8:55 AM ET So much happens during the World Series — and there’s always another game to look ahead to until the final one — that a lot of small, important plays get lost in the big-picture takes. Two plays, quickly forgotten in aftermath of Stephen Strasburg‘s mastery and Anthony Rendon‘s brilliance and Howie Kendrick‘s

8:09 PM ET The New York Yankees are hiring Matt Blake as their new pitching coach, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Blake was previously a pitching coordinator with the Cleveland Indians, who have consistently turned out quality big league pitchers. Blake has also worked as a scout for the Yankees. Blake replaces Larry Rothschild, who

4:37 PM ET ESPN News Services HOUSTON — The Astros reshuffled their front office Thursday, with president Reid Ryan being moved to a lesser role in the organization as owner Jim Crane’s son joined the executive team. In addition, Nolan Ryan, the father of Reid who served as an executive adviser to Crane, “will not

1:11 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” In his public statements about the evolution of the free-agent market, Tony Clark, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, has taken pains not to use the word “collusion.”

7:00 AM ET Let’s turn back the clock a year, when we wrote this same article and included this gem: Guy most likely to put a team over the top: Patrick Corbin. … There might be concern about the long-term health of a guy who throws sliders 40 percent of the time, but Corbin has

6:38 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Two days into the free-agent market, the players’ association already is angry at a club. Union head Tony Clark issued a statement Wednesday in response to remarks attributed to Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos during a conference call with media. “Every day you get more information.

6:07 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants have narrowed their search for a new manager to three finalists, according to multiple reports. Former Phillies manager Gape Kapler, Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro are the final three vying to replace Bruce Bochy. Giants President

3:51 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader just made the cutoff for salary arbitration eligibility with 2 years, 115 days of major league service. Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias also is on the list of 23 so-called Super 2s with 2 years, 117 days. The cutoff was down

3:59 PM ET Associated Press ST. LOUIS — Cardinals manager Mike Shildt has been given a new three-year contract through the 2022 season. Shildt was hired in 2018 and his initial deal ran through 2020. At its end-of-season news conference Tuesday, St. Louis announced president of baseball operations John Mozeliak received a three-year extension through

Nov 6, 2018 Sam MillerESPN.com Close ESPN baseball columnist/feature writerFormer editor-in-chief of Baseball ProspectusCo-author of “The Only Rule Is It Has To Work” Before the 2019 MLB season began, we tried to define what “success” could look like for each of the 30 teams. Obviously, winning a World Series would count as successful no matter