Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
Hour 1: Yankees on the Brink
Date: October 1, 2025
Main Theme:
A raw, passionate postmortem of the Yankees’ Game 1 playoff loss to the Red Sox, with the team on the cusp of elimination. The hosts debate whether modern analytics and organizational decision-making—rather than the manager or players—are to blame for the team’s struggles, while unpacking the psychology and culture of today’s baseball. They zero in on Max Fried’s early exit, clubhouse morale, the Yankees’ season-long offensive ineptitude, and the larger implications for how teams approach high-pressure moments.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Who’s to Blame for the Loss?
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Don Hahn opens by rejecting calls to scapegoat Aaron Boone:
“Aaron Boone is the face of these decisions. But I’ve been around the Yankees long enough…he is doing the bidding of the organization. The decisions blew up in their face.” (01:00)
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Collaborative Decision-Making:
The group agrees lineup and pitching management are determined by Yankees brass and analytics teams, not solely Boone—he’s the public face, not the mastermind. -
Analytics vs. Instinct:
The team bristles at the “robotic” reliance on analytics at the expense of managers’ gut and players’ desire to compete.“It’s played in the computer, on paper, how it’s all going to go down. But once that pitcher gets beyond 100, you’re not allowed to get it out.” — Don Hahn (08:21)
Max Fried’s Early Exit and Pitch Count Madness
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Fried’s Removal:
The main focus of outrage is pulling Yankees ace Max Fried after 6.1 innings and 102 pitches, only for replacement Luke Weaver to falter.-
Peter Rosenberg:
“If you wanted to stay in, you could have told Boone, ‘No, I got this.’ But he didn’t. That stuff bothers me. But then you go and say it to the media…There’s problems in that clubhouse over this.” (05:33-06:16)
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Allen:
“As a pitcher, you want to finish what you start…You don’t want somebody to put the shingles on the roof. You want to finish the house. You built it.” (06:53)
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Contrast with Red Sox & Crochet:
Red Sox pitcher Crochet “bulldogged” through 117 pitches, the most in his career, and the Yankees took note.“You saw the story with Crochet, what he told Cora, right? ‘I’m not coming out and don’t come get me.’” — Peter Rosenberg (04:33)
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Philosophy & Analogies:
The hosts lampoon how no sport would conventionally remove their top performer (QB, goalie, star NBA player) mid-game due to arbitrary thresholds:“What other sport does this make sense? You have great players. You pull your goaltender, you tell your quarterback… ‘Time to get Mario in there.’” — Allen (17:15)
Clubhouse Frustration and Loss of Identity
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Morale After Game 1:
The clubhouse appeared “disillusioned,” players trusting “the numbers more than you trust us.” Jazz Chisholm’s silent protest—refusing to face cameras—was highlighted.“It’s as if you guys are trusting the numbers more than you trust us. Like Jazz, turn his back on the camera.” — Peter Rosenberg (02:43)
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Boone’s Defensiveness:
When asked about Chisholm’s postgame attitude:“I try and help make them understand my thought process and what I’m thinking…I need him to go out and play his butt off for us tonight.” — (Aaron Boone, 42:52)
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Loss of Human Element:
The over-emphasis on analytics is seen as a culture-killer, depriving competitive athletes an opportunity to impact games at key moments.“That takes the human element out of it and the emotion out of it. Frustrating.” — Don Hahn (37:36)
Offense: Same Old Postseason Story
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Yankees’ Offensive Drought:
On top of pitching controversies, the offense repeated familiar failings:- Bases loaded, nobody out (twice), no runs scored.
- 17 straight retired by Crochet.
- Only Volpe’s solo HR as a contribution.
“They don’t hit…Bases loaded, nobody out, middle part of their lineup. Twice opportunities, nothing happened.” — Allen & Rosenberg (09:45)
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Reliance on Home Runs:
If Judge (who had a good game) doesn’t go deep, “they don’t win.”“If nobody hits home runs, they don’t score.” — Don Hahn (10:28) “It is feast or famine a lot of times with the Yankees. It is maddening.” — Peter Rosenberg (09:53)
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Stanton's Critical At-Bat:
The team and fans expected heroics; instead, a disastrous strikeout.“I was walk off Grand Slam. I got up off the couch and stood up for that at-bat…He listened to our show yesterday, heard the praise, and said, I’m going to look completely lost in the most critical playoff at bat.” — Allen & Rosenberg (11:05-11:16)
Managerial Comparison & Organizational Culture
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Alex Cora vs. Aaron Boone:
Praise for Cora’s feel and willingness to defy analytics when appropriate:“Once again [Cora] showed you that he plays chess…If you have an opportunity to test Judge’s arm, do it. They were prepared for that moment.” — Peter Rosenberg (14:10)
In contrast:
“Should Boone push back as he’s got the final say? Red Sox are analytically driven too, but you get a sense that Cora gets a feel for the game.” — Don Hahn (35:29)
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Yankees’ Top-Down Approach:
Boone’s job security is seen as dependent on compliance with organizational philosophy rather than winning instinct:“If I’m defiant and I fail, I might be out of a job…They wanted a guy that was going to be of like mind.” — Don Hahn (35:29)
Callers Weigh In & Notable Calls
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Matt from Nashville (26:55):
Defends Boone, says execution—particularly Weaver’s lengthy at-bat and lack of control—mattered more than pitch count.“If Weaver goes out there and does his job, this isn’t a conversation.”
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Robbie from Lenox, MA (33:58):
Rants that sitting Jazz Chisholm and Ben Rice (“the hottest hitters”) is an organizational failure and singles out a history of Yankees’ questionable playoff decisions. -
Vinnie from Staten Island (38:03):
Critiques the removal of Fried, arguing even his Little League pitchers go longer than Yankees’ multi-millionaire arms, and asserts Boone will “cost them two or three World Series.” -
Peter from Brooklyn (43:41):
Notes how Chapman almost gave it away in the 9th (“almost everything he could to not get it done”) and how the Yankees’ late opportunities fizzled.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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Allen, on player mentality:
“You want to finish what you start. You don’t want to be taken out of a game because you built that. You built that house…You take pride in it.” (06:53)
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Don Hahn mocks analytics across sports:
“The analytics show that Henry throws the ball more than 35 times—every throw after 30, there’s a 16% chance it’ll go incomplete…But stats exist in all these sports—no one’s psycho enough to listen to them.” (17:30-18:04)
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Rosenberg, on why we watch sports:
“Isn’t sports supposed to be about going beyond the human limits?...That’s why we love it…That’s championships. Not going to guys on the bench.” (21:53)
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Don Hahn, on Fried’s exit:
“You’re telling me after 102 pitches that Luke Weaver is a better option against 8-9 in the seventh inning than Max Fried?” (22:43)
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Colorful banter & blue analogies (41:00–42:28):
The team jokes about applying bullpen management analogies to other walks of life, with references to “Boogie Nights” for safe radio.
Noteworthy Timestamps
- 00:51–06:16 — Opening argument that Boone is not the root problem; breakdown of the clubhouse’s reaction to analytics-driven decisions.
- 09:45–11:24 — Yankees’ offensive failures, repeated chances with runners on base squandered.
- 13:24–17:40 — Deep dive into organizational overreliance on analytics, with cross-sport comparisons.
- 20:12–22:43 — Passionate critique on what baseball should value in its big moments.
- 26:55–28:34 — Caller Matt from Nashville, defending Boone and examining pitch execution.
- 29:02–31:38 — Audio clips and reactions to Max Fried’s “I felt good” postgame interview.
- 33:58–36:47 — Robbie from Lenox rants; hosts unpack Cora's approach versus Yankees', importance of giving players agency.
- 42:52–43:26 — Boone responds to Jazz Chisholm's postgame demeanor.
Overall Tone & Final Takeaways
Lively, passionate, and combative, the hour is a plea for a return to “feel” and faith in players and managers, as opposed to surrendering season-defining moments to spreadsheets and faceless decision-makers. The hosts, supported by like-minded callers, insist that the Yankees’ problem is institutionalized caution and lack of belief in their own stars.
Summary Statement:
If the Yankees are eliminated, it’ll be less about Aaron Boone or individual moments of execution, and more about an organizational philosophy that puts analytics and risk-aversion above gut, heart, and the will to win—leading, in the hosts’ words, to a clubhouse that feels distrusted and defeated before the series is even over.