Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Episode: Hour 3: Yankees-Blue Jays Game 4 Preview
Date: October 8, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg (not present in this episode)

Overview

This high-energy episode dives deep into the looming Yankees-Blue Jays Game 4 in the ALDS, with the Yankees facing elimination once again. Don La Greca and Alan Hahn break down the pitching situations for both teams, analyze pressure points and legacies, and weave in classic fan stories while fielding numerous thoughtful (and often hilarious) calls. They also branch out into discussions about sports fandom, iconic - and infamously woeful - moments in New York sports history, and how to raise passionate young fans without losing them. The tone remains witty, honest, and steeped in authentic New York sports culture.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Yankees-Blue Jays Game 4 Preview

• Yankees Staring Down Elimination (00:44, 03:56):

  • Don and Alan agree this is a “must win for obvious reasons…because they’re literally facing elimination” (03:56, Alan Hahn).
  • Cam Schlitler starts for NY, coming off a dominant 12-strikeout, 8-inning shutout performance last week.
  • Toronto is forced into a bullpen game due to roster constraints; their relievers have allowed 12 runs over the last 9 innings.
  • Key concern: Toronto’s success in scouting Yankees’ starters—they’ve prepared "for all three pitchers from Freed through Heel and obviously Rodon" (04:37, Alan Hahn).
  • The Yankees feel confident against Toronto’s taxed, recently ineffective bullpen.

• Bullpen Strategy and Matchups (05:57, 13:23):

  • Yankees intend to use Schlitler to bridge to setup man Devin Williams and closer David Bednar, but workload is a concern since both threw multiple innings the previous night.
  • For Toronto, managing pitcher availability is fraught—options include stretching top prospect Yu Savage or holding ace Kevin Gausman for a potential Game 5.
  • On potential surprise moves: "Is this now mental warfare?... Just maybe put it in the back of their minds that I guess pull this trump card out at any moment..." (27:47, Alan Hahn, on Toronto’s pitching uncertainty).

• Magic and Pressure in October (40:06):

  • Discussion about the magic required for postseason runs—“A young pitcher just having a day like that…that’s a special performance, Judge home run last night, that’s a magic moment” (40:06, Alan Hahn).
  • Emphasis that tonight “doesn’t need to be a magical night. Tonight just needs to be the night where you do what you expect to do against their bullpen which has been bad.” (40:51, Alan Hahn)

2. Game 3 Recap and Key Player Moments

• Aaron Judge’s Heroics (06:43):
  • Giancarlo Stanton on Judge’s Game 3 home run:

    “It was incredible. Exactly what we needed. The reason I’m here right now, the reason why we have another game tonight…and yeah, he stepped up when we need him most and you know he’ll be right there again today.” (06:43, via Don Hahn quoting Stanton)

  • Special note on the crowd response:

    “No one really knew…you knew it was far enough to go out, but you didn’t know if it was going to wrap the pole or not…you’re bending with the ball a little bit until the big eruption.” (06:55, Stanton)

• Turning Points and Resilience:
  • Yankees are 3-0 this postseason facing elimination—team identity is built around resilience.
  • “We don’t mind the hard way. Sometimes not ideal, but yeah, just being calm, being comfortable and playing our game, just not trying to do too much.” (07:34, Stanton)

3. Fan Calls, Fandom, and Raising Sports Kids

• Turning off the Game and Belief (09:50):

  • Hilarious call from Marco in North Carolina admitting he turned off Game 3 after 6-1 deficit, then watched “Porky’s 2” instead; vows to stay glued tonight.
  • Alan and Don discuss fan emotions: “It’s not ideal to fall behind. Like, you know, like. So, yeah, you’ll still believe.” (09:36, Don Hahn)

• Raising the Next Generation of Fans (15:02, 19:18, 35:51):

  • Multiple calls and exchanges about whether it's best to let kids choose their teams or to indoctrinate them (“I want this to be natural because I don’t want to force him and end up hating the sport.” - 16:20, Don Hahn).
  • Consensus: Better for your kids to love the sport, even if it’s for a rival team, than not love it at all.
  • Advice: “What you want to do is look like you're having such a good time, they want to be part of it.” (36:54, Alan Hahn)
  • Cautionary tales about forcing kids into fandom and the risk of turning them off entirely (36:25-36:35, call from Claude in Queens).

4. WNBA Finals and Sports Scheduling (01:43):

• Brief discussion on timing overlap between the WNBA Finals and MLB playoffs and the logic (and difficulty) of scheduling to avoid major sports conflicts.

5. Signature Moments (Good and Bad) in NY Sports

• Call-In Brainstorm: Iconic Negative Moments (22:50-24:26):

  • Prompted by a listener on Twitter, Alan and Don swap greatest “signature negative moments” for major NY teams:
    • Jets: The “Butt Fumble” (23:18-23:24, Don Hahn)
    • Giants: Miracle at the Meadowlands (“It’s Herman Edwards…that turned the franchise around…” 23:30-23:46, Don)
    • Knicks: Frederick Weis dunked-on by Vince Carter; Reggie Miller choke (23:48, 25:48)
    • Nets: Durant's toe on the three-point line
    • Islanders: Milbury’s "village idiot" and "gutless puke" comments (24:29-24:44)
    • Yankees: "Swapping wives" (ref to the famous Fritz Peterson/Mike Kekich wife swap, 24:54)
  • Memorable quote: “If you need a play that just represents everything, that’s the Jets right there.” (23:18, Alan Hahn on the Butt Fumble)

• Iconic Positive Moments:

  • The garden standing and cheering for Eddie Giacomin’s return as a Red Wing (21:30, caller Fred)
  • Roger Maris’ 61st home run (43:59, Steve in California’s call and story about his mother being in the stands)

6. Yankees and Team Construction Philosophy

• Call from Steve in California (43:19-45:52):
  • Steve, a lifelong NY baseball fan, calls for an emphasis on defense when building a team:

    “If I’m building a team, listen here Brian Cashman, I want guys who play plus defense at every position.” (44:09)

  • Reminds hosts (with a bit of nostalgia) of the 1969 and 1986 Mets and the emotional rollercoaster of playoff baseball.

7. Other Memorable Segments

• WNBA/NBA Scheduling Dilemma (01:43-02:56):
  • Quick breakdown of the challenge for WNBA Finals overlapping other major sports, and problems with moving the season closer to the NBA's calendar due to arena conflicts.
• Discussion on "Legacy Games" and Young Pitchers in High Stakes (13:23, 13:47):
  • Alan: “Just the fact. Another legacy game tonight. Another legacy game.”
• Subtle Nod to NY Sports Karma and Mystique:
  • The idea that comeback postseason runs need “a little magic” (40:06).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s must-win for obvious reasons. Because they're literally facing elimination. So I'm not saying this is a must win and it's Captain Obvious stuff here... But you cannot lose if you’re going to lose the series, you can’t lose it tonight. Not against a bullpen game.”
  — Alan Hahn (04:00, 04:54)

• “We believe we can win, but it’s not ideal to fall behind. Like, you know, like. So, yeah, you’ll still believe.”
  — Don Hahn (09:36)

• “What you want to do is look like you’re having such a good time, they want to be part of it.”
  — Alan Hahn, on raising kids as sports fans (36:54)

• “That moment when the Giants played the Cowboys, like, Marco was, like, legitimately into it because I was legitimately into it…he immediately wanted to go out in the yard and play football after that.”
  — Don Hahn (37:14)

• “Kids always gravitate to where the fun is. What’s fun? Looks like Dad’s having fun. What’s that? Dad, what are you doing?”
  — Alan Hahn (37:41)

• “The Judge home run tied the score, but it felt like it won the game.”
  — Alan Hahn (42:14)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Yankees-Blue Jays pitching breakdown: 03:56–07:48
• Giancarlo Stanton on Judge’s home run: 06:43–07:48
• Fan stories on quitting (and not quitting) on the team: 09:50–11:18
• Parenting and sports fandom: 15:02, 19:18, 35:51
• Negative franchise signature moments call-in: 22:50–24:26
• “Magic” of Yankees’ playoff run: 40:06–41:09
• Steve from California on team construction and great baseball lore: 43:19–47:02

Summary

This episode captures all the tension and anticipation ahead of ALDS Game 4, balancing hard-nosed analysis with old-school fan nostalgia and genuine warmth. The show succeeds in being not just about sports, but about what it means to be a sports fan in New York: always expecting heartbreak, always hoping for magic, and living for both moments of triumph and the hard-earned, never-say-die comebacks.

Whether you’re hoping for another Yankees miracle or just in love with New York sports history and culture, this episode offers sharp insights, great stories, and plenty of laughs—a true slice of NY fandom, just as promised.