Mariners Moose Tracks, 10/17/20: The Rays are fun, the Astros are alive, and Will Smith beats Will Smith

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday! We’ve got even more baseball today with the World Series getting started next week. Let’s get you some news as you kick off your weekend.

In playoff news...

• The Astros simply refuse to die. In yet another elimination game, the Houston bats came to life to force a Game 7 against Tampa Bay.
• The Dodgers managed to stay alive too, thanks to the heroic actions of Will Smith — who took on his namesake in the biggest at-bat of his life.

In Mariners news...

• Corey Brock at The Athletic tries to make sense of a messy M’s bullpen heading into the offseason. ($)
• I’ve got to say, I’m a big fan of this enhanced box score. Julio Rodríguez with a 110.4 exit velocity on a ball in play is big news, as is Cal Raleigh hitting two dingers. It feels good to get some real baseball data for Mariners minor leaguers!

Around the league...

• Corey Brock at The Athletic looks back on the incredible 1970 Spokane Indians team. ($)
• The Rays continue to be a very lovable team.

• In some very tragic baseball-related news, a former Angels employee was indicted in the case of Tyler Skaggs’ overdose.
• Now we know where Jr. got it from.

• Some good news for the league: Major League Baseball has now gone 47 days since a player tested positive for the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the NFL is struggling to keep its season going with cases popping up left and right.