You're listening to the Downbeat on ninety seven to one the Freak. Good morning,
Metroplex. I hope you're doing excellent. We definitely are here broadcasting live
from Houston today. I'm Kevin Turner with Danny Bayliss and Mike Siroy. We've
got JJ Jackson back at the station in DFW, but prosper Ford hooked us
up with a Ford expedition to take down to Houston yesterday. After the show.
We went to Minute Made Park last night and enjoyed the Rangers thrashing of
the Astros to advance to their third ever World Series. And no, we'll
get our head right for that a little bit later. I think Game seven
of the NLCS is tonight between the Phillies and the Diamondbacks, and the World
Series starts on Friday, and we are going to enjoy that for a few
for a couple of days before we get our mindset for that. And we're
having a big Ranger party today here on the station and especially here on the
show. We were one of the very few, maybe only radio shows in
DFW to have the balls to say screw it, let's go and take it.
Yeah, they kept telling us to go and take it. It's what
they said. They made an official hashtag out of it, like what am
I supposed to be? We listened, watch and let it happen. I
imagine, just like most people waking up right now or whatever. That's how
when I woke up, You know, it takes your second first in a
strange hotel to register where you are and then realize what time it is.
Okay, we're okay, I'm a good you know, and then maybe sixty
seconds later it hits me that the Rangers are going to the World Series.
Amazing and one every road game they've ever played, Yeah, and one Game
six and seven on the road against the Nemesis team with great pitching they had
to go against, and to do it so powerfully in in dominant form yesterday
stress free. I mean if you can call a Game seven and the Alcs
stress free. I mean once the thing got going. Those first few innings
were stressful, for sure, but once they started piling on the runs with
that powerful offense, it kind of was stress fee free for the back half
of that game. Just a pleasure, man. I couldn't believe when you
register it when you wake up, and I hope people are waking up and
tuning into us and feeling as good as we felt. We woke up and
feel right now, the Rangers are going the damn World Series. Yeah,
it hadn't sunk in yet. No, yeah, because the chaos of yesterday
for us too, it wasn't just chill get excited to watch the game.
Oh my god, you know. Hell, even when the game ends,
you're like, what time is it? How long do we want to stay
for this post game celebration? How do we get an uber out of here?
Is there a you know, rideshare pickup area and whatever? I'm glad
to went to the hotel and said, where do I go get some chips?
Yeah? Yeah, because I had one meal yesterday at Brahms at what
noon? Yeah? You misplayed that? Did I did? I didn't want
to leave the seat. You guys got up and got some snackies at the
ballpark and I don't know, I don't know. I just was I don't
think you enough, No I do. I had to like what we were
bringing. Beers, Yeah, crushing some some craft beers called my my schalob
Ultrath like that, my schalob Utra. So we talked about the game.
Let's let's try to do as much game stuff as we can because there was
so much that went down. I want to start with the pitching, don't
you, because I feel like that was as unlikely of an outcome considering what
we knew and what we didn't know. What we knew is that Houston was
throwing out a beast. That's what we thought a crocodile dud beat slowly,
Yes, el Repteel, who's fastball defies physics and gravity and rises, Yeah,
as it nears the catcher's mix. You must swing a full baseball above
where you think the ball is right because this magical man. And then on
our side, the unknown was what's mac Sure's They're going to have one of
the two biggest psychopaths of baseball. SO called him the speakeasy yesterday or they
called me five point thirty in the hotel room, and I was telling him
I was pumped up about the biggest psychopath in baseball, and Ryner goes,
are all this chapman? I said, Oh, no, no, no,
I guess I guess sure There's would be the second biggest. We got
the we have both the crazy guys, but honestly, yeah, we so
unknown, unproven. After his comeback. You know, you can say what
you want about that first start, but it wasn't great. He was not
sharp, No, he wasn't sharp. He he struggled a little bit with
his breaking pitch. The velocity question was answered in his return. Yeah,
ninety five. I think he hit ninety six one time to really okay,
is he going to improve upon that? Is it going to be worse?
So I was pretty I don't know if I was. I was almost already
accepting that it was going to be a struggle, that this game was going
to be tough, and I kind of was anticipating and expecting a Rangers loss.
And even when we got up to that you know, three to zero
lead, which turned out to be a three to one lead, I'm still
just come on, look, they're going to get schers are out of this
game and three and a third, which they did, and then it's time
to go to the bullpen, and then and then all bets are off.
Man. As Ranger fans, we know that we've watched this season. It's
the worst bullpen and one of the worst bullpens in the history of baseball that's
made it into the postseason and you just kind of expected for this thing that's
bent and not completely broken throughout this entire run, it's got to break at
some point. And I'll be damned if that thing did not hold together for
the entirety of the game until it was just meaningless runs at the end.
Despite Cherser's stat line and duration, I think he was was pretty good and
he got out. He put himself into things, but got himself out of
them. I mean, in al two v double to lead out the game,
fine, l two VA's a monster, and then you give up one
run and there's a guy on third, and then you you get Brandley to
ground into a double play, like cool, get out of it. And
the second inning you got a guy on base, and then you get two
strikeouts after McCormick's sole second. So back to back strikeouts to get out of
there. That's bawling. And even in the third fine Bregman hammered that ball
too, Is that the one left center? Yeah? On that, yes,
and then you give up a triple so fine, things are looking poor
and you yank him and hell, that's where the Bochi factor comes in,
where he knows what he's looking for. Whatever it is, the craft that
we would have no idea stuff behind the stuff behind the stuff, you know,
or maybe quite as simple as hard hit balls. But he knew what
to do, and he knew he had the you know, had Montgomery to
come in, and we didn't know that. We didn't see really who was
warming up because you couldn't see it in the in the stadium. They had
a visibility into the Rangers bullpen. Yeah, which is like an indoor bullpen.
Yeah. Uh. But until that door swings open, we're like,
Okay, I guess Montgomery, which we expected to be available, he's trotting
out here, let's go. He was the rock star last night. Man.
He kept that thing while it was still close. And look, the
floodgates opened, you know, in the middle innings, late late middle innings
for the Rangers, where their offense finally did what we've known they're capable of,
which they've done numerous times throughout the regular year, and that they we've
just been hoping, haven't We all talked about that. It's like, dude,
we're just waiting for that for that Ranger ten run game where they all
just go bananas. And they finally did it in a game seven and their
pitching was damn good enough there, you know what. Their pitching was pretty
damned exceptional yesterday, pretty damned exception exceptional. And I know that Adulus is
the MVP, and he should be, but if you gave away a silver
medal MVP, I don't see how it's not Spores because that dude delivered every
time he got into the games, and he pitched in what seems like all
of them. Yeah, god he does. How eight or nine playoff appearances
once you threw four? Yeah, he was in five of the Houston games
and that was last night. Was the first earned run he gave up,
like it's always a little wild ride. He kind of look. Maybe it's
his face. He doesn't care about anything. He choose the crap out of
that gum. Is it gum or tobaccy it's gum bod beard, Yeah,
which I don't know if is cut the way it's supposed to look or if
it's just that's how she grows in. But yeah, you're right, man,
Spores underrated important part of how this thing all shook it out. And
they basically said, you're part of our one two three punch to get out
of games when we have a lead and risky for sure because we saw what
happened in the regular season. He was streaky though. I mean he put
together a string of about a month and a half of really good, shut
down pitching and the kind of lost it at the end there. So he's
still young guys, still kind of finding his way. There was some straight
heat, yeah, and doesn't never seem too concerned about anything. He doesn't
see a guy getting rattled or anything with him. As they say, the
moment wasn't too big for him. Cavioh you know, and a wins our
stat and we don't really worry about with pitching, you know anymore like we
did back in back in the old days. But technically computers technically because of
how it went. Jordan Montgomery gets the win, So three and zero in
the series. Jesus so he had three wins in the series. The other
thing, well, get go ahead. No, I was gonna say,
it's just look, it is what it is, and every every Rangers game
is, especially when you get beyond Montgomery and if all day it's it's a
it's a damn roller coaster. It was a wild ass ride no matter how
big you're leading. There were times last night, I'm like, even when
they brought in the clerk, we're thinking looking at the score of okay,
eleven to two, right three or four four, And I'm like, all
right, so if Jordan goes yards will be eleven seven, They're still fine.
Like you're just pay count doing the math on the worst possible thing that
could happen. Meanwhile, the only people that are left in the stadium are
wearing red and blue and Mario Coffs, which was red and blue. So
at what point in the game, because it was a nice little boxing match
early and it was four to two, I guess yeah, four to two.
I don't want to say there was much confidence, like you just said,
hell the ninth inning, I was still a little bit stressed. But
it was when Evan Carter hit that double that seemed to land in the dirt
on the right field line that scored a Josh Young and Semion beauty, and
it was that's when I was like, wow, okay, so that made
it six to two. That was a moment where you just went, okay,
there's the extra run, Like you're thinking we had to have more runs.
We did. Four to two wasn't gonna hole yeah, and you can't
call them insurance runs in the in the fourth inning when it's a four to
two game. And but we're all thinking it like I'm like a run an
inning, like anything, every single one could could make the entire difference on
who wins this game. If you're sorry, No, it's just those matter
of inches, man, Like every sport is on sole level. And before
that play, the Evan Carter double was when Seger ripped it off of Ray
used leg or whatever at first base. Yes, to the basis, like
if you remember in game it's a game four, game five, Well,
there was a good, great play that Bray you made the other day where
a ball was ripped and he was playing in and he was kind of leaning
back and he got the force out at second base. And it's like,
if he makes that play, then that maybe doesn't happen. If Bray was
able to make that play. But because Seeker rips the ball every time he
makes contact pretty much, it just puts a lot of pressure on him.
And then adul List is up and I remember we were going it was six
to two and we were going, he's about to just he's about to swing
no matter what, like he's about to just rip, and he put together
like a patient bat, and I think it was two to one, I
think, and he just hits a little ground ball in the left field.
They had scored two runs and it was eight to two, and then we
were going looking around, and that's what that's when he started going, Okay,
this is happening. Yeah, it was still early. It's still the
top of the fourth. Like they've left the seventh, They've had three chances.
Yeah Houston has at that point, but eight to two is certainly not
insurmountable. But that's that's a lot of runs. And that that's the moment.
I think it felt pretty damn good. It did, but it felt
pretty damn good. The beauty of posting that four run top of the fourth
was something that the Rangers struggled with a couple of games ago, if I
or maybe yeah, a couple of games ago, if I'm not mistaken,
was we were complaining about the shutdown inning. It's like every time that the
Rangers go within striking distance, get within two runs, you know, to
shorten that lead, then they go back out and let Houston tack on one
or two. But after that four run fourth, the Rangers posted three scoreless
bottom half innings in the fourth and fifth and the sixth, and that was
key massive because look, even okay, you're up eight to two if you
give up three runs three and look, they they were great about not letting
Houston do anything with men on base. You know, they minimize the damage
that you knew that they're capable of doing. And even if you know Houston,
let's say that they get solo shots in the bottom of the fourth,
the fifth, and the sixth, well then it's eight to five and that's
not feeling good. But by the end of the sixth inning, you know,
we knew that this thing was probably over. It was what at that
point it was ten to two? Ye is that correct? And that was
the one that just made it by like an anche. And that's when we
started seeing the wave of people, the mass exit it start. The waves
started after the after Houston posted nothing in the bottom of the six people started
filing out. Six was where Garber got hit yep, And we were sure
he got hitting the balls, yeah, off his penis. It did look
like that from where we were. And then we found out later that it's
Ribs. I think it's Ribs. Because again we didn't get any replays on
the It was also allegedly fine after the game effect that there's audio of him
kind of being funny in the clubhouse. I don't want to play because it's
not super clean as he's yelling for Bochie to get the lap dance chair.
So I'm not sure what was really happening in the Rangers clubhouse last night,
but it was probably just having a joke. Let's feel that like it's three
to one, it doubly sits the home run the fourth inning. He hits
a home run later in the game. And when we think back to twenty
eleven and how bad the World Series was and the big moment that we don't
like to talk about where the balls hit over Nelson and Cruise's head, I
don't think that emotional hardcore emotional Rangers fans fully properly recognize and remember how important
Nelson Cruise was to getting you to that World Series and that Alcs against the
Tigers. Nelson Cruz was ridiculous. And I'll be damned, Adolice s Garcia
just had a Nelson Cruz series, and I'm gonna think about him in the
same way a guy who the Raiders had DF eight a couple of times,
basically had cut where other teams could go claim him. And they kept giving
him chances, kept giving chances developing him, developing him, and these numbers
are insane and they're kind of eerie. So in twenty eleven in the ALCS,
Nelson Cruz hit six home runs and had thirteen RBIs, ads, five
home runs and fifteen RBIs on base or we'll call it. We'll call it
ops right now, what we'll say slugging. Let's do slugging. No ops.
Nelson Cruz was a seventeen thirteen ops. Garcia is a twelve ninety three.
But here's the one that stuck with me more than anything. His twenty
RBIs in the postseason ranks third all time for most RBIs in the playoffs,
behind twenty twenty Corey Seeger and twenty eleven David Freese. Geez, really,
yes, well, there's a name from that's an evil ghost from the past
that makes me feel like this is kind of meant to be. There ain't
no such thing, dude, maybe not. Don't start getting your head down
that freaking mystical baseball lower garbage because I gave up on that crap a long
time ago, Teams of Destiny, that fing team, all that crowd.
I looked up on Adulices Garcia. So I'll ask you this tricky one and
maybe unfair, but this is seventh year in professional baseball, three for the
Cardinals, four for the Rangers. What do you think his career earnings are?
In his in salary? He hasn't been all these car seat Oh,
I know he hasn't been paid yet, because that's a part of the discussion
about the offseason plans of this team. Is he a guy they would spend
money on? So I would say, because of the way baseball works,
you're kind of controlled for six years under five million dollars in salary. He's
in his entire baseball career two point seven million dollars. Now he got a
two point five million signing bonus, So his total career earnings as a baseball
player are five point two to one five million dollars. Jesus for that manag
did he make in the last week? For that man who did what he
did for us yesterday? And all month? Yeah? The hell all year?
On some level, his salary is seven hundred and forty seven thousand dollars
this year, Like, was that even possible? Right? And I look,
you don't have the what pedigree or track record whatever of the you know,
Corey Seegers of the world who were making thirty five million dollars, but
he's thirty three three quarters of a million dollars. You think a thirty year
old in this game would have made more money by it right now? Right,
He's not a free agent until twenty twenty seven either, and his mob
service time started, I mean technically in twenty twenty three. So it says
he's scheduled to make five point one million, which is essentially matching his career
earnings next year. But I don't know the exact status of his contractor if
that's just like a last year one that you're like, you know, do
you restructure that? Do you or sign him to a long termy and tear
that sucker up? I mean, I don't he deserves's. Nelly was doing
this stuff, you know, into his late thirties that never made a ton
of money. He was a late bloomer though he was much like yeah,
for sure, for sure, And I'm glad that Nelson Cruz made money for
a lot of years, a long time after he left and he was good.
Yep. You know, teams when they win the World Series tend to
maybe pay guys like him who may be thirty and just like, thank you
for what you've done. We won the ones, so we did it.
Here's your fat contract. But I don't know that. I if I'm building
the business and he is makes what he makes arbitration eligible for the next three
years, he's not. He's not a free agent until twenty twenty seven,
three more years before he's a free agent. You don't have to pay him
anything, No, you don't. But they also have like I mean,
of all the guys him, Leoti, Taveres, Evan Carter, and then
you have this year's number four pick, why at Langford who is coming up?
You got decisions to make the outfields. Not all of those are gonna
have bats. So, dude, Nelson Cruz played this year for the Podres.
He's still still around two and he didn't have a double digit home run
year until he was twenty eight years old. Yeah, nine for the for
the Rangers and then just smacking for a good fifteen years after that. I
don't know. Man Garcia is just a pleasure to watch. Now, I
will say, uh, had the Rangers lost by like one run? We
may be reviewing that. You're pimping a single off the top of the wall
like he stood in the box for four seconds, as Kevin said, he
sold it and made he still take a base to make up for it.
It's like, yeah, exactly, and they did they Okay, they were
aggressive on the base pass too or three steals? Yes, And I think
you were right because you asked me in the game. I think it was
him had one, and Carter had one and Garcia had one. But how
do you pimp a ball that doesn't make it out? It look like he
was watching to see if it was fair or foul, like a no doubter.
Yeah, I mean that thing was left center field. That's who he
is, man. I know exactly, and you know what, don't change
nothing, I guess, But how are you standing at home plate when that
ball hits the wall and you barely make it the first get lost in it?
He got lost in it? He did. He get lost in the
moment and he thought. I guess he's right that almost everything he touches turns
the gold. Right now, when you're h on a heater, Mike,
there are no rules. I don't think you've ever been on a heater.
Remember he said he was on a heater when he lived with Shippy. Yeah,
telling us some stories on the way down, my sexual prime, my
asexual prime. Okay, so here's what we do. Let's load up the
phone. Yes, let's so. We'll take your text messages. You have
text questions about what we went through, comments about stuff we might have missed
from our vantage point down the right field line, and any thoughts that you
have two one four or eight one seven seven eight seven one nine seven one.
JJ is back in the station taking your calls. We'll continue this live
from Houston Ranger Party edition of The Downbeat Next on ninety seven won the free