Starkville | ESPN Analysts Tim Kurkjian & Eduardo Pérez talk about how the Divisional Series are looking so far

Summary

---

The Windup: Starkville | Oct 8, 2025

ESPN Analysts Tim Kurkjian & Eduardo Pérez on How the Divisional Series Are Shaping Up

---

Overview

In this electrifying early-October episode of Starkville, hosts Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville (joined by ESPN legends Tim Kurkjian and Eduardo Pérez) deliver a deep-dive into all four MLB Divisional Series. The show is a blend of sharp analysis, behind-the-scenes stories, memorable postseason moments, and plenty of camaraderie and laughs—from helicopter tales to the quirkiest rules of baseball in action. Listeners walk away with fresh insights on emerging young stars, endlessly inventive strategy, and the state of baseball coverage itself.

---

Major Themes and Key Discussion Points

1. Life on the Postseason Grind

• Sleep Deprivation and the Baseball Beat
  • Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville open with relatable tales of October exhaustion, joking about “National Sleep Deprivation Month.”
    • “If you’re sleep deprived, it’s not a nightmare really, but you’re living in some sort of in-between space between awake and asleep, whatever that is.” – Doug Glanville (05:31)
    • “If you read the stuff I write, it reads like delirium.” – Jayson Stark (05:44)
• Both reflect on the joy (and delirium) of consuming wall-to-wall baseball during the postseason.

2. Helicopters, AI, and All-Time Teammates

• Eduardo Pérez’s Helicopter Commute & Expense Math (07:07–09:36)
  • Eduardo recounts sidestepping New York traffic by flying in via “Uber Heli,” finding it both exhilarating and worth every penny/time saved.
• Tim Kurkjian’s Brush with AI Fakery (10:09)
  • Kurkjian shares how Eduardo saved him from falling for an AI-generated rumor about a player, underscoring new tech challenges in sports media:
    • “If it wasn’t for him, dopey, naive, 68-year-old, poor pop-up would have, I would have made a mistake. He said, Tim, that’s AI. It’s not real.” – Tim Kurkjian (11:04)

3. Best (and Coolest) Things Seen in October Baseball (11:13–17:02)

• Tim Kurkjian: The Blue Jays’ Elite Defense
  • “The Blue Jays defense is great. It’s not good. It’s great. They throw out nine plus defenders on a really good day... If you have a good defensive team, you always have a chance.” (11:38)
• Eduardo Pérez: Fearless Young Pitching Talent
  • Highlights the composure and poise of young arms, specifically Cam Schlitler and Trey Savage, handling high-pressure postseason innings:
    • “It just tells you you don’t have to go to an SEC or an ACC school or Power 5 school... you can come out of Northeastern and still be developed by an organization like the Yankees.” (14:05)
• Discussion: Why are young arms so ready today?
  • Doug and Eduardo discuss the modern developmental pipeline, shortened clubhouse hazing, and increased integration between minors and MLB:
    • “They’re in environments now where they’re much more familiar and connected to the big leagues... the talent is indisputable.” – Doug (17:02)

4. Dodgers-Phillies: Heavyweights and Strategy Wars (20:42–25:04)

• Jayson posits Dodgers vs. Phillies is the “heavyweight championship” of the playoffs, questioning the best-of-five format for such titans.
• Kurkjian: Dodgers Have MLB’s Best Roster When Healthy
  • “The Phillies are really good. They can come back and win this series. But... they have turned the corner... They have beaten everybody badly since then.” (22:58)
• Eduardo: Phillies Missing Key Arms is a Real Problem
  • “The Phillies are missing two key pieces. One is Zach Wheeler... and [the other] is Alvarado... it’s a major disadvantage when you cannot cut the game shorter, especially in the postseason.” (25:04)
• Changing Gamesmanship: Dodgers starters doubling as bullpen aces; Brewers using surprise openers (“maximizers”), causing strategic headaches for opponents.

5. Brewers & Blue Jays: Chaos Agents and “Maximizers” (27:16–31:28)

• Doug:
  • “The Brewers are maximizers... if there is a percentage of skill set and ability and making the most of it, it’s the Milwaukee Brewers.” (27:53)
  • Details how the Brewers’ relentless, unorthodox play disrupts standard strategies, drawing the analogy to “playing tennis against a player with weird spins and lobs.” (30:03)
• Kurkjian:
  • Blue Jays as “AL Brewers” — contact skills, running game, and relentless pressure:
    • “They had 33 at bats without a strikeout in this series. They have more homers than strikeouts... It’s impossible. That’s who the Blue Jays are.” (31:08)

6. Tigers’ Postseason: Collapse or Not? (33:39–35:45)

• The panel debates whether Detroit’s near-miss at a historic collapse is erased by making the playoffs and continuing to win.
  • “Here they are playing a game three at home against the Mariners. No, it can’t be the biggest collapse because they are still playing in October.” – Kurkjian (35:45)

7. Baseball’s Future at ESPN & The Bonds of Baseball (35:50–41:11)

• Eduardo:
  • Nostalgic tribute to 36 years of Sunday Night Baseball, but “baseball will continue strong with the ESPN family.”
  • “It will be good news... we’re going to do our best to continue to cover it with the respect and honor and love that we’ve always had for this game.” (36:15)
• Doug Glanville:
  • The friendship, mentorship, and baseball’s role as “a shining beacon”—far more than a game for those who live it:
    • “All of us share that real organic love for the sport where we can just talk about it forever... baseball became the shining beacon.” (40:24)

8. Memorable Anecdotes & Lighter Moments

• Mistaken Identity:
  • Kurkjian tells of being mistaken for Carl Ravich, and being “Buster” for some fans in Toronto. “So for four minutes, I had to be Carl Ravich…It was quite an honor because nobody, but nobody has represented baseball at our company better than him for the last 32 years.” (41:11)

---

Standout Quotes & Notable Moments

• Eduardo on helicopter commutes:
  • “Time is money, is what they say, and I truly believe that, Tim.” (09:07)
• Doug, on the Brewers:
  • “If you give them an inch, they take a mile.” (29:24)

---

Strangest But Truest Baseball Moment

(48:59–56:34)

• Segment introduces what the hosts call one of the wildest rules-bending moments in postseason history:
  • Dodgers reliever Alex Vessia officially records a strikeout against a batter he never actually throws a pitch to (due to an in-at-bat pitching change and pinch-hitter swap).
    • “A guy struck out a hitter that he never pitched to... this is going to be like a bunch of teleportations and, like, Calling of the Dead and reanimation and all these things.” – Doug (52:34)
    • “Should we fix it, Doug? Or should we just say, this is awesome?” – Jayson
    • “You have to recognize the awesomeness of this. Baseball is baseball, but it’s also magic…” – Doug (55:18)

---

Listener Call-In Segment: “Call to the Bullpen” (57:01–62:43)

• Recap and follow-up from a listener named Mary (Seattle), who jokingly called Doug “Rob” in a prior call—much amusement ensues.
  • “I just want to tell you, Doug, I’m so tickled that you guys answered my voicemail and it just made my day, Doug.” – Mary (59:31)
• Doug frames the name mix-up as a kind of cosmic baseball coincidence, and the hosts riff on “Rob Glanville” and famous Robs.

---

Important Segment Timestamps

• (03:07–05:55): Opening, Red-eye policies, covering the postseason grind
• (07:07–09:36): Eduardo’s helicopter tale
• (10:09–11:04): AI and media rumor
• (11:13–17:02): Best things seen this postseason (defense, young pitching)
• (20:42–25:04): Dodgers-Phillies, roster strengths, Phillies’ injuries
• (27:16–31:28): Brewers’ strategy, “chaos team” analogies
• (33:39–35:45): Tigers’ “collapse” debate
• (35:50–41:11): Baseball’s future at ESPN, friendship
• (48:59–56:34): “Strangest But Truest” moment: the strikeout anomaly
• (57:01–62:43): Listener calls, “Rob” Glanville, and community

---

Conclusion & Tone

Throughout, the show blends expertise and warmth, never shying from baseball’s weird magic or the quirks that keep longtime lifers hooked. The tone is conversational, funny, deeply passionate, and welcoming—making it as valuable for the hardcore stat-head as for the sentimental fan. Guests Tim Kurkjian and Eduardo Pérez add gravitas, heart, and humor, with stories ranging from the dugout to the sky (literally), leaving listeners with the feeling they’re part of baseball’s extended family.

---

For more baseball musings, strange-but-true tales, or to call in your own question, reach out via Starkville's hotline [phone]), email, or just subscribe and keep riding the October magic!

---

Transcript

[A]

Morning Zoe. Got donuts.

[B]

Jeff Bridges why are you still living above our garage?

[A]

Well I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you teach me.

[B]

So Dana oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at t mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

Impressive. Let me try. T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[D]

Nice.

[B]

J free.

[E]

You heard them.

[A]

T Mobile is the best place to.

[E]

Get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible traded in any condition.

[A]

So what are we having for lunch?

[B]

Dude, my work here is done.

[A]

The 24 month bill credits on experience beyond for well qualified customers plus tax.

[B]

And 35 device connection charge credit same.

[A]

And balance due if you pay off.

[C]

Earlier Cancel Finance Agreement.

[A]

IPhone 17 Pro 256 gigs 1099.99 and new line minimum 100 plus a month plan with auto pay plus taxes and fees required.

[B]

Best mobile network in the US based.

[A]

On analysis by Oklahoma Speed Test Intelligence.

[B]

Data 1H 2025 Visit t mobile.com you walk in tired and hungry, one bad dinner away from losing it. You don't like to cook. You don't want more takeout. You just want something good. That's why there's dish by Blue Apron Pre made meals with at least 20 grams of protein and no artificial flavors or colors from fridge to fork in five minutes or less. Keep the flavor. Ditch the subscription. Get 20% off your first two orders with code APRON20. Terms and conditions apply. Visit blueapron.com terms for more. If your dog could talk, they'd beg for Ollie. The full body tail wag, the excited little hops, the big goofy grin. That's the Ollie effect. Ollie delivers clean, fresh nutrition in five drool worthy flavors, even for the pickiest eaters. Made in US Kitchens with high quality human grade ingredients, Ollie's food contains no fillers, no preservatives, just real food. Just fill out Ollie's 32nd quiz and they'll create a customized meal plan based on your pup's weight, activity level and other health info. Dogs deserve the best and and that means fresh, healthy food. Head to ollie.com healthypup tell them about your dog and use code healthypup to get 60% off your welcome kit when you subscribe today. Plus they offer a happiness guarantee on the first box so if you're not completely satisfied, you'll get your money back. That's O l l I e.com HealthyPup and enter code HEALTHYPUP to get 60% off your first box.

[C]

Foreign.

[A]

Welcome to Starkville Baseball hall of Famer Jason Stark. And then the robot said, strike.

[E]

That's why you're going in the hall of Fame.

[A]

It's an inside the park over on.

[C]

Douglasville, Mike Trout is coffee at Starbucks with a double latte.

[A]

Skinny Doug, are you ready to make some podcast magic?

[C]

I am ready. Bring on the magic wand. Let's do it.

[A]

Greetings and welcome to Starkville. I'm Jason Stark. I write about baseball for the Athletic, and I'm joined once again by my good friend, writer substacker, broadcaster, professor, distinguished former major leaguer, and the vice of PostSeason Baseball on ESPN Radio, Doug Glanville. Doug, how's October treating you?

[C]

You know, really well. I mean, my, my red eye policy is. I've been able to carry it forward. Those who are on the Dodgers Philly series, I can't speak for them, but Milwaukee and Chicago are awfully close together. Pretty miraculous.

[A]

Yeah, no need to red eye from Milwaukee to Chicago.

[C]

Yeah, let's choose to drive at 2, 3 in the morning for some reason, which I did not. So, yeah, it's, it's been, it's been great. Some, some good baseball and saw my old manager, Terry Francona at the Dodgers Red Series. And Brad Mills was a coach. They've been together since 1977, so that was really cool. It's been a lot of fun. Our games have been like, a little lopsided at times, but really explosive, exciting innings. So I've been enjoying that. And Shohei Ohtani is just Shohei Ohtani hitting balls to the moon and back.

[A]

He hasn't hit a whole lot in this Philly series, but that's another story. So it's already our second show of this post season. And I don't know about you, I mean, you have the no red eye policy, so maybe you're doing better than me. But I'm already being reminded of what we call October in my house, National Sleep Deprivation Month. I know that red eye or no red eye, you can relate to that, correct?

[C]

Oh, yes, absolutely. So I've just elected to not be in the air when I'm deprived of sleep. So that's all. That's the only difference.

[A]

Yeah. So you've jumped from Connecticut to LA for Dodgers, Reds, then Milwaukee, now Chicago to call Brewers Cubs on ESPN Radio. And I haven't even really begun the part of October where I roar all around the country covering the games. I did write off the Dodgers Phillies game Monday night in Philadelphia, but I have started the part of October where I watch four, four post season baseball games in a row for 10 or 11 hours. And then I write a column about it all night to like 4 in the morning. So I'm trying to decide, what do you think? Am I living the dream or am I just nuts to be doing this?

[C]

Well, if you're sleep deprived, you're kind of like, it's not a nightmare really, but you're living in some sort of like in between space between awake and asleep, whatever that is.

[A]

Delirium.

[C]

Is that delirium? Okay, so you're living the delirium.

[A]

If you read the stuff I write, it reads like delirium. So I'm gonna go with that.

[C]

That's good. I mean, hey, you know, we show our passion no matter what state of mind we're in. That's the beauty of what we do.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Right? Beauty. Let's go with that. Beauty is the word of. So, Doug, we have another spectacular show this week with two of our favorite friends and teammates of all time. Tim Kirksen and Eduardo Perez of ESPN will join us. Go around all four division series. So much fun to talk to those guys, Doug. We also have another really fun call from a listener on our new Starkville hotline. [phone] is still the number to call if you would like to join that fun. And also we have what I think is the strangest but truest postseason at bat of all time. So definitely stick around for that. My quiz, Tim Kirkshen on what that is. Yeah, can't wait. Since we're in the presence of greatness, let's welcome in this week's special visitors to Starkville. They've been on the call that Yankees Blue Jay series ESPN Radio along with Carl Ravich. And when they come to visit us, we know we're going to A, learn stuff and B, laugh a lot. So, Tim, Eduardo, thanks for traveling the Yankee Stadium via Starkville.

[D]

Great to have you. Let me just explain what it's like to work with Eduardo, his greatest teammate ever. So a couple games ago I'm like bugging him in between innings about things and he says, stop talking me. I don't want to talk about baseball. He was arranging a helicopter flight from the airport downtown Manhattan to make sure he could avoid terrible traffic. Here I am looking up when guys hit with runners in scoring position and he is calling a helicopter company.

[C]

Oh, I saw the video too.

[E]

100%. 100%.

[C]

You can expense it, though. Just expense it.

[A]

You know, call an Uber.

[D]

I look at it.

[C]

Uber heli. There's an Uber heli.

[E]

From JFK to Manhattan to where we're staying. It was peak hours. If you reserve the car, it's like $160. You look at it, at that time, it was going to take 90 minutes. It was going to take 90 minutes. It took me seven minutes when I got in that helicopter to get to Manhattan. Touchdown. Take an Uber. It took me longer from 30th street and 12th Avenue to get to Grand Central Station than it did on the helicopter ride. And what an experience. Will I do it again? Yeah, I will. I definitely would do it again.

[C]

You said $160. So how many other zeros are there on that? On that fare?

[E]

No, on a regular. On a regular one. On a regular. On a regular helicopter ride, it's $265.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

I'm trying to figure out how I would expense this. There's not usually a line.

[E]

I. I say what I'm doing is I'm expensing the 160, and then. And then the other hundred.

[C]

I'll.

[E]

I'll flip the bill. But time is money, is what they say, and I truly believe that, Tim.

[A]

Or you could just not fly into jfk, but that's a whole other story.

[D]

Eddie, where did you land the helicopter? Where did it land? Did it, like, land in your hotel room? What?

[E]

30Th street and 12th Avenue? Right there. I'm telling you, at the Blade pad that they have there. It's. It's. It's fantastic. Fantastic.

[D]

Eddie, were you afraid at all going in a helicopter? I'm afraid of heights. I'm not even comfortable being this tall. Did you have trouble with it, with the heights and the speed? No, not.

[E]

Not at all. It was. It was a great experience. You know, I've jumped out of planes before, so this one. This one was an easy one. And it was a great, great viewpoint of seeing the city. Look, I've never gone to see the Statue of Liberty, so I figured I had a pretty good view of it on the way around. It was awesome. It was awesome, Doug. Let's do it.

[C]

Let's do it.

[D]

So Eduardo sent Ravi and I a video, and Ravi sent of him arriving in New York. And Ravi sends me a text. Is this AI or did this really happen? Well, with Eduardo, it always really happens because he said he's Eduardo. But let me tell you the AI story from the other day. I can't give specifics, but there was something out there passed along between my old dog basketball players about a player in our series who said some very controversial things about another player in our series. And I saw it and I couldn't believe that this happened. And I showed it to Eduardo and he said, tim, that's AI. That didn't really happen. But if it wasn't for him, dopey, naive, 68 year old, poor pop up would have, I would have made a mistake. He said, tim, that's AI. It's not real.

[C]

Oh yeah, that's out there.

[A]

We are blurring the lines, aren't we?

[E]

Jason, welcome. Welcome to our world. Four minutes.

[C]

I am not AI.

[E]

This is baseball.

[A]

I love it. Should we actually talk about baseball? The helicopter talk is so much fun, but I'm thinking we should probably talk about baseball a little somewhere. So let's do it. Okay. I want to start with this. Doug, you can join in and all these questions. Actually, what's the best thing you've seen all postseason? This feels like a Tim Kirkchian question especially. So Tim, start with you. Okay.

[D]

Well, I'm going to start with something I learned that I wasn't quite sure of. The, the, the Blue Jays defense is great. It's not good. It's great. They throw out nine plus defenders on a really good day. Like I didn't realize that Ernie Clement was that good as a defensive player. I didn't realize how tremendous Alejandro Kirk is behind the plate. And I wasn't sure that their defense, you know, I know how great Andres Jimenez is whatever position you play him. But I'm a huge believer after knowing Doug and Eddie who have taught me all this stuff. If you have a good defensive team, you always have a chance. So the most interesting, the thing I learned the most was the Blue Jays are better defensively than I thought they were. They are an elite defensive team and we have seen that in this series. And it's one reason that they're up two games to none.

[A]

That's a really good point. You know, I, I had a thought about them this spring. Tim, I'm sure you pour over the defensive metrics regularly. Okay, so if you look at the defensive metrics from last year, what would they have told you? That the two best defensive players in the sport were probably Dalton Varsho and Andres Jimenez and the Blue Jays went out and acquired one of those two guys. So I was thinking, suppose a team had gone out and acquired the two best offensive players in the whole sport. What a huge story. That would be and nobody even talked about this, so I'm glad you did. Eduardo, what's the coolest thing that you've seen?

[E]

The young talent that does not get intimidated on the mound, especially that we've seen in the postseason. We saw it firsthand in a winner take all. Red Sox, Yankees. You get Connolly early, who did really well for the first three innings, knew how to be able to manipulate veteran hitters with adding and subtracting, moving the baseball really well. And then he gets out, pitched and outclassed by Cam Schlitler, who was fantastic with the 12 strikeouts, the presence on the mound, the electric fastball he pitched off that he had a cutter, he had a two seamer, he elevated, he was able to pitch in. And then when you thought you saw it all, Trey Savage comes in and dominates with his splitter. And I know that most likely we'll continue to talk a lot about Trey, but to be able to have a youth movement that is not intimidated with the big lights in the biggest stage of baseball wearing pinstripes to me is a really cool thing to see in the postseason. It just tells you you don't have to go to an SEC or an ACC score or Power 5 score. You can come out of Northeastern and still be developed by an organization like the Yankees. Develop Cam Schlitler. And if you do and you go to East Carolina, you don't have to come from a Power 5 and you still dominate at the major league level. To me, that's awesome. And it sends a message to every parent out there that your 15, 16, 17 year old kid doesn't need to be throwing 98 because they ultimately will develop if they're in the right hands.

[D]

And fellas, one of the real takeaways for me is that John Schneider had never seen Trey Savage throw until he got to the big leagues. He didn't even see him in spring training because that kid was on a backfield so far away. So he got him on, you know, video and saw film and all that. But this is important point to make. When he showed up, he said he was a completely different person. When you see him up close, you see how big he is. Then you watch him throw a bullpen and you recognize coming straight over the top how that angle where the especially the slider comes from. So as much as we look at people on video and film and we, we make our scouting reports from that, there is no substitute for standing next to a guy shaking his hand, looking him in the eye and watching him throw, that's when you Know how good Trey Savage is. And that was breathtaking to watch that the other night, boys.

[A]

I cannot believe that that happened. Like this guy. You just said it, Tim. He started the season pitching in low A ball in the Florida State League. He went low A to high A, to double A to triple A to that. I'm watching that game. Here's how good he was. I had out the play by play of Sandy Koufax's 15 strikeout game against the Yankees. This was more dominating than that. Think about it, it's amazing.

[D]

And we talked to him before that start. Ravi and I talked to him and it was like it was going to be like a game in June in Kansas City. That's how ready he was for that. And Doug, Eddie, I'm going to ask you again, how is it that Cam Schlitler is this ready? How is it that 22 year old Trey Savage is ready to after 14 innings in the major leagues? These guys are so poised, they're so polished, they are so ready. Doug, how do we explain this?

[C]

I mean the thing that I find is I. And we've asked a few managers about like especially the Mets, right? You have all these young pitchers come up and Nolan McClain comes up. He was on the backfield in spring training. Who's this dude? He's a converted like two way player. And they thrive. And one thing that is different is like I wrote about how we used to come up in the 40 man roster and they'd bring almost all 40 of us up so we'd have like a chance to kind of gel and get to know and demystify the big leagues. Well now they're, they're like up and down all the time and they're very accessible in big league camp. I think it's like kind of been. They're in environments now where they're much more familiar and connected to the big leagues. You know, we had a lot of hazing and you know, you on the backfield and you be at Fitch park and we'll be at Hohokam and all these things in Chicago. It's very fused together. So I think that helps, you know, if you're reaching out to young players that come up and are kind of fearless and, and they go in with the expectation and you actually have the support from veterans instead of the sort of rituals, you know, I think it makes it, you know, easier. So you know, the talent is indisputable. It's unbelievable how good they are.

[E]

The interesting thing is, and what I've noticed That teams are going, the Yankees did it against the Red Sox. The Blue Jays did it against the Yankees. I'm going to use these last two to figure it out. And then Conley early for the first time, pitches against the Yankees. There's a major advantage that the Yankees had over the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Facing a pitcher like early, and it's because of the technology. It's because of the ability that they have to now put it in the system. Every pitch that is being thrown by Connolly early. Most of the teams in the big leagues, they have the ability of being able to face Connolly early through the technology. When you're on the road, you can't travel with that technology. It's only at your stadium. So the visiting team is at a disadvantage. And I really do believe that in Toronto, they were like, you know what? We're going to pitch him here. Because that way the Yankees can't get back to Yankee stadiums and turn on the trajectory and put in, you know, the pitcher Savage, so they can face him. So they can face him. And I really do believe that that's one of the biggest reason, if not the reason why they said from that angle, as high as he throws a splitter, they are not going to have a chance. And by the time they figure them out, it's going to be the fifth or sixth inning. And by that time, we'll have our high leverage guys in.

[D]

Eddie, when you made your major league debut, tell us again, you called your dad to say, I'm going to the big leagues, right?

[A]

Yep.

[E]

I called him from Scottsdale. I was playing with the Vancouver Canadians. Michael Oliveris calls me into the office and he also calls Ty Van Berklio, who was a journeyman player, ends up being the coach for the Cleveland Guardians as well for hitting coach. He goes, eddie, I want you to witness this. So I go into the office and he goes, ty, congratulations, you're going to the big leagues. Ty was playing many years in Japan, so I was really excited for. Ty was playing third. He was playing first. And I'm like, that's awesome. I hug him. I'm like, that was a great feeling. Thank you so much for sharing with me. And Michael goes, you're going, too. And I was like, what? I'm going to. Okay. So I called my dad. I'm excited. I called my dad. I go, dad, I'm going to the big leagues. He goes, why?

[A]

So he was pretty jubilant then, was he?

[E]

I'll tell you this, the next five years, I was up and down up and down, up and down like a yo, yo. He was right.

[A]

Hey, can I change the subject here? I want to talk about the series that I was covered Monday night in Philadelphia. The Dodgers are two games up on the Phillies. Yeah, they're pretty good both games one and two. And you know, I don't know how perceptive I am normally, but I'm noticing that the people around me in Philadelphia don't seem that pleased that this is how it's going. Right. I keep telling them, you know, if you lose two games to the Dodgers, it's not like you just made the NCAA tournament and you lost to Vermont in the first round. Tim. Not that I would ever root for a school that ever did that. Phillies, Dodgers is the heavyweight championship of these playoffs. Do you think these are the two best rosters and if they are, should this be a best of five? Shouldn't there be some different idea? I have one actually.

[D]

It's the best roster in baseball. The Dodgers have that when everybody is healthy and they get all those pitchers back. For ESPN.com I picked the Dodgers to beat the Phillies in this series and they called me and said like, you got to write about this. How could you do that? I said dodgers to beat a great team. Acknowledging, but they won the World Series last year. I believe they have the best roster in in baseball when everybody is right. I was really surprised to hear like everyone else there is picking the Phillies to win. And I had to explain me picking the Dodgers who are starting, you know, Blake Snell and Ohtani and Yamamoto. Now they have Sasaki in the bullpen. I was astonished. It was like, you think Vermont is going to beat North Carolina in game one of the playoffs? It was bizarre. Answer your question. The Phillies are really good. They can come back and win this series. But I'm telling you, I saw the Dodgers against the Reds and they have turned the corner after that horrible double play that double. I mean that horrible weekend in Baltimore where they lost two walk off games. It's like they flipped the switch. And since then they have won 18, let's see, 19 out of 24 games. They have beaten everybody badly since then.

[A]

Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.

[B]

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

[A]

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you teach me. So Dana.

[B]

Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly AT T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[A]

Wow, impressive. Let me try. T mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best nuts network.

[C]

Nice.

[B]

Jeffrey, you heard them.

[A]

T mobile is the best place to.

[E]

Get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible traded in any condition.

[A]

So what are we having for lunch?

[B]

Dude, my work here is done.

[A]

The 24 month credit is on experience beyond for well qualified customers plus tax.

[B]

And 35 device connection charge credit sending.

[A]

Balance due if you pay off earlier Cancel Finance agreement. IPhone 17 Pro 256 gigs 1099.99 and new line minimum 100 plus a month plan with auto paypals, taxes and fees required.

[B]

Best mobile Network in the US based.

[A]

On analysis by Ooklab speed test intelligence data 1H 2025 visit t mobile.com you.

[B]

Buy a pair of socks, that's two socks. You buy a pair of Bombas socks, that's four socks. Because one purchased is one donated. Socks are the number one most requested clothing item in homeless shelters. So when you buy a pair of super comfortable Bombas socks, you're also donating a pair. Bombas customers have powered over 150 million donations. So Bombas would like to thank you 150 million times, but we only have like 30 seconds. Go to bombas.com and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O M b-s.com and use code audio at checkout.

[A]

Hey, it's Mark Marin from WTF here to let you know that this podcast is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. And I'm sure the reason you're listening to this podcast right now is because you chose it well. Choose Progressives name your price tool and you could find insurance options that fit your budget. So you can pick the best one for your situation. Who doesn't like choice? Try [e-mail] and now some legal info. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states.

[E]

I'll say this, the Phillies are missing two key pieces. One is Zach Wheeler. Obviously that, that's, that's a huge loss. And the other one's Alvarado and he could have easily have been used the other night. He's a high leverage left hander that can get swings and misses. It's a weapon that the Phillies were counting on early in the year until he tested positive and he was done for the postseason. When you miss your number one pitcher and you miss at the time your closer, I think this is a major disadvantage and I know that they Went out and got Yoad Duran. But it's a major disadvantage when you cannot cut the game shorter, especially in the postseason, where we all know that bullpening is huge. What the Dodgers are doing now, they're showing a team that we did not see during the regular season. Their starters are their best relievers, they're good starters or great starters are their best relievers. And they're playing a different game. They're playing a different game. Steve Phillips on our show in the leadoff spot, he said one series is the varsity team and the other series is the JV team. I refuse to believe that because the best record in baseball is in Milwaukee. And they are playing different. Milwaukee's playing a different brand of baseball. You don't even know who's going to pitch after the opener yesterday. I know Doug was planning on something. The Cubs were planning on something else. Their lineup was most likely constructed in one way because it's no longer righty, lefty. It's righty that can dominate the top part of the zone. So I'm going to put my lineup that can dominate the top part of the zone or the shape of the fastball. It's different today than what it was before. Will Pete Crowe Armstrong be able to handle a pitch up in the zone? He might move lower in the lineup because if it's a two seam pitcher or a pitcher that loves the bottom side of the order, then you might move him up in the order. It's just completely different. And when the players prepare, they prepare for one thing. And when you throw a curveball at them. Well, in our case, in our series, if you throw a splitter at them, they won't even be able to make contact.

[A]

Doug, let me ask you about this. You know, what he's referring to is the brewers made everybody think they were going to start this game, game two, with an opener and then bring in Quinn Priester. And what happened? Quinn Priester never threw one freaking pitch. He did warm up at the outfield. He didn't. He didn't throw a pitch. And I was thinking back to that 2018 thing they pulled when they had the fake start by Wade Miley. Face one batter and came out right. They're sneaky. I guess they're sneaky. You can't decide if they're genius or are they sneaky or are they just the Brewers.

[C]

The brewers are maximizers. You know, they take the most of their. If there is a percentage of, like, skill set and ability and making the most of it, it's the Milwaukee Brewers. I mean, that's what the Dodgers kind of don't do. Sometimes they're like, you know, you do little bit of like, the switch flipping. Sometimes it's like, okay, I'm gonna beat you now. All right, it's time for me to beat you. You know, otan is like, you know what? I want to be 50, 50 today, so I'm gonna go six for six. Yeah, they're great anyway, but there. There's another gear in la. Like, the brewers just kind of play with, just maximizing every situation. And, you know, it's like you always say we only use 5% of our brain, right? Well, the brewers are, you know, they just operate at another level. But what it looks like on the field is like, it's based running on with pressure, it's executing, it's going first to third. It's. It's throwing to the right bases, it's backing each other up. It's really chipping away. And like, when Nico Horner made that error, it turned into two bases. The guy didn't stop at third. He scored. You know, like, that's what they do. And if you give them an inch, they take a mile. I mean, we were asking the same kind of questions, like, well, yeah, Priester and I talked to Priester the day before, and it was definitely open ended. Like, we just might be an opener and that's it. And they roll out. Every pitcher is strategically placed in a specific part of your lineup. And Craig Counsel, the Cubs manager, has to now think about what he's thinking, right? He's like, all right. He didn't start Michael Bush because they had Ashby on The mound throwing 99, sinking on the left side. So they went with Justin Turner, and he only got two at bats. And then you have to bring Bush off the bench to face Mizaroski, who's throwing 105. You know, you're just like, okay. You know, like, wait a minute. These guys, they've rolled out, like, four guys throwing 100 miles an hour. Don't get it twisted that the brewers aren't also aren't talented. I mean, they got Uribe closing it out. They got McGill coming in. They got Misarovsky coming at you. It's like Ashby's throwing a hundred. Like, okay. You know, so. So the only thing they don't really do is hit the ball out of the ballpark consistently. But then they hit 2, 3 run home runs yesterday. So. I don't know what you like, by the way. Like, I know it's regular Season. But what was the Dodgers record against the brewers this year? 0 and 6. Yeah, once again, not postseason, but they're pretty good.

[A]

I was telling Matt Arnold last week that I think the brewers are the hardest team in the whole sport to play because nobody else plays baseball like they play. And the analogy I used was like, if you play tennis and you play a guy who doesn't play normal, you know, he's hitting cuts and lobs and it's just not the normal rhythm that you're used to playing with. It's hard to play against that guy. Am I wrong? Isn't that the Brewers? They take you out of the way. You're used to playing right.

[D]

Every at bat is a fist fight against them. They fight you on every single pitch. They play great defense, they go first to third, they led the league in steals. But I'm telling you, the closest version to the brewers now is the DJs. And when the Blue Jays played the brewers this year, Ernie Clement told me, those were like the greatest games that you can ever be involved in because the game is played so well by both teams.

[C]

Because.

[D]

Eddie, what was the number with. With the Blue Jays?

[C]

They.

[D]

They had three strikeouts. They went 33 strikeouts in between 33 at bats without a strikeout in this series. They have more homers and eight then strikeouts, seven in this era. It's impossible. That's who the Blue Jays are. They're American League version of the Brewers.

[E]

We've witnessed Toronto not strike out. Just you go out there to strike, approach, and being able to hit the ball the other way. Or if you get something top part of the zone, you execute with it. You look at the brewers, all three home runs came with two strikes. They have a way of putting pressure on the defense and defenses have to make plays. You look at the Phillies Dodgers game, they depend on the slug. There's a lot of things that go on in spring training. I'm not saying that they're wrong or they're right or whatever they may be the plays that just aren't practiced, that aren't done because you have a lot of veteran guys out there. And to be truthful, the Dodgers just showed up in spring training and we're trying to keep the players off their feet because they had a long off season, a long post season last year. They celebrate and then they have to come back early because they had to go to Japan. So a lot of the PFPs, a lot of the stuff, they try to keep their players off the field, and they didn't work on wheel plays. They did not because it's not part of the game anymore as much the bunting. They get together on the mound and all of a sudden it's veteran guys. Max Muncie's played third, second, first. You look at Mookie Betts, he's played second and short and the outfield. You look at Kik Hernandez in left field, he's played all over the place. Tommy Edmond at second base, he's played all over the place. Miguel Rojas last year, Rojas, he wasn't on the field at the time. But then you look at Freddie Freeman, wait, the Atlanta Braves will tell you he played third base to a few games. So he they all understand the game. They all understand the game. And they got together on the mound, they slowed it down and they're like, okay, this is what we're going to do. We're going to do the wheel play. You're going to go, you're going to do this and there's that. Second base is going to be vacated and I'll run. If the butt of the ball's butted to third, Freddy Freeman said, I'll run to second and I'll cover second. What does Dave Roberts do? Sit back and watch. Sit back and watch. The only thing I was surprised yesterday was that Blake Trondon came in the game in the ninth inning and it wasn't Sasaki. But besides that, it's like the boys will take care of it. It's on, it's go time. It's October. This is what they're here for.

[A]

I've been telling people, dodgers, first team in history to have a seven month spring training. They acted like they all year, like they clinched on April Fool's Day. Just getting ready for this. Now you see why we got to talk about Mariners, Tigers a little bit. Here's something I wrote about the other night. The Tigers just finished what we all described as the worst quote, unquote collapse in baseball history. Have you noticed they're still playing?

[C]

They're still playing.

[A]

If they keep winning, is it still a collapse?

[E]

We're recording this and it's October 7th. The last time the Tigers won a game at Comerica was September 8th. Okay, we're looking at a month since the last time they won on the road at home. And I think that's why AJ Hinch is like, we don't need to win the last game of the season. We'll go to Cleveland. During that middle of that long losing streak, it was at home. And let's not forget something. The Mariners, when they went to Comerica this year, they swept the tigers. They hit 11 home runs and scored 35 runs against the Tigers. I know this is postseason, it's different. But at the same time, Terry School is not pitching either in Detroit.

[A]

Tim, what do you think? Is this a collapse if they keep winning?

[D]

They're the only team in major league history to lose a 15 and a half game lead and not win its league or division. But because they made the playoffs, you can't call it a collapse. They we were 25 games over.500 and they gave this close to not making the playoffs. The metric 21 over didn't make it. And Buster called it the worst collapse in baseball because there are six playoff spots and they didn't get one of them. So yes, they were this close to the worst collapse in baseball history. And here they are playing a game three at home against the Mariners. No, it can't be the biggest collapse because they are still playing in October.

[A]

Yeah, I mean they're famous for pitching chaos. This is history book chaos.

[D]

Right.

[A]

Can I ask you guys about the future of baseball at espn? I'm not sure what you can tell us, but I had, I had a little tinge of sadness when that last Sunday night baseball game signed off. I don't know about you, Eduardo, but I mean this has been a big part of our lives for a really long time. Sunday night baseball. So what is it okay to tell the world about what's next?

[E]

Yeah, it's 36 years, right? Yeah, 36 years of watching John Miller. The first time they went on, it was John Miller and Joe Morgan in Montreal Expos New York Mets game at Stade Olympique Olympic Stadium. And yeah, it is for us that are very nostalgic and love the game and me that I don't know if I missed many or any at all the Sunday night baseball games. It was the must thing to watch every Sunday, especially when, you know, there were no phones, there were no iPhones and everything. And that's what you did. You turned it on and it was a moment. But I'll say this baseball is still going to be strong in the ESPN family. It will continue one way or another. I know that Major League Baseball will continue to develop unbelievable talent that we as a network, there's one network that covers, I believe, every sport with a passion. And it's the company that I've been in and the company you guys and you were in at one point, Jason, because I used to watch you all the Time with. And Tim is in and that Doug's in. It's the people. It's the people that make this. And. And the good thing is soon, hopefully soon, news will come out that it will be good news. But I know that baseball, one way or another, is going to be here with espn, and we're going to do our best to continue to cover it with the respect and honor and love that we've always had for this game that all of us love.

[D]

Right. And Jason, I feel the same way. We're going to have baseball next year, and in some form, I'm not sure. And I don't care how corny this sounds. The best part about my job is I get to get in a cab with Doug Glanville at 4:30 in the morning, West coast time, leaving from LA to go home for 12 hours. And I'm not even going to use names because I don't want anyone's feelings hurt. But Doug told me to watch this, watch the. The routes that this guy takes. They're not as great as everyone thinks. And like, 14 hours later, somebody took a wrong route in the outfield. And ultimately, this is why I do. What I do is I get to learn from Doug Glanville, and hopefully in the next few days, I get to take a helicopter ride with Eduardo.

[A]

Yeah, dial that up on your Uber app, Tim. That's what we want.

[C]

No, that's been an incredible ride and I. I think it is to be continued for sure. But. Well, I go back to meeting Eduardo, like, really the first time formally as a, you know, not playing against him at Victory Field in Indianapolis, but actually playing it, you know, and getting drafted the same year. Yeah. The thing that I remember about meeting Eduardo was just how gracious and how great a teammate he was. And I know people say that about everybody, but, like, right out of the gate, he was showing me how to use the server and how to get the, you know, the ingest going for all the video he just shares, you know, it's not proprietary. He's just like, I'll give you whatever information to help you. And that was like, right out of the gate. He did that with all the teammates and. And so I think, you know, it is truly a family, you know, Jessica Mendoza and. And everybody that we work with all the time, we've been around together for such a long time.

[E]

And.

[C]

And so we have real friendships and we check in on each other and our kids. And Eduardo's flying in from abroad with his wife and we're having dinner and you know, it's just like. It's real natural. So I think when I work with, you know, guys like John Chambie on radio, it is someone that I've known for almost 30 years. And I think that comes through when we do what we do and our love for baseball. And I think we've had to be champions as baseball has changed its footprint. It's been different with football and basketball, bigger and baseball. All of us share that real organic love for the sport where we can just talk about it forever, and we have these associations in our relationships with our lives that baseball became the shining beacon. I'll give an example of writing a story now for my next substack. And I lost to a coach and a teammate that I grew up playing with in the summer. The coach was a detective at the Teaneck Police Department at my hometown. The son became a captain, and he was my teammate, and a bunch of my teammates ended up in law enforcement. And so they been through a lot of things, and they use sport and baseball and coaching to be better police officers. And I kind of saw firsthand how baseball became this answer to de escalating conflict to working police officers, volunteer coaches with youth, all these things that, you know, you kind of say, oh, well, baseball is just baseball. Well, I've always seen it as so much bigger, and I think it's been great all those years, you know, working with my colleagues at ESPN and what we do here at Starkville in so many places that it kind of upholds that standard throughout, and it really sets it. So it's been an honor, and I, you know, hopefully it will continue.

[D]

And it's so much fun to work with Carl Ravitch and Eduardo together. Ravi, as we know, is the greatest point guard ever. He distributes to the analysts, the shooting guards, who everyone. So a couple years ago in Williamsport, this guy, total stranger, comes up to me in the lobby at the hotel, and he goes, oh, my God. Oh, my God, here he is. This guy knows more baseball than anyone. It's Carl Ravage. Come over here, Carl. So he. He's got me mixed up for Carl Ravage. And before I can say, sorry, you've got the wrong guy, he brings his entire family over to meet me, who he thinks is Carl Ravage. So for, like, four minutes, I had to be Carl Ravage because it was too embarrassing. So for four minutes, I had a four handicap and the smallest hands I've ever seen in my life. But I became Ravi for four minutes, and it was. It Was quite an honor because nobody, but nobody has represented baseball at our company better than him for the last 32 years.

[A]

This guy, he could be listening right now. And you just. You've just changed everything about one of his greatest memories.

[D]

Okay? Happens all the time. Guy came up to me at the Rogers center the other day, put his arm around me and said, I love watching you, Buster. Love it. So I'm Buster to some people in Toronto.

[C]

You have to definitely call an ambulance if he mixed you up with Doug Glanville. That would be.

[E]

Yeah, that would be some kind of problem.

[C]

You might have to have pepper spray if that's the case.

[A]

Or an optometrist. All right, we've all got to run. But how can I not ask Tim Kirkshen, what's the strangest but truest thing you've seen this October? Tim, I want to know if you say the thing that we're going to talk about in a minute.

[D]

Look, you're the only man in the world stranger than me, Jason, okay? You're the only one that recognizes stranger things that have. And I'm embarrassed because I. I can't even remember the specifics of this, but I did. The Dodgers, Reds. God, I'm so embarrassed. And I was looking for that. I can't even find it. The Reds pinch hit for a guy. Is that it? Did I get it right? I'm so embarrassed.

[A]

It's really good. This is a. This is a spoiler alert. Coming up in our next segment, we're gonna explain all of this. But what Tim is alluding to is Alex Vessier of the Dodgers struck out a hitter who he never faced. This happens, Right?

[D]

Right. And I was trying to. I was explaining to Tom Hart, we did the radio together, that I've seen this before, actually. A guy taken out with a two strike count, okay? In fact, I saw Frank Robinson in 1988 take J. Tibs out of a game with an two count. He had an O. Jose Canseco hit two vicious line drives, fouled on the left field line, and Frank came and took J. Tibbs out of the game. But this was a 12 count in a playoff game. They took him out. And then I had to explain, since two strikes, it's a 12 count. The strikeout is going to go to the guy who accrued the two strikes. So the third guy, the next guy came in, swung and missed. And he didn't strike out. The guy before him did. I'm so happy I got this. And I'm so embarrassed.

[E]

Specifics Jason, when it happened, we were all laughing because we're like, tim is going nuts right now in the booth. The right person is in the booth right now for this.

[A]

I was thinking the same thing. You know, many people were texting me, it's midnight. It's just what we do, and we're proud of it. Tim, Eduardo, we love you guys. We know how much stuff you've got on your plate right now. So honored that you took a helicopter to Starkville.

[E]

I did.

[A]

Literally. So this deserves a statue here in the Starkfield town square. You can be assured Glanville is right on top of that. Am I right, Doug?

[C]

Yeah. We'll have a helicopter next to it. And do we have our own currency? I'm wondering, you know, we should charge, like, rates, you know, currency.

[E]

There's the chopper.

[A]

Okay, so there's not going to be a statue and there's not going to be a helicopter, but there is going to be a show, and we were so glad that you guys were a part of it. Thank you, boys. We will see you soon.

[D]

Well, thanks for having us. It was a blast as always, guys.

[C]

Appreciate it. See you soon.

[D]

Dude, did you order the new iPhone 17 Pro?

[A]

Got it from Verizon, the best 5G network in America. I never looked so good.

[D]

You look the same.

[A]

But with this camera, everything looks better.

[C]

Especially me.

[D]

You haven't changed your hair in 15 years. Selfies check, please.

[B]

New and existing customers can get the new iPhone 17 Pro, designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever, with eligible phone, trade in and unlimited ultimate, any condition guaranteed. Best 5G source route metrics data United States 1H 2025 all rights, reserve, trade and additional terms apply for all offers. See verizon.com for details.

[E]

Don't raise your voice to prove you're right.

[C]

Focus your mind with every word of.

[E]

Irrefutable fact you can find. Because conviction is the calm that comes when you know that you really do know. People who read the Financial Times know that they can shape their own perspectives with confidence because their viewpoints are informed by genuinely unbiased journalism, clarity and conviction. Source FT subscribe to the Financial [e-mail].

[B]

You know, brand growth drives business growth. But are you proving it? It's not enough to talk about great creative or reach. Your CFO wants proof that your brand activity is driving growth with the buyers who actually matter. Tracksuit changes that in just 30 days, you'll have always on brand tracking, showing how your brand stacks up against your category and competitors. With fresh data every month, make Confident, agile decisions with metrics your whole team can use. Check us [e-mail] proveimpact.

[A]

Strange but true, Doug, this makes two weeks in a row that the crazy thing we're about to talk about in this segment is a crazy thing that you and Tim Kirkjen actually personally witnessed. And I can't tell you how much I love it when that happens. As we were just laughing about with Tim, I think this is up there with the strangest but truest stuff that has ever happened in any postseason game ever played. I mean, as I was saying, like, when people start texting me about it at midnight, I know how great it is. And yet, like, once this dust settled, I felt like almost no one around the country even noticed. Maybe they were asleep. I don't know what was going on, but we're going to relive this now. So Tim couldn't figure the details. Here we go. This is game two of the Reds Dodgers wildcard series. Emmett Sheehan, who's a starting pitcher for the Dodgers, comes into pitch in relief. And like, he was just having trouble, Doug, he was having trouble throwing strikes. And finally, like, Dave Roberts is watching this and he had seen enough. So out he goes. Takes him out of the game. And, like, that happens, but not when the count is one and two. Okay, so here comes the best part of this, Doug. We have a postseason pitching change in the middle of an at bat with a one and two count. And that was not even the strange but true part of this. So let's listen to a little sampling of what went on here, and then we'll explain it better.

[D]

She and fire inside.

[E]

And that almost hit him.

[D]

Benson let go of the bat and hit the dirt.

[C]

But then your instincts are like, that's gonna hit my knee. That's, that's. I don't know, the count.

[D]

One and two, Dave Roberts out of the dugout.

[C]

You know you're one pitch away, but at the same time, you know, he hit, gets Benson on that, all of a sudden its base is loaded.

[D]

Swing and a miss and Vestia gets in dohar. And yes, that strikeout, if you're wondering, is credited to Benson.

[A]

I recognize those voices. John Schambi doing the play by play. Who's that other guy? Can't place him.

[C]

Yeah, I guess I'm in two places at once. Apparently. I could pull that off.

[A]

If anybody can do it, you can do it. Yes.

[C]

Ventriloquist.

[A]

Have we ever had this, like, where we played the audio of a strange but true moment and you were on the call.

[C]

I don't know. Probably not. That might be a first. And so, yeah, we jumped ahead. It was like a teleport. We had Shein on and then it was Vestia and then we had Benson on and then it was Anduar. It was like, wait a minute, what happened? That was the same at bat.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, so let's run through it. The at bat started with Emmett Sheehan pitching to Will Benson. That's not how it ended. It ended with Alex Vessia throwing one pitch to Miguel Anduhar. And he got a swing and miss on that pitch. And he got credit for a one pitch strikeout, which is hard. Okay.

[C]

Very tough.

[A]

But not of Miguel Andahar. No. Okay.

[C]

No, he did not.

[A]

The rules of baseball are so goofy that Alex Basia had just struck out a hitter that he never threw a pitch to Will Benson. Doug, you were there when it dawned on you this had just happened. How blown was your mind when you saw it?

[C]

I was already in mind. Blow situation. Because he came out and took him out. Like, that's why you hear like the pauses because we're watching and I'm like, is Robert's gonna take him out? Like, you know, I thought he might like scold him or something. Because keep in mind the context is that the game before the Dodgers imploded in the eighth inning. Their whole pitching staff, they use like three pitches. They had the warm up Sheehan the game before. And Roberts told us before the game, he's like, I'll be very upset, you know, because he didn't want to like burn guys by getting them hot and warming up and then not use them well. That's what happened to Sheehan the night before. So here we are back again in the eighth inning and they're doing the same thing. They're blowing this big lead and Sheehan is really struggling with his control. He gets Benson 02. So you're like, okay, he's looking good here. And then he does like a slider sweeper that I don't know how Benson got out of the way. And we had the camera on Roberts like all the time. And John Schaube had asked him before that game, he said, okay, we had the camera on you in the eighth inning last night. And I want to know like the scale of 1 to 10, what's your grumpiness level? What was your grumpiness level? He's like, it was an 8. So he said like. And he said, if you had to bring Sheehan in the game, what would it have been? He said a 12. So now Sheehan is in, and he probably can't go the full distance he would have gone if he hadn't been warmed up. Yes. The day before. And he throws a sweeper that almost takes out Benson. And he comes out. And so I was still hung up on that. And then I was like, wait a minute. Now Vessi is pitching. They're pinch hitting with Anduhar. And they were like, wait a minute.

[E]

What?

[C]

Wait, is this the same? Who's getting credit for what? And that's what it all dawned on me, that this is gonna be like a bunch of teleportations and, like, Calling of the Dead and reanimation and all these things. Because there are literally multiple people that are gonna do things that actually are not happening.

[A]

Right. Something happened that is impossible to happen. A guy struck out a hitter that he never pitched to. So this will shock you, Doug, but I felt like I had to get to the bottom of this. So I reached out to my friends at STATS and asked him, like, okay, what do we know about how strange and rare this really is? We can only really go back to 1988, because that's when we started keeping track of pitch counts. How many pitches a guy threw, what the count was when stuff happened. Okay? So in that time, there are only three other instances that we know of of a pitcher who struck out a hitter despite this little technicality, that he never actually threw a pitch to that hitter. Okay, so there was Xavier Hernandez struck out Wilton Guerrero. That was in 97. Even though he didn't pitch to him. Your friend and mine, Wayne Gomes, struck out Wally Joyner that month and a half later, also in 97. Yeah.

[C]

Weird year. 97. Interesting.

[A]

Yeah. Right. And then Ashton Godot struck out Paolo Espino. Or maybe it was reverse waiting.

[C]

I'm still waiting for Godot. I'm still waiting.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, right. He's waiting for a pitch to the guy he struck out. Exactly. So the question was, how many times had this ever happened in a postseason game? And what do you think, Doug? Can you possibly guess how many times?

[D]

Wow.

[C]

I mean, I'm thinking it has to rhyme with tiro or hero. So that means it's probably zero.

[A]

Zero is once again, the correct answer. This is the correct answer every week in this segment. Amazing. Still, I think you're a creative thinker. I want you to think about what baseball is trying to convince us happened here. That a pitcher could throw a pitch to one hitter and strike out another hitter, even though that hitter, he wasn't at the plate. He was in the dugout, and he struck out. So should we fix this, Doug? Like, that would require us to say to the powers that be in baseball. Can we just use some logic here? That never works.

[C]

No.

[A]

So should we fix it? Or should we just say, this is awesome?

[C]

We have to recognize the awesomeness of this. Baseball is baseball, but it's also magic. And if it's magic, you have to have things like that that make no sense, that people can teleport. There's telekinesis, there's analytics that are, you know, bordering on reading other people's minds. I mean, you know, you're already in that realm of mind reading. So if you take it a step further with this clairvoyant skill set, I figure that you can be a person and then not be a person at the same time. We're getting next level of, like, almost extraterrestrial. And, you know, I always appreciate the celestial discussions we have. So you have a batter that didn't hit but struck out, didn't swing the bat, didn't. Wasn't actually at the plate. So you're kind of in two places at one. So we're getting into, like, quantum physics kind of thing. And then you have a pitcher who threw a pitch, struck out a batter that he didn't pitch it to. So, you know, besides the quantum, the particles can be in two places at the same time. So when you're getting into fourth dimension, thinking this makes absolutely perfect sense. But in three dimensions in Earth, it's completely irrational and illogical, and that's the type of stuff we love here at Starkville.

[A]

So this felt like it was AI but instead we had a thing happen that never actually happened. And instead of saying, what the heck is that? You know what we say, Doug? It's just baseball.

[E]

Doug.

[A]

Have I ever mentioned that we now have a hotline that lets the people, the people listening out there, call and ask us fun baseball stuff? Have I ever mentioned that?

[C]

Yes. Remember, I gave you the phone number, the shorthand, Bap bop zump. That's how you can remember it. It just rolls off the tongue. It just sticks in your brain. So now you just go to the.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You go to the phone and you dial out the letters, and then you'll hit us at Starkville.

[A]

Or you could dial the actual numbers. I'll repeat them in a second here. I think maybe it's the Bap bop zump. But I think this hotline thing is catching on, because this makes Two straight weeks. Now that we're going to answer another question right here in this segment, which we now have a name for. It's very catchy. We're calling it the Call to the Bullpen. And if this was how bullpen phones actually worked, I think life out in the pen would be way more entertaining. But that's just me. Okay?

[C]

Yes, I agree.

[A]

This is also a reason to remind you that if you have a question for me and Doug, you can call the hotline too. You can call, I think it's bat bop zoom, but. Or you could dial 267-227-9867, which I personally think is easier to remember. But please remember to leave us your name. That's all we ask. Last week in this segment, we had a great call from a woman in Seattle. Very fun call for several reasons. Yes. One was she had a tremendous strange but true note for us on the Yastremsky family and 60th homers. But even better, she called Doug by a name. People rarely call you Doug, by which I mean Rob. And there was one more thing. She forgot to tell us her name when she called. So we had a lot of fun with her question on the show. And guess what? So apparently when we talk on Starkville, people can hear us.

[C]

That's amazing. Amazing.

[A]

Our mystery caller did hear us having a little fun with her appearance. And what do you think happened? She was inspired to call us back, which we love. So let's hear what she had to say this week, including reveal calling her name.

[D]

Hey, Doug, this is Mary from Seattle, Doug. And I'm the one who called you.

[B]

Doug and your buddy Jason about the.

[D]

Cal Raleigh Mickey Mantle Yastremsky family connection. And I just want to make sure.

[B]

You knew, Doug, that I know your.

[D]

Name is Doug, Doug.

[B]

And in fact, I'm a big fan.

[D]

Of you, Doug, in this podcast, Doug.

[B]

And I'm also an even bigger Phillies.

[D]

Fan than a Mariners fan, Doug. So of course I know you from your Phillies days, Doug. I just want to tell you, Doug, I just so tickled at you guys answered my voicemail and it just made my day, Doug.

[B]

And I'm sorry that I call you.

[D]

Rob, but I just gotta say you really sound like a Rob on the podcast. So thank you for all you guys do. You guys are just awesome. Doug. And here's my strange but true thing is I never meet anybody.

[B]

I'm just a regular person.

[D]

But last year I Met Rick Riz 4 times by accident each time. Cool. So that's my strange with true and thank you guys so much for all you do. Doug and Jason, you guys are the best.

[A]

I love that Doug. She called you Doug? 14 times. By my kid.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

That's all right. I mean, we like to keep the stats recorded here, so we like these numbers. 14 is magic.

[A]

I think we have a breakthrough here. Now we know her name, and also she knows your name. But, you know, I was really glad that she pointed out that you talk like a Rob, because who among us hasn't thought that? So let me ask you, is Rob your alternate Persona? I'd like you to tell us a little about Rob Glanville.

[C]

I mean, it's new, but then as I thought of it, I. You know, I could pass for Rob. I think it. You know, I think there's people that you look at and you say, you know what? That's a Stephanie. I think that makes perfect sense. I have had moments like that. I remember taking my son to a. When he was one to, like, a Spanish class thing where he's not speaking, but he's running around. And I remember I was there and someone was talking. One of the parents was talking to me, and I was like, she seems like her name would be, like, Rachel Stephanie or something. And sure enough, her name was Rachel. It was crazy. So I did get that right. So I'll take it as a compliment. I mean, maybe Mary could elaborate on what Rachel Rob sound like. I'm hoping it's, you know, something like leadership, innovation. You know, something. You know, I'm sure I'm thinking positive things there, so. But I've never been called Rob. There might be a Rob Glanville out there. If you are Rob Glanville, reach out to Starkville. We will bring you on.

[A]

Bob Zoom would do it. You know, I did make a list of some of the famous Robs. Rob Lowe, Rob Reiner, Rob Riggle, Robert Redford.

[C]

It's a Robert. Well, these are just Rob's. Just Rob's.

[A]

Rob Gronkowski.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Rob Thompson, Rob Manfred.

[C]

Rob Manfred.

[A]

It's amazing how much you remind me of all of those Robs. So, Mary, thanks for pointing that out. Thank you.

[C]

I appreciate that. You know, Leadership Commissioner, our fearless digital mayor has thrown out Rob Nenn. Although he had two B's. Yeah, that's okay. Well, it's still Rob.

[A]

You know, it could be that you're robbed with two Bs. We don't even know that, Mary, you'll have to call back and update us.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

I'm a big fan of you, Doug.

[C]

In this podcast Doug.

[A]

Okay, that's gonna do it for this week's show. Rob Glanville, thanks for playing. Thanks to Tim Kirkjen and Eduardo Perez for coptering in to visit us. Thanks to Mary for calling our hotline to reveal her identity and also Doug's. Thanks to the mayor of Starkville, Brian Smith, for producing us and putting up with us. And thanks to you all for listening. Call our hotline with your baseball questions. 267-227-9867 also known as what is it?

[C]

Bip Bop Zoo Zoom Bop bop Zoom.

[A]

It's already got it wrong. You can also email us at starkville@the athletic.com and Doug and I will you See you soon.

[D]

Dude, did you order the new iPhone 17 Pro?

[A]

Got it from Verizon, the best 5G network in America. I never look so good.

[D]

You look the same.

[A]

But with this camera everything looks better.

[C]

Especially me.

[D]

You haven't changed your hair in 15 years. Selfies check please.

[B]

New and existing customers can get the new iPhone 17 Pro, designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever with eligible phone, trade in and unlimited ultimate any condition guaranteed. Best 5G swears, route metrics data United States 1H 2025 All Rights Reserve, trade in and additional terms apply for all offers. See verizon.com for details. Take control of the numbers and supercharge your small business with Xero. That's X E R O.

[C]

With our.

[B]

Easy to use accounting software with automation and reporting features, you'll spend less time on manual tasks and more time understanding how your business is doing. 87% of surveyed US customers agree Xero helps improve financial visibility. Search Xero with an x or visit xero.comacast to start your 30 day free trial. Conditions apply.

[C]

Hey, it's Maya and Sim from the Girls that Invest podcast. If you are an IT or security pro, you know managing devices, identities and applications can feel overwhelming and honestly risky. That's where Trellica by1Password comes in. It helps conquer SaaS sprawl and shadow it by discovering every app your team.

[E]

Uses, managed or not.

[C]

With pre built app profiles, you can assess risk, manage access and even optimize your software spend. Plus, IT simplifies onboarding, offboarding and compliance, all while cutting costs by eliminating unused licenses. Take the first step to better security for your team. Learn more at 1Password.com specialoffer.