The Opener: Game 4, Woodruff, Mariners

October 17 is a banner day in Pirates history, as the Bucs’ last two World Series titles were clinched on this day in 1971 and 1979, both in the form of Game 7 victories over the Orioles. Pittsburgh’s 2-1 triumph in 1971 came on the strength of Steve Blass’ gem of a complete game, plus Series MVP Roberto Clemente hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and Jose Pagan’s RBI double in the eighth drove in the winning run. Eight years later, the Pirates won the Game 7 rematch by a 4-1 score, with Willie Stargell putting Pittsburgh ahead for good with a two-run homer in the sixth. Stargell had four hits in Game 7 and had a 1.208 OPS over 30 plate appearances in Fall Classic, earning “Pops” the Series MVP trophy. 1. Game 4 (finally) set to take place Yesterday’s rainout pushed Game 4 of the ALCS to tonight at 7pm CT in Cleveland, as the Rays will start Nick Martinez against Guardians opener Shawn Armstrong. This was already the intended pitching matchup if the game had take place yesterday, though one of the series’ key stories may now be how the rearranged schedule will impact the two teams’ future pitching plans. Should the Guards win today to gain a 3-1 edge in the series, obviously the Rays might be going into all-hands-on-deck mode for Game 5 and (what Tampa hopes is) beyond in order to stay alive. The postponement eliminates the planned off-day for Sunday, as Game 5 will take place at 4pm CT on that day, and (if necessary) Game 6 and Game 7 will take place Monday and Tuesday night in St. Petersburg. 2. Could Woodruff make the Brewers’ World Series roster? It seemed like an impending shoulder surgery was going to end Brandon Woodruff’s season in July, but a set of better-than-expected follow-up exams took surgery off the table entirely, and thus Woodruff started a lengthy throwing program in the hopes of pitching again in 2026. The timing meant that the right-hander’s only real chance of a return would come if the Brewers made it as far as the World Series, but that scenario has now come to pass. Woodruff still has to face live batters and naturally the Brewers may have reservations about rostering a pitcher who hasn’t appeared in any sort of game environment since July 4. However, Woodruff’s numbers have remained strong despite his array of injuries over the last four seasons, so both baseball reasons as well as sentiment might line Woodruff up for a relief role in the Series. 3. Baldelli on the Mariners’ radar Another name has now surfaced in the Mariners’ managerial search, as the club reportedly has interest in Rocco Baldelli. The former Twins manager led Minnesota to three AL Central titles and a .527-505 record from 2019-25, and Baldelli has been working as a special assistant in the Dodgers’ front office after being fired as the Twins’ skipper. Baldelli, Joe Espada, and (before he signed a new deal with the Diamondbacks) Torey Lovullo are the only names known to be on Seattle’s radar thus far, which tracks with Jerry Dipoto’s preference to hire a manager with past MLB experience. View Comments (0)