Braves win World Series

Crowned

Major League Baseball got a new world champion on Nov. 2 when the Atlanta Braves shut out the Astros in Houston in Game 6 of the World Series by a score of 7-0 to win the best-of-seven series. It was the Braves’ first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1999 and their first World Series victory since 1995. The Braves’ Max Fried pitched six scoreless innings. Jorge Soler, Dansby Swanson, and Freddie Freeman homered for the Braves. Soler, of Cuba, was named World Series MVP. He tallied six RBIs and three home runs during the series. The Braves were an underdog throughout the playoffs. After a lackluster first half of the season and a spate of injuries, the team couldn’t muster a winning record until August. But contributions from four midseason additions (including Soler), veteran first baseman Freeman, and a dominant bullpen helped propel the team to the best record in baseball since the end of July.

Elected

Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democratic candidate and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in Virginia’s gubernatorial election on Nov. 2. McAuliffe conceded to Youngkin the following morning. Youngkin will serve as the state’s first Republican governor since 2009. McAuliffe served as governor from 2014 to 2018. The elections in Virginia and other states mark the first major electoral tests for Democrats since President Joe Biden, who won Virginia by 10 points in 2020, took office. Political pundits have considered the Virginia race a bellwether for the 2022 midterm elections. “This is the spirit of Virginia coming together like never before,” Youngkin told supporters on election night.

Ousted

Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan released Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife to their home after the military coup in October, but the deposed leader remains under heavy military security. Burhan said he had to detain the prime minister for his own safety as anti-military protests turned deadly in Khartoum. The military was holding several senior officials of the dissolved government in undisclosed locations. Burhan said some tried to incite rebellion within military ranks and might face charges. Burhan was supposed to hand over leadership of the nation’s Sovereign Council to complete the transition to a civilian-led democracy but now says the military will run the country until elections in 2023, a move the international community has widely condemned.

Stranded

A combination of inclement weather and staffing shortages left thousands of travelers stranded over Halloween weekend when American Airlines cut nearly 2,000 flights. Heavy winds in Texas forced the company to shut down all runways at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, which left staff displaced across the country. The airline canceled roughly 900 flights on Oct. 29 and 30. A day later it cut another 900, which accounted for 30 percent of its schedule. Southwest Airlines experienced similar cancellations in September that cost it roughly $75 million.