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NEW YORK (AP) — The World Series was baseball 2018 in a microcosm.Half the 44 runs scored by the champion Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers came across the plate on home runs. That’s the second-highest percentage in baseball history Fernando Rodney Jersey , according to the Elias Sports Bureau, behind only last year’s 57.4 percent.There were 109 strikeouts and 76 hits, a 1.43 ratio that was the second-highest behind 1.48 in 2012. That followed the first regular season in major league history with more strikeouts than hits and with the lowest overall batting average since 1972 — the year before the start of the designated hitter.Discussion of possible rule changes to increase action will dominate the offseason, along with speculation about a free agent market that includes Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson, and possibly David Price and Clayton Kershaw if they opt out of their contracts.“What we try to do is pay attention over the course of the season,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said last week, “think about what we’ve learned during the postseason and see whether we may need to make some change in response to what we’re seeing.”Analytics have transformed the sport, from offense-suffocating shifts to shortening starting pitchers’ time on the mound and constantly rotating relievers from the major leagues to the minors in order to have an array of fresh bullpen arms each game.“I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about whether analytics are a good thing or a bad thing, and the reason for that is they are a real thing,” Manfred said. “We have them. They’re going to continue to use them. There’s nothing you can do to stop people from thinking about the game, however the heck it is they want to think about the game.”Discussion will start next week, when general managers meet in Carlsbad, California. Owners gather Nov. 14-15 in Atlanta http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-addison-reed-jersey , and the major offseason get-together will be the winter meetings at Las Vegas from Dec. 10-13.Manfred and players’ association head Tony Clark already have been talking — they appeared together at a World Series news conference last weekend, which would have been unimaginable a year ago given the tension between management and players.Both sides are concerned about a 4 percent attendance drop that left the major league average below 30,000 for the first time since 2003. Six ballparks set their record lows and 17 of 30 experienced drops, partly because of historically bad weather that caused 54 postponements, the most since 1989.Management wanted to introduce a pitch clock at the major league level in an effort to speed the pace of games but players refused to agree, and Major League Baseball backed off a threat to impose one over the union’s objections. Instead, a more modest change restricted the amount of mound visits by players and coaches without pitching changes.The average time of a nine-inning game dropped to 3 hours, 44 seconds during the regular season from 3:05:11 for last season, and mound visits without pitching changes fell to 4.01 from 7.41.That was swift compared with October. Nine-inning games averaged 3:30 in the World Series, up from 3:16 last year, and 3:35 throughout the postseason, an increase from 3:29.And that was with a drop on mound conferences, which fell to an average of 6.6 in the postseason from 11.2 and to 6.4 in the World Series from 19.0.Talk on rule changes will be conducted as the union watches free-agent negotiations unfold. Last offseason had an unusually slow market that led to player anger. Among the 166 players who exercised the right to become free agents after the World Series, exactly half of the 140 agreements reached were finalized after the start of spring training workouts on Feb. 14.Late deals did make a difference: Boston agreed Feb. 19 to a $110 million http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-mauer-jersey , five-year contract with J.D. Martinez, who went on the lead the major leagues with 130 RBIs and homered Sunday night as the Red Sox won Game 5 to finish their fourth World Series title in 15 seasons.The first 145 free agents hit the market Monday, and about 30 more may follow this week depending on option decisions. Bidding figures to be more vigorous this offseason because of higher quality among the free agents. But analytics have directed many teams to be more reticent about lengthy deals with older players, which could lead to renewed tension. WASHINGTON (AP) — At the end of a long, cold, wet afternoon, the New York Mets managed a split of their final road trip of the season.Michael Conforto hit a go-ahead, bases-loaded triple, rookie Jeff McNeil matched a career high with four hits and the Mets beat the Washington Nationals 8-6 on Sunday.The first pitch was delayed 25 minutes, and rain continued during the game, which lasted 4 hours, 14 minutes — the longest nine-inning contest this season for both teams. Washington’s grounds crew tended to the infield between innings throughout the day.The Mets finished their road slate at 40-41, better than their 33-42 mark at home, where they have six games left. New York took three of four from the Nationals in the teams’ final series of the season Glen Perkins Jersey , and went 5-5 on its trip to Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.“It was nice to come in here and be able to do what we did to kind of even up the road trip,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “We played some good teams on the road trip and I think our guys have done a good job of continuing to fight all year, whether it’s the season or a road trip, or whatever. You don’t always see that, so I’m really proud of that from them.”Washington, which fell to .500 (78-78) a day after it was eliminated from playoff contention, scored three runs in the eighth and got the tying man into scoring position with two outs before Juan Soto fouled out.“Today was a tough game to mentally get in, get ready to play with the rain, the delay. It’s pretty cold for the first time in a long time,” shortstop Trea Turner said. “Wasn’t fun conditions, but I felt like we battled.”The Nationals led 3-1 before New York rallied in the fourth. Wander Suero (3-1) entered with one out and two on and issued a walk before McNeil singled in a run.Conforto then poked a shot to left-center past a diving Michael A. Taylor to clear the bases and make it 5-3. Suero surrendered two more runs in the fifth when Kevin Plawecki delivered an RBI double and scored on Amed Rosario’s infield single.Drew Gagnon (2-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the Mets. Anthony Swarzak recorded the final five outs for his fourth save in five tries.New York starter Steven Matz allowed three runs in three innings. Washington’s Erick Fedde surrendered three runs in 3 1/3 innings.McNeil improved his batting average to .328 in 195 at-bats since his big league debut on July 24.“It’s awesome to come up here and have instant success,” McNeil said. “I’m going to try to finish strong.”Rookie Victor Robles homered, tripled and drove in three for Washington.TRAINER’S ROOMMets: Callaway said the team still plans to activate 3B David Wright from the disabled list before Tuesday’s game against Atlanta. Wright Harmon Killebrew Jersey , who has not played for the Mets since May 2016 because of neck, back and shoulder injuries, is scheduled to start Saturday against Miami in what will likely be his final appearance in the big leagues. However, he could also make an earlier appearance. “I wouldn’t mind getting him in there and getting him a pinch-hit at bat when it makes sense in the Braves series,” Callaway said.RECORD SWIPETurner stole second base in the third to set the Nationals’ career record with 123. The previous steals leader since the club moved to Washington in 2005 was Ian Desmond’s 122 from 2009 to 2015. Turner’s 42 steals this season lead the majors.“I think any time a record is within reach I think it’s always cool to be mentioned along with it or beat one or kind of set your own,” Turner said.UP NEXTMets: New York has Monday off. RHP Noah Syndergaard (12-4, 3.36 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday against Atlanta.Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (9-7, 3.83 ERA), who is 17-7 with a 3.04 ERA in 30 career starts against Miami, gets the nod as Washington opens its final home series of the season Monday against the Marlins.