Will Venable wins AL Manager of the Year

Game of the Night: Obregon 4, Hermosillo 5 (LMP, 10, walk-off)

• Drama Index 4.69 ★★★★★ · 3 lead changes · 10 innings · peak leverage 5.63 (top 8th)
• Top WPA: Colten Brewer +0.44 (pitcher) · Ruben Ibarra +0.32 (batter) · Nick Margevicius +0.26 (pitcher)
• Bottom WPA: Matt Foster -0.32 (pitcher) · Victor Marquez -0.21 (batter) · Samuel Zazueta -0.20 (pitcher)

Watch: Gameday (MLB.com)

Inning	Matchup	Result	Win probability	WPA	LI
Bot 8th	Dylan Jasso vs. Edwin Fierro	Single	HER 41% → 67%	+0.26	5.20
Top 8th	Guillermo Williamson vs. Juan Gámez	Walk	OBR 54% → 76%	+0.23	5.63
Bot 6th	Ruben Ibarra vs. Dominic Pipkin	Single	HER 63% → 83%	+0.20	2.08

Stat Lab Fundamentals · Lesson 5: The balk

Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers allowed 0.80 walks and hits per inning in 2026, the lowest rate among pitchers with at least 162 innings. The fewer runners a pitcher lets on, the fewer chances he has to break a rule that only exists when someone is on base: the balk.

The idea. A balk is an illegal move by a pitcher with at least one runner on base, and the penalty is that every runner advances one base. The rule keeps a pitcher from deceiving the runners: starting his delivery and then stopping, faking a throw to first base from the rubber, throwing to a base without stepping toward it, or dropping the ball while on the rubber are all balks. Since 2023 a pitcher also gets two pickoff throws or step-offs per batter, the disengagement limit; a third that does not get an out is a balk.

The math. A balk moves every runner up one base, and only the runner on third can reach home, so a balk is worth at most one run. A runner on first goes to second. Runners on first and third: one scores and the other goes to second. Bases loaded: one run scores, and the others move up one. Bases empty: nothing, because there is no one to deceive. A pitcher’s WHIP, walks plus hits per inning, is a rough guide to how many runners he puts on: Jacob Misiorowski allowed 0.80 in 2026, against 1.30 for the league.

The scale. The scale is small: one run at most, and only when a runner stands on third. Its real job is protective. Without the rule a pitcher could fake, or freeze a runner in place, until he was caught off base; the balk keeps the contest between pitcher and runner honest.

What it doesn’t tell you:

• No runner, no balk. With the bases empty an illegal pitch is simply called a ball.
• If the pitch is thrown and the batter and every runner advance at least one base on the play, the balk is waived and the play stands.
• A throw to first is legal when the pitcher steps toward the base and really throws. A fake to first from the rubber is not, and neither is a third pickoff attempt in a plate appearance that fails to get an out.

Try it. Next time a runner stands on third base, watch the pitcher’s set position. When he pitches from the set, he has to come to a complete stop before he delivers; any hitch, and the umpire calls the balk.

Go deeper: MLB Glossary: balk · MLB Glossary: pitch timer · MLB Glossary: stolen base

Transaction Wire

Continued from page 1

• Blue Jays: signed RF Rudy Martin Jr. to a minor league deal

More moves (1)

• Blue Jays: roster move involving RHP Josh Stephan

News

• Brewers’ Pat Murphy makes history with third straight NL Manager of the Year award — BBWAA
• Blaze looking for arms as they head to Arizona — Canadian Baseball Network
• Will Venable wins AL Manager of the Year after leading White Sox turnaround — BBWAA
• Betts: Long list of injuries couldn’t steal Lumley’s love of the game — Canadian Baseball Network

Transactions & Rumors

• Tigers To Sign Emilio Pagán — MLB Trade Rumors
• Winnipeg Goldeyes re-sign Pelletier — Canadian Baseball Network
• Phillies, Brian Navarreto Agree To Minor League Deal — MLB Trade Rumors

Analysis · Prospects · Listen (6)

Analysis

• USA Baseball Unveils Star-Studded NHSI Lineup for 2027 — Just Baseball
• Threepeat — Baseball Musings
• Kevin McGonigle, Sal Stewart Win 2026 Rookie of the Year Awards — Just Baseball
• Cup of Coffee: November 10, 2026 — Cup of Coffee (subscription)

Prospects

• 2026 Minnesota Twins Org Prospect Team — Prospects Live

Listen

• To the Show Podcast: An Interview with Mariners Prospect Hunter Fitz-Gerald — Prospects Live Podcast · 20 min