MLB

A year removed from winning an AL West title, the Los Angeles Angels are making changes to their coaching staff. 

According to the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin, the team announced late Tuesday night it has fired pitching coach Mike Butcher and hitting coach Don Baylor. 

NEW YORK — Clayton Kershaw got through the seventh inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers got through the fourth game.

And all it means is that this National League Division Series is headed where it was always supposed to end up.

Once you've won a League Championship Series MVP and a World Series MVP, as Cole Hamels did in 2008 with the Philadelphia Phillies, that pretty much seals your postseason legacy. On Wednesday in Toronto, however, the Texas Rangers southpaw will have a chance to gild his October lily.

Clayton Kershaw—season-saver.

The brilliant southpaw controlled the Los Angeles Dodgers' 3-1 victory over the New York Mets Tuesday night to tie the National League Division Series at two games apiece. He pitched seven innings and allowed a single run and three hits while striking out eight. What's more, he came back on short rest with his team facing elimination and overwhelmed the New York lineup.    

CHICAGO — Every traditional sports rivalry has similar components—geography, divisional ties and decades of history. The Cubs-Cardinals rivalry can be similarly characterized but with one very unique attribute attached: envy. 

President Barack Obama has made it known he is a Chicago White Sox fan, but as a true Chicagoan, he can't help but support the Chicago Cubs during their exciting playoff run.

The Chicago Cubs notched their first playoff victory since 2003 during this year's MLB postseason but are evidently not satisfied with such modest exploits.

After losing the National League Division Series to the Chicago Cubs in four games, it'd be easy to call for sweeping change in St. Louis this winter.

But once emotions calm and sanity creeps back in, we'll remember that the Cardinals were baseball's most successful team during the regular season—and that a large part of that roster will be back in 2016.

For the first time since 2003, the Chicago Cubs are in the National League Championship Series. The Wild Card Game winners booked their place in the NLCS after beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.

Surprisingly, this is the first postseason series the Cubs have won at Wrigley Field, per MLB on Twitter.

Chase Utley didn't just change the landscape of the National League Division Series against the New York Mets. Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Tuesday that he wants to change the rules in order to protect middle infielders.