New York Yankees SHOCK Baseball World with Late-Season Surge | Playoff Race Heats Up

New York Yankees SHOCK Baseball World with Late-Season Surge | Playoff Race Heats Up

They proved to not only us as a fan base, not only to us as locked on Yankees, they proved to themselves that they can compete in the American League and they can potentially win the American League. You are Locked on Yankees, your daily New York Yankees podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to Locked On Yankees, which is part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Thank you for making us your first listen every day. I’m Stacy Gotulius. He’s Brian McKeon. We’ve been hosting this show together since April 2024. And Brian, the Yankees were in the gauntlet this past week and a half. How do we think they did? We asked for seven and five. We got seven and five. I’m actually really impressed by that. I am too. Uh, today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, customers, new customers can bet $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. So download the app today. On today’s show, we preview the match up between the Yankees and the Twins, which begins tonight in Minneapolis. There’s no break for the Yankees. They’re flying out to the Midwest. We’re going to talk about Anthony Vulpi because this was a big big discussion over the weekend. We didn’t get to discuss it on Friday’s show, but uh turns out he was injured most of the season. So, we’ll be discussing that in segment two. But first, as we said, seven and five in this gauntlet. They take two out of three from the Red Sox. I’m sorry, but this was huge of them to do with what’s on the line and especially where they were in Fenway because they hadn’t fared well there this season. So, with everything going on, obviously I I I wanted them to win on Sunday, but if I had to count one of these games as a loss, I think the Will Warren going up against Garrett Crochet game was probably the loss you were going to get. Um, seven and five in this 12game stretch. I I that is what I wanted that I couldn’t have asked for more. I didn’t want to ask for more. They proved to not only us as a fan base, not only to us as locked on Yankees, they proved to themselves that they can compete in the American League and they can potentially win the American League. That that that’s how good they were in this in this stretch. Um again, you get dominated by Crochet on Sunday, but I I’m not too concerned by that. 12 He had 12 strikeouts. He was unbelievable. They actually did get to him, too. He had three earned runs, which is rare for him, too. Um, and and weirdly enough, just to close up on Sunday’s game, Judge the big home run Judge seems to be heating up, too, by the way. The power the power has been there. He’s starting to get in more of a hitting groove, which I’m happy to see. Yeah. The only thing I wanted to mention, Will Warren actually figured things out. Yeah. Uh, it is worth noting, I know you see the six earned and you think, “Oh, what a terrible performance for him.” It was six earned in the first inning and then he he he closed up five, right? Right. So, he he really wasn’t bad in this start. It was just that first inning, and I’m glad that Boone let him get through that first inning. The the bullpen was not burned in this game by any means. Yeah. Um, you know, some of them were dinky hits, some of them were lucky hits. It was just one of those innings where everything that could go wrong went wrong for Will Warren and the Yankees, but they put up a bit of a fight like you said. You know, they got three runs off Crochet, but I would like to talk about José Cabierro’s home run because Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. Where’d that come from? Cuz that’s I mean that far. No idea. And we’ll get into it in segment two because you guys are definitely going to want to hear the Vulpi stuff. But I I I don’t want I’m not advocating for a player to be injured and I don’t want Anthony Vulpi to be injured and I’m certainly not claiming that I’m happy that Anthony Vulpi is injured. However, Joseé Cabayro, no matter what the circumstance is for Anthony Vulpi, should have been the Yankees starting second base short stop for the rest of the year because they were not only the power, forget the power, that that home run, even though it was unbelievably impressive. The plays Cababayro was making in the field and the stuff he does on the base paths, he’s a pest. He’s annoying out there in the best way possible. Yeah, Stacy, he is right now in present time a supremely better player than Anthony Vulpi is. He needs to play every day. I’m sorry. He would be we would we would loathe him if he was still on the Rays because he would be such a pain in the rear end. So, let’s move on to better things like Saturday’s game because uh there were few things that happened in that game. Can we talk about Jazz Chisum and what he’s doing this season for the Yankees because it’s Yeah. in theundund in in the last 162 game stretch for them, which is the amount of games that he’s played with them. He’s a 40 and 100 player. Um, which is not I don’t think what many people think of Jazz Chisum, but hey, he’s got those numbers to support himself. He’s been absolutely unbelievable for them. Um, and weirdly enough, he’s had really good numbers this year. And dare I say, kind of quietly. Yeah. He hasn’t been like this. He missed the three weeks in the middle in the in the in the middle of the season and he hasn’t been this guy that’s that’s no one talks about him in in a in an MVP type caliber. He’s not nationally recognized for what he’s done across the league, but Stacey 244 30 homers, 75 RBI’s, and 826 OPS. I’m sorry. Like if if I told you those numbers with two weeks left in the season at the start of the year, you would have signed for that in a heartbeat at a Jazz Chism. He’s likely going to finish with 30 and 80. Yes. Yeah. I mean, in a heartbeat, you would assign with that. So, he’s when he he’s going to get I’m assuming he’s going to get to 30 home runs. I don’t think he’s at 29 technically right now. Yeah. I don’t think Michael Kay is going to jinx him like you jinxed Alonso Sorano all those years ago. But speaking of Soraniano, he’s the last Yankee to go 3030. He did it in 2002 and 2003. And before that, it was Barry Bonds way back in the 70s. So, yeah, it’s it’s amazing that there have only been Yeah. Bobby Bonds. Did I say Barry? Sorry. Bobby Bonds. Exactly. And I’m looking, you know, and I’m looking at the name, too, and I’m saying Barry. Bobby Barry Bond. Barry Bonds. I would have loved as a Yankee, but could you imagine Barry Bonds hitting home runs in old Yankee Stadium on the regular? Yeah, I would like to. I I mean, it’s one thing for him to do it as a visiting player, but for him to do it on the regular would have been absolutely amazing. So, the other thing we need to talk about Saturday, that Cody Bellinger at bat against Chapman, unbelievable at bat. Uh, one of the at bats of the year. Yeah. I mean, in m in all of Major League Baseball, not even for the Yankees. That’s how good and that bad that was. Uh Cody Bellinger is sliding his way into a fat sum of money the Yankees are going to be forced to pay him over the offseason. Yeah. Uh he’s going to get he’s gonna get paid and and he’s and you know what, there are many many athletes and it’s a common phrase nowadays in the offseason where an athlete gets paid and people come out there with the oh he doesn’t deserve these these guys make too money yada yada. Name the excuse. Cody Bellinger deserves every penny he’s going to get. He what is the thing that he does poorly out there? Right? Like occasionally he’ll like occasionally he’ll muff up a play, but like every outfielder occasionally muffs up a play, but overall he’s solid defensively. He could play in any position. He plays in any position that Boon puts him in. Left field, center field, right field, even first base once. Tremendous player. He’s just he’s unbelievable. But that that at bat, nine pitches against a Rald Chapman who’s been unbelievable this season. And the thing I liked about Saturday’s game is they were able to win the game by getting timely hits and not relying on the home run at all. Um, plus the the pitching in Saturday’s game. And that to me is where you get a lot of confidence out of this stretch. Max Freed gives you five and a third, nine hits, two earned, two walks, six strikeouts. ERA is now down to 303. But listen to the stretch they went on afterwards. And this is the formula for a postseason win if I could say. Weaver, Williams, Cruz, Bednar. You don’t usually see Cruz come in that late, but I guess that was his lane in this spot. Um, only the one run on the home run from Cruz. Other than that, the Yankee bullpen was out was outrageously, you know, great in this spot. Max Freed was great in this spot. It was exactly how they plan on winning a game in the postseason. and to see that level right through. Uh, and I’ll tell you this, they whether we like it or not, whether Brian and Stacy say it or not, they are going to try to win with Devin Williams in the postseason. They have determined that they are only going to go go as far as Deon Williams allows them to. They’re not going to sit him. They’re trying to get him right in these last two weeks. So, you know, as Yankee fans, we kind of have to sit here and hope they get him right. I just think that it’s better for him to be in the seventh or the eighth. Never put him in the ninth. I feel like there’s less pressure. No. Yeah, there’s there’s less pressure there. Like I I feel like there should be a formula like there was all those years ago when they had the bullpen. You knew who was coming out for each inning pretty much and it was automatic because I think Bedar has to close all the time. Yes. And I think he’s perfect for the postseason. I have I have no concern of Bor in the postseason. Yeah. Um he’s perfect. Weaver’s looking more like himself. Absolutely. And Cruz, they trust him and he’s a strikeout machine. If if that sinker is the change up sinker, whatever you want to call it, if that if that is working, uh Cruz is the guy in in Abs absolutely 10,000%. Late in games, it he is more of a lane guy though. They want to use him where they think they can slide him in perfectly. So, it’s a different he’s not he’s not tied to an inning, I don’t think. Exactly. I would agree with that. I think there are certain guys who are tied to certain innings, but I think Cruz is one of those guys who you could decide like, “Oh, all right. Let me bring him in here. But even after the starter leaves, you could put bring them in because I did they do that which game. That’s the role. That’s the role that Jonathan Lewis is uh performed for them over years past. And I think now it’s going to be Cruz they want to use. Um just Friday’s game really quickly. Judge gets the home run that passes Deaggio um on the list and Luis Heel. Great start for Luis Heel in this game. Uh gives you six innings. Um and then again the bullpen. He was all over the place though. Let’s Let’s I mean, yes, six hitless innings, but you know, four walks, the four strikeouts, the two wild pitches, a b like it was kind of like like at any point, but very quiet but very quietly here. A 283 RA. Yeah. Right. You don’t realize it doesn’t feel like he’s been as dominant and in control as he was last year. But very quietly RA under three. He’s been good. Yeah. because I saw a headline when I was looking for uh numbers for segment three for everyone’s eras and records because they they put the probables in. I saw a headline about Warren and the playoffs and how this start makes it kind of iffy for him. Warren’s not making a playoff start. If things go the way they’re supposed to go, Freed, Rodon, Heel, those are the three. Tricky. Not that order. Not that order. I’m not saying I’m not arguing the order. I think there’s a case for Schlitler. Oh yeah, Schlitler is also there, but Warren is the But Warren is the what I’m saying is Warren is the odd man out. He is not getting a playoff start at all. He’s not getting a playoff start. He’s making the roster. Yes. Because he’s he’s a long relief guy if the game gets out of hand. Yes. But he’s not he’s not uh getting a start. I agree with you. Um I if Schlitler pitches great in these last two weeks. Here’s the thing. If it’s a wild card series, they would pick Heel over Schlitler just for the experience factor. I don’t know if I agree with that though. I think I think they would. I’m saying they would. Not I would. They I don’t disagree with you. I don’t agree with you on that notion, but that’s a really interesting point you make because I I like the I’m not talking overall as a pitcher, but this year I think Schlitler’s stuff has played better, right, for a postseason start. I agree with you. I think they would go with Heel, but I I would want Schlitler to get a start. It’s going to be very fascinating, especially with if they if it’s a wild card series because I don’t know what they do. Like, do do you save Freed for game three? If there’s a game three, do you do you pitch him in game one and try It’s a very very tricky spot they’re in because I don’t know if I trust Luis Hill in a do or die game three if there is. Yeah. Right. Right. It’s It’s wild. At least we don’t have to worry about that for another couple of weeks. Yeah. I I don’t I I’m still hoping for the division. I don’t want to I don’t want him to play the Red Sox. Yeah. We’ll see. All right. Don’t forget, subscribe to the channel. Hit the like button on our videos. Hit the notifications so you know when our videos go up. You can also join the locked on Yankees insiders club. We have the link in the description. You get texts from us. You get text us questions, comments, reactions to trades and signings. You get top priority on fan mail Friday. We send out lineups during the season, roster moves, and any breaking news. So, you don’t have to check social media. And there’s a new added perk. We have a private Discord where you can commiserate with your fellow Yankee fans during games. There’s a 14-day free trial. All right. Coming up, we have to discuss the Anthony Vulpi injury, which we knew about when it happened, but we didn’t know it was still affecting him. So, we’re going to tell you our thoughts about that next. The NFL season is here and FanDuel is making sure that you’re ready for kickoff with this can’t miss offer. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Now, I love using FanDuel because it fits however I like to bet. player props. I build same game parlays on there or I even just like jumping in when the action unfolds. Makes every game more exciting. Whether you’re watching your team or just keeping an eye on your fantasy lineup. It’s also quick, it’s easy, and it’s the best way to add a little more energy to your Sundays. So, are you ready to play? Download the FanDuel app now by visiting fanuel.com to get started. It’s fuel.com to place your first $5 bet. And Lock on Yankees is also brought to you by Prize Picks. This episode is brought to you by Prize Pix, the daily fantasy app where making the right call can actually pay off. 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The insiders get top priority, but if you’re watching us on YouTube, we have a way for you to send us questions. So, if you go to our channel’s page and you click on the post tab, you will see the latest post where I tell you, leave your fan mail Friday questions here. The deadline is Thursday 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. So, get those in. Stacy, unbelievably interesting topic that we have to get into. It became a storyline towards the end of last week and you have uh basic photographic memory when it comes to this incident earlier on in the season when when it occurred. Uh lead us through that path first and then we’ll break down what this means now. Okay. So, if you guys recall, the Yankees were playing at home. I believe it was against the Rays. It was in miday and Anthony Vulpi was he was diving for a ball like back off the infield and he landed on his left shoulder like and you heard him yell and he was on the ground for a while and I remember everyone watching the game thinking oh man this is bad because he wasn’t getting up right away and then he continued to play and then you thought oh all right maybe it was just like a stinger like you because sometimes that happens like you hit yourself in a Well, it turns out he has a partially torn labroom and he’s been playing with it all season. So all year long from midmay to midepptember but really starting in July, August, everyone has been trashing Vulpi from talk radio, right? Reddit, us, no offense. Yeah. Um, but everyone else covering the Yankees, you know, John Boy’s talked about like everyone who covers the Yankees has been talking about this. And here’s my question. Why would the Yankees allow this to happen? Why would they allow because you know they know that we’re all talking about this and we’re constantly trashing Vulpi. He’s getting booed in the stadium. Why wouldn’t you tell people that he’s injured? because that would make us a little more sympathetic and also wonder why didn’t you do anything about this injury and at least sit him for a couple weeks so he could heal if he needs to. There’s multiple angles to this that I’m curious of. So, if he’s actually hurt and hampered by this all season, like you said, why would you not make it public to give him, you know, forget what we’re all saying and what podcasts and and ESPN and a name different company here. Forget what they’re all saying. Why wouldn’t you say it to protect Anthony Vulpi? Right. Right. With how bad that he’s played all year. Protect Give him that that little um societal crutch out there so he can, you know, figure things out on his own and have that little bit of a backbone to to rely on that hey, I’m hurt all year. This is why I’m playing like this, right? Um or they are choosing to release this news right now because of the season that he’s had and they’re using it to preserve his career a little bit, right? Like, oh, this is the reason he’s not this bad. He’s been playing on a partially torn labroom. You know, he didn’t fall off this much. There’s a reason behind the bad defense, the bad batting. Now, but here’s another thing though, quickly. No wonder his dad had a hissy fit at City Field. Yep. Yep. I I I would I would like to know the percentage and we’ll figure this out. The percentage of of errors that he’s committed this year, which are throwing errors, like not not not being able to get to a ball or fielding improperly, throwing the ball offline and making and the first base having to make a miraculous play because that seems like a very large percentage of the things that he’s had a torn labroom could could absolutely affect the way your your throwing strength. I could have sworn it was his left arm. Is it his right arm? Because he throws with his right arm. Yeah. I could have swore it was this arm that he landed on wrong, though. Well, and I think it was the left, too. And that’s why I’m a little skeptical on this story. And that’s why I’m a little skeptical on them releasing it right now. Because if it’s the throwing arm, I I kind of want to give him a pass for the fielding. Not for the hitting, but for the fielding. But if it’s not that, this seems like this story is conveniently coming out at a time where they finally realized we can’t play him going forward cuz not because of the labram because he’s not good enough. We can’t keep playing him going forward. We have a better shorts up on our roster, but we also want to preserve Vulpi’s career with the Yankees. We want to give him a chance next year. That’s that’s what this feels like because if you’re going forward with Cababayro full-time, right, and you’re going to he’s going to be your shortstop in the postseason that if you’re if you’re settling on that and you already made the move to pick up a Med Rosario and he’s going to he’s going to play as your backup infielder utility man going forward, then you know what, Stacy, send Anthony Vulpi to surgery or to rehab immediately and call him done for the season at this point. Why are we releasing this news, sitting him in in four straight games, and then kind of letting this news slide out there like, “Oh, by the way, torn partially torn labroom throughout the year. It’s it’s it’s very let me very convenient timing for this to come out now. It it’s it it’s weird. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.” And and Cababiier held his own in this series. So, I don’t I don’t know if there’s much of a reason. And this kind of feels like an acknowledgement of them saying, “Hey, we we can’t play Anthony going forward.” Right. Right. And and he’s been that bad. I just What is with this team with the injuries? I don’t want this to I don’t want this to become a entire uh winter where we talk about oh well there was the it feels like they’re giving him this crutch to go throughout the entire off season for them to either not go out there and get a shorts stop because we already had that episode where we sat there and said I don’t know if his career is over but they have to go get a viable shorts stop in the offseason and and make it at bare minimum a competition going forward and this feels like they’re not planning on doing that. So this news is coming out now saying whoa Vulpi had a had a partially torn labor and that’s where that’s where and I don’t want to sit here and give him that because his Stacy the season was terrible and if he’s that hurt where he’s performing like this he shouldn’t have been playing. No they should have sat him in June at this point cuz it happened right May 13th I believe was the exact date and he’s been awful since then. like he had the hot start and he was having the eb and you know like the highs and the lows that he normally has but then he just went off a cliff and he had a good he had a good two week stretch after the all-star break and then since then he’s been like one of the it’s been one of the worst stretches in major league history for a full-time player do we know so he hurt or not like do we know if the shot that he had on September 10th was the first one that he had the coordination no they didn’t they didn’t announce that no because is it possible that he got one during the All-Star break and maybe that made him feel better again. But then but but why hide that, right? Why Why leave that out out of out of public knowledge? It’s not like no one’s asked about Anthony Vulpi’s performances either. This is the thing. Why are they so secretive about everything? Just let us know. You had other people you could have played in his place even when he got injured in May. That was before Oswaldo Cabrera got hurt. You could have switched people around and I just it’s ridiculous. secretiveness here makes so little sense though because you you you actually had a built-in crutch to protect the player and you chose not to until September until mid until there’s two weeks left in the season. Now we’re going to protect Vulpi, right? But you could have protected him in June, July, August. You had plenty of opportunities to do that. You chose till now. That’s where it’s a little weird to me that to me the timing seems awfully convenient that we wait till the end of the season gets here where you finally have determined as an organization hey going into by the way a really important series against Boston in Venway Park where you don’t win you decide that you determine that Vulpi can’t play in this series and not can’t play because he’s hurt you pretty much said he can’t play he’s not good enough like Pavierro is starting because Vulpi you right he didn’t hit the I vi didn’t hit the IL And you you could you could retroact his IIL stint back to neck last Thursday or last Wednesday actually. So he didn’t hit the IIL. So you’re not telling me that he’s too hurt. You’re telling me that he’s good to play. So if you’re telling me he’s good to play, what you’re saying is he’s just not good enough right now to be playing against Boston in a very important series. So is he hurt or is he not hurt? Yeah. You know, I don’t like that as an organization, right? It’s just everything is very silly. I don’t understand what’s going on. And uh I mean, Cabierro did what he needed to do in the series over the weekend. Had big defensive plays. He made things happen on the bases. Had a couple big hits. The play he made in it was the eighth of the ninth inning against the against the Red Sox on Sunday because there was no bottom of the ninth. Yeah. Well, true. Yeah, good point. Um, there is there is no chance, hope, and prayer that Anthony Vulpi makes that play. No. And I texted you that there’s not a world this season where Vulpi makes that play. No. No. It was it was an amazing play. He’s making the most out of his playing time. So, that’s all the Yankees want. All right. Well, coming up, we’re going to preview the series with the Twins. We got all the pitching matchups because they released the probables just before we started recording. So, thank you guys for that. and we’ll tell you about some news around the league and some news from Mexico next. You’ve probably seen a million ads for hair growth products and thought, “Sure, like that actually works.” There are so many products out there and it’s hard to know which ones are actually going to do anything. And that’s why you should give Neutrifol a closer look. Neutrifall is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people. And it’s not just the hype. This is a supplement clinically tested that targets the root causes of thinning and shedding with a proactive approach. The best part, it’s easy. You take four pills with a meal and no prescription is needed. See thicker, stronger hair with less shedding in just three to six months with Neutrifall. For a limited time, Neutrifall is offering locked on Yankees and MLB listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you go to neutrifall.com and enter the promo code one word locked on MLB. That’s neutrfall.com. promo code one word locked on MLB. And guys, not only do we cover your team every single day, but now we’re giving you instant episodes after every single game. Check out the Locked On Yankees postcast. It’s hosted by Jay Berman and it appears right here on the Locked On Yankees podcast feed. It also streams on our YouTube channel. Get rapid reaction all the biggest moments with the Locked on Yankees postcast. Stacy, uh, big series against the Minnesota Twins. Statistically, through the remainder of the season, each team has four games left in their se four series left in their season, I’m sorry. Um, and the Yankees have statistically the easiest schedule remaining in all of baseball. Uh, that is to be note, they currently sit three and a half games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League East uh, title. I I I’ll tell you, it’s in reach. Sure, it is. I mean, three and a half games is not crazy. With the teams the Yankees play on the way out, there’s a legitimate chance here. It’s It’s I believe Twins, two against the Orioles and the White Socks. Very winnable. Very winnable. Um Monday, uh 7:40 p.m. start for the Yankees in Minnesota. Carlos Rodon gets the start. He’s 16 and8 with a 311 RA. Goes up against Simeon Woods Richardson who’s 6 and4 with a 458 erra on the season. uh big series Yankees against Minnesota who they often beat up on. You have to keep that going. You have to keep that going. There there no offense to some of the guys who are on the team, but Minnesota is mostly a quad A team because of all the guys they traded away and there’s no excuse for the Yankees not to win this series 100%. Um Tuesday’s game will be a 740 start as well. Cam Schlitler, who I believe is making his uh audition in the next couple of starts for the postseason rotation, three and three with a 305 erra in 56 innings pitched this year as 63 uh strikeouts, which is exactly what the Yankees are looking for. He will go up against Zebie Matthews, four and five with a 506 erra. Uh, speaking of which, I did want to mention too for Monday’s game. Uh, Carlos Rodon, I wanted to check out um where he is on the uh the the the strikeout meter um if he has got the chance of hitting that uh 200 strikeout marker. Give me one second here while I find the Yankees pitching. One second. Carlos Rodon, he is currently at 186 strikeouts. Probably has three starts remaining. You get there? I think so. I think he could get there. Yeah, good chance. Um, I’d like that for Carlos Rodon. I I’m rooting for all of the uh metric metrics and success of Carlos Rodon possible. I know he’s a grown man and older than me, but I am unbelievably proud of Carlos Rodon this season. He has had a unbelievable year for the Yankees and pitched really well for them. Yes, he has. And uh I had predicted last year, my bold prediction was that he was going to win 17 games. He only won 16, but I was close. So this year he can get to 17 and possibly 18 if he pitches well enough. Yeah, definitely. Um and then Thursday’s start, Wednesday’s start will be a 740 as well. Luis Heel on the mound, 4 in1 with a 283 ERA. Impressive how good he’s been. You don’t even realize. Um he’s going up against Taj Bradley who’s 6-7 with a 488 erra. Um, Stacy, I did want to get to some news around uh all of baseball because there’s a lot of really uh interesting uh stuff going on in uh throughout the entire league. Um the playoff chases have gotten out of control. It it is so crazy how there’s now five teams chasing that final NL wild card spot. The St. Louis Cardinals have brought themselves back into it somehow someway. They’re only four games out of it. Um, the Rays have fallen out of it in the American League after dragging themselves back in. The Mariners are now in first place in that division in in the the West. The Astros have fallen to the wild card and they could very easily fall out of the wild card as a total because they play the Rangers this week who are now two games out of the wild card. It is crazy how these teams have moved around. I love it. I’m glad the Yankees aren’t involved in that. That is exact. That’s a perfect quote on what’s going on right now. Um, have you heard of this Blue Jays prospect who’s getting called up? Oh, yes. Yes, I have. I saw I saw the name earlier. One of the cool one of the coolest names I’ve ever seen in in baseball history, in sports history. Trey Yavage. That is how you pronounce his last name. Y Savage. Awesome name. Um, the cooler part about him is he started the year in single A and he is currently he he went and he didn’t skip any levels. He went from single A to high A to double A to AAA to the major leagues all in one in one year. It’s it’s crazy. In in March he was in single A. Um so Trey Savage, he’s going to make his debut starting for the Blue Jays on Monday. Incredible stuff to see. Um, I know you won’t like this, but it is uh it did happen. I know. I saw Cal Rally hit his 54th home run of the year. He tied Mickey Manel for most home runs in his season by a switch hitter. Uh, full disclosure, it is unbelievably impressive that he’s a catcher and did this. Like, I mean, Mickey Manel, I know that record held for so long, but he’s a center fielder, a right fielder at times, too. I mean, Cal Rally 54. I would just like to point out to the one of the locked on Mariners hosts, Tai, who pointed out that Oswald PZA would not have hit the home run on Sunday if the balls weren’t juiced. What about Cal Raleigh beating his previous high by 20 home runs? Is that because the balls juiced, Tai? Just want to say that. Certainly interesting on your part there. Um uh I know what where you lean, but um truthfully, who is your AL MVP right now? Judge, his his war is higher. He has a better batting average. He’s number one in nearly every category except for home runs. So, it’s I agree with you. I will say this. I think that Cal Rally would have won it if he broke Judge’s home run record in the season. Hopefully not. He’s not going to he’s not he’s not going to get there. I mean, he’d have to go mental in the in the last two month in the last two weeks. I mean, he’d have to go crazy. Yeah, but odds are he’s not hitting that. Um that’s the only chance he had. Okay, we quickly have to get through this stuff. So, the Mets walked off. This was amazing actually. Okay, because the Rangers tied the game at 22 and the booze rain down on the Mets like you would not believe. I mean, so if they hadn’t walked off the game on Sunday, they would have had a nine-game losing streak. They would have been one and nine in their last 10. It just would have been a complete meltdown of epic proportions. Uh so Pete Alonzo hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to snap the losing streak and to uh help them in the wildard race because the Giants didn’t help themselves either because they were tied on Friday. Yep. after the Giants walked off against the Dodgers, but then the Giants decided not to show up against the Dodgers in the last two games of the series. So, the Mets helped themselves with that walk-off. Robinson Canó 4,000th professional hit on Saturday night in Mexico. It was a single. I watched it on YouTube. They had a live stream, so we put it up on the TV and my mom even watched it. She’s like, “Oh, wow. Look at Robinson Canó. He’s a little hefty.” I’m like, “Mom, he’s turning 43 on in November.” So, yes, he’s a little he’s a little heftier than he was when he was a Yankee. And uh scary things for the Tigers on Friday, but it seems Scoo’s okay. Oh jeez. I mean, the Friday start he left with left arm tightness, which the whole area of Detroit was freaking out. Um they’ve got a six and a half game in the in the division. They’re not playing well, Detroit. And they can get they can get picked early in the playoffs. They don’t. Well, I mean, except against the Yankees when they were beating up in the Yankees bullpen, but that’s the only team they played well against, right? Crazy, right? Right. All right. Well, thank you for making Lock on Yankees your first listen every day. For your second listen, find the allnew Locked on MLB Game Night every game, every night until the World Series champion is crowned. Get local analysis on a national scale. You can find MLB Game Night on Locked on MLB on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts. So, that’ll do it for this Monday edition of Locked on Yankees. I’m Stacy Gulius. And I’m Brian McCann. We’ll catch you guys tomorrow. [Music]

The New York Yankees’ playoff hopes remain alive as they secure a 7-5 record during a crucial stretch, with Aaron Judge heating up and Jazz Chisholm Jr. continuing his impressive season. Hosts Stacey Gotsulias and Brian McKeon analyze the team’s performance, including standout plays from José Caballero and pitching performances from Max Fried and Luis Gil. The episode also covers Anthony Volpe’s injury revelation and previews the upcoming series against the Minnesota Twins.

0:00 Yankees prove they can compete in AL
5:38 Jazz Chisholm’s impressive season for Yankees
10:32 Playoff rotation and Warren’s chances
15:42 Anthony Volpe’s injury and Yankees’ secrecy
26:56 Preview of Yankees-Twins series
29:35 Exciting MLB playoff races and prospects
33:33 Recent MLB news and highlights

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