Sammy Levitt | 97.5 San Diego Padres Pre/Postgame Host

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Talk saves lives. We're pleased to welcome Sammy Levitt who is part of our San Diego affiliate 97.3 The Fan and was at the ballpark for the opener of the NLCS does pre and post for the Padres. So Sammy, what were your impressions of game number one? Not a lot of offense at all for either team. The problem for the Padres was that Hugh Darvish was mostly terrific. He gave up three hits but two of those were solo home runs. One to Bryce Harper and one to Kyle Schwarber and on the offensive side of things for the Padres they had only one hit. They didn't have a runner on second base until the ninth inning and obviously it's hard to win games when you don't produce hits or hits or runs.

So one of those one of those nights that offensively just nothing happened. Now I think there's certainly a tip of the cap to Zach Wheeler what he did but frustrating for the Padres tonight in the sense that Hugh Darvish was actually really good aside from giving up a couple of solo home runs and you hope you can you can kind of work around that in the postseason game but it didn't happen for the Padres offensively here tonight and that was really the story of game one. When I was listening to Jesse, Jesse Agler closed out this game because I actually was listening to Padres radio the last few innings. I knew it of course because I've been watching the game but to hear him say that the Padres have only had two runners on base in the first eight innings was really a stark reminder.

Finished with just the one hit. Now as you point out Hugh Darvish did his job very well because the Phillies didn't have that many opportunities with runners in scoring position or guys left on base either but what did Bob Melvin and some of the Padres say about trying to generate offense and figure out how to break through? Yeah you know Amy I think it was it was pretty much you know what let's show up tomorrow and it's a new day. I mean it was such a an emotional exciting whatever adjective you want to use to describe it what happened at Petco Park on Friday and Saturday as this team took down the Dodgers. You know I don't know that what we saw tonight was a quote-unquote Dodger hangover rather than the Padres running into a really good starting pitcher and just not having it offensively but the sense we got from from Bob Melvin and playing sounds from the clubhouse on our post game show was that there was the mindset of hey it's one game and I agree with that. I mean you know obviously it sets up a very crucial game two coming up and it's a bit of a weird schedule with local time tomorrow well now today. The game's at 1 35 so by 5 p.m local time tomorrow you know the Padres could be down 0-2 in this series going back to Philadelphia. So a lot's going to happen in the next half day or so by the time we get to the early evening tomorrow but it should be really interesting but the the sense I got really was you know was it was kind of okay we lost one and let's go back and get them tomorrow and obviously it sets up a very very important game too especially for San Diego. I could not believe even going back and looking at the numbers that the three Phillies pitchers only threw 109 pitches total. Yeah.

That's it I mean you want to talk about economical you can't get much more efficient than that. No you can't and I was you know pretty surprised that Zach Wheeler came out after 83 pitches you know he was cruising I mean you know like we've been talking about he allowed a walk a single that was it he didn't have a runner in scoring position against them the entire outing. So I was pretty surprised when Wheeler came out Sir Anthony Dominguez came in for the eighth inning did a good job and then it was Jose Alvarado in the ninth and the Padres finally had a little rally and had a good opportunity he had the winning run at the plate and Manny Machado with one out he flies out to right field Josh Bell strikes out and that's the ball game but really on both sides pitching wise it was really impressive I mean Darvish was good aside from the two solo home runs and the Padres bullpen which has been a massive strength for them in this postseason again two scoreless innings so I think to me that's what's frustrating about this game one beyond just talking it up to an offense that didn't do anything tonight the fact that they pitched really well this was a winnable game you know if you score a few runs but it just didn't happen but you're right on the on the Philly side of things between uh Wheeler and the two guys out of the bullpen it was very efficient and impressive. Sammy what was your perspective on the Kyle Schwarber home run? I uh well I was in the I was in the press box at that time I heard the crack of the bat I looked up and uh I said whoa and then it ends up landing in the second deck now this is my first year with the Padres so I did not know that was the longest home run ever hit at Petco Park. I know some people around me said I don't think I've ever seen a ball hit into the second deck in right field and then when we got the number of 488 and then found that it was the farthest home run ever in the history of the stadium it all kind of made sense. I think there were a lot of people there tonight and I can't say for sure if nobody's ever done it um although I would assume considering where it went but I won't go out on the limb because I don't know but I think there were I think the great majority of people there tonight did not think it was possible to get one into the second deck because uh that that deck's pretty far back uh you know kind of it's it's uh if you just look at the way right field is is laid out so I knew it was far I did not know it was 488 but it was uh 488 yeah I mean 488 who was maybe Zach Wheeler was the one who said that he'd never even seen a BP ball hit that far oh and not only was it 480 488 it was 119.7 miles an hour off the bat well it's pretty impressive yeah really Sammy Levitt is with us from San Diego 97.3 is our affiliate there and he's also part of the Padres radio network doing the pre and post before we talk about the pitching Sammy I'd love to hear what this playoff run has meant to San Diego sports fans so far and the atmosphere has been evident even on TV but you're right in the middle of it what's it been like for these fans to see their team kind of revived and taking out the big bad Dodgers along the way it's been extremely special I mean I said it to a few people earlier today you know I've seen a lot of baseball games you know I grew up in New York and went to lots of Mets playoff games as a fan and I've been fortunate to be at some big college football games basketball games and it may have been the best sporting event I've been to uh Saturday night especially at Petco Park yeah it it's been an extremely special run I think for a variety of different reasons number one here in San Diego you know there have not been many seasons of success I mean you said it earlier right this is the team's first nlcs since 1998 uh same year they went to the world series um but but this team this organization this fan base has really been um revitalized and I think it starts at the top you know with the owner Peter Seiber who's really committed to spending and and trying to win AJ Preller who continues to be aggressive you know a great example is what he did at the trade deadline with the Juan Soto move they spend money uh the organization in really every aspect I think is really impressive and the fans have responded to it I mean they set a record for sellouts in the regular season um this year so that was well before this playoff run it was very up and down regular season with highs and lows and big trades and uh some drama with the Fernando Tatis Jr situation I mean there were all kinds of kinds of aspects to the regular season um but people showed up and I quite honestly I've been blown away by the support here all year and then it really hit a crescendo um over the weekend and the Dodgers in town and they win game two in LA and that's after what was a really impressive wildcard series win in New York which a lot of people didn't think they would do and they win game two in LA they come home Friday night the place is rocking they get just enough off in some great pitching and then Saturday they're in game four they're trailing three nothing right in the seventh inning and they erupt and I mean the place was just rocking it's raining people are dancing people are singing I I really hadn't seen anything like it and I think I think Amy no matter how this run ultimately ends I think there will be a sense of satisfaction for beating the Dodgers and feeling like the next step has been taken and um and I'm I'm really excited to see what's ahead for for this for this city for this organization they there's just a lot of really good things going on and a lot of commitment to winning um that I think bodes really well uh for this team and for this fan base and the fans have really responded to it you mentioned the Fernando Tatis that was all about the same time as the lineup was changed drastically with the moves that were made at the trade deadline and it was a bit of a head scratcher for a couple of weeks because it didn't seem to gel or at the very least the production wasn't there Sammy what did it take how did they get to the point where okay moving forward again and then a bit of a meteoric rise into the playoffs and and now obviously into the NLCS yeah it was a very up and down experience after the trade deadline you know I think I think a lot of people here thought that the moves would really propel this team and you know Amy I don't think in the regular season they ever got super hot you know they didn't have a win streak of more than I want to say five games it could be six I'm forgetting now I do this better during the regular season it's either it's either five or six but here at here at uh past midnight on the west coast I'm forgetting um but it's it's five or six you know they never had reeled off 10 straight wins or 13 out of 14 it just didn't happen and that still was true after they made the the trade deadline deals now they had a really bad loss in Arizona in September and there was kind of this moment and address that Bob Melvin had on the team where he got angry and it was something you know Bob Melvin's a very steady personality a steady manager and I think he deserves a lot of credit for what's happened here over the past couple of weeks and the success they've had in the post season he's done a great job but when he got angry at the team I think a lot of players took notice and there was a players only meeting the next day and from that point on they finished 11 and 7 in the regular season again not super hot but playing some good baseball and and Amy it has really come together you know in the post season you know again it was a very up and down kind of year I think even into September and into the final home stand but this team really came together in New York with what they did they really came together with what they did against the Dodgers and I think they played their best baseball in the post season which is obviously what you want to do and the Phillies right now we're doing it as well which makes it such a an intriguing series but a lot of players have pointed to that night in Arizona in September when Bob Melvin addressed the team as a moment where they really started to come together and that that's been a pretty consistent answer so when you talk about turning points that night in Arizona after they had a really bad boss in a series opener that that seems to be the consensus about when this team could kind of feel the turning point. How have you seen Manny Machado step into a role where he is a leader in the clubhouse and yes Bob Melvin has had a massive impact but what about Manny? He's been terrific I mean he's a he's a tremendous player and and this is my first year you know watching Manny day in day out and seeing every at bat he has and he's just remarkably consistent you know he had an ankle injury that he suffered on on Father's Day in Colorado really aside from about a month span where he struggled after that he kind of you know came back quickly he was playing through it and it took him a while to get right again aside from about a month span where his numbers dipped I mean he's been so consistent and so reliable he's got a flair for the dramatic he comes up with big hits his defense you know it's either him or Nolan or Renato the best defensive third baseman in baseball take your pick between those two guys he's just remarkably consistent and from an offensive standpoint this was a very up and down team you know you talked about this team really not gelling after the trades well part of that was the offense I mean they're starting pitching he's been very consistent for the most part all year offensively they would go through stretches where it was it was just sort of inexplicable about as to why they they they couldn't score so Manny's been the the you know the consistent part of it and in truly carry this offense now is he going to be the MVP who knows you know I get the sense that a lot of people aren't leaning that way maybe in a different year maybe had he not got injured and the numbers were a little bit more impressive obviously they already are impressive um but he's just Amy he's remarkably consistent and he he plays through injuries and he's there every day and um he leads by example in that sense so I've been I've been really impressed with Manny Machado what he's brought to this clubhouse through again some of the real ups and downs of this season and everything that's gone on well adversity and losing generally do force the leaders to step up and he has been one of those guys that has shown truly what he's made of and also how much he cares and I love the quote that you put on your Twitter Sammy we got to stay focused on what the real goal is and it's to bring a championship to this city that's from Manny Machado on the eve of the NLCS all right so last thing before I let you go because as you point out it's been a long day you're at the ballpark for a lot of hours how how does the pitching stack up then for a long series for the Padres it I mean it stacks up well they got a great start from you Darvish tonight again I I think that's part of the frustration of tonight is you Darvish was you Darvish I mean he was really good and you would like to think I said this during my post game today you would like to think that two solo home runs don't doesn't lose you the game but it did tonight and that's not you Darvish's fault so he delivered tonight as he's done all year you know tomorrow Blake Snell Blake had a terrific second half he started New York in the wild card series was was not good but it started against the Dodgers was it was what version of Blake Snell are you getting tomorrow I guess to put it more broadly I think the Padres have plenty of starting pitching their bullpen has been outstanding in the postseason they've got Darvish and Snell and Musgrove and that they they line up well for a long series as do the Phillies with you know what the other did tonight and having Nola going tomorrow from the pitching standpoint I think the Padres are good enough to win a world series I really do especially with what their bullpen is doing right now can they get there we're gonna find out but you know tonight you Darvish did a great job and and the pitching side of things both in the rotation um and in the bullpen has has been one if one of if not the key of this of this team's run here in the postseason so I think pitching wise um they they can go to the world series off what they've got and uh we'll see how the rest of the series plays out first time in the nlcs since 1998 and Bob Melvin says they're already anxious to get back out there for game number two which happens on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park you can follow Sammy on Twitter at Sammy LEV Sammy Levitt with our San Diego affiliate 97.3 the fan he's got the pre and post on Padres radio he's posted up at the ballpark these days it's great to connect with you for the first time enjoy the ride and thank you so much for the insight absolutely Amy thank you so much for having me hey I'm Thamy Redwood host of the podcast Beyond Black History Month here's reason number 568 million of why you should be listening from in-depth reporting on the shortage of black sperm to how one house of the dragon star is dealing with online trolls who don't love seeing black dragon writers I can't lose sleep over that over worrying about things that are beyond my control listen and subscribe to Beyond Black History Month on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts hey I'm Thamy Redwood host of the podcast Beyond Black History Month here's reason number 568 million of why you should be listening from in-depth reporting on the shortage of black sperm to how one house of the dragon star is dealing with online trolls who don't love seeing black dragon writers I can't lose sleep over that over worrying about things that are beyond my control listen and subscribe to Beyond Black History Month on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts