STAFFORD SPRINGS, Conn. — For the second straight year, the NAPA Fall Final at Stafford Motor Speedway produced a first-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner.

Craig Lutz took the lead from Doug Coby on a restart with 33 laps to go and never looked back, driving away from Coby and defending series champion Justin Bonsignore to earn his first checkered flag in his 66th series start.

Prior to Sunday, Lutz had finished inside the top five in four of his 12 Stafford starts, including the last three. He had also finished in the top five in eight of 14 races in 2019.

But for the first time, the Miller Place, N.Y., driver was able to celebrate a trophy.

“The first win is always special,” Lutz said. “Everyone kept on asking me when it was coming. To finally knock one off, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Lutz started ninth and rode inside the top 10 for the duration of the race, but shined when it mattered most. Meanwhile, Chris Pasteryak earned his first career Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole award in qualifying, and led the first six laps before Coby took control.

Bonsignore took the lead from Coby just before halfway, and paced the field until a caution just after lap 100, when leaders pitted multiple times for tires. It would be the only caution of the day that Coby, Bonsignore and Lutz entered pit road.

Pasteryak led eight more laps after cycling back to the lead, but couldn’t hold the top spot, as Coby slid by, then a restart gave Lutz his opportunity.

Lutz passed Coby and never looked back, minding the gap back to Bonsignore for the final 10 laps.

“I just didn’t look in my mirror,” Lutz said. “I have an awesome spotter, who has a lot of experience, and he kept telling me to stay smooth and hit my marks. That’s what I kept doing.”

Bonsignore finished second, while Coby settled for third. Chuck Hossfeld, who missed practice and qualifying on Saturday, charged from the rear of the field to finish fourth.

Matt Swanson was fifth, ahead of Ron Silk, Bobby Santos III, Woody Pitkat, Chase Dowling and Patrick Emerling.

Coby, in search of his sixth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship, leads Bonsignore by 19 points with one points race remaining.

The finish:

Craig Lutz, Justin Bonsignore, Doug Coby, Chuck Hossfeld, Matt Swanson, Ron Silk, Bobby Santos III, Woody Pitkat, Chase Dowling, Patrick Emerling, Chris Pasteryak, Matt Galko, Timmy Solomito, Blake Barney, Tommy Catalano, Rob Summers, J.B. Fortin, Andrew Molleur, Mark Bakaj, Ken Heagy, Eric Goodale, Joey Cipriano III, Gary McDonald, Wade Cole, Dave Salzarulo, Joey Mucciacciaro, Anthony Nocella, Calvin Carroll, Kyle Bonsignore, Timmy Catalano, Melissa Fifield, Sam Rameau, Tyler Rypkema, Kyle Ellwood.

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United's next recruitment drive will focus on signing attacking players, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed.

Solskjaer sanctioned the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan in the summer without bringing in replacements.

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United now face the prospect of handing 17-year-old Mason Greenwood a first Premier League start of the season against Arsenal on Monday because of injury doubts over Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

The club will aim to do the bulk of their transfer business next summer, but Solskjaer is open to signing a new striker in January.

"We let Alexis and Romelu go, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that it's a forward that next time we're going to recruit -- we're looking for some creativity and goals," Solskjaer said.

While United have struggled for goals this season, Lukaku and Sanchez have both had success in the first few weeks of their Inter careers.

Lukaku has scored three goals in six Serie A games, and Sanchez scored twice during the 3-1 win over Sampdoria on Saturday before being sent off for simulation.

Solskjaer was keen to sign a striker in the summer but said he was right to let Lukaku leave even though a replacement could not be found.

"If we had the right one, if it was there, we would have [signed someone]," Solskjaer added.

"It was time for Rom to go. He knows that. He didn't want to be here. What is the point in having players that don't want to be here?

"And it's no point getting players in that you're not 100% sure about.

"When you get players in, you need the right ones that are going to stay here for a longer period, and that's the long-term thinking we have to show.

"I cannot think, 'I need a player because this is my reputation.' No, it's the club.

"There were strikers, but they weren't the ones we wanted. We couldn't get the one we wanted."

United face Arsenal at Old Trafford on Monday having failed to score more than one goal in 17 of their past 20 games dating back to last season.

They have managed just eight goals in six league games this term -- the same number as Aston Villa in 18th -- and Solskjaer admits it is something that will have to change if they want to challenge for a place in the top four.

"We need to score more goals, definitely," Solskjaer said.

"We're working on improving relationships, the patterns, the understanding, and we've started in one end with the foundation, we've done great defensively, but we're not happy with the return going forward."

Manchester United against Arsenal was once the biggest fixture in the Premier League -- a clash between two heavyweights that defined the competition and forged the reputations of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira and many others. But when the two clubs meet at Old Trafford on Monday, it will be encounter between two giants who have lost their way, with a game that used to decide the title now potentially a battle to avoid the dubious distinction of finishing sixth.

Between 1996 and 2004, the two clubs won nine titles between them, but United have not lifted the Premier League trophy since 2013, while Arsenal's drought stretches back to when the "Invincibles" were crowned champions in 2004 without suffering a league defeat.

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So, as they prepare to renew hostilities on Monday, what has caused the decline for each club and how long will it take United and Arsenal to get back to the top?

Why has it gone wrong?

United

Complacency, poor planning and bad decisions, stemming back to Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in May 2013, were the root cause of United's current malaise. There was a misguided belief within Old Trafford that a post-Ferguson slump would be a short-term blip, extending to little more than a year or two without a major trophy, but that complacency fed into the poor forward planning and United allowed themselves to fall behind their rivals while they waited for something to happen.

But having fallen off the pace, United threw money at the problem, making several ill-judged signings -- Angel Di Maria, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Alexis Sanchez to name just three -- and are now onto their fourth permanent manager since Ferguson, with the club marooned in the doldrums.

Arsenal

Arsene Wenger's reign as manager ran perhaps three years too long, despite the obvious need for change during the final seasons of the Frenchman's 21-year spell in charge. But the move to the Emirates Stadium from Highbury in 2006, while crucial for the club's growth, hit Arsenal hard from a financial perspective and forced the sale of top players such as Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie.

Wenger failed to successfully replace those stars, with Arsenal unable to compete with the likes of United, Chelsea and Manchester City in the transfer market. But if he had been replaced earlier, the drift of his latter years could have been avoided, thereby leaving the club in a stronger position.

Changes that need to be made

United

There are problems in every area of the pitch, and United must also find a way to address the recruitment failings that have led to their squad being so imbalanced and light on quality. The club have been looking to hire a technical director, charged with improving player recruitment, for almost a year, but until that key appointment is made, they will continue to miss out on the best players. In terms of what manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs, it may take three to four transfer windows to make United's squad competitive again; a well-connected technical director could reduce the time required.

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Arsenal

Arsenal are ahead of United in terms of their recruitment structure, having reshaped that area of the club during the final years of Wenger's reign with the appointment of Raul Sanllehi as head of football. Unai Emery has yet to impose a clear tactical plan since replacing Wenger over a year ago, however, and the rebuilding work at the club is unlikely to bear fruit until he can find a way to make his team play. Right now, it is little different to the final days of Wenger: Exciting going forward, but weak at the back.

Players they should get

United

The squad lacks players in their prime -- top performers in their mid-20s, who can be relied upon to stay fit and deliver consistently -- and the lack of experience is beginning to show. A proven centre-forward, a top-class No. 10 and a commanding midfielder should be the priority signings, but Solskjaer's squad needs reinforcements in every position, either as first-choice or cover.

If United still possess the clout and ambition to sign the best, they should be targeting Christian Eriksen, Declan Rice and a proven scorer who will hit 20 league goals a season.

Arsenal

They are blessed with quality up front following the acquisitions of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe, but Arsenal need players who are equally impressive at the back. There is no commanding centre-half or a midfielder with the ability to control the tempo of a game.

James Milner and Sergio Ramos may be the wrong side of 30, but in terms of short-term signings, who would improve the mentality of the squad at the same time as toughening up defence and midfield, both could be smart signings if they became available. Like United, though, Arsenal need ready-made performers in midfield and defence.

Biggest on-pitch issue to address

United

Goals. United simply don't score enough of them, having netted just 18 in their last 20 games. Selling Romelu Lukaku and loaning Alexis Sanchez, both to Inter, has left Solskjaer desperately short of firepower, with only Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and 17-year-old Marcus Greenwood remaining. United simply have to sign a centre-forward -- maybe two -- in January.

Arsenal

Defending. Last month's 2-2 draw at home to Spurs highlighted Arsenal's attacking strength and defensive weakness, just a week after Liverpool exposed their frailties at the back. The addition of David Luiz has done nothing to improve Arsenal's defending, so they need new personnel and more work by Emery on the training ground.

Biggest off-pitch issue to address

United

Finding a technical director is a priority, but the running thread throughout United's decline over the past six years has been Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman. Players and managers have come and gone, but Woodward remains in charge of running the club and, quite frankly, his position should be under greater scrutiny. United's owners, the Glazer family, remain loyal but his results in the job have been as bad, if not worse, than any of the managers he has hired and fired.

Arsenal

The ownership of Stan Kroenke has coincided with Arsenal's decline as a major force in the Premier League and, although the club spent more than usual in the transfer market this summer, they continue to trail behind their trophy-winning rivals when it comes to investment. If the Gunners are to get back to the top, Kroenke must sanction an increase in spending on players, otherwise the team will continue to drift.

How long will it take to get back to the top?

United

The Glazers are committed to a three-year rebuild at Old Trafford, but from their current state, it seems highly optimistic to expect a United title challenge in time for the 2021-22 season. If everything goes to plan and if Manchester City and Liverpool hit the skids, United might be competitive within three years, but with such a poor squad, it may yet be at least five before they challenge to win the league.

Arsenal

If Emery can build a solid defence, Arsenal could challenge for honours within the next two years because they possess a potent goal threat. They not only need a full defensive rebuild, though, but also require a change of mentality at the Emirates and that will not be a quick fix, so Arsenal are looking at a three-year wait because there will inevitably be bumps along the road.

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Kawhi Leonard says his health and playing time will be managed differently this season compared to how the Toronto Raptors handled the star forward with load management.

On his first Media Day with the LA Clippers, Leonard said his health is considerably better now than it was entering last season with the Raptors when he was coming off a quad injury and playing a total of nine games in San Antonio during the 2017-18 season.

"It's different this season," Leonard said after being asked how his health will be managed this season. "Last year I was going in with an injury that I was dealing with the year before, still was lingering and we knew that I had to be healthy going throughout the season and making it to the playoffs.

"This time, I'm feeling good," Leonard continued. "I'm feeling way better than I was at the start of last season. There really was no plan laid out to discuss with everyone."

Last season, Leonard played a total of 60 regular season games for the Raptors and averaged 26.6 points and 7.3 rebounds. Leonard then led the Raptors to their first NBA title, averaging 30.5 points and 9.1 rebounds in 24 postseason games and becoming the Finals MVP. Leonard said he could not have done that without the Raptors' load management plan.

But now Leonard says he is feeling much better as he enters his first season with the Clippers. The more Leonard and Paul George -- who is coming off surgeries on both his shoulders -- play, the more formidable Doc Rivers' defense will be. Rivers has two of the best two-way players in the game in Leonard and George to go with the tenacious Patrick Beverley among others.

"It's going to be scary," George said of the Clippers' defensive versatility. "With myself, [Montrezl Harrell], Kawhi, Pat, [Landry Shamet], Mo [Harkless], Rodney [McGruder], we've really got a chance to do something special on the defensive end. ... Watching Pat get out there and picking somebody up 94 feet, that's going to get me going. It's going to get Kawhi going. It's just going to become contagious on a nightly basis. I honestly think for the first time, people are going to be excited to watch the defensive end as opposed to watching the offensive [end]."

Beverley says the additions of Leonard and George will make the Clippers' scrappy underdog mentality feel like it's "on steroids."

Feeling healthier than he was at this time last year, Leonard said he is focused on one thing right now as he was asked if he will consider playing for Team USA next summer.

"I do want to play but I'm taking it one step at a time," Leonard said. "And right now it is getting the Clippers to the Finals."

LA Clippers forward Paul George says he will not play in the pre-season and is targeting a November return from surgeries he had on both shoulders this offseason.

In an interview with SportsCenter on Sunday, before the team's annual media day, George said he still has "a little ways to go" in his rehabilitation, but "I'm where I want to be right now at this point in the season almost starting. I like where the progression is going."

During his group news conference, George said he'd be a noncontact participant in camp.

"I will be out of the preseason," George told ESPN. "As of now, I'll be out of October fully, but who knows? We'll see. In the November range is our target date."

The Clippers open the regular season Oct. 22 against the Los Angeles Lakers, then face the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs. If George indeed misses all of October, that's at least six games for which the Clippers would be without one of their two new superstars to start the season.

George had right rotator cuff surgery to repair a partially torn tendon in his right shoulder in May, and a minor surgery to repair a partial tear of his left labrum in June. The Clippers traded for the perennial All-Star in July with the expectation he'd miss training camp and potentially the start of the season as he recovered from his injuries.

The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central on the final day of the regular season Sunday, routing the Chicago Cubs 9-0 to secure their first division title since 2015.

Manager Mike Shildt and the Cardinals began the day with a one-game lead over Milwaukee but used Jack Flaherty's arm and Matt Carpenter's bat to ensure there would be no need for a division tiebreaker game Monday.

Flaherty pitched seven impressive innings and Carpenter led a three-homer attack with a three-run drive to help St. Louis advance to the NL Division Series, starting Thursday at Atlanta.

The second-place Brewers will play at Washington in the NL wild-card game Tuesday night, with the winner going on to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.

Paul Goldschmidt and Dexter Fowler also homered Sunday for St. Louis, which is back in the postseason after a three-year absence. The Cardinals have won or shared 12 division titles since the current format was developed in 1995.

St. Louis (91-71) finished three games better than last season (88-74) as Shildt became the first manager in over a century to reach the postseason without ever having played in the major or minor leagues. The only others to do so were Pants Rowland of the 1917 Chicago White Sox and Ed Barrow of the 1918 Boston Red Sox.

Milwaukee's remarkable September ultimately fell two games short of stealing the division title following Sunday evening's 4-3 loss at Colorado. The Brewers (89-73) were only three games over .500 entering the month but proceeded to go 20-4 entering the final weekend to put a scare into St. Louis.

However, they were swept in their last series against the lowly Rockies and will now try to recover with their season on the line in a single game at Washington.

A sellout crowd of 47,212 in St. Louis watched Sunday's contest, pushing the Cardinals' attendance to 3,480,393, an average of 42,968 per game. It marked the 22nd sellout of the season. St. Louis averaged 42,020 last season.

As has become tradition over the years, the fans sang the national anthem prior to the last home game of the season without the help of an organ.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Can the Los Angeles Dodgers win their first World Series since 1988? Will the Houston Astros or the New York Yankees come out of the American League? Or will a team like the Minnesota Twins or the Atlanta Braves surprise in October?

The complete schedule, with game times and broadcast networks, is below, along with all of the latest coverage from each series.

From the wild-card round all the way through the World Series, we'll have the 2019 MLB playoffs covered.

Note: Game times below will be updated when they are finalized.

• Complete postseason schedule

• Olney: The X factor of every playoff team heading into October

• Who the three favorites most want to face (and avoid) in the playoffs

National League wild card

Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 8 p.m. ET, TBS

American League wild card

Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland A's, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

National League Division Series

St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves

Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 3, TBS
Game 2: Friday, Oct. 4, TBS
Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 6, TBS
Game 4: Monday, Oct. 7, TBS*
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 9, TBS*

Nationals or Brewers at Los Angeles Dodgers

Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 3, TBS
Game 2: Friday, Oct. 4, TBS
Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 6, TBS
Game 4: Monday, Oct. 7, TBS*
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 9, TBS*

* -- if necessary

American League Division Series

Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 4, FS1 or MLBN
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 5, FS1 or MLBN
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 7, FS1
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 8, FS1*
Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 10, FS1*

A's or Rays at Houston Astros

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 4, FS1 or MLBN
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 5, FS1 or MLBN
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 7, FS1
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 8, FS1*
Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 10, FS1*

* -- if necessary

National League Championship Series

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 11, TBS
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 12, TBS
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 14, TBS
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 15, TBS
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 16, TBS*
Game 6: Friday, Oct. 18, TBS*
Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 19, TBS*

American League Championship Series

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 12, FOX/FS1
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 13, FOX/FS1
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 15, FOX/FS1
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 16, FOX/FS1
Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 17, FOX/FS1*
Game 6: Saturday, Oct. 19, FOX/FS1*
Game 7: Sunday, Oct. 20, FOX/FS1*

* -- if necessary

World Series

Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 22, FOX
Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 23, FOX
Game 3: Friday, Oct. 25, FOX
Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 26, FOX
Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 27, FOX*
Game 6: Tuesday, Oct. 29, FOX*
Game 7: Wednesday, Oct. 30, FOX*

* -- if necessary

The MLB regular season is in the books and the 2019 MLB playoff field is officially set. As 10 teams begin their October quests for World Series glory, we asked ESPN.com's Bradford Doolittle, Jeff Passan and David Schoenfield to weigh in on who is built to make deep runs, which supposed powerhouses could be most vulnerable, the breakout players to watch and much more.

Of the four wild-card teams, which one has the best chance to make a deep October run?

Doolittle: Nationals. The A's are probably the most complete of the four teams, but they'll likely have to steer past both the Astros and Yankees. As much as the Washington bullpen concerns me, the combination of their rotation and a strong, well-balanced offense makes the Nats the team most likely to navigate through the path laid out before them. They need a couple of relievers to get hot, but we've seen teams with shaky bullpens find small-sample October magic before -- like the 2018 Red Sox.

Passan: Oakland. This is no slight to the Rays; their wild-card game against Oakland is a coin flip, really, and they're mighty dangerous themselves. Or the Nationals, whose pitching staff is fairly well-suited to beat the Dodgers in a five-game series. (It's kind of a slight against the Brewers, whose incredible run is undeniable, but they are incredibly banged up, too.) It's just that the A's have the best hit-pitch-catch combination of the four -- and watching them take six of their last eight against Houston and four of their last six against New York shows they aren't scared of the elite teams they'll presumably need to beat to get to a World Series.

Schoenfield: I'll go with the Nationals thanks to that starting pitching trio of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin. Can they pitch in relief too? The problem with picking the A's or Rays is they'll have to not only navigate past the Astros, but past the winner of the Twins-Yankees series. Either way, that means beating two 100-win clubs just to get to the World Series.

Who ya got: Dodgers, Astros and Yankees or the rest of the field?

Doolittle: The combined title probabilities of MLB's power trio tells us there is a 2-in-3 chance of one of them winning it all. Sure, there is still a 1-in-3 chance they won't -- but it's not a wager I'd be willing to place. Happily, when it comes to October, nothing is guaranteed, but there is nevertheless a very clear super-tier in baseball this season.

Passan: Give me Dodgers, Astros and Yankees. All are certainly at least a little vulnerable. Minnesota could outslug New York. The A's or Rays aren't going to roll over for the Astros. The Nationals match up nicely with the Dodgers, and the Brewers are the hottest team in baseball. And those are only the Big Three's division series matchups. That said, they're still the best teams, and the math says they're a strong bet when combined.

Schoenfield: The FanGraphs odds gives those three teams a combined 63.9 percent chance of winning the World Series, so I'll stick with the Big Three. While we all understand the anything-can-happen nature of the postseason, the past three postseasons have been the era of the super teams: the 103-win Cubs in 2016, the 101-win Astros in 2017 (over the 104-win Dodgers) and the 108-win Red Sox in 2018. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Braves or even one of the wild-card teams, but I'll bet on one of these three to win it all.

Which of the Big Three teams is most vulnerable?

Doolittle: Houston and Los Angeles could hardly look more airtight than they do right now. The Yankees' regular-season was one for the ages, given how many players had to play well for them to end up with their most wins since 2009. But now that they are closer to being the team we envisioned in spring training, the odd thing is that we don't completely know what the Yankees are. That could be a great thing for them or not. Yeah, that might be a reach, perhaps a grope, for a reason to doubt, but the point is that relative to the Dodgers and Astros, the Yankees clearly enter the playoffs with the most uncertainty.

Passan: The Yankees. The competition in the NL gives the Dodgers a clearer path. The Astros are the most talented and best team. It's not so much what the Yankees aren't as it is what the other two are.

Schoenfield: I'll make it 3-for-3 and nominate the Yankees as well. Their bullpen is deep, but not necessarily deep enough to successfully bullpen their way through an entire postseason. At some point, they'll need some outings in which their starting pitchers go six or seven good innings -- and I'm not sure I want to bet on that. Yes, Luis Severino looked good in his return and James Paxton has been very solid the final two months. The bottom line really, however: Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole pitch for the Astros, and Walker Buehler, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Clayton Kershaw pitch for the Dodgers.

Who is one player with injury questions whose health could most change the trajectory of his team's October?

Doolittle: For all the slugging the Minnesota Twins have done this season, the amazing rookie season from Luis Arraez has played a big part in keeping the Twins' offense multifaceted. Arraez's 7.2 runs created per game ranks third on the team -- ahead of Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler, among others. So the sight of him being carted off the field on Saturday was frightening for a team that was already pretty beat up as the postseason begins. It appears that Arraez's sprain -- diagnosed as Grade 1 -- isn't too bad. Hopefully, he'll be available. For one thing, his throwback style deserves a national audience. For another, the Twins will have to put up some crooked numbers to survive the Yankees.

Passan: With a healthy and productive James Paxton backing a healthy and productive Luis Severino, the New York Yankees are a team capable of making a World Series run. With a gimpy Paxton and/or a short-stint-limited Severino compounding the loss of Domingo German following his domestic-violence incident, the burden placed on the Yankees' bullpen might be too much even for its strong foundation to weather.

Schoenfield: I'll agree with Jeff here, especially since Paxton left his final start after one inning with a sore left glute. Maybe it's nothing, but maybe it's something. Severino topped out at 80 pitches in his three outings, but after mowing down the bad Angels and Blue Jays, he walked four in three innings against the Rangers in his third start. Certainly the fastball velocity says he's healthy -- if he can give the Yankees five or six innings, that will be a huge boost to their chances.

Who will be the breakout star of this October?

Doolittle: The Cardinals' Jack Flaherty has been gaining more and more attention with each passing outing, and the timing of his breakout coincides perfectly with the onset of the October tournament. Since the All-Star break, Flaherty has been the best pitcher in the National League. His run has been reminiscent of other amazing streaks from Cardinals aces in the past, like Bob Gibson in 1968 and John Tudor in 1985. Flaherty is poised to become a national star -- and he's got the SoCal looks and the unflappable personality to exploit his opportunity.

Passan: Yordan Alvarez blitzed the major leagues by slashing .317/.406/.733 in June, his first month -- and followed that up with a .333/.419/627 line in July, .309/.425/.670 in August and .329/.424/.671 this month entering the final game of the season. Since his debut, he has been a better hitter than Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, Anthony Rendon and every one of his Houston Astros teammates, including Alex Bregman. The question, then, isn't about whether the 22-year-old is going to break out in October. It's about who's going to sit for him if the Astros make it to the World Series and lose the DH in an NL park.

Schoenfield: I guess you could argue that Ronald Acuna Jr. has already broken out, following up his sensational rookie season with a super sophomore campaign in which he hit 41 home runs and stole 37 bases. This is his opportunity, however, to do it on the big stage, and he has the swagger that reminds me of a certain Mr. October from the past.

Who is the player under the most pressure entering the postseason?

Doolittle: The Astros enter the playoffs in the favorite's seat, and while most of their players seem perfectly comfortable wearing that target, it will be interesting to see how Zack Greinke reacts to it. His postseason record to date is a mixed bag. Most recently, he was knocked out early in the 2017 NL wild-card game, then walked five over five innings in his only NLDS start the next round against the Dodgers. He has never been to the World Series, and the spotlight never gets brighter than during the Fall Classic.

Passan: Isn't it always Clayton Kershaw? While he may not look like the unstoppable, unhittable Kershaw of his prime, he's still an excellent starting pitcher. A bad playoff résumé is the lone ding on Kershaw's permanent record, with an ERA nearly two runs higher in the postseason than the regular season (4.32 to 2.44). If Kershaw summons more performances similar to the eight shutout innings he threw in last year's division series or seven brilliant innings in Game 1 of the 2017 World Series, the Dodgers have a far greater chance to do what they've been one step away from the past two seasons: win the whole damn thing.

Schoenfield: Kenley Jansen. The Dodgers have seven straight division titles and two straight World Series appearances with no titles to show for it. Jansen's postseason history the past two World Series includes a blown save and a loss in 2017 and two blown saves in 2018. If he'd done his job, the Dodgers might have two rings. Now he enters October coming off -- for him -- a poor second half. Everyone in Dodgerland is questioning whether he can do the job. So yeah, the pressure is enormous.

What is the one theme from this postseason we'll all be talking about one month from now?

Doolittle: I anticipate that by the World Series, we'll be talking about how the ability for teams to beat you in diverse ways is still crucial. Homers, walks, strikeouts -- sure. You can't win at a high level these days without a least a minimal acumen in those categories. But what separates the teams is the value added by contact hitting, defensive range, baserunning, starters who can give you innings, etc. In other words, baseball as we've always known it survives and is essential, even if it has been augmented by analytics-fueled three-true-outcomes and bullpen-heavy strategies.

Passan: How 2019 provided the highest-scoring postseason of all time. The juiced ball is real, and it is going to lead to a higher proportion of games featuring double-digit scoring than any playoffs before. Maybe the overall runs won't be the highest ever -- length of series is tough to predict -- but per-game run-scoring will set a record, there will be a public outcry from pitchers, and it will prompt MLB to spend even more time addressing what it plans to do about the ball.

Schoenfield: That stellar starting pitching is still the best path to ultimate success -- as best realized in Game 7 of the World Series, when Gerrit Cole outduels Walker Buehler in a 2-1 victory ... with Yordan Alvarez hitting the walk-off home run off Clayton Kershaw in the bottom of the ninth.

Olympic champion and world record-holder Liu Hong leads team-mates to podium domination at IAAF World Championships

Down on the city’s Corniche promenade, China swept the medals in the women’s 20km race walk with Lui Hong taking her third world title.

Liu took gold in 2011 and 2015 – and had a baby break in 2017-18 – and her victory on Sunday in Doha came in 1:32:53 ahead of team-mates Qieyang Shenjie (1:33:10) and Yang Liujing (1:33:17) after a half way split of 47:51.

Liu, who is also the Olympic champion and world record-holder, handled the warm conditions (32C and 75% humidity at the start just before midnight) better than everyone else, including defending champion Yang Jiayu, who was disqualified during the event.