Joining us right now, you talk about a postseason warrior.

This guy's the definition of it, and you hear him on the TV now calling these games on ESPN. The great David Cohn. David, thank you very much for coming on. My pleasure, fellas. How are we doing? What do you think is going through Schlitler and Early's minds? Rookies making their postseason debuts in a game of this magnitude? I like how you pronounce that L in that name. I'm working on that all day.

We're just wondering who's going to get this. postseason debuts in a game of this magnitude. I like how you pronounce that L in that name.

I'm working on that all day, too. We're just wondering who's going to get this wrong today. Yeah, we've all been there, definitely, yeah. You know, it's what you dream about, right? Two rookie pitchers, you know, it's in the backyard, you know, playing wiffle ball or whatever. You think about, wow, Yankee Stadium. I'm a game deciding sort of a series situation.

So yeah, these guys are going to be featured. playing wiffle ball or whatever you think about wow yankee stadium i'm a game deciding uh sort of a

series uh situation so yeah these guys are going to be feeling it the worst times right now waiting

waiting in that clubhouse to go out there and play tiki knows this too when the game starts and

you know that's almost easy takes over right so that's almost the easier part but early that first

inning's going to be big for early here at yankee stadium you You think Cam is going to feel it at all because, I mean, look, he's pitched 73 or so innings. He's been in this environment. It feels comfortable to him, but it's the postseason. It's a different feeling than he's ever been in before. Yeah, that's a great point. I mean, of the two, you would think he's at home. He's got a little more experience on the big league level.

So, you know, you'd think maybe a slight advantage to him as well on that. And early, I mean, Yankee Stadium's never been on that mountain. That's right. He's never been in the situation at all. It was funny. I was looking at early. he's made four major league starts, two of them on the road,

and his two road starts are in Sacramento

and George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

So he's never actually even made a road start in a real baseball major league stadium. Yes, that all factor said. You know, it's sort of, that can work both ways. Sometimes, you know, what they say about the young and dumb ones, right? They don't know any better, so they just go out there and play.

And so, you know, sometimes the more you know, the worse off you are in these situations.

But only time will tell, you know, the Yankees are big in the first inning. They hit a lot of home runs in the first inning this year. Aaron Judge is batting second. Well, that's a big, big first look he's going to have and to check the nerves in that first inning.

You talk about early first inning home runs.

Ben Rice hit one yesterday jumping on the first pitch that he saw and took a yard. But he's, I mean, I don't want to say he's a defensive liability. He's obviously a defensive downgrade from Paul Goldschmidt over in first place. We're over here watching him take infield. This means absolutely nothing, but he doesn't dig it as cleanly as Paul does. Yes, no. Do you worry about the defensive lineup that the Yankees have right now? Obviously with Ahmad Rosario also at third base. Sure, to your point, they will be replaced. Goldschmidt, if the Yankees have a lead, he'll play first base later in the game, and then obviously McMahon will play third base. So right to your point, they're going for the offense. You know, it is sort of a, you know, it's a catch-22 for Aaron Boone. You know, I need the bats. Ben Rice has forced his way into the lineup, so you have to play him. And Goldschmidt's such a professional. You know, he's such a team guy. One of the best guys you ever see in a clubhouse.

He's like, yes, I'm ready whatever you need no problem skip I get it Ben Rice needs to hit tonight so you know the Yankees have a good situation you're right Goldschmidt will be playing first late in the game with the Yankees have a lead we were thinking if we were going to get this in the Tiger Guardian game and that is do you go to your race on one day's rest out of the

bullpen to try to get big outs because it's an elimination game? And we've seen it before with guys. How does this process work? Is it Max Fried having to go to Boone and say, I'm ready, Skip? Is it Boone asking him, like, and same with Corrin Crochet, obviously. How does that work? I think it's incumbent upon the pitcher to push it, to let his manager know that he really does feel good. He really does want it. I was in the first wild card series in 1995. We saw Randy Johnson come out in game five on one day rest.

Yeah, we talked about that.

And he was a free agent, too, at the end of that year. And we're like, wow, this guy's really laying it all out on the line right there. So, yeah, it's remarkable when you see that starting pitcher come out of the bullpen. And you're like, oh, my, that's Garrett Crochet. Right. Is he coming in the game tonight? Yeah, something to watch. I mean, we just talked to Alex Corey.

He kind of threw water, cold water on that idea.

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