Can Anyone Stop The L.A. Dodgers? | The Pitch Clock (feat. Stephen Nelson & Carson Vitale)

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show: "Can Anyone Stop The L.A. Dodgers? | The Pitch Clock"

Episode Date: July 16, 2026
Guests: Stephen Nelson (LA Dodgers Play-by-Play Announcer), Carson Vitale (Marlins Bench Coach)
Summary Prepared By: Podcast Summarizer

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Episode Overview

Live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, this episode of The Dan Le Batard Show delves deep into the state of Major League Baseball just after the All-Star Game—combining a spirited nostalgic trivia competition with rich, up-to-the-minute analysis from inside the game. Highlights include reflections on all-time Home Run Derbies, an in-depth discussion of the Dodgers’ dynasty, and the evolving culture of mental health in the modern clubhouse.

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Key Discussion Segments & Insights

1. Baseball Trivia: Revisiting the 1990 All-Star Game

(00:58 – 05:34, 12:10 – 14:46, 26:10 – 29:44)

• The crew—Jeremy, Ethan, Chris Cody, Olivia—compete in a challenging trivia contest, reconstructing the starting lineups from the 1990 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field.
• Banter and guesses highlight players’ careers, positions, and some memorable misfires (e.g., mistaking Chuck Knoblauch and Lenny Dykstra's roles).
• The mood is playful and nostalgic, with side commentary about player legacies and just how difficult certain names are to recall.

Memorable quotes:

• Chris Cody (on missing Wade Boggs): “You guys not get Wade Boggs. He’s a Hall of Famer... You watch Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” (28:07)
• Jeremy: “You gave us a quiz that included the names Jack Armstrong, Mike Scioscia... and you expected us to do well.” (29:30)

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2. The Pitch Clock Interview: Home Run Derby & All-Star Recap

(05:34 – 12:10)

• Guest Stephen Nelson (LA Dodgers play-by-play) reflects on the most memorable Home Run Derbies, calling this year’s (with Jordan Walker’s win) “pretty epic.”
• Nelson connects present-day performances to classics, referencing 1999 (Fenway), 2018 (Harper vs. Schwarber), 2019 (Vlad Jr. vs. Pete Alonso), and sleeper 2021 (Coors Field).
• Special praise for the Sandlot-inspired All-Star pregame ceremony, described as “nostalgia, narcotics right into the veins,” moving audience and panel alike.
• Focus on Miguel Vargas’s personal redemption, linking baseball’s narrative arcs to emotional resonance.
• Both writer and analyst note the unpredictability, and the beauty, of baseball’s biggest nights.

Notable quote:

• Stephen Nelson: “The pageantry of the America the beautiful sandlot inspired pregame ceremony was just nostalgia, narcotics... that’s the good stuff.” (09:37)

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3. The Dodgers’ Dominance: Building a Baseball Juggernaut

(14:48 – 17:44)

• Deep dive into why the Dodgers have become MLB’s current powerhouse: not just payroll, but relentless organizational depth.
• Stephen Nelson argues it’s “a full scale operation,” emphasizing international scouting, player development, and front office innovation.
• Examples include Shohei Ohtani’s unique path, Freddie Freeman’s free agency story, Andy Pajas’ transformation into an elite center fielder.

Notable quote:

• Stephen Nelson: “Yes, they put a lot of money in their payroll... but it’s because they do all the little things on the margins.” (17:10)

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4. Can Anyone Stop the Dodgers?

(17:44 – 20:18)

• Nelson warns against assuming Dodger invincibility: “Folks have to understand how close they came to not winning any of these World Series.” (18:03)
• Highlights postseason randomness, with past 111-win teams bounced early.
• Top contenders and threats named: Phillies (especially if healthy, with Zach Wheeler), surging Marlins and D-Backs, and pitching-focused challengers.
• The injury bug seen as the only true nemesis.

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5. Second-Half MLB Storylines

(20:48 – 25:17)

a) Trade Deadline Chaos

• 23 teams within four games of a playoff berth (21:16) — “How many legitimate sellers are there going to be at the deadline?” (21:17)
• This year’s deadline moved to August 3rd, increasing intrigue.

b) Cinderella Teams: White Sox & Marlins

• White Sox, after losing 121 games last year, are now tied for the AL Central lead (22:01).
• Marlins riding high under manager Clayton McCullough and bench coach Carson Vitale, praised for mental health awareness and unity.

c) Tarik Skubal "School Watch"

• The possibility of the Tigers trading ace Tarik Skubal is on everyone’s mind, given Detroit’s division dynamics and Skubal’s own desire to stay.
• Importance of his agent and pending free agency is stressed.

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6. Special Segment: Marlins, Mental Health, and Modern Coaching

(32:54 – 40:31)

• Jeremy sits down with Marlins bench coach Carson Vitale, prompted by Vitale’s “Mental Health Matters” shirt.
• Vitale explains the dual focus on mental skills (performance routines, player plans) and mental health (removing stigma, daily conversation):
  • “The biggest thing we can do for our players is just talk about it all the time... It can’t be something that we have to go into a private room and talk about.” (36:53)
• The Marlins provide both in-house and external resources, led by Dr. Aaron Gibson.
• Vitale credits his awakening to mental health’s importance to Cleveland coach Andy Mateas:
  • “He really opened my eyes... I just never viewed the game the same way again.”
• Emphasizes creating a safe, accepting clubhouse: “If we can’t show up to work every day and enjoy the people we’re around and be there for the people around, then why are we doing this?” (40:31)
• Mental wellness seen as a performance edge and a responsibility.

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Additional Memorable Moments

• [14:46] – “What is the strengthiest strength of this Dodgers team?” (Jeremy, to Nelson)
• [19:50] – “The Miami Marlins have been the best team in baseball since June 1st.” (Jeremy)
• [25:31] – Stephen Nelson jokes about “pitch clock violations” for his long answers.
• [29:30] – Playful complaints about the trivia’s difficulty.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:58 | Trivia Intro: 1990 All-Star Game | | 05:34 | Home Run Derby/All-Star Memories - Stephen Nelson Interview | | 14:48 | Dodgers Strength Analysis | | 17:44 | Can Anyone Stop the Dodgers? Contenders & Postseason Randomness | | 20:48 | Top 3 MLB Storylines for the Second Half | | 32:54 | Carson Vitale on Mental Health | | 40:31 | Vitale credits Andy Mateas, discusses coaching philosophy |

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Episode Tone & Style

This episode balances good-natured baseball nostalgia (“nostalgia, narcotics... right into the veins”) with sharp, up-to-the-minute analysis of the sport’s most compelling storylines. The tone is conversational, witty, openly emotional at times, and consistently inclusive toward both hardcore and casual fans—especially in regard to mental wellness in the clubhouse.

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Notable Quotes (by Timestamp)

• 09:37 Stephen Nelson: “The pageantry of the America the beautiful sandlot inspired pregame ceremony was like, that was just nostalgia, narcotics... That’s the good stuff.”
• 17:10 Stephen Nelson: “You can talk about the money all you want, but this is a full scale operation.”
• 18:03 Stephen Nelson: “Folks have to understand how close they came to not winning any of these World Series… That underscores: baseball, you just don’t know.”
• 21:17 Stephen Nelson: "How many legitimate sellers are there going to be at the deadline? We're going to find out."
• 36:53 Carson Vitale: "The biggest thing we can do for our players is just talk about it all the time... It can't be something that we have to go into a private room and talk about."
• 40:31 Carson Vitale: “If we can't show up to work every day and enjoy the people we're around and be there for the people around, then why are we doing this?”

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Takeaways for Listeners

• The 90s All-Star Game trivia is both a playful opener and a reflection on legacy, memory, and cultural touchstones in baseball.
• The Dodgers’ dominance stems from far more than a big payroll—it’s a holistic, innovative operation scrutinizing every organizational edge.
• The current season’s unpredictable playoff race adds drama, with “Cinderella” teams like the White Sox and Marlins squash expectations.
• Mental health is an open, celebrated part of the Marlins’ program—a model for the modern athlete and organization.
• This episode blends heartfelt nostalgia with clear-eyed commentary, making it a distinctive, must-listen conversation for baseball fans and sports culture followers alike.

Transcript

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[Stephen Nelson]

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[Stephen Nelson]

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[Stephen Nelson]

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[Jeremy]

1-800-contacts. Welcome to the Pitch Clock. Here's the Pitch, a two part baseball segment combining a nostalgic baseball trivia game and an interview with an expert. This is the Pitch Clock. The Pitch Clock is back. It's time to dive into Major League Baseball. And folks, we are just after the MLB All Star Game, which means the second half of Major League Baseball is coming up. You're going to get some expertise on what happened in the Home Run Derby and All Star Game as we move forward in this baseball season. But as always, we got some trivia to get to. I believe I hold the two game lead. We'll check back in. We'll know those numbers for sure next week.

[Ethan]

Possibly know at the moment.

[Jeremy]

What I do know is that I'm feeling good about my chances. And Ethan, we actually have folders in front of us today. So what trivia do we have going on today?

[Chris Cody]

All right, the All Star Game is going to Wrigley Field next season for the first time in what will be 37 years on the All Star Game.

[Jeremy]

I would love to go.

[Chris Cody]

There's no no place better than rig.

[Jeremy]

All right, so we're going.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah, we're going in the All Star Game, Carl.

[Jeremy]

Of course we're going.

[Ethan]

Yes, approved.

[Chris Cody]

That'll be the first time in 37 years that the All Star Game was held at Wrigley Field because the last time it was held was 1990. So inside your folders.

[Ethan]

Oh boy.

[Chris Cody]

You have two baseball diamonds, one with a National League logo and one with An American League logo. These are the starting lineups from the 1990 All Star Game held at Wrigley Field.

[Ethan]

What about my wheelhouse is 05, do you not.

[Olivia]

Okay.

[Jeremy]

I just want. I want everyone to see it, and I hope Gabe leave it in the edit. We just had some. Some phone ception where Olivia's phone just like went into the screen and you could see through that. And I just want. I want to make sure that stays in the.

[Olivia]

Yeah.

[Chris Cody]

So what we're going to do is we're going to do first to seven. And if neither of you get seven once we've guessed the entire roster, whoever has the most will be the winner. Not three strikes and you're out like we normally do with teams. Let's change it up a little bit.

[Jeremy]

I'm going to go ahead and take in the American League shortstop, Cal Ripken

[Chris Cody]

Jr. That is correct. Jeremy, you have one point and just

[Jeremy]

to set this up for the audio audience, while Chris has a moment to think. In the American League, you had Oakland Athletics on the mound at first base, in right field. And in left field, you had the Cleveland baseball franchise behind the dish, a Red Sox third baseman. Kylon junior we just mentioned was at short and a New York Yankees second baseman as well as a Seattle Mariners center fielder. And in the National League, Reds had a pitcher in third baseman, Dodgers catcher, Giants first baseman, Cubs second baseman, shortstop for the Cardinals. Giants in left field, Phillies in center field, and Cubs in right. This is the year 1990.

[Ethan]

Chris, shortstop, Cardinals, Ozzie Smith.

[Chris Cody]

That is correct, sir.

[Jeremy]

I'll go ahead and wrap up that middle infield. It's Ryan Sandberg playing second base.

[Chris Cody]

Rhino. Rest in peace.

[Ethan]

Mariners center field. Griffey.

[Chris Cody]

That is correct.

[Jeremy]

I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go. Giants first baseman. Is that Will?

[Chris Cody]

That is correct. My dad's favorite player of all time.

[Stephen Nelson]

Wow.

[Jeremy]

Shout out Ethan's dad, Jose Canseco.

[Ethan]

Right fear right field. Right field for the American League.

[Chris Cody]

Yes.

[Jeremy]

All right, I'm gonna. I'm gonna take a risk here.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

I'm gonna say it is Maguire over at first base.

[Ethan]

Of course.

[Chris Cody]

That is correct.

[Ethan]

Yeah.

[Chris Cody]

That is correct, Jeremy.

[Ethan]

And this is about where Chris runs out of names.

[Jeremy]

It's also where Jeremy runs out of names. So very excited to introduce a new guest to the Pitch Clock. But a name and a face that many of you likely know here. Stephen Nelson. He does play by play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's also an NBA TV host, and he's here on the Pitch Clock to join us in what's a really exciting week in Major League Baseball because we just had the derby in the All Star Game and we've got baseball picking back up this weekend. So, Stephen, I want to start with the stuff that from this week first we'll do the derby since it came first. And. And honestly, like, what a joy to watch this one. Barry Bonds actually called it the greatest home run derby he's ever seen. So because of all of the drama and everything coming down to the final second, I ask you, where does this one rank for you? When you think about some of the great home run derbies of all time,

[Stephen Nelson]

it was pretty epic. And like Jordan Walker, just his story as a guy, you know, first round picks, supposed to be the guy anointed as such and then seemingly wasn't going to figure it out. To now kind of bursting onto this scene, he has like gotten out of his own way, out of his own head, just what he represents and what he embodies. Like as a young veteran who has overcome early adversity to kind of, to steal a fantasy term, a post hype guy. Just thrilled for Jordan Walker and his family, which obviously that was a beautiful moment too. But in terms of the greatest all time, the first ones that came to my mind, 1999 at Fenway, the all century team year. Again, that's just kind of like in the wheelhouse of my childhood. See Griffey and McGuire the year after McGuire broke the record. And then Griffey wins again. But more recent history, 2018, another Schwaber heartbreak, right? Bryce Harper, nine home runs, the last 50 seconds to Ty Schwarber. And then he got the winner in bonus time in his home ballpark. That was. This year was reminiscent of that. Not just because Schwarber finished second, but because of like the heroics that it took down to the wire for Walker to win. In Harper's case in 2018. I don't want to forget about 2019 in Cleveland. Not just Vlad Jr. Against Pete Alonzo, but Vlad Jr. Against Jock Peterson. The multiple swing offs and tiebreakers that it took and like that gassed Vlad before the final. And obviously Alonzo took advantage of it. But. And you know, he had even had to kind of have a late flurry Alonzo in the championship round. Here's a. A sleeper that I think people are going to forget about. 2021, Coors Field. People are gonna be like, what? Like what? You probably don't remember what happened in that one, but that was another Pete Alonso win. But there, that was a start to finish. I Know, we focus on like the, the, the, the individual rounds or the actual finishes, but from start to finish, 2021 was phenomenal. Like Trey Mancini participating in the derby the year after coming back from colon cancer. We had Ohtani against Juan Soto in the first round, and they had multiple tiebreakers, multiple home runs over 500ft, which again, like, you know, that added to it in the derby at Coors Field. You just was going to be stupid. And Soto hit one like 520 to ultimately beat Ohtani in that year. Alonzo went on to win it, but that was like, just from start to finish. The storylines, the moments, the tiebreakers. I thought that was an epic one too.

[Jeremy]

That's such a good one to shout out because I definitely didn't remember it until you brought it up. And then I remembered instantly the, the extra tiebreakers between those guys. So that's, that's a really good poll. This All Star Game, obviously not a ton of action within it, but so many really wonderful moments.

[Carson Vitale]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

I'm gonna ask you for your favorite part here amongst a few different options. So you had the mic'd up interviews in game that were, you know, amongst a bunch of different players. You had the sandlot inspired celebration of baseball that I will be honest with you, did bring me to tears. I haven't done that on the show already. I did cry, and then I did cry again the next morning when I showed my wife the, the Miguel Vargas home run, which is cool because it just sort of represents all of the surprise stories. Although I do know that's against Justin Rubleski, who was celebrating his birthday and unfortun get to leave after that perfect inning in, in the first and, and then speaking of that, just sort of the outlandish pitching that we saw. So I've given you four options. I've kind of gone all over the place. But do you have one of those that stands out the most to you?

[Stephen Nelson]

So I, I. The pageantry of the America the beautiful sandlot inspired pregame ceremony was like, that was just nostalgia, narcotics like that, like, just right into the veins for, for us and our generation who now, you know, many of us have young kids and families of our own. And you just like, yeah, they had this one shot and like thinking about it now, like, perfect timing. They take the kid riding on his bike and he's like, you see just like his eyes glistening and the fireworks going. It's like a really brief shot, but it's such a powerful one, man. And it's just like, you know, that's the good stuff. That's the good stuff. In terms of the game. You bringing up Vargas is Miguel Vargas, you know, or old friend of the Dodger organization and just like just a beautiful soul. Man, what a kid this is. And you know, he's traded to Chicago in 2024. Three team trade that netted the Dodgers, Tommy Edmond, Michael Kopeck, guys who, you know, were key in their back to back World Series run. So I don't think any Dodger fan, you know, wants to take that trade back. But losing Vargas certainly hurt and. But you saw how Vargas struggled afterwards, right? He was basically a meme. There's that shot of him. I think they're playing the A's, the White Sox, end of the dugout. And it's basically like, how did I get here? I was playing for the Dodgers and now I'm on one of the worst teams ever. And Vargas had a. An ops after the trade. Jeremy of 387. An ops, not an on base percentage, not a slug. Both of them combined. 387. And he says, like I lost the joy of playing the game. And this year for him to recapture that joy.

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Stephen Nelson]

And become an all star on the. Perhaps the surprise in baseball is just tremendous. Even though like he taking Robleski deep, you know, working for the Dodgers. Now on Robo's 26th birthday in his all star debut. Like I'm. This is going to be awkward reference and very Adnan Verk of me cinephile. But that was, it was a road to perdition. That scene when Paul Newman says to Tom Hanks, I'm glad it's you. It's like Miguel Vargas. If anybody's gonna clip Robo, I'm glad it's you. So that, that, that was, it was just perfect all the way around.

[Chris Cody]

There's some good names on. Yeah, they're definitely good names on here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, there's some good.

[Ethan]

I mean, I'm just gonna. I don't know if he played that long, but I know he was. There's catcher in 97, Sandy Alomar.

[Chris Cody]

Nice. Yeah. The other one, Alomar is.

[Jeremy]

It's the only other one I had.

[Ethan]

I was like, did he play there seven years before the World Series? I guess so.

[Jeremy]

Oh, boy. All right. This is where it starts to get.

[Ethan]

Because he was old in that 97 World Series.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

He was like, this is, this is where it's gonna start to get complicated. And there's one, there's one sitting here. There's one that's staring obvious.

[Ethan]

It's the second baseman. No.

[Jeremy]

Well, all right, then. I'm going with that one, Chuck.

[Olivia]

Knob.

[Chris Cody]

It is not.

[Ethan]

Got it. Perfect.

[Commercial Announcer]

Executed.

[Chris Cody]

That was not.

[Jeremy]

You thought it was. I know it was.

[Chris Cody]

You thought it was Chuck Cody, you have a very good chance here to take the lead because, Jeremy, I would need to know you both have four, but if you get this point here, you're up five to four with the turn advantage.

[Ethan]

All right, we'll just do it. I'm nothing else. Barry Bonds.

[Chris Cody]

It's not Barry Bonds.

[Jeremy]

Thank God.

[Chris Cody]

Barry Bonds moved to the Giants in 93 as a free agent, of course.

[Ethan]

Olivia, you should have given me a

[Jeremy]

little Oakland A on the mound. Is that Dennis Eckersley?

[Chris Cody]

That is not dinner.

[Jeremy]

Damn it. Because he went. He went between being a closer and.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah, but this is 90.

[Jeremy]

This is too late.

[Chris Cody]

Way too late. He was on this, like, 79 team.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, that's why I figured maybe late. Yeah, whatever.

[Carson Vitale]

It doesn't matter.

[Jeremy]

This is tough.

[Chris Cody]

This is Cody's.

[Jeremy]

This is also there. There's a lot I gotta guess.

[Carson Vitale]

Okay.

[Ethan]

Mike Piazza, catcher.

[Chris Cody]

Incorrect. Not a bad guess, though, because he was a Dodger at one point.

[Jeremy]

I'm gonna go left field. Oakland. That's Ricky Henderson.

[Chris Cody]

That is correct.

[Jeremy]

That's Ricky.

[Chris Cody]

That's the one that was sitting out there.

[Jeremy]

That's the one. I. I wasn't sure early.

[Olivia]

I thought of him.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, that's hot. I wasn't sure early, but. But knowing. Because you know what? I. I wasn't thinking about the fact that he was at. He legitimately was a corner outfielder.

[Chris Cody]

Yes.

[Jeremy]

And he wasn't a center.

[Chris Cody]

I always think of Ricky as a center fielder, too, because he has so much speed.

[Jeremy]

Yep.

[Chris Cody]

Chris Cody, the Bo Hard is yours.

[Jeremy]

And mind you. What's the score right now?

[Ethan]

Five.

[Jeremy]

Five, four. We're playing a seven.

[Chris Cody]

Yes. We're playing a seven. So Chris Cody. Gotta keep this one.

[Ethan]

This. Just hoping something pops into my head. I kind of have a guess for the Red Sox third baseman, but I just know it's not right. Scott Brocius.

[Chris Cody]

Nah, that's not where I was thinking you were gonna go.

[Jeremy]

Center field. National League Phillies. Kenny Lofton.

[Chris Cody]

No. Damn it. A little too early. Damn it. Lofton.

[Jeremy]

I thought this is a great name. I just.

[Chris Cody]

You guys really happy when you hear this name.

[Jeremy]

That's a great name.

[Chris Cody]

You'll be really happy when you hear this name.

[Ethan]

That name. I'll be really happy.

[Jeremy]

I want to talk to you now about. About the Dodgers because obviously you're intimate with this world beating team, back to back World Series champions look like they're well on their way to a third. So there's a million different strengths of this team. And so what I'm going to ask you here is what is the strengthiest strength of, of this team?

[Stephen Nelson]

The strength district. Okay, we're just talking on field or you want organization?

[Jeremy]

Hey, you tell me.

[Stephen Nelson]

Okay, so I like, I would say like the, the, the, the easy broad answers is, is to say just the, the, the relentless depth that they have in the organization. And I know what, and I know what, what haters or detractors or just critics of the Dodgers will say is like, okay, well that's because of their massive payroll. I would point them to actually this crop of all stars because that is reflective of team building. Of course you have the big free agents. Shohei Ohtani, the biggest did not participate because he just had his knee drain. That like that's a unicorn. Stands alone. Freddie Freeman was available for anybody. The guy the team that finished runner up for Freddie when the Braves kicked him to the curb was the Tampa Bay Rays.

[Jeremy]

Yep.

[Stephen Nelson]

So anybody could have had Freddie Freeman. The Dodgers have Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yes, he was given the biggest free agent contract for a pitcher in baseball history without throwing a single pitch in the States. But that goes back to the Pacific Rim scouting and the relationship building that goes back years and years, years and years. Andy Pajas signed as in 2017 as a kid out of Cuba for $300,000 was looked at as a bat first corner outfielder, could never play center in the big league, did not have the body for it. Tore his labor him in 2023 and you're like, all right, well he's definitely going to be a corner guy now. Redid his body and has worked his ass off at closing every hole and deficiency in his game for the last two years and now he's a starting center fielder for the National League.

[Jeremy]

Which is just truly crazy by the way. Like it feels like it was, it was like all unlocked by the catch in the World Series that he made. And one of the most incredible moments of incredible World Series in the worst postseason ever.

[Stephen Nelson]

Offensively, he was dreadful. So again, so every facet of the organization, drafting and development, international free agency and scouting, they're the, the what they pour into just health and nutrition, medical side. Like no stone is unturned. Organization wide. So yes, they put a lot of money in their payroll. Yes they pay an incredibly stupidly high CBT number, but it's because they do all the Little things on the margins. You can talk about the money all you want, but this is a, this is a full scale operation.

[Jeremy]

When, when you look at this Dodgers team, you may find weaknesses. I don't necessarily see them. And so in turn, is there a team that you look at and say, this is the team the Dodgers should fear the most?

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Stephen Nelson]

Another piece of important context before answering this question is that folks have to understand how close they came to not winning any of these World Series, let alone back to back. So you could be like, yeah, the back to back champions, because they, they spent a trillion dollars. Like, that's the easy way out. They were down 2 to 1 in the Division Series in 2024 to the Padres.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Stephen Nelson]

On the road, throwing a bullpen game. But how close? The Dodgers were millimeters away. Multiple times.

[Jeremy]

Yep.

[Stephen Nelson]

Losing that series, like they were down 3, 2. Going back to Roger center, there's like, all right, you know, Toronto's gonna get the party. So that, like, this is a team that, that was really close to not winning. And that underscores. Jeremy, Baseball. Like, you just don't know. This team in 2022 won 111 games, bounced in the division series. So you have no idea. Anyway, yes, there are multiple teams that I think have the Dodgers attention. They beat the Phillies last year. The Phillies did not have Zach Wheeler last year. He was, he was injured in the postseason because of the blood clot issue. Zach Wheeler obviously very much back this year. Oh, he should have been an all star. The, the biggest snub with that rotation. Wheeler, Sanchez, Lizardo, like that's terrifying for anybody. And all the experience that they have on the roster, yes, they have that dreadful start, but you know, water does find its level. And also like I just, you know, leaving open for the randomness of baseball. Like we've seen the Dodgers, they just got swept by the D backs. And the Marlins came into Los Angeles and took a series from them and you know, the. Jeremy, I'm just, I'm curious of a reminder, like, who's been the best team in, in the major since June 1st?

[Jeremy]

Oh, this, this is a man after my own heart. The Miami Marlins have been the best team in baseball since June 1st.

[Ethan]

That's right.

[Jeremy]

Stephen Nelson.

[Stephen Nelson]

It's not the Dodgers, it's the Miami Marlins. So. Led by our dear friend Clayton McCullough. So look, I just think that I would say that the, the heavyweights in the National League are probably the, the, the, the biggest threat, again, assuming health. But the injury bug is the biggest fear for the dancers.

[Ethan]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

And, and just like you said, it's, it's pitching for anybody, right? Anybody can get hot. It's the reason why I know Your guy, Clayton McCullough believes in his team. When you can roll out Sandy Alcantara, Max Meyer and Yuri Perez at the top of your rotation, anything can happen. And that's what makes the postseason so fun. Let's head into that real quick. We'll, we'll, we'll do these. Not necessarily rapid fire, but we'll, we'll get to them as quick as we can. Here to wrap up this episode, three storylines you're looking at in Major League Baseball heading into the second half.

[Stephen Nelson]

Okay, I think the, the first one is a deadline determination, so I'm a sucker for alliteration. Jeremy, the train deadline is not July 31st this year, everybody. It is August the third. And as we sit here right now, I just looked at the standings before hopping on. There are 23 teams within four games of a playoff berth league wide. That's counting the teams in playoff position right now. But 23 teams out of 30.

[Jeremy]

Ridiculous.

[Stephen Nelson]

And another 25 within eight. So how many legitimate sellers are there going to be at the deadline? We're going to find out because right now it's the Angels, it's the Rockies, it's probably the Royals, probably the Giants, and probably the Mets. But, but like even there, you don't know, you know, how much is even available to be sold. Cinderella's in the clock. You look at the Chicago White Sox again, the surprise in baseball, and it's not just a feel good story. It's a successful one. They're tied for first in American League Central. Yes, the ale or the American League at large is dog water in 2026. That's bad.

[Carson Vitale]

It's bad.

[Stephen Nelson]

It's objectively bad. But The White Sox won 100 or lost 121 games a year ago. The worst team ever. And now they are tied atop the division. That's despite not having munataka Mutakami for 35 games. Despite being two arms short in the rotation. At least an arm short in the bullpen. Like that offense can hit with anybody. Yeah, yeah, but, but they're all young. They're, they're, they're that right amount of young and dumb enough to believe that they can do this. Yeah, so, but like again, like, do they run into that wall as young guys in the dog days? Do they get over it? That's, that's a big storyline. And the Marlins, at this point, you like they are a Cinderella story. Do they have the happy ending like Cinderella does or does clock strike midnight and they turn back into a pumpkin? Now with, with Clayton at the helm, I just, I, I don't believe that they are going to lose that edge. And we saw the fight for Miami down the stretch in 2025 as they single handedly ruined New York season. Right. So that's, that's the kind of moxie that they have in that group too. So I'm not saying they're saying they're Cinderella because just because they're the Miami Marlins, you know, I tremendous amount of respect for them. So. But can those two teams specifically, you know, get to, you know, where they want to go?

[Jeremy]

To your point, it's the way Clayton McCullough leads. It's also the way their bench coach Carson Vitale has been able to rally those guys together. I know Clayton gives him a ton of credit and if I was a good enough audio editor to clean up the audio that I had recorded in the dugout just a few days ago with Carson Vitali. Before the end of the first half, our audio listeners will be hearing a, a 10 minute or so interview with Carson. On the back end of this. We talked about the priority of mental health within the organization and the way that he really prioritizes that and, and talking about it. Mental strength and mental health, two sort of different things that are able to overlap. It's been a huge, huge key to what has made this Marlins team what it is. It's why Kyle Stowers is a great leader for that team and why Carson's been able to help help those guys come together. But now your third storyline, sir.

[Stephen Nelson]

It's, it's a, it's kind of the lowest hanging fruit and it ties back into the first story. But it's school watch. You just don't, you don't see a pitcher or a player of this caliber very often potentially available. Now the Tigers have gone on a little bit of run and they're in a down division, in a down league. The AL is wide open for anybody. You have no idea. Like I know you have. I think the Rays and the Yankees, the Yankees and the Rays, depending on who you ask, are probably looked at as the favorites in the American League. But you just don't know is. And so does Detroit have the stones to actually move school in a year where, you know, it's kind of in front of him still? I know there's reporting out there about how school does not want to be moved. He Wants to stay in Detroit. But that, like, that's just going to be a fascinating watch. And then what, what does he produce? How much does he produce down the stretch? Being a free agent, pending free agent. Everybody knows who his agent is. And you know, I think that's, that's a factor in things as well.

[Jeremy]

Stephen, thank you so much, man. Really appreciate the maiden voyage. Hopefully we can have you back somewhere down the stretch. Maybe, maybe even if you get in town in time, we can pull something off when you're down here in Miami when the Dodgers come to town.

[Stephen Nelson]

Well, Jeremy, thanks to you and your crew for taking the time. I, if there was a pitch clock, I had many violations with my rambling today.

[Jeremy]

It's true. Our editors have their work cut out for them.

[Stephen Nelson]

Yeah, no, I apologize. I do sincerely apologize. But yeah, we're coming down. We're coming out in September. Detrain Dontre Willis is going to be honored and we'll have on the broadcast. So we're. Everybody's looking forward to our trip to Miami and hopefully get to run into you there.

[Jeremy]

It's going to be amazing. Can't wait to see you there. Stephen, thank you so much, man.

[Ethan]

I've come up with a guess.

[Jeremy]

You got something. I'd like.

[Ethan]

I'd like lint.

[Jeremy]

Okay.

[Ethan]

Raleigh Fingers.

[Chris Cody]

No, it's not the 70s.

[Jeremy]

Is the. Is the right fielder for the Cubs, Andre Dawson?

[Chris Cody]

That is correct.

[Ethan]

I keep wanting to say Scott Roland.

[Jeremy]

I know, dude. I've been wanting to say Scott Roland the entire time. I can't even tell you. I know he's a card. Cardinal in affiliate. He's not a red. But I've been wanting to say Scott Roland's name the entire time.

[Ethan]

That's right. Why did I. I thought he was a Red for a second. Never even a Red. The ace, Rob Dibble.

[Chris Cody]

No, not Rob Dibble. He was a reliever. Such a great, such a great shout. I'm just glad we got Rob Dibble on the show today. Jeremy for the win.

[Jeremy]

I'm really frustrated. I mean, I am. I'm gonna be honest. I'm frustrated that I don't know who the Yankees second baseman was in 1990.

[Chris Cody]

This is a name you're probably, probably not going.

[Ethan]

You want to know the name? I thought this guy played infield. The name I wanted to say was Lenny Dykstra for the Philly, but I thought he was an infielder.

[Chris Cody]

Nails was the center fielder on the 1990 All Star Game.

[Interviewer]

Crazy.

[Ethan]

I mean, I don't even need credit for that, but like that's.

[Carson Vitale]

No, no, no.

[Commercial Announcer]

You get it.

[Ethan]

That's fine.

[Jeremy]

I mean, I was just like a Philly. I mean. Congratulations.

[Chris Cody]

Chris Cody back up to five, six, five here. Jeremy, this is for the.

[Ethan]

Wait, I'm winning.

[Chris Cody]

No, I. Jeremy's still winning.

[Ethan]

You're like. Don't get crazy.

[Jeremy]

Don't get crazy here. All right, I'm good. I'm gonna guess Moises Alu and left field.

[Chris Cody]

No.

[Jeremy]

Early.

[Ethan]

Did this left fielder also play for this.

[Jeremy]

I'm gonna lose this game.

[Chris Cody]

The last.

[Jeremy]

Gonna somehow find his way.

[Chris Cody]

The last All Star Game in Philadelphia. Yeah. We should have played three strikes.

[Ethan]

The left fielder and the Giants. Did he ever play for the Phillies?

[Jeremy]

Hold on, Pat. Burl.

[Chris Cody]

No.

[Ethan]

Okay.

[Chris Cody]

All right, we're done.

[Interviewer]

We're done.

[Chris Cody]

Jeremy wins.

[Jeremy]

Okay.

[Chris Cody]

Jeremy win.

[Jeremy]

Finally.

[Chris Cody]

Wait. For the first time ever, we're declaring a game over. This could just be a tie. You guys are winning. I'm very disappointed in your effort right now because the third baseman for the Boston Red Sox is Wade Boggs. And you guys not get Wade Boggs.

[Ethan]

I think that's when I did Scott Bros. I think I was thinking of.

[Chris Cody]

He's a Hall of Famer.

[Ethan]

All right.

[Chris Cody]

He's very relevant. You watch. Always sunny in Philadelphia.

[Jeremy]

Ethan, it's.

[Chris Cody]

I think of him if you want

[Ethan]

to play the game. I associate it. I think of him as a Ray.

[Jeremy]

Ethan, it's really easy to sit here from your high horse behind the glass with. With the answers in front of you and shame all of us. But you know what? One of these weeks. One of these weeks we're going to.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

We're going to conspire.

[Chris Cody]

We're just going to quiz you.

[Ethan]

And I'm going to sit there with

[Chris Cody]

the five years before you were born. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, let's do this.

[Jeremy]

This.

[Chris Cody]

Let's do this.

[Jeremy]

Still going to be like 2002.

[Chris Cody]

All right, let me do the rest

[Jeremy]

of the line, please.

[Chris Cody]

Wade Boggs is at third base for the Red Sox. At second base for the Yankees, Steve Sachs.

[Ethan]

Never heard of.

[Chris Cody]

And the pitcher for the A's, like I told you, get off of this one was Bob Welch.

[Jeremy]

Jesus.

[Chris Cody]

In the nl, the left fielder for the Giants.

[Ethan]

Give me his initials.

[Chris Cody]

K.M.

[Jeremy]

not Kevin Millar.

[Chris Cody]

Kevin Mitchell would be the one made a very famous one handed, bare handed catch.

[Jeremy]

I know that guy.

[Chris Cody]

On the warning track.

[Ethan]

So the Reds is all we.

[Chris Cody]

Chris Sabo was the Red at third base. Jack Armstrong was the Red on the mound and behind the dish.

[Ethan]

Wait, Whatever. Go.

[Chris Cody]

Mike Sosha.

[Stephen Nelson]

All right.

[Chris Cody]

Former Angels man That guy.

[Ethan]

That guy played in the 90s.

[Jeremy]

I just want to make something clear.

[Ethan]

Mike Sosha looked like 70 when he.

[Jeremy]

You gave us a quiz that included the names Jack Armstrong.

[Chris Cody]

Yep.

[Jeremy]

Mike Scioscha.

[Chris Cody]

Correct. Chris Sabo.

[Jeremy]

Welch.

[Chris Cody]

Bob Welch.

[Jeremy]

Sabo.

[Chris Cody]

Yes.

[Jeremy]

And you expected us to do. Well,

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[Jeremy]

His name is Mac. That's after Mac from Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Which means I spend a pretty surprising amount of time trying to impress someone who clearly doesn't respect me at all. Which now is something I'm realizing I do both at work and at home. So I gotta get that straight. But it's really why I use Chewy. They've got over 100,000 products. So whether it's food, treats or a new toy that Mac is going to ignore for three days until he suddenly becomes obsessed with it, they have it and it shows up in one or two days. I've told you, Chewy is maybe my favorite company that exists. They have prescriptions, pet insurance, telehealth, vet visits, and 247 customer service. Plus if my cat changes his mind, which happens on a near daily basis, Chewy Satisfaction Guarantee makes returns easy. I use Chewy and I'm telling you you should too. For life with pets, there's Chewy. And right now you could save $20 on your first order and get free shipping by going to chupanions.chewy.com lebartardship that's chupanions.chewy dot com lebatardshow to save $20 on your first order with free shipping. Minimum purchase required. New customers only. Terms and conditions apply. See site for complete details.

[Interviewer]

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[Carson Vitale]

All right, real quick.

[Jeremy]

Don't go anywhere quite yet. The pitch clock is not over. We have some special bonus audio content with an interview. So I was covering the Marlins the final series of the first half against the Guardians, and I noticed Marlins bench coach Carson Vitale wearing a shirt that simply read mental Health Matters. So I saw that on Saturday, and I asked him if he'd sit down with me on Sunday. We talked for, man, close to almost an hour, actually. But I recorded the first 10 minutes or so of our conversation, and I just wanted to ask him, why are you wearing this shirt? What does this have to do with and how do the Marlins take care of their players? And what's really interesting is the Marlins do have sort of a different mentality when it comes to taking care of players, mental skills, mental health, and everything that goes on in between the ears. Carson is at the center of all of that. You will hear his mentality and the way that the Marlins organization takes care of their players and why it's something that's actually separated them from other teams, other organizations, and helped them to be as successful as they are on the field. So here is my quick conversation with Carson Vitale. Who? Carson, if you're listening, I'm serious, come into the studio, man. We're gonna, we're gonna chat on these clean, crisp, clear mics one of these days, sometime soon. All right, here's Carson Vitale. Why Happiness Project? But then also, you know, what's the reason you would have that messaging gear for your players?

[Carson Vitale]

Yeah. One, I love the message and the idealism that Happiness Project provides. And we function in this bubble of professional sports where the outside perception is that everything Is great and everybody makes a ton of money and everybody is happy. And while like a lot of those things are true, there's also this side of professional sports. Whereas mentally cruel on both the individual person, on families. And that is not to say like we need sympathy. You know, everybody's going through hard things, everybody had challenges in life. But I think it's wearing a shirt like this on a daily basis I think provides a signal to all of our players that the stigmatization of mental strength and mental health is really just not something that we believe in and not something that we ever want any of our players to feel. We often say that no one does this on their own. And most of the time in baseball, an actor that's talking about my physical skills, but I view the game through the mental lens and that is performance based and health based. And we definitely don't do it on our own. From a mental health perspective.

[Jeremy]

Well, how do you as a coach, as a leader around here, how do

[Stephen Nelson]

you help players in both sides of that?

[Jeremy]

So it's like there are. Those are two different things. Mental skills and strength and mental health.

[Stephen Nelson]

You can really be separated in many ways.

[Jeremy]

So I guess first in the, in the mental skills side of it, how do you guys work on that with these guys?

[Carson Vitale]

I think they're very separate, but they also have massive over as well. Yeah, they go just at the same time. Right. Player with, with a poor mental health. Yeah. Is not going to have the mental skills or mental performance. Yeah, of course. So I think one, one. They're definitely not mutually exclusive. The biggest thing we can do for our players is just talk about it all the time. Both in casual studies like this, but then also in like performance training. What we're trying to do is always couple the mental performance side with the physical performance side. You know, why train a swing or a delivery with the absence of mental performance when we ask them to go out there in the field, play by themselves with mental performance. Right, right. So we're trying to train both at the same time. And so what do you, what are

[Jeremy]

you saying and doing to train that

[Carson Vitale]

each player would like? We want and we're trying to achieve for each player to have a mental routine, a mental reset, a mental anchor. It's different for everybody. It could be a word, it could be a focal point, it could be an external point, it could be a breath, it could be a visualization. There's multiple paths we can go down, but it's got to be unique to that person. And so what we're asking that player to do is basically go through that routine on a fish to pitch basis. Not every rep in training, but it's got to be a part of it. Furthermore, through our player plan process and through these individual check ins, we have our players daily. We talk about mental skills, we talk about mental health. It's a part of the conversation. We talk about openly in front of other people, in front of other coaches. It can't be something that we have to go into a private room and talk about. It has to be talked about openly in front of the group. And the more we do that, the more we can get players comfortable talking about mental performance. Just like they throw a play ball or receive a ground ball.

[Jeremy]

So how mental health can be trickier and more private court, I think for a lot of guys. And so how does that become a part of the conversation? Is it a sort of a result of the fact that all of this is open and out there? Is, is that a more difficult thing? Are there, you know, particular resources you. You either use or send these guys for?

[Carson Vitale]

So we have a great mental health and performance staff led by Dr. Aaron Gibson. Obviously none of us are clinicians. Right. I believe that every coach should be a great mental skills coach. But there is a, there is a line in the sand, of course we're not going to cross. And when we feel like a player or a staff member needs real professional help, Dr. Goodson and staff are an excellent resource for that. That being said, we want to help our players work through personal issues because we care and love for them. But we all have to be grown up enough to know when or be the adult in the room to know when our skill set is not right. When it's beyond that. Right. And so the Marlins do a fantastic job of having both in house staff and external resources to help any of our players, staff, families, etc.

[Stephen Nelson]

And when did this become for you?

[Jeremy]

It's such a huge part of your project, right? Like as a bench push here. Everyone that I talked to was Clayton and down to players, like it's always like parts to parts to parts and unites all of us and, and clearly like this is such a goose part of that, that sort of mentality. When did this become either like a part of you or something that became a focus?

[Carson Vitale]

Yeah, yeah, it's a good question. This is very important to him and he is pushing this initiative very hard for us now. He has an incredible support system to have the general manager be so corrupted with the amazing. But where I adopted this mindset or not even mindset. Just like the understanding of how important this is is actually from a coach across. Across the way. Another dugout, Annie Mateus, who the. He's a major coach for Cleveland, hired me in Seattle. He was the farm director. I was the M field coordinator. He became the gm. I became a major league coach at Seattle. He's a close personal friend of mine. Consider him like one of the most influential people in my life. He has a psychology background. He was a. He was a college professor at Sacramento State SAC City College in Tampa, and he became the mental skills coach in Colorado and then came over to the Mariners to the farm director.

[Chris Cody]

Wow.

[Carson Vitale]

And he really opened my eyes just through the importance of mental performance and mental health. And really from there, like, I just never viewed the game the same way again. I never really viewed anything the same way again from my relationship, my wife and my son. And it's like everything. It's like when you can understand that everyone has had real issues and that no one really cares about your issues because they're all going through their own issues. It becomes pretty clear that we all need help. And today we're going to show up. We're either going to play really good or we're going to play poorly. The players are doing that. We're hopefully going to put them in positions to succeed each day. And if we're only putting them fish to seed, then it seems like we should be helping them to succeed mentally as much as physically. And so, yeah, just my, my focus, my perspective just shifted tremendously, probably on the extreme end, but, like, it's clearly a good thing if we can't show up to work every day and like, enjoy the people we're around and be there for the people around. When we spoke. When we spend 90% of our lives in this building, I still want to be a part of that. You know, like, I already give up enough time for my wife and my son, my family. I'm going to spend all. Invest all this time here. I want to be a place that people feel safe and loved and supported.