PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - PHNX D-backs After Dark: WBC Hangover

Episode Date: March 23, 2026

We are trapped in a Spring Training space between the WBC Championship Game and Opening Day, and we just want meaningful baseball again. Derek and Rok discuss their WBC hangovers, how Opening Day should be a holiday, and what the D-backs need to do in 2026 to ensure this isn’t Torey Lovullo’s final season as manager. Limited-time offer! Become a Diehard for just $36: https://gophnx.com/intro-offer-youtube JOIN THE SUPPORTERS CLUB ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/yc6km2r4 An ALLCITY Network Production SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtube ALL THINGS PHNX: http://linktr.ee/phnxsports MERCH https://store.allcitynetwork.com/collections/phnx-locker ALLCITY Network, Inc. aka PHNX and PHNX Sports is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Phoenix PHNX Events: Get your tickets to PHNX events and takeovers here: https://gophnx.com/events/ ALLCITY — including us here at PHNX — is teaming up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for an exciting three-year partnership. To learn more, visit https://www.bbbs.org/allcity/ Branded Bills: Use code BBPHNX at https://www.brandedbills.com/ for 15% off your first order! Husband & Wife Law Team: If you’ve had a serious injury, Call The Husband & Wife Law Team first at 602-783-8841 or visit https://husbandandwifelawteam.com/?utm_source=allcity-padcasts&utm_medium=digital-phx&utm_campaign=allcityShowNotes bet365: https://www.bet365.com/hub/en-us/app-hero-banner-1?utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=usapp&utm_medium=affiliate&affiliate=365_03485317 Use the code PHNX365 to sign up, deposit $10 and bet $5 to get $150 in bonus bets! Disclaimer: Must be 21+ and physically located in AZ.  If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-NEXT-STEP, text NEXTSTEP to 53342 or visit https://problemgambling.az.gov/ Gametime: Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code PHNX for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Shady Rays: Head to https://shadyrays.com and use code: PHNX for 40% 2+ pairs of off polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the shades rated 5 stars by over 300,000 people. Circle K: Join Inner Circle for free by downloading the Circle K app today! Head to https://www.circlek.com/store-locator to find Circle Ks near you! When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You are now listening to PHNXDbacks after Dart. How's your world baseball classic hangover? Mine's pretty fucking devastating. Man, I'm still mad about the ending of the DR and Team USA game. That's a hard one to get over. Our boy, Jerry Perdomo, put together a Jerry Perdomo at bat and got hosed by the fucking um horrible you can't end a fucking baseball game like that man you can't do it i've had i've heard a lot of shit about the abs system yeah good bad you know we got our guy ryan thompson he fucking

hates the abs system he wants the abs system to go directly in the basura but you know moments like this they that we already had one moment that was kind of funny during spring training where an umpire missed a blatant, blatant call down the middle of the plate, right? Just a blatant strike. I believe it was Jen Powell, if that's how you say her last name, I forgot,

but she just missed it, and they had to do the ABS thing, and it was, you know, you kind of heard a chuckle out of the crowd because when you go to the board, it showed up dead center, right? These are the fucking moments that this is for. The true umpire blinked and missed it,

and it's a blatant, you know, missed call. Like I had the weirdest reaction from people when it came to this call. I heard people saying that the umpire was calling the zone that low all night, which is bullshit because I went back and looked at other bats and that just wasn't factually correct. He was calling a low strike zone, but I don't give a goddamn about his low strike zone. We are past the days of the umpire being able to control the zone in that way where they can expand it, right? And that's what the purpose of the ABS system is. The purpose of it is to ensure that we have just a more universal strike zone that everybody can understand.

But more importantly, in these big moments like this fucking game, this fucking moment with Jerry P. up there that we're not missing the call. Yeah. And I'm not mad because I'm not mad because the DR lost that. I'm mad that, you know, it was something that it just, it just, it just, it just, it's just, just shouldn't happen, man. Like, I'm not mad the DR loss of the USA. I don't care about that.

The DR had plenty of opportunities to be in a better spot at that point in that game. Sure. They should have been winning. But I just hate to say, I just hate to. It was a classic, by the way. I mean, it was a great game. And that's another reason why it's like sullied by the final out being that call. Like you said, even if Fernando Tatis Jr. gets up there and pops straight up in the air.

Because then, because there was also the potential for that matchup to happen. if Pradovon gets on base, you got Toddy against Mason fucking Miller. Yeah. And you basically have almost not on the same level, but you have a moment like you have with Trout and Otani in 23. You got teammates in a game that decides, this doesn't decide the championship,

but this decides who goes on. But it's a big moment. To have teammates face off like that would have been fucking great. Huge. Huge. But no. Jared Pruddlema got. We got robbed up a moment.

That's what I said. Like we got robbed of a moment. I don't want to out you as a casual Padres fan. But you are a big fan of Fernando Tatis Jr. And I know you wanted to see. That's my guy. You know what we could have had too? And again, no disrespect to Team USA here.

But we also could have had an incredible final between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, which we've had all the bat flips and all the celebrating. And everything would have been great. Um, a kudos to Venezuela for winning, right? Like, got to give credit to them.

That's a incredible lineup. Our guy, Erod did the thing out there. Bro. Can we get that, some of that Erod going into 2026, please? Diamondbacks have them right now third in the rotation.

So I think they're hoping the same thing too. Because good, good God, man. He went up there against a lineup of killers and shut them down. So, yeah. And now that feels like 500 years ago.

here we are just in this lull of spring training which spring training feels insignificant all the time yeah has there ever been a time where spring training has felt less significant than this gap that we live in right now between the end of the wbc and opening day i hate it here and the thing we don't think about it because we only get the wbc every what three it's maybe four years now but every like three years so it's not an every year thing so normally we're all about spring training. We were fucking in the thick of it. We can't wait.

We hate when it's over. But then we're happy because the season's about to start. But now you got, like you said, you just came off of WBC that put baseball on this wonderful stage. And now you want us to go back and watch a bunch of guys that are going to be in the minor leagues most of the time this coming season. Like, I love my baseball. But come on, man. I mean, even the most diehard baseball people say it during this time of the year. This is when spring training wanes.

It's, I mean, it's even worse that prices for spring training games are what they are. And the heat is what it is, right? Like it is dumb hot. Here in Arizona. It's just a cocktail for, you know, non-attendance, I guess you should say, around spring training in baseball. So again, if you like attending games that don't have a lot of people at them, this time might be perfect for you.

But I don't know. I saw so many people posting on social media that were that went to spring training like the day after everybody that mattered left for the WBC. And they're like, nobody's here. And in my head, I'm like, how do you not know this? Yeah. How are you so unaware? I could see casual fans not really date on exactly what date they were leaving for the WBC. Like that's, bro. Like most superstar star level players that are worth a damn were playing for their respect.

productive hunters in the WBC. They weren't playing in Goodyear and surprise. Very true. Glendale. Yeah. I mean, the Diamondbacks had two of their starters in the WBC, and neither one of them were Merrill Kelly or Zach Gallen. So there's that, you know.

So, but I, I'm so excited for this week. I'm so excited for the Diamondbacks to take on the Dodgers in L.A. I mean, it's a hell of a test. It could, I mean, it could literally go from excitement to misery in three days. depending on the results of this first series in Los Angeles. And I hate to speak loser talk. You know, I fucking hate loser talk.

But if they can come in and just win on opening day, I don't give a goddamn that they lose the series. I just want them to go in and ruin the Dodgers, like opening day. Oh, because they're going to do their, they're going to have the trophy there that day. Oh, they're going to do the whole thing. Oh, yeah.

If you're going to win any of the three games against the Dodgers, I love you to win all three. Or two of three. But if you're only going to win one, ideal. Opening fucking day. Do it like smash them too. You know what I mean? Embarrass them. Embarrass them.

Have Gallen come out and give those performances that he gave last year that were. Second half gallon? I'm not even talking about second half gallon. I'm talking about New York City Gallin. I'm talking about East Coast road trip at night gallon. I'm talking about 13Ks. The milkman was delivering. Yeah.

Let me use that milkman video that I made. Let me let me fire that guy off on day one because it would just set such a tone. And again, I don't even care if they lose the series. I don't even think that matters. I think that confidence that they could gain from winning on opening day is incredible. Yeah.

But it's tough. Because that place is going to. to be a zoo. It is going to be packed. It is going to be loud. It is going to be annoying. I'm going to hate every second of it. I think it's a 530 start.

Chances are that that stadium is only going to be 40% full at first pitch. You might be right. With traffic. Like, LA is good. Like, just if you're, if you're attending, take the day off and start heading your way to the stadium at 10 a.m. Just that's what I recommend. Get there right now. Yeah.

Exactly. Go stay at one of those hotels by the Hollywood Bowl or somewhere near there. Man. And, for God's sakes, walk to the stadium. Do yourself a favor. It's quicker to walk. I am excited for the Diamondbacks to be on this stage. Absolutely.

Taking a step right backwards, this takes me right back to the WBC, where it is a huge stage. And going into this, again, loser talk, I'm going to admit it. I just don't want them to get embarrassed. You know what I mean? Like that's for me, it's what I thought of when Erod was going to start for team Venezuela in the championship game.

It's what I felt when Geraldo Perdomo came up to, you know, for that at bat with two outs. And I like, like that's what I thought in both instances. Like I just want our guys to have a good showing and I want them to, you know,

perform well. And I felt like that was robbed from Perdomo because that was just a classic Jerry P. At bat that he worked. was a walk and erod shocked the hell out of many of us right bro and also let's also he's no longer with us but he is still our guy congrats to gino man like gino you i johenio i miss gino i love gino yeah but to see gino you're right and that championship game i wanted him to get that big hit and he got it he got yeah and just just and then his just emotion is his emotion is why the wbc

is fantastic. Yeah, absolutely. So, absolutely. The way. Big shout out of Gino, man. I mean, who else was it?

I think it was Luis Arise, if I'm mistaken. Yep. Was he, I might be messing this story up. If it wasn't a rise, my apologies, but this is the metal?

Yeah, was it a rise of the metal? Yeah, then he didn't have it. And he was one of the only guys that didn't wear it because he gave it to his mom. Yeah,

he gave his fucking mom, bro. Like, I mean, I don't, like, again, I, hate that people take rooting against team USA in the WBC as like anti-patriotic, anti-American.

And it might be a little of those things. But I would argue that it was more about, you know, seeing the difference in how these teams were taking this tournament, right? And even a team like Italy started playing in a way like it meant everything to them. meant everything to their country and everything to, you know, uh, you know, the, the, the,

the, the, the, the one team in the WBC that just, it didn't seem to mean that much to at times is team, you know, outside of Paul Skeens. Uh,

Paul Skeens was the one guy that was kind of a leader and the guy who, you know, said all the right things when it came to how much it meant to him. But, you know, unfortunately, a lot of the two, man, it's, it's, it's the fact that,

you know, a lot of these smaller like countries of the DR, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, all these smaller Cuba. Like these kids, these guys grew up poor. They grew up struggling. So for them, it's different because, you know, to put on their country's colors and play for their country,

it means something to them. It means more because they had to overcome more to get to where they're at. You know, I wish, honestly, and a lot of it is the fact that the team he was like, It felt like they didn't really give a shit. They're like, oh, we're team USA. We're supposed to win this shit. And I think that that carried over to how they were perceived.

I don't think the whole team felt that way. But, you know, I don't think they did themselves any favors. Because you watch the joy that all these other teams are having with celebrations. Everything is so big and just, it's happy. It looks like it's fun. And Team USA is so business. Yeah. Yeah.

It's baseball, man. Have fun. It's baseball. I will say in their defense, I felt like Team USA was like more under the scrutiny of course. The MLB teams than other teams, right? Like so other teams could get phone calls and suggestions from the organizations that your players are part of and ask them nicely, hey, please don't use our guys three days in a row. And they're like, well, if we're getting the championship game, I'm going to use your guys three days in a row.

Like that's just the way this is going to work, right? So for fans of, you know, different level of scrutiny there. And for fans of Team USA baseball, you can look forward to this. Mark DeRosa is not going to be your manager in them four years. So you got that to look forward to. Very true. So there's a reason Mark DeRosa doesn't manage in the big leagues now. Just leave it at that.

He might not even be back at MLB Network for all we know. You know what? They might just tell him to take the next few plays off. And I like Mark DeRosa. I don't have a problem of Mark DeRosa. So I just think he's not the guy that's going to get it done for Team USA. Yeah. And I don't know who, and I don't know who, I don't know who it is because they're not using active managers.

So I don't know who you get to manage Team USA. That's not, you know, maybe at maybe and maybe at that point, I don't know. I mean, a lot can happen at four years, man. How long until we to see Salvatore Lavallo manage Team Italy, maybe? That might be something we see in the future. Hey. Hey. Hey, you never know.

I'm here for it. Interesting. I'm here for it. As we sit here on the cusp of the, you know, on the cusp of opening day, we could be seeing Tori's last season as manager. So I guess, you know. You don't say that. Well, I'm not saying.

But I know. In a perspective, it's the final year of his contract, right? I mean, he could, he could do what he's done. This team could be exactly what it's been. And, I mean, at the end of the day, it might not be perceived as a, but it might not be enough to bring him back. It might just be that the Diamondbacks want to change direction at the end of the year, but it's going to be interesting.

I would venture to guess that if they don't have a decent playoff run, or maybe a substantial playoff run that you're probably not going to see Tori back. And at that point, it is what it is because, I mean, he's been here. And he's, I mean, he got us, he got us there once, you know, so I love Tori. I hate that this is going to be hanging over his head, and it's going to get brought up throughout the season, depending how well the team plays. But, hey, I love the guy.

If he's here after this season, I'm all for it. If he's gone, it is what it is, man. But I'm happy for 2026 baseball. This is his 10th year, essentially, as manager of this team. Is he the longest tenured? He is. He is the longest tenure. In fact, he's one of the longest tenured professional managers in the Valley, I believe, or head coach or anything like that of any of the teams.

Yeah. I'm trying to think who else. Cotton Fitzsimmons has to be on that list. Has to be for coaches. There was an old. There was an old son's coach whose name escapes me right now. I think that had a pretty long tenure. But I think that honestly, if Tori gets this team to the playoffs, I think that a contract extent. is on the table.

Especially when you consider, I mean, you hate that he has this little like caveat, but I mean, he's in a division where he's, there's really no expectation of the debacks of winning the National League West. Correct. So, I mean, there's just, let's just be realistic. Unless the Dodgers, like, lose everybody to every possible injury, they're going to win the West for probably the next three to four years. It just is what it is.

I mean, that's just what it is. Unfortunately. So the expectations have to be low and realistic. You know, but yeah, I play off run. I mean, a wild card, and then, you know, get to the first round, get to the first round and maybe beyond. Who knows, man. Anything can happen in October. So, and we're talking about this in fucking March, but hey.

Hell yeah, we are. Oh, yeah, brother. Hell yeah. We got, we got, uh, the first pitch, uh, just a few days away. And I cannot wait for it. Bro. I have the day off. Like I normally.

do because I will be watching major league baseball all fucking day on Thursday. I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised. It's a fucking holiday. My dad, my uncle are coming over. Yeah. It's a holiday, man. It should be so excited.

I'm so excited. We should all get it off. I shouldn't have to do a show that day. You really should. I completely agree with you. Yeah, but we are going to have a party. That's going to be fun. We're going to be down to cry baby, having a good time watching that.

Of course, if you're listening, you should join us. And of course, if you are listening, you should also follow us on social. media. I'm at cap underscore caveman with a k. He is at rock knowledge, which is R.O. knowledge everywhere you can find him. But our show most importantly is at PHNX underscore Dbacks and all roads do lead to at PH&X underscore sports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. See you guys next time. Appreciate you listening and remember kids. Baseball is fun, but it's so much more fun on opening day.