Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Hour 1: Yankees Eliminated Again

Air Date: October 9, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca ("Don"), Alan Hahn ("Hahn"), Peter Rosenberg
Network: ESPN New York

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the New York Yankees' latest postseason disappointment, eliminated for the 16th consecutive year without a championship. The hosts dive deep into why the Yankees consistently fall short despite regular season success, focusing on organizational philosophy, lack of urgency, managerial accountability, and the limitations of an analytics-first approach that fails in the postseason. The show features passionate calls from fans and draws comparisons with other MLB teams and historic Yankees teams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Another Yankee Failure: The Postmortem Begins

• Yankees eliminated without a World Series again—16 straight seasons, second-longest drought since '78-'96.
  • "It comes up short again. And then this one a lot shorter... They died last night because they couldn’t hit a bullpen that they thrashed the night before. How do you make that make sense?" — Don (00:50)
• Last night's elimination loss: offense faltered, pitching subpar, no clutch hitting.
  • "They had two hits going into the eighth inning." — Don (01:10)
  • "The magic that kept them alive for a day, the reality that has been the New York Yankees for two decades now, in the postseason going on, is the inability to hit when they desperately need to." — Don (02:52)

2. Stagnant Organizational Philosophy: Is Change Coming?

• Constant player turnover, but no change at the top (GM/Manager).
  • "They’re going to change the players, they’re not going to change the manager, and they’re not going to change the general manager... That’s the most important part to me—the general manager." — Hahn (04:29)
  • "If you keep changing out the players and you get the same result, eventually, it's no longer blame the players. Eventually, it's maybe it's just the way they play or how they prepare." — Hahn (05:20)
• Brian Cashman (GM) as the architect of a system focused on regular-season success over postseason adaptability.
  • "This is the way he wants to play... And so everyone that continues to talk about how frustrating the Yankees are to watch... that's not your first target. The first target... is the guy who says, 'this is how we’re going to play.' It doesn’t work when we get to October." — Hahn (06:25)

3. Analytics vs. ‘Gut’: Built to Win 162, Not October

• Yankees' approach: optimized for regular season via analytics, not adaptable for short-series unpredictability.
  • "They build a team for 162... The only way analytics work is over a large sample size." — Don (08:00)
  • "Once you get to a best of three, a best of five, a best of seven, the sample size is a lot smaller." — Don (08:09)

4. Always Seem “Overmatched”—But Why?

• Yankees losing to teams that are just stronger or better prepared—Blue Jays, Dodgers, Astros—despite payroll advantages.
  • "Why are there teams that are always better than the Yankees? The Astros—they were better than the Yankees... the Blue Jays are better, the Dodgers are better." — Don (09:19)
  • "Why when you have not made any changes, you continue to do it the same way all the time saying this is the way that works. Then why every so often is somebody always better than you?" — Don (10:02)

5. Roster Critiques and Accountability

• Judge was not the problem; others failed to support.
  • "I'm not getting on Judge." — Don (41:22)
  • "He tried to carry the team. But unlike basketball... that doesn't work in baseball." — Don (41:41)
• Calls for organizational accountability and change at the top, not just cosmetic swaps.
  • "Letting go of Boone would just be cosmetic... The only way you get real change... is if we move the wizard, the man behind the curtain [Cashman]." — Hahn (26:44)

6. Inflexibility, Overvaluation of Prospects, and Lack of Urgency

• Holding onto unproven prospects rather than trading for impact talent now.
  • "Maybe you ship these guys out to get the guys that can win now instead of holding on to the, oh, my precious. My precious prospects." — Don (21:01)
• Organization prioritizes long-term stability over going “all in” for a championship.
  • "They don't want to ever look and say, this is the year, sink it in. If it means [next year] suffers—be damned, because we want to win the World Series this year." — Don (17:55)
• Frustration with definitions of success (“printing money”, playoff appearances) over winning it all.
  • "They define success differently... Playoffs every year. All right, Toronto got us. We'll get them next year." — Don (27:05)

7. Fan Calls: Echoes & New Insights

• Jimmy in Connecticut (25:19): Calls out the organization for arrogance and the need for real change.
  • "When you're not good enough, you have to change something." — Jimmy (26:08)
• Patrick Mayupac (30:25): Yankees need more “dogs” and “killers”—players who step up in October, not just good regular season stats.
  • "Our 1 and 2 pitchers go out there, completely wet the bed, and we got a rookie come in and try to save their butt." — Patrick (30:25)
• Matt in NYC (51:40): Critiques Cashman's philosophy, pointing to high strikeout rates and lack of situational hitting.
  • "The Yankees have had 10 guys with 100 strikeouts this year. They struck out 66 times in seven games." — Matt (51:40)
• Repeated frustration: “It’s the formula, not the players.”

8. Comparing to Other Teams and Past Yankees

• Contrast with teams that “go for it” (Giants, Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers), willing to risk future for a title.
  • "They don't want to be like the Marlins in '97 and '03... Yankees don't have to worry about that... 16 years enough, let's win." — Don (17:55)
• Past Yankees had “circular lineup” and “pass the baton” mentality—lacking now.
  • "Circular lineup and pass the baton. Well, I'm not hitting a home run here, but I'm going to get a single. Next guy will hit a home run..." — Don (61:47)

9. Numbers vs. Situational Baseball—Postseason Failures

• Too much reliance on analytics and home runs, not enough on putting the ball in play, adapting in the moment.
  • "Once you got two strikes on you, maybe you change the approach like Bellinger." — Don (53:35)
  • "Analytics work over the long haul but not in the postseason. These aren’t robots. The players still have to execute." — Don (50:17)
• Blue Jays out-prepared, out-executed, with fewer strikeouts and more bat-to-ball contact.
  • "How many times the Blue Jays strike out in this series? What, like 12? Right. Bad on ball, man." — Don (58:16)
  • "It's the approach—the Yankees seem one-dimensional." — Hahn (56:00)

10. Culture & Accountability: “Death Star” Metaphor & Fan Frustration

• Inside jokes about Yankees’ “operational Death Star” getting blown up in October by teams with more “dogs.”
  • "Both times they built this thing and both times they were blown up by some... dog. Luke Skywalker was a postseason player, a dog." — Don (36:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It looks the same all the time... It's just a trick, all right? It can be diagnosed." — Don (02:15)
• "Why does it always feel like, how could they flop in the biggest moment?... That's the part I think that's most frustrating." — Hahn (04:29)
• "Are you getting value for your money? His answer has to be no." — Hahn on Steinbrenner's spending (14:05)
• "Letting go of Boone would just be cosmetic... The only way you get real change is if we move the wizard, the man behind the curtain." — Hahn (26:44)
• "They don't believe in pressure. They don't believe in clutch, they don't believe in hot. They just believe in the numbers. 162." — Don (33:21)
• "If the philosophy doesn't change, then the result doesn't change." — Don (30:03)
• "Start living in the now instead of a future." — Don (22:51)

Notable Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:50 — Recap of another Yankees postseason failure, focusing on lack of offense.
• 04:29 – 10:34 — Deeper exploration of organizational philosophy; why changing players isn’t enough.
• 17:55 — Discussion on urgency vs. long-term planning ("They don’t want to ever look and say, this is the year…").
• 21:01 — Fan frustration over prospect hoarding and lack of win-now moves.
• 26:08 – 27:00 — The “arrogance” and “defiance” of the organization; real change means GM change.
• 36:05 – 37:32 — Extended “Death Star”/Star Wars metaphor for Yankees’ regular season dominance and postseason collapse.
• 41:22 – 43:14 — Breaking down the lack of support for Judge; batting stats for the series.
• 51:40 — Caller Matt critiques Yankees’ contact approach and draws on recent MLB history.
• 56:00 – 62:15 — Deep dive on team construction woes, philosophy, and the importance of situational hitting.
• 65:03 — Frustration building: is “good” no longer good enough without a title?

Additional Highlights & Color

• Calls for “dogs”: Multiple callers and hosts echo the need for more “gamers”—players who “step up” in postseason moments, not just stat compilers.
• Fire Cashman? Unified among hosts and callers: the root of the problem is at the top, beyond the manager.
• Numbers vs. Baseball Reality: Repeated complaints that analytics and formulas “work on paper” for 162, but become predictable and less effective in October.
• Fan Therapy: Episode had “therapy day” vibes, hosts acknowledging the need for fans to vent and process yet another playoff letdown.
• Cultural Impact: Yankees remain the team every opponent wants to beat, but the “Yankee standard” feels hollow without titles.

Conclusion

The episode is a cathartic, insightful, and at times biting dissection of the Yankees’ recurring October failures. The primary thesis: as long as the current front office philosophy persists—prioritizing regular-season success, analytics over adaptability, and a future-looking approach at the expense of win-now moves—the result will continue to be the same. Frustration dominates, and both hosts and listeners are eager for real organizational change. Yankees’ fans must now watch another postseason from the sidelines, wondering when and if urgency will ever return to the Bronx.