OverDrive - Dempster on the Blue Jays' World Series outlook, Scherzer on the mound and the perspective of the games

Episode Date: October 27, 2025

MLB Network Analyst and Intentional Talk Host Ryan Dempster joined OverDrive to discuss the Blue Jays and Dodgers' matchup, the Blue Jays' journey leading to their first win, Max Scherzer on the mound and the projection for the game, Bo Bichette's role on the field, the team carrying the momentum and more.

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Alpine credits, where homeowners get approved. Just for license 12-616. Right, good Canadian boys down there for the MLB network and host of intentional talk. Joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline, live from Dodgers Stadium. Here's Ryan Dempster. How are you doing, Ryan? I'm doing great, guys. I got down here on a nice smooth transition from Toronto last night.

It spent a little time at the beach yesterday and now I got out here really to Dodger Stadium to super pumped for game three. Ryan, what's the vibe in the States with the Js in the World Series every year, obviously, for 32 or 33, we've been up here saying it's the Braves, the Dodgers, whatever. What's the vibe down there with the Jays being in the fall classic? Yeah, I think there's this, you know, this superpower in the MLB with the Dodgers, right? And everybody down here respects it, but also, like, you tend to root for the underdog. And I think a lot of people down here are rooting for Toronto.

People in L.A. all think the series is going to be over in, you know, in three more games. But I think we're going back up to Toronto for sure. and I'm going to be playing some more games up there. This is just two good baseball teams. I think there's a lot of respect to the Blue Jays. Talk to these players, talk to the guys on the other side of the field. They have a lot of respect for this team, rightfully so. They deserve every bit to be playing in this World Series.

If you were an American baseball fan and you hadn't watched the Jays all season long, what's the biggest thing you've learned about them so far? Complete team. It does everything. I think the biggest thing is you learn the true impact of not striken out. You know, when you can hit good pitching, And listen, they had a daunting pass in game two.

As we saw the series before, Milwaukee, same thing. Struggle to hit Yamamoto. You're running into arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now. But, you know, this is a team that will grind you in at bats. They'll find a way to put the ball on play. And I think that's just, you know, they got good starting pitching, good bullpen, you know, play good defense. All those things. It's just such a well-rounded, well-balanced team, completely confident and looking forward to this challenge.

ahead of them. So you got Max Scherzer on him out tonight for the Jays and he's made one playoff start and it was one that we'll never forget, large part because of his interactions with John Snyder on a mound and then Pete Walker in the dugout. As a pitcher yourself and a guy that I'm sure you know Max very well, what did you make of the Scherzer interactions in game four of the previous series? I loved it. I thought it said an amazing tone for exactly what you need you know sometimes we get so jaded and not trying to show emotions unless it's a home run right like it's okay if a guy throws the baths up in the air and we chest pump and we do all the home run stuff but it feels like sometimes the other way around maybe a guy on the mound or if we're

out in the field it's like hey you do not too much of that you know you don't want to get too high too low but for max to a challenge like that at the right time in front of his whole team his manager was waiting for it all year and then to go out and get the strike out and then get two more out in the next inning. I just think it's sent a message to his team of, A, the passion he has. This guy's been to four World Series now with four different teams. He's about to start his fifth World Series game. Like, that's a resume very few can match. And I think when you see a guy like that wearing his emotions honestly, then backing it up, it boosts you. It gives you a jolt. As a teammate, as a friend, you know, as a guy in that locker room, you've got to be

fired up about that. And it just kind of motivates everybody to be the best they can. Hey, man, This is when you've got to play your tightest games of the year because the margins of error are really small. And for Max to go do that, now he's well-rested and hoping to do that again. And I think early-inning success is the key for him today, but I just love the passion he's always shown. I love that emotion.

And, you know, it's the first ballot Hall of Famer, you know, doing his thing during the playoffs. What do you think is the best-case scenario for Scher tonight? Like, if you're being reasonable, what you can expect out of him tonight, what John Schneider would pencil in for him this evening? that best case scenario you're pitching into the sixth inning you know a really good scenario is if he's if he's four or five for you you know i think you know just if he's good and he's clean you're going to let him go right

so but if he can battle through or navigate any kind of traffic on the base pass if that happens and i and i think you know a lot of that's going to be his stuff i think the days off help i think the rest before his previous start and then he's got a huge long rest since his last start i think because we get older, fathered time. It gets us, so the more rest we get, the better we are. And I expect them to have good stuff tonight. If he can command it, I wouldn't be shocked to see him go into the sixth inning. On that note, what's a reasonable expectation for Boba Chet, now that he's playing?

We obviously know he's not 100%. He's playing second base. You know, what can you expect out of Boba Chet if everything goes well? Yeah, I think just a little, even, you know, he had quality at bats as far as, you know, getting the base hit, drawing the walk, in game one, you know, tough draw to go pinch it in the second game to do that. But I think, you know, timing-wise, maybe a little bit crisper. Like he took a 3-0 hack, but he's a little late on it.

It's hard to just jump back into it when you're facing this pitching staff, right? You're facing guys with number one type stuff and Snell and Yamamoto and now Glass Nal and then Otani. So I think just having that opportunity to get some really electric live stuff, get a little bit of a breather. I imagine he I wouldn't be surprised if you just see him play every game the rest of the series If he's on your roster

He's Boba Shetty Let the American League And hits Let him play He's a glue guy in that clubhouse Let it just eat And for Bo You know you got

Possibly five games left Everything we got And you know Hopefully your need does well And you get the rest And recovery you need to do To go out there And try and come up

With that big big head Have that big moment Ryan We were talking about that Yamamoto That guy is just a machine Like he's just so focused He doesn't get up or down. He just can't wait to get back out there.

He's a scary human being on the mound, isn't it? Yeah, that's why I think you got to, you know, tonight's such a big win because, you know, if you go back to Toronto, he's throwing game six, you know. And so, yeah, game six. So it's like you don't want to get into that situation where you're not chasing that down 3-2. You'd like to be up 3-2 going back home. But it's really, there's a reason, right? a lot of people go, man, this guy got $350 million. How? And then you see

his stuff, and you're like, okay, and then you see the command and the precision at which he operates. It's meticulous work from preparation before games. He's working between innings, his journal. He logs. He's a student of the sport. He just studies pitching so much, and then he's got such

command of his body and his mechanics. And at the end of the day, guys, we all talk about stuff. There's lots of guys who throw hard or they got good spin. People go back and watch that, or even you don't have to watch just go and look at his pitch locations on a heat map. The amount of pitches that he throws to unhittable spots to hitters, like, Mark, you know, I was sitting there saying, like,

those pitches, like the one he struck Lucas out on, and the one, you know, down in the way to Varsha. Like, 97 darted in the bottom right-hand corner of that strikeout with a four-seem fastball with Perry. The only thing you can do with that as a left-hand hitter, I believe, even the greatest is the base hit to the left field at best. And he just command the strike zone so well, top and bottom of it,

That's what happens, right? Legendary performances in the postseason. Sometimes they come on the winning end, and we don't really ever hear about them, and sometimes you win the World Series, and that's all the people talk about. He was filthy. They got to look at him,

but right now their focus is just on the guy today, and that's last now. Picking backing on that impressive performance from Yamamoto, how significant is it that the Jay's didn't get a look at any of the relievers? Like, he goes nine innings, and now you're not gassing your bullpen, Jays aren't getting looks at guys. How significant is that?

it's a little bit yeah I get that and especially because the game one you won it handling so you didn't see the high leverage guys in that situation so you know these are going to be first looks you get on guys that come in that you haven't maybe necessarily seen this year or seen in a while or maybe you didn't see it all during the season so yeah it's it can have an effect you know but also you got remember those relievers aren't pitching you know they haven't pitched much

in the past 10 days so are they a little rusty is there's command issues does the ball leak over the middle of the plate because you're throwing through a sinker. So there's a lot of questions there too. But, yeah, definitely can have a little bit of an advantage to the pitcher when you haven't seen them. But that can change really quickly with, you know, lack of location, un-executed pitch with against a really good lineup, let's chase. With Ryan Dempster, who do you think will have a bigger impact on the rest of the series? Shohei Otani or Vladie Guerrero Jr.?

Oh, that's a good call. I'm going to say Vladdy Jr. I think Gladdy has a big moment tonight I think that this guy has just been so locked in I mean you see his outs they're rockets dude game one you know he lines out to left field on a pitch of the shortstop almost jump for the ball's flying like that then

then he hits a rocket on the ground you know yesterday like his outs are hard he's dialed in on everything you know yeah sure did he strike against Yamamoto cool not the only guy on the team lots of guys hits but like this guy is I think more important to the blue

Jay's offense, then Otani is to the Dodgers offense, even though you're talking about Otani, I think it's vital for the Blue Jays to win that Blatt continues to swing the bat the way he has. Well, we're looking forward to seeing that play out tonight. I can tell you that up here in Toronto, and I expect the same thing in the way Vladie's been so dialed in the whole month. It's going to be a great game three tonight. You'll be all over it.

Enjoy Dodgers Stadium. We always appreciate you finding time for us. Thank you, Ryan. Absolutely, guys. Hopefully we see you back in Toronto in a few days. You got it. There's Ryan Dempster joining us here on the Maple Toyota hotline. Get in and go where adventures take you in a new 2025 Tacoma from Maple Toyota near Canada's Wonderland in the Maple Auto Mall. Visit Maple Toyota.com.

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