PANIC: New York Yankees Face ELIMINATION at Home | Can Carlos Rodón SILENCE the Blue Jays’ Bats?

PANIC: New York Yankees Face ELIMINATION at Home | Can Carlos Rodón SILENCE the Blue Jays’ Bats?

I think he struggled with it for a bit, but clearly he’s done the work mentally to be able to fix that because he had that those those issues have not plagued him this season. 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 Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Thank you for making us your first listen every day. I’m Stacy Gonulius. He’s Brian McKon. We’ve been hosting the show together for a year and a half. We’ve seen a lot of different types of play from the Yankees. And uh the Yankees have a tall task ahead of them. Oh, that is uh that’s for sure. It’s been done before um but not a lot. Right. Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. So, on today’s show, John Carlos Stanton was the one who helped snap the Yankees out of their doldrums in the summer. We’re going to tell you how that happened. There is a path the Yankees can take in order to make this a series again. We’re going to discuss that in segment two. But first, let’s preview the do or die game. Do or die game three. This time it’s do or die game three. Oh, well no. Last year, last year, last week was also do or die game three because if the Red Sox won again, then the Yankees would have been out. So, they’ve been through this a couple a few times already. Different kind of scenario. Um, since the best of five in the ALDS has started, um, only three teams have come back in the best of five series in Major League history. Now, the Yankees are two of them. I was gonna say I was say 2001 and 2017. Yeah. And 81 Dodgers and that’s it. Um so not not a not a long list of teams that have done for before. I guess the Yankees have the advantage of it being them but more often than not it is uh it’s pretty much all she wrote. The the fiveame series is really rough. Um, that’s the one where I mean it’s not as rough as a three because if you screw up a three-game series like there’s no room there’s no room for mistakes in a three-game series and in a fivegame series honestly there really isn’t room for mistakes in a five game either. Seven game series is easier to come back from 02 but a five Yeah. I do like I do like just from like baseball’s perspective the sense of urgency that it creates. It’s a different sense than in a seven game series. Yes. because you don’t you don’t feel the pressure down 20 to 0 in a seven game as you do in a three game in a five game. So I do like that it there’s kind of that change the the element of change uh surrounding there. But um other than that, yeah, I mean the Yankees have no one to blame but themselves. This is not like even if they want to throw some shade at Max Freed here, the the Blue Jays just outright beat the Yankees. There’s no if ends or buts about it. The Blue Jays beat them down in those first two games and it wasn’t particularly close. So, I don’t know who the Yankees could blame but themselves, but at this point, you just have to go one inning, one pitch at a time. That’s all they can really do. Yes, we have a quote from Stanton that basically says that he he even he said, “You can’t look ahead to game five of a fivegame series when you’re going into game three. You have to look at game three and you can’t even look at the end of that game. you have to just look at what’s happening right in front of you because if you look too far ahead, it’s going to ruin everything. Well, I mean, speaking of that, I do like their uh their match up in game three. Um I like the idea of having Carlos Rodon on the mound in a do or die game. And I know a lot of people are going to sit here and for some reason and and I think I kind of know the answer somewhere in the back of my head, but I’m not sure if it’s fully developed yet. There is this lack of confidence in Carlos Rodon that the Yankee fan base seems to have. I don’t include myself in that group because I actually have a lot of confidence in him and I think at the heart of hearts I think Carlos’s a bulldog. I I really do. Um I think he did for a little bit when he first got here struggle with the mental side of things. And you got to remember it is his first big contract that he ever received in the major leagues and he’s pitching for the the first I mean I guess San Francisco’s a big market. Chicago’s a big market, but he was playing for the second team in town there in the White Socks. There wasn’t really pressure to win. He went to Frisco where they they they won, but not at a big level. So, there wasn’t really that level of pressure as same as the Yankees. And then he goes to a giant market in the Yankees and it’s completely flipped where all these expectations are on him. He signs the $und00 million contract and it’s all on him at that point. And I think he struggled with it for a bit, but clearly he’s done the work mentally to be able to fix that because he had that those those issues have not plagued him this season. At least I haven’t noticed. I think it was self-inflicted because he didn’t sign the big contract to be the ace because Garrick Cole was already here. Yeah, but there is some pressure that comes along with signing $170 million, you know. But it wasn’t like they signed him for 324 or three whatever Garrick Cole’s contract was. And it really felt like a lot of it was self-inflicted that first year, especially the the reactions that he had to certain things, you know, blowing a kiss to the fans in Anaheim and just being kind of like jerky on the mound and just not Well, and maybe it wasn’t the pressure necessarily like on himself due to the contract. Maybe it was more on just playing for a giant market in New York. I mean, again, he was in big markets prior, but there’s a huge difference in pitching for the White Socks than the Cubs out in Chicago. There just is. And especially when the White Socks aren’t winning, there’s no pressure under playing there or spending. Yeah, exactly. Well, that’s that’s for certain. Um, so I don’t blame Jerry Rhinor for that, but there’s it’s it’s a different element. And then when you go to the Yankees for the first time, when you know New York Sports Radio has got you know that there’s two New York Sports Radio stations and they’re talking about it constantly every single day. and every bad start you have is overly analyzed and there’s 30 podcasts about your team talking about your starts every single day. It’s a it’s a lot on a on one singular player. So, I think that could have got to him too. Just the overwhelming overwhelmingness of it. Also, there’s not as many reporters in the Giants clubhouse and the White Sox clubhouse as there are in the New York Yankees clubhouse. And you do hear a lot of players mention that too when they first get over to the Yankees. The shell shockedness of it that that in the clubhouse there’s just 50 reporters. I was literally going to say they’re probably thinking to themselves, “Are all these 50 people here for me? Are they all here to listen to what I have to say?” It’s funny they threw out 50 as the number. That’s what that could have got to him, though. Like, that could have been a thing. And I think he’s learned how to wrestle that. And I think he’s learned how to cope with it. And, you know, he’s really become a different pitcher this year. And this was his best year as a Yankee. And that’s coming off of last year. He was really good, right? This has been his best year as a Yankee under this contract. He’s been absolutely outstanding for them. almost won 20 games. He had under a three. Well, just was it under three? Actually, I don’t remember. It was It was It was just above. It was like a three. Exactly. It was like just at three or just below. 20 something like that. Yeah. Had 200 strikeouts. Like this was an this was an ace quality year from Carlos Rodon. And I have a lot of faith in him going into game three. I do. Um I did see a report earlier that Aaron Boon is going to toy with the idea of changing the lineup. I actually wouldn’t do that. I don’t love the idea of changing things up. I don’t think it the other option that you have, I don’t think is better than the lineup they have going right now. And this is the last point I’ll make on this. I know everybody wants to see them win without having to necessarily hit the home run ball and rely on the home run ball. And there is something to that. You don’t want to rely on the home run ball 247. Having said that, this team is built to hit home runs. And this team does win by hitting home runs. Whether you have a problem with the way the team is built or not that way, right? That’s a conversation to have in January when they’re building the roster. Right now, we’re in October and the team is built to hit home runs. Stacey, they’re going nowhere in this series, the rest of the postseason, whatever you want to say, even in game three. If they don’t hit home runs, if they don’t start hitting home runs, you you you can’t just rely on a little, you know, uh lollipop nothing time Cody Bellinger home run in game two. You need to hit home runs. Do I want to rely on the home run ball? No. And am I proud sometimes watching this team when they’re able to manufacture runs without the home run ball? Absolutely. But at the end of the day, Stacy, they got to start hitting home runs. They’re not going anywhere if they don’t do that as a team. I mean, they have to start hitting. True. But like, but they have to they have to the key to game three is to keep the Blue Jays from scoring first. The Yankees have to score first. They have to keep the crowd in involved in everything. And they have to put pressure on the Blue Jays to try and fight back because if they let pressure, right? And if they let if they let the Blue Jays score first, they’re in trouble. Yeah. I think I think because they will press right away because we we’ve seen it. You saw them come out in game two and they were very swing happy with you Savage. They were their their scouting report on him was to attack early in the count and they were they were trying to score early, put a lot of guys on base, put a lot of balls in play, and really make this kid nervous. And I I don’t hate that scouting report on him. I actually think it’s a good strategy to go into a game against a pitcher who’s in his fourth career start. Did it work? No. But I don’t I kind of like that strategy of a young kid in his fourth career start in a playoff game and you just start teeing off on him and swinging early in the count. I like the idea of that. Did it work? No. But that’s that’s besides the point here. Um I think you just the strategy needs to be completely different against Bieber. You discovered and unlocked how poor the middle of that Blue Jays pitching ro rotation bullpen really is. Their middle relief is not strong. That’s what you need to try and get to. If you can get Bieber out of this game in three and a third, three and two/3, I think then you you really can start putting the pressure on. You can really try and get to them. But you got to take pitches to get there and force Bieber to throw strikes, right? I think another key is Boone. He needs to manage the game of his life. I don’t think I don’t think that would that wouldn’t take much though. Is it too much to ask for for him to not screw up tonight? Yes, actually. I think so. Yeah, actually. Yes. So, I really think the keys to the game, Yankees have to score first. They really do. They have to score first. They can’t let the Blue Jays walk all over them, which is Well, like you said, too, with the crowd with the crowd, if you if the Blue Jays score first in that game, the crowd immediately turns into anxiety. They’re going to be dead. Yeah. So, you you you kind of need to keep them in by scoring first. Yes. Yes. You know, and uh if you can’t score, keep them from scoring until you can score. Like try to keep it to where you guys are. If you can’t score, don’t let them score and make I have faith in Rodon being able to do that. By the way, yeah, I think he can, too. Let’s hope he can or else our live stream after the game is going to be really depressing. Yeah. Yeah. All right. All right. Well, 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. For the listeners of the show, we have the link in our description if you were watching on YouTube. There you go. There’s a QR code for you. So, you can join that way. You’ll get texts from us. You can text us questions, comments, reactions to trades and signings during the season. You get top priority on fan mail Friday. We send out the lineups during the postseason and any breaking news. So you don’t have to check social media. There’s also an added perk. We have a private Discord. You can commiserate, complain, do everything during games. There’s a 14-day free trial. So coming up, we’re going to we’re going to discuss the path to keeping the series alive and possibly getting through it next. Most people can’t name all of their financial accounts or even what they’re worth. and whether it’s their 401ks, properties, or investments, if you don’t have the full picture, you can end up leaving a lot of money on the table. And that’s where Monarch Money comes in. It’s an all-in-one personal financial tool that helps bring your entire financial life together in one clean, easy to use interface on your laptop or phone. Monarch is built for people with busy lives. And if you put off organizing your finances, Monarch could be for you. Monarch does all the heavy lifting for you. You can link all your accounts in minutes, see clear data visuals, get smart categorization of your spending, and finally, feel in control of all of your money without ever having to touch a spreadsheet. You can maximize investments, increase your savings rate, easily review finances with your partner and your financial adviser while keeping a clear view of your financial health week toe, long-term, whatever timeline you need. Don’t let the financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code oneword lockboney.com in your browsing for a half off your first year. That’s 50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code one word locked on MLB. I made a mistake earlier. Um there are uh there are only three teams to come back in the DS where it’s a fivegame series. More teams have done it when it was when it used to be a fivegame series in the CS if that makes sense. That’s right. That’s right. Yeah. So when the D when as this format stands when it’s the American or nationally divisional series three three teams have come back down 20 more teams have done it in history when it when it when the CS was a fivegame series but that’s been that’s been a while from now. So just wanted to clarify that for people that are watching at home and already went to their computers and left a comment I’m sure. Um the pedantic people I get it that’s me too. I I I accept uh being wrong. It’s fine. the Yankees actual uh chances of coming back in this series, I don’t think it’s as farfetched as a lot of people would lead you to believe. Um first of all, just from a uh gambling perspective, uh Yankees are plus 400 to come back in this series. That might seem like a daunting number. It’s actually not that crazy for a team facing three straight uh elimination games. Yeah, normally a team in that circumstance would be about plus a thousand. So, plus 400 is giving the Yankees, I’m sure home field has something to do with that, but plus 400 is giving the Yankees a lot of credit going into three straight divisional uh three straight elimination games. It’s because the Blue Jays were 54 and 27 at home and 40 and 41 on the road. They were under 500 on the road. Different team on the road, which is which is a completely different. Yeah. Also going into Yankee Stadium, which is one of the toughest environments to play in on the road in the postseason, I think adds a little bit of an element to that, too. The Blue Jays are also starting Shane Bieber in game three. Um, he only had nine starts this year. Um, and he’s pitched in three playoff games before um against uh in his career. He’s got a five RA. Two of those are against the Yankees. So, he’s he’s seen the Yankees and the Yankees have actually fared off pretty well against him. the 2020 uh AL wild card series. Yankees swept that wild card series. If you remember, he gave up seven earned and four and a two, four and two/3s. And then in the 2022 ALDS, he went five and two/3s, but gave up two runs. And if you remember that game, he was walking guys all over. He was very skittish around the plate. So, he was not really the the length of time that he gave in that it was actually a gritty start from him with how bad his stuff was that day to get through five and two/3s and only have two runs. Yeah. My point to that whole thing is with his playoff success not being that great and a lack of playoff experience with how long he’s been in, they have a legitimate chance, especially with Rodon on the mound in game three. And if you get through game three, the Blue Jays have a bullpen game set up for game four. And that I think lends to what you were saying of you got to score first and you got to try and get Bieber out of this game early. If you get Bieber out of this game early and you make the Blue Jays throw a lot of their bullpen arms in game three, they’re already planning on using those arms in game four. So all those arms the next day are going to be on a short rest because they’re going a second straight day. But B, you’re now seeing the worst part of their team, the least effective part of their team, that middle relief of their bullpen, two days in a row. And you know how it works in the postseason when you see a reliever more and more and more. you start to get more and more used to his pitches and teams start to tee off of these guys. So getting Bieber out of this game becomes more and more paramount to the Yankees having a potential comeback because if you do that you’ll see these relievers twice and it’s the weakest part of their team. I think that has potential to be massive. So you win those two games, then you go back to Toronto with your top three, and I know he struggled against the Blue Jays, but your top three AL SI Young candidate, and that’s another one of those situations where it’s like, “Hey, Max Reed, we gave you $218 million last go us an elimination game.” Not not a crazy task to ask for. Um, I I do think Toronto made a mistake here in to to have more arms leaving Sherzer and Basset off the roster. And I know they haven’t been great as of late. I get it. And Berios is hurt, so he wasn’t able to to go. But wouldn’t you rather have Sherzer on the mound in a game four than going with a bullpen game, right? Because if he If he doesn’t pitch well, then you can go to the bullpen. But at least maybe Sherzer could give you two or three innings. Or maybe he turns the clock back and just dominate. Maybe he remembers that he’s Max Scherzer and the previous few starts that he had where he was awful, don’t factor in. And worst case, even if you don’t plan on starting Sherzer at all, if you put him on the roster, Stacy, you could go with the the classic undecided at this point. And the Yankees don’t know who’s going in game four, which hurts the Yankees game plan going into game three. Since the Yankees know the Blue Jays are going with the bullpen game in game four, there’s more of an emphasis on taking pitches against Bieber and getting him out of this game early because they want to get to the bullpen. So, the Blue Jays bullpen is more tired for game four where they know they’re pitching already. If the Yankees didn’t know who was starting in game four, it changes the whole way they try and attack Shane Bieber in game three. So, I really don’t think it’s smart the way they handle things. Think about the guys that sit on your bench or the guys that sit in your bullpen that you’re not planning on using at all and you’re not going to use. The Jason Dominguez of the Blue Jays roster that couldn’t have been Max Sherzer even as a decoy, which sounds crazy to use Max Scherzer as a decoy, but even use it as a decoy. Why would you not do that? Because now you’re you’re showing your hand and the Yankees know exactly what your game plan is going into game game four. I don’t quite understand that. So, um I think you have a legitimate chance. Plus, the guy who dominated you in game two and you Savage, no chance he has of pitching the rest of this series. He’s not going to be available. And you saw how cautious they were with how quick John Schneider, he didn’t have 100 pitches yet. And John Schneider yanked him from that game when he was dominating. Yeah. So, they don’t want to push him clearly. So, I don’t think there’s a chance they even bring him in on short rest at any point, Stacy. Like, I just think they’re just not going to use him at all the rest of the series. So, Yankees avoid their best pitcher um right now statistically. So, I I’m not sitting here telling you it’s a guarantee, right? But you’ve got Shane Bieber, who the Yankees have success in the postseason, especially, by the way, this Yankee core has success against Shane Bieber in the postseason. Stanton was on those teams. Judge was on those teams. So this Yankee core has success in two of Bieber’s three career playoff starts. Bieber has struggled against them in the postseason and you’re going into a game where you know they have a they have a bullpen game scheduled for game four and the Blue Jays on the road are going up against Rodon who had the lowest batting average against in all of baseball this year. I don’t think it’s insanely inconceivable to think the Yankees can’t come back here. Right. Right. I just don’t like they have the advantage in these next two games and if they don’t take advantage of it. The starting pitching is for certain in their favor. They they they have to hit I mean again this is going to sound crazy obvious, right? They have to hit the home run ball. They have to that that’s what this team does to win games. They have to hit the long ball and Yeah. But they also have to get on base ahead of the person who hits the long ball. True. And and Yeah. You have to not let Vlad affect this game as much as he’s affected the series so far, right? You have to neutralize him. Yeah. And if it takes walking him. Yeah. Or pitching around him, do that. John Schneider in all of baseball loves walking Aaron Judge. Every opportunity he gets walks Aaron Judge. Give him a taste of his own medicine. Stop pitching to Vlad. Right. Stop. All right. Coming up. Apparently, John Carlos Stanton is the reason the Yankees turned things around the last two months of the regular season. We’ll discuss what happened next. There’s nothing like catching a baseball game live. The energy, the crowd, the chance to see your team in person, but actually getting tickets always seems to be the tough part. Cues, login screens, surprise fees, it takes all the fun out of you going. And that’s why I always use Game Time, the app that gives the advantage back to the fans. Game Time is fast, easy, and backed by the Game Time guarantee. You’ll always get 100% authentic tickets delivered on time and at the best price. Plus, all the fees are included, so the price you see is the price you pay. The app is made super simple. I can even see the exact view from my seat before buying. The fees are all included. You know your upfront price with no surprise fees before you check out. I also love the zone deals feature. You can pick the section, Game Time picks the seats, and you save big. It’s honestly faster, cheaper, and less stressful than any other way that I’ve bought tickets before. Download the Game Time app today. Create an account and use code one word locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, that’s promo code Loc MLB for $20 off. Swipe, tag, ticket, go. Download Game Time today. Stacy, uh, I do want to, um, have I, before we go over Stanton’s, uh, crazy story that came out today that I actually love. Um, I have a little bit of a of a predicament that I want to run by you. So, tomorrow, uh, for the during the Yankee playoff game, my family has a little tradition where we go to the Rangers home opener, the New York Rangers home opener every single year. And now I find myself going to regular season game one of 82 during a Yankee playoff game. Last year this wasn’t a problem because the Yankee playoff game didn’t land on the day of the home opener. So it was it was a little bit split. Now it does. So I’m going to be and the the Ranger game starts at 8 and the Yankee game starts at 8. So they’re at the same exact time. I’m a little uh skittish because I’m gonna be watching the Ranger game with my phone there in the garden to see what’s going on in the Yankee game. It’s not going to be the easiest way to get through things, but it is like a family kind of event that we go to every year. So, I feel like I I I have not that I don’t want to go to the Ranger game, obviously, but I feel like I I have to be there as well. Well, it’s a tradition. Yeah, it is. So, I I have to be there. Um this is a really tough spot for me, though. I’m I’m really I’m struggling with this reality. I’m not going to lie. It’s It’s killing me a little bit inside. Yeah. Well, I mean, I don’t know. I’ll figure it out. I’m gonna do my short from the garden so everyone’s kind of like aware of where we stand here. Um but but I hope that I drive home from the garden and I’m a little uh more amped than upset, right? So, I just feel like with my like luck, it’s going to be just like a clean sweep. Rangers and Yankees lose, then I got to come talk about it. Yeah. Please, New York, pick it up. Damn it. for the All right, this Sean this Sean Carlos Stanton story. Um, this I’m gonna let you tell the story. This leads off right at the tail end of the Yankees finishing off playing like garbage in August. Yeah. So, this article came out on the Athletic that is a subscription site. So, if you didn’t read it because the of the payw wall, we’re going to tell you all about it. So the title is inside the Yankees meeting where John Carlos Stanton gave them a kick in the butt. Can they find that fuel again? So after the Yankees lost to the Rangers, remember that lovely game where Devin Williams gave up the game tying home run, Jake Bird, remember him gave up the walk-off, the threerun walk-off in extra innings? Well, apparently that was also after they had lost that really horrible game in Miami after the trades were made and the bullpen. Yeah, please. Like the worst loss of the year. Yeah. So, Stanton went off on his teammates basically. And the thing that makes it interesting to me is that Aaron Judge has a few quotes here that I find bothering concerning. Concerning. That’s the word to use. Concerning. Yeah. Okay. So, this is what Judge had to say about Stanton basically reaming them out because that’s what he did. Remember back in the beginning of the season, we were talking about Stanton and he basically threatened everyone’s lives to not ever wear the AL champion ring ever. He’s like, “That’s not the ring that we’re meant to wear.” So, I would listen to Stanton no matter what he said. But he has a very clear head on his shoulders when it comes to all this kind of stuff. Yeah, he really does. Like he’s definitely one of those guys and they even said this about him. He’s one of those guys that doesn’t speak unless it’s really needed. Like he tries to like stay out of things because he doesn’t want to step on anyone’s toes, but then when he talks, they all listen to him. Yeah. That that that that speaks volumes honestly. That means when he does open his mouth, you better you better sit down and shut up and listen. Yeah. So, Judge said it was good for everyone or everybody to hear and for all of us to kind of look in the mirror like, “Hey, am I really giving it my best? Am I giving it my all? Time to turn around and get things moving.” That that’s an extremely concerning quote coming from the captain of the team. like it if he at all thought and a being named the captain of the team and having a $300 million contract. Part of that duty is is to know if you notice your teammates not giving their all and not being fully engaged every single day. But if he had all thought that and he didn’t decide to speak up in advance, what are we doing here? Judge, now I love him again. 50 home runs a year, one of the greatest players of all time, but he’s got to be a better leader than that. And that quote can’t come out. You’re questioning whether your teammates were giving at all. If you are, why didn’t you speak up prior? Why did you wait for John Carlos Stanton to speak up? That that it it took Stanton speaking to open your eyes to that. That’s a little concerning to me. I also found it interesting that Ryan McMahon, who was literally just traded to the team like what, a week ago? A week before this happened, said we kind of needed someone to get on our rear ends like that. And that I know everyone’s going to complain, but that’s on the manager. Wh Why isn’t the manager, you know, getting at them again? Good managers in the sport ream these guys after a week of bad play. After a series of bad play, these guys get killed. Why does this manager let them go two months without figuring it out? That’s the concern that I have. And Ryan McMahon, who was there for a week and actually if you remember was playing really well for that first week, was hitting the ball really well, was really playing well. To say that, yeah, they needed someone to get on them. Why wasn’t anyone getting on them prior? I mean, that that’s crazy to think of. Ben Rice said just kind of him acknowledging the elephant in the room that we can be better and that things couldn’t keep sliding like that. It was good. Why wasn’t this addressed? This was going on for two months, St. Two months. This was No one thought to address this prior. Two months. I don’t get it. I don’t understand how no one thought there would it took Stanton after two months to speak up and then everyone was like, then then the light bulb went off. Nowhere prior did anyone think this had to be addressed, right? And here’s another quote from Judge. A guy like Big G who’s been around the game and has been around a lot of teams and had a lot of great moments. A coach can say it or a front office person can say it, but hearing it from one of your guys that’s out there battling with you every day, it’s a good little reality check. Yeah, but you know what? Judge was named the captain of the team and he’s the homegrown Yankee. That’s it’s his job to be doing that. And that’s not to say that Stanton can’t speak up and and shouldn’t. I’m not saying that. But why was this not thought of by Judge a month prior to this? Again, this was not a swoon that lasted for a week. This lasted for two months, Stacy, or a month and a half. Why would Why did like Judge should have the foresight to speak up prior than Stanton having to do it two months in? It almost feels like Stanton was thinking as he’s driving into the ballpark, has he really not said anything yet? Like Stanton didn’t want to step on Judge’s toes, right, as the captain and and and not But at a certain point, Stanton was like, I got to come I got to something at this point. I’m a veteran on this team and and we’re playing terrible. Yeah, that’s what it feels like because Austin Wells said he really Okay, this this is what the quote says. This is not me messing this up. He really often doesn’t speak his mind. So when he does, it’s usually very important. I I don’t I don’t know how no one on this team had the clarity prior to to think this is important. It’s crazy to me. And the thing about it was the manager was out there making excuses for everyone. We’re gonna snap out of this. It’s only been two bad weeks. Meanwhile, at that point, he had said that one time, and at that point, it had been at least six weeks of bad play. And I had gotten so angry when I heard him say two weeks. It’s like, are you not paying attention? Do you not know how time works? It’s not two weeks. We’re And every every pitcher that got shelled in that stretch had good stuff. And every single hitter that that that went 0 for 30 in that stretch, you know, was seeing the ball well. It just was getting hit to the wrong places. It was an excuse. Every excuse imaginable. Devin Williams was throwing the ball great the entire year. It was an every excuse imaginable that he came up with to basically lie straight to our faces as a fan base telling us that this guy that that whatever player was playing extremely well when the player legitimately was not playing well. Um all of that thrown back in our face. I just Stacey at this point like the quotes annoy me with Judge J like to me if he doesn’t have that like part of being named the captain of the team it should not have been used as a negotiation tactic in getting him to sign like that’s the way it’s viewed is Hal called him and raised the dollar value of the contract and then said we’d also like to name you the captain and that’s apparently what got Judge to to sign with the Yankees and and to me that should not have been used as a negotiation tactic. Being named the captain should be, you know what, we know that when we go through a swoon and the manager is too dumb as rocks to tell to stick up and speak to the team that the the captain is going to speak to the team and close the doors, lock them behind no media allowed and speak to the team. It shouldn’t take John Carlos Stanton speaking up and saying something or Garrick Cole or anyone quite frankly. That should be the captain of the team’s job. And if the captain of the team isn’t gonna do it, the manager should pull him aside and say, “Hey, we got to say something. Get your boys in shape.” They don’t listen when I talk. They don’t listen when Cashman talks. They don’t listen when Tro talks, whatever other executive you want to talk talk about. Yeah. They listen when when you talk. So, the fact that the manager never said anything to Judge, Judge never got the clue to do it to the point where Sam came in and was like, “I guess I got to say something.” And it clearly worked. That to me is what bothers about this whether this team has handled it and it’s it’s a little bit of an insight on how this organization has been handling things the last couple years and I don’t think it’s a good thing. No, it’s not. They finished an MLB best 34 and 15 after that meeting by the way. Yeah. So, uh would have been great if that happened uh a month before that maybe and then they could have really like run away with the division because they would have won it back and then a week prior a a series prior. They remember they tied for the division Stacy, right? So, one extra one extra win would would have won them the division and then this and then this series is being played in Toronto and and game one and two are being played in the Bronx and the elimination game is being played in the Bronx. Changes the whole thing. So, I know what you’re saying. Yeah. Wish this conversation would have happened two weeks prior or a month prior, whatever. This conversation in reality could have happened a series prior. In fact, could have happened a game prior because if that Marlins loss doesn’t happen, the Yankees win the division. If they hold on to that Marlins loss, they win the division. Think of it. And then and then they’re in Toronto tomorrow. And they’re in Toronto. Texas. The Texas loss. Yeah. Exactly. So when we freak out over one game in August against the Marlins when everyone’s aggravated and I remember that game because I was hosting that show from Atlantic City and it it was great and everyone was saying, “Yeah, it’s one loss. Don’t worry about it. It’s a bad loss, but it happens.” That one game that me and you came on here and freaked out about that one game is the difference between the elimination game being played on Friday or I guess not. No, it would be Friday. On Friday in Toronto as opposed to being played in New York changes the whole thing. Changes the whole outcome. So just keep that in mind. Yeah, just quick update. The NLDDS both series 20 one two for the Dodgers, two for the Brewers. Both were dominating fashion. Phillies had a late comeback. Didn’t get back in that game. and that the uh the Brewers uh just took advantage and stomped all over the Chicago Cubs. Both those series looks like we’re headed straight for uh LA versus Milwaukee. Here’s a fun fact. Going into Monday night’s game, the Brewers had 49 home runs in the playoffs. None of them were more than a two-run home run. They hit they hit two three-run home runs on Monday night. Unreal. And the Cubs again in game one of the series the Cubs start Matt BCH hit a home run in the first inning. Brewers bottom of the first answered with three runs. This game Cubs hit a three-run homer run in the top of the first. What happens? Brewers answer with three runs in the bottom of the first. Cubs can’t get out of their own way. Yeah, I thought the Brewers answered with six runs in the bottom of the first in that first game. They did. They did. I meant like answered the one-run solo shot. Yeah. Okay. because it was six and three and then they didn’t score because they didn’t need to score for the rest of the game. But yeah, the Brewers are frightening. They’re good. They’re really good. Yeah, I think uh it’s going to be Brewers, Dodgers in the CS. And please Brewers. It’ll be fun. I’m rooting for you. That Dodger bullpen stinks, by the way. They’re awful. They were awful. They’re using Saki as their closer. Yeah. And and they used uh Shehan as a middle relief guy. They they don’t have relievers. It’s Trinidon almost He insists on using Trinan. It’s like, do you not like Dave Roberts and Aaron Boon are so similar in certain ways? Oh, yeah. They they love each other. They they they think each other are great at their jobs. Yeah. Well, thank you for making Locked on Yankees your first listen every day. For your second listen, find the allne 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. We will be going live after game three. We might have to wait for Brian to get home from the Rangers game, but we’re going to go live after game three. And hopefully it’s not a funeral for the 2025 Yankees. So, that’ll do it for this edition of Locked on Yankees. I’m Stacy Gotulius. And I’m Brian McKeon. We’ll catch you guys tomorrow. [Music]

Carlos Rodón and Giancarlo Stanton take center stage as the New York Yankees face elimination in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays. The hosts discuss the Yankees’ path to a potential series comeback, including Rodón’s crucial start and Stanton’s role in turning the team’s season around. Aaron Judge’s leadership is also examined as the Yankees aim to keep their postseason hopes alive at Yankee Stadium.

Join the LOY Insiders Club via subtext! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonyankees
What is the Insiders Club? https://youtu.be/BItWi-kbIJY?t=1468

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-yankees/

Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/mlb/

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Rugiet
Ready to level up your confidence ? Head to https://rugiet.com and use promo code LOCKEDONMLB for 15% off your first order.

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONMLB at https://monarchmoney.com/lockedonmlb for 50% off your first year.

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)