Speaking of October surprises, how this for an upset? The World Series managed to topple Monday Night Football in the battle for television viewers. From the Associated Press:

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the Fall Classic averaged 13.64m viewers on Fox, Fox Deportes and streaming according to early numbers by Nielsen. That beat the 13.4m that tuned in for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 26-18 win over the New York Giants on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN2 and streaming.

The audience for Yankees-Dodgers peaked at 14.25m from 9-9.15pm EDT. It was the most-watched Game 3 since 2018, when the Dodgers’ 18-inning victory over the Red Sox averaged 13.3m.

It is Fox’s most-viewed prime time telecast on a Monday since Game 5 of the 2013 Series between Boston and St. Louis (14.45m).

It was the ninth time since 1986 that a World Series game was played on a Monday night, but only the fourth that it went head-to-head against Monday Night Football on network television.

National Anthem

That would be singer/songwriter Ashanti. And she gave us a great rendition with some flare! I’d score it an 8.5/10! Here’s what it sounded like at Madison Square Garden.

The readers say…

It’s his to lose for sure. It would take a real October surprise for that to change.

Lineups!

They’re in and they’re here. Jazz Chisholm swaps places with Giancarlo Stanton as Yankees manager Aaron Boone attempts to lengthen his lineup. Catcher Austin Wells, an automatic out, is back in the starting lineup after sitting most of Game 3. for the Dodgers, catcher Will Smith falls in the lineup with Gavin Lux and Kike Hernandez move up. For the record, I think Smith, who has really struggled, is due.

Will Freddie Freeman hit a home run in a sixth consecutive World Series game?

Pile on time

When you’ve won 27 titles, people get excited when you lose.

The 3-0 hole

You don’t want to be in a 3-0 hole in the baseball playoffs because you almost always lose. Only the 2004 Red Sox have come back from such a deficit, defeating the Yankees in the ALCS.

Yankees fans pointing to that series as evidence that such an event is possible should consider that the Red Sox team is in a different league than this Yankees club.

In that series, Boston got a ninth inning game-tying run off Mariano Rivera, the most dominant closer in MLB history before winning Game 4 in the 12th inning. It was Dave Roberts, the Dodgers manager who scored that tying run. Then Boston won Game 5 in 14 innings, a game in which they were down two runs in the eighth inning. Then they won a tight Game 6 before blowing out New York in Game 7, on the road.

This Yankees team isn’t doing that, no matter how many times Yogi Berra tells us that “it ain’t over till it’s over.”

Hello…

…and welcome to our coverage of Game 4 of the 120th World Series! Tonight could be the night that Major League Baseball awards its underwhelming gold trophy to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will collect an eighth franchise title with a win over New York at Yankee Stadium.

Will the Bronx Bombers, lords of the Fall Classic, winner of 27 titles, go out without even a whimper and be swept away by a vastly superior Dodger team? Or will New York show some pride, win a game: heck – win an inning – and get this to a Game 5 with the ultimate aim of forcing this series west to a Game 6 in Los Angeles?

And having said all of that, will we get to see even a glimpse of the future MVP Aaron Judge, who put up video game type numbers during the regular season before struggling epically in the playoffs? So far Judge has struck out 20 times in 54 at bats. If New York’s season ends tonight and Judge has another poor outing, it will leave a stain on what has been an extraordinary campaign for the slugger. What’s more, he’ll have to hear about his postseason flop this all of winter and all of next season until he gets another October shot. That would be unfortunate for a player of his caliber.

That’s why most of the pressure is on Judge and New York in this Game 4. Barring a baseball miracle, LA are going to win this title. It doesn’t have to happen tonight and it doesn’t have to happen tomorrow, because it’s going to happen: these Dodgers will not lose four games straight to an inferior Yankees team. But New York have just one shot to show their fans who waited 15 years for World Series home games some kind of life.

The Yanks will look to starter Luis Gil to stymie LA’s lineup and buy time for New York’s bats to finally wake up. Gil was a revelation this season carrying an ERA of just above two in his first nine starts. Since then he’s been inconstant, which is to be expected for a pitcher who has thrown over 150 innings this season, more than he’s ever hurled before by some margin.

The Dodgers throw a parade of relievers at the Yankees as they bid for their latest title, which is a gross way to chase a championship if I’m being honest. But I digress: Ben Casparius will be the opener for LA.

World Series baseball is heading your way soon! Get your popcorn ready and write me, either via “x” or by email, with all your thoughts and feelings. And even if they aren’t about baseball, that’s fine with me! More to come: stick with us!

David will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look back at Monday’s Game 3.