Yankees vs. Dodgers Would Be Epic World Series (Hour 2)

Alrighty, hour number two of our radio program.

It is the Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. Hold on, hold on. There we go. Okay, we're good. My headphones were all weird there.

I don't know why they're going in and out. But anyway, I will fight through it and I'll continue to do the show. Now I can't hear anything. Now I can hear something. Alright, testing one, two. We good, we good.

Okay, we good. I don't know what the heck is going on today with this headphone jack, but now I can hear everything. Now I can hear myself speak. So just making sure Stu wasn't asleep at the wheel, because I got on the air right there.

I was like, I can't hear anything. I go, is my mic even on? Testing one, two, three.

Testing one, two, three. Is this thing on? Alrighty, now I can hear myself. But anyway, Stu, your New York Yankees, they have a baseball game coming up at the top of the hour. They look to continue their magic in the postseason.

I don't even know if you call it magic. Not like they've been great. But the Royals were no real test for them. The Guardians so far, even when the Yankees haven't played their best brand of baseball, they haven't been a test for them either, as they're up two games to none. This series, to me, Stu, it feels like it's already over. But there's a difference in feeling like it's over and that it actually being over. And I know your organization was once up 3-0 against the Boston Red Sox, and you didn't find the way to get the job done in 04.

But here's a little news flash. The 2024 Cleveland Guardians, who are a good football team, good baseball team, excuse me, they are nowhere close to being the 2004 Boston Red Sox. So with that being said, it feels like this series is already over.

But, but, but, but, but, but if the Yankees win today, then it's really, really, really over. You would agree with that, correct Amundah? 100%. Yep. Are you even nervous?

No, which is... I hate when I'm not nervous because then bad things happen. But no, I'm not nervous.

I'm being serious. You haven't had to sweat at one moment yet in this postseason. Yeah. I mean, I thought last game when Cole struggled to get out of the inning, I think it was the fourth. Is it the fourth or the fifth where he barely...

I think it was the fourth. That was like where I was like, okay, this could turn a little if they steal a game in New York, then things are different. But yeah, the Kansas City series. Yeah. But there hasn't been a moment where you have thought that you've been going to, you know, going to get eliminated. Oh, definitely not. Not even close.

Not even close. No. Like the Dodger fan at least thought that there was a chance they could get eliminated in that last series up against the Padres, right? Definitely.

Yeah. Us Mets fans have had moments where we have thought we could get eliminated. Obviously, when you were going into late in that game three of the wildcard round up against the Brewers, there wasn't a moment up against the Phillies where I ever thought they were going to get eliminated because they won the first and lost the second.

Then they won game three. And once you won game three, there was just a feeling that they were going to win four and get this baby and the sucker over with at Citi Field. But now, like as a Mets fan, there is some some Mets fans today that feel like this series is over.

I don't. I think tonight is the determining factor of really the ALCS and the NLCS because if the Dodgers win tonight and the Dodgers take care of the Mets tonight and go up 3-1, as much as the Mets have been resilient as possible, I don't think the Mets are coming back down three games to one to the team that I think is the best team on paper in baseball in the Los Angeles Dodgers. If the Yankees go up 3-0 up against the Guardians, even with the next two being in Cleveland, like, is there a chance that the Guardians send that back to New York and, you know, they win the next two? Yeah, sure. But does it mean that the Yankees are going to drop the series?

No. So we are getting closer and closer to something. That has been talked about for a while. And it has been talked about at a great length this season specifically. Because of Otani now being with the Dodgers and having a great historical season 50-50 and then Aaron Judge having an incredible individual season as well, being paired up with Juan Soto and having Garrett Cole, you know, back healthy even after the struggles to start the year when he was hurt. But this is a Yankees team that I don't think this is a great Yankees team, but just because you are in a great Yankee team of the past when they were winning all those World Series championships doesn't mean that you still can't go out there and win a championship.

Like, the Kansas City Chiefs last year at times didn't resemble, you know, in football a great team and they were still better than everybody else. But for baseball, and don't get this twisted, I don't want to see the Dodgers in the World Series. It has nothing to do with Otani. It has nothing to do with Mookie Betts. It has nothing to do with Freddie Freeman. It has nothing to do with Dave Roberts. It has nothing to do with Walker Bueller or Yamamoto. It has nothing to do with the Dodgers.

It's just because if you're watching the show on YouTube, I think you could already figure out the answer. Or if you listen to the show ever, like, I'm a Mets fan. So obviously, I want to see the Mets come on back, win tonight, take game five, go up three-two, and then you go back to L.A., and you find a way to win one game and you split, you know, six or seven or whatever it is. Maybe take six and you win, or then you go and you win a game seven if you lose a game six. I want to see my team in the World Series. Period. Stop.

And that's not anything crazy. But I have the ability, even though I am a fan and I want to see my team to do well, to understand the moment for Major League Baseball as well, if we do get Otani up against Judge, how special that would be for Major League Baseball. And I've sat here for years, and I know the commissioner doesn't like me, and I don't like the commissioner in Rob Manfred.

I don't. If it wasn't for Adam Silver, I think Rob Manfred would be the worst commissioner in sports right now. And Rob Manfred, I'll give him credit because I'm fair. The pitch clock has been good. The pitch clock has helped Major League Baseball. But for years, baseball has obsessed about changing the game, changing the game, changing the game. And I've always said this, and it's amazing how Rob Manfred has never been able to comprehend it and understand it, that baseball's biggest problem is it does a crappy job in marketing their stars. So there's a way that they can market stars better that's in their control.

And then there's something that's out of their control. And the best way to market your stars is when it's the postseason. Now, when Otani was with the Angels, it's not like Major League Baseball could wave a wand to guarantee that Otani would be in the postseason. They tried to to help Otani get into the postseason, right?

They've added an extra wildcard team in both leagues. But Otani leaving the Angels was actually one of the best things to happen to Major League Baseball because it was a waste of everybody's time. Like Mike Trout has been the player of the last 10 years. Mike Trout has been to one lousy freaking postseason series. And he got swept by the Boston Red Sox in three games. Now, I understand Mike Trout isn't Mr.

Personality. I understand we don't know a lot about Mike Trout. Quite frankly, the most amount of personality we've seen from Mike Trout has nothing to do with baseball.

It's when he's at the Eagles game sitting in the front row as a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL. So I don't know how much more Major League Baseball could have helped in aiding the marketing of Mike Trout when he kind of just wanted to be a star, play great and kind of live a life of obscurity. Like he's not a spotlight guy.

And that happens, right? And I think it's a big reason why Mike Trout has never left the Angels. But a guy like Otani, there's so much on the line because it's not only in the U.S., it's outside of the U.S. And also as great as Mike Trout has been, even though he suffered a lot of injuries, Otani does something that we've never seen before.

Like anyone living has never seen before because none of us were alive to see Babe Ruth. But you look at Otani, he has proven this year that even without the pitching ability, because the last few years when he's been able to be on the mound, you saw the way that he would dominate and truly be an elite pitcher and then be an elite hitter. Like, you know what, we talked about the Travis Hunter stuff yesterday and I threw out there that Travis Hunter is like the Shohei Otani of college football in terms of he plays both ways. And I may have said yesterday, like when talking about Travis Hunter, he's elite on both sides of the ball.

I actually take that back. I think he's elite defensively. I'm not going to say he's an elite wide receiver in terms of a number production when you compare it to Otani. Like Otani had 50 plus home runs and 50 stolen bases this year.

That's just stupid. You know, Travis Hunter, as good of a wide receiver he is, doesn't put up the prodigious numbers like that at the wide receiver position. So when you look at someone like Otani, what makes this year so special is two things. Even though he didn't need this year in terms of not being able to pitch, but it further emphasizes just how stupid and a good way he is at the plate and how well rounded his game is even when he can't pitch. But also the greatest strength for Shohei Otani is now he's actually in games that matter and he plays for a team that matters. So there's so many opportunities now where you could go have Shohei Otani and Shohei Otani is playing in games where everyone's able to watch. Like you look at Otani now, like I understand I watch and Stu you watch like the majority of 162, but there's such a large contingent of fans that don't watch all 162. And when do they tune in? It's like kind of a little hockey like, not as as great because hockey, it's so different. Like I watch regular season hockey, but how many more people jump on the bandwagon for the Stanley Cup playoffs is totally different compared to baseball.

But it's still the same point. You have a lot more people watching in the postseason. And to be able to market Otani just being in the postseason is an enormous strength, not only here in the US, but outside the US for Major League Baseball, because he is an international star. And I would say the two biggest video game players right now, what I mean by that. Is like, hey, guys that don't even feel like they're real when you're watching them, it's Aaron Judge in the AL and Shohei Otani in the NL. And Stu, now we are two wins away for the Yankees and two wins away for the Dodgers. From us seeing the two biggest stars in the game right now, Judge who's like a myth and then Otani who's like a myth.

And they're video game creatures doing things in real life that are just stupid good. From seeing the two of them meet up on the biggest stage that the sport has to offer. And no, it's not the World Baseball Classic, it's the Fall Classic. And that would be even though I don't want to see the Dodgers get there because I'm a Mets fan, I could have an appreciation for that moment. Even if my Mets get eliminated, hey, heck of a season by the Mets.

They shouldn't have gotten this far. You know, even if they lose, there will still be an excitement level. Even though it could be tough because of how fresh the wound is, I'll be tuning in and watching the World Series A because it's a World Series. But it's not like it's a dud World Series on paper. It would be as hyped of a World Series as we've had in a while. Just from a marketing standpoint where you could put Judge on the left side of the screen and Otani on the right side of the screen.

And oh, yeah, by the way, you also get. Underneath that, like Juan Soto, who right, Juan Soto is one of World Series. Juan Soto had his marketing moment at like twenty, twenty one. That was greater than anything Mike Trout has had from marketing moment because he's playing in these games that matter. And then, oh, yeah, Mookie Betts, one of the more likable guys in the sport, even though he's a little bit banged up, he's still going strong with the L.A. Dodgers. And I know Freddie Freeman's also banged up, but he's still heck of a player. There's just so many and Gary Cole, there's just so many stars. And then the brand of the Yankees and the Dodgers would be really neat.

It would. I mean, we still have a ways to go. I definitely don't think the Mets are done yet.

No, they're not. But if we do get to that point, I do think that is what Major League Baseball wants and probably has wanted for many years now is to get that that match up of Yankees and Dodgers. And now plus you add Otani into it to get Otani versus Judge. It's it's got it like you said, it will be one of the most hyped World Series in a long time. Probably since the Red Sox broke the curse, I would say. Yeah, at least off the top of my head.

I just think it would be hard to top what this year would be. And can I just clarify something? Because I don't want people to think I was taking a shot at Travis Hunter.

I wasn't whatsoever. But even when I said it yesterday, like Otani, what he does for baseball is what Travis Hunter does for college football. The idea of them playing both ways, it's what's comparable. Like Travis Hunter is a ridiculously good wide receiver and he's also a tremendous corner. But when Otani is able to pitch, he's like the best pitcher in the sport.

When Otani is at the plate, he's one or two of the best hitters in the sport, like as great as Travis Hunter is. And he's like a god on the football field. I don't think anyone says he's the number one corner in the sport of college football, the number one wide receiver in the sport of college football. Doesn't mean he's not great or he's not good on both sides of the ball. He could be the number one pick in the NFL draft. But I just didn't want people when I compared him to Otani yesterday to take it literally, because then it's like a little disrespectful to Otani when he had 310 this year with 54 home runs and 130 RBIs, you know, and wasn't even able to pitch. Like Travis Hunter right now, he's having a phenomenal season from an offensive standpoint, 49 receptions, 587 yards and six touchdowns. But even those numbers and it shows you how godlike Otani has been for his sport would pale into comparison.

What Otani has done as a hitter compared to Hunter as a wide receiver, even though what he's doing right now is absolutely ridiculous. All right. This is Zach Gelb's show on the good old Infinity Sports Network. We will take a break when we come on back. You always love a good what if in sport.

This to me, though. When we come on back could be actually my greatest what if question ever, because there's so many dominoes that would fall if this person would not have joined one team and go on to have a legendary career with that team. We will get to that on the other side. But first, we will take a five minute time out right here on the Zach Gelb show after this message.

It is a Zach Gelb show, Infinity Sports Network. So tonight we do kick off another week of the National Football League. It is week seven already.

Can you believe that, Stu? You know, I can't believe it's already week seven, but it's already week seven. And then after week seven comes week eight and then after week eight comes week nine.

And it's starting to get a little colder here and all the leaves already on the ground. And I sit here and I see postseason baseball and, you know, postseason baseball for me is number one. But now we do have the NFL in the league where they play for pay, kicking off week seven. Week seven already of the NFL season, Stu.

How do you like them apples? It is crazy. It just felt like it was week one or two a few weeks ago, like a week or two ago, and now it's seven.

It's funny, but it's very true. So is there any excitement for you on this Thursday night game, like on the Al Michaels excitement radar? Where it's going to be zero, no energy for Al and then ten, all the energy in the world, like, do you believe in miracles?

Yes. Denver and the Saints tonight. It's like a two and a half, maybe out of ten. Yeah, it's pretty low because I think the biggest storyline in this one is Sean Payton going back to New Orleans. But it's not like he's playing in the game. So what?

He gets a standing ovation. You get a few mentions of how he wants Bo Nix to be Drew Brees. And then the Saints, OK, a little intrigue because there's no Derek Carr. So you got Spencer Rattler and he was at least exciting to watch for a little bit last week playing in front of, you know, with Derek Carr being hurt. But both of these teams.

Yeah, I know the records are three and three and two and four and right. You feel like they're both still in it if you're a fan of one of those teams. But from a national discourse, I don't think we have any great expectations on the Denver Broncos this year of the New Orleans Saints. Like if we get the postseason coming up in January still and the Saints are in the postseason and the Broncos are in the postseason, this NFL season then was just drunk. Like neither of those teams should be in the postseason.

You would agree, right? I think there's a better chance of these teams drafting like in the top six or seven than being postseason teams. Six or seven? I was going to say top five, but I think that's a little rich, especially since the Bronx already have three wins. I thought they were going to be one of the worst teams, but they're at least a tiny bit better than that. Like, I think both of these teams, if everything goes right the rest of the year, they're like an eight win football team. Yeah.

Right. You know, maybe nine. And could you flirt with the postseason if you're nine and eight?

Like, I guess, but I wouldn't feel good about it. Like you look at the the Saints and the NFC South, there's two teams that are clearly better than them. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are clearly better than them and the Atlanta Falcons are clearly better than them. And for the Denver Broncos, all right, you could feel better about yourself because you're not fourth in the division. Like you're better than the Raiders. But with that being said, you're not the Chiefs, duh. And I don't think you're better than the Chargers and the Chargers aren't even full go yet. So it's like both these teams are what the third best team in their division. This is not the NFC North that could send three teams to the postseason. So if you're trying to talk yourself up into a playoff push, you know, God bless. I'm just not going to do that with the Broncos and the Saints.

But there is an interesting storyline here. Tonight, Sean Payton's coming home. And Drew Brees is coming home as well. So Drew Brees is going to be honored at halftime, I guess, as he's getting inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.

Now, Stu, I don't know about you. I feel like when there is a player getting inducted into a team's hall of fame, that usually doesn't resonate on the broadcast. Like they don't usually show the entirety of the ceremony. They'll show you a little excerpt, maybe some photos. You know, it's an Amazon Prime broadcast.

So who knows how they're going to approach it. But that's usually made for people in the stadium, in the stands. So I don't know how that message is going to portray to the national audience and the majority of us that are going to be sitting on the couch watching the game. But with that being said, Drew Brees, to me, is one of the greatest what ifs in NFL history and in sport history. Think about how many dominoes fall here, because there was that belief that Drew Brees was going to go to the Miami Dolphins and the team doctors wouldn't pass him for the physical. And that's why he elected up to be and wound up with the Saints and Sean Payton. Think about what happens, though, if let's say the medical staff clear Drew Brees. Drew Brees is a Miami dolphin.

Now, that could go one or two ways. If it goes the way of, hey, Drew Brees doesn't reach the success that he had in New Orleans, Drew Brees isn't regarded as one of the great quarterbacks of all time, right? Top 15 quarterback of all time, Hall of Fame quarterback as well, because he made the Pro Bowl while he's at the Chargers. But when he left the Chargers, that's when he took that step into the annals of NFL history, right? So if it goes the way of, oh, Drew Brees individually doesn't be the player that we know of him today, that changes a lot of NFL history.

But let's entertain, and this is where I think the fun part is. Let's say Drew Brees goes on to replicate what he did in New Orleans and Miami. Think about what that would have meant for the sport. Number one, it would have been legitimate competition for the greatest dynasty that the sport has ever seen in the New England Patriots, cuz the Bills, the Dolphins, and the Jets never consistently ever had their damn acts together for 20 years when Belichick and Brady ran that thing. So I'm not saying that the Dolphins would have always won the division, but it would have been a legitimate threat and probably could have taken away a championship, maybe two championships from the Brady Belichick reign in New England.

That's number one. Number two, who would have been coaching Drew Brees in Miami? Nick Saban. So if Nick Saban was having success after already winning a college championship with LSU on the NFL level with a Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees, Nick Saban isn't running to take the Alabama job. So Alabama may have never been restored. Nick Saban may have never been the head football coach at Alabama.

And then also, there's the other obvious side of this. If Drew Brees lands with the Dolphins, Nick Saban has his quarterback. Not only is that a pain in the ass for Brady and Belichick, and maybe Alabama is not the way that we're talking about Alabama today, but look at the great story of the Saints. Post Hurricane Katrina, what that city needed and what that team did for that city, getting a Lombardi trophy, preventing Peyton Manning from winning his second Super Bowl championship. And not only that, the combination of Drew Brees and Sean Payton, even though it only led to one championship, it was so special.

And it also allowed Sean Payton to be viewed as one of the more respectable, great coaches in the league. So that decision by the team doctors in Miami to flunk Drew Brees on his physical had so many dominoes that could have fallen differently and could have impacted not only history in the NFL, but college football. If, if, if, if, if, if, if, if the Miami Dolphins ended up getting their quarterback in Drew Brees, and the Dolphins, they really haven't had a quarterback since Dan Marino. Cuz even though Tua is the highly paid Tua Tonga Vailoa, we don't know when we're gonna see Tua play football again.

And he hasn't consistently been able to stay on a football field. So I take a look at that what if, the what if Drew Brees signed with the Dolphins and got approved with the physical with the Dolphins, then the Saints, as one of the greatest what ifs in sports history. From the Saban part with Alabama, and then also the Miami Dolphins, how it could have maybe prevented Brady and Belichick from winning as many Super Bowls as they did inside the AFC East.

Bama never returning to the dominance, right, like they did under Nick Saban. And then also what it would have meant to the city of New Orleans and what they would not have been able to get. And also it would have significantly impacted the career and how we view one of the view, one Sean Payton.

So that's just a wild, wild, wild what if. And we'd like to bring that up on the day where Drew Brees is getting inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame, how it could have gone a lot differently for the NFL and college football if Drew Brees would have gone to the Miami Dolphins instead of the who dat, who dat, who dat say they're gonna beat them Saints. Alrighty, it is Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. Let's take a time out. When we come on back, we will chat some postseason baseball with the man that won not one, but two World Series championships. The commissioners trophy, that piece of metal, as the commissioner Rob Manfred does refer to it as former Major League Baseball outfielder, Astros, Phillies, Mets, Giants.

I think a few other stops. Hunter Pence is going to join us on the other side. Update time first though, here is Zach Rich Ackerman.

Alrighty, this is Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. I was at Citi Field last night. Not a lot of fun since I'm a Mets fan.

I'm going back tonight. Hopefully it will be some more fun and we'll actually get a series between the Mets and the Dodgers as the Dodgers trying to go up 3-1. The Mets trying to even that series at two apiece and the Yankees coming up at the top of the hour. Look to take commanding 3-0 series lead up against the Cleveland Guardians. Hunter Pence is part of the investor group with Perfect Game, the world's largest amateur baseball platform and works as a broadcaster for some of their events throughout the year.

Learn more at www.perfectgame.org and we'll talk about their big event coming up in Jupiter, Florida in just a bit. But let's welcome in the four-time All-Star, the two-time World Series champion, and that is Hunter Pence. Kind enough to join us once again on the Zach Gelb show. Hunter, appreciate the time. How you been? I've been good, man. Things are good. I'm enjoying this postseason. It's been spectacular and yeah, thanks for having me on the show, Zach.

Yeah, I appreciate you coming on. So this time of the year, I'm sure it brings back some memories. You were on two of those Giants teams that were able to find a way to get the job done in their dynastic run. Just what are the memories for you individually and even as a team that do come back to mind? I mean, those two runs were, you know, it's a dream come true, lifelong dream. Your whole, you know, your life's work up to that point and, you know, I also have some very tough memories of losing in the playoffs as well. I've been on both sides of it, but those two runs, I mean, it was, those groups, it's just, it's hard to really explain in words the commitment, the dedication, the willpower, the fight, because no matter all these teams, there's all, it's always riddled in doubt. Critics always doubt and it's just like you have to overcome so much of that and to believe, especially like some of those runs we had against elimination and some of the runs, you know, just where we were a massive underdog, it was really fun to just kind of be that Cinderella story and man, what a dream it was. And from a pitching standpoint now, there's so many like unknowns because the managers get so strict and they're so quick to go to the pens. For you guys, you had Madison Bumgarner and whenever he was on the mound in a big game, it wasn't like, oh, are you going to win? You guys knew you were going to win.

Yeah. I mean, he carried, he did historic things, but I think also our bullpens throughout those two World Series runs and, you know, they talk about the core four and there was a couple other unsung heroes, but the thing is, is that they didn't really throw extraordinarily hard, but they were extremely good pitchers with great movement. You think of like a Sergio Romo, even Jeremy Apfelt could run up to 97, but when he threw his curve ball for a strike, he had heavy, crazy sink, you know, Kasia and Javi Lopez creating different angles. It was a different time where you could, you know, mix and match and switch pitchers through, you know, depending on each hitter. But with Javi Lopez, like no matter how good the left-handed hitter was, it's like Prince Fielder on the Tigers in 2012. We had to face Joey Votto that year in his like prime. It didn't matter who the left-handed hitter was like Javi comes in and like gets you out of any jam. So the combo of like great starting pitching because in 2012, you know, Bumgarner tell the World Series didn't do that much. It was Kane who won all the deciding games, you know, vocal song was undefeated as a starting pitcher in the post season.

And so it was kind of a collaboration of all of them. And then in 2014 in the World Series, bum just like took over and did, did things that I don't think will ever be done again. Hunter Pence here with us.

And also we know that you've had a few legendary speeches along the way. I need you to kind of put yourself in the Mets locker room tonight. If you were a player for the Mets and I know you're a former Philly, what would you be saying to the boys tonight to try to get them fired up to go out there and tie up this series at two games apiece?

You know, each situation is different. I think that this game is very pivotal, right? Like if you look at the Mets, they're, they're very dynamic and multidimensional.

It's an extraordinary team, a deep lineup. But for me, you know, Maniah and Quintana are kind of their two most clutch pitchers. And like, this is the deciding game. Like if Quintana comes out and rises to the occasion, we have, you know, another bloodbath because they're going to have to see Maniah again.

Maybe they can wiggle another WN, but you feel so good about the way Maniah is cruising right now. If Quintana can continue his big game success and he's been known to do it and, and, you know, he's a master of the craft. So tonight is going to be the game. It's going to be really, really pivotal for me.

You know, I live doors, one of the greatest leaders we've seen in one of the greatest athletes, I think his, his war and his performance on the field speaks for itself, but the intangibles of off the field, the way people speak about him, you know, and even his quotes after the game, he's like, you know what, we got to execute with runners in scoring position and tip your cap. And we got to come back out tomorrow, but all up and down this lineup, it's going to take every one of them. And that's, you know, the, the one thing that I learned in the teams that, that we had that wanted is each night was a different hero.

It's not one person putting everything on their back. You have to kind of pass the torch and like, you're going to have times where you fail and someone else steps up, but everyone kind of coming together. So for me, it would be, let's just lock in. Like we can't, you can't control baseball, but we can control like, let's carry ourselves.

I love JD Martinez. Hey, if we suck, let's suck together. Let's suck with the best body language. Let's suck like, and have the most fun. Cause like, we're going to come out here prepared.

We trust who we are. We are enough and just be yourself and let's go, go compete. I know that the pressure Hunter Pence is on the Mets tonight, but the Mets for the majority of the season up until this point, didn't have world series expectation. The Dodgers have been championship or bust the entire year. You you've been on both sides of it, being a part of a team that's expected to win and not win. When you have a team like the Mets that just seem whatever they get knocked down, they pop back up.

How much can that play with the team? Like the Dodgers mentally, cause you saw it in game one, they were dominant. And then in game two, the Mets took a big swing early on that ended up winning in that game.

Yeah, they're going to have to do it. And the Mets have continued to do that. They were kind of who I was wanting to pick to go to the world series until, you know, they kind of faded the last week. I was really high on following them the whole season.

And then all of a sudden they kind of faded and then they like, they rallied up when they needed to. But the way that they won that brewer series, cause that brewers team to me was a very, very good team. So I wouldn't put anything past this Mets team.

They do, they have kind of that never say die attitude. But when you look at it, this is why this is such a beautiful series for me, Zach, because the Dodgers have been expected world series or bus, and they've taken some daggers for a couple of years. I think one of the hardest things to do is to be the team expected to win it and do it because it's a little bit easier to be like, Oh, we're not expected to be here. Cause like you have to be free and these big moments and there's so much pressure and so much emotion that it's really tough to be free. If you're expected to win and you run off with the division, you don't have any serious games, but this Dodgers team has taken so many of those elves over the last five to 10 years where they're expected to win the world series that it's a, we're just watching a dynamic duo of that, that team that's the never say die versus a team that's had too many daggers in the back.

If that makes sense. When you look at the Yankees, I don't think they've had to sweat at all yet in the postseason. I don't even think they've played their best brand of baseball yet in the postseason, but once the Astros quickly got eliminated by the tigers in that wild card route, I just felt like it would be inevitable that the Yankees were going to get to the world series this year. I know it's only two games, but it feels like to me that series is already over.

Is there any hope here when you look at it from the guardian side and what they could potentially do? Yeah. I mean, Boyd is pitched really well. I think I'm with you though, Zach, like the Yankees, the kryptonite was the Astros when you saw them lose, you know, the Yankees kind of have always historically just had this edge over the guardians over Cleveland for whatever reason in baseball. But baseball is crazy. It can, it can be moment. Momentum can swing at any moment. But I'm with you. It feels like the Yankees are destined to be in the world series and it feels like it's a battle of three at this point.

And I don't want to disrespect the guardians and what they did. But that's just what it feels like at the moment. They're going to have to show you something. They have Jose Ramirez, but the lineup doesn't seem quite as deep. It does seem like the Yankees handle their bullpen pretty well as well. There's not like a great, like, of course we can come to these two or three guys and shut down the Yankees. That lineup is hot. You know, Jean Carlos post season, he just rises to the occasion.

We know who Juan Soto is. And now it looks like judge has finally gotten some time to get into his rhythm here in the post season. And if he wakes up it's going to be a very, very fun world series to see Yankees versus Mets or Dodgers, New York's going to be blowing up no matter what.

Yeah. Well, we know this Hunter Pence, I think major league baseball, right? The commissioner's office is rooting to get Otani up against judge.

How would you put that into words? What it would mean for the sport to get the two biggest stars of the game in the fall classic coming up next week? Yeah, I mean, it would be a huge, I think that, I think that in general, just this post season is super good for baseball because the people who went out and bought crazy talented players, like we're looking at the top seven war, but players are in the post season right now. So literally the best players are getting you there and the teams that are paying the money that are opening their wallets and bringing in the talent and putting together these massively, you know, really good players, the elite players, the veteran players, they're winning. So I think that that's huge for baseball. I think that obviously Otani and the, and the contract that he signed in them and how, how spectacular is for baseball versus Aaron judge.

These two have been battling it out for MVPs for a couple of years. It's just a beautiful story, but even if it is a subway series, it's tough to beat the story of the mess this year. I think it's, I think it's a win-win obviously the guardians isn't as big of a market. And, and, you know, we'll see, but it's definitely a long shot for the guardians.

There's never no chance because baseball is crazy and momentum can flip, but it's looking like Yankees, Yankees versus one of the other two big powerhouses. And I think it's great for baseball. Zach, how about your old teammate Buster Posey now taking over the show and running the giants?

I think for all of us giants fans and the, and the giants faithful, it's going to be really fun to follow. You know, I saw a quote from Alex Pavlovich, you know, Buster just doesn't know how to fail. He just has a magic touch. He is extremely intelligent. He's extremely prepared. He's going to surround himself with the right people for the things that aren't his strengths.

And he's going to make the decisions based on what are his strengths. And there's no one that, you know, he's lived it. He's been inside of it. The best way, you know, to run something is to have had the experience.

You want to listen to the people who've been to battle. If you're going to go and have a battle and Buster's been in it for a long time, he's seen success. He's seen tough times.

He doesn't have to do this. He's doing it because he wants to do it. So it's intrinsic motivation within him to seed this organization succeed the giants organization that is so for me, you know, and just knowing who he is and I've gotten to play beside him and to watch how he does and handles business with everything and how he just has a magic touch. And, and it's hard to explain how well all of his decisions are, how thoughtful his, his, like how he sees everything. And when he describes it and as he, and how many like ways he was leading, it was like five heads. It was like, this isn't, how does he just do, how is he juggling all this? How does he do that? How does he getting himself prepared, getting all the pitchers prepared and then also keeping an eye on how things are going to make sure everyone is kind of moving in the right direction.

It's beautiful. And I don't know if he will be successful here, but I think the first one you got to take is trying to go get Juan Soto this off season. Yeah. I mean, I think whoever gets him is going to have a very, very it's going to be a great run. His career is going to be insane.

He's just extraordinarily talented. He's an exceptional person as well, which I think leads to like, you want to bring those guys that have that charming personality, that love the game. This guy goes into the stands and watches games when he's not playing. You know, this kid loves baseball.

He breathes baseball. He's active in the community. He's, he's a, he's just a good kid and he's a crazy exceptional talent.

You're right. I think whoever gets Juan Soto is going to really land a good one. And we've watched it. He's already won a world series at a very young age and he had some really huge at bats and yeah. So it's cool to see him in the Yankees uniform playing in New York and really shining bright here in the post season.

And yeah, so the giants would love to land him. I know that's for sure. All right. Hunter Pence, before we let you run, tell me what you're doing with perfect game and also the big event you guys got coming up in Jupiter, Florida.

Yeah. So we just, I've been running for about four years now, three or four years. You know, the basically PGTV, which is a radio show week, a weekly radio show that, I don't know if you'd call it a radio show or a podcast, but we interviewed some of the greatest college coaches and college players in the nation. It's been extremely uplifting for me to learn from some of the great minds and some of the greatest leaders. And if you ask me in our country, cause these head coaches are leading the young men and really shaping some amazing, you know, baseball players, but also community members.

And there's just so much to learn. And really a lot of times the college level is somewhat ahead of the major league level in some terms of what they've learned. So I've been able to learn a lot about baseball from doing that. Also, you know, just a partner showing up to the perfect game, all American classic every year, which is the best high school players that are going to get drafted. I've gotten to broadcast that for three or four years now.

You know, we got to watch Jackson holiday. So just, you know, just amazing people. I've gotten to interview schemes before he went to LSU and won the college world series and did all of that. So yeah, it's the best players and you get to learn from them and see here, the regimens get to know the players behind it. We got to talk to Dylan Cruz's mom.

That was pretty cool. So yeah, the Jupiter tournament is basically all of the best players, all the best talent coming together. And so the scouts get the opportunity to watch the best players that you get an opportunity to get, get, get into college. College players will be there.

All the, all the baseball scouts will get to see the high school talent. And so it's just a great thing to, to it's run really well. They treat everyone really well.

They pay the right prices to get things done and they, they give the kids an opportunity to go on and chase their dream. And once again, for more information, www.perfectgame.org Hunter, appreciate the time. Thanks so much for doing this again. All right, Zach, enjoy the games tonight. They're going to be good. Yeah, we'll try. If the Mets win, I'll be happy. If not, I'll be miserable. There he is. Hunter Pence, kind enough to join us on the Zach Gelb show on the infinity sports network. We'll do a little contender pretender next as we get week seven of the NFL season kicking off tonight, as you do have the saints welcoming back an old friend and Sean Payton now with the Denver Broncos.