McAdam: Some thoughts on a World Series clincher as Mookie makes his mark in L.A.

A few random observations on the completion of the 2020 baseball season and the Dodgers overtaking the Rays to win the World Series in six games.

1 — Mookie makes his mark

Mookie Betts didn't win the World Series MVP; that honor deservedly went to teammate Corey Seager. But Betts had his imprint all over L.A.'s postseason, with acrobatic plays in the outfield, smart baserunning and, in Game 6, he was responsible -- in some way -- for all three runs the Dodgers scored.

When the Dodgers rallied for two runs in the sixth, it was a double by Betts that sent Austin Barnes to third, from where he scored on a wild pitch. Once at third, Betts aggressively broke on contact and slid in head-first with the go-ahead run. And finally, Betts homered in the eighth to give the Dodgers a little breathing room.

Betts has yet to have a breakout postseason at the plate in his career. But there's this: he's played in two World Series in the span of three years, and both times, he's homered in Series-clinching game.

And because all baseball -- like politics -- is local: this season could not have unfolded worse for the Red Sox. First, the Rays represent the American League, with a payroll about a third of the Red Sox. Then, the entire month of October serves as a stage for Betts to display his talent.

The Game 1 telecast featured Joe Buck and John Smoltz taking verbal swipes at the Sox for trading Betts away. And it got worse from there.



The Red Sox are going to have to wear this trade for a long time. And with Betts part of a Dodgers team with an embarrassment of talent, much of if quite young, he can be expected to make more visits to the World Series, each time serving as an all-too-present reminder of how the Sox bungled things to the point where their only ''solution' was to trade off one of the game's best players in his prime.

2 — Kevin Cash is looking at a long winter

Imagine if Cash managed in New York or Boston. He'd be vilified from now until the end of time. He's be Grady Little with the added benefit of social media to pile on the non-stop ignominy.

Cash lifted Rays starter Blake Snell with one out in the sixth, despite Snell having allowed just two singles while racking up nine strikeouts. Worse, he was lifted just before the Dodgers lineup turned over. And the top two hitters in the order, Betts and Seager, were a combined 0-for-4 with four strikeouts against Snell.

Cash's motivation was the last refuge of the School of Analytics: not wanting to have a pitcher face a lineup a third time.

"Third time through, we value that. We value our process,'' said Cash after the move backfired in the biggest way imaginable.

It's a given that teams now operate with reams of data. But at some point, like, say, in a potential elimination game, with your top starter carving up the opposing lineup like a Thanksgiving turkey, maybe some feel for the moment is necessary.

This isn't to say Cash isn't a good manager. Of course he is, given that he got his team this far. And similar mistakes have been made in past World Series games. Dave Roberts himself made one in Game 4 in the 2018 World Series when he pulled Rich Hill prematurely.

But this feels like it's going to happen more and more frequently, as the game shifts to strategy that is entirely dependent on analytics, even if it completely contradicts what your eyes are telling you to be true.

3 — Series wraps just in time

Remember when the owners, in negotiating with the Players Association this summer, were absolutely insistent that the postseason not stretch past Oct. 28, for fear that a second (or third) wave of COVID-19 would threaten the sport's showcase event?

Turns out, they couldn't have been more prescient.

After going almost two months without a positive test throughout the sport, MLB was notified in-game that Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner had tested positive and was ordered to be removed from the game.

Imagine an alternate reality where Cash sticks with Snell for another inning or so, the Rays hold to force a deciding game Wednesday night and....Game 7 of the World Series has to be postponed because of an outbreak with one or both teams.

MLB deserves a lot of credit for finding a way through the season, and one without a bubble until the postseason. After a rough start, the players, management and the game's leadership took the virus seriously and made it to the end.

But what was the rationale behind allowing a masked Turner onto the field to hold the trophy and joyously hug his teammates? Wasn't the whole idea behind lifting him from the game to reduce any further interaction with teammates, opponents and umpires?

Already, MLB was faced with the prospect of having to go through contact tracing and determining whether the players (and their families) can return home Wednesday. Allowing an infected Turner to mingle on the field was an irresponsible call that threatened to spoil an otherwise terrific Series.