SI:AM | Bryce Harper Might Be the Only Thing That Can Stop the Astros
Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. It’s officially football season in New York, and the Giants are 6–1.
In today’s SI:AM:
🔔 The legend of Bryce Harper grows
👨⚖️ Aaron Judge’s uncertain future
🏈 Two all-time great QBs fall flat
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Team of destiny vs. a juggernaut
Two unstoppable forces are set to meet in the World Series later this week.
On one side, you have the Astros, who are undefeated this postseason after finishing off a sweep of the Yankees last night. On the other is Bryce Harper, who has been hitting the crap out of the ball this month. In 11 postseason games, he’s batting .419/.444/.907 with five home runs and 11 RBIs.
The Yankees have plenty of problems, but the main takeaway from the ALCS was how freakishly good the Astros are. Their pitchers held New York batters to a team .162 average and .501 OPS while recording 50 strikeouts and just 10 walks. And with top hitters Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker struggling in the series, the depth of the Astros’ offense was on full display. Light-hitting catcher Martín Maldonado had a big two-out RBI double in Game 1. Outfielder Chas McCormick, who had 14 homers during the regular season, hit two in the series. Rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña led the team with six hits in the series and also hit two homers.
No Astros player is as hot as Harper, though. And it isn’t just that Harper is crushing the ball. We’ve known Harper for what feels like forever. Now, he’s coming through in the biggest moments. His opposite-field shot in the eighth inning yesterday proved to be the series-winner.
“His focus is laser focus right now,” Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long told Tom Verducci after Game 4. “He’s precise with everything. His routine today, I knew before the game he was going to be incredible. He didn’t mis-hit a ball. Not one. You know with Bryce. The day before, he was a little off. He went 1-for-4. Today, he was precise.”
But Harper isn’t doing it alone. Rhys Hoskins had four homers in the NLCS. Kyle Schwarber had three. Those contributions from teammates are taking pressure off Harper and as a result, Verducci writes, he “is playing unburdened. The Phillies have become such a collective force of willpower that Harper no longer must play himself in his own movie.”
This Phillies run has been remarkable. They were in danger of missing the playoffs after losing 10 out of 13 in mid-September, but they’ve gotten hot at just the right time in the way that so many World Series–winning teams do. And the fans in Philadelphia are as fired up as any baseball crowd in recent memory. The atmosphere inside the ballpark has been electric. Looking ahead at the World Series schedule, this has the potential to be a very special sports week in Philly. If the series ends up going at least six games, the two off days will fall on days that the undefeated Eagles are also scheduled to play.
The best of Sports Illustrated
Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated
You know all about the 1972 Dolphins, but do you know the story of their kicker? In today’s Daily Cover, Jon Wertheim details the life of Garo Yepremian.
Now that the Yankees have been eliminated, the focus shifts to whether Aaron Judge will be back in pinstripes, Stephanie Apstein writes. … Even after disappointing losses yesterday, Conor Orr argues that it’s too early to throw in the towel on Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. … Pat Forde has a list of seven college football coaches who, no matter how much fans want them gone, are realistically never getting fired. … Emma Baccellieri learned the origins of the Phillies’ Liberty Bell celebration.
Around the sports world
The only surprising thing about Commanders fans chanting “sell the team” is that enough of them showed up to the game that they could actually be heard. … DK Metcalf was carted off the field with a knee injury. … ESPN’s College GameDay is headed to Jackson State next week. … Here’s the latest college football AP poll. … Rory McIlroy won this weekend’s PGA Tour event to regain the No. 1 spot in the world rankings. … 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is the first “Mr. Irrelevant” to complete an NFL pass. … Zion Williamson left yesterday’s game with a hip injury after a hard fall.
The top five...
… things I saw yesterday:
5. Joe Burrow’s big game (481 passing yards, four total touchdowns).
4. This horrendous shot by LeBron James.
3. Crystal Dunn’s superb strike in stoppage time to send the Thorns to the NWSL championship game.
2. The Phillies’ celebration after winning the pennant.
1. The Giants’ game-winning defensive stop against the Jaguars.
SIQ
Late in the evening of Oct. 23, 1979, Yankees manager Billy Martin punched a man in a bar near Minneapolis, leading to his firing. What was the man’s memorable occupation?
- Merry-go-round repairman
- Marshmallow salesman
- Rodeo clown
- Elvis impersonator
Yesterday’s SIQ: Bertram Lee and Peter Bynoe became the first Black team owners in American sports by buying which franchise?
- Denver Nuggets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Washington Capitals
- Kansas City Royals
Answer: The Denver Nuggets. Lee and Bynoe bought a combined 32.5% stake in the team, with Washington, D.C.–based telecommunications company Comsat owning the rest. Lee and Bynoe were to run the team as managing general partners.
Just two years later, though, in April 1991, Lee was forced out because he had not paid his share of a $5 million capital call. According to the Rocky Mountain News, Lee had failed to pay every capital call since he and Bynoe bought the team. Just weeks before he was removed as a general partner, Lee had been evicted from his Denver apartment for failing to pay the rent.
In 1999, Lee wanted to bring major league baseball back to Washington, D.C., with an all-Black ownership group, but, despite support from the city’s mayor, the bid never materialized. The Washington Post reported that Lee was in debt to his landlord and behind on child support payments. He died in 2003.
Bynoe sold his stake in the Nuggets in 1992. A lawyer, he has remained involved in sports, representing many teams in their efforts to build new stadiums.
From the Vault: Oct. 24, 1988
Bill Smith/Sports Illustrated
Declaring a team—especially a college football team—“back” is a risky move. How many times have we done it lately with Texas and USC? But in 1988, Notre Dame really was back.
The statement game came against Miami on Oct. 15. The Hurricanes entered the game ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Irish No. 4. The 1980s had been a down period for Notre Dame. After coach Dan Devine retired at the end of the ’80 season, the Irish had just one 8-win season. And the Hurricanes had dominated their rivalry with the Irish, winning their last four meetings by a combined score of 133–20. But Notre Dame was turning things around in ’88. It beat No. 9 Michigan in the season opener and strung together four more wins to enter the Miami meeting undefeated. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes were in the middle of a stunning run of dominance, without a loss in their last 36 regular-season games.
The stakes were high, and Notre Dame fans ratcheted up the intensity, as Rick Telander wrote in his cover story:
One T-shirt popular on the Notre Dame campus was emblazoned TOP TEN REASONS TO HATE MIAMI. It listed reason No. 10 as THEY THINK “LEAVE IT TO BEAVER” IS A METHOD FOR GETTING HOMEWORK DONE, and No. 1 as simply JIMMY JOHNSON.
Bear in mind that Notre Dame students, a generally restless, brainy and athletic group of wise guys (and not a few wise gals), rise like fish to meal when it comes to slogan-painting and hero-bashing. They jumped all over the Hurricanes and their lingering reputation as a band of outlaws, CAN YOU READ THIS? MIAMI CAN’T said a banner high up on Flanner Tower. Another hot-selling T-shirt read YOU CAN’T SPELL SCUM WITHOUT U.M. Another: CATHOLICS VS. CONVICTS. There were others as well that crossed the line into bad taste—for instance, one with a drawing of Johnson as the devil above the words JIMMY JOHNSON PORK FACE SATAN.
The hate-Miami atmosphere had become so volatile that Notre Dame administrators declared the pregame days to be Spirit Week, a sort of rah-rah alternative to overt meanness. Holtz wrote an open letter to the student body, published Oct. 6 in The Observer, the campus newspaper, asking students to behave themselves during game week. The Irish tri-captains, Mark Green, Ned Bolcar and Andy Heck, also wrote a letter to the paper, asking students to support the team “in a positive manner.”
As for the game, Notre Dame squeaked by, 31–30, despite getting out-gained 481–331. That win, a convincing victory over No. 2 USC in the regular season finale and a win over No. 3 West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl made Notre Dame a clear choice for the national championship. The Irish were “back” but the Hurricanes got revenge the following year when No. 7 Miami beat No. 1 Notre Dame in the regular season finale, denying the Irish a second straight national title.
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