Petes Dominate HR Races—Alonso & Crow-Armstrong Leading Leagues

Two ex-Mets named Pete are mashing their way to the top of the home run charts. Pete Crow-Armstrong (45 HR, tied with Schwarber in the NL) and Pete Alonso (41 HR, tied with Alvarez and Caminero in the AL) are proving power doesn’t fade—it just relocates. Alonso’s still a force in the AL, while Crow-Armstrong’s breakout season has him in the NL MVP conversation. If the Mets had held onto both, they’d be unstoppable. Too bad they didn’t.

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Howie Rose Era Officially Over—Mets Fans Left Hanging

The Mets’ voice is gone. Howie Rose, the legendary announcer, won’t return to the booth next season after Jon Heyman’s failed last-ditch effort. Rose’s call of the 2016 NL Wild Card game (“Put it in the books!”) might be his most famous, but his real magic was making every game feel like a must-watch. Now, Mets fans are stuck with whatever corporate-friendly replacement the Wilpons (or Cohen) cook up. Enjoy the silence, folks.

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Yankees’ Rotation Debate: Schlittler & Rodon Should Start Games 1-2

The Yankees are overthinking their playoff rotation. Cam Schlittler and Carlos Rodon (since returning from the IL on Aug. 18: 1.89 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, .146 opp BA) have been their best arms—hell, two of the best in MLB—yet Aaron Boone’s still got a clipboard full of bad ideas. Rodon’s been nails, Schlittler’s been elite, and the Yankees are wasting time debating it. Start them, ride them, and stop pretending Gerrit Cole’s rusty return is Plan A.

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Don Cooper, White Sox Legend, Passes at 70

RIP Don Cooper, the most entertaining pitching coach in baseball history. The man behind the 2005 White Sox’s World Series run—where they became the first team since the 1928 Yankees to throw four straight complete games in the postseason—spent 33 years in the Sox org. Cooper didn’t just coach pitchers; he made them believe they were untouchable. Baseball’s a little quieter without him.