The NLCS MVP made the most of his first World Series at-bat in front of the home crowd in Philadelphia.
Following his heroics in Game 5 of the NLCS, Bryce Harper likely couldn’t wait to return to Citizens Bank Park and play in front of his home crowd. It took him just one pitch to recreate some Philadelphia magic in the World Series.
Harper turned on the first pitch he saw from Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. in the bottom of the first inning of Tuesday’s Game 3, crushing it for a two-run homer to give the Phillies an early lead. It was his sixth home run in his 14th game of this postseason.
Statcast measured the blast at 402 feet, with an exit velocity of 103.9 miles per hour. The Phillies struck for two more runs in the second inning off of solo homers by Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh.
Harper is now one home run shy of the franchise record for most in a single postseason, held by Jayson Werth (seven) in 2009. Harper holds the club record for most extra-base hits in a single postseason with 12, per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, and he now has recorded 11 career postseason home runs in 33 games.
The open letter from Congress members comes following an independent investigation found systemic abuse throughout the league.
On Tuesday, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) and 43 other members of Congress published an open letter to U.S. Soccer calling for the organization’s cooperation with an investigation into systemic abuse across the NWSL. The letter was issued approximately a month after the results of former acting U.S. attorney general Sally Yates’s investigation were released, which found that “abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women’s soccer.”
Meantime, the NWSL and the NWSL Players Association have been conducting their own joint investigation to assess the working environments of all 12 of the teams.
Following the letter’s release, Ross said she hopes the progress that’s been made thus far is only the beginning.
“I think it’s good that Congress makes sure that people know we haven’t forgotten about something (after) writing one letter,” Ross said, per The Athletic‘s Meg Linehan. “There actually has been some really good progress made, and we don’t want to take anything away from the progress that has been made.”
Ross said she hoped that an “artificial wall” between the NWSL and U.S. Soccer would not be an impediment to the investigation, and she asked for information and a timeline on the league’s implementation of the report’s recommendations. This comes one day after U.S. Soccer appointed former NWSL player Mana Shim as the chair of the task force created to prevent abuse and harassment of women.
The results of the Yates report made it evident that abuse was not isolated to a couple teams. Five of the 10 head coaches in the NWSL last season either were fired or stepped down amid allegations of misconduct.
What do you buy for the dude on your list who loves beer? This isn’t a trick question—it’s obviously beer. But maybe this year you want to branch out and find those suds-loving connoisseurs something different—just not too different. With the holidays looming large on the calendar, we went looking for the best beer-related gifts. From reading materials to glassware to one of the world’s biggest beer events, here are the best gifts for beer lovers at a range of prices. Just pick one of these, throw in a six-pack, and cross that beerhead off your list.
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1. The Book of Hops
When it comes to beer, hops are huge. They add stability to the brew, as well as bitterness and aroma. Depending on the hops, they can add flavors such as grapefruit, melon, honey, and pine. This is your chance to help your favorite beer lover gain a better understanding of a principle beer ingredient that’s way more interesting than literature on malt, water, or yeast. Author Dan DiSorbo profiles 50 of the world’s varieties of hops in this fully-illustrated guide to all things hops. And if the reader gets thirsty from reading, the book also includes hand-picked craft beer recommendations.
Ben Verlander and John Smoltz preview Game 3 of the World Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies and they take a look at the pitching matchup.
There were a record 14 first-time winners of the award this season.
Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado made history on Tuesday, winning a Gold Glove at third base for the 10th consecutive season. That ties Ichiro Suzuki for the most Gold Glove awards to begin a career in MLB history.
However, besides Arenado, the majority of winners this year were first-timers. A record 14 players won a Gold Glove for the first time, including Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker. Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña is also a first-time winner, making him the first rookie to ever win a Gold Glove at the shortstop position.
Additionally, for the first time ever, Rawlings handed out an award for the best utility infielders in each league, players who played multiple positions instead of one primary spot. DJ LeMahieu of the Yankees and Brendan Donavan of the Cardinals earned those honors.
