MVP Races, Jasson Dominguez Finally Called Up & Sean Manaea on Mets Playoff Push | The Show Ep. 117

Intro John we got a great guest this week I think we both enjoy covering Shawn manah when we're over at City Field he's such an interesting guy and we're glad to have him this week on the show yes Shai is a terrific guy and even more important he's been a terrific pitcher for the Mets another great move by David Sterns and uh a lot of interesting stuff happening with the Mets who are now in playoff position they have an MVP candidate there dare I say it yes he is Lindor is and we're happy to talk to Shan maniah about all things met yes and I think you and I are going to talk about the MVP races both in the AL and the NL uh Lindor judge uh Whit Otani uh we'll also talk about the uh promotion of Jason Dominguez and we'll play hit and eror at the end if you stick with us on the show with Joel Sherman and John [Music] Hay John another week of baseball's gone by and I think one of the hotter topics MVP Awards are still up for debate that continues to be had is how do we look at these MVP races uh in both leagues I think the national league one John is particularly interesting because we're going to have to decide if a player who literally never plays the field but performs in a way that we've never seen offensively before is the MVP over somebody who will play over 1,400 innings in the field quite often in a spectacular fashion in Francisco Lindor John H how do you size it up right now yeah I mean I think it's still a debate I got myself in a little hot water by talking about the fact that I do believe that it is debate and mentioning the West Coast bias which is obviously well known and quite obvious throughout the history of the MVP I said that a little tongue and cheek but there is no East Coast bias I'll say that and look I mean look the Mets have never had an MVP winner and you know we didn't have War existing back then but now they do have a way to uh calculate war in hindsight retrospect however you want to look at it Tom Siver was the best player in the national league three times and that doesn't even include 1969 he never won David Wright had the better War than the winner in 2007 which was Rollins and same thing with beltron in 2006 uh over Howard and by quite a bit and they didn't win so I don't know if there's an anti-et bias but there certainly isn't a pro- New York bias as some would claim or an East Coast bias but I'm going to stick with my West Coast bias because it seems to upset people but I I do believe full disclosure I do believe otani's winning as I wrote but people ignored that part and I I think he's likely to become the first th ever to win but we still have time to play and Lindor has been fantastic I mean if we SE those of us who've seen it up close and seen how he's helped rally the team and I do count all that the leadership and the defense and every inning of every game uh he's been terrific and he still has a chance yeah you know John uh I I'll just say this is I'm glad that war exists so that there's an attempt at least to quantify what the total player looks like but again we know what Tai Cobb's batting average is and we know what Francisco lindor's batting average is because it's the same calculation uh through time right now baseball reference it's Otani Chapman Lindor Marte so lindor's behind Chapman in baseball reference in fan GS it's Lindor leading then Otani then uh Dela Cruz then Marte then Chapman is f so like the fact that I want to use that I'll say this John and I think it's a discussion point also I think Otani is gonna win and I think he's going to win easily because he's going to have a 5050 season he's the most famous player in the world uh it's going to win whether it's West Coast bias is bias for the numbers but you know we are talking about a guy right now is Lindor played the third most innings in the field in the sport it's over 1,200 Innings now by the time we get to the end of the season it will probably be over 1,400 Innings I was at the game on Saturday the Mets simply don't win if Lindor is not a great shortstop I don't think Jose canana survives the third inning he's getting outs in the seventh inning so Lindor is doing something that Otani simply can't do and I think because like Ops is so heavily weighted towards like slugging and like we we I can make an easy argument Otani should be the MVP it's easiest thing to do uh but the whole player I would ask you this question John I just asked this of we're both at MLB Network I asked it of Dan odal I said if you had a play this season and you knew everything Francisco Lindor gave you and you knew everything sh he Otani gave you and you knew everything Aaron judge gave you and you knew everything Bobby Whit Jr gave you and you didn't know anything else but you had to form teams around them which two guys would you take from each which guy would you take from each league and he said he take the two Short Stops and I'm saying well doesn't that make them the most valuable players if you're taking the two Short Stops understanding the value of shortstop and the fact that they're great at everything as opposed to like judge is great at a lot of things but not everything and Otani isn't playing the field I think it has to be a discussion Point absolutely and with same thing I don't think it's completely over I do think judge is the favorite if it was held today he would clearly win the award but I mean wit's been incredible both ways defensively he's at least as good as Lindor and maybe even better he might be the best shortstop in baseball he's one of the two or three fastest guys in the game he has got 30 home runs he leads in batting average uh I think he has a case uh you know I don't think he would win and I'm not sure that it's fair um but you know we look at the spectacular we look at the historic and uh judge has got over 50 home runs he's got a big lead and slugging and Ops and on the other side uh otani's got the lead in all those categories and plus he's got the stolen bases and he's probably going to be the first 5050 he already the first 4646 guy so uh you know I think those stats still kind of went out over war and um you know the war still slight ly favors slightly by har Otani and judge uh so I you know if the war was reversed and it favored Lindor and wit I'd give them a little bit better chance and maybe it will with weeks to go but uh you know wit's been amazing uh he's he's the best all-around player in the game and if someone wants to tell me he's the MVP just like with Lindor I'm not fighting it people are now saying I'm New York biased because I'm arguing for uh Lindor having a case but I think Whit also has a case I don't write that for the New York Post at this point or I haven't yet but you know that's Kansas City Story Probably but it certainly does affect New York too uh you know if I had a vote today uh in the National League uh I I'd have a hard time with it and uh you know I I'd probably go with Otani at this moment but the the case is definitely there for Lindor same for Whit yeah I mean and just again fangraphs actually has or leading in war right now in the National League and it's again why that stat should be some pixels in a picture as opposed to the full picture because you have two different viewpoints of the statistic uh when you say people oh keep in mind it's 12 idiots on on Twitter are upset at you you know like let's not act like there's a bunch of it's not 12 it's it's hundreds hundreds okay uh it's it's angry people with time who looking for grievance every place they could find it um uh you know uh I think there's an award for Otani it's the Hank Aaron award it's for the best hitter uh I'm not sure that it's the MVP award and I think he might be the MVP I just think we have three weeks left and narrative probably matters a little if Lindor is great down the struts and the Mets get in to the playoffs I I think it will help them let's just flip over to the other side of town John the Yankees finally pulled the trigger on something that's been a Yankees finally call up Jasson Dominguez subject for us the last few weeks talking about if Jason Dominguez would come up or not they finally did it uh it felt like the most duh moment I don't know what the Yankees were waiting for I know Alex Verdugo when we're we're we're broadcasting here John it's uh the morning after he hit a home run it was a second home run of the second half he's literally been about the worst player in baseball for three months he was he defensively offensively you're right and you had some good stats in there 278 slugging since June 15th worst in baseball uh you know everybody in the media was clamoring and I know they had a meeting before September 1st and there were other people in that front office uh other than Cashman and Boon uh who wanted to call up uh Dominguez at that point and they waited and you know I I you know I I don't think it's only because Cashman made the trade and Boon advocated for them I I think they're legitimate lovers of Verdugo beyond what he probably should be at this point uh you know you mentioned the defense look again if we're going to look at War he was a minus point6 War player since the middle of June which includes defense so like and and the defense is left field defense and while that's very important in Yankee Stadium it's not a short stop it's not a catcher you just simply can't not hit for three months the way Verdugo does and play Left Field regularly and get regular I mean he had become an automatic out against lefties and he still was playing against lefties uh I think the Yankees have an issue against lefties moving forward because you know I think Dominguez his stronger side as his left side uh it looks like Cabrera has given up even hitting right-handed he hit Lefty against Lefty as a you know he's a switch hitter who hit Lefty against Lefty again last night I think it will be an issue moving forward you know the question is you're thrusting Dominguez who doesn't have a lot of uh playing time into a pennant race but it's a little bit to me John like when they brought back Anthony Rizzo you didn't need Anthony Rizzo to be Anthony Rizzo the guy who was was a championship player you needed him to be better than DJ lameu and Ben rice who were like at about a 60 Ops Plus for first base uh so lameu has been so bad like can can Dominguez bring Verdugo hasn't stolen a base since June 15 he's got three homers since June 15 so if it's just a threat of power Dominguez stole a base and stole a run last night right there was a throwing error so that's one more stolen base than Verdugo has since June and he hits even close to League average it's a gigantic you know boost up to where you know what they've been producing out of that area right and you had to see whether he can do it at the major league level at this point to see whether he's the guy for the playoffs as well I mean he probably should have been called up September 1st like we all expected and thought he was going to be but there is time here to see whether Dominguez is ready for the major league level he will be a good Major League player or they held him out of so they trade they they held him out of the discussions with Snell and everybody else and they do believe in him I I do believe even though they uh I do think it was about Verdugo I think that they have an unreasonable love of Verdugo and that's the reason this was delay had unreasonable love of Gary Sanchez as a catcher as glabber Torres as a shortstop of Isaiah K ofer as a shortstop of play homes is a closer you know they do until they don't and it feels like you know John I you you mentioned a thing where where you said you don't think it was just because they traded for him that they held on whatever forces them to hold on to whatever would be a standard period plus X seems to me to always be a standard period plus X for them like like the this reminded me so much of Ka of FFA two years ago right like I was telling you early That season He's Got The Yips He's Got The Yips in big spots they kept showing me metrics about how great he was on defense I said do you guys actually watch the freaking games or not like he's got The Yips in big spots and it's like I don't know how you could have watched the games for the last three months and still been loyal to the idea of Verdugo is your best if he was your best solution you were essentially saying we think Jason Dominguez sucks yeah well they I don't believe they think that they're a little bit on the stubborn side sometimes you were right on kind of FFA you said that early uh he's a very good utility man but he's not the Yankee shortstop as we found out I I think on Holmes I think Holmes has been a little bit unlucky uh you know eventually they I think they made that move at the right time they waited too long and a lot of these others but I I got it with Holmes I mean you know he was an Allstar even if you don't think he deserved it he was certainly consideration for an Allstar at that point and he did make the team uh so you know I got it with him I did think they waited a little too long on some of these others as you're right and uh I mean lameu now I guess he's hurt I I guess that he's on the hi and well I read that he I read that he has a hip uh injury but they they gave him uh they've given him you notice they couldn't pinpoint yesterday when the injury occurred did they pinpoint which which hip it was I don't know you know this one this one I don't know yeah I don't know well it's a it's a big contract and who knows we don't know we know what's happening they don't want to eat the contract now they're going to look at it again in spring training next year that's what we're up to right yeah I think so I think so I I'll say this he probably isn't 100% because he he how bad he played what who is okay so I guess well you know uh not not too many but uh yeah they've been very patient with guys and it's particularly with a guy with a big contract I I get it I mean it's hard for me to Envision I don't have $30 million but it's probably not fun to rip it up and throw it in the garbage so already did Hicks uh you know eat his contract I don't think they want to eat lameu quite yet either and I think that's why we are where we are uh John one of the places we are is getting ready to talk to Shawn manah one of the most interesting players in baseball and one of the reasons the Mets are fighting for the playoffs we'll talk to him if you stick with us next on the show with Joel Sherman and John [Music] Heyman joining us this week on the show as our guest is sha manah uh it's perfect time in uh sea is having a great Mets SP Sean Manaea joins The Show! year and is pitching better now than he's pitched All Season uh down the stretch becoming the Mets ace just at the same time as the Mets are rising and playing so great and because of that Sean first of all thank you for joining us I almost don't know where to start do we start with how well you're doing or how well team is doing I know you're a good team guy let's let's start with that your team is is playing its best since since the last 80 games the Mets are the best record in the sport why what clicked six seven weeks into the season um you know I think uh we played the uh I think it was the Dodger series uh just got swept by them um and you know we all had a uh like a team meeting and it was just kind of like a all right this is kind of like a turning point for us you know we um you know we can either just let the season go by and not really do think about it or we can like take a look at the mirror and be like all right you know something's got to change and you know we got this we are actually very a very good team we just need to figure some things out and uh you know it's just kind of slowly been happening um you know since then I forget when that was with like May or maybe early June or something like that but um you know since then is just kind of like slowly guys are just kind of you know been finding their stride figuring things out um and then you know once that happens it's just kind of it's like a domino effect you know like one guy starts uh feeling it and the next guy does and then the next guy does and then um you know just been been a really fun ride so far and um yeah I think that's just kind of what's Happening everyone just starting to believe in each other and believe in themselves and um yeah you can just see kind of like that that confidence rise which has uh been really cool to see what what about you I mean the first half you were really good but you were in a seven inning pitcher which is rare today I mean it's you know basically Zack Wheeler and Logan and you know there's a few guys who are seven inning pitcher sevino has become one too what is the key what has enabled you to pitch seven innings in the vast majority of starts lately after not doing it basically through the first half yeah um yeah I think I really simplified everything and that's really what it's come down to um simplified my mechanics simplified my thought processes simplified my like kind of routines in between starts um really that just kind of helped me you know kind of clear my head when I'm on the mound and not overthink things and um you know really at this point it's just like attacking guys you know it's you know I really I don't really have a lot of different pitches it's just kind of three basic ones and um you know with that just attacking guys having that confidence to go after guys and not be scared to like pitch the contact or stuff like that and um you know basically just you know see what you can do with it basically and uh you know having having some good outings having good some good uh you know success you know kind of like I said just stuff tends to build off each other and you know outing after outing um you know just definitely getting a lot more confidence in in my stuff and you know who I am as a pitcher and um yeah you know going deep into the games that's something I've always wanted to do like on a consistent basis and you know like you said guys like wheeler Webby um you know they do it year after year uh game after game and it's like know why why can't I do that um and it just I think all starts with like the belief kind of thing and um yeah here we are you know Sean just to put a final point on the question John brought up your last eight starts the Mets are seven and one in those starts you have a 281 RA in two of them you pitch six and twoth thirds innings in five of them you pitch seven so that's uh seven out of eight where you've gotten into at least the seventh inning and I know I saw you did a really interesting thing with Laura Alban of Newsday the other day where that she drove the the subway with you to the ballpark and she and you mentioned maybe lowering your arm angle Allah chale and maybe that having some positive impact on what's happening with you uh can you maybe for the Layman explain what what why you did it and what it allows you to do yeah so um Chris hail obviously a very very good pitcher um and it's not just because he has like that weird arm slide I mean there's a bunch of things that he does really well but he uh to me like kind of like leaned into that like um you know like lower arm slot um and something for me that you know I grew up doing was like trying to like raise my arm slot so I like you know I've kind of always been like somewhere around here but every time I would do it it would just kind of slowly R you know down lower so I I feel like I was always just kind of like fighting myself like doing that you know was like I was on the fence like trying to go up here but my body naturally just wants my arm to come down here um and then after he pitches Us in um I don't know like two months ago or whatever it was um I was like you know what let's just let's just try throwing it down there let's just lean into the that like natural arm slide of mine um or at least what it feels natural to me um and ever since then it's just kind of been um feeling a lot better you know like I'm naturally wanting to go down there and I'm not like fighting myself to be like trying to find a different arm slot so for me it's just like into that natural um thing and just uh just going with it and uh it's really freed me up um I feel like I can throw everything for strikes now um and everything just coming out of the same slot too so uh that's kind of just where I came from with the chisale thing and um yeah that's that's pretty much how everything has been happening so far yeah Joel mentioned your subway ride and I I've seen you on this when I ride quickly I sometimes we'll see you on the subway I'm pretty slow so haven't seen you that often do you do you often take the subway and how has New York been for you you previously played for three California teams you're from Indiana uh what did you think when you signed with New York and how has it been living uh where you live I think you live in Manhattan somewhere because I've seen you on the subway how how has it all been for you how how have you enjoyed it yes uh I take the subway pretty much every day um Love New York uh like you said me I was in California for eight years um you know met my fiance out there very much felt like a California guy um yeah so coming like the East Coast was very uh not shocking but it was just like a you know different different vibe out here but um yeah so far been loving it um just like the energy of the city the you know so many things to do all times of the the day um like the the fans the crowds the uh you know people I've met have been super cool to me um and yeah I mean so far I've loved every single second of it um you know even the the ups and the Downs um you know coming to New York is you know all I heard was going to be like very very challenging which it is you know like any place but um you know I think coming in prepared for that was uh you know definitely helped um you know knowing you know what was going to happen and kind of like the expectations on uh on us as a team and me my me as myself as a free agent sign um you know I was like all right there's this just already feels different than it did in California um and yeah just been been running with it been loving it every single second of it um and just super everywhere every now and um I forget what the other questions you asked were but yeah hopefully hope you covered it you covered it all good all I I wonder if the way to follow that is you know Sean in this age everyone is looking uh for somebody who might be on an arc up uh and looking for if you're a team for a bargain you ended last season back in the rotation pitching well the narrative was you added uh control of your sweeper uh and that really helped you late can you take us through free agency were were the Mets clearly the team or were you deciding like other teams saw the end of that season and we like yeah we really like that we think we could build upon that how did free agency go for you yeah so in um 20 the 2022 offseason um you know there were a few teams that was my first trip to free agency um so there were a few teams that um were interested uh and me as well and uh New York being one of them you know I went on this trip to Antarctica with Joe Musgrove and a bunch of other people and it was amazing and so um the metsa just like called me actually like when I landed in uh Argentina um you know I had like a zoo meeting uh with some of the guys there and uh you know so like the whole trip in anarctica was like them or uh I think it was the or it was the Orioles um you know I was like this my first time I leaving California I was like man should we like I you know that was very U very hard for me and um you know my fiance and it was um just like I don't know you know like it was um I I really know how how it was going to go and all these different things but um you know we ultimately ended up signing with San Francisco um which was you know a great time over there and then this past year it was um you know pretty much New York and um that like really kind of wanted me um I would say like I think after this like second time uh knowing that the Mets wanted me um I was like all right maybe it was meant to be you know so uh I kind of had that in the back my head um and then just you know kind of bunch of things happen um within like a 48 hour period um and you know ultimately we ended up deciding here and um yeah you know like I said it was very U like nervous you know kind of leaving you know the comfort of um you know kind of a coast a whole Coast you know but um I think um you know just from what I've heard and um you know just playing here a few times uh I was like all right we either gonna you know lean into it and have a good time or we're going to be on the fence and like who knows but we're here now so yeah since we're on the subject that was your first free agency you're you're going to be a free agent again very likely uh you don't have to say that but I mean you have an opt out and you've had a spectacular season uh is there anything we can do to convince you to stay in New York uh we we like having you around uh and San Francisco is a a place uh where you've you've been a couple times in the Bay Area at least a couple times and uh I think is your fiance from the Bay Area uh yeah Oakland okay so I mean that's also any any thoughts anything we can do to convince you to to stay here rather than go back to California uh you know I've I've loved every single second here um I don't know you know we'll just see see what happens but um you know really wouldn't take too much uh convincing I would think so um yeah I'd love to hear so yeah see we're doing Steve con's work already John uh we don't have any money though you know Sean you you mentioned a few you know we mentioned adding the sweeper uh I believe you went to drive line even uh at some point along the way here you talked about in July changing your pitching style is this you think a modern thing or are you the kind of thoughtful pitcher that would have always tinkered or can you tinker in a way now because there's so much information to tell you what the tinkering can and will do yeah so yeah I've been to drive line for a couple years now um I also worked with um I guy Dean Jackson uh this past year uh who's who's definitely helped out a lot um you know done done some really good work and uh yeah the whole like drive line thing for me um has kind of been like the understanding of like the kind of like analy side or like the metrics of like a pitch um which I didn't really know when I was in Oakland um San Diego even I you know I kind of started to get a grasp of like you know what pitch shapes are supposed to look like and all that stuff um so with all that being said it's like when you know what pitches like look like um then you can like kind of start to Tinker so you know at City Field we have uh the pit shapes next to the Vos which is I think every ballpark should start doing that um it's such a a good thing to have um you know once you like understand it's like oh this thing's moving like 20 inches it's like wow that's crazy um you know like stuff like that it's like um you know important to as a pitcher you know in this this day and age it's like yeah like you you can Tinker around with pitches um what is it doing uh like on the on the trackman data um is it moving like I wanted to and then from there you can be like all right did my mechanically did I look um the same as like my fastball and that's kind of how I judge everything um you know that's where I ask like he our pitching coach um like yesterday I was throwing a pen um I threw a fast ball and then I threw a change up and to me like um for my feel it looked like it felt like two different kind of pitches um but for his perspective he's like yeah I couldn't tell a difference I was like all right so I have a pitch that actually like metrically looks good uh mechanically it feels good and it also like looks the same um so with those three things it's like why shouldn't I have the confidence um in game to be like all right I I should throw this thing and throw it with confidence throw it for strikes um and you know just see what happens um if it gets hit you know that's it's the big leagues and stuff like that's going to happen all the time um these guys are obviously very good so um you know I'm not like thinking um you know like I'm a a bad pitcher or something like that uh because it got hit or something like that it's like all right maybe what was the sequence like what where was the actual pitch like when it ended up was it a bad location um stuff like that um so yeah I think like the tinkering stuff like once you understand all those things it kind of like makes it a lot easier um whereas like when I was a rookie I was just like going based off of feel for everything which you know could be good or it could be bad um depending on how things going you know so so yeah hopefully that answers that I want to ask you about Lindor uh Joel and I think that the MVP is still a discussion I know the stats uh certainly favor Otani who's looks like he's on his way to 5050 tell us about Lindor uh you know I assume you think he's a candidate uh you know I know I get some Guff because I say he's a candidate and there's a West Coast bias no offense I know you like the West Coast too and that Mets have been underrepresented in in the MVP they never had an MVP uh tell us about Lor and what your thoughts are on the MVP race yeah um 100% I think he's a you know part of the discussion um you know's obviously doing great things so you know to even be compared um and and that is like already an accomplishment in my eyes um and you know Frank he's done this whole year um is just like the consistent you know it's you know on once he started going you know like the Mets started going um and that says a lot you know about a one person what they can do for like a whole team a whole franchise and um not only has he you know been like a what he's been doing on the field is just kind of like the stuff behind the scenes too you know just like the consistent behaviors the consistent um just work ethic um you know you see that you see him put in the work and putting in um you know working the on the field the cage all these different things um you know his routines um and he's just been like the same like guy when we weren't playing well so like that stuff is like really cool to see um when a leader like that uh just isn't doing stuff for show it's just like that's who he is and he like actually wants to see you know the team do well and um you know for me like obviously like defensively he's unbelievable you know they don't just hand out Platinum gloves to anybody actually seeing them play every single day um you know I see why you know he's got I think a couple of those so um yeah I think like defensively offensively you know he's been doing some amazing things um you know for a long time now and it's just yeah I definitely think um he can U or is is definitely part of the MVP discussion for sure Sean forgive me I I just like to back up one more time to just just because I think fans are going to be interested in your free agency obviously you've quickly become a fan favorite here you're 32 you've shown durability uh you're having as good a year as you've ever had you're left-handed you've shown you could do it in this Marketplace what is going to be vital to you is it is it longterm being in a city uh is it going to the tie in the market as you could go what what do you think frames your free agency where you have a little more he than maybe these two previous ones I think um you know um I don't know I think um I kind of just want to be um you know put in a good spot with me and I family um and whatever that means um you know whether something longer term or um something like that um you know I'd be fine with I'm not really looking to break any kind of Records or anything like that um you know I think you know I for me it's kind of you know playing the game and just doing what uh you know what I've been doing like the last couple months um you know I want to be doing that for the next few years you know like that's that's the goal and um you know the money in the years I think is just a byproduct of just doing that in the consistency so um for me you know I just want to stay healthy and and help this team win and um you know I can worry about all that stuff later you know you mentioned helping the team win Sean uh look they there's there's three weeks left uh the Mets if they it's crazy I looked at it this morning Sean San Diego has 81 wins Arizona 80 you 79 and Atlanta 78 78 79 80 881 I mean it is bunched only three could get in what there's some obvious stuff like Health but do you think there's a key issue or two that gets you guys over the hump to whatever that number is going to be to get to get you into October um what what do you mean like a key issue yeah like do you think you know like your defense has played so much better and now even with a glazy is playing every day it feels even better uh do you think there's a key person a key phase of the game that just has to rise up here for three weeks to make sure that you get in um you know I think what the hitching staff um not just the starters but the um you know the bullpen to relievers um I think what we've been doing um you know the last couple months has been been incredible um you know we're in my eyes one of the you know best rotations in the league so the best bullpens in the league um and I think like you said uh try not to say the uh you know the health of everyone um but I think like as a staff as a whole um you know we're kind of like one one unit and um you know kind of you know like Paul's just went down the U you know Tyler stepped up last night like that's kind of like what's what's been happening is like you know it's next man up um just doing some like really cool things and um you know this offense has been unbelievable too um you know it's you know before you blink it's like it could be eight nothing or something like that you know it's like that stuff um Can Happen and U you know the consistency um is really like the only thing that's um you know up in the air but other than that um I think we have all the pieces we have something to do you know something incredibly special and um yeah I think you know if we we can do all those things um you know there's definitely nothing that can that can stop us you know you uh you mentioned Jeremy Hefner's name before and you also mention that the pitching staff has gotten better as the season goes along you know we often see a pitching coach as the guy who walks to the mound to talk to a pitcher when things aren't going so great or he needs a breather what what's the influence of Jeremy Hefner on the staff going from kind of like a to B this year f is incredible um like honestly he's a he's a topnotch guy first of all just as a human being he's a you know very nice human being um just incredibly down to earth um you know unbelievable human being as the pitching coach he just kind of like from my perspective it's you know kind of like the we'll go back to the Chris Sale thing I just felt like every time I've had like an idea um he's like yeah sure let's try it you know like and you know I have some crazy ideas out there I'm very uh creative I guess um and uh yeah he's just every step of the way he's just been like yeah let's try it you know let's do it let's see what happens um so like the freedom to um you know try new things and be like uh like I do this drill before I warm up where I like basically put the catcher in like both um uh like home plates and then I'll throw it to him and you know just kind of like a weird thing he's like yeah D I love this like it's helping you it's like we're doing this and I'm like all right so um just just to be able to have the um Freedom the creativity to uh you know try new things um has been such a u you know welcome site for me um you know explains things very well he just you know does all the pitching coach responsibilities um you know great human being uh and I've loved every every second I've had with uh you know work with hu Sean uh some of us thought you'd be a playoff team right from May when we saw the team uh even if we were struggling early uh what do you think now are you confident are you guys going to get in you're one game up right now yeah um I mean we made it this far uh there's definitely no reason why uh you know we can't make it in um yeah I mean you know we have gone through the the fire U early in the season and uh you know we made it out and we're here now um you know we've got an unbelievable team um top to bottom you know everybody contributes in some way and um that's what it takes you know we uh I think we all believe in each other we all believe we can do something uh incredibly special here um and there's no reason you know we have we have all the pieces we got you know leaders on the team we got the offense we got defense the pitching um you know coaches managers um I think you know this is a very special group and um you know some I'm very very spe like happy uh to be a part of um you know like I've said many times before but um yeah 100% I think uh we could do it not saying it's going to be easy um you know there's a lot of really good teams in front of us uh in our tals so um we definitely got our work cut off for us but um there's definitely no reason we we uh can't believe that as well you know Sean I I think that you summed it up well I think anybody who's watched this dayto day and seen the rise especially since that team meeting in May June uh knows this this has been a team effort that there's been a lot of contributors but I don't know that there's been one more important than you along the way as you've kind of risen to the state of Ace uh you go again Wednesday in the mat against Bowden Francis in Toronto and uh this is uh the day before so Jan and I do appreciate you finding some time for us uh and uh thank you so much for all all your time because you're such a great guy to deal with within the clubhouse as well uh all the best the rest of the season and perhaps in the playoffs as well Sean thank you so much guys happy to be here and I appreciate you guys thank [Music] you John and I of course thanks sha manah for joining us on the show John hit or error I'm gonna go error for the Hit or Error Minnesota Twins a team that I am always a big proponent of and uh I don't know what's going on with them as we do this now they only have a three-game lead and they are certainly in danger of losing that final playoff spot it is over Seattle Detroit and Boston we just saw Boston they couldn't do anything right and they're still in the race Seattle they fired their manager not because they thought they were going to catch lightning in a bottle because they thought the season was over I assume and Detroit they sold Jack flarity they were a seller and they're all in the race thanks to whatever's going on with the Minnesota Twins who have just falling apart at this moment did you see what Alex Kor said uh he said I don't know how we're in the race but we're in the race and so he so he's like let's just try to get in I thought that was fascinating John I'm gonna give an error and uh you're nice enough you referenced my uh column uh online at uh nypost.com I I I'm going to go off the board a little bit is the first week of the NFL season Dynamic kickoff what the hell is that like Dynamic why do we use their language you really went off the board like well I well we're language guys what is what like it's one thing if you convince idiot fans to do this but the members of our business who fall into there they call the first weekend of the the playoffs super wildc card weekend because the NFL wants a it's Wild Card Weekend it's the Wild Card round what's super Wild Card what's Dynamic kickoff what's Dynamic about that kickoff it's boring like how about call it the boring what they I don't even understand what they did Never by the way can we stop using foot football as an adjective we're watching the game we know it's a football field we know it's a football player we know he's a good football coach just call him a player a coach in a field what the hell's going on they're destroying language over at the NFL besides brains and what about I I mean I barely watched I saw a little bit I didn't know what the heck was going on with those kickoffs I never heard anything about this they they've ruined the kickoff I I I don't get it changed intentional walk rule in in baseball and it was like we were changing a passage from the Bible people went so crazy they just Chang the rule make up a word call it Dynamic and everybody goes along for the freaking ride where's the criticism the only one I saw criticized it was was I sorry to invoke his name we're not political in the show was Trump uh you know and I'm sorry you know whatever I shouldn't even mention anybody's name political but he did criticize it I I don't get it I don't understand what was wrong with the kickoffs were they dangerous I don't if they were dangerous I guess so I you know you know what's key now though John it's Dynamic that's the key thing it's a very Dynamic I'm I'm not going but that's not Dynamic it's boring it's not a super Wild Card Weekend it's not a dynamic kickoff and just call them coaches not football coaches anyway uh I do like Wild Card Weekend I do like that that that can be if they want to call that super dynamic or whatever super Dynamic terrible the kickoff is new kickoff is terrible it should be the terrible kickoff and that's it especially can people in our business not just walk in Lop step with what that League wants well people who are covering football just they they have a great time they're very happy people they don't have to do anything there's no there's no game at night there they have to write on Deadline twice a year they're thrilled to have this job and they people us now yeah well I mean serious we know we know we know the difference I used to cover football back in the 80s I it's a it's a it's a very easy job and and they're very thrilled about it so there's no criticism a they have a super Dynamic we're not as thrilled we're not as thrilled we have 120 night games early's running sub for people don't know what that is that's three columns a night all on Deadline you know that's a different job we accepted the job just they it's a different job John you know who's super Dynamic Tomy Hogan our producer he helps us all right let's get out yes yes I'm getting us out before we get in any more trouble you're gotten political you kill football Riders you're doing a great job I mentioned the name I didn't take a position I I went off the beat and track with football I I I mean this show it's really off the tracks it'd be totally off the tracks Without You Tommy thanks uh the New York Post YouTube page give us a view Apple Spotify wherever you listen to podcast uh please give us a festar rating leave a review uh John we're in the dog days I think we're both going on the road with the Mets sometime soon we know that uh because they're uh got big games late in the season and if you stick with us you'll follow all of it on the show with Joel Sherman and John Heyman