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TBS' Brian Anderson details significance of Guardians' Game 1 win over Rays in ALCS, series outlook
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00:00Now we get the great play-by-play guy, Brian Anderson.
00:02MLB on TBS, and right now he is on the Wise Hard Right.
00:06We make it right.
00:07Call Kyle Wright Hotline.
00:08Hi, Brian.
00:09How are you?
00:09Hello, Brian.
00:10Good.
00:11Great setup.
00:12Good to be with you guys.
00:13I just, I literally cut off Brian Anderson, the other, the cool Brian Anderson is what
00:20I call him.
00:22I cut him off for you.
00:23I said, I got to go.
00:24Your guys are calling.
00:26You were talking to the other BA just now?
00:28I was just now.
00:29Which is a three-way in like we did a couple of years ago.
00:31Yeah, why don't we just do that again?
00:33I told him, you know, he's going through it a little bit.
00:36He's going through it, trying to navigate the series after game one, which is nice.
00:41That's why I talk to him all the time.
00:43We were texting with him all last night during the game, too.
00:46It was funny, because a lot of things that he said to us prior yesterday's show, you
00:50guys were like, it was like you guys were lock-sync, like you have the same name and
00:54the same thought process.
00:56It was amazing.
00:58It was amazing.
00:58I call him, I steal all of his ideas, and then I use them on the air.
01:03I just channel Brian James Anderson.
01:08That's what I do.
01:09Just make sure.
01:10That's why he's one of the best analysts in the game.
01:13He's on top of everything.
01:16I mean, I'd be good with him.
01:17Why can't he?
01:18I mean, you can put four people in that booth, can't you?
01:21No, I'm trying to get rid of the other two now and just do it by myself, so I don't
01:25really
01:25want to add another person.
01:28You don't need Darlin.
01:29You don't need Frank Gordon.
01:30You don't need to do a game alone.
01:31No, we don't.
01:32You could just tell, Darlin, you were talking to the guys in Cleveland who met you in the
01:35bathroom at the last game for the very awkward moment that we had that conversation with
01:39him on the air.
01:40You know, there's a lot of bathroom stories in Major League Baseball.
01:43I met Ben Scully in the urinal for the first time in my life.
01:47It's the first time I ever met him.
01:49Yep, I'm standing there.
01:50He walks up next to me, and he goes, oh, you must be the new boy.
01:56I said, oh, my very first game with the Brewers in 2007, my first big league game.
02:04Yep, that's my Ben Scully story.
02:08He's beautiful.
02:08Well, I'd shake your hand, but I'm a little predisposed.
02:15So crazy.
02:17Oh, now I don't feel so bad for saying hi to Ron in the bathroom the other day.
02:21Your story tops it.
02:22He gets it all the time.
02:23He gets it all the time.
02:24I love it.
02:25There's so many Mets fans that come up to Ron, and I've seen it plenty in the bathroom
02:30where guys are like, really, darling?
02:33They ask him to sign something.
02:35He's like, just give me a minute, would you?
02:37Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:38Would you like me to write that in the snow?
02:41No problem.
02:43Exactly.
02:45Oh, good, man.
02:46You guys got to be feeling good after your big game one win.
02:48Oh, what a game.
02:50That was a total flip of the script.
02:51Is that what you thought going into it?
02:53What did you think going in and then what we saw last night?
02:56That's why I love baseball.
02:58You know, you just never know.
02:59There's no – the storylines just don't quite, you know, work out all the time.
03:04And you guys were totally up against it.
03:07The Guardians were totally up against it.
03:09I'm sure – this is my own opinion, but I'm sure Stephen Boat was looking at game one
03:16as a survival game, and if you got down a couple of runs, you were going to punt that game,
03:21reset your bullpen, and start up anew with a longer seven-game series.
03:26But then, man, you get those two lead-off homers, and everything changed.
03:32And, you know, that's how you turn a series around right there.
03:37I think the Rays, having covered them, having seen you guys, you know, on paper,
03:43the Rays are much better at almost every level, every position.
03:48But that doesn't always matter.
03:51You know, it doesn't.
03:52You guys are playing great as a team, and you're a totally different team.
03:56I mean, then what the Rays saw earlier this year when they took five out of six
04:00from the Guardians.
04:01So that's a testament to – I call it the Chris Antonetti game.
04:05I mean, every button he pushed at the trade deadline delivered last night.
04:09That was for, you know, a head of a baseball operations.
04:13That's about as satisfying as it gets in the history of baseball, I think.
04:19We talked about that very thing earlier in the show, Brian, because from beginning to end,
04:23from starting pitcher until Joe Adele in the ninth inning, that's exactly what happened.
04:27And I thought Steven Vogt managed close to a perfect baseball game.
04:33Every move he made last night worked.
04:36And that was impressive to watch.
04:38Well, you know, we talked to a voter before on Sunday for the workout.
04:43You know, they were running ragged coming in from that dramatic comeback in that game five.
04:47And, you know, I think the one thing he said to me – he said a couple things, actually.
04:52And I know him well, obviously.
04:54We were together in Milwaukee and I've been with him in the playoffs many times.
04:58But I thought he shared a couple things.
05:02Number one, the fact that the Rays had not really faced any adversity yet.
05:06And I think he kind of liked that position.
05:09When you come into a game one and my crew, Jeff Francor and I and Lauren Shahadi,
05:15we did the Rays and Yankees.
05:17And he's right.
05:18Like, they had zero adversity in that series.
05:21They – everything they did worked.
05:23Every button pushed worked.
05:25They never trailed.
05:27They had the Yankees under their thumb for three games.
05:30And it was easy.
05:33So, I think Voter kind of looked at this whole scene and said, you know,
05:37if we can just create a little bit of havoc, if we can just get them scrambling a little,
05:43then things could turn in our favor.
05:45And I give him credit.
05:46You know, he had a good vision of that.
05:48He's been through a lot of playoffs as a player and a manager.
05:51So, he's kind of seen the flow of these things.
05:55So, I thought that was really important and impressive by Stephen Voter that he recognized that.
06:01And then I think when he – when Bailey hit the homer, it wasn't even – I think it was
06:06DeLauder's homer, really,
06:07that kind of, like, set the game a little bit aback because the Rays aren't hitting.
06:12Even though they swept the Yankees, we chronicled this last night,
06:15but Tampa Bay hit 200 in that series.
06:19And I think they were two for 20 with runners in scoring position.
06:22But they just – they pitched beautifully against the Yankees and didn't need much offense.
06:28And so, they came out flying high in their first inning, but they really didn't – they didn't hit.
06:34They looked exactly the way they looked against the Yankees in the last eight innings.
06:39And so, I think, you know, there was a window there.
06:42If you could just survive that first inning, which they did,
06:46and get Foster Griffin through that first inning, that you could fight your way back.
06:50And they did it.
06:51And kudos to the Guardians.
06:53So, in typical Cleveland thought, you know, I'm sitting there thinking,
06:57okay, Junior Caminero's going to come back and help the Rays beat the guards after they came back.
07:03But that collision last night, man, it looked – I mean, it looked –
07:07That was scary.
07:07I thought he popped his shoulder at first.
07:10What was it like to see it live?
07:11And then, you know, what are your – he's got to be sore today.
07:15Yeah, I'm sure he is.
07:16You know, we – two things.
07:20I think the body control of DeLuca to avoid a serious, gruesome injury with that bench,
07:29that bullpen bench, that was shocking and amazing.
07:33And I'm really thankful that that didn't turn out to be – there's some, you know,
07:37some sharp edges on that bench over there.
07:39And his ability to, like, just hold up.
07:42I think he's going to be really sore just because of the body breaks he had to put on to
07:48stop that fall.
07:49So, I think he's going to feel a little bit – I don't know if you guys play football
07:53or if you've ever played football, you know.
07:56It's a lot of those recoil and a lot of those – the stopping mechanisms that are the most sore
08:01the next day.
08:02So, I think Caminero just made it – he either had the wind knocked out of him
08:05or he just got one of those stingers, you know, on the shoulder
08:08because he had that look in his face, that scared look like –
08:13but then the fact that he bounced back to his spine and then after the game,
08:17he totally cleared and checked the boxes from the trainers that there's no damage
08:23and there's nothing to even be concerned about.
08:26So, I think both of them came out of it okay.
08:28But I would – we'll find out today.
08:30But my guess is that DeLuca is going to be the one who is experiencing the most soreness there
08:36just because of the way he had to tighten everything down
08:39just to stop his body from crashing into that bench over there.
08:44Brian Anderson joining us from MLB on TBS.
08:47You'll hear him calling Game 2 tonight on TBS.
08:508 o'clock start, Guardians against the Tampa Bay Rays.
08:53We were talking earlier, Brian, because of the similarities between these teams,
08:59you know, from the way they do their business to the way they play and everything else,
09:03I would think that there's less of an intimidation factor
09:07that even though the Rays were great during the regular season,
09:11I don't think our team is very intimidated by that
09:14because they know how to play this style of game.
09:16Does that do anything for you?
09:18Yeah, I feel like we've lost a little bit of that intimidation factor,
09:23which I'm happy about.
09:25You know, I work in a small market with a brewer, so I don't sense that anymore.
09:30I think players come up now with an incredible sense of swagger
09:37and a very small sense of history.
09:40And I don't mean that disparagingly.
09:42I just, I mean, you know, I've talked to guys all the time
09:45and they don't remember games at Yankee Stadium that are these iconic moments.
09:53They don't, Fenway doesn't bother them.
09:55It's just not part of their DNA.
09:59You know, they're on social media.
10:00They're just flooded with images of themselves or their own team
10:07or their own whatever they're, you know, whatever they're into.
10:09And, you know, it used to be kind of in our generation, I'm guessing,
10:13where I'm 55, I don't know how old you guys are,
10:16but, like, the iconic images were Dodger Stadium and Yankee Stadium
10:21and big market teams.
10:22And while there is a payroll discrepancy, I don't think players feel that anymore.
10:28So, like, I would almost guarantee if you went to Chase DeLauter and said,
10:34hey, you know, how about even five years ago, you know,
10:39the big market Yankees or the Dodgers or Dodger Stadium,
10:43I don't think those guys feel an ounce of intimidation about anybody, honestly,
10:49because everybody's still in 100.
10:52There's great talent everywhere.
10:54Everybody believes they can be an alpha dog these days especially.
11:00You don't get the clubhouse hazing that you used to.
11:05You know, back in the day, guys used to wear out the rookies.
11:08You know, it was always, you're taking my job.
11:10And, I mean, famously, Dan Plisak was absolutely abused by Raleigh Fingers.
11:16You know, that just doesn't happen anymore.
11:18I mean, guys come up and everybody's needed, you know.
11:22So, it's interesting.
11:24That is a new dynamic, and I've kind of been observing this the last few years
11:28that the Traject machine really helps.
11:32This machine where, you know, these rookies are coming up
11:35and they're facing Paul Skeens and Jacob Mizorowski
11:38and Gavin Williams on this Traject machine.
11:41But they've seen his exact pitches.
11:43So, there's not that wave.
11:46And they have the VR stuff, you know.
11:48Like Connor Griffin of the Pirates said he's been taking BP on a VR at PNC Park
11:54since he got drafted.
11:56So, like, the triple deck doesn't even bother these guys.
11:59It's a really interesting sociological experiment that's going on in baseball.
12:04You know, there's another point, too, just the way you were saying that.
12:06I was thinking about the guys that, you know, crossed the picket lines
12:10to become Major League Baseball players back in the day.
12:13And our last lockout.
12:15I mean, those guys that weren't part of the MLBPA
12:18that didn't get to reap the benefits of T-shirt and stuff like that
12:21when they played, those guys had a hard road in the bigs
12:25because there were guys that were just brutal to them
12:27in their own clubhouse.
12:28Yeah.
12:29And you just brought that up.
12:30Yeah, my brother lived that.
12:31Yeah.
12:31He didn't cross, you know.
12:32He didn't become a scab.
12:33But my college roommate did.
12:35And, you know, he was literally out of the game.
12:39Like, he was blackballed.
12:40He wasn't quite good enough.
12:42But I remember Damian Miller.
12:44Remember him, the catcher?
12:45He had 10 years in the big leagues.
12:46But, you know, he was never part of all the licensing money after that.
12:51So, you're right.
12:51I mean, that was a major topic.
12:54And I do think just, you know, kind of to spin this forward a little bit,
12:57this dynamic, the middle class and the young players
13:02are going to have a much bigger voice in this labor negotiation
13:06than they've ever had.
13:07And I think that's actually what the owners want
13:11because the top shelf players, the top 5%,
13:14are usually the ones that are fighting for the top shelf money.
13:21And really, most of the players aren't making that.
13:25They're never even going to get to free agency.
13:27You know, like, what is the shelf life of a major league player?
13:30Three years, three and a half years, something like that.
13:32So, you know, that's a big story, I think, going on under the hood a little bit
13:37with baseball.
13:38And it all kind of applies to what you're talking about
13:40with how they play the game, how they think about the game.
13:43And a lot of young players come up now and they say,
13:45why is this guy making all this money when I'm just as good?
13:49They're not intimidated by these guys anymore.
13:52That's interesting.
13:52So, tonight, obviously, the big storyline is going to be Plant City Parker, right?
13:57Yeah.
13:57Being so close to home.
13:58And you'll probably be eating strawberries in the booth tonight for that, right?
14:02Got to.
14:03Yeah.
14:04My brother was in Plant City.
14:06That was a long-time spring training home of the Reds.
14:09And, you know, when the Rays came, I remember in 98,
14:12that whole community, this is like brave country here, you know,
14:16Orlando across to Tampa, which includes Plant City.
14:21Many remember boardwalking baseball, the Royals facility.
14:24And so, that really turned, you know, when Parker Messick's kind of whole childhood
14:31would have been that whole window, you know, from 1998 when the Rays came in
14:35as an expansion team.
14:36And there's a whole generation of players now.
14:39Messick's 25 years old, born in, what, 2000, 2001.
14:44So, he only knows the Rays.
14:47And, you know, this guy grew up a Rays fan and his whole family's coming tonight.
14:51And, you know, he's got a lot of friends.
14:53I hear he's really scrambling for tickets, trying to accommodate.
14:57So, this will be a fascinating watch tonight.
15:01He's been great.
15:02His innings are very concerning.
15:05And he's up at a limit in high-stress pitches he's never been.
15:09They're obviously monitoring him.
15:11He pitches two and a third in game four.
15:13Like, I can see them.
15:14It's going to be a quick pull of the plug if they sense anything.
15:19And these days, all of their decision-making process is not just the eye test anymore.
15:25It's literally, like, the facts of his pitches and the profiles of his pitches.
15:30And they can tell if arm angle drops and all these different things.
15:34So, I don't think he's going to be around long.
15:37I mean, the game he pitched earlier this year against the Rays,
15:41that 1-0 game that the Rays won against Rasmussen,
15:46I don't think that guy is available right now.
15:49So, he probably should temper expectations.
15:51I think if you can get him two times through the order, that would be good.
15:56But I know the Guardians are very concerned and monitoring his pitch count
16:02and stress pitches throughout it.
16:04So, I don't – and I'd still say about Freddy Peralta as well.
16:07I think both of these starters, it would not surprise me
16:11if they're both out of the game by the fifth inning.
16:13Brian Anderson joining us tonight on TBS Game 2.
16:17You'll hear Brian along with Ron Darling and Jeff Francoeur calling that game.
16:22The Joe Adele factor, I think, has been huge, Brian.
16:26What have you thought about Joe and how he's fit here in Cleveland?
16:29Yeah, I mean, he's – that's a huge piece.
16:31There were a lot of teams that were after Adele.
16:34Adele, he was a pretty hot trade acquisition.
16:38You know, he had never competed in a postseason,
16:40but he's got all that Mike Trout kind of favor on him.
16:44He was a – he's a great clubhouse guy.
16:47He's – Steven Vogt calls him the – you know,
16:50he and Lowe have come and turned into the adults in the room.
16:54I like that.
16:55I think that's true.
16:56And, you know, they've got real dudes now.
16:58So, they're a totally different team.
16:59I mean, Adele is just – he's always been a player favorite no matter what.
17:06He's been a really good player that's been, you know, deep in the forest
17:10and hardly anybody has seen him.
17:12The Angels never make the postseason.
17:15And then whatever notoriety they have, it's Trout.
17:20And at one time it was Trout and Natani.
17:22So, he brings a lot of that to the table, man.
17:24I was really happy to see him.
17:26I don't know him well.
17:27I mean, I've talked to him a few times just as a broadcaster getting information.
17:31But always cordial, always great.
17:34Just, you know, he's a mountain of a man.
17:36He's a specimen.
17:38He's actually a really good right fielder.
17:40He's not playing much right field.
17:42I think he will at some point in the series.
17:45But, you know, DeLauter has just kind of locked that down.
17:50So, he's a great ad, man.
17:52That was – when that went down, I think everybody around baseball,
17:54like that was the little tip of the cap to Antonetti for landing Joe Adele
18:00because everybody kind of believed he'd be a guy that would shine
18:04and would thrive in the postseason than he had.
18:08All right, Brian, have a great game tonight.
18:10We look forward to seeing you here in Cleveland
18:12where you've had some pretty big calls over the years,
18:14especially between NCAA basketball and all kinds of stuff.
18:17Yeah, man, we love Cleveland.
18:19Hopefully you have a good trip while you're here.
18:21Tell the other B.A. we said hi and tell Ron Darling
18:24you have a more awkward bathroom story than I do.
18:28I appreciate it.
18:29Take care.
18:30We'll talk to you soon.
18:31Thank you, Brian.
18:31Brian Anderson from MLB on TBS.
18:33He's also the voice of the Brewers throughout the season.