Hour 1: Yankees WC Preview

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg — Hour 1: Yankees Wild Card Preview (Sept 30, 2025)

Episode Overview

The hour dives deep into a high-stakes day for New York sports fans as the Yankees prepare to face the Red Sox in the Wild Card round at Yankee Stadium. With Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg at the helm, the show explores the significance, matchups, anxieties, and hopes swirling around this pivotal moment for the Yankees. The tone oscillates between serious analysis, classic sports radio banter, and a nostalgic look at postseason baseball.

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Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. “Varsity Takes the Field” — The Yankees as New York’s Main Event

• Don and company elevate the Yankees above the Giants, Jets, and Mets:
  “The varsity show. Now we're talking about the team that deserves to be talked about. This is the varsity now. All the little JV shenanigans...JV's over. Get off the field. Now the varsity comes. Now the varsity is taking the field...now the lion comes in and says, all right, now it's time to play ball.”
  (Hunter Rosenberg, 01:56–02:52)

• The narrative is that, despite not being a personal Yankee fan, even Hahn admits the team’s historic power and timing demand attention.

2. Wild Card Series: Do-or-Die Mentality

• Critical analysis of why the Wild Card form raises the stakes:

  • Yankees and Red Sox share identical records; “could be over in a snap and all it was was one bad inning by one pitcher.” (Don Hahn, 05:26)
  • Emphasis on the unpredictability: One misstep—by a pitcher or fielder—could end the season.

• Tonight’s Game 1: Freed vs Crochet

  • “The winner of tonight wins the series because it's Freed and Crochet. Right?...Trust factor to me is tonight.” (Don Hahn, 03:53–04:01)
  • Both aces, both seasons on the line, both with something to prove. “Crochet has owned the Yankees, but the Yankees usually own you when you're making your playoff debut....Something's got to give.” (Don, 04:32)
  • Discussion about pressure: Is Crochet’s “business casual” travel attire a sign of laser focus or added nerves?

3. Bullpens will Decide It All

• Modern postseason baseball is defined by bullpens, not starters lasting 7-9 innings:

  • “Managers are hot. Excuse me, to go to their bullpen, I mean, almost like trying to find a vein. I mean, they want to mainline the bullpen.” (Hunter, 05:50)
  • Likely scenario: After Freed and Crochet exit, “it's a battle of the bullpens. And it didn't matter, like. And then we'll come and we'll analyze tomorrow the result of the game and everything we'll talk about is what happened after the seventh inning. Because it's all about the bullpen.” (Hunter, 06:01–06:25)

• Notable closer discussion — the 'Deadpool':

  • Who’s most likely to melt down? Chapman, Bednar, Devin Williams, etc.
  • “Chapman, he's coming in and he's just going to get Rock because that. Would be something, him coming into Yankee Stadium in the postseason to try to get the Yankees out in front of 50,000 screaming fans.” (Don, 11:17)

4. Yankee Stadium Postseason Atmosphere

• Deep appreciation for the electric environment—even in the new stadium:
  • “Yankee Stadium is always electric. It's always pretty much full...But when they put the bunting up, it's a different way.” (Hunter, 09:23–10:09)
  • Postseason changes everything: “The roll call will be louder. Everything will hit different today.” (Peter, 10:11)

5. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton: Legacy and Pressure

• Judge:

  • “This needs to be a judge October. It's time.” (Don, 12:11)
  • Great in Wild Card round (1.217 OPS, best ever) but falls off in later series. “Carryover” expected for this matchup vs. Boston.
  • Debate on psychological tone-setting: “Can you imagine what that building will be like if out of the gate Judges balling out?” (Peter, 13:16)

• Stanton:

  • “Stanton has 18 postseason home runs as a Yankee third all time ... And what's even more insane, listen to this. Number one is Bernie Williams. Bernie Williams has 22 postseason home runs in 121 games. Jeter is second with 20 in 158. ... Stan has to be in, what, 40 games? 41....Like you want to talk about. That's, that's, that's a crazy. It's a perfect score. His home runs per game, off the charts.” (Don & Peter, 34:14–35:04)
  • Verdict: He has an aura in the room—respected by younger players, might be a Hall-of-Famer with a ring and another 50+ home runs.

6. Lineup Controversies and Analytics vs 'Hot' Hand

• Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm benched despite hot finishes—analytics and matchups rule for Aaron Boone & Yankees:

  • “Analytics doesn't believe in hot. Ben Rice finished the season on, as you would say, a two. Right? But against Crochet, historically, he's one for eight and a lot of swing and miss. So you keep him out. Now, if they bring in a righty, he'll come in.” (Don, 31:05)
  • Hunter: “I believe in hot. I believe how you played down the stretch...But to start, they're not going to be there because what did Alan say about analytics? They don't believe in hot. They believe they won those eight games because they had the right matchups during those eight games.” (Hunter, 44:27–44:43)

• Fan frustration—callers echo desire for going with the hot hand over “cold” numbers.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the stakes for Yankees tonight:

"Mark my words, we're going to go into the final nine outs of this game and that is where the win or loss is going to lie. So once they've put these guys to bed, that's when it's on."
— Hunter Rosenberg (07:34)

The postseason magic of Yankee Stadium:

"But when they put the bunting up, it's a different way."
— Don Hahn (09:55)

On Judge’s postseason history:

"In the wild card, he's a .300 hitter with three home runs. 1.217, which is incredible, by far the best...then you get to the divisional round where he has played 26 games and he's got a batting average of .192...So in 262 postseason at bats, he has struck out 86 times..."
— Hunter Rosenberg (13:49–15:22)

Stanton’s Postseason Clutch Factor:

"Stanton has 18 postseason home runs as a Yankee, third all time...in 41 games."
— Don Hahn / Peter Rosenberg (34:14–35:04)

The Analytics Debate:

"They don't believe in hot. They don't believe in, you’re on a roll. They believe in the matchups. That's why they do the…I'm with you, I'm with you. I go with the guy that's rolling."
— Don Hahn (42:18–42:29)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |--------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:56–02:52 | Elevating Yankees—“Varsity” status, other NY teams dismissed | | 03:53–04:31 | Game 1 (Freed vs. Crochet) “winner of tonight wins the series” | | 05:26–06:25 | Best-of-three's pressure, “one bad inning” can end a season | | 08:08–08:26 | Bullpen warfare, not starters, will decide outcome | | 09:23–10:09 | The postseason energy at Yankee Stadium (“they put the bunting up”) | | 12:11–13:49 | Judge: “It’s time”—his wild card vs. divisional round performance | | 34:14–35:04 | Stanton’s postseason HR leadership—historic pace | | 42:18–44:43 | Explicit rejection of ‘hot hand’ by Yankees’ front office | | 45:57–46:35 | Boone: “This is the best group we’ve gone in with” |

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Additional Highlights

• Caller Neil in the Bronx (41:18) — asks for divine intervention for Judge to have his “Reggie Jackson moment.”
• Lineup Analysis (33:00–34:13) — Breakdown of Yankees lineup for Game 1; Rice and Chisholm out, Rosario at second for his strong history v. Crochet.
• Baseball Nostalgia — The hosts reminisce about 70s–80s postseason classics (Dodgers-Reds, Brett, Schmidt, Molitor, trading cards). Light-hearted break from the intensity.
• Show Energy and Banter: Frequent jokes, ribbing, and references to previous shows, social media responses, and the hosts’ own sports fandom and history.
• Manager Quotes: Snippets from Aaron Boone on lineup, matchups, and team vibe delivered with context and critical interpretation.

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Conclusion

This episode sets the emotional and analytical landscape for Yankees fans heading into the Wild Card round. The hosts balance in-depth strategizing around the pitching matchups and bullpen roles with interpersonal dynamics—both inside the Yankees’ clubhouse and across the rabid fanbase. The themes of pressure, legacy, and the razor-thin margins of Wild Card postseason baseball run throughout. The episode finishes by previewing upcoming interviews, continuing discussion of lineup decisions, and preparing for the first pitch.

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For Yankees fans, this episode is essential listening to get in the right headspace—nervous, hopeful, and ready for the drama that only October baseball delivers in New York.

Transcript

[Don Hahn]

Race the rudders. Raise the sails. Raise the sails.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Captain, an unidentified ship is approaching. Over.

[Don Hahn]

Roger.

[Peter]

Wait.

[Don Hahn]

Is that an enterprise sales solution?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Reach sales professionals, not professional sailors. With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title and more. Start converting your B2B audience today. Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a free $250 credit for the next one. Get started [e-mail] Campaign terms and conditions apply. Todd, sometimes fraud gives you movement. It sounded like it moved.

[Don Hahn]

Han, you heard a squish. And Rosenberg, shake gently to assure complete activation.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Hello. This isn't North Dakota. This is New York.

[Don Hahn]

This is Don, Han and Rosenberg.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

The best threesome I've ever heard on.

[Don Hahn]

880 ESPN and the ESPN New York app.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Let's get going. It's a big day.

[Don Hahn]

Wait, just. Now we're up. Ok, it's his first day. We'll give him a break. It's his first.

[Peter]

Turn it up, Don.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Who's first day?

[Don Hahn]

It's his first day. Give him a break. First day. First day of the rest of his life.

[Peter]

Try it again. One more time.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Right now. Now. That's it.

[Don Hahn]

Can't do it.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

It was in the moment, now it's over.

[Peter]

There's 302 in the big city.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

It was 301.

[Peter]

Oh, it was a good minute.

[Don Hahn]

302 in the greatest city in the world.

[Peter]

No, we lost him and we lost Todd Nelson. It's just we lost until.

[Don Hahn]

Wait, wait. After the day you had yesterday, hot out of a can where he's just. Yeah, he. Absolutely out of a cannon. And you had one of your epic rants that apparently is doing really well on social media.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I just wanted to get started.

[Don Hahn]

Let's get it started.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Like, I'm the swimmer that fell in the pool.

[Don Hahn]

No, you know, you are. You're the Jets. You're the Jets.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Well, I wanted to bring this up, and I don't mean. No, I do. Why? Sugarcoat.

[Don Hahn]

Don't. All right. We don't like sugar.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

This is the varsity show. This is the varsity show. Now we're talking about the team that deserves to be talked about. This is the varsity now. All the little JV shenanigans. Oh, the Giants think they have a quarterback. Yay. Oh, the jets. Thirteen penalties, all they can. Fumbles. Ridiculous. Yay, Mets, you know, 21 games over, four games over, no playoffs. All right, JV's over. Get off the field. Now the varsity comes. Now the varsity is taking the field. Now go sit down and cheer on the varsity, because now it's the Yankee baseball time. And you know, I'm no Yankee fan, but you know what? I can see, I can smell. All my senses still work. And this is a team worth talking about. This is the varsity. This is the step up. So we play our little reindeer games. We bat the bunny around to see if anybody can bat the bunny. And now the lion comes in and says, all right, now it's time to play ball. And that's what today is.

[Peter]

Let's. Let's get it is what you're saying it. Yankees are playing it's bits and it's man time.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Now they're a wild card team, but they have the same record as the team that won the division.

[Peter]

That's right.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

All right, that's race and the same record they had last year and they went all the way to game five of the World Series. I don't know if this team's winning a championship, but I will say it. And you can go, come at me. Come at me, bros, my bros with me in the studio, Allen and Peter and all of you out there in the listening audience, come at me, my brother. The winner of this series is going to the World Series representing the American League. Hear that? And I believe the Yankees are going to be that team because of how hot they got. And I'm not in love with this lineup. And we'll dive into that. I don't like straying from your regulars for matchups. Don't. I don't care for that. But I'm going to be undaunted in my belief that the Yankees are going to take care of business and are going to go back to the World Series. And you had a point where you, you want to break it down even more definitive. You want to break it down to just today.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, I, I'm looking at tonight. The winner of tonight wins the series because it's Freed and Crochet. Right?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

That's it.

[Don Hahn]

And trust factor to me is tonight. I trust Freed and you have to put him against Crochet. Crochet is making his fifth start against the Yankees. In previous four starts, the Red Sox have won all games, right? He's. He's three and oh, he got the decision in the last three. He has been excellent. But the Yankees, when they face. Because he's making his playoff debut, the Yankees, when facing a pitcher making his playoff debut the last five times, they've won all five games.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Right?

[Don Hahn]

Something's got to give. Crochet has owned the Yankees, but the Yankees usually own you when you're making your playoff debut. So what kind? Like you had to see this stuff that Crochet was saying. They have been dressing casually when it comes to travel. You know what he did on the, on the flight to New York, was that business casual? Because he's serious. He wants to be locked in. This is very important. Does it feel like, is he put, you know, he said, I always want to be the guy that gets the ball for game one. I wanted to be that guy. He's thinking about it now. It could have him fired up or it could mess with him a little bit. So I'm really curious to see the starting pitching tonight. But there's also a bit of a deadpool we should be doing in this series because one of these teams is going to have a pitcher that doesn't have it and it's going to cost their team the series. Who's it going to be? Of the list of pitchers on both teams, who's it going to be?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it's going to be somebody out.

[Don Hahn]

Of the ball because it's such a, like when you play a best of seven, the better team generally wins because it's, you know, the attrition of a seven game series. It usually filters out the right way. But a best of three, it could be over in a snap and all it was was one bad inning by one pitcher. That's all it could be.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

That's all it take. And that's why I, I kind of.

[Don Hahn]

That's why I said three.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

With you about it all being about tonight and it being about who the starting pitchers are. I've seen it my whole life. When it's come to postseason baseball and especially recent postseason baseball, these managers are hot. Excuse me, to go to their bullpen, I mean, almost like trying to find a vein. I mean, they want to mainline the bullpen. And so you sit there and it's the sixth inning and you're like, okay, Freed and Crochet are out. Now it's a battle of the Bullpens. It's a 1, 1 tie, top 7. Now it's a battle of the bullpens. And it didn't matter, like. And then we'll come and we'll analyze tomorrow the result of the game and everything we'll talk about is what happened after the seventh inning. Because it's all about the bullpen. It's true, you know, so yeah, listen, one of them can just Freed or Crochet could be awful. And we'll go back and how they gave them no chance to win, but These guys could both pitch lights out. Both of these organizations got these pitchers for this moment, especially the Yankees. I mean, they got Max Freed because they knew they weren't going to have Cole.

[Don Hahn]

Well, they already had. They got Max Reed first, but they.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

They had to know.

[Don Hahn]

You really believe.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I don't think they were shocked, this contract because they would have done it anyway. They probably would have done it anyway. But you don't. I don't. I think they knew, okay, that there was an issue. But let's say they didn't. Okay? You still get Freed Free would be pitching game two. You'd have Cole, you'd have Freed.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

But you got this guy. He's one of the best pitchers in the American League. Might win the Cy Young in the American League pitching game one of the postseason, obviously game one of the series. He's. He's built for this moment. Right. 19 game winner. Crochet's an 18 game winner.

[Don Hahn]

Yep.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Both can't win.

[Don Hahn]

They're two of the best, but they both can't win. Right.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

All right. Maybe one of them stinks and the other one's great. Maybe they both stink. Maybe they're both great. Point is, is, mark my words, we're going to go into the final nine outs of this game and that is where the win or loss is going to lie. So once they've put these guys to bed, that's when it's on, you know, unless. And listen, everybody loves the fact maybe.

[Peter]

You put up a five spot in.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

The first inning and that's where the game's won. But usually when you're talking about a couple of aces, back in the day, we would talk about those aces pitching into the eighth, the ninth inning, like.

[Don Hahn]

School'S doing now, right? 12 strikes into the seventh. Where is he in the seventh now?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

It's pretty incredible.

[Don Hahn]

He's dealing.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

He's dealing.

[Don Hahn]

And they needed that desperately.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

But you know as well as I do that these games are usually decided in the bullpen. So when you're talking about who's going to spit the bed, who's going to be the guy that's going to give it up, it's going to be somebody kind of coming out of the ball.

[Don Hahn]

Now, how about just closer? Because it's Araldis Chapman, like, think about the drama there. Araldis Chapman on the mound. That is a Yankee Stadium.

[Peter]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

And can you get him to give you that little blank eating grin? Because somebody just knocked one out of the park to win the game. Like he, like, remember with that time when that happened against the Astros. And he had that grin.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Like, you know, as a Yankee fan, you hated seeing it, but now you want to see if you can make him do it on your. For you.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

But that grin, because it's Bednar.

[Don Hahn]

Bednar's been good. No, I know this. There was more to that. But I'm just saying, like, that grin at that moment was like, what is he grinning about? But it's Bednar who's been good. He's. He's kind of giving you a bit of a bulldog thing lately, which feels like he's grown into his pinstripes. Right. And then there's Chapman, and you want to see what happens? There is, you know, Weaver, Devin Williams. Is Devin Williams going to come in the game?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Last time he pitched in the postseason, Alonzo homer.

[Don Hahn]

Right. Right.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And Bednar hasn't pitched in the postseason. So as good as he's been, there's going to be all right. He's going to be able to handle the spotlight because I. Again, I defy you to tell me another place. And I haven't been to all of them, but I've been to a lot of them, and Peter's been to a lot of them, and you've been to a lot of them. Basketball, hockey, football, baseball, where it hits completely different in the postseason. Yankee Stadium is always electric. It's always pretty much full. But as Bill McNulty, Bill Daughtry used to say, when they put the bunting up, it's a different way.

[Don Hahn]

I used to love that phrase. He would say that.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

But they put the bunting up. And you know, it is true. It feels there's a magic to postseason.

[Don Hahn]

Even the new building? Even the new building.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Well, it might not be as good, but it's still different.

[Peter]

It's still different.

[Don Hahn]

Still different. Yeah.

[Peter]

The roll call will be louder. Everything will hit different today.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

It just. And I. And I give the Yankee fans credit for that. And. But. But sometimes it works to the disadvantage of the Yankees when you're not used to that, you know, so it's still the postseason. So will his knees be knocking? Because, you know, Chapman's knees are going to be knocking. We've seen that. We've seen that in regular season games with the Yankees. We've also seen some good from them, too. But will it be the closers? Will it be somebody in the bullpen? Will it be these two pitchers?

[Don Hahn]

Well, who do you trust more? Like, again, starting pitching wise tonight, you trust both guys, Right? They're two of the best in the two of the best in the league, two of the highest. Their rankings are 1, 2, 3, 4, and all the different major categories. But it, like you said, is which pitcher gets knocked out first and then which bullpen. What do you trust? So give me your deadpool. If I gave you the names Devin Williams, Fernando Cruz. Right. Doval, Bednar, Weaver. That's on the Yankee side. Well, I mentioned Chapman already, right? Whitlock, Slade and Kelly Weiser. Who, who's. Who's in your deadpool of the guy that you know, he's. He's the one. Well, Chapman, he's coming in and he's just going to get Rock because that.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Would be something, him coming into Yankee Stadium in the postseason to try to get the Yankees out in front of 50,000 screaming fans. That's the guy. I'd be very curious.

[Don Hahn]

He's gonna be throwing 101 miles an hour. You know that.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

That's right. But it may not be for a strike.

[Don Hahn]

No.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

It might be right down the middle.

[Don Hahn]

Which we saw wild pitch, you know.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Or, or just a really juicy fastball because if you, if you pitch it straight, these guys and Stanton, if he'll hit it, Stan will hit a 600ft.

[Don Hahn]

And the judge factor too. There's one more thing that I'll add to the. The, you know, the anxiety, the excitement, all this stuff. The anticipation for tonight's game is Judge has had another MVP level season. Whether he wins it or not is. Is up to the arbitrators, right? But in the end, he still had one of the great seasons in the history of baseball. And so he's done it again in the regular season. It's time. This needs to be a judge. October. It's time.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

No, it is time.

[Don Hahn]

And now he's had really, believe it or not, his numbers in the wild card series that he has played in. His OPS is the best in the sport in the wild card round. So it's not here that he struggles. It's the next two rounds where his numbers plummet, Right? So I would expect carryover and I would expect that Judge, who actually does hit well against crochet, I would expect Judge is going to have a good series.

[Peter]

Does it remind me while, while he's been okay in the first round?

[Don Hahn]

Well, he hasn't been okay. He's. His numbers, like I said, I was.

[Peter]

Trying to remember like last year, did he start well out of the gate?

[Don Hahn]

His OPS and wild card rounds in his career is 1.217, which is the highest of any player ever.

[Peter]

So last Year, there was no wild card round. Year before, they weren't there. So it's been a few years now since there was a wild card.

[Don Hahn]

He's still proven he's the point I'm trying to make the next two rounds where it just drops off.

[Peter]

I just wonder though, whether tonight we could feel something immediately that would be tangible to make us believe. Oh, no, no.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. This isn't the Know what he does takes crochet deep. It would be first at B out of the gate.

[Peter]

Can you imagine what that building will be like if out of the gate judges balling out?

[Don Hahn]

Just set the tone, Allen.

[Peter]

Even if it's a solid clean base knock to start the game out, people.

[Don Hahn]

Go, oh, yeah, you gotta get locked in.

[Peter]

And on the flip side of that, if it's just a rough day where he looks a little bit lost, dumb strikeouts, it'll feel the exact opposite mind.

[Don Hahn]

Again, he's going to throw a ton of fastballs, but they're not going to let him hit anything. That's the thing with Judge, you know, Cora is going to make sure give Judge nothing to hit. But in the last series of Fenway, they were trying the same thing and he hit the hell out of the ball.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Now, the breakdown is this. Now, he's only played five games in the wild card round because originally it was the one game and then only recently have they had to play the three. And that's only happened one of the time. So there's been four series, but only one actual best of three that he's played in the wild card. And in the wild card, he's a.300 hitter with three home runs. 1.217, which is incredible, by far the best. Okay, then you get to the divisional round where he has played 26 games and he's got a batting average of.192. And his home runs are six to strikeouts. And his RBI is 10. But he's got 41 strikeouts.

[Don Hahn]

Yes, that's better. All right, that's bad.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

So that's his. That's his really. That's. That's bad.

[Don Hahn]

The division series is his Eleanor.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

22 games in the League Championship Series. 193 batting average. And his home runs are. He's got 15 home runs and he's got 33 strikeouts. And then the World Series, which we saw last year,222 hitter. Overall, he's a.205 hitter, 16 home runs. So he gets his home runs, but it's been basically home runs or strikeouts. 86 strikeouts in 58 games. So in 262 postseason at bats, he has struck out 86 times and he's got the 16 home runs and he's got the 205, batting 16 home runs.

[Don Hahn]

But fifth most in Yankee history.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

But to Allen's point, this is where he seems to rake now. It's a little bit of a different animal with it being Boston. And Michael said it on our air yesterday, this is a tougher road than it was last year because last year you had the Guardians and the Royals and then, and then you got to the World Series and then it got really amped up. As much as the Blue Jays have struggled, if they're next, we know how good they are. Tigers got a, They've got a 2 to 1 lead right now in the bottom of the 8th inning on the Guardian. So they could be a step to moving up. And if they write their ship and schools as good a pitcher as the Major League Baseball, this will be a tougher road. But I still think the toughest will be Boston and everything that comes with the Red Sox. This is going to be a very interesting series.

[Don Hahn]

They have lost to them in three straight postseason meetings.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Now it's different. You asked, is there going to be juice? Peter, the juice around the Red Sox, from a Yankees perspective is you kind of salivated at the Red Sox. This is get well time. You beat the Red Sox. Then all of a sudden the Red Sox started beating you. And now they don't play as much as they used to. And when they do play, the Red Sox now win.

[Don Hahn]

They won nine of the 13 matchups this season. Nine.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Nine. And. But they did. But the Yankees did take two out of three during the Gauntlet, you know, just a few weeks ago. So they've got that going for them at Fenway, which is nice, but other teams have crept in, you know, now you kind of hate Houston, and the Blue Jays are a nuisance. So there are other teams the Yankees have had to occupy themselves with, and let's not forget the Dodgers, but who have now risen back from the dead to become a rival for the New York Yankees. But this is what it's all about here. It begins today. And because it's a best of three, you have almost zero margin for error. If it's a best of five and certainly a best of seven, hey, you lose game one, no big, no harm, no foul, right? If you remember the Red Sox when they played that series, when Judge was what, in 17, right? Or 18? Excuse me, in 18, when judge is playing the New York song, Walking Past the dressing room and all that stuff.

[Peter]

Yeah, age great that was.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

They won game one. Game one didn't have as much meaning because you can get off the mat. Remember when Yankees lost the first two games against Cleveland a few years ago in the best of five, won the next three. But in a best of three even with home field with your best pitcher on the mound. A loss tonight, I think they can get up from it. But it's tough elimination immediately when you're.

[Peter]

A team that tightens up offensively too and you get down to games the tomorrow that that means the building's completely.

[Don Hahn]

Tight and then you have Rodon on the mound who has had a really good season but. But under pressure we have seen him sweat himself into oblivion. Baseball Bayo, you know they got the right hander so it's, that's why I'm telling you. I, I just, I feel it. You can argue with me if you want and tell me why I'm wrong and I'll listen but I just. My gut tells me the numbers don't. The numbers probably do too but it's such a. It's still new the wildcard series. But I gotta believe that tonight tonight's winner wins this thing. Cam Schlitler pitching in a game three. If it's a winner take all. Game three.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

They lost Giolito though so it does even things up a little bit.

[Don Hahn]

But it, you know you're asking the kid to and he's been good and then what do they have? Warren if he doesn't have it? You go to Warren, you go to heel. What do you do there? So there's. I don't want to leave it to chance.

[Peter]

I just love that baseball can go from heels.

[Don Hahn]

Not even on the playoff on the this on the wild card roster.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Heels.

[Don Hahn]

They'll probably have him ready for game.

[Peter]

One then it's hilarious for you guys know my, my, my mixed and long my, my my sometimes troubled love affair with baseball. It's hilarious. It can go from like I can't force myself to get through a game because it's so meaningless to tonight. Every bat, the second it starts in a three game series.

[Don Hahn]

Painful.

[Peter]

Every bat matters. The second six o' clock comes.

[Don Hahn]

It's so true. It's excruciating. I always laugh. Do you know we don. We watch a baseball game three times sitting down.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Because every at bat when you're viewing. Yeah, every at bat. Once the pitch is thrown, you see it two more times before the next pitch is thrown.

[Peter]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

So you're literally Watching it three, like the game. You're almost watching it three times.

[Peter]

That's a really fun city. That's a really funny way of looking at it.

[Don Hahn]

Every single pitch, the minute it's thrown. Replay, replay. Next pitch is coming because they want to show you the strike zone. They want to show you the swing, whatever it is. They always want to just show you.

[Peter]

What's your plan, by the way, today, Alan? This is important because it's a. We're off the air at 6.

[Don Hahn]

Yep.

[Peter]

And that's when the game starts.

[Don Hahn]

I am racing to Penn Station.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

All right.

[Don Hahn]

Catch that 6:14, by the way. We're off the air at 6.

[Peter]

You're going to try to hit the 6:14.

[Don Hahn]

I can get it. I got it.

[Peter]

And then you're going to watch on the.

[Don Hahn]

On the train. I'll be watching on the train. And then Gracie's got a game.

[Peter]

So you're watching.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. He's a big one.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

So what time's that?

[Don Hahn]

Well, if I'm lucky to catch the end, if I get there in time. But I'm going to do what I can to get to St. Anthony's to get to the game.

[Peter]

In which case. So you go to DBR at that point, what are you going to do?

[Don Hahn]

Consuming on the floor.

[Peter]

You're going to just kind of follow along and keep going.

[Don Hahn]

Saturday, I did that with the Ryder cup. Sitting next to some of the dads. We were just keeping up on the Ryder cup while sitting in a gym especially.

[Peter]

That's the Ryder Cup.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. It's slower, but this.

[Peter]

No, no, no. I'm saying this is your heart.

[Don Hahn]

This is the Yankee playoff. This is on the phone. Like it's just really going to be tough. But I sees a senior. I want to watch every game.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

No, no, no.

[Don Hahn]

That's, that's, that's, that's the plan tonight, which is going to be tough. But you know how baseball goes. Jakey's Red Sox. By the time we get to 8:30, 9 o', clock, it'll be the third inning. You know that Yankees, Red Sox, those are marathons.

[Peter]

And one of the things I like.

[Don Hahn]

Texting till midnight tonight.

[Peter]

One of the things I like about baseball is that while the regular season games have gotten, in my opinion, just one notch too fast, even though I respect it, that's like, the pace of it to me as now as an old timer feels a little too quick sometimes. The playoff pace is still what it should be. Slow and excruciating, like you dream about.

[Don Hahn]

It's like that slow drip drip.

[Peter]

It's going to be fun. This is an ad by BetterHelp. We all turn to some funny places for support, but not everyone is a therapist. Not everyone is the one. Find your right match with BetterHelp BetterHelp does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals. A short questionnaire helps identify your needs and preferences and their 10 plus years of experience and industry leading match fulfillment rate means they typically get it right the first time. If you aren't happy with your match, switch to a different therapist at any time. From their tailored racks. You can join a session with a therapist at the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. Plus switch therapists at any time. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of Expertise. Find the one with BetterHelp our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com timeout that's betterhelp.com timeout.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I'm Christian McCaffrey, pro running back and Abercrombie is an official fashion partner of the NFL. I'm not kidding when I say NFL by Abercrombie broke the Internet last year and I think this season's lineup is even cooler.

[Don Hahn]

And so does my wife who keeps.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Stealing all my hoodies. Stay fit for the season and Abercrombie's newest arrivals shop NFL by Abercrombie in the app, online and in store.

[Don Hahn]

When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans, send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom's 60th and never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with end to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone. Learn [e-mail] thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Game Time is brought to you by Telemardu Irish Whiskey because when it's game time, fellas.

[Peter]

Take your time.

[Don Hahn]

Yep, you'll get there. Lean into it all the way. Like when he holds it in case.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

You just woke up under a rock. The Yankees open up the Wild Cards round of the playoffs with the Red Sox over at the stadium coverage following us here on 880 at 6 o'. Clock. All the other Wild Card games Could be heard on 1050 including the tigers who are up 2 to 1 on the guardians in the top of the 9th inning. And the Tigers looking attack on they got runners at first and second and nobody out. Padres already up one nothing on the Cubs in the top of the second at Wrigley. So again you can consume all the baseball on 1050 and then of course we'll get the the big one. The Yankees and the Red sox tonight on 880 and of course later on tonight we'll get the Dodgers and the Reds. That's old school man. If you're like Allen and Izaiah like seriously.

[Don Hahn]

Yep.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

When we were growing up for like like every year I think seven definitely 76, 77 and 78 you would get it would always be like Dodgers, Phillies or and Yankees Royal So that was always what you got and but it was always big games between the Dodgers and the Reds because they were in the same division. The Reds were always out west.

[Peter]

Yeah you're talking about a heavy dose of Joe Morgan Johnny Bench Pete Rose. This is what we're talking about.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Pete Rose, Dave Concepcion. Oh give me some right Conception Ken Griffey senior.

[Peter]

The senior senior the OG you were getting a little Mike Schmidt Phillies action.

[Don Hahn]

Big Schmidt and gray haired Sparky Anderson.

[Peter]

Little 75, 45 year old 40 year.

[Don Hahn]

Old looking 80 year olds.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

You could get a little Larry Boa.

[Peter]

Yeah one of the great bench coaches for the Orioles. My childhood.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

There you go. And of course the the old school Royals with with young George Brett.

[Peter]

That's young 76 his rookie year. 76.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

75 or 76. Yeah right around this sprout.

[Peter]

There's no I didn't know there's such thing as young George Brett.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Apparently it happened then you get the, then you know Dan Quesenberry coming out of the bullpen. We loved Q Old school baseball.

[Peter]

If you were just if you could find a way just to work in Robin you out. I really would appreciate it.

[Don Hahn]

Little, Little brewers.

[Peter]

Yeah but I don't think the brew crew are over there at that much noise.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

So you go Robin youn and Paul Molitor.

[Peter]

Oh no, no. I, I, I will have visible excitement when you mention Paul Molitor.

[Don Hahn]

I mean that is St. Paul to you and me.

[Peter]

That's, that's St. Paul. That's called a ball player right there.

[Don Hahn]

That's right. It's a ball player. It's just a ball player. That's what he is.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

It just seemed wrong when he left it was a twin so best of.

[Don Hahn]

The three he was right.

[Peter]

Molotor. Who was the other one you said.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

On the Brewers?

[Peter]

No, no, no, no. Just of old timey ball players from the late 70s.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Oh, I threw out Larry Bow, number one, right?

[Peter]

Yeah, yeah, Brett number one. Robin Yount two. Molitor three.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Well, because Mike Schmidt would be.

[Peter]

Well, no, I'm taking out Schmidt. Schmidt.

[Don Hahn]

Think about it. Well, they were all. Wasn't that like the era of third baseman?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah, right.

[Don Hahn]

They were all. They were great third baseman, that era, late 70s, early 80s. Yeah.

[Peter]

Brett's number one ahead of Schmidt too, for sure. Well.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Wow, that's a good question because Schmidt, you know, he hit more home runs, but George Brett flirted with 400. He batted like he was a man. I Forget, was it 1980? He batted like 394.

[Peter]

I feel like he routinely batted above 350.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Yeah, he was about batting average. Forget it.

[Peter]

Yeah. What is batting average? One of the great I saw at some event I. When I was a kid, I went to a card show and there was a thing you could like go through a whole bunch of cheap cards and you know, see if you found something. And I found a 1975 John Schmidt.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

And glorious mustache.

[Peter]

Oh, yeah. And I think it was, I think it was a Schmidt rookie. What year's is rookie year?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Oh, my.

[Peter]

73.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

74. 74. 73 or 74.

[Peter]

It was a Schmidt rookie. And I was like, oh my God. I went to the. There was a guy who owned a card shop in our neighbor, a little small card shop. We would only last.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I missed those places.

[Peter]

Oh, it was so good. And I went. His name, it was called Reeves. The guy's name was Steve Reeves. Six year old guy. And all the kids would go talk to him, you know, Steve Reeves. Oh, Steve Reeves car guy. And I went up to him and I was so excited. I went, Steve, I'm like 10, Mike Schmidt rookie card. He looks at it and goes, looks like got run over by a truck. Drops it. I was like, I mean it was. Every corner was bent. I mean it was just pure garbage. But he broke my 10 year old heart.

[Don Hahn]

Did he? They pull out the monocle.

[Peter]

There was no need. There was no need.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I didn't pick like baseball cards for the money. I remember taking getting all of the 82 Mets. There was nothing special about the 82 Mets. It was my favorite team. It was 1982. And like taped them up.

[Peter]

You can buy the whole dollar right now.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I taped them all up on the wall.

[Peter]

Oh, beautiful. You put them in your bike.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Spokes No, I never did that. That's a little too old school.

[Don Hahn]

That was fun. What do you mean old school?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Oh, the bicycle.

[Don Hahn]

I knew that. Everybody did that.

[Peter]

You did that?

[Don Hahn]

Yes.

[Peter]

What was the point?

[Don Hahn]

It made the sound like.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I know, but I cool. I enjoy. I liked looking at the baseball cards. I didn't care about the sound they made on the gun.

[Don Hahn]

I didn't do it. Yankees.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

But I. And I would. I would go. I missed those baseball cards. I'm talking about baseball card stores. I'm not talking about card stores. You're walking and you can buy like a pokey man thing. And it's like all comic book. You mean just a baseball go in where, you know, for. For like five bucks you'd get like 200 comments. They'd have in that white Bach fold up box. Because I want to try to get a complete set of like the, you know, 79, you know, and I still have them. I don't even know what they're worth.

[Peter]

I still have a tie, a whole. Unless you like have them in cases. Nothing.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Well, that's the thing because, you know, it's got to be a mint condition. Otherwise not gonna, you know. But the one thing I did about 20 years ago, you know, when I just got married and moved into the house, so it's like, oh, six was when I finally brought all my baseball cards from my mom to put them in my house. And it was like a Sunday. I'm like, you know what I'm going to do? I'm just going to go online and see what it's all worth. And they didn't end up being worth what you think.

[Peter]

No.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

You know, because. And, and also, whatever.

[Peter]

I blame Doc. Whatever.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Becky. No, because when I was working in this business and with sports phone, I told the story. I didn't have money to put gas in my car to go to work. I was making no money. And I had a Ricky Henderson rookie card.

[Peter]

There you go.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I looked it up in the Beckett and it said, oh, it's 60 bucks. I'm like, oh, 60 bucks. I can get gas, I can get.

[Don Hahn]

Food, fill up the tank, get something to eat.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And the guy. And it was in mint condition. It was in the plastic. It was all good.

[Peter]

There you go.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And the guy at the card store would only give me 20 because he's not gonna give you what it's worth because he's now gonna sell it for what Beckett says. But he's not gonna buy it.

[Peter]

No. He says otherwise there's no money.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

There's no money. You're running around, you're chasing your tail.

[Don Hahn]

Right, right.

[Peter]

So.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And I, and I didn't sell it because I'm only 20 bucks. No way. I don't know what it's worth now, but like, I, I, it was, it's.

[Peter]

And I blame, it's a conspiracy. I blame Dr. James Beckett for doing all this. What kind of doctor was he, honestly?

[Don Hahn]

Ph.D. in what?

[Peter]

A Ph.D. in what? Cards. Yeah.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

How to rob kids of their blind.

[Peter]

That's right. Poor little kids running around quoting Dr. Beckett.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

All right, we want to hear from you Yankee fans. 1-800-9193776. We'll get to the jets later, but quite frankly, I don't think they're worth talking about.

[Don Hahn]

You did ask me, though, about Ben.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Rice not being no Rice and no Chisholm.

[Don Hahn]

The numbers tell you why. Even though, look, you know and I know and Peter knows that analytics doesn't believe in hot. Ben Rice finished the season on, as you would say, a two.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Right?

[Don Hahn]

Right. But against Crochet, historically, he's one for eight and a lot of swing and miss. So you keep him out. Now, if they bring in a righty, he'll, he'll come in. Right. But because of the historic matchup, you don't do it. But what doesn't make sense to me is the caballero one, because caballero is 0 for 7 against crochet. Not good. And it's not like you're getting great defense out of him. Right. So McMahon should be at third. But because Rosario does have good numbers against him, against Crochet, he's actually six for nine. You got to put Rosario somewhere, and you're not going to put him in second base. Right?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

You got to put him somewhere. So you put him at third. It's the only place he could play. So the problem there is that Rosario's got to be good defensively. Why Freed's on the mount. Lefty, Ground ball. What are you going to get a lot of ground four? Ground ball?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

I mean, McMahon has been Freed's best friend all season because he's been so good at the corner since they traded for him. Something to watch tonight. Just Rosario.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

What do we've always said about the Yankees and probably every team when it comes to the analytics, is they're going to favor offense over defense. Right. So if they think they can get a better bat, better matchup at the plate, they'll sacrifice. Maybe some defense will be fine at third, but, you know, and you give. Volpe was It.

[Don Hahn]

Caballero playing second. Isn't Rosario playing third? Or am I. Do I have the.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Rosario is playing second. He's playing third.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, I'll tell you.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And then you know what they love too, outside of Coachman, Judge after judge. Lefty, righty, righty, lefty, righty, lefty, right.

[Don Hahn]

Where's Stanton in the lineup?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Stanton.

[Don Hahn]

He's after Judge or two after Judge.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Stanton is batting fourth. Okay, so he'll come up after Bellinger.

[Don Hahn]

He's. He's going to be a. Obviously, I mean, his.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

You missed it. It's going to be as. As Aaron would say. Goldie at third. Goldschmidt is bat, is leading off, playing first. Then Judge in right field, Bellinger in left batting third. Stanton dhing is batting cleanup. Rosario is playing second. He'll bat fifth. Grisham is in center field. He'll bat sixth. Volpe batting seventh playing shortstop, Wells batting eighth and catching. So no Rice and Cabo. Yarrow is going to be at third and he'll bat ninth.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Again, watch.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

He had some speed there, too.

[Don Hahn]

Well, of course that's going to be important as well, but because runs are going to be at a premium in this kind of. In this game. But you also worry about. Because you talk about. They care more about offense than defense. But we all know because we've seen it. Not only can relief pitching blow up on you and cost you a series and cost you a game, one bad defense can too. Right? You should get out of that inning, but you don't because you boot the ball and now all of a sudden you're pitching longer than you want to. Now Freed's got to have, you know, put a couple more, 10 more pitches into his outing and make my shorten his outing. All things to watch tonight.

[Peter]

Well, who do you think gets treated on a day like today? Who do you think truly has the big boy Captain Swag of this team?

[Don Hahn]

Stan.

[Peter]

I was going to say, like, do you think everyone treats. Is there a slight difference? Don't. Because of the way things have played out and God bless Judge being the man on the team. But because of the history of Stanton, I wonder if, like, there's a little bit of an aura shift when the playoffs start because he has been that guy and Judge kind of knows, yeah, I'm the guy, but I got to prove it this year. Stanton doesn't.

[Don Hahn]

Stanton has 18 postseason home runs as a Yankee third all time.

[Peter]

That's an insane stat.

[Don Hahn]

What's even more insane, listen to this. Number one is Bernie Williams. Bernie Williams has 22 postseason home runs in 121 games. Jeter is second with 20 in 158.

[Peter]

Hold on. Stan has to be in, what, 40 games?

[Don Hahn]

41.

[Peter]

That's insane.

[Don Hahn]

Like you want to talk about. That's, that's, that's a crazy. It's a perfect score. His home runs per game, off the charts.

[Peter]

That's insane because even judge at 16.

[Don Hahn]

Which is only too shy of Stanton, he's at 58, which is, again, that's pretty good. But it's 17 more.

[Peter]

That's insane.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

There's. There's something about Stanton in that room, and Michael probably could talk to it, you know, better than we could. But you just sense it, like he's the veteran, right? He doesn't have a ring. He's been money in the postseason.

[Don Hahn]

He's got a presence, right?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

So Judge is the leader by far because he's the best player on the team. But as far as, like, a respect factor, because you've got. You got young enough guys on that team that, you know, followed him when he was in Miami and hit 59 home runs the year before he came to the Yankees. That was back in. What was it, 2016. So that's nine years ago. So you got some guys that. They were like kids in grade school watching that. Now they're getting a chance to play with him. And he's got the third most home runs in Yankee history with a quarter of the games played. And consistently, despite the disappointments the Yankees have had in recent years, he's been consistently good every year in the playoffs.

[Peter]

And even if he's injured throughout the regular season, finds his way back for.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

The playoff, he seems to be healthy and.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And we don't know when it's all going to come to an end. He's got a couple more years left in his contract, but I'm sure the whole. We want to win it for Stan. Like, we want Stanton to get that ring. Even though they want. They all want to get the ring.

[Don Hahn]

He's got how many home runs now? Career?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

It was a 450. He hit 450. Something like that.

[Don Hahn]

So he's got an MVP. He's got 450 home runs. If they get a championship, he's a lock for the hall of Fame, isn't he, With a.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

If he has 500, you pre.

[Don Hahn]

If he has a good postseason run like he's had where he's very. He definitely contributes to the championship. Couple of home run, whatever it is, right.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Is that Enough eventually we'll get him in. Now he's got an MVP. I don't think it'd be a first ballad. Well, he's what, 453 is the exact.

[Don Hahn]

So he does have over 450. It's going to be impressive number.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I know. But it's still going to be debatable whether he gets there because again he gets hurt. What do you have home this year with 22, 23 home runs, which is remarkable. Right.

[Don Hahn]

Barely play.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

So he's going to have to, he's going to have to play, you know, two, two full seasons to get that number. You would think because he. Well, because he's going to get older.

[Don Hahn]

You mean to get 500.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

500 is still very debatable. It used to be a magic number pre pds but you know, clearly there's been ever any allegations around him. No, but 500 used to be a lock. Right Now I don't know if necessarily it's a lock, but you get him a ring if he has a big postseason this year, he gets the ring. Eventually hits 500, has an MVP.

[Don Hahn]

Was he MVP of the ALCS last year? He was, wasn't he? Wasn't he?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I don't those are.

[Don Hahn]

They give those outright.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Oh, League Championship Series for sure. Yeah. Okay.

[Don Hahn]

So I'm not crazy. I, I, you're not. I can be at times, but I don't think I'm there. I thought because he had some remarkable hits in that series.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it was the.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

So throw that.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

What he what he has throw that on the resume. He's got an mvp.

[Don Hahn]

How many All Stars?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Five. Two Silver Sluggers.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

All right. He's got an ALCS mvp. He's got an All Star Game mvp. Whatever. That's where the Home Run Derby.

[Don Hahn]

No Gold Gloves, though, Shock.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

No, no Gold Gloves for sure.

[Don Hahn]

Still give him a R. If he.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Gets a ring and contributed kind of big time to it, it does really.

[Don Hahn]

Push him into Cooperstown, does it not? So it's something.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

It's definitely certainly things to watch. Tigers win 2 to 1.

[Peter]

Oh. Like you dream of.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

The Guardians had a runner at third with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game and get. Did not get him home school pitched two.

[Don Hahn]

I'm sorry. Seven and two thirds. Gave up one run, three hits, 14 strikeouts, 107 pitches. That's a absolute stud.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

That's that, that's big time stuff. But you know here it came down to. Because I know Vest was in.

[Don Hahn]

Yep.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Still had to get four outs out of the bullpen and a runner at third with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth inning and did not have that run score. So as great as he pitched Allen a sacrifice fly where an extra ruined tied to two and then it's just a bullpen game.

[Don Hahn]

Well, because their offense, the Tigers offense has really gone into the tank and they also they only struck out 13 times themselves with only five hits. But they did get that second run.

[Peter]

Tigers get one step closer to losing to the Yankees.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

It's possible.

[Peter]

This episode is presented by State Farm. Having insurance isn't the same as having State. It's like expecting the leadership of a team captain on the football field, but getting a sea captain. You wouldn't settle for just anything for your team. Shouldn't it be the same for your insurance? So don't settle for just any insurance when you can go with a State.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Farm like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.

[Peter]

Lowe's knows how.

[Don Hahn]

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[Peter]

Mint is still $15 a month for.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Premium wireless and if you haven't made.

[Don Hahn]

The switch yet, here are 15 reasons why why you should 1.

[Peter]

It's $15 a month.

[Don Hahn]

2.

[Peter]

Seriously, it's $15 a month.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

3.

[Don Hahn]

No big contracts.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

4.

[Don Hahn]

I use it. 5.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

My mom uses it.

[Don Hahn]

Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right?

[Peter]

Okay, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Payment of $45 per three month plan. $15 per month equivalent required new customer offer first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra.

[Don Hahn]

See mintmobile.com thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Peter]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

Catch this show on demand. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Let's get to the busy phones of 1-800-919-3776. Yankees on our air at 6, so no ENN. But for good reason. Game one Yankees Red Sox. Looking forward to that. Let's go to Neil in the Bronx. You're on ESPN New York. What's up Neal? Good afternoon, Don. Gentlemen. Feeling Good about the Yankees. They're coming in hot into the wild card from an eight game win streak, only one day off. So they should be good.

[Don Hahn]

What do you like the most about this match?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

What I like, what I like most about this matchup is that I believe this time around. And please God, if you're listening, listen to me, please. Good. Let Aaron Judge be hot this time around, this postseason. Let him have a Reggie Jackson moment, please. What I dislike about what's going on is I understand about what you guys said about the numbers, analytics and matchup. I mean Ben Rice in the lineup. This guy finished the game hitting two home runs.

[Don Hahn]

It's right. But you know what? They don't believe in hot. They don't believe in. You're on a roll. They believe in the matchups. That's why they do the. I'm with you, I'm with you. I go with the guy that's rolling.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Thank you for being with me.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, yeah. But they, this is what they do. And they see historically he has a ton of swinging misses against Crochet. He hasn't had a hit on him yet and I think seven or eight at bats and so they're just like, let's avoid it. And once Crochet is out of the game then they'll probably see if they could bring in Rice.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Yeah. And I, and I think that's going to be way. It is going to go for Jazz too because Boone spoke before the game, he said he wouldn't hesitate using Chisholm in game one despite Rosario starting now.

[Boone]

Jazz is doing well. I mean obviously got smoked pretty good, but I wouldn't hesitate to use Jazz. So he could be in this game early. But yeah, I mean obviously as tough as Crochet is, you know, he's been especially tough on lefties. So there's no great matchup. Ahmed does have some good history with him, has hit him, hit him well and faced him a lot this year, you know, so felt like I wanted that extra right handed bat in there. But no, Jazz is good to go and will be ready to go. And also with Max going, want the strength on the left side with my defense. So, you know all those kind of things come into play.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Yeah, just that's the way it is. Right. It just, it's odd when you're on a hot streak and you feel good. As a Yankee fan, they won eight straight that some of the contributors to that eight game winning streak are not going to be in game one. Now they might be available and have an impact in the game later. But to start, they're not going to be there because what did Alan say about analytics? They don't believe in hot. They believe they won those eight games because they had the right matchups during those eight games. Each game is like a season, Right. How what's going to help us win today? Okay. Tomorrow, what's going to help us win? And today they don't believe that Jazz or Rice give them as good a chance to win as having, you know, Rosario playing a second base.

[Don Hahn]

Well, again, especially Rosario does hit crochet well. He sees him well. Right.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And that's important.

[Don Hahn]

Yes. Every single hit you can get on.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

That, that means more than anything else to these guys. What's the history against that particular pitcher?

[Peter]

Now?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

I would look at it differently and I would go, you know, because I believe in hot. I believe how you played down the stretch. Rice was a major contributor to the Yankees, you know, solidifying a playoff berth and putting all the pressure they did on the Blue Jays. He was big. He was big for them down the street. Jazz, I mean, he's been big for them since they traded for him last year.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

There's something about him in the lineup. He's so when I say anti Yankee, I don't mean in a negative way. Like, the Yankees are very buttoned up, very business. Like, he brings a personality to them. I think he kind of charges them up a bit. Again, there's no statistical value in that that I can describe to you, but just watching it feels like he amps them up a little bit.

[Don Hahn]

It's intangible, right?

[Hunter Rosenberg]

It's an intangible that I think can't be quantified with numbers that I think you're going to miss. And when he's sitting on the bench.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, and that's so. But you also want to get the best of him because he can also be a guy that kills a rally because he jumps out of his shoes swinging at pitches he shouldn't swing at. He gets a little too jacked up in certain situations, so you want to protect him in certain matchups. But I'm with you. He has brought a different element to the team that they have needed at times, and his defense has been good, but there's times where his power really shows and he's a difference maker.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And listen, Rosario has been around a long time, but most of that has been as a. As a role player. And now he's going to be starting in right now the biggest game of the season for this team. And I can Understand people being a little apprehensive about it, but we'll say, listen, it'll be genius if they win, and it'll be the first thing that fans will rip if they lose the game.

[Don Hahn]

Yes.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And if those guys go a collective over eight, the game to nothing, what do you think the conversation is going to be?

[Don Hahn]

Oh, it's going to be about the lineup and all the pressure. Then that goes on. The pitching that we talked about, which is the. I would. I would say the bullpen is. That Achilles heel is the concern. And you don't want to put pressure on. You want to get them some runs.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And Boone talked about this year's Yankees team.

[Boone]

The timing's perfect, you know, but when the dust settles, we'll know if it was right. I feel great about our team. You know, I've said to a lot of people, you know, this is my seventh post. I think at this point where we are as a club, this is the best group we've gone in with. Like, the way we're playing, health, different ways to beat you, but it's all coming down to a best of three. So we got to go do it and hopefully get to keep moving on. But I feel great about our group. I feel like they're playing with a lot of confidence. They're playing for one another, trust one another, so should be fun, and hopefully we get it done.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

And one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Guardians, walked in and lost 2:1 at home to the Tigers, who.

[Don Hahn]

Were struggling down, who were the opposite.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

The postseason, just different. Baseball is just weird that way.

[Don Hahn]

Detroit comes in being the team that had a historic collapse from the division. Right, Right. And they won game one.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Well. And because they got the pitching matchup that they wanted. And he's a tremendous pitcher, one of the best pitchers in baseball. And, you know, that's what makes that happen. Let's go to Lynn in New York City. You're on espn, New York. What's up, Lynn?

[Don Hahn]

Hi, guys.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

First time, Long time.

[Don Hahn]

I like all the shows. I especially love you guys. So, of course, I was tuned in last night. Right.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

What'd you think?

[Don Hahn]

Well, I thought it was great. I did enjoy it, I gotta say. Don't enjoy the fat shaming from certain people. That's all I'll say about that. But grown men, grown men, guys emailing to throw hate and shade at my man Peter.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

For what?

[Don Hahn]

For what? Get off Rick and Dave's jock and stop.

[Peter]

Thank you, Lynn.

[Don Hahn]

I mean, honestly, I can only describe it as what sounds like witch babies. Stop it.

[Peter]

Oh, Lynn, thank you. It's very sweet of you. I appreciate your support in this moment. That's nice. I got my shit. I looked at the comments. Oh, my God. Peter. Peter. Shut up. Peter. Peter. Guys, I, at a certain point, I had to help try to guide the podcast. I'd look over half, and I say this respectfully, half the guys were chatting with each other because we're friends. Their mics are laying on the couch. So I went, no problem. I do this kind of thing. I've done live streams. I'll make sure I keep the conversation going. And then I'm getting shouted down on the Internet by people who hate me.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

People hate you. But nothing to do with the. It had nothing to do with the couch cast or the Dolphins or the jets or your. Your jersey.

[Don Hahn]

The game got. Yeah, the jersey was much. They. The game got to a point where there was like some disillusionment because it was suddenly like, what are we doing? The jets look like the jets again, right? As always, we saw you get visibly broken and it was just like. It was tough to.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

What was it?

[Don Hahn]

What we're gonna have fun with.

[Peter]

Exactly. So all we ended up doing was, I thought, having a good time.

[Don Hahn]

You did break the microphone, though. There was the one microphone that wasn't dented and you decided, let me dent this one too.

[Peter]

That was an unfortunate. It was.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

The mic was okay. It was the mike flag that didn't matter.

[Peter]

The mic got a little bent and the flag smashed. But besides that, I thought it was a great show.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

Again, we're tight today because only three hours because of the Yankee game, but we're going to get into this. We've got talk about a Tuesday coming up at 4:30, but Jeff Nelson, former Yankees, going to join us coming up next, his thoughts on the lineup, his thoughts about the Yankees going in, Don Hunter Rosenberg hanging out with the Eagle 6. Then it's Yankee baseball right here on ESPN now.

[Peter]

Also, if you want your chance to crush the jets, talk about it. Tuesday could be a great time. We'll try to get through ours quickly. And maybe you can jump on in, crush the jets, who are a nightmare. But at least you always have FanDuel to keep football interesting. Okay, New customers can bet just $5 and get 300 in bonus bets. If you win, you pick a bet, you bet five bucks, and if it wins, you unlock 300 bucks in bonus bets to use all across the app. You can build parlays, you can bet player props, you can ride the live lines, whatever your style. FanDuel's got you covered. Visit FanDuel.com Peter to download the FanDuel app today and get started 21 and over in physically present New York versus online real money wager only $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued is not withdrawable. Bonus pets that expire seven days after receipt restrictions apply. See terms@sportsbook fanduel.com for help with a gambling problem. Call 877-to- hope and why or text open y467369 thanks for listening to the.

[Don Hahn]

Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Peter]

I don't want to know how the.

[Don Hahn]

Sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter Weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN News York app and your smart speakers.

[Hunter Rosenberg]

This isn't just another ESPN fantasy football season, it's your shot at greatness. With a refreshed design, the ESPN Fantasy app is sharper than ever, so you can draft like a pro and dominate your league. And introducing Gridiron Gauntlet, a new game mode where the best compete to be crowned the number one fantasy football player of 2025. One app, one shot, one champion. Download the ESPN Fantasy app and sign up to play ESPN Fantasy Football today.