OverDrive - Grilli on the Blue Jays' playoff outlook, experiencing the quest and the team's starting rotation

Episode Date: August 20, 2025

Former MLB and Blue Jays Pitcher Jason Grilli joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Blue Jays' playoff quest, experiencing a high energy moments, Toronto's starting rotation strengths, George Springer's incredible season, Eric Lauer's shift to the bullpen and more.

Claudia was leaving for her pickleball tournament. I've been visualizing my match all week. She was so focused on visualizing that she didn't see the column behind her car on her backhand side. Good thing Claudia's with Intact. The insurer with the largest network of auto service centers in the country. Everything was taken care of under one roof and she was on her way in a rental car in no time.

I made it to my tournament and lost in the first round. But you got there on time. Intact Insurance. Your auto service ace. Certain conditions apply. from tariffs to trade deals the markets are changing is your portfolio ready for what comes next for all your questions you need a money guy calvin the money guy will help you develop a financial plan that includes the right levels of diversity the best way to navigate uncertain times with strategic advice from kelvin you can not only protect your investments you can grow them don't wait call four one six 457 plan or visit ask kelvin dot So join us. talk about that in all things, Blue Jays, former Toronto Blue J, 15-year veteran in the major leagues.

It is Jason Grilly. How's it going, Jason? What's going on, fellas? Good to be with you. I'm sorry, I'm in my car right now, so this is the boost on my end. I love it. Where are you on your way to? I just came back from a meeting of a friend of mine for dinner,

great Italian spot here in a town called Zeeland. in Opal so too bad you can't join us for that and talk baseball but I did come from PNC Park last two nights I was kind of disappointed to see we dropped the series to you know a team that we should be overcoming but I will defend this when you come from the adrenaline that is happening in Toronto and you're coming to hear where you're hearing buzzing of the lights it's a little bit different and so the adrenaline when you're

in first place. You know, like, we used to tease people when I was on a losing team before I got traded to Toronto with the Braves. I was actually embarrassed to be wearing a Braves uniform instead of proud as I should have been with all the championships and the legacy there. Johnny Goans and I used to say, yeah, we bring teams to our level, not the other way around because we were so bad. So I don't know, it does, guys, I have to say, you know, no discredit to any disrespect

to any team. but I can tell you this just when you play to the caliber of where you're at, sometimes there's not a lot of adrenaline going on since some of the playoff games that I've been a part of. I've been fortunate enough to be a part of in Pittsburgh. There's not a lot

of excitement going on here, and if you're used to that roar, which I know is happening in Toronto, could be a little bit of the after effect. So I'm glad to Blue Jays to get out of here and get back on track of what they've been doing. Yeah, it'll be nice. And I was at the Jays

game over the weekend that that big comeback went on Friday got to see so the building it was it was loud that night and i was also in the building for a couple of the playoff games one that you were pitching in back in 2016 i mean you could speak to it i guess better than better than either frank your eye but you know a guy's been in that situation just how does that kind of spark someone when the crowd is buzzing like it does down in the dome during uh october baseball to your advantage whether on whatever side if people are booing you, cheering against you

and flip it around like okay you want to piss me off and turn incredible Hulk and flip it around and go I'm here to do my job and quiet the crowd you have to have a lot of confidence and you know being comfortable being uncomfortable being uncomfortable

with that situation but also you know when you have the crowd behind you you don't want to disappoint you know it's it's a adrenaline is a drug that people know that I thrived on. And I just always got into it because it was like, I can't even believe I'm out here to do this fun thing

that I dreamed about doing. But, you know, adrenaline will make you see the ball bigger. It'll make you lock into situations like there was times later in my career, especially in Toronto in those situations. I was like, everything just, you know, kind of like got quieter. even though it was loud, because you just had to focus so much more. It's a weird how to describe it. I don't have the words right now if I had to think about it.

I'd come up with a more intelligent answer for you. But it's just replicating, like, you slow that adrenaline down, and when you learn how to channel it, there you go, you channel it to the point where you go, I'm going to use this, and the crowd is absolutely helping me do that. Because when you're sitting there, I can't imagine. Thank God didn't play during the COVID. times. I don't know how those guys play

with no people in the stands. I would have had the worst seasons of my life. I think I would have. We don't think about that that often, how difficult that must have been. It would have been. And you know what? It was terrible. Oh, I bet. And you know what? I think a one guy, though, that maybe creates his own adrenaline

and it's got to be Max Scherzer, isn't it? Like, that guy is so intense and you got to see him the other night on the mound, just mowing people down, staring people down, the intensity. Like, what? Yeah, like what's it like watching him do that at age 41? Well, you know, the cool thing was pregame, my son Jason and I, his last day of summer,

they just started school up. My son's a senior, and we got to go in the doggout with, you know, Pete Walker, and he got to see all his heroes, Bichet, and, you know, the guys there that he's idolizing now. And, you know, for me, just to be in there, it was great for my soul just to be around it. and miss being a jay you know guys i don't hide it i loved playing my time in toronto but still a big fan so i discreetly i got to wear blue and red it's my satin hall where i went to college and alexandropos the bullpen catcher was my catcher in seaton hall too and uh you know i have allegiance here at pittsburg obviously i'm not saying i don't like my two favorite

team square enough but i'm rude for the jays man it's my team that i want to see as many banners up there as well. But, yeah, just to be in the presence and then see Scherzer bouncing around, he's walking around. I'm like, man, this guy's got adrenaline pumping now. He just can't wait. It's like a caged lion, you know, just waiting to do his work. And, you know, my son's like, dad, I got a card to Scherzer.

I go, not today, son, not today. He's got to do his thing, you know, leave him alone. We'll get him another time. We go up to Toronto and see him maybe up there, you know. But, yeah, you know, I, guys were always, like, trying to be like, hey, listen, I know what's going on. I'm not getting interference. I'm just happy to be in the presence of winning. And it's cool to see the atmosphere.

But, again, I think not to say anything, the guys you could tell were in a city where it felt like, hey, I'm a little tired coming off of whatever, you know, road trip or what they've been through, just day to day. these days are tough, and when you come into a arena that's not even half full. I mean, there was more Blue Jay fans at our park, PNC here, than there were anything else. But even still, not a rowdy atmosphere, just like people are there just watching a big league game. And that's the knock here in Pittsburgh. It's a shame that Major League Baseball is allowing that kind of stuff to happen. But unfortunately, like I said, I can't wait to go up and see the Jays do what they've been doing. all year long and got that nice lead and it just have to take care of business as they've been

doing all year long but you know you got to step up uh i thought they were going to come through there at the very end kirk hit a ball it just sounded right off the bat i'm like oh god i'd be saying hell mary he's like come down man you know uh and it did unfortunately i thought he tied the game up there but uh you know fun to watch i just it gave me such a pallet to to want to be there and you guys are lucky you got a lot of good things to look forward to and talk to down the church here. Well, I mean, I guess the lone offensive run today came from a, you know, home run off the bat of George Springer. It was the lead-off home run to start the game. Didn't get much else, but he's having quite the Renaissance season here that no one expected

to see at this point in his career. How impressive have you been with how he's been able to really rebound this season and be an offensive force for the Blue Jays? You know, he was always a kid coming up. I faced him when he was a young, buck and we were teasing i said dan how old are you he says 36 i said you're 36 and we were kids about how much hair you know this game will steal from you with all the stress you know people don't know people have no idea like you know what goes on when i'm sitting with some friends up there and they're asking me baseball questions and you know some of the stuff that they go really it's like that dude it's so intense man like i that's why i said walkers p walker's like grill i got

do this like dude it's just good to see you it's good to hear your voice and person person and sit over the phone. It's good. Don Mattingly, who, you know, God love, the guy was plastered all over my walls, even as a pitcher wannabe growing up. Just to sit there. I felt so good to be in the presence of winning and awesomeness. And I go, I'm not trying to be in the way. We're just happy to be in and around what you guys are doing. And thanks for giving me that opportunity to feel like, you know, yeah, I did this once, you know, and then show my kid, he's got aspirations to do big things going into his senior year in college. So I don't want to get in the way of any of that. You don't want to be in the bad juju of causing a distraction. And you

have to know that. And that's when you've been around it. You don't want people stealing some of your time and your routine. It's a lot. You know, it's a lot. What's your kind of thought on the Jay's rotation? They're going to have Shane Bieber, who they acquired at the deadline. He's going to make his Blue J debut on Friday. Like that's a serious pitcher. Like Max Scherzer, this is a guy who's been an ace his entire career. You know, and then you still have guys like Gosman, Burrios, Chris Bassett. Like, this has got to be, you know, one of the deepest, if not the deepest rotations in the majors. How do you, how do you kind of evaluate where they're at with their rotation?

Well, I'll tell you what, you know, when you got to have that in playoff baseball, because some of those starters wind up if they got anything left in the tank whether it be Scherzer or anybody hey man I'll give you one or two if I had to close it out sometimes you're like who's best available who's got some bullets left

it's like you empty the tank down the stretch here and you know I know what was it 20 was it 22 against the Mariners and that year I think if I'm right because I am a fan it was painful to just see some of the

stuff where it seemed like the pitching was was was was there and the bats were kind of not you know keeping up it's a balance right it's the whole team it's not just one side of the ball um that has to sink up but yes the depth of the rotation the bullpen's always you know the strength of that and keeping guys like in sync the manager's job is to is to set up successful situations right he knows what he has and then you get the confidence up as you go down the stretch it's just it's never sometimes a team that's playing better it's the team that has the most confidence and it stays in that hot seat and you know they're just having a good time and bawling out and I asked Springer that you know as he was talking to my son and I said hey man I said what do you

think I said you got a good group of guys must be because you don't you don't win in this division with with guys that don't enjoy playing with one another and and I hope to see a lot of champagne toast and we're like you know we're family we feel good about hanging out with each other off the field too you know it takes about a team to just kind of group together and people some people like that word chemistry some people hate it um i think it's i think it's very evident when there is chemistry um you got to like who you're you're around at least definitely respect them to the to the degree that how can you not have fun with guys especially when you're winning it's just such a great atmosphere well we'll get you on on this

this one. We're chatting with Jason Greeley, former Blue Jays reliever. And kind of the news of the day here in Toronto is that Eric Lauer, who's been terrific for the Blue Jays, has the best ERA among all starters since June 1st. But with Bieber coming in, they're relegating him to the bullpen for the time being. What do you think's going through his head as he hears news like that? And how different is it pitching out of the bullpen as opposed to being a starter? Well, it is different. It's a different animal. all together, but he's got to fake it until he makes it in the sense that, hey, you know, it's not a demotion. I wouldn't look at it as a demotion. It's just what the team needs me as, and that could change

as well, too. It's just, who has the hot hand, who they believe they can structure this to get down the stretch? At the end of the day, as long as you've got a ring or you got a shot to do it, you accept the assignment. You want me to sweep the floor? Good, I'll do that. That's

the attitude I think you have to take. when you start getting, you know, your ego gets to the two ahead of yourself that I should be doing this, I should be doing that. In a time of winning, take the run, win. When you have a championship behind you, it opens up a lot more doors down the line. And I can tell you, a guy's collected a lot of jerseys in 20 seasons with 12 different organizations. You just go where you're appreciated and you love and you enjoy it.

And when you win, you get the chance to win, you accept what is given to you. because I'd rather get a chance to win and do something that I'm maybe less qualified for or don't really particularly want to do. So it's just like, you know, in the same sense. You don't like where you're at to play better too. I'm not saying that he has to do that necessarily. It's just if you've got stock pie, you've got a long list of arms there. And, you know, they're just fitting you in where they feel like it best serves the team.

And I think you've got to take a slice of humble pie. accept that and just kind of get in a groove for the innings that you're going to get and be ready for that. Jason really appreciate taking time to join us and hopefully you do it again soon. Yeah, man. I'm coming up, man.

So save me a seat in the booth. I'll be there. Absolutely. Absolutely. Enjoy your dinner. Hey, man. Thanks, guys. Enjoy, man.

Thank you. Jason Grilly. Former Blue Jays reliever, 20-year veteran in the big leagues. Unmistakably Canadian It's the music that raised you The artists raising the bar Hi, this is Brian Adams

Hey my name's Brad Emmons I'm from the glorious sons Hi, I'm Nellie Fittato Made in Canada The station that champions Canadian music Loud, crowd And all yours No passports required

Just press play Tap into Made in Canada now On iHeartRadio.ca Or the free iHeartRadio app Thank you.