Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 1: Yankees Force Game 3

ESPN New York | October 2, 2025

Overview

This episode centers on the New York Yankees staving off elimination against the Boston Red Sox to force a decisive Game 3 in the playoff series. The hosts passionately dissect the previous night's nail-biter, debating managerial styles, bullpen usage, and the emotional stakes for New York sports fans. They delve into the psychology of fandom, rivalry dynamics, and the harsh standards that Yankees teams and their fans are held to.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Yankees Survive to Force Game 3

• The Yankees win 4–3 in a tension-filled contest, extending the best-of-three series to a winner-take-all Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.
• The hosts set the tone immediately:

  “The Yankees survive. And we've got a Game 3 tonight for the right to advance... Win or go home. Is this a must win? This is a literal must win.” — Don La Greca, 00:53

2. Pressure and Urgency: Red Sox Approach

• The hosts compare the Red Sox’s urgency to historic playoff moments, referencing the 1986 Mets’ must-win mentality.
• Don notes Boston deployed their top reliever, Whitlock, as their “last chip,” burning through key bullpen arms in a desperation move:

  “He used Whitlock like that was his last chip. Right. Whitlock had been lights out…You could tell that Cora felt like, I've got to take this to the end.” — Alan Hahn, 02:31

3. Playoff Strategy and Managerial Contrasts

• Discussion highlights Alex Cora’s flexibility and gut-instinct management versus Aaron Boone’s analytics-driven decision-making.
  • Cora is praised for reading the game’s “pulse,” while Boone is critiqued for predictably sticking to numbers.

  “You can kind of tell [Cora] has more of a pulse on the game…as opposed to the Yankees with Boone, they go more analytical, I would say about 99% of the time.” — Caller Glenn, 28:33

  • Alan articulates this tension:

  “The game is a living, breathing organism…What analytics never takes into account is mood. Right? Is under the weather, is, you know, maybe mentally just not there.” — Alan Hahn, 29:06

4. Game 3 Preview: Youth and Bullpen

• Two very inexperienced starting pitchers — Schlitler for the Yankees and the youngest Red Sox playoff starter since Babe Ruth — guarantee volatility.

  “Between the Yankee starter in Schlitler and now what Boston's going to do with Early, a combined 20 major league starts. 15 for the Yankees and five for the Red Sox. That's it.” — Don La Greca, 04:02

• Both teams have tired bullpens after high-leverage innings; offensive fireworks are predicted.

5. Star Performances and Key Plays

• Praise for “intangible” moments and individual hustle, especially:
  • Jazz Chisholm’s game-changing baserunning:

    “Him scoring from first on that base hit is the reason why he's got to play. Right…those are the intangibles.” — Don La Greca, 05:37

  • Rice's crucial two-run homer, offsetting an earlier Yankees home run allowed by Rodon.

6. Defining “Failure” for the Yankees

• The episode’s defining debate: Is the Yankees’ season a failure if they lose tonight?
  • Alan firmly asserts:

    “If the Yankees lose tonight, the season is a failure…I will say if the Yankees don't get to the World Series, I don't care what round it is, it's a failure.” — Alan Hahn, 13:30

  • This sparks discussion on the high expectations given last season’s AL Championship and roster upgrades.

7. Yankees’ Organizational Philosophy

• The crew reflects on how the Yankees resist “tanking” (rebuilding) seasons, unlike the Red Sox, and if that’s ultimately self-limiting.

  “The Red Sox will purge it and start over again and have a bad season, when the Yankees don't want to do that. That's probably the big difference between the two teams.” — Don La Greca, 10:49

8. Fandom and Rivalry Culture

• Lively conversations with callers about the psychology of being a Mets or Yankees fan, and whether rooting against rivals is “bad fandom.”

  “I was jealous. [The Yankees] had all the championships and my team didn't. The Yankees get all the girls.…You want your neighbor to be better than you?” — Don La Greca, 36:27

• The 21st-century Red Sox dominance over the Yankees adds emotional stakes; history and recent head-to-head trends fuel anxiety for Yankee fans.
• Alan insists:

  “You need to slay the dragon tonight and put that to rest…There’s no greater rivalry in sports than this one.” — Alan Hahn, 46:49

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On urgency in October baseball:

  “That’s where it got, you know, like the tight butts. That's when it started happening. You talk about excruciating, pitch after pitch, out after out.” — Alan Hahn, 02:31

• On Yankees’ litmus-test expectations:

  “World Series last year and you got better…if they don't win tonight, it feels like a lost season in baseball entirely in New York.” — Alan Hahn, 14:05 & 15:42

• On the state of fandom:

  “You want your neighbor’s wife to be hotter than yours? Do you want your neighbor’s kids all to come home with trophies and your kids come back with a participation ribbon? Is that how you want life to be?” — Don La Greca, 37:23

• Caller on Yankees' managerial style:

  “Do you think the Yankees will ever shift to that style that Cora manages with, with a little bit more pulse?” — Glenn, 28:33

• On scoring baseball games as a superfan:

  “If you're scoring games and have a family, it's a small miracle. What you did was almost like the creation of fire…If you score games, you actually have a wife and children…an absolute miracle.” — Don La Greca, 24:51

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Yankees force Game 3, playoff pressure, comparing 1986 Mets: 00:53–03:49
• Managerial tactics: Cora vs. Boone, bullpen usage: 02:31–05:58, 28:33–33:44
• Star performances: Chisholm's baserunning, Rice's home run: 05:37–05:58
• Expectations and defining failure: 13:30–16:45
• Callers discuss fandom and rivalry: 28:33, 34:15 (Sal in Queens, Mets fan on rooting dynamics), 35:01–39:48 (Fandom, jealousy, keeping up with rivals)
• Recent Yankees playoff performance and Boone’s elimination game record: 17:31–18:50
• Game 3 preview and bullpen situation: 44:04–44:33
• Final reflections on rivalry and Game 3 stakes: 45:46–47:00

Conclusion

Hour 1 delivers a classic dose of New York sports radio—anxious, energetic, and opinionated. The hosts lay bare the emotional roller coaster for Yankees fans as they face another do-or-die moment against a fierce rival, highlight the micro and macro debates about managing, fandom, and franchise direction, and invite callers to vent, question, and debate along with them.

Bottom Line: For Yankees fans, nothing short of a Game 3 win will salvage a season full of championship expectations. For everyone else, tonight is pure baseball theater—New York style.