Mad Dog says Mariners will NEVER get over losing to the Blue Jays 😳 | First Take

Mad Dog says Mariners will NEVER get over losing to the Blue Jays 😳 | First Take

just a little bit. All right, let’s transition to some baseball. The World Series is set. It was George Springer with a threerun home run that vaulted the Blue Jays to the World Series in game seven of the ALCS as they held on to defeat the Mariners 4 to3 at Rogers Center. It’s Toronto’s first appearance in the World Series since 1993. And it’s a very unexpected appearance as well. Entering the season, the Jays were 60 to1 to win it all. That was tied for the eighth longest odds in baseball. Meanwhile, the Dodgers were a heavy favorite at plus 275. Game one is set for Friday in Toronto. Mad Dog joining us right now. And Mad Dog, did the Blue Jays take this series or did Seattle just blow it? Well, that’s a good one. And I’m going to say Seattle had a lot to do with this. Remember, only four teams have blown two leads when they win their first two games on the road. Seattle did that. Not many teams with a 3-2 lead going back on the road with a chance to have two opportunities to win one game to get to a World Series lose both. Seattle did that. And then of course last night, Seattle’s got a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Nine outs away going to their first ever World Series and they blew that. Uh Dan Wilson wasn’t exactly Casey Stangle last night. I never would have taken out Kirby after four innings. Uh, I can’t allow the kid reliever to pitch the Springer when he had pitched two innings the night before and his best reliever Munos was in the bullpen. I wouldn’t have bunned when it was 1-1 in the second inning for the bottom part of his lineup. I mean, it’s a brutal loss. Stevie Chrissy and Mr. Saturday. I mean, the Mariners haven’t been in the World Series since 19 since they’ve been in the sport. They got a 20 3-2 and then a 3-1 lead in game seven. and Springer hits the ball to the moon in the bottom of the seventh inning. That is a Seattle’s never going to get over it. That’s how bad that loss was. And I do think, man, Dan Wilson, the manager of the Mariners, made some pitching decision mistakes and obviously the Blue Jays took advantage. So, I’m looking at the Blue Jays right now and I’m thinking about them against the Dodgers. I give them a lot of props because I’m kind of surprised they came back after being down 02, especially losing the first two games on their own home turf, doggy. I think that says a lot about their resolve. Vladimir Guerrero is something special. Speak to how special this dude is and the potential for him to galvanize this team against the Dodgers. Now 100% Stevie, well done. Guerrero has been, you know, a subpar regular season, at least on his standards. He’s a former MVP, 500 million, $400 million contract, but he has just been fearless uh in this postseason. if it was if it’s possible. He outshined Judge in the divisional series when the Blue Jays beat the Yankees and he played he was a big factor in this series. He gives them some confidence. They’ll be a pain in the neck against the Dodgers. I don’t think they’re going to beat them, but Steve, they’re going to be a pain in the neck. They got home court, home field. Uh they, you know, best team in the American League. They have a very good lineup. Uh Dodgers have the week off. They have to navigate. Uh, you know, Dodgers beat them two out of three in the regular season in LA. Uh, I I think the the Blue Jays will will handle themselves pretty well in this seven game. I don’t think they’re going to win, but I think they’d be very very competitive, and as you said, Guerrero is excellent. Their lineup is very, very deep. They have decent enough starting pitching. I think it’d be a pretty good World Series. I don’t think it’s going to be a seven game unbelievable classic, but I think it’ll be a pretty good World Series. I I really do, and you make an excellent point. Guerrero is a tremendous he’s like his father. I mean he’s a tremendous tremendous hitter. No question about it. And you know what? They got opportunistic hitters as well. So I give Toronto a lot of credit. I’m shocked at how Otani has struggled. I know he had a big hit last game, but I I I expected more from him in this postseason. He was struggling obviously. Do you see any vulnerabilities from the Dodgers in this series in terms of their hitting? because we expect, we don’t hope, we expect the Dodgers to show up with their bats. I’m not sure that’s something that we can definitively say against Toronto coming up in this World Series. I think this could end up going seven games, though. If you’re going to pull off a huge upset, if you’re like the Blue Jays, and they’d be a big big underdog, I think you got to win the first game. Milwaukee had a chance to win the first game. Ninth inning, bases loaded, Terra strikes out. Put a little fear into the Dodgers in their bullpen. When the Indians beat the Gi When the Giants beat the Indians and Maize made that great catch 54, they were a huge underdog. They won game one. They swept the Indians. When the Pirates beat the Yankees in 60, Mazowski hit the huge home run, huge underdog. They won game one at Yankee Stadium. When Gibson hit the home run against the A’s in 88, they were a huge underdog, the Dodgers. Gibson hit the home run against Oakland in the ninth inning of game one at Dodger Stadium, they beat him in five games. So, I I think in order for Toronto to have a chance here, they need to win this first game on Friday night. I I think that will be very very important. Listen, I think if the Dodgers have any vulnerabilities here, I still think it’s their bullpen, Steve. I mean, they’re going to pitch Snell and they’re going to pitch Glasno. They’re going to pitch Yamamoto and probably Otani. Those four are excellent. You know, Otani, Betts, and Freeman. They have enough hitting. I think their bullpen could get them in a little trouble. But keep an eye on game one, Steve. I think that’s the key game. If the Blue Jays win game one, give the Dodgers something to think about uh in like what in like the Pacers did last year against OKC. Huge underdog. They won game one right there the whole series. They played a game seven. I I think kind of sort of what the Blue Jays will have to do here to have a chance to win. My last comment would be this to you and Amina. The Dodgers in their rotation. I mean since the Redskins the Reds I’m sorry the wild card series Dodger starters 140 erra with 81 strikeouts in 64 and a third innings their rotation I mean these brothers show up it’s it’s it’s going to their bullpen obviously if if if you’re Toronto you got to make sure you’re not swinging at early pitches you got to make sure they’re lengthy at bats to get the starters out there to get to their bullpen it seems like that’s going to be Toronto’s best chance and I think Toronto could pull that off to make this a sevengame series. Yeah, the Blue Jays definitely The pitching has been great, Steve. 100%. No, Tommy had that historic game on Friday night. Let’s see how he handles his World Series. That’s right. Good job. Everyone will be looking for it. Thanks so much, man. [Music]

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo join to discuss the Seattle Mariners losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the ALCS and debate if the Blue Jays will be competitive against the Dodgers in the World Series.

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