October 10, 2025 • 17 mins
Toronto Star baseball columnist Mike Wilner takes us through the ups and downs of Toronto's season. He also describes how the Yankees’ mindset heading into the series added to their downfall and the media’s role in this process.
Looking forward, Wilner comments on the state of the arms and what the Jays can do with a partial Bo Bichette return.
Hosts: AJ Pierzynski, Erik Kratz, Scott Braun
Foul Territory Presented by FOX One: Start your 7-day free trial today at FOXone.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Toronto Star columnist Mike Wilner back on ft OH, how
things have changed since we last spoke to you, Mike,
how you doing and what's your shock factor? If you
go back to let's go back to the off season, right,
if you go from the off season to now, what's
your shock factor? If I said, Mike, you'd be on
foul territory in October ninth talking about the Jays taking
(00:24):
down the Yankees in four games to advance to the ALCS.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
First of all, the shock factor for just being back
on foul territory is pretty huge. It's been a long time,
as you guys called me. But as far as the
Jays being in the ALCS, look, I thought going into
the season that it would be a season like twenty
twenty two or twenty three, where the Blue Jays were
sort of a fringe wild card contender, probably the sixth
(00:51):
or seventh best team in the American League might sneak
into the playoffs, and once you get in things can happen.
But obviously they hadn't made anything happened in the playoffs
for a very long time. And then the season started
and they started off twelve and eight, playing really well,
but then they lost I think sixteen out of twenty,
and it was pretty plain to see that it didn't think.
(01:14):
It didn't look like things were gonna work. I wasn't
impressed by the offseason, and in fact, you know what,
looking back now, I continue to not be impressed by
the off season because the players that they brought in,
the big ones, Anthony Santander, andre C Menez, Jimmy Garcia,
Max Scherzer didn't really contribute to the Blue Jays having
(01:38):
the ninety four win season and finishing in first place.
Jeff Hoffman did with thirty three saves that was pretty terrific,
but he was also second in the league in blown
saves and he led the league in home runs allowed
by relievers. So, you know, it felt like to me
until they got Santan Daer that they were tripling down
on this pitching and defense thing and trying to prove
that you can win a game nothing. Nothing. Then they
(01:59):
got Santa there a little bit of power, but he
wound up missing four months. So I think it's reasonable
to say that nobody saw this coming, and especially first
week of May. Nobody saw this coming. But credit to them,
they become a really, really good team with serious contributions.
(02:20):
From one through twenty six, they were the second hardest
team in the league to strike out, and they led
the major leagues in batting average in on base percentage.
That's tough to be.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Krat said this earlier. They out baseball, and what you
just said kind of is what they do. They're one
through twenty six. Every guy contributes, no matter who it
is or what they're doing. And I agree. I mean,
they just out baseball the Yankees, and they have a
way to They have a pretty I mean, I'm not
gonna say easy path, but they have a path to
not only get to the World Series for the first
time in forever, but to win it because of really
(02:57):
good starting pitching, really good defense, timely hit in a
bullpen that's been I think is better than people give
them credit for, even though I know they've taken their lumps.
But I just think this is a complete roster, and
for me, it's the most complete roster right now in
the American League.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
I mean, I think it is, and I don't even
know that you have to say right now, the Blue
Jays are the top seed in the American League. They
earned that number one spot and I understand. I don't
know quite why. Maybe because they finished in the last
place last year, Maybe because they really have been an
afterthought around Major League Baseball except for twenty fifteen and sixteen,
(03:32):
for about three decades. But they're the top seed, they're
the number one team in the American League, they have
the best record in the league, so they should have
the path to go into the World Series. And there's
no question that Seattle and Detroit going to a Game
five helps them out a lot because it takes Trek
Scooble and Logan Gilbert out of the equation until Game three,
(03:56):
regardless of which team they face. And they'll be playing
a team that has to have done two cross country
flights in three days. And I know how well big
league teams travel, but it's still a pain to do
a couple of six hour flights in the space of
seventy two hours. So yeah, they definitely aj out baseball.
The New York Yankees, and I have to agree with
(04:18):
Buck Martinez are one of our broadcasters here. The Yankees
just aren't a very good baseball team. I mean, yet,
they won ninety four games, it was great, But if
they're not hitting home runs, they're not going to beat you.
And the fact that the Blue Jays were able to
so overwhelm their starting pitching until Cam Schlittler, who was
(04:38):
fine nothing specially give up four runs, but fine. You know,
Max Freed, Luis Hill, and Carlos Rodon none of them
gotten out in the fourth inning. And it's just because
the Blue Jays wore them down. Heel, you can do
that to Freedom Rodn you're not supposed to be able
to do it too. But the Blue Jays have worn
(05:00):
down good starting pitching all year by not striking out
and having extended Anthony Santander had an eleven pitch flyout
last night. It's it's a good baseball team. They take
care of the ball. They have tons of people on base,
so a big hits bound to happen sooner or later.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
And they do. They do a lot of things that
the Yankees don't, which is why they went eleven and
six against them this year.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
This episode of FT is presented by Fox one AJ.
If people have the Fox one app then they get
to listen to you. Adam, Wayne Right and Adam Amine
for one more game a game five five on Friday,
all alone. No Yankees, Blue Jays. Just your game, a
game five? What time is that game?
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Eight Eastern, so prime, prime time. I'm pomped man Friday,
there's no other games. There's really not a lot of
college football Friday night. It is baseball, and we complained
there was no games on a Friday night before. Well,
guess what you get Game five? My question is this
going to be the only game five? Because I don't know.
Do we think the Phillies get it done? But I
(06:13):
love the fact that we get a game five. I've done.
This will be my third Game five I've got to do.
They are awesome, they are fun. My first two years
I did this, I got to do game five and
I haven't had one since. So guys are pretty excited
about it. The crew is super excited. I can to
do a winter or take all game.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yeah, it's fun. Crazy things happen, right, we'll probably see.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Manager's panic like nobody, oh my.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Gosh, decision scrutinized. So we're excited about it. We'll be
watching and listening to you guys. And if you don't
have a way to get the game, everyone has a
way to get the game. Now, Okay, it's the Fox
one app. We're pumping it the next few weeks. Here
on FT you can stream Fox one. You can get
yourself a free seven day trial by hitting that QR
(06:57):
code or going to the description either in this YouTube
episode or if you're listening to us on podcast form,
you can do the same over.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
There was there some angst in this series between the
two teams, because I get it when the series is over,
it's a big series. You're you're playing your you're playing
your division rival. But before the series started, you saw
you saw George Springer say, oh, why don't they just
give give the Yankees the division? And then after Hoffman
(07:30):
closed the game out and struck out Bellinger, you saw
him look over yell at their dugout, show him away.
You heard what John Schneider said, you know, play his
his his comments after the game, and I get it
to the spoils go the win or the winner go
the spoils. But was there extra angst because it was
(07:50):
the Yankees or because it was the vision rival.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I think that that extra emotion was in there more
be because it was the Yankees and what they I
don't know if it's what they represent, but the I've
called it like Manifest Destiny. It's like people simply believe
that because the Yankees are the Yankees, they have earned
(08:17):
this level of respect and deference, and it's just it's
just not the case. I mean, they the Yankees and
their front office and the fan base sort of walks
around as though, why would you even think you're gonna
beat us? Like what you know, Like the Yankees were
(08:38):
talking and a lot of people were talking like the
Yankees were the favorites in this series again, despite the
fact that the Jays had won the season series with them,
embarrassed them at Rogers Center, they went eight and one
against him in Toronto this year and were the higher seed,
didn't have to play in the first round. And yet
now I think I saw on the Athletic ninety nine
(09:01):
of the people were predicting that they of their reporters
were predicting the Yankees would win this series. The Yankees
sort of carry themselves like, well, you know, we're gonna win,
and you're just gonna have to deal with that. And
so I don't have a problem with pushing back on that,
especially when it's not deserved, and it certainly wasn't deserved
(09:23):
this year, and it did feel like, you know, you
talked about George Springer saying they might as well just
give it to New York. There were three calls in
the last week and a half of the season, two
on replay and the Springer which should have been a
two run double down the line that was called foul
that was not reviewable. Three plays that went horribly against
(09:46):
the Blue Jays, a fan interference call in Tampa, a
Dalton Varshow trap call on a ball very clearly caught,
but replay couldn't definitively determine that the ball might not
have brushed against the top of a blade of grass
while it was in his glove before he picked his
glove up. People were starting to think that the screws
were being turned against the Jays. I've always thought, look,
(10:09):
if Major League Baseball didn't want the Blue Jays to
win the division this year, it I mean, they would
never would have gotten anywhere close to ninety four wins.
They would have been an eighty three win team that
didn't make the playoffs, and that the tinfoil hat stuff
would have started a lot sooner. But there were some
heightened emotions at the time, and I believe that you know,
(10:31):
any time you have the chance to give it to
the New York Yankees, you absolutely have to do it
because they're the New York Yankees. They're they're the Evil Empire.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
All right? Moving forward, before you.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Do, Cratzy, I have to say this one thing because
I watched the segment before and you were talking about
how you were a two h seven hitter and wouldn't
have been able to get a hit. And I still
remember the double and the ninth inning you hit off
a role this Chapman in Cincinnati to win a game
for the J's. So give yourself a little bit of credit.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
What a what a hey, you know, blind squirrel finds
it not every once in a while, but what a
memory that's like twenty fourteen. Yeah, that was a big moment.
That was a big moment. Okay, I appreciate it. Now
now I forget my question. No, is the fact that
they had to run a bullpen game, and is the
fact that they had Chris Bassett and Max Schurzer not
(11:25):
on the roster a detriment moving forward? Is it a
something that they have to And I know the bullpen
game went really well, but holy crap, seventh inning, I
think the Yankees had the tying run up. Had that
game gotten tied up, then you're going to the next
day starter in Golfman, Trey you Savage. Is that a
(11:48):
detriment for the Blue Jays moving forward?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Yeah, it was two out in the eighth inning when
the Yankees got the tying run to the plate, and
after the walk to load the bases, Jeff Hoffmin got
a first pitch out and that's when it got really
really tight. But you're right, if the Yankees tie the game,
you're going to Gosman or you Savage, and then your
hands are pretty tied for Game five. I think I
thought going into the series only carrying three starters was
(12:14):
another one of these maybe two cute moves by the
front office. But the truth is Chris Bassett finished the
season on the injured list. He had a back problem
and they didn't think that he was gonna be ready
to help them in this series. He probably is back
on the roster for the Alcs and Max Scherzer. He's
going to the Hall of Fame. He's one of the
greatest pitchers of all time. He has been such a
(12:37):
big help around here, especially those six weeks in July
and August where he was so good. But Max Scherzer
since the middle of August has pitched twenty five innings
and given up twenty five runs, and he's got an
ERA of over twelve in the first inning. So I'm
not sure. You know, I hate, I know this is
like blasphemy, but I don't think he earned a spot
(12:59):
on the playoff ros much like Mark Burley wasn't on
the playoff roster for the Jason twenty fifteen. But I
do think having the way the days off go in
the best of five lent more credence to using a
bullpen game because you knew you were going to be
(13:19):
able to take it easy on the relievers. In Game three,
you hoped for a longer start from Shane Bieber and
didn't get it, but they made sure that nobody threw
more than twenty pitches out of the bullpen in Game three,
and an off day before that and an off day
after Game four. You can do it. But if you
want to run a bullpen game in the ALCS, you're
(13:41):
doing it where there's a span of three games with
no off day, and it makes it a lot tougher
because you're going to wear out your bullpen four Game
five or in Game three, and that's an issue. I
think we're going to see Chris Bassett back on the
playoff roster in the next round.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
All Right, a couple of things you just said, like one,
not having Mark Burley on the playoff roster. Who's blasphem me? Okay,
I don't know what he did, but I mean, he
was only throwing eighty three in two thousand and five
and he pitched fine, so I'm sure he was maybe
throwing eighty two so he would have been fine. So
let's also, you know, establish it. And yeah, Max, you
didn't hear him anything from Max. Max understood why these
guys they get it, they understand. But my question is
(14:24):
are we going to see Bo? Are we going to
see Bobachette. I know he's been jogging, but there's a
big difference between jogging and playing shortstop in the ALCS
against the other best team in the American League.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
We're definitely not going to see Bobachett playing shortstop, I think.
But I think we may see Bobachett as a DH
in the ALCS. He spoke after the game last night
in New York and he said that He's made some
huge strides in the past few days, but he still
has to be able to run the bases, and he's
got three days to get better, and you know, maybe
(14:57):
he's got six. Because if I'm the Blue Jays and
I think Bo's gonna be ready for Game three, I'm
putting him on the roster if he's going to be
ready for Game three, which is Tuesday. Game one Sunday
will be five weeks exactly since he got hurt sliding
into Austin Wells shin guard and sort of jamming up
(15:18):
his knee and straining it. And these injuries are like
four to six week injuries usually, But to have him
out there playing shorts up. There is zero chance of
that happening before the World Series if they get there,
and maybe not even in the World Series. But I
would not be surprised if he's on the roster as
a DH only, and that might cost Anthony santanderra a spot.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
That's a good point decisions call.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think it's a tough call. Honestly,
Santander has I think three hits since coming back. He
missed most of the last four months of the season,
and to be able to ask a guy to be
who you are. Once you do that, it doesn't work
for me. It was one for ten with six strikeouts
(16:08):
in the regular season, and I think had two or
three hits in this ALCS. He's a poor defensive outfielder.
You should be able to put George Springer out there
and to have Bow's bat back. He's missed a month,
but his swing's a little bit different than Santander's and
(16:29):
Tony Tatter's missed a lot of time and really hasn't
done it. He's had some great at bats since he's
gotten back, but they haven't resulted in any hits. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Well, the one the game three was that the two
runs big hit.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
That was big.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
I know they lost the game, but that was big.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
But that is fair.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
That is fair.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
I mean, it's been a tough year for him, and
I think everyone would agree if bo can hit, they
will take that bat because he also, I think has
the clutch gene, which we could spend an hour talking
about alone. Mike, this was awesome, man. We will invite
you back sooner, especially if these Wouldjays keep doing their thing.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Okay, all right, Always a pleasure to be here, guys,
thanks H,
Toronto Star columnist Mike Wilner back on ft OH, how
things have changed since we last spoke to you, Mike,
how you doing and what's your shock factor? If you
go back to let's go back to the off season, right,
if you go from the off season to now, what's
your shock factor? If I said, Mike, you'd be on
foul territory in October ninth talking about the Jays taking
(00:24):
down the Yankees in four games to advance to the ALCS.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
First of all, the shock factor for just being back
on foul territory is pretty huge. It's been a long time,
as you guys called me. But as far as the
Jays being in the ALCS, look, I thought going into
the season that it would be a season like twenty
twenty two or twenty three, where the Blue Jays were
sort of a fringe wild card contender, probably the sixth
(00:51):
or seventh best team in the American League might sneak
into the playoffs, and once you get in things can happen.
But obviously they hadn't made anything happened in the playoffs
for a very long time. And then the season started
and they started off twelve and eight, playing really well,
but then they lost I think sixteen out of twenty,
and it was pretty plain to see that it didn't think.
(01:14):
It didn't look like things were gonna work. I wasn't
impressed by the offseason, and in fact, you know what,
looking back now, I continue to not be impressed by
the off season because the players that they brought in,
the big ones, Anthony Santander, andre C Menez, Jimmy Garcia,
Max Scherzer didn't really contribute to the Blue Jays having
(01:38):
the ninety four win season and finishing in first place.
Jeff Hoffman did with thirty three saves that was pretty terrific,
but he was also second in the league in blown
saves and he led the league in home runs allowed
by relievers. So, you know, it felt like to me
until they got Santan Daer that they were tripling down
on this pitching and defense thing and trying to prove
that you can win a game nothing. Nothing. Then they
(01:59):
got Santa there a little bit of power, but he
wound up missing four months. So I think it's reasonable
to say that nobody saw this coming, and especially first
week of May. Nobody saw this coming. But credit to them,
they become a really, really good team with serious contributions.
(02:20):
From one through twenty six, they were the second hardest
team in the league to strike out, and they led
the major leagues in batting average in on base percentage.
That's tough to be.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Krat said this earlier. They out baseball, and what you
just said kind of is what they do. They're one
through twenty six. Every guy contributes, no matter who it
is or what they're doing. And I agree. I mean,
they just out baseball the Yankees, and they have a
way to They have a pretty I mean, I'm not
gonna say easy path, but they have a path to
not only get to the World Series for the first
time in forever, but to win it because of really
(02:57):
good starting pitching, really good defense, timely hit in a
bullpen that's been I think is better than people give
them credit for, even though I know they've taken their lumps.
But I just think this is a complete roster, and
for me, it's the most complete roster right now in
the American League.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
I mean, I think it is, and I don't even
know that you have to say right now, the Blue
Jays are the top seed in the American League. They
earned that number one spot and I understand. I don't
know quite why. Maybe because they finished in the last
place last year, Maybe because they really have been an
afterthought around Major League Baseball except for twenty fifteen and sixteen,
(03:32):
for about three decades. But they're the top seed, they're
the number one team in the American League, they have
the best record in the league, so they should have
the path to go into the World Series. And there's
no question that Seattle and Detroit going to a Game
five helps them out a lot because it takes Trek
Scooble and Logan Gilbert out of the equation until Game three,
(03:56):
regardless of which team they face. And they'll be playing
a team that has to have done two cross country
flights in three days. And I know how well big
league teams travel, but it's still a pain to do
a couple of six hour flights in the space of
seventy two hours. So yeah, they definitely aj out baseball.
The New York Yankees, and I have to agree with
(04:18):
Buck Martinez are one of our broadcasters here. The Yankees
just aren't a very good baseball team. I mean, yet,
they won ninety four games, it was great, But if
they're not hitting home runs, they're not going to beat you.
And the fact that the Blue Jays were able to
so overwhelm their starting pitching until Cam Schlittler, who was
(04:38):
fine nothing specially give up four runs, but fine. You know,
Max Freed, Luis Hill, and Carlos Rodon none of them
gotten out in the fourth inning. And it's just because
the Blue Jays wore them down. Heel, you can do
that to Freedom Rodn you're not supposed to be able
to do it too. But the Blue Jays have worn
(05:00):
down good starting pitching all year by not striking out
and having extended Anthony Santander had an eleven pitch flyout
last night. It's it's a good baseball team. They take
care of the ball. They have tons of people on base,
so a big hits bound to happen sooner or later.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
And they do. They do a lot of things that
the Yankees don't, which is why they went eleven and
six against them this year.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
This episode of FT is presented by Fox one AJ.
If people have the Fox one app then they get
to listen to you. Adam, Wayne Right and Adam Amine
for one more game a game five five on Friday,
all alone. No Yankees, Blue Jays. Just your game, a
game five? What time is that game?
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Eight Eastern, so prime, prime time. I'm pomped man Friday,
there's no other games. There's really not a lot of
college football Friday night. It is baseball, and we complained
there was no games on a Friday night before. Well,
guess what you get Game five? My question is this
going to be the only game five? Because I don't know.
Do we think the Phillies get it done? But I
(06:13):
love the fact that we get a game five. I've done.
This will be my third Game five I've got to do.
They are awesome, they are fun. My first two years
I did this, I got to do game five and
I haven't had one since. So guys are pretty excited
about it. The crew is super excited. I can to
do a winter or take all game.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yeah, it's fun. Crazy things happen, right, we'll probably see.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Manager's panic like nobody, oh my.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Gosh, decision scrutinized. So we're excited about it. We'll be
watching and listening to you guys. And if you don't
have a way to get the game, everyone has a
way to get the game. Now, Okay, it's the Fox
one app. We're pumping it the next few weeks. Here
on FT you can stream Fox one. You can get
yourself a free seven day trial by hitting that QR
(06:57):
code or going to the description either in this YouTube
episode or if you're listening to us on podcast form,
you can do the same over.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
There was there some angst in this series between the
two teams, because I get it when the series is over,
it's a big series. You're you're playing your you're playing
your division rival. But before the series started, you saw
you saw George Springer say, oh, why don't they just
give give the Yankees the division? And then after Hoffman
(07:30):
closed the game out and struck out Bellinger, you saw
him look over yell at their dugout, show him away.
You heard what John Schneider said, you know, play his
his his comments after the game, and I get it
to the spoils go the win or the winner go
the spoils. But was there extra angst because it was
(07:50):
the Yankees or because it was the vision rival.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I think that that extra emotion was in there more
be because it was the Yankees and what they I
don't know if it's what they represent, but the I've
called it like Manifest Destiny. It's like people simply believe
that because the Yankees are the Yankees, they have earned
(08:17):
this level of respect and deference, and it's just it's
just not the case. I mean, they the Yankees and
their front office and the fan base sort of walks
around as though, why would you even think you're gonna
beat us? Like what you know, Like the Yankees were
(08:38):
talking and a lot of people were talking like the
Yankees were the favorites in this series again, despite the
fact that the Jays had won the season series with them,
embarrassed them at Rogers Center, they went eight and one
against him in Toronto this year and were the higher seed,
didn't have to play in the first round. And yet
now I think I saw on the Athletic ninety nine
(09:01):
of the people were predicting that they of their reporters
were predicting the Yankees would win this series. The Yankees
sort of carry themselves like, well, you know, we're gonna win,
and you're just gonna have to deal with that. And
so I don't have a problem with pushing back on that,
especially when it's not deserved, and it certainly wasn't deserved
(09:23):
this year, and it did feel like, you know, you
talked about George Springer saying they might as well just
give it to New York. There were three calls in
the last week and a half of the season, two
on replay and the Springer which should have been a
two run double down the line that was called foul
that was not reviewable. Three plays that went horribly against
(09:46):
the Blue Jays, a fan interference call in Tampa, a
Dalton Varshow trap call on a ball very clearly caught,
but replay couldn't definitively determine that the ball might not
have brushed against the top of a blade of grass
while it was in his glove before he picked his
glove up. People were starting to think that the screws
were being turned against the Jays. I've always thought, look,
(10:09):
if Major League Baseball didn't want the Blue Jays to
win the division this year, it I mean, they would
never would have gotten anywhere close to ninety four wins.
They would have been an eighty three win team that
didn't make the playoffs, and that the tinfoil hat stuff
would have started a lot sooner. But there were some
heightened emotions at the time, and I believe that you know,
(10:31):
any time you have the chance to give it to
the New York Yankees, you absolutely have to do it
because they're the New York Yankees. They're they're the Evil Empire.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
All right? Moving forward, before you.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Do, Cratzy, I have to say this one thing because
I watched the segment before and you were talking about
how you were a two h seven hitter and wouldn't
have been able to get a hit. And I still
remember the double and the ninth inning you hit off
a role this Chapman in Cincinnati to win a game
for the J's. So give yourself a little bit of credit.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
What a what a hey, you know, blind squirrel finds
it not every once in a while, but what a
memory that's like twenty fourteen. Yeah, that was a big moment.
That was a big moment. Okay, I appreciate it. Now
now I forget my question. No, is the fact that
they had to run a bullpen game, and is the
fact that they had Chris Bassett and Max Schurzer not
(11:25):
on the roster a detriment moving forward? Is it a
something that they have to And I know the bullpen
game went really well, but holy crap, seventh inning, I
think the Yankees had the tying run up. Had that
game gotten tied up, then you're going to the next
day starter in Golfman, Trey you Savage. Is that a
(11:48):
detriment for the Blue Jays moving forward?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Yeah, it was two out in the eighth inning when
the Yankees got the tying run to the plate, and
after the walk to load the bases, Jeff Hoffmin got
a first pitch out and that's when it got really
really tight. But you're right, if the Yankees tie the game,
you're going to Gosman or you Savage, and then your
hands are pretty tied for Game five. I think I
thought going into the series only carrying three starters was
(12:14):
another one of these maybe two cute moves by the
front office. But the truth is Chris Bassett finished the
season on the injured list. He had a back problem
and they didn't think that he was gonna be ready
to help them in this series. He probably is back
on the roster for the Alcs and Max Scherzer. He's
going to the Hall of Fame. He's one of the
greatest pitchers of all time. He has been such a
(12:37):
big help around here, especially those six weeks in July
and August where he was so good. But Max Scherzer
since the middle of August has pitched twenty five innings
and given up twenty five runs, and he's got an
ERA of over twelve in the first inning. So I'm
not sure. You know, I hate, I know this is
like blasphemy, but I don't think he earned a spot
(12:59):
on the playoff ros much like Mark Burley wasn't on
the playoff roster for the Jason twenty fifteen. But I
do think having the way the days off go in
the best of five lent more credence to using a
bullpen game because you knew you were going to be
(13:19):
able to take it easy on the relievers. In Game three,
you hoped for a longer start from Shane Bieber and
didn't get it, but they made sure that nobody threw
more than twenty pitches out of the bullpen in Game three,
and an off day before that and an off day
after Game four. You can do it. But if you
want to run a bullpen game in the ALCS, you're
(13:41):
doing it where there's a span of three games with
no off day, and it makes it a lot tougher
because you're going to wear out your bullpen four Game
five or in Game three, and that's an issue. I
think we're going to see Chris Bassett back on the
playoff roster in the next round.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
All Right, a couple of things you just said, like one,
not having Mark Burley on the playoff roster. Who's blasphem me? Okay,
I don't know what he did, but I mean, he
was only throwing eighty three in two thousand and five
and he pitched fine, so I'm sure he was maybe
throwing eighty two so he would have been fine. So
let's also, you know, establish it. And yeah, Max, you
didn't hear him anything from Max. Max understood why these
guys they get it, they understand. But my question is
(14:24):
are we going to see Bo? Are we going to
see Bobachette. I know he's been jogging, but there's a
big difference between jogging and playing shortstop in the ALCS
against the other best team in the American League.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
We're definitely not going to see Bobachett playing shortstop, I think.
But I think we may see Bobachett as a DH
in the ALCS. He spoke after the game last night
in New York and he said that He's made some
huge strides in the past few days, but he still
has to be able to run the bases, and he's
got three days to get better, and you know, maybe
(14:57):
he's got six. Because if I'm the Blue Jays and
I think Bo's gonna be ready for Game three, I'm
putting him on the roster if he's going to be
ready for Game three, which is Tuesday. Game one Sunday
will be five weeks exactly since he got hurt sliding
into Austin Wells shin guard and sort of jamming up
(15:18):
his knee and straining it. And these injuries are like
four to six week injuries usually, But to have him
out there playing shorts up. There is zero chance of
that happening before the World Series if they get there,
and maybe not even in the World Series. But I
would not be surprised if he's on the roster as
a DH only, and that might cost Anthony santanderra a spot.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
That's a good point decisions call.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think it's a tough call. Honestly,
Santander has I think three hits since coming back. He
missed most of the last four months of the season,
and to be able to ask a guy to be
who you are. Once you do that, it doesn't work
for me. It was one for ten with six strikeouts
(16:08):
in the regular season, and I think had two or
three hits in this ALCS. He's a poor defensive outfielder.
You should be able to put George Springer out there
and to have Bow's bat back. He's missed a month,
but his swing's a little bit different than Santander's and
(16:29):
Tony Tatter's missed a lot of time and really hasn't
done it. He's had some great at bats since he's
gotten back, but they haven't resulted in any hits. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Well, the one the game three was that the two
runs big hit.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
That was big.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
I know they lost the game, but that was big.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
But that is fair.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
That is fair.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
I mean, it's been a tough year for him, and
I think everyone would agree if bo can hit, they
will take that bat because he also, I think has
the clutch gene, which we could spend an hour talking
about alone. Mike, this was awesome, man. We will invite
you back sooner, especially if these Wouldjays keep doing their thing.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Okay, all right, Always a pleasure to be here, guys,
thanks H,
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