The Buzz · October 17, 2026
The Buzz — Saturday, October 17
Milwaukee's 44-year wait is over, a veteran's 13-year run ended in full uniform, and a rainout forced Tampa Bay to show its hand — each name below carries the read that settles the noise.
Jackson Chourio
The take Young star Chourio's clutch hits, franchise records in Brewers WS run
At 22, Chourio owns the Brewers' postseason home run record outright — six, passing Prince Fielder and Orlando Arcia — and the more telling mark is 18 career postseason RBIs, surpassing Andruw Jones' 17 for the most by any player before age 23. Jones reached 17 in far more games; Chourio did it in 19.
The hits that did land were the ones that decided series: the walk-off single off Mason Miller in the NLDS, the game-tying home run that set the franchise mark, and the pennant-clinching catch in left that sent Milwaukee to its first World Series in 44 years. He is not hitting everything. He is hitting what matters.
Jackson Chourio cards on eBay →(paid link)
Nick Martinez
The take Rays stick with Martinez as ALCS G4 starter after rainout
The rainout handed Kevin Cash a free reshuffle, and he passed. Martinez stays the starter for Saturday's Game 4, Drew Rasmussen holds for Game 5 on full rest, and the decision rests on two starts' worth of evidence. Martinez threw 13 scoreless innings against the Guardians in the regular season, and Cash is betting that matchup holds.
The season supports the call. Martinez went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA, sixth in the AL, and the Rays went 23-9 in his starts. His road ERA was 2.38, fourth-best in the league — which matters at Progressive Field with Cleveland up 2-1 and Tampa Bay one loss from a 3-1 hole. He is not the ace. He is not a concession either.
His last outing was 3 2/3 innings in ALDS Game 3 — two runs, five hits, ended by a comebacker — so the rust is real but not unusual. Cleveland counters with Shawn Armstrong as an opener and a bullpen game, which means both managers are asking their staffs to cover outs in pieces. The difference: Tampa Bay's piece is a starter who already blanked this lineup for 13 innings, and Cleveland's is a relay race. Cash made the right call.
Nick Martinez cards on eBay →(paid link)
Miguel Rojas
The take Rojas retires after Dodgers NLCS sweep
Miguel Rojas told reporters 'This is it, guys. This is it' while still in full uniform and cleats, and the image is the whole story. Thirteen years between the Dodgers and Marlins, two World Series rings with Los Angeles in 2024 and 2025, and a .260 career average — the line of a man who stayed in the game by being useful, not by being the star.
He started Game 4 and was lifted for a pinch-hitter before he could bat, which is the unglamorous exit that unglamorous careers often get. His last plate appearances came in Game 3: a single and a walk. He got a real last game, even if the scoreboard did not give him a real last win.
Miguel Rojas cards on eBay →(paid link)
The number Cash is betting on
ALCS Game 4 on Saturday is the only game, and it comes down to one figure: 13 scoreless innings. That is what Martinez threw against Cleveland in two regular-season starts, and it is the entire reason the Rays did not use the rainout to bump Rasmussen ahead. Down 2-1, Tampa Bay needs that Martinez — not the one who lasted 3 2/3 innings in the ALDS — to force Sunday's Game 5 even. Cleveland sends Shawn Armstrong out as an opener and pieces together the rest, a relay race against a starter who has already silenced this lineup. If Martinez holds, the series resets. If not, the Rays are playing for survival on Sunday with their best arm, not for control.