Fall Classic Rewind

Carlos Beltrán and the Curaçao Kid - 2026 BBWAA HOF Ballot

2026 BBWAA HOF Ballot In a bit of a surprise, the Contemporary Era Committee selected Jeff Kent to the Hall of Fame last month. He will join the likes of Rogers Hornsby, Nellie Fox, Joe Morgan, Ryne Sandberg, Jackie Robinson, and other MVP second baseman to earn enshrinement (Jose Altuve will join this list in the future, though another player on this year’s writers’ ballot is a long shot.) Dale Murphy, Carlos Delgado, and Don Mattingly all received more than six votes, and the rest of the candidates received fewer than five, meaning they are ineligible to be on the next ballot in three years. For Clemens, Bonds, and Sheffield, that result was not too surprising given their alleged PED use. This coming Tuesday, January 20th, the results from the BBWAA ballot will be revealed, and we will find out who will join Jeff Kent in Cooperstown this year. Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones appear to be in strong position for election this year. Chase Utley and Felix Hernández are the big climbers, and Cole Hamels looks to haver a strong debut on the ballot. We will break down the candidacies (or lack thereof) for the newcomers to the ballot, as well as our predictions for who, if any, will make it this year. Audio clips from MLB.tv [http://MLB.tv] Howie Kendrick’s Clutch Homers - WJFK Eats Radio - Dave Jageler and Charlie Slowes Alex Gordon’s WS HR - FOX - Hall of Fame Joe Buck, Tom Verducci Edwin Encarnacion’s Walk-off - TBS - Ernie Johnson As always, shout out to Baseball Reference and SABR for statistics, box scores, background information, and much, much more. Catch you next time, P.C.O.

Murph, Donnie Baseball, and Fernandomania - 2026 Contemporary Era Hall of Fame Ballot

Contemporary Era Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot With Winter Meetings under way in Orlando, it’s once again time to talk about the Hall of Fame. Eight players are on the ballot for Contemporary Era: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, and Fernando Valenzuela. Results of the committee vote will be released Sunday 12/7 at 7:30 pm ET. In this episode, we will discuss the cases for each of these worthy candidate. We’ll explain who we’d personally vote for, and then try to predict who, if anybody, will be enshrined in Cooperstown. Audio clips from MLB.com [http://MLB.com] Valenzuela’s CG in ’81 WS - ABC Howard Cosell and Al Michaels Valenzuela’s No-hitter in ’90 - LAD Vin Scully Murphy’s 300th Homer - Turner Mattingly’s ALDS in ’95 - ESPN Gary Thorne Delgado’s 4 HR day - TOR Kent’s NLCS Walk-off - HOU Milo Hamilton Sheffield’s 500th HR - SNY Gary Cohen As always, shout out to Baseball Reference and SABR for statistics, box scores, background information, and much, much more. Catch you next time, P.C.O.

From Backs Against the Wall to Back-to-Back Champions - 2025 World Series Game Seven Recap - LAD @ TOR

World Series Game Seven Los Angeles Dodgers @ Toronto Blue Jays The best FOUR words in sports, WORLD SERIES GAME SEVEN [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR202511010.shtml]. The Dodgers survived in game six thanks to another spectacular Yoshinobu Yamamoto performance and a clutch breakout from Mookie Betts. For the first time since 2019, the Fall Classic will come down to a decisive game seven. It has been an incredible series so far, with historic and record setting performances on both sides. Vlad Guerrero, Jr. and Ernie Clement could set the all time single season playoff hits record, Louie Garland could set a record for games pitched, and if this game is close at the end, we could be in for things we’ve never seen before. Starting for the Blue Jays will be the man who started the last World Series game seven, Max Scherzer. At 41 years old, Mad Max will be the oldest pitcher to start a winner-take-all game, and he becomes just the fourth pitcher to start multiple World Series game sevens (Bob Gibson, Don Larsen, and Lew Burdette). Going on short rest will be Shohei Ohtani, but expect all hands on deck for both squads, as there is no tomorrow. And by all hands, that will mean nearly every starting pitcher from both teams, including Yamamoto on no rest. Tune in for what may be the greatest game seven every played. Toronto Radio SN590 - Ben Shulman and Chris Leroux Los Angeles Radio AM570 - Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday FOX On Field - Ken Rosenthal, Tom Verducci, Kevin Burkhardt Audio clips from MLB.tv [http://MLB.tv] As always, thank you to Baseball Reference [https://www.baseball-reference.com/] and SABR [https://sabr.org/] for statistics, box scores, background information, and much, much more. Catch you next time, P.C.O.

Betts and Blunders Keep LA Alive - 2025 World Series Game Six Recap

World Series Game Six Recap Los Angeles Dodgers (93-69) @ Toronto Blue Jays (94-68) The Blue Jays come back home to Rogers Centre just one win away from their first championship since Joe Carter walked off Mitch Williams and the Phillies in game six of the 1993 Fall Classic. Vladdy Jr. continues his unbelievable playoff run, closing in on the single postseason record for hits. Toronto will have another boost, as George Springer returns to the lineup, though it is unclear how much he’ll be able to do with his oblique injury. The Dodgers bats, on the other hand, have been mostly silent. Mookie Betts has struggled mightily this series, forcing manager Dave Roberts to shake up the lineup a bit. They’ll need the future Hall-of-Famer to step up if they intend to extend the series. We should be in for another pitching duel for game six [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR202510310.shtml], as Kevin Gausman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto square up once again. The splitter heavy righties nearly matched one another in game two, but it was the Japanese ace who had the edge. With the season on the line, they both will need to bring their best. Can LA force a decisive game seven, or will Toronto wrap up the season in October? Toronto Radio SN590 - Ben Shulman and Chris Leroux Los Angeles Radio AM570 - Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday Audio clips from MLB.tv [http://MLB.tv] As always, thank you to Baseball Reference [https://www.baseball-reference.com/] and SABR [https://sabr.org/] for statistics, box scores, background information, and much, much more. Catch you next time, P.C.O.

Back to Back in the Saddle Again - 2025 World Series Recap Games 4&5 - TOR @ LAD

World Series Recap Games Four and Five Toronto Blue Jays (94-68) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (93-69) After an epic, 18 inning marathon win in game three, the Dodgers have taken the lead in this series, with two more to go at Chavez Ravine. Freddie Freeman once again played World Series hero, becoming the first player to ever hit multiple walk-off homers in Fall Classic history. Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani etched himself into the record books as well, reaching base in all nine of his plate appearances, by way of two doubles, two homers (including a game-tying shot in the 7th), and five walks (four intentional). And oh by the way, he’s gonna start game four on the mound. Truly a one of one player. Apart from Freeman and Ohtani’s heroics, however, the rest of the Dodger lineup has struggled to produce, and if they don’t turn it around soon, the powerful Blue Jays offense could strike. The much maligned Dodger pen held its own throughout extra innings, but will manager Dave Roberts be able to rely on them again? It can be hard to imagine how a team could bounce back after such a heartbreaking and emotionally draining loss, especially given how many squandered opportunities the Jays (and how many runners got thrown out trying to advance in late innings!) But if there’s anything manager John Schneider knows for certain about his club, it’s their resilience and determination. That of course starts with their homegrown stud, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., who’s been the best hitter throughout these playoffs. The task will be harder without George Springer, who left game three with an oblique injury and is doubtful to return, but don’t be surprised if fill-ins like Davis Schneider and Isiah Kiner-Falefa find ways to contribute. Opposing Ohtani in game four [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN202510280.shtml] will be California born Shane Bieber. It’s been an up and down postseason for the Jay’s midseason acquisition, but when he’s on, the former Cy Young can match up with the best of them. Blake Snell and Trey Yesavage will face off again for game five [https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN202510290.shtml]. Neither pitcher was particularly effective in their game one starts, but both have demonstrated the potential for brilliance. Will the Dodgers finish their quest for back-to-back championships in LA, or will the Blue Jays force the series back to Canada? Toronto Radio SN590 - Ben Shulman and Chris Leroux Los Angeles Radio AM570 - Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday Audio clips from MLB.tv [http://MLB.tv] As always, thank you to Baseball Reference [https://www.baseball-reference.com/] and SABR [https://sabr.org/] for statistics, box scores, background information, and much, much more. Catch you next time, P.C.O.