Blake Snell & Tyler Glasnow IGNITE IRE Among Tampa Bay Rays Fans With Post- Championship Comments

Blake Snell & Tyler Glasnow IGNITE IRE Among Tampa Bay Rays Fans With Post- Championship Comments

If you can’t beat them, join them. Blake snail and Tyler Glass now aren’t wrong. You are Locked on Rays. Your daily Tampa Bay Rays podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Welcome into the locked on podcast. to lockdown race is part of the locked on podcast network your team every day and we are Kevin and Ulisses and we are lifelong race fans who have been podcasting about the race since 2019. Later on today’s show we’ll discuss Taylor Wall’s unfortunate gold glove result as well as his unlikely hero status. In a few minutes, we’ll get to understand why Ryan Pepio is the only Yamamoto of the Rays. But to start, X-Ray starters caused a raise non-controversy with comments made after the World Series. And we’re going to talk about all of that thanks to Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Yes, the LA Dodgers are once again victorious. Back-to-back World Series champs. Are we surprised? Are we surprised at all? I’m surprised about the journey, but not about the the results. But yeah, we had uh seven games. We had an 18 inning ball game. A lot of high jinks. I mean, for the average baseball fan with, you know, no major rooting interest, there’s not much more you could have asked for. There was everything that you could have ever wanted in the World Series. I mean, you saw it all. And if you’re a race fan, well, you got a couple of comments there at the end of the victory lap where Tyler Glass now and Snell said, um, you know, they asked them, “We were here, you you guys were here and you couldn’t do it. What does it feel like to to win it again?” And Blake Snell said, “Yes, we were here against this team in 2020, couldn’t make it.” And then Tyler, who’s next to him, says, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” They laugh. They have have a high five, a little hug. You know, there are soda pops and adult beverages going around. Yes. And I knew as soon as I saw that post, that’s going to hit some nerves in RA. Cancelled. Exactly. It’s gonna hit some nerves. And it apparently kind of did um in some circles. And I just I gotta say I don’t think it’s a shot against the race. I think it’s just two dudes celebrating a World Series victory that they actually got to participate in because Tyler I mean he won last year but he didn’t get to pitch. But now these this time they actually helped the team and they’re they’re having fun. They they’ve known each other for a long long time. Pitched on the same team for a long long time. Now they get to have that fun. I don’t think it was a shot against the race. I don’t either. I think uh they were just enjoying themselves post celebration, post World Series or Celebration post World Series. And I mean, it’s not a situation like they snubbed the Rays. It’s it’s something that was out of their control. They didn’t willingly necessarily sign with the Dodgers. I mean, they were traded by the Rays. What else can you You You can’t really do anything at that point. So to me, it’s just two ball players enjoying themselves. And you know, they didn’t say anything derogatory about the Rays. And if somebody construed that that way, I mean, I kind of feel sorry for you if that’s what you’re, you know, bickering about on a on a evening or or whatnot. I mean, I I really don’t see a big deal with it whatsoever. I don’t either. And I I do think that, you know, it’s not like like you’re saying, they were traded, but not only that, both of these guys signed extensions with the race. Both of them. Blake’s now signed it for 15 mil and Tyler Glass. Now, in fact, that made him a little bit more of an attraction to other people knowing that he’s got a fixed cost. So that’s why Tyler Glassa had been already up for sale in trade deadlines of the past. Uh hadn’t hadn’t happened. But having that extension does obviously help out the the fact that you know teams know already what they’re going to have to pay uh pay for your talent. So both of them had contracts extensions. So you traded both of them. I don’t see how this is a a big controversy that social media is trying to make out, right? And it’s one of those things where it’s it to me it’s kind of cool that these guys five years later are able to connect and enjoy each other and be on the same team and celebrate together. I I really don’t see the big issue with that. And um I mean it’s it’s kind of cool to see him go from 2020 to 2025. Really? Can you blame anybody for not wanting to be on the Dodgers at this point? I mean they’re so dominant. They’re such a powerhouse now. Um I I really don’t see how people are, you know, just bashing the the comments that these two made. To me, it’s just two guys having fun and enjoying themselves and and celebrating in the moment. I mean, I I guess maybe we’re we’re back to normaly if this is what people are complaining about or not. I I I do have to say I think there is and I think I’ve said this before. Uh I think there is this like growing or no I’m not going to say growing movement that’s given them too much validity. Uh, I’ll say there is a very loud minority uh of race nation using uh X that has lately this fascination with trashing X-rays like Randy Rosarena and Tyler Glass now and Blake Snell like like just like giving like little like throwing stra at them and I’m just like these guys did nothing but represent us in the best way possible. At least these three guys. You want to give uh strays to to Mr. Number Five, go right ahead. I’ll be right there with you. But these guys, they they did nothing but represent the franchise in in the most spectacular way possible. Yeah. And all those guys were traded. It’s not like, you know, they rebuffed the Rays and win and signed with the Red Sox or the Dodgers or the Yankees. It was something out of their control at the end of the day. If anything, it’s an indictment on the Rays for not keeping these two guys, not keeping Snell and Glass Now and Randy and go on down the list. I mean, if you want to uh be in the Fall Classic one day, yeah, it’s probably a good idea to to keep Tyler Glass now around. It’s probably a good idea to keep Blake Snell around and maybe with this new ownership, we’ll get an opportunity to see players like this stick around for a little bit longer. But really, I mean, it it’s just kind of I guess sucky. Not necessarily what they said and them having fun and enjoying themselves. It’s the fact that the raise really, I mean, if they had the payroll and were willing to spend and willing to spend at or maybe slightly beyond their means, they could have these two players in a raised uniform still. And and you would wonder where this team would be with those two guys. Yeah, exactly. and it gives you a lot of uh bad thoughts, but hopefully positive thoughts because it’s the offseason, people. But uh no rest. Well, that’s no problem for Yoshu Yamamoto and perhaps only one Tampa Bay Ray starter. The NBA is back and there’s no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NA. Even if you miss the start of the game or you want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. And you know what? You can always use them as green Skittles on FanDuel. That’s always a lot of fun. And right now, FanDuel is giving you customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. You heard that right? $300 in bonus bets to new customers when your first $5 bet wins. So, head to fanduel.com right now to sign up and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Thank you so much for listening to Locked On, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Kevin Ryan Pepio is the only pitcher you could trust going backto back in the World Series. And for those of you uh race fans who shut off baseball altogether after the Rays played in Toronto almost a month plus, they I think they shut it off after early September. That is also fair. Um if you any of those people that that fit in those two buckets, well, guess what? I I will tell you really quickly that Yoshino Yamamoto was incredible during the playoffs. Uh not only did he do a complete game in the NLCS, then he backed it up with a complete game back to back in the World Series and then offered to pitch in the 18th inning affair and was warming up in the bullpen. And then he does a six inning 96 pitch outing, winning game six with their backs against the wall. And wouldn’t you know it, the man also pitched with no days rest in game seven, two and two/3s, just a dog, dog, stud, whatever adjectives you want to say. So that’s what Yoshi No Yamamoto did, right? Going back to back, which is something you never really see. Yeah. I maybe maybe 20, 30 years ago, but not nowadays. Exactly. Exactly. Something you don’t see nowadays. But I was looking at the Rays rotation and really there’s only one guy that could possibly in the unlikeliest of scenarios in the 1 one millionth scenario where this could actually happen. It’s only one guy. It’s the Doctor Strange number one in the Avengers Infinity War. That’s a that’s a call back people. Um it’s Ryan Pepio. And it’s a very easy decision to make because you look at who’s around him. Drew Rasmus, multiple TJs, no thank you. Shane Boss, Tommy John, no thank you. Shane Mlanahan, are you kidding me? Uh, and then the guys next to him, Ian Seymour, Joe Bole, no way, dude. Just because of trust. Ryan Pepio is literally the only guy who you could possibly give the ball in back-to-back affairs. And it’s a very very easy choice here from the race rotation options. Yeah. And uh unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of having a Yamamoto and the other cast of characters that the Dodgers are equipped with. I I think that just underscores the gulf in the difference between what the Dodgers are at and what the Rays are at. We we got some work to do for sure and and frankly it starts with getting Shane Mlanahan fully healthy which that’s even a big question mark there. But out of all the names you referenced I mean you’re right Ryan Pepio is the guy he may not do it with as much flash or flare but he is the one guy who this past season we saw him go eight innings deep. We saw him go seven innings deep. There was a string while you know might not be as impressive as Yamamoto but by Ray’s standards I mean there was a stretch where I think maybe five or six outings he went at least six innings which is you just wouldn’t think that in 2020 to 2025 raise baseball. So I think you’re right Pepio is the guy. Um, and I don’t know what to make of that because he’s not necessarily our most talented or impressive pitcher, but he’s the guy who seems to be the healthiest and seems to be the most workhorse like of the current bunch. Heck, if Zack Latell was still part of the organization, you could probably even make an argument for Zack Lattell. Yeah, Pepio is really the the only option for accomplishing something like that at this juncture. Um, but as we know, the Rays have a lot of work to do before uh making it deep into October. But it is a fun exercise to talk about of who is the guy who you could just throw out there left and right and he would have the the durability to weather the storm. And you know, he’s he seems like a guy that uh would have that potential and that ability. He’s well built enough and and I think over time as he’s gotten more reps, I mean, he went from 130 innings in 2024 to 167 innings in 2025. I mean, I wouldn’t put it that out of the question to see him get to 180 185 this year if if all else goes well. I mean, he was one of the guys that had, you know, 31 plus starts or 30 plus starts this past season. He remained healthy, man. And so, like, you definitely see the competition around him in the race rotation. And you got to just point at him as the guy that who could possibly do this. Now, Jason Stark um from the Athletics said today, “Pitchers have never pitched less and never been less healthy.” And it’s true. And so when you look at a guy like Yoshi No Yamamoto doing what he did in this playoffs and you there’s look has never been as global as it is right now. Yeah. There’s still ways to go. I need to know if that’s just Yamamoto being a dog because apparently he’s done that in Japan in the in the World Series over there. Okay. So, he’s done that before. So, I don’t know if this is like a Yamamoto DNA thing that this guy is just that guy or there’s something in his regimen. There’s something in his throwing program. There’s something about the way that he maybe doesn’t do a lot of uh strength based workouts instead of focuses more on stretching and flexibility. Um I I need to know that. And by I I would say MLB. I would say teens. I would say the physical therapists. I would say the the conditioning team. Like what is he doing? What what what is making him being able to do that? Is it just him? the guts, the the theas. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or or is it something else? Because if it’s something else, it is our intent to see what they’re doing. So when I mean globalized, it can be even more global. What are they doing over there? What are they doing? Yeah. I I don’t know what the major difference is. I’m sure. I mean, clearly uh Japan seems to be doing something right between Yamamoto and Show Otani and uh some of the other players as well. Unfortunately, the Rays weren’t able to cash in on the Yoshi Satsugo experiment. Um, I think if I was just to throw this out into the ether, it is interesting because I while you were talking, I was googling it and it looks like in general uh in the Japanese pro league uh pitchers have one more day of rest than in the major leagues. I really think it goes back to uh the amateur in youth game where all these guys are playing travel baseball and they’re throwing curve balls and breaking balls and if they play in college um you know the the coaches just want to win games. They’re not necessarily concerned about their health. So by the time they get to the pros, uh then you start to see that elbow, shoulder, wrist, arm, whatever it may be, uh wear down to the point of Tommy John surgery or some other procedure is is necessary. So I think it would probably be um kind of an American uh problem of how we’re maybe not taking care of these pictures in their youth and adolescent ages. That’s just my two cents on it. Fair enough. Yes. Uh so uh World Series 2026, we may be seeing lots of Ryan Pepio. So hey, if Ryan Pepio is able to keep the ball in the ballpark and limit the hits and walks, he can go he can give you 78. No doubt about it. He is definitely the guy to do that. And uh to the point you made about Jason Stark uh and his quote of pitchers have never pitched less and never been less healthy. I think we’re going to see guys that if they have some semblance of durability, it doesn’t matter if their erra was 47 or 48, they’re going to get, you know, crazy crazy amounts of money, which, you know, makes it more difficult for the raise if they’re, you know, out in free agency looking for a valuable veteran. it it it’s just going to make the the competition that much more difficult for a player like that or a player slightly above that, if you will. Uh, all right, moving on. Unlikely heroes come and go, and in 2026, Taylor Walls could be that guy. NFL season is back, and honestly, there’s nothing better than being in the stadium surrounded by fans cheering on your team. But let’s be honest, getting tickets can always be a hassle. Between cues, login screens, it’s always a mess. And that’s why I use Game Time, the app that gives the advantage back to fans. In fact, I was in Fort Lauderdale a couple weeks back. I wanted to see a soccer game. Guess what I did? I used Game Time because you’ll always get 100% authentic tickets. So today, download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, that’s promo code L O C K E D O N M LB for $20 off your first purchase. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. Download Game Time today. Thank you for listening to the Locked On Rays podcast and making us your very first listen every day. We appreciate it. We are of course part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Taylor Walls is the unlikeliest hero for the Rays to hit a home run in the ninth inning of a World Series game seven. Boy, is that the truth. And the reason we’re bringing this up is uh Miguel Rojos because he was probably not somebody that you had on your bingo card of coming up huge and delivering uh the clutchest of moments uh for a player. You might say Otani or Freddy Freeman or Mookie Bent or the name one of the eight Hall of Famers that the Dodgers have and and you might want pick one of those guys before uh Miguel Rojos the shortstop. Um so while it is unfortunate that Taylor Walls did not uh win the gold glove uh we are putting another um award on him so to speak of hey he could be an unlikely hero in a key playoff moment and I I think of I think of what Miguel Rojos did in this past World Series and it also gets me to think about what Dan Johnson did, what Brett Phillips did, what uh Mike Braso did in the playoffs. It sometimes it’s the guys that you least expect that come through with a big moment. And part of it is, yeah, these guys get paid, too. They’re professionals, too. They certainly had moments in high school, college, and all their way up through the professional leagues. But also sometimes maybe they get a little underestimated and they have a chip on their shoulder and they want to prove people wrong and they want to say that hey it doesn’t just have to be the all-star or the future hall of famer that can come up big when the lights are brightest and maybe one day someday Taylor Walls could have that moment uh perhaps in 2026 or 2027 or uh sometime in the future. 100%. Because sometimes, you know, we’ve talked to ball players before and they’ve said that in those moments when it gets to be maybe a little bit too much. If there are guys that are able to slow it down just by breathing, just by trying to get out of their head and have their own mental gymnastics on how to get away from that, uh they’re able to do that. And it doesn’t have to be the Hall of Famer. Uh sometimes we know really good baseball players that just don’t usually cut it in in in the playoffs and you do have the Brett Phillips and the Mike Braso moments and the Dan Johnson moments and I wouldn’t put it past Taylor Walls to be that Miguel Roas type because let’s just do a very easy comparison. Miguel Roas is not known for his power or his bat. Neither is Taylor Walls, but they’re known for their glove. So that already makes them kind of an unlikely hero to come up big in a serious moment when you need a hit, when you need a run. And usually in those moments, everybody’s just grasping at whatever they can. And then when the joyous moment happens, everybody loses it. I mean, Joe Davis lost it in that call with Miguel Roas. He said, “No way, Miguel Roas.” So like, you know, that’s kind of what would happen. to check to see if he was on the 26-man roster before uh calling that shot. There you go. I mean, the same call would be would be done with Taylor Walls. No way Taylor Walls has tied it in the bottom of the ninth with a home run. U and and you look at the contributions that Miguel Roas did in this game six and game seven. That’s exactly the contributions that I would expect from Taylor Walls. a solid defense, being able to do plays that nobody else could and come up clutch with throws with the glove. I mean, I can definitely see a World Series where Taylor Walls does exactly that. Yeah. And similar to Miguel Rojos, I certainly could see Taylor Walls having a career that is, you know, 12, 13 years like Rojos, which if there’s another similarity between these players, it’s they have a a grinder mentality because you have to if you’re players like this, which again, they’re talented. Every major league is talented, but they’re not Junior Camroero talented or Yandi Diaz talented or, you know, pick an all-star talented. They they have to earn their spot. And Miguel Rojos year in and year out has earned a spot on a major league roster. And give them credit because he had to play many crappy years with the Marlins to make it to Los. Yeah. Yeah. Even before that in the minors, the guy wasn’t just like a oh assigned and then get gets up to the major. he grinded in the mind. So, I can definitely see that grinder mentality also with with Taylor Walls and and being a guy that, you know, um has earned playing time and because of how he is on the field and, you know, something that gets talked about very much with Miguel Roas is the leadership in the clubhouse. I don’t think we’ve we’ve heard that from the Rays Clubhouse, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the guy that is out there early every day to take ground balls to do defensive work is maybe leading by example rather than with Yeah, I think he’s a leader by example. Not necessarily vocally. He’s certainly I don’t believe a Kevin Kier type or uh you know one of those figures but I think just he is getting there early and staying light and that probably wears off in a good way to the younger players like Junior came in. I’m sure he sees that. I’m sure Jonathan Aronda sees that. I’m sure the outfielders see that. Everybody sees the work that he’s putting in and and it pays off certainly with the glove end. Mhm. So, uh, so yeah, uh, Miguel Rojos, you’ve had your moments. Taylor Walls, you’re up next. Let’s have your moment. Let’s let’s try to get you a gold glove, you know. I mean, that’s that’s another thing. So, maybe that’s his uh we called it. We said it would it would be very difficult, but this was the shot, but maybe maybe next time, Taylor. Yeah, he he can make up for it in uh game seven of the 2026 World Series for the Tampa Bay Race. On that note, uh we hope you all have a wonderful day. Stay safe. I will say there is uh we’re getting to the point November, lot of roster moves, lot of baseball news in general. We will be getting to a lot of that stuff. Uh as we’ve moved on past the World Series, but we wanted to do a uh raise slashworld series episode uh on today’s show. But uh coming up later in the week, we will have uh some newsworthy items uh that hopefully you will enjoy. So with that, we will talk to you later.

Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow celebrate their Dodgers World Series championship with controversial comments about their 2020 loss with Tampa Bay. Are former Rays players catching unfair criticism from social media?
Kevin Weiss and Ulises Sambrano defend Snell and Glasnow’s post-championship remarks, breaking down why both players were traded rather than choosing to leave. The discussion shifts to Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s historic back-to-back World Series starts and identifies Ryan Pepiot as the only Rays pitcher capable of similar durability. Key topics include Taylor Walls’ Gold Glove snub, his potential as an unlikely playoff hero similar to Miguel Rojas, and the Rays’ ongoing payroll limitations that prevent retaining star talent.
Can Taylor Walls become Tampa Bay’s next clutch performer when the stakes are highest? Will new ownership finally allow the Rays to keep their homegrown stars?
0:12 Snell and Glasnow’s Dodgers World Series comments
3:06 Were the comments a shot at Tampa?
5:34 Loud minority trashing former Rays players
9:14 Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s incredible playoff performance
11:18 Ryan Pepiot: The Rays’ only workhorse option
15:18 What makes Yamamoto so durable and healthy?
17:58 Taylor Walls as the Rays’ unlikely hero
21:09 Comparing Walls to Miguel Rojas’ clutch moments
23:06 The grinder mentality and leadership by example

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