Time to crown a new “Mr. November”. Here the candidates

HOUSTON – Mark your calendars, because no matter who wins Saturday at Minute Maid Park, history will be made.

Game 6 between the Astros and the Phillies will be played on November 5; being the game that has been played later in the calendar in the history of the Major Leagues. The previous record was Nov. 4, twice — Yankees over D-backs in Game 7 of 2001 and Yankees over Phillies in Game 6 of 2009.

But this year’s unique schedule, due to the lockout, added to the rain suspension of Game 3, opened up the possibility that Game 7 could be played on Sunday if necessary, something that would set a record that could possibly endure for a long time. . In fact, this will be the only World Series in which most games are played in a month that is better known for Thanksgiving than Major League Baseball.

Now, given that this Fall Classic is focused on November, unlike the previous 117, it’s reasonable to suggest that some of the Phillies or Astros players be crowned the new “Mr. November”.

Yes, we already know what you are thinking. We already have a Mr. November! Derek Jeter, who not only became the first player to step up to the plate in November during Game 4 of the epic 2001 World Series, but also hit an incredible walk-off home run – in a moment of joy for New York City, still fresh from the 9/11 attacks.

But while Jeter is tied for the record for most games played in November (six) and leads the month in hits (eight), that key moment is technically tied more to Oct. 31 than Nov. 1, because of the date game official.

Is that enough to take away Jeter’s nickname? Well, not really. But Jeter has another nickname (El Capitan), so… he could at least share this one, right?

As we prepare for Game 6 (the 16th game played in November in history), we introduce some players who have the potential to be called “Mr. November”.

(What was done in Games 1 and 2, which were played in October, are discarded for this all-important exercise.)

So far, it is difficult to overcome what the Dominican has done, who pitched the first six innings of the historic combined no-hitter in Game 4. Javier was brilliant, dominating the Phillies with an “invisible” fastball.

Javier gave up two runs out of the bullpen in Game 6 of the World Series last November, but we think he put that behind him. He currently holds the record for the most strikeouts in the month, with 12. One factor to take into account is that the Dominican would be a possibility to start Game 7 if necessary. If that happens, the title of “Mr. November” will be at stake.

Like many Astros (we’ll get to that in a minute), Schwarber entered the series having played two games in November. He was an integral part of the Cubs’ title in 2016. He went 4-for-9 with a walk in those games. In Game 3 of this series, he hit a whopping 443-foot home run. He bounced it again in the fifth game. That puts Schwarber one homer away from tying Chase Utley’s record with three.

Peña had never played in November until this year. Wait, he hadn’t played in a single Major League game until this season!

It seems incredible, given how comfortable the Dominican has been in this scenario. In the three games played this month, he is 6-for-12 with a home run, a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored. Plus, he’s a shortstop, and 100% of people know that “Mr. November” belongs to the short stops.

Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh, Phillies

Like Schwarber, these Phillies have homered this November. It’s a great starting point, but they’ll have to do a lot more from here on out.

Seranthony Dominguez, Phillies

The Dominican probably won’t get the ball unless the Phillies are on the verge of securing their first World Series title since 2008, which speaks for itself.

Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel, Astros

They are the only Astros players who have played in November before — Game 7 of 2017 and Game 6 of last year. These guys are going to tie Jeter and Jorge Posada’s record for the most games played in November (six) on Saturday.

However, they haven’t made a lot of noise in this instance, unlike Jeter. Altuve is 20-4 with a triple, Bregman 2-for-17 with a double and Gurriel of 19-4 with a double. If anyone wants to seize the nickname, they will have to explode on Saturday.

The left-hander is in charge of throwing in moments of less pressure compared to what he did last year with the Braves. In fact, Smith is about to pitch in these playoffs.

But we have to keep him in mind in case something happens (extra innings) and he becomes the first pitcher to close out a World Series in November in two straight years. He got the last out for Atlanta on Nov. 2.

You never know what might happen in November. A go-ahead ninth-inning hit, a walk-off home run or something that can make a player immediately called “Mr. November”.