(By the time you’re reading this it’ll probably be game 2 since everyone will be watching the Cavs opener tonight but we’re nothing if not punctual here at Bottlegate)

For the 64th time in the past 68 years, the Cleveland Indians will not be playing in the World Series. But I love baseball, and I’ll be DAMNED if I let that stop me from enjoying the Fall Classic.  As always, bring us in Johnny!

Ladies and gentlemen, your second annual Bottlegate World Series Drinking Game! The New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals square off in game 1 tonight at 8:07 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.  I usually play a different drinking game when I’m watching a game that Harold Reynolds is announcing (it’s called “drink”), but this is certainly a special occasion. So without further adieu…

Take a sip when…

• Alex Rodriguez talks about being old
• Someone mentions an “unwritten rule”
• The hair of Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard is shown/talked about
  • Healthy gulp if it’s both at the same time
• Yoenis Cespedes or Johnny Cueto is referred to as a “rental”
• Reynolds says something you can easily disprove using basic reasoning and logic
• Anyone mentions how close the Cubs came/that they’ll be back next year/for years to come
• A Royals batter gets a hit on a fastball
• A Royals batter strikes out
• Jerry Seinfeld shown

Healthy gulp if…

• Matt Harvey and “innings limit” are mentioned in the same sentence
• Any announcer implies or flat out says that David Wright deserves a World Series title
• Thor’s hammer is shown in any way
• A Statcast graphic is used
• Announcers debate whether or not a player flipped his bat after a HR
  • Finish your drink if the Jose Bautista bat flip is shown
• Yordano Ventura hits a batter
• The broadcast shows weird iPad guy
• Jerry Seinfeld interviewed
• Jim Breuer video is mentioned/shown

Stories you must drink from start to finish during:

• Wilmer Flores crying at the trade deadline
• Royals fan SungWoo Lee from South Korea
• Steven Matz growing up a Mets fan
• The trials and tribulations of David Wright

Finish your drink

• David Murphy hits a home run
• (Repeat from last year) Alex Gordon concusses himself
• Mets pitcher knocks a run in
• 20-year-old Royals rookie shortstop Raul Mondesi makes his major league debut in the World Series
• Harold Reynolds makes a joke about “Matz” sounding like “Mets”

and finally….

• Bartolo Colon gets on base

Bottoms up.

Shoot any additional ideas over to @Bottlegate or bottlegatecle@gmail.com and we’ll add em’.