The right quot. Dodgers Playoff Baseball is.
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Baby. This is Sax and Cakes in.
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Dodger legend Steve Sacks is joined by your favorite Dodger pregame host, Tim Kates. If you want to talk Dodgers, get in on the show on eighty six six nine, eighty seven two five seven now. While the Dan Patrick Show streams on the Ihearts radio app. We've been banished to the Internet until this Dodgers playoff run concludes. Here they are broadcasting live on AM five to seven LA Sports.
It's Tim Kates and Steve.
Sachs sax O, Kate's and AM on this Tuesday morning. Thanks for being with us Southern California as you're waking up, making your way to work, school, getting the kids ready on the way of the office. We appreciate you ta making us with you as you make your commute. Dodgers off until Friday with a host the New York Yankees in Game one of the World Series, Dodgers on deck will get it all started at four o'clock, first pitch on Friday from the Galpamotors broadcast booth. He's at five eight.
Salona Rizzo from MLB Network will join us. Coming up later on this hour. Jerry Royce, who you heard from the Game one recap of the nineteen eighty one World Series earlier last hour. He was the Game one starter and the loss of the Yankees. He'll join us next hour to relive the nineteen eighty one World Series to get his thoughts on this twenty twenty four World Series matchup. But joining us now as he makes his way to
Yankee Stadium. He's covered the Yankees for a long time now with the athletic Brendan Cutty joins us here on Saxon Kates in the morning. Brandon, how you doing, Thanks for coming on.
I'm doing well, guys, Thank you for having me.
Absolutely this Yankees team, Aaron Aaron Boone yesterday said the chemistry is like no other team he's seen in recent memory. What is made this Yankees team so tight, so such a good group that Aaron's referring to.
I think there's a lot of factors. We'll start with last year, how they had high expectations but finished in fourth place in the American League East, they missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years. That left a bad taste in the mouth of Yankees' leadership and most importantly, Yankees team captain Aaron Judge. A lot of Yankees' players showed up weeks early the spring training this year. They talked about Tom Roderi, they talked about not having
an ego, and they talked about togetherness. And you kind of saw this team build around Aaron even as they brought in, you know, individualistic type of personalities in Marcus Stroman or Alex Ferdugo or Jazz Chishem as the trade dead line, you know this, Uh, they've been able to make it work around one goal to make last year a thing of the past.
Wow.
Brandan, good to be with you this morning.
And uh, there's gonna be a lot of great factors obviously that are gonna come forth as we get closer. You know this, the superstar status of the players on both teams. I gotta figure, Brendan, this is gonna come down to maybe the bullpens, and both of them are really good. Maybe you can highlight a little bit, uh, some of the big talking points for this bullpen of the of the Yankees, which is outstanding.
Uh look, yeah, the Yankees bullpen has been pretty good. But make no mistake, it's a it's a ragtag bunch, you know. It's there's a bunch of guys that you know, they're missedit a land of missit toys, if I have that phrase correct. You know, guys who were cut from other organizations and ended up maximizing their skills with the Yankees.
You're looking at Luke Weaver as the closer, a guy who was a former first round pick, and I think he made staffs that sticks different organizations before he found his home in the bullpen with the Yankees. It's Tim Hill, who was dfaid by the historically awful Chicago White Sox. Same deal with with Jake Cousins, who they didn't They didn't want to keep Jake Cousins around, you know. Uh, sorry, I'm driving on the George Washington Bridge in this construction.
It's load. I'm sorry. Yeah, And uh, you know, they don't want to keep Jake Cousins around. Play Homes was was their all star closer. He's been an All Star twice now, but they traded for him for spare parts with the Pittsburgh Pirates. So it's a it's kind of a and I mean this in the best way possible story. No name group. Yeah, it's a great story.
Brendan Jen Carlos Stanton, local kid here in southern California and played baseball just a couple of minutes away from our studio and noted high school.
A good regular.
Season hit the home runs, didn't have the greatest of average, but he has certainly turned it on here in the postseason. What is it about him that he has flipped the switch here in October?
The man is on a mission, and really he's been on a mission ever since he got in New York. Aaron Boone told the story recently, how in twenty eighteen, coming off of his twenty seventeen National League MVP Award win, you know, he came to the Yankees, hits forty home runs, drives in one hundred runs, and what happens. Yankees fans say, that's all you got, just forty homers in one hundred RBI. He got crap all year that year because you know,
he struck out a lot. The team wasn't amazing. Aaron Judge was hurt and John Carlow realized, like, you know, I could be miserable here, or I could just turned it all off and try to win. And that's what he's trying to do. Look, he's been unhealthy for a lot of his time with the Yankees.
You remember even last off season, Brian Cashman made waves when he said, you know, at some point John Carlo go on the il you know, you don't really say the quiet part out loud and ended up happening.
But he doesn't let anything bother him. And you see it right now. Four hits all in the ALCS and they were all home runs right at crunch time. And the best thing he said so far and yet that will make Yankees fans happy, is that he hasn't done anything yet. Right, the Yankees are now in the World Series. He's never been in the World Series. But he's got that Kobe Bryant mentality. Job's not finished.
Yeah, that's well.
You know, I wanted to ask you too about some of the guys hurt as well on this team. Anthony Rizzo playing with two fractured fingers on his right hand. Also, your lefty, Nester Jrtes has got the left elbow flexer strain. I know he's been facing some hitters and some simulated games, but what's the status of these two And and will the Dodger bullpen or the Dodger pitching staff in general be able to exploit the situation with Rizzo in that right hand.
No, I don't think so. I mean, unless you're gonna throw at the right hand again, Like, I don't know, I don't know necessarily. What you know that.
That right hand is extremely important to pulling the bat through the zone and if you can pitch him up and end.
Uh.
You know, That's what I kind of saw with Rizzo and as lasted bats he was able to, you know, flare that ball over the shortstops head for a base. It was a good piece of hitting, but it wasn't the same as you know, you see him before, you know, pulling the ball down the right field line.
Right.
So I don't know that that Anthony Rizzo necessarily anymore. From being honest, he might be in the later stage of his career where he's more trying to be a content guy, trying to be a guy who digs it out the dirt at first base. You know, last year he dealt with the concussion that the Powers kind of staffed earlier this year, the Powers kind of staffed. That's that's before he broke his hands. So I'm not necessarily
sure he's the thirty homer Anthony Rizzo anymore. Respectfully, you know, he he I think that his goal is to you know, make contact, spray the ball kind of like you said, sure you could bust him up and in, but his mo o his whole career. But he's the all time leader and being hit by pitches. Sorry, active leader, active leader and being hit by pitches. So you'll bust him up and in and he'll just take one off the shoulder. As far as Nesser Court has, it seems like he's
going to be on the Yankees roster. He you know, got hurt in the last week of the regular season, had a strong season in the rotation for the Yankees, but as a lessie out of the bullpen. Look, Shootani is incredible, and he will probably hit a home run or to this World Series and has some incredible moments. But the Yankees might be looking at Nessor Cortes as a Otani killer, you know, left on left seventh inning. You know, Nestor is the kind of intense guy who
doesn't wilt under pressure. I think he would like the challenge of in a tight spot needing to go up against a Shoeotani or Freddie Freeman BRITDA.
What's the vibe in New York right now as far as the fans and the excitement level of facing the Dodgers in the first World Series matchup between these two franchises since nineteen eighty one.
Oh, I haven't been out a whole lot. I live in Jersey and I've been trying to sleep because the Alcs just killed me. But I'll tell you what the vibe is in my group chat with my friends who are Yankees fans, and they're stoked. They're freaking out there. They I gotta I woke up to text the morning from friends of mine saying is it Friday yet? They can't wait to get this thing going. They you know, I mean, I'm thirty seven and in two thousand and
nine I was in college. It's just finishing up college. That's how long it's been since the Yankees have been in the World Series, and they can't wait to get this going. They're excited that it's against the Dodgers. All the history there, all the marquee names. They respect the Dodgers and the history, and I just think that it's gonna be a great series and everyone's really excited.
Yeah, Brendan, I'm wondering what the overall game plan for the Yankees is. Obviously, with the big star quality on this team show hey Otani and Mookie Bettsy'd like to strike them out, you know, every time they get up and boom, we win. But is it try to limit that what they can do and really contain the bottom part of that lineup, which has been really good When the Dodgers get those bottom guys on Hotani has been absolutely just a barn burner as far as getting hits
with guys on base. So I'm wondering, really what their attack mode is going to be on this I'm gonna be.
I think there are attack mode is gonna be one batter at a time. I Mean, you hate hearing cliches from athletes, You especially hate hearing them from reporters who
hate hearing them from athletes. But they're gonna have to go one batter at a time, right because that Los Angeles lineup is so dangerous it could hurt you in so many ways, and if you tire yourself out really trying to go crazy after the bottom half of the lineup, I mean, then you're gonna leave a fat slider over the place to show Aotani and he's gonna hit it
to the in and out around the block. So I just don't I just don't know that there's a really a one size fits all attack plan for the New York Yankees other than just trying to get everybody out.
Brandan, we appreciate a couple of minutes as you make your way to Yankee Stadium. What's the plan for the Yankees? Are they flying out later today? They're heading out tomorrow? When are they coming out to Southern California.
I believe we're coming out tomorrow. They're gonna work out today. They'll probably do do some kind of light workout tomorrow, and then you get ready for all the pomp and circumstance right the World Series workout day. You know they'll be at their podiums taking questions from everybody and just you know, soaking it in before you get down the business on Friday.
Well, Brendan, we appreciate some time. Look forward to seeing you out here in southern California. And thanks for talking a little Yankees Dodgers with us.
Thanks, Brennan, thanks for having me on.
All right, there, he goes Brendan Cundy from The Athletic. We'll covering the Yankees on the Yankees beat. It sounds like he I mean Aaron Booney. Yesterday Saxy made the comments that this is the tightest group he's had as manager of the Yankees. The team chemistry that we have is off the charts right now. The leadership that we have in this Yankees clubhouse is like nothing I've seen as I've been the manager here at the Yankees. I mean,
I don't know if I buy in to it. Is Aaron Judge really that leader that can lead twenty six guys in that clubhouse never came across to me as that guy who's that clubhouse leader, the guy that everybody wants to follow.
I could be wrong. I could be wrong.
Okay, it gets a little tired when you're talking about leading guys.
Okay.
The one thing I didn't want when I was playing is just coming from my standpoint, is I didn't want some one of my teammates leading me. Okay, I don't think anybody else did either. They're not the leader. The manager is okay, that's the manager of the team. And oh, by the way, when guys say this is my team, now, it ain't your team. I don't think you own the team. The owner owns the team. It ain't your team. So when you hear that kind of thing, it's a bit overrated.
The real leaders and the real way that the players will follow other players is by example guys that don't have to say a word. There's guys that are leaders on teams that don't say anything, and it's because they don't need to. They do it by example. Those of the leaders, the locker room lawyers with the lip service people just tune them out.
Man.
I mean, I don't need you to tell me to get excited. I'm a grown ass man and I'm excited.
Okay.
I went batting practice, I went some ground balls, and then move get out of the way, okay. And I don't need guys that are my teammates to telling me how I need to get ready. Okay, we all know how to do that. I want to see it. I want to see it. I don't want to hear it. That's what the leaders are.
I can see where Aaron Judge has taken over as maybe the guy who needs to win. Now he's thirty two years old. The pressure's on him. He's got the big contract, came back in free agency a couple of years ago when he could have come out West and gone to the Giants and turned down that offer, and now the pressure's on for him to win a championship because they haven't have been back to the World Series since two thousand and nine. But I look at Aaron
Boone as well. Aaron Boone's been the manager of this team since twenty eighteen. I mean we're in twenty twenty four now. He hasn't won a World Series. He hasn't even gotten to a World Series as a man. Yet it every year he's like Dave Roberts. But in New York, they're calling for his head and saying he's not the
right guy, we got to move on. But yet they bring him back, and I can see where he's probably happy that the other Aaron, Aaron Judge, is probably taking a little bit of that pressure off of him.
Yeah, I mean, it's it's great when you have guys in there that can you know, you have players that are almost like coaches themselves. They they police everything. They do a lot of the conversations at the locker and those type of things that that's what a you know, sometimes a manager will have to do. But you got players out there that that take the bull by the horns and whatever. They don't have to have group meetings. They just go and they you know, they talk to
the guys individually. They leave by example, they see what the guys know. When guys are hurt, they're out there playing when they're hurt. They're not whining about it. And the other guys in the team like, oh, okay, so that's how you do it. You don't talk about it, you know, So that that's the real leaders on the team. And Aaron's like that, Aaron Place, look at that big body, dude.
I guarantee you there's not probably a game throughout the season other than maybe the first week where he doesn't have a little something going on, little something something going on where he's you know, he's not one hundred percent. I don't know anybody that played in the World Series that didn't have you know, wasn't one hundred percent physically. There's always things like that, and the guys that go
out and play through it. That's when guys take notice and they say, that's that's a guy I can follow.
Eight sixty six, nine eighty seven two five seventy. We'll get to your phone calls coming up. On the other side. We'll also check in with a lot of rizzo from High Heat on MLB Network Game one of the World Series on Friday nights at Dodger Stadium. Tickets hard to come by, but five seventy LA Sports has got your chances to win. More on that coming up, as the Dodgers and Yankees meet up for the first time since nineteen eighty one. It's Sax and Kate to the Am
looking for the Dan Patrick Show. iHeartRadio app. We're live at local on this Tuesday morning. They should be with us AFI seventy LA Sports. Sax and Kate's and am on this Tuesday morning, live and local on your home of the Dodgers an FI seventy LA Sports. I was just watching MLB Network TV during the break, SAX see a lot of rizzo from MLB Network TV High Heat with the Mad Doc. Chris Russo's gonna join us in just a couple of minutes. And I was like, why
are they doing this? They did a whole thing about where do they got? Where did this guy come from? And then I watched it. I'm listening, you know, break it down. It's like, okay, I get it.
Now.
Baseball fans may not know who Tommy Edmond is. So they broke down where'd he come from? Why he was he the nl NLCS MVP. And then they went over the other side to Luke Weaver. Where did this guy come from? It's kind of cool to see these guys who aren't the superstars, and Major League Baseball Network TV is starting to feature the role players, the guys who you may not know who the superstars, and then the All Star Game every year, so I think that's kind
of cool. They're they're spotlighting the players who you're gonna see be impact players in this Fall Classic, but you may not know who they are. Eight sixty six, nine seventy is our numbers. Take some calls. Let's go to Mike in Torrents. Mike Intrance joins is now here on n FI seventy LA Sports.
I do it.
Mike, Good guys, goo, good morning, thank you so much for doing this. I don't get anything done during this week in the morning because I got to be near the radio, So I don't know if there's an app that we can do. You know, if there's an app that I can get this guys on or because it goes to Dan Patrick, yeah, you help you on that road.
But you can check out Twitter. I sit out a link to that. But Dan is on the iHeartRadio app right now for M five seventy. But there's other ways you can find us to wrestle Lee as well. Eric and u Kaipa is next up here on an FI seventy LA Sports.
Eric.
How you doing.
I'm doing good, guys.
Thank you.
Hey, it's gonna be a heavyweight fight. Uh, it's gonna go to the final round and we're gonna win by knockout. And also have a question for Steve. Hey, Steve, how did you guys prepare for the season, Like, did you guys work out on the off season or just show up to spring training? And did did you ever hit batty practice off Sandy Kofax or.
Tommylsorta, Thank you well, Tommy, Sandy Kofax, No, because I didn't want to strike out work out. Yes, we did that in the off season and Tommy thesorta too many times batting practice. Tommy would Tommy would like live out his fantasies of playing in the big leagues in spring training when he throw batting practice to us and he thought he had this unbelievable great curveball that was like,
you know, it was like storytelling type. And he'd be out there in batting practice in Florida, sweating like a I mean really bad, and he'd throw this big curve ball up there and he's and you know, we'd whack it out there and he go, wow, you must be really on it to hit that curveball, and and whatnot, and just talking up trash like you could not believe. I think Tommy invented trash talking because it was like real bad and we're laughing at him because this is
all you got. I mean, you're throwing this gooky up here and you think you're gonna trash talk behind it. Oh yeah, So I had too many hours of hitting batting practice off of Tommy.
Did you ever hit one right back at him?
Tried, tried a lot, but he he'd hide behind the screen, you know, so he'd throw it and then duck behind there. But man, he was trash talking big time. And as far as Sandy Kofax, I saw him in spring training out there throwing batting practice.
I didn't. I didn't.
I didn't hit against him, but I saw other guys he was popping the glove. I mean, he must have been, what in his fifties at least, and he's popping the glove over eighty miles an hour.
I mean, at that age. Crazy Sandy was incredible, unbelievable joining us now from High Heat on MLB Network. Covered the Dodgers for many years on Sports at LA. She is great at what she does, and she joins us now here as we lead job to Game one of the World Series on Friday. Here on AI seventy LA Sports, it's a lot of rizzo, a lot of good morning, How you doing?
Good morning, Tim Kates Vaxi, how are.
You guys doing?
Fantastic? Is we get LA ready for Game one on Friday? We get to enjoy watching you and the Mad Dog on High Heat on MLB Network. We got it on in the studio right now as well. But overall, from the national perspective, this matchup Yankees Dodgers, certainly both cities excited. Both franchise excited. I imagine Major League Baseball is pretty darn excited about this matchup.
Well, you got to think about the networks and what the amount of eyeballs are going to be. And you have to know that Fox is super psyched that it's Los Angeles and New York. And if you could get past the fact that if you're a Yankee hater Dodger hater, if you can just get past that fact and understand that it truly is Star Wars in this World series. I mean, you have the best players in the game not named Mike Trout all in the same game. And
that's really really exciting and impressive. I mean you think about the amount of MVPs and already World champions, superstars in the game, superstars in the making that are going to be in the same game at the same time. It's really an exciting time for the sport. I mean, on both sides, there's massive star power in the lineup, there's star power in the starting rotation if you're talking about Garrett Cole. It's just an exciting time for our sports. So if you could even a casual fan knows to
the Yankees and the Dodgers are right. So if you can, like I said, if you can get past the fan or the fact that you may not like the Yankees. You may not like the Dodgers, but you love the game of baseball and you want to see the best doing it on the biggest stage. This is the World Series for you.
Yeah, Alana, good to be with you this morning.
And you know, hey, we're going to see this thing broken down on the surface very easily, you know, with all the star quality out there with Shohy and Mookie Betts and you know, Aaron Judge and et cetera. But how far down to the micro level are we going to see everybody you know at the networks breaking this thing down? I mean, are they going to go down and talk about you know, diet. Are they going to talk about you know, way deep into the prep before
the game. Are they going to talk about you know, Wade bog scratching in you know, the Jewish symbol in the home plate before he goes there and running at seven seventeen meat and chicken.
Is it going to go like that again?
Or what are we going to see from that?
You know what exactly? I think it has to just because there's so much airtime that needs to be filled, right, I mean, unfortunately, we still have to wait three games for the three days for the games to start. So you know, if the World Series would have started two days after the CSS ended, it would be a different story.
But considering we have all of the different radio programs, all of the different television shows, you know, twenty four hour news coverage, twenty four hour sports coverage, it gets down to that micro level of everything being talked about and considered and over analyzed and you know, paralysis by analysis type of situation. But once that first pitch is thrown on Friday, I think it just goes back to
who's the better team? And yes, you're going to find out every single thing you've ever probably didn't want to know about all of these players because we have so much time leading up to the first pitch. But once the game starts on Friday, it goes goes back to basics and who performs better and who executes the best.
Well, I want to ask you about team chemistry. Aaron Bone you mentioned yesterday at his press conference, he's not seen a Yankee team this tight, this come together this season that he's ever had as manager of the Yankees. And I bring that up because you're around the Dodgers for a lot of years, the Championship years, the World Series years in seventeen and eighteen, and you saw a tight group in seventeen that which could be one of
the best Dodger teams they've had in recent memory. But this twenty twenty fourteen Max Munsey after they win, look at the last couple of days ago, said Wow, this group is special. We are a bond, We are together. There's no egos. The bullpen calls themselves the dogs. Now coming out of the bullpen, being around these Dodger teams like you were and traveling with the team, you've seen
team chemistry, you've seen non team chemistry. It says a lot that this group, these veterans like Munty and Kershaw and et cetera, I have all said that this group is like no other group they've ever had.
Yeah, it's crazy because I remember, obviously that twenty seventeen team, which I still will go to the grave saying was the best Dodger team as far as talent that I ever covered. But you think about the fact that there's a team plane now just for the players and then there's a whole other plane for like family and staff, and that Max Monthy is basically saying, Listen, the next three weeks, it's all about the boys. It's not about family.
You're not going to be called a bad dad, You're not going to be called a bad father, You're not going to be called a bad husband, a bad partner. For the next three weeks, we have to be one thousand percent committed to each other. And there's something to be said about that. It's kind of like, you know, from the outside looking in, some folks are like, listen,
he's a dad first, and a father first and a husband. Yes, of course, but in order to get to the World Series and win a World Series, you have to be so flip and dialed in. And it's interesting because you heard Dave Roberts say it too before they started popping bottles on the Daughters club House after they won the CS, that this is the team that he can honestly say he has never loved or cared about more. Now, what is he going to say, like, oh, I really loved
the twenty eighteen team more. But you know, of course he's going to say that, But I truly believe that there's a special bond with this group and think about the adversity and listen, all thirty teams have gone through the adversity. But if you think about what the Dodgers, who are expected to win the NL West every single year, had to go through to get to the World Series, with the amount of injuries they've had the key players, I would venture to say this is Dave Roberts's best
managerial job in his tenure. I mean, he got decimated by injuries. Hey, guys, both in the pitching staff and up and down that lineup. So there's something to be said for that chemistry. There's something to be said about you know, Max Munsey, a veteran player with David Vasse on AM five seventy in the Clubhouse saying, you know what, he won game five. In terms of Brett Honeywell, he pitched so well in Game five, he'd allowed us to
win Game six. And for Honeywell, who's been up and down and could have you know, with Dfade could have elected to go to another team, decided he wanted to stay with the Dodgers for an opportunity. When you hear that from a veteran player, that can't do anything.
But give you a boost.
So I do believe that they love each other. I do believe that they're playing for one another. I do believe that, you know, they have this unbelievable bond. And you know, Keith Dave and said that they came out of spring training like blood brothers. And you know, it's a special group for sure. And I've said this my entire career. I will maintain it. Always money buys good players, but money doesn't guarantee championships, and you have to want
to play for one another. And I highly believe that this group is doing that.
Yeah, you got that right. And you know I believe too. This team has completely bought in. They've stepped over that line. The chips are in the middle, and they've completely sold into this thing. And I think it's going to pay dividends for them. But Alon, I wanted to ask you
about the layoff. Certainly there's injuries on both sides, with Rizzo in that right hand and the two fingers that are broken, Arnesto Cortez coming back with that elbow injury, and of course the Dodgers starters and Freddie Freeman, who does this layoff help or hurt the most, you think between these two teams.
You know, I think it does both, honestly, saxy on both sides. I hate the long layoff. It bums me out because you want to continue with that momentum. And I was hoping that, you know, they would be able to move up the games a little bit, which they would have if the CS has ended earlier than they did. But because they went to six games, they you know, NLB is not doing that. There's a lot of other
contractual and television pieces to that. But of course it's going to help, you know, Freddy, but it's not his ankle is still broken, you know, or his ankle is still messed up. It's not going to you know, two more days of resting. It is not going to give you one hundred percent in terms of Freddy Freeman. You know, it'll be interesting to see if Miguel Rojas and Alex Bessia are able to be on the roster. That's really going to change some things. I would still like to
see Miguel Rojas coming off the bench. I do not want to take Peek or Tommy Edmond out of the starting lineup. Alex Bessia back in that bullpen would be because he's a bulk innings guy, right, he eats a bunch of innings that would really lengthen the bullpen a little bit. You know, I don't know who you take off of the roster to put him back on, but I would love to see Alex Vesia back in that Dodgers' bullpen. The lineup, don't mess with it. I want keyk in there every single day. I want Edmond in
there every single day. I love the order that Dave is doing it. You know, it will help Anthony Rizzo a little bit as far as the fingers are concerned. But you know, guys, it's still broken. His hand is still broken. So you know, I think what the layoff does is the crushes momentum. So whoever is, you know, it's like, you know, this sacks be better than anybody you play forever. It's like you're you're only as good
as that day's starting pitcher. So if the Dodgors elect to go a flarerty in Game one, which sounds like they're going to do, we already know we're going up against Garrett Cole. You know, Clarity has to shove that Game one is a massive statement game in a seven game series.
Yes, a lot of final thing for me. Keyk Hernandez. I know it does surprise you because what he's done in the past, But it's kind of crazy here that ten years later, after he's been a Dodger and left and come back, what he still means to the fans, what he still means in October. I mean the flip he switches every October and produces from seventeen in those three home runs to clench the NLCS at Wrigley Field to what he met in twenty twenty during the World
Series run. And he can have an average year during six months of the season, but come October, keyk turns into a different KEYK.
It's truly amazing.
Kate, I have said this until I'm pantone two ninety four Blue in the Face. Key k Hernandez needs to be in every single postseason lineup. I don't care if T. K Hernandez does not record a base hit once in the regular season. There is something about when the calendar changes to October that Key k Hernandez just flips that switch. It's unbelievable and the energy he's just built for that moment you know, you hear Nick Castanos of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Maybe he's not there anymore because he's a free agent. But of the Phillies, say, listen, I have a really hard time focusing defensively in the regular season. It's different. You know, a Tuesday game in Cincinnati in April is a lot different than any game in October. And KEYK just has the flair for the dramatic. And that's why I want him in that line. If I've been saying that for a thousand years, Kik has to start, start, not come off the bench, not be on the roster.
Kek needs to start in every single postseason lineup. And he's just he has the numbers to back it. You know, he just has this unbelievable postseason ops. He just is mister clutch in the postseason. And certainly no disrespect to Reggie Jackson, you know, mister October. But for the Dodgers, k K is mister October.
Yeah a lot.
I'll go out on this one and you know, highlighting Kyk for the Dodgers. I want to talk about, just for a brief moment, the the uh surge, I guess you will.
Of Juan Soto.
This guy I thought when he was with you know, his San Diego and whatnot, and even with Washington, not the same player as he is with the Yankees, with that short porch, the surrounding cast that he has that can absolutely pulverize the baseball With the Yankees, this guy, to me is turning into the absolute real deal. Not I still don't think he's a five tool player, but what he does offensively for that club in these situations is is this guy is scary in the middle of that lineup, no, no.
Question about it. And I'm in accordance with you, Saxy. He's not a five tool player to me. How how Juan Soto was a finalist for a Gold Glove and right field and Francisco Lindor was not a finalist for a Gold Glove at the shortstop position for the Mets.
Blows my mind.
That's crazy.
However, Juan Soto is an unbelievable offensive player. I think he gives you one of the most patient and professional at bats out there. The guy can get on base with the walks because he is patient. He doesn't, you know, go outside of his strike zone. He doesn't chase, and obviously he has the power, and you're right with that short porch and right, he is a perfect fit for the New York Yankees. Again, there's some guys that can handle the big lights in the big city. There's some
people that just prefer not to do so. And Wan Soto is a guy that can do that. You know, he's very much like that type of player like that just loves playing in those types of situations and the pressure that New York you know, that comes with playing in New York. I mean, he's gonna get a bazillion dollar contract, then you know he's probably worth it. You see what he did already in this postseason for them.
I think though, what you know, you look back at that trade with San Diego and you know it's almost a trade in which you kind of they both win the trade. I mean, you think about the pitcher that San Diego was able to get, you know, for Wan Soto and good for the Nationals too of having to like figure out that, you know what, we need a moment. We've won a World Series.
We need a moment to rebuild.
Here, they get rid of Rendon, who I've played more Major leaguinnings in the last five years than RENDONAZ and you know, Steven Strasburg retires so good on the Nationals too for having the foresight to kind of cut some payroll, and you know, one so has an opportunity and it all kind of worked out. So you know, imagine how pissed the Yankees fans are going to be if one Soto ends up in free agencies signing someplace else, and you know they got rid of a really, really really
good pitcher. So yeah, I think one Soto is obviously a threat. Aaron Judge is a threat obviously in the postseason, as Jean Carlos Stanton is a ridiculous threat. But the Dodgers have a lot of threats too, So it's going to come down to bottom part of the order. That X factor. I mean, if anybody had Tommy Edmund winning NLCS MVP on your wingo card, you're line. So it's like, who's who's the X factor there? Because you know, punch for punch, these are two pretty equally matched teams.
Well, a lot of Dodger fans miss you on sports and at LA I miss our daily conversations on the pregame show with the Rizzo Report, but we get to see you every day with the Mad Dog on high Heat. You're killing it. Love watching you daily on the MLB Network. Thanks so much for coming on here and leading up to Game one of the World Series and talking some baseball with us.
We really appreciate it.
Thanks.
It is truly my pleasure. I miss you guys very much. Go Dodgers.
Tucked in.
All right, there goes a Lota Rizzo from sports and at LA previously. Now you check her out on the m l him. We learned something there, Freddy Freeman. No, yeah, yeah, a lot of broken ankle. Yeah, maybe it's just misspoke.
Yeah, it's it's you know, it could be.
I mean, it could be a tidbit a sprained ankle, is torn tendance, you know.
My ears shot way up.
Yeah, it's it could be.
Be surprised me his ankle's broken and he's still playing.
Yeah, it's it's bad.
I mean, it was a bad enough spraying that one of the toughest guys out there, who plays through broken fingers like he did this year, no doubt, who plays through everything and the family issues.
He had to go through this year with his little boy, Oh my gosh.
Absolutely one tough guy out there. He is powering through it.
Eight six, six, nine eighty seven, two five seventy coming up your phone calls next our Jerry Royce. It's a busy Tuesday morning, Sax and Kate's and am here on a FI seventy LA Sports. Sax and Kates at am on this Tuesday morning. Thanks for being with us, taking us with you on your commute, if you drop off the kids at school, head to school, yourself, heading into the office, work, wherever you may be. We appreciate you
taking us with you. You got a lot of choices out there, but we are glad that you are with us here on AMFI seventy LA Sports. Your home of the Dodgers Game one of the World Series coming up on Friday night, first pitch at five oh eight, and we, of course you're home of show Hey Otani and the Dodgers, MFI seventy LA Sports. Later on today, Max Munsey, Freddie Freeman, and Dave Roberts are all scheduled to talk to the media.
We talked to Brendan Cuddy from The Athletic covers the Yankees last hour and the Yankees right now as we speak in ready to take the field. The Yankee Stadium and go through a light workout and they will head out to Los Angeles tomorrow.
There will be a.
World Series Media Day workout session on Thursday.
Out of Er Stadium, which is going to be an absolute mad house with all the media that's going to be out there. I can tell you already Saxy as somebody who's got a credential for the World Series, and I had one through the NLPs and NLC and I'm not selling it, by the way, can I do that?
How many friends have suddenly perked up?
Oh?
Friends and family? I mean, uh, I had had a daughter come back from college over the weekend. Both of them fact came back and both are like, well, we're cool as staying.
For the week.
You know, we can do our classes remotely if we need to to tell our professors we're good, or you know, got some family issues or something. Ye, and uh, is Game one or Game two the one we're going to. I said, you're crazy, you know.
So they're they're doing the assumptive close right, you know.
They they're assuming like all Dad's going to get his tickets to the World Series, Like, you're crazy, go back to school. So we put them on a plane last night and send him back to college. So they're not they're not going to the World Series. That's crazy. I mean, but my parking alone, I mean, I got a season credent Shrowl, I go to a ton of Dodger games, is doing all the pre games and Dodger talks. And my parking for the World Series is down by the
respiratory hospital. I'm off site parking in lot thirteen and fourteen for auxiliary media. Because there's so much national and international and local media coverage you can take. You're taken uber from there, you know what. I was just talking to Michelle about that, that it might be easier if I just, yeah, if I park off off site a couple of blocks away, a mile away. Rix Berger's is right off the five Freeway. There's some bars around there.
I can just park there. Taco Tico, Oh yeah, that was a.
Good place when I was playing at Taco Tico.
I might just I might just do that rather than park off site and have to take a shuttle, you know. And I'm not complaining.
I'm not complaining, but yeah, I'm just giving the listeners a little pull back at the curtain about how much media is going to be out there that I'm being relegated out to the auxiliary parking lot.
And they they are relegating you out there, and you are Tim Kate, I know, don't they know who I am?
Have some of these other lower people?
Yeah, but all of a sudden you get you know, international media and all the sixty minutes, and then the national TV shows that send their reporters out they all want to be a part of it, you know. And then you think of the local morning shows in New York like good Morning, good Morning New York, Welcome Manhattan, all those shows like we have out here, good l good to La. All those shows are gonna want to be out there doing a lot.
Of all there.
Yep.
They all show up for prime time, right yeah. Oh yeah, they don't know who the players are. They go out there. They got this fresh and new gear they've put on, and the Yankee fans are so excited, Dodger fans so excited it tries.
All got seventeen's on their on their backs.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Then they call you, oh, mister Steven Sacks, can we talk to you. It's like Steve, please, you know, well, the media guy says Steven on here.
You know what, Nobody in my family, nobody that my friends, nobody that I know. Well, nobody's ever called me Steve.
Nobody.
It's only in baseball only when I got to the ballpark was I called. Nobody ever called me Steve.
What are we supposed to call you?
My name is Stephen, my whole family, my friends, everybody. No call me Steven. That's my real name.
How many people outside of me call you Saxy?
Uh?
Just in baseball? Okay?
But Tim, I think you know what, we might want to turn that page for you and me. I kind of like it because you and I knew each other. When you call me Saxy.
You know that's fine.
But you know what, I could see you call me by my real name someday.
Stephen.
Yeah, it's my real name, because you know, I've gotten at least a handful of people who are like, stop calling Saxy Saxy.
No, No, I don't mind it.
It drives people crazy.
But I think it's a term of endearment. I think you're you know, I think we really.
It's a baseball nickname, like a hockey nickname. You put a y on everything or an on everything.
Right?
Yeah, yeah, I'm good with it. I think it's cool you can continue to call me that. But you know what, maybe someday when we get when we leave Baseball World, you know you you would call me Steven. And it's funny that I hear, you know, a Steve or what nobody's ever called my brother Dave. I mean, we hear like Dave sax Is in baseball right. Nope, nope, nobody is. His name is David, and that's all we call him.
So he is Steven Sacks.
I am Tim Gates here on a five second sport, Timothy Kates.
That's right.
You can call me my full name. Let's check you with Frank in LA or we call him Frankie. Frank, how you doing?
Oh thanks for taking me on, guys. Listen. I was a Yankee stadium in nineteen sixty three, a Yankee fan, and I watched Andy Kofax and the Dodgers kill the Yankees four straight. I think the Yankee scored three runs in that World Series. And I remember Mickey Mantle saying he felt like a little leaguer, he was so dominated by that pitching staff. And I gotta tell you I have Dodger blood and Yankee blood in me. I am so excited for these two teams. This is the best
thing for baseball. And I have to Stevens Sacks. I have to add last night I was watching the special on the Gibbe home run on Fox One. It was really you know, every time I watch it, I get a tear in my eye. I forgot you were on deck when Gibby was up, and I was thinking last night I was telling my wife, what the heck was he thinking if he walked? If Eersley had walked, Gibby Mayor, the pressure for sure would have been on you. Uh. Also, I gotta say your interview with Mike Marshall last week
or earlier. I was with a pitching friend who played in the major leagues and we loved that whole commentary on miles per hour and your guys taking on it. You're invaluable. I love your input, guys, and what Steve, steven you gotta tell us what were you thinking and run out on deck circle? Thanks?
Thanksks for checking in.
Yeah, what a nice guy. Okay, Frank, this is what I was thinking of. I know you're listening off the air. I was thinking, you know, there's a good chance they're gonna walk him because Mike Davis just stole second. I know there was two strikes on him, but you know he had the lefty righty matchup. But Eckersley was throwing the ball right by him. He was throwing fastballs by Gibby. He had no chance. And then he was speed it up his bats, sped up his bat by throwing them
that back door slider that he hit out. But I was thinking, if he walks him, oh yeah, by the way, boom. I was thinking, I gotta get a fastball and I got to drill this and I'm gonna hit it right back up the middle. We're gonna score and tie the thing up. That's what I was thinking. And I was gonna be uber aggressive on him because he's gonna come.
At you, and you would have delivered.
You would have delivered.
And then I heard click, and I thought, oh, I don't have to worry about this anymore. This game is ova.
Throw the bat on the ground. Yeah, go find Gibby and yippie. He is Steve Sackson. I'm Tim Kates and Sacks and Kates and the am brought to you by Chef Marino Seasoning. The seasoning partner the Dodgers. It's World Series time. Bring out the chef in you. Two hours down, one to go. When we come back, more of your phone calls. We'll hear from Aaron Boone, manager of the Yankees. We'll also check out with Jerry Royce, Game one, starter of the nineteen eighty one World Series. We had a
flashback on our first hour. I hope you enjoyed it. It's Saxon Kate's and am here on your home with the Dodgers. Amphi seventy l A Sports