AL West

A Houston Astros fan who ran onto the field and hugged Jose Altuve during Game 2 of the American League Championship Series has been arrested.

A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department told TMZ Sports that Jose Alvarado was booked on a misdemeanor criminal trespass charge.

Alvarado jumped over the railing in the ninth inning of Houston's 3-2 win over the New York Yankees. He was able to get a quick moment with Altuve before security finally got to him.

Altuve downplayed the situation after the game. He told reporters Alvarado was saying "saying we need to win" and he was "about to take a selfie" with the fan before security intervened to take him away.

TMZ noted as of Friday morning Alvarado was still in police custody.

The incident didn't seem to impact the Astros. Ryan Pressly closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres and Matt Carpenter to give Houston a 2-0 series lead.

This marks the fifth consecutive win to start the postseason for the Astros. They swept the Seattle Mariners in the American League Division Series.

The last time Houston won five straight playoff games was over a two seasons from 2017-18. It began with Game 7 of the 2017 World Series, continued the following year with a three-game sweep over Cleveland in the ALDS and Game 1 victory over the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS.

The Astros finished the regular season with an AL-best 106-56 record. They have held home-field advantage through two games against the Yankees.

New York will look to get back in the series in Game 3 on Saturday. Gerrit Cole will make his first start of the ALCS. He allowed three runs with 16 strikeouts over 13.1 innings in two starts against Cleveland in the ALDS.

Astros manager Dusty Baker has yet to announce his Game 3 starter. They are two wins away from their fourth World Series appearance since 2017.

The New York Yankees struggled to do much against Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez on Thursday night. And that set up Alex Bregman to be the hero, an October theme in recent years.

The star third baseman's three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning was ultimately the difference in this game, giving the Astros a 3-2 win and a 2-0 advantage in the American League Championship Series.

Breggy bomb! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/YOz48Kfd3h

— MLB (@MLB) October 21, 2022

Alex Bregman's 14th career postseason home run broke a tie with Justin Turner for the most by a third baseman in MLB history. pic.twitter.com/SSXP5pVD6X

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 21, 2022

Valdez had it handled from there, throwing seven innings of four-hit ball while striking out nine. He didn't give up an earned run, with both runs coming in the top of the fourth after both a fielding error and throwing error from the pitcher, on the same play, left two men on base. Both scored in ensuing at-bats.

Battling back. pic.twitter.com/AOlVb9SKj5

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 21, 2022

https://twitter.com/lindseyadler/status/1583259326117859328

Valdez gets two errors on that play -- one on the fielding part and one on the throwing part.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 21, 2022

So it was no surprise that Bregman and Valdez were feeling the love on Twitter after the big win:

Alex Bregman. We are all witnesses.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 21, 2022

Alex Bregman said watch this.

— Michael Connor (@ConnorMichael) October 21, 2022

The Astros had been hitless in their last 19 at-bats with runners in scoring position before Bregman's 3-run HR. Astros 3, Yankees 0.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) October 21, 2022

Framber Valdez had one of the most underrated seasons of all time. And he’s done it again in the ALCS.

STUD.

— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) October 21, 2022

Aside from that defensive lapse, Framber Valdez was absolutely brilliant tonight.

— Daniel Gotera (@DTGotera) October 21, 2022

most swings & misses in postseason game, pitch-tracking era (2008):

2019 ALDS G2 Gerrit Cole: 33
2010 NLDS G1 Tim Lincecum: 31
Tonight Framber Valdez: 25
2019 ALCS G5 Justin Verlander: 25
2017 ALCS G2 Justin Verlander: 25 https://t.co/Sbw9sAocvL

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 21, 2022

Framber Valdez's 25 swinging strikes tonight.... 😮 pic.twitter.com/t273KCRwz3

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) October 21, 2022

According to @SlangsOnSports, Valdez's 16 whiffs on the curve are the most by a pitcher on the curve in a postseason game under pitch-tracking (2008).

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 21, 2022

Valdez’s curveball is so filthy it should be thrown in the washing machine

— Blake Silver (@blakesilver5) October 21, 2022

Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly handled the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, without too much drama—although Aaron Judge did smash one to the warning track in right field in the eighth, a very deep and scary out for Houston—and the Astros have the Yankees on the ropes as the series heads back to New York.

The Astros have a funny habit of being in the mix every October, and Bregman has a knack for being at the center of the heroics, so his homer was par for the course. But Valdez perplexing a scary Yankees lineup was huge.

Perhaps that shouldn't come as a major surprise, either. After all, Valdez was 17-6 this season with a 2.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 194 strikeouts, easily his best season in the big leagues.

It's one thing to do it in the regular season. It's another to bring the goods in October. The moment wasn't too big for Valdez.

Justin Verlander received praise from his Houston Astros teammates after leading the team to a 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS on Wednesday night.

Verlander allowed just one run on three hits and one walk while striking out 11 across six innings, shutting down a Yanks offense that ranked second in runs scored during the MLB regular season.

"I think you saw what a real Hall of Fame pitcher's made of tonight," starter Lance McCullers Jr. told ESPN's Marly Rivera. "He had a tough start in the DS. You don't have to beat around the bush; it wasn't a great start. I know he wanted to do better. ... You saw him work all week. He felt like he had some adjustments to make, and he made the adjustments. ... In a series where there's only one off day, him being able to give us six amazing innings, speaks volumes for who he is as a pitcher and a competitor."

Catcher Martin Maldonado added: "This is exactly what I expected from him. That is why he is a Hall of Famer."

Despite being one of the generation's best pitchers, Verlander hasn't always enjoyed the same level of success in the playoffs. His postseason ERA (3.55) is more than three-tenths of a run above his regular-season mark (3.24), and he struggled in his ALDS start, giving up six runs in four innings as part of an 8-7 win over the Seattle Mariners.

If the Astros move past the Yankees to reach the World Series, one of the key storylines will be the 39-year-old ace's past performance in the Fall Classic: 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA across seven starts.

That said, what New York dealt with Wednesday night is closer to what's expected from Verlander. A wicked mix of pitches working off the baseline of an overpowering fastball that can make him unhittable at times.

The Yanks' only run came on a solo homer by Harrison Bader in the second inning. They didn't get any runners on base over the Astros starter's final three frames of work.

"He gave us exactly the kind of performance we needed, and I feel that I say that all the time about Verlander," second baseman José Altuve told Rivera. "This was a huge win for us, alongside our bullpen, which has been exceptional all season. He set the tone and allowed us to win the first game, which is very important in a tough series like this one, and against a great team like the Yankees."

Houston manager Dusty Baker praised the pitcher's mental approach after he got out of a third-inning jam with back-to-back strikeouts of Josh Donaldson and Matt Carpenter.

"He's not only physically strong, which you can see, but he's mentally strong," Baker said. "This guy, he has mental toughness. When he's down and out and it looks like you got him in trouble, I mean, this guy, he can dial it up."

The strong performance gives the Astros an early edge in the battle of the American League's top two clubs during the regular season.

Houston will send Framber Valdez to the mound in Game 2 on Thursday in search of a commanding 2-0 lead. New York is set to counter with Luis Severino.

First pitch at Minute Maid Park is scheduled for 7:37 p.m. ET on TBS.

Football has its ageless wonder in Tom Brady. Basketball has its ageless wonder in LeBron James.

Baseball may have one too with 39-year-old Justin Verlander.

The Houston Astros ace, who will likely take home his third career Cy Young this season, was brilliant while leading his team to a 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Wednesday. Houston is now three games away from its fourth World Series trip in six years, while the Yankees are facing a deficit against the team that eliminated them in the 2017 and 2019 ALCS.

Verlander gave the Astros a massive advantage on paper considering he was facing Jameson Taillon instead of Gerrit Cole or Nestor Cortés, who each pitched twice in the Division Series win over the Cleveland Guardians.

The future Hall of Famer capitalized on that by allowing a single earned run and striking out 11. He moved into first place in Major League Baseball history in postseason strikeouts and earned plenty of praise on social media in the process:

Justin Verlander was FILTHY tonight! #postseason pic.twitter.com/lzZTbodfml

— MLB (@MLB) October 20, 2022

Most career postseason strikeouts:

Justin Verlander: 219
Clayton Kershaw: 213
John Smoltz: 199 pic.twitter.com/eJUFActDrh

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 20, 2022

Justin Verlander now has 8 career 10-strikeout games in the postseason, 2 more than anyone else all-time

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 20, 2022

Justin Verlander has made 19 postseason starts of at least 100 pitches. That is the most of anyone in the Wild Card Era. Andy Pettitte is second with 17. @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 20, 2022

Justin Verlander is a baseball marvel

from Rookie of the Year in '06
to Cy Young in '11
to looking washed in '14
to finding his footing again
to re-inventing with the Astros
to Tommy John surgery at 38
to putting up one of his best seasons at 39

A generational star

— Joon Lee (@joonlee) October 20, 2022

Verlander is still that dude. Six innings, one run, three hits, eleven strikeouts and one walk. It's still 1-1 as we head to the bottom half of the inning. #LevelUp

— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) October 20, 2022

Verlander is unbelievable

— Ty Schmit (@tyschmit) October 20, 2022

Such a classic Verlander start. Shaky in the early innings before finding another gear.

— Chris Castellani (@Castellani2014) October 20, 2022

Justin Verlander went from grinding through to absolutely dealing. He has struck out seven of the past eight Yankees he's faced

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) October 20, 2022

welp yankees let verlander lock in

— JoezMcfly🇩🇴 (@JoezMcfLy) October 20, 2022

how have I been dealing with Justin freakin' Verlander in playoff games for 16 years now

— Pinstripe Alley (@pinstripealley) October 19, 2022

New York missed a golden opportunity to get to Verlander in the early going after Harrison Bader gave it the lead with a solo homer in the second inning. It put runners on second and third with one out in the third, but the starter escaped the jam with strikeouts of Josh Donaldson and Matt Carpenter.

The back-to-back punchouts set off a run of dominance that included six straight strikeouts as Verlander established full command, mixed in different pitches and retired the final 11 batters he faced.

Taillon pitched well enough to keep his team in the game by allowing just one run in 4.1 innings, but Houston's offense went into launch mode against the Yankees' bullpen with solo homers from Yuli Gurriel, Chas McCormick and Jeremy Peña.

That was enough for Ryan Pressly to close the door with a 1.1-inning save, and the Astros will look to defend home field again in Thursday's Game 2.

Yordan Alvarez hit a game-winning, three-run home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning to help the Houston Astros overcome a 7-3 deficit to beat the Seattle Mariners 8-7 in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.

Yordan rules. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/yaQAKx8bFw

— MLB (@MLB) October 11, 2022

The Mariners tagged AL Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander for six earned runs and 10 hits through four innings to take a 6-2 lead.

Big hits included a Cal Raleigh RBI single, a Julio Rodríguez two-RBI double and a pair of Ty France RBI singles sandwiched around a J.P. Crawford solo home run.

The Astros and M's traded solo home runs courtesy of Yuli Gurriel and Eugenio Suárez, respectively, and Alex Bregman then cut the deficit to 7-5 in the eighth with a two-run blast.

The bottom of the ninth soon arrived, and the Astros got a pair of runners on base courtesy of a David Hensley hit-by-pitch and a Jeremy Peña single.

Alvarez then strolled up to the dish and smoked a Robbie Ray pitch 438 feet for the game-winner.

That was the first walkoff postseason homer since Joe Carter in 1993 to turn a deficit into a win. The 4th ever, joining Lenny Dykstra in the 1986 NLCS, Kirk Gibson in the '88 WS, and Carter.

— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) October 11, 2022

It was a shocking game all around, from the Mariners' dominance of Verlander to the Astros' unlikely late comeback.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and many others reacted to the Alvarez bomb, the remarkable Astros win and the Mariners' stunning collapse.

Wow!!! That was a 💣💣!!! #Astros

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) October 11, 2022

Yall had one job @Mariners

— Master (@MasterTes) October 11, 2022

Unreal.

What a blow.

And.

What a gut punch.

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) October 11, 2022

I cannot believe that happened.

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) October 11, 2022

Oh my God.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) October 11, 2022

You beat Justin Verlander ... and still lost the game.

Goodness.

— Tim Booth (@ByTimBooth) October 11, 2022

That’s an all-time gut punch loss for Mariners. Hard to see them recovering.

— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) October 11, 2022

Yordan Alvarez just hit a baseball harder than anything I've seen here since Albert Pujols.

FINAL: Astros 8, Mariners 7.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 11, 2022

Yordan Alvarez, one of the great and underrated players in any spot.

— Peter King (@peter_king) October 11, 2022

https://twitter.com/briancgrubb/status/1579976246662168577

Game 2 of the Mariners-Astros series will take place in Houston on Thursday at 3:37 p.m. ET. Framber Valdez will pitch for Houston, and the M's will send out Luis Castillo.

Whoever purchases the Los Angeles Angels will have managing control of the Major League Baseball team with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, and that is reportedly worth a record-breaking price.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the American League West team is expected to be sold for at least $3 billion, which would be a "record price for a baseball franchise."

It should be a quick sale, as "the sale is expected to be consummated within the next few months."

The Angels shored up some 2023 questions already this offseason when they gave a one-year deal to manager Phil Nevin and a one-year, $30 million deal to Ohtani. The Ohtani one was done to avoid arbitration.

While there isn't a long-term contract in place, Nightengale reported the team does not plan on trading him at all.

That is surely welcome news for potential purchasers of the franchise, as Ohtani is one of the biggest stars in all of sports. He was the 2021 American League MVP with a slash line of .257/.372/.592 with 46 home runs and 100 RBI as a hitter and a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings as a pitcher.

He was arguably better this past season with a .273/.356/.519 slash line, 34 home runs and 95 RBI at the plate and a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings on the mound.

Forbes listed the Angels as the league's ninth-most valuable team in May at a value of $2.2 billion, so the price could end up being higher. The presence of the stars is surely a major reason why, although they still haven't gone to the playoffs since the 2014 campaign.

A report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggested as much, as he noted, "Word going around the game is that the Angels may set a record at $2.5B with their franchise sale, and Shohei Ohtani may pay off yet again, as there’s word a major Japanese company is among many suitors showing interest."

There is certainly an element of risk, as Ohtani could leave in free agency after the 2023 campaign.

But for now, the Angels are expected to sell for a record price with two of the sport's biggest names on the roster.

Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian is thinking long-term when it comes to Shohei Ohtani.

The Angels and Ohtani agreed to a one-year, $30 million contract for the 2023 campaign, meaning the two sides will avoid arbitration.

"I think it's step one," Minasian said of the deal, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. "Hopefully there are more steps down the road. I'm never going to talk about negotiations but I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'd love to have him here for a long time."

It was a record-setting contract in more ways than one.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noted the $30 million deal surpassed Mookie Betts' $27 million as the highest for an arbitration-eligible player and Ohtani's $24.5 million raise represents the largest year-to-year increase in history.

Ohtani is arguably the best player in the majors and is certainly the most uniquely talented, so it's reasonable for him to be paid as such even if it is just a one-year contract.

The 28-year-old won the American League MVP last season by slashing .257/.372/.592 with 46 home runs, 100 RBI and 26 stolen bases. Those numbers alone would have been impressive, but he was also the ace of the Angels pitching staff with a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings.

He was even better on the mound this year, finishing with a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings. The power numbers at the plate took a small dip, but he still posted a .273/.356/.519 slash line, 34 home runs and 95 RBI.

In almost any other year, he would be a lock for back-to-back MVP awards, but New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge just missed the Triple Crown and hit an American League-record 62 home runs and seems well on his way to winning the award.

Unfortunately for Los Angeles, it hasn't managed to be competitive even with perhaps the top two players in the game in Ohtani and Mike Trout.

The Angels' last playoff appearance came in 2014, and they finished 73-89 this season. There were even some Ohtani trade rumors prior to the deadline this year, suggesting the struggling franchise could reload its farm system by trading such a gifted player during a losing season.

Yet if Minasian's comments are any indication, it's clear the team is interested in continuing to build around him.

Phil Nevin showed enough as the interim manager of the Los Angeles Angels to earn another opportunity with the team.

The Angels announced they agreed to a one-year deal with Nevin and promoted him to the full-time manager role for the 2023 campaign.

He took over in an interim position when Los Angeles fired Joe Maddon in June.

Expectations were high for the Angels when they brought Maddon aboard ahead of the 2020 season. After all, he was the manager who helped the Chicago Cubs break their 108-year World Series title drought in 2016 and also led the Tampa Bay Rays to the Fall Classic in 2008.

Despite the presence of some of the best players in the league in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, Los Angeles never lived up to those expectations and went 130-148 during his tenure without a single playoff appearance.

He was also fired 12 games into a 14-game losing streak.

While there were no more long slides, things didn't go much better under Nevin. The Angels are 46-59 under his direction and sit in third place in the American League West at 73-88 overall.

The 51-year-old will look to guide the Angels to the postseason for the first time since the 2014 season. It will be his first full-time managerial position, but he has plenty of experience managing at the minor league level and was also a third base coach for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Angels.

The No. 1 overall draft pick in 1995, the California native played in the majors for 12 seasons from 1995 to 2006 for the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Anaheim Angels, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins. The corner infielder was an All-Star in 2001 for the Padres and hit 208 home runs in his career.

Nevin won't have much of a chance to prove himself with a one-year deal, but he said he wanted to get the Angels job permanently.

Justin Hollander helped the Seattle Mariners clinch their first playoff spot since the 2001 campaign, and he was rewarded with quite the promotion.

Tim Booth of the Associated Press noted the Mariners announced they promoted Hollander to the role of general manager. He has been with the team since the end of the 2016 campaign and was promoted to assistant general manager before the start of the 2020 season.

Booth explained this doesn't change much in Seattle's front office since Hollander was already splitting most of the roster construction duties with president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto.

"I think it's probably more of a codification of our present roles than it is a gigantic change," Hollander said. "I get to have a cool title now."

Hollander started in Major League Baseball as a player development and scouting assistant with the Los Angeles Angels in 2008, and his career almost came full circle when he was a finalist for their GM role after the 2020 campaign.

However, Los Angeles hired Perry Minasian.

Hollander stayed with the Mariners as a result, and the move has paid off considering they are about to head to the postseason for the first time in 21 years.

With an offense centered around Julio Rodríguez, Eugenio Suárez, Ty France and others and Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray and Logan Gilbert spearheading the pitching staff, there is reason for optimism with the postseason approaching.

The future is also bright after Seattle agreed to a five-year contract extension with Castillo to anchor the team alongside the 21-year-old Rodríguez for the foreseeable future, and it will be Hollander who is tasked with maintaining a contender around them after this promotion.

For at least one more season, Shohei Ohtani is under contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

The organization announced Saturday it agreed to a one-year, $30 million deal with Ohtani for 2023, the most ever for an arbitration-eligible player.

The Ohtani contact is a record for an arbitration-eligible player (11% above old record of $27M by Betts). His $24.5M raise Is the biggest year-to-year increase ever for a player, and it puts him in the top 10 as of now for 2023 salary and AAV.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 1, 2022

That figure is also notable because the reigning American League MVP is due to hit free agency in 2024.

Not that it was likely to fall below that number in the first place, but Ohtani's salary for next year effectively sets a baseline for what he'll earn annually from a multiyear contract.

Mookie Betts, for example, got $27 million from the Boston Red Sox in 2020 when they avoided arbitration, and that preceded his signing a 12-year, $365 million extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers following a trade.

If, by chance, you happen to own a baseball team and have interest in acquiring Shohei Ohtani this winter, now you know how much you would have to pay him. https://t.co/X0K44GhKu5

— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) October 1, 2022

At $30 million, Ohtani will be tied with the San Diego Padres' Manny Machado for the 13th-highest average salary in MLB.

Of course, it will presumably take much more than that when he's a free agent. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported in June some within the Angels organization believe he'll eclipse Max Scherzer ($43.3 million annually) to become baseball's highest-paid player.

The thing with Ohtani is he could command $30-40 million as a standalone hitter or pitcher. At the plate, he's batting .276 with 34 home runs and a 149 OPS+, per Baseball Reference. On the mound, he's 15-8 with a 2.35 ERA, a 2.44 FIP and 213 strikeouts over 161 innings.

When you combine all of his skills, anything below $50 million will feel like a bargain to some degree.

Shohei Ohtani has produced $139 million in value over the last 2 seasons, per @fangraphs.

Going to get a 💰 next offseason.

— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) October 1, 2022

Ohtani will be 29 when the 2024 season opens, and he was unable to pitch at all in 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Those two details will undoubtedly factor into whatever the Angels or another team is willing to offer.

From Ohtani's perspective, matching the 12-year term for Mike Trout's record-setting extension will be tough because you typically don't want to be paying a pitcher that much money into his 40s.

But Gerrit Cole got nine years and $324 million from the New York Yankees ahead of the 2020 season, and he was the same age Ohtani will be. The Japanese star's hitting ability also allows for him to continue contributing if an injury precludes him from pitching.

Ohtani's representatives shouldn't have much difficulty getting an offer of at least eight or nine years. Assuming that's the case, he could join Trout as the second player in MLB history to get $400 million-plus.

Saturday's news doesn't change the situation too much.