy Young feat puts him with Mario Lemieux and no one else, ever

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-justin-verlander-al-cy-young');   ga('set', 'title', 'Justin Verlander wins AL Cy Young, making incredible history');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Justin-Verlander-Astros.jpg"></figure><h1>Justin Verlander wins AL Cy Young, making incredible history</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-16T17:31:14-08:00">November 16th, 5:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-16T17:31:52-08:00">November 16th, 5:31pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Justin Verlander just keeps on winning. Fresh off winning the 2022 World Series with the Houston Astros, the future Hall of Famer pitcher is adding more to his trophy case, as he has won the 2022 American League Cy Young Award in <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1593042922957520896" rel="noopener">unanimous</a> fashion.</p><p>Verlander swept all first-place votes in the balloting, finishing with a total of 2010 points.  Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease came in second with 97 points (14 second-place votes, 10 third-place votes), Toronto Blue Jays’ Alex Manaoh was third (7 second-place votes, 13 third-place votes), Los Angeles Angels unicorn Shohei Ohtani was fourth (9 second-place votes, 7 third-place votes), while Verlander’s teammate, Framber Valdez rounded out the top five with 14 points.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Justin Verlander UNANIMOUSLY wins the AL Cy Young Award, receiving all 30 first place votes! <a href="https://t.co/yP4GNk6q74">pic.twitter.com/yP4GNk6q74</a></p><p>— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1593042922957520896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>This is the third time that Justin Verlander has pocketed the prestigious award. He first won it in 2011 with the Detroit Tigers during the same year he won the American League MVP. Nine Years later, he’d won the same award again with the Astros. At 39 years old, Verlander is aging like fine wine, and there are no serious signs yet of slowing down.</p><p>In the 2022 MLB season, Verlander put together an 18-4 record to go with a 1.75 ERA and 0.829 WHIP across 28 starts. He also posted a <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/verlaju01.shtml" rel="noopener">220 ERA+</a>, which is the highest he’s racked up in a season with at least six starts.</p><p>With Justin Verlander cementing his status yet again as an elite pitcher, his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-rumors-the-reason-why-justin-verlander-hasnt-re-signed-with-houston-yet" rel="noopener">future</a> in the MLB should only get even more interesting. Verlander is currently a free agent and should get lucrative contracts from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/justin-verlander-free-agency-2-reasons-dodgers-are-perfect-ft-for-ace" rel="noopener">teams</a> looking to add a stud to their pitching rotation.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Justin Verlander wins AL Cy Young, making incredible history

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/3-moves-astros-must-make-secure-world-series-repeat-2023/');   ga('set', 'title', '3 moves Astros must make to secure World Series repeat in 2023');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/3-moves-Astros-must-make-to-secure-World-Series-repeat-in-2023.jpg"></figure><h1>3 moves Astros must make to secure World Series repeat in 2023</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-07T09:50:10-08:00">November 7th, 9:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-07T09:50:10-08:00">November 7th, 9:50am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>My name is Owen Crisafulli, and I recently received my Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Sport Management, and for awhile I ran my own sports website. Sports are my passion, and I thoroughly enjoy writing about my thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. I have been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston, and love discussing all topics surrounding those teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros are World Series champions once again. After failing to win a title since 2017 despite making it to the ALCS every season since then, the Astros finally are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-dusty-baker-resets-mlb-history-after-career-defining-world-series-win/" rel="noopener">back on top</a> after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to win the 2022 title. It’s been a long road to redemption for Houston after their <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/10/19/cheat-sheet-a-quick-guide-to-astros-sign-stealing-scandal/" rel="noopener">sign-stealing scandal</a>, but they have finally returned to the top of the mountain.</p><p>The Astros have continued to churn out high-level talent for the past few seasons, which is a big reason for their recent success. After failing to come out on top in their two most recent World Series appearances, Houston was able to right their wrongs, and reel off three straight wins over the Phillies in order to ensure they walked away with the World Series trophy.</p><p>The Astros will celebrate for now, but they will quickly shift their focus to the 2023 season and begin working towards their quest to repeat as champions. In order for that to happen, Houston will have to make some big moves, so let’s take a look at three such moves that would help the Astros improve as they attempt to repeat as the best team in baseball next season.</p><h2><b>3. Extend GM James Click</b></h2><p>James Click took over as the Astros general manager at their lowest point in 2020 when they were reeling from the fallout of the sign-stealing scandal. Houston probably should have fallen apart right then and there, but Click has managed to keep the Astros intact, and is a big reason why this World Series win was even a possibility.</p><p>Click and the Astros could be set to move on from each other this offseason, but that would be a huge mistake for Houston to make. Click has kept this franchise afloat with shrewd decision-making over the past three seasons, and without him, Houston would be in a much different spot than they currently are.</p><p>There is some internal tension for the Astros right now, which could contribute to Click’s potential departure, but Houston is winning, so there really is no justifiable reason for the two sides to part ways. Houston’s World Series victory should open their eyes to Click’s importance, and it would be good business for them to get a deal done with him rather than let him go to another team this offseason.</p><h2><b>2. Extend SS Jeremy Pena</b></h2><p>Jeremy Pena was only a rookie this season, but he managed to become one of the best shortstops in the league, and ended up winning ALCS and World Series MVP for the Astros this postseason. Pena is special, and Houston should try to lock him up to a long-term extension this offseason if they can.</p><p>Losing Carlos Correa could have been huge for the Astros, but Pena stepped up and ensured that Houston would forget about Correa entirely. Pena had a very strong rookie campaign (.253 BA, 22 HR, 63 RBI, 11 SB, .715 OPS) and was even better in the playoffs (.345 BA, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1.005 OPS). Without him, the Astros may not have been able to win it all this season.</p><p>Pena has proven himself to be a talented player, and the Astros should reward him with a big new deal. Pena is already 25 years old, so it’s not outrageous to suggest a new deal should be in the works for him. And if he’s receptive to it, Houston should find a way to get it done as soon as possible.</p><h2><b>1. Find a way to keep SP Justin Verlander around</b></h2><p>Justin Verlander turned in maybe the best season of his career despite being 39 years old and returning from a nearly two-year absence on the mound this season. Verlander will likely win his third Cy Young award as a result of his 2022 season, and he played a huge part in leading the ‘Stros to their 2022 title.</p><p>Verlander has a player option for the 2023 season, and based on how good he was last season, it’s not out of the picture to believe that he will opt out in an effort to maximize his value before he ultimately decides to hang up his cleats. If he doesn’t opt out, crisis averted, but if he does, the Astros are instantly going to have to figure out how to keep him around.</p><p>A big difference between 2022 and 2021 (which saw the Astros lose the World Series to the Atlanta Braves) was Verlander’s presence. Framber Valdez was tasked with leading the starting rotation, and he couldn’t. Verlander is the key to the Astros starting rotation, and the front office must do whatever it takes to keep him around if he decides to test free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 moves Astros must make to secure World Series repeat in 2023

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-only-true-houston-fans-can-guess-what-dusty-baker-memorabilia-mlb-hall-of-fame-asked-for/');   ga('set', 'title', 'Only true Astros fans can guess what Dusty Baker memorabilia MLB Hall of Fame asked for');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Astros-Dusty-Baker.jpeg"></figure><h1>Only true Astros fans can guess what Dusty Baker memorabilia MLB Hall of Fame asked for</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-06T09:21:58-08:00">November 6th, 9:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-06T09:21:58-08:00">November 6th, 9:21am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>ClutchPoints' Sixers beat reporter | Marist College '22 | earned my stripes at TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros have won the World Series. But while they are no strangers to winning it all after securing it in 2017, manager Dusty Baker is. Or, at least, he was until he led a stacked Astros team to the 2022 championship. After winning it all as a player with the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers, Baker went a long time without a title. He started managing in 1993 but finally got his first title as a skipper in 2022, becoming the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-dusty-baker-resets-mlb-history-after-career-defining-world-series-win/">oldest person to do so</a>.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2022/11/06/astros-manager-dusty-baker-erases-doubt-world-series-champion/8285497001/">Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY</a>, the National Baseball Hall of Fame is ready to showcase Baker’s first managerial championship. But they are using some interesting props in the display. “Hall of Fame president Josh Rawitch also quickly pops into his office. The Astros have already promised to give the museum a jersey, but Rawitch asks for two items,” writes Nightengale. Those items ended up being Baker’s wristbands and…a toothpick. Rawitch knew the request was crazy but the Astros manager provided both items.</p><p>Dusty Baker is notorious for his toothpick-chewing in the dugout. He has done so for a while and he will now have one of his famous little sticks of wood memorialized after the Astros’ victory in the 2022 World Series. His legacy only grows after winning it all as a manager after managing four other clubs, including stints with Barry Bonds’ San Francisco Giants, Sammy Sosa’s Chicago Cubs and Joey Votto’s Cincinnati Reds.</p><p>Baker, now a champion as a baseball player and manager on top of being the person rumored to be the <a href="https://www.mountainfilm.org/films/the-high-five/">inventor of the high five</a>, has made his mark all over the baseball landscape. Although few baseball fans were rooting for the Astros, just about everyone is happy for Baker.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Only true Astros fans can guess what Dusty Baker memorabilia MLB Hall of Fame asked for

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/so-this-is-what-it-feels-like-dusty-baker-in-state-of-disbelief-after-finally-winning-world-series-with-astros/');   ga('set', 'title', '‘So this is what it feels like?’ Dusty Baker in state of disbelief after finally winning World Series with Astros');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/So-this-is-what-it-feels-like_-Dusty-Baker-in-state-of-disbelief-after-finally-winning-World-Series-with-Astros.jpeg"></figure><h1>‘So this is what it feels like?’ Dusty Baker in state of disbelief after finally winning World Series with Astros</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-06T09:15:43-08:00">November 6th, 9:15am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-06T09:15:43-08:00">November 6th, 9:15am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dusty Baker, as well-respected of a manager as he is, could never escape the specter of the 2002 World Series that escaped his San Francisco Giants. Last season’s World Series loss did little to quiet down the narrative that the 73-year-old manager just isn’t the guy to get a team over the hump.</p><p>But after Jeremy Pena’s heroics, Yordan Alvarez’s clutch home runs, and the Astros’ pitching staff turning up the heat on the Philadelphia Phillies, Dusty Baker is now a World Series winning manager.</p><p>“Man, so this is what it feels like?’’ Baker <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2022/11/06/astros-manager-dusty-baker-erases-doubt-world-series-champion/8285497001/">told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports</a>. “I always wondered how it would feel. Brother, this is unbelievable, isn’t it?’’</p><p>It was certainly a long time coming. Baker entered the season in the top 10 of all managers in wins garnered through their managerial career. Every single manager on the list with him had won a World Series, most of them having done so multiple times. You don’t keep a job for that long without the championship credentials to show for it. Now, Baker can say the same.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dusty Baker has been a Major League manager for 25 seasons. </p><p>He's won 2,093 games, the most of any manager without a World Series title. </p><p>In his third trip to the Fall Classic, Dusty Baker finally has his ring. <a href="https://t.co/rxdxhVHrJb">pic.twitter.com/rxdxhVHrJb</a></p><p>— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSports/status/1589095592185430016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Baker was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-dusty-baker-chugging-world-series-champagne-is-the-houston-content-you-needed-to-see/">clearly living his best life</a> after the title-clinching win, seen here drinking champagne out of an ice sculpture.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">sWeet taste of victory. <a href="https://t.co/v7cXNJCwUL">pic.twitter.com/v7cXNJCwUL</a></p><p>— Houston Astros (@astros) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros/status/1589105265605246976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>He was also mobbed by his Astros players who all knew how special the moment was for a living legend to cap off his career with.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">WON FOR DUSTY. <a href="https://t.co/gtTNwKYpgM">pic.twitter.com/gtTNwKYpgM</a></p><p>— Houston Astros (@astros) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros/status/1589101709074178048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>With an extension looming for Dusty Baker and the Astros’ next generation of stars already stepping up to the plate, safe to say he’ll be chasing the feeling for at least a few more seasons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

‘So this is what it feels like?’ Dusty Baker in state of disbelief after finally winning World Series with Astros

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/3-most-valuable-astros-in-2022-world-series-ranked/');   ga('set', 'title', '3 most valuable Astros in 2022 World Series, ranked');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/X-most-valuable-Astros-in-2022-World-Series-ranked.jpg"></figure><h1>3 most valuable Astros in 2022 World Series, ranked</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-06T09:14:25-08:00">November 6th, 9:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-06T09:15:48-08:00">November 6th, 9:15am</time><address><a>Diego Vergel de Dios</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros just capped off another dominant season with a World Series <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-dusty-baker-resets-mlb-history-after-career-defining-world-series-win/" rel="noopener">victory</a> over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Astros dominated their way through the 2022 MLB Playoffs before facing some adversity against the Phillies, only to overcome it to win it all for the second time in six seasons.</p><p>The Phillies took Game 3 at Citizens Bank Park, but Houston did not allow Philadelphia to win a single game after that. The Astros wrapped it up in Game 6 in front of their home crowd, which is the first time a home team has clinched a World Series since 2013. Several key cogs propelled them to victory, but these are a couple of names that stood out in this spectacular World Series.</p><h2><b>3. Alex Bregman</b></h2><p>Alex Bregman has always been one of the most consistent players of this batch of Astros stars. Bregman and Jose Altuve are some of the most disliked individuals by opposing franchises, but these two guys know when to step up to the plate. Bregman was crucial and excellent in three of the four victories of Houston by contributing through timely hits that put his teammates in an incredible position to score.</p><p>While Bregman hit only .238 in the six games, he recorded four runs, four RBI, and four walks to reach a .385 on-base percentage. Three of those hits were doubles and one was homer, which was a deciding factor in Game 2. Bregman also contributed tremendously with his defensive prowess at third base.</p><h2><b>2. Cristian Javier</b></h2><p>Astros Game 4 hero Cristian Javier must be mentioned as one of the best players of this 2022 World Series. The composure and calmness he possessed in front of the Philly crowd down 2-1 in the series was a sensational performance. Javier pitched six innings in Game 4 and struck out nine batters without giving up a hit, with the bullpen finishing off the collective no-hitter.</p><p>Others would argue that it would be difficult to consider a pitcher who only played in one game for one of these spots on this list, but that is not the case for Javier. The red-hot Phillies were no-hit in Game 4, which was led by the six no-hit innings of Javier. The dominant contest drastically affected the rhythm and confidence of Philadelphia, which also struggled mightily in the next two games as Houston finished the job.</p><h2><b>1. Jeremy Peña</b></h2><p>The man on a mission stamped his name across the mind of every MLB fan. Jeremy Peña was no doubt deserving of the World Series MVP by hitting .400 with five runs scored in this six-game tilt. When the offense was struggling, Peña continued to portray his laser-focus mentality that propelled Houston to this crown. His plate discipline and awareness were amazing throughout the postseason.</p><p>Replacing Carlos Correa at shortstop is no easy feat, but Jeremy Peña proved he is more than a viable replacement. He won the ALCS and World Series MVP awards, which was the first time this occurred for a position player and the second time in MLB history. Batting second behind Jose Altuve was the perfect position for him to succeed, but his contributions were not limited to just offense. Peña had a slew of stellar defensive plays that saved Philadelphia from adding to its tally.</p><p>The Astros were too deep for anybody to beat them, and it might be even tougher to beat them next season. It has been quite the run for this franchise, cheating scandal and all, and they will look to make it three consecutive World Series appearances in 2023.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 most valuable Astros in 2022 World Series, ranked

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-alex-bregman-exits-world-series-with-injury-in-last-at-bat-of-the-season/');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros’ Alex Bregman exits World Series with injury in last at-bat');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Astros-Alex-Bregman.jpeg"></figure><h1>Astros’ Alex Bregman exits World Series with injury in last at-bat</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-06T08:06:37-08:00">November 6th, 8:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-06T08:51:14-08:00">November 6th, 8:51am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>ClutchPoints' Sixers beat reporter | Marist College '22 | earned my stripes at TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros are World Series champions once again. After taking down the plucky Philadelphia Phillies in six games, the Astros secured their second championship in six years, avenged their losses in the fall classic from 2019 and 2021 and got Dusty Baker his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-dusty-baker-chugging-world-series-champagne-is-the-houston-content-you-needed-to-see/">first taste of a championship as a manager</a>. Jose Altuve, Justin Verlander, Alex Bregman and the veterans gave way to Jeremy Peña, Yordan Alvarez and Framber Valdez as the team’s lead difference-makers.</p><p>Bregman gave it his all in the World Series, especially on his final at-bat where he tried getting to second base but was <a href="https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1589092298113310723?s=20&amp;t=ZdPEM_dazH7Z7KwA2BBR7g">narrowly called out</a>. The play resulted in the Astros’ third baseman injuring his finger. He showed reporters after the game that he c<a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/1589117884047015936?s=20&amp;t=ZdPEM_dazH7Z7KwA2BBR7g">ouldn’t bend it</a>.</p><p>“Good thing the Astros won: Alex Bregman says he broke his left index finger sliding into second trying to stretch a single to a double. Returned for last inning in field,” writes <a href="https://twitter.com/GabeLacques/status/1589109760921841665?s=20&amp;t=ybY1020YGn5ECLCptuhEbg">Gabe Lacques of USA TODAY</a>. Astros catcher Martin Maldonado also played through injury, though he had a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-houston-player-powered-through-world-series-with-broken-hand/">broken hand</a>.</p><p>In the World Series, Bregman had five hits and four walks, including a home run in Game 2. The Astros veteran handled the hot corner well as Houston continued its case to be considered a dynasty.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros’ Alex Bregman exits World Series with injury in last at-bat

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-houston-player-powered-through-world-series-with-broken-hand/');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros’ Martin Maldonado powered through World Series with broken hand');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Astros-news-Houston-player-powered-through-World-Series-with-broken-hand.jpeg"></figure><h1>Astros’ Martin Maldonado powered through World Series with broken hand</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-06T06:17:37-08:00">November 6th, 6:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-06T06:17:37-08:00">November 6th, 6:17am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Catcher Martin Madonado was the first Houston Astros player to get on base in the sixth inning of their World Series-clinching Game 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies.</p><p>His hit-by-pitch allowed Jose Altuve on base, which led to Jeremy Pena bringing him to third on a single up the middle, which led to Phillies manager Rob Thomson pulling the plug on Zack Wheeler <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/caught-me-off-guard-zack-wheelers-stunned-reaction-after-quick-hook-from-phillies-astros-game-6/">perhaps a bit too early</a>, which led to this moment:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">YORDAN ALVAREZ WANTS IT 😤</p><p>ASTROS 3 – 1 PHILLIES IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 6TH! <a href="https://t.co/R2COU64f7v">pic.twitter.com/R2COU64f7v</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1589079454869225472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>There was a ton of arguing on ye old Twitter about whether or not Martin Maldonado leaned into the pitch or not. The umpires ended up ruling in favor of the Astros. Social media truthers called cap with his exaggerated lean into the plate to begin with compared to in other plate appearances.</p><p>Intentional or not, all of it went down with Maldonado reportedly playing with a broken hand. According to The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome, the Puerto Rican <a href="https://theathletic.com/3766955/2022/11/06/astros-martin-maldonado-injury-surgery/">had fractured his hand in late August</a> but returned after just two games in the sidelines but kept the entire thing hush hush. The Astros catcher was adamant that there were no doubts about his decision to power through the pain.</p><p>“Doesn’t matter,” Maldonado said after Houston’s 4-1 win in Game 6 on Saturday. “It’s about winning. The team needed me. The pitchers needed me.”</p><p>If he did, in fact, lean into the hit-by-pitch, doing so with a broken bone in your hand, and reportedly a sports hernia that will require surgery in the offseason, goes to show how tough of a player he is.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros’ Martin Maldonado powered through World Series with broken hand

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-houston-fans-painting-twitter-orange-with-rabid-reactions-after-world-series-win-vs-phillies/');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros fans painting Twitter orange with rabid reactions after World Series win vs. Phillies');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Astros_fans_painting_Twitter_orange_with_rabid_reactions_after_World_Series_win_vs._Phillies.jpg"></figure><h1>Astros fans painting Twitter orange with rabid reactions after World Series win vs. Phillies</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-06T05:42:17-08:00">November 6th, 5:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-06T05:42:17-08:00">November 6th, 5:42am</time><address><a>Gerard Samillano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros finally did it. After two failed attempts in 2019 and 2021, the team finally captured the World Series in 2022, eliminating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. This win marks the first championship Houston has won since 2017. For many, this win was redemption for that championship, which was tainted by the infamous sign-stealing scandal.</p><p>Of course, Astros Twitter went bonkers on Twitter after they clinched the World Series. Take a look at some of the reactions of the ecstatic fans on the bird app. Many of the fans were praising Dusty Baker, who finally won his first ring after falling short in previous years.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I covered Dusty Baker when he was the left fielder for the Dodgers. I covered him when he managed the Giants (and I thought he made a decision that cost a World Series). Tonight, Dusty was the biggest reason the Astros rose from scandal to win it all. Good man. Deserving winner.</p><p>— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSkipBayless/status/1589096358589628418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Watch Dusty Baker. He knows they are about to win. And you can see him look down and take a deep breath. He finally gets his ring.  <a href="https://t.co/y7iOgZ2Ixk">pic.twitter.com/y7iOgZ2Ixk</a></p><p>— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelschwab13/status/1589122085414408193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Other Astros fans reveled in the glory of their championship win after being mocked by the rest of the league.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">how <a href="https://twitter.com/astros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@astros</a> fans about to be to all the haters this offseason 😅 <a href="https://t.co/h4EhhIFUAG">pic.twitter.com/h4EhhIFUAG</a></p><p>— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1589097622748266497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">MOOD AF 🤘🏽 <a href="https://t.co/UMbPqbuoNb">pic.twitter.com/UMbPqbuoNb</a></p><p>— ⚾️ 🔥 🏆 2X World Series Champ Cocky ⚾️🔥🏆 (@astros_dude) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros_dude/status/1589133236642680832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I flew into Houston today to experience this Astros championship in the city, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.</p><p>This is something I’ll always remember, I love this city 🤘🤘 <a href="https://t.co/ESIMCRo2D0">pic.twitter.com/ESIMCRo2D0</a></p><p>— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BradeauxNBA/status/1589115491011813378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Stunt on them. <a href="https://t.co/DMUqkTVZum">pic.twitter.com/DMUqkTVZum</a></p><p>— astrosmemes (@astros_memes) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros_memes/status/1589123009113370624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Astros cruised through the playoffs and the World Series this season thanks to their balanced yet devastating attack. Their pitching staff was consistently one of the best units in the game, even completely shutting out the Phillies in Game 5 to take a commanding 3-2 lead. Meanwhile, their batting order gave their pitchers amazing run support, getting key runs to either give them a comfortable lead or to clean up their occasional mishap.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-dusty-baker-chugging-world-series-champagne-is-the-houston-content-you-needed-to-see/">Take a bow</a>, Houston. This was easily one of the most dominant playoff runs in recent memory, with the Astros not facing elimination at some point during their run. They deserve every bit of credit for this World Series ring.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros fans painting Twitter orange with rabid reactions after World Series win vs. Phillies

Ryne
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2022 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
3	0	1	0	0	0

2022 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
3	0	1	0	0	0

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Ryne
Stanek