PTI - Who Will Come Out on Top in Game 1 of the World Series?

Episode Date: October 24, 2025

Michael Wilbon & Tony Kornheiser preview game one of the World Series, the on-going NBA gambling investigation, and recap the Chargers TNF performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network and service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.esPN.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now. Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. The World Series begins tonight, Tony. You were a kid.

Did you dream of playing in one? I'm Tony Coronizer. I didn't, but my classmate did. Kid by the name of Abner, Double Day. Yeah. They called the World Series? Then they call it something else. They call it a game.

No, they just called it a game in the backyard. Like when he invented it, he didn't have that far-reaching look without a world. All right? Full truth. You were in a Giants uniform wearing 24, right? Oh, I'd love it. to have been in a Giants uniform where in 24. He was my idol. I know. Louis Mays was my idol.

Welcome to PTI boys and girls. In today's episode, Adam Silver has issues. The Chargers' role of Vikings and Aaron Rogers gets ready to face Jordan Love. But we begin today with the World Series, which opens tonight, finally, in Toronto, between the Blue Jays and Dodgers. The Blue Jays are 7 and 4 this postseason.

The Dodgers are 9 and 1. The Blue Jays have a lot of homers, 20 and 11 games. They've scored 71 runs. The Dodgers have had great, starting pitching. Their starters have an ERA of 1-40 over 10 games. Wilbon, do you expect the Dodgers starting pitching dominance to continue against the Blue Jays hot hitting? No. It has nothing to do or little to do with the Blue Jays hot hitting. It has to do with just the nature of baseball. And stuff

changes, particularly when you get, which you should never get in baseball, six days off. I agree, which is what the Dodgers have had. I agree. And you and I have been fascinated. We've talked about starting pitching all month. That's great for us. You know, like a flashback. to a place in our lives where starting pitching in everything in October. It still means a lot because we've seen the Dodgers

just dominate with great starting pitching. Do I expect after six days down that the Dodgers are going to roll even those same four guys out there and just mowed down Toronto? Not necessarily. Tony, I think they'll be good.

I think we'll get some four, three sort of games. Do I think the Dodgers are going to come out and just handcuffed Toronto with Bichette back in the lineup too? No idea. Do you like the Dodgers to win the series? Yes, I do. Okay.

All right. So we're going to be agreed on all of these things. My feeling about this is very similar to your feeling about this. The Dodgers pitching has been phenomenal. Starting pitching has been phenomenal. There's no other word for it. Their opposition batting average is 132. That's unbelievable.

But yes, this is a long layoff. What I worry about, baseball is an everyday sport. When you take this much time off, then you worry about rust instead of rest. And I have something here. it's an ominous statistic. This year will be the fifth time since 1985 that one team in the league championship series swept and the other went seven games.

In the previous four times this happened, the seven game team won every world series. Right? I mean, you know, I think the Dodgers will win because I think good pitching, Trump's good hitting, and the Dodgers can hit. You know, the Dodgers can hit. This is one of the best

hitting Dodgers lineups ever. They have more runs in the regular season than Toronto, 825 to 798. Toronto doesn't have a top of the order like the Dodgers. No, nobody does. And Betts and Freeman. But again, Mike, you know what it

feels like? It feels like the World Series is a bowl game that we've waited so long. And so I, look, I think Toronto's really good. Their batting average, team batting average in the postseason is 296. That's unbelievably high. The Dodgers is

256. So, you know, I respect them. The hottest guy in baseball is Vlad Guerrero. They have more home runs and strikeouts. That doesn't happen. If he, if Toronto can get to the Dodger bullpen, then they're in good shape. With Guerrero. They're in good check.

Springer. And Bichette back in the line that is physically can hold up. Toronto won more games in the regular season, so they have home field. They have a maximum of four games there. They're 54 and 27 at home. Great home risk. So, and yet I Still, I will be surprised if the Dodgers lose. I will.

Surprised. Surprised. Okay. Yeah. I'm looking forward to this. And by the way, if Snow goes out there tonight and gives up three hits and seven in it, it's on. Yeah. Right?

Do you keep that momentum? You'd feel pretty good. That's right. The next night, let's move to the National Football League and the Chargers beat down to the Vikings. The Chargers office came alive with the return of all pro tackle, Joe Alt. And the defense sacked Carson Wentz five times. So what did this win do for you? and your estimation of the now five and three charges?

Not much, really, because Minnesota isn't a very good team. This was supposed to be J.J. McCarthy's team, but for weeks now, they've gone to Carson Wentz, who gets beat up, and a lot of people looked at that game and said, why is he still in there? We don't know if J.J. McCarthy is any good, but after all these years, we have a sense that Carson Wentz isn't very good, right? So I don't think a win over Minnesota is something you hang your hat on, with the charges good. Yeah, the charges were good. Justin Herbert, some stats against pressure, 13 of 15, 162 yards, two touchdowns. He also threw an interception. He has seven, which is sort of a lot of interceptions for a Pro Bowl quarterback.

And I was talking to Jason Lock and four today, and he was talking about Joe Walt's presence and what that meant. In the games that Joe Alt has played, the charges are 4 and 0. In the four games that he's missed, they're 1 in 3. And the 1 was that really dicey win against Miami. So he's obviously an important component there. Yeah, the charges, I didn't go crazy when they lost a couple. I still think they're pretty good. I still think they're a threat to win their division, even though Kansas City's in it.

And Denver's ahead of a threat. Denver? A threat. I'm not saying the favorite, but a threat. Okay. So the charges are about where they are. This is what NFL season does. This is what all professional sports seasons do, unless you have a dominant,

crazy Patriots 18 and O team or Bears 15 and 1. or Dolphins. You have an ebb and flow. Teams are going to lose. The charges are going to lose three or four more times. I think the charges sort of regain their footing. The Vikings, Tony, so there are two teams coming into the season that I thought we're going to take a backslide.

The Charger, I'm sorry, the Vikings, because of their quarterback situation, because I think getting rid of Sam Donald was stupid and the commanders. Because they had everything go right, including great health. That's right. And so I worry about that. And I certainly hope that Jason Daniels can be healthy and be out there soon. But those are the two teams taking the backslide. Jaden Daniels, not Jason Daniels.

Jason Locken-Fourer, Jaden, Jayden. I will give you the next four games, though, that the Chargers have, because they are all winnable. At Tennessee is winnable. Very. Home Steelers is winnable. Yeah. At Jacksonville is winnable.

Home Raiders is winnable. So, you know, but like you have in the past, I often think of the charges that the whole. is not greater than the sum of its parts, so I remain somewhat skeptical. Let us revisit the gambling story in the NBA from yesterday. Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat was arrested in connection with alleged insider information betting, and Chauncey Billups coach of the Trailblazers was arrested for his alleged involvement in a poker scheme that has mob implications.

Wilbon, this is at least a public relations nightmare for the NBA. What sort of pressure is on Commissioner Adam Silver right now? None. nothing he can do he couldn't do anything on the front end he doesn't have the power of subpoena he wasn't going to be able to compel witnesses to testify or to give him

information nothing they're not a law enforcement organization they Adam Silver now you could from a public relation standpoint you can stand near and huff and puff and pound a table and look like a tougher guy I don't know what David Stern would have been able to do he might have been able to project

something different he would have tried he would have tried but in terms of what Adam so if it can do. He's got to sit there now and take it. He's got to sit there now and hope. Here's what he can do. He can pray every night that this is the iceberg and full and not just the tip. All right. That's about it. So let me start by stating for the record, nothing happened today that advanced this story from yesterday. We don't know if it's going to widen out. We don't know if, as you say, it is the tip of the iceberg or the iceberg itself. regardless of that, even if this is all it is,

it's disastrous in terms of public relations. And Adam Silver is where you and I disagree. Has to get out in front of this. I was honestly. No, I was honestly stunned last night that he did not go on the pregame show with Ernie Johnson and Shaq and Kenny Smith and Charles. He should have been there because they talked about it at great length.

And because they're NBA guys that might have been a soft landing. To me, it looks like he's hiding under his desk. I refer to my notes. I don't think this is as bad as Tim Donagy. I mean, I really don't. I don't think it's close to that. But what you have, what's most important is the integrity of your game. And if this is true about Terry Rozier, then you don't have the integrity of your game.

And you know, and you had an investigation into him, however limited you might have been, you cleared him because you let him play. Now you have an investigation into Steve Ballmer. and Kauai Leonard. And if it comes out that you're not going to do anything about that, the general public is going to say, well, you don't want to do anything about that. You have an inferior investigation.

They're going to say, maybe you just want to sweep wrongdoings under the rug. And that's why I believe Adam Silver has to get out and talk and talk. But he hasn't. And you know what they're going to do tonight? They're going to play the damn games. And he's not going to say it word. I don't think so.

You say he has to get out front. I do. I think he has to. And he's not going to. And Tony, here's the show. shame of it. He was in front on this. He wanted sports gambling. He wanted it. Therefore, Tony, people don't care. They're not going to stop watching the games.

They're not going to stop buying the stuff they wear the jersey. I think they care. Tony, I think they don't care if they think it's crooked. Crooked, what's that mean? That's an old-fashioned notion that the NBA's target audience is not familiar with in any way whatsoever. They're going to consume the product and not care. Millions of people on a daily basis bet. Yes. They bet the NBA? Yes.

But if they feel that the NBA is not legit that there is charlatans out. Things like Terry Rozier. Terry Rozier didn't even fix a game. He took himself out early. He enriched himself and some buddies. He fixed. He may not have deliberately fixed the entire game. He fixed his part.

Allegedly. He fixed his part. Allegedly. Let's take a break. We're angry here. It's like Charles and Kenny last night, but when we come back, Indiana's ranked second in the nation.

UCLA has won three straight. Who is feistering into Saturday's games? And which quarterback has more on the line when the Packers pass meets their present. You don't think that's the job of a commissioner? I didn't say it wasn't his job. Well, he's not doing it. He's not going to do it.

Bet me. Oops. Ooh. Do we go to Draft Kings or ESPN bet for that? Welcome. Come back to Pardon the Interruption, presented by Twisted Tea, Hard Ice Tea, Part of Happy Hour. It's time for toss-up. Two men enter. One man leaves, finishes the show, then celebrates by carving two words into a pumpkin. I win. What's first? Toss up, which team is feistyre heading into Saturday's game? UCLA or number two, Indiana?

So I don't know what feisterer means, but I have a sense of what a possible trap game looks like in. smells like. Indiana is a 25-point favorite, and the assumption is that UCLA stinks. UCLA stunk. They were 0-3 and then fired their coach. Then they went to 0-4, losing to Northwestern. Since then, they have won three games in a row. They have scored 100 points in those three games, which is a lot.

They are now rushing the ball 208 yards a game with the new coach. With the old coach, they rushed at 122 yards. With the new coach, they've given. up 115 fewer yards per game. And I'm not saying they're going to beat India. I don't think they're going to beat Indiana. But Indiana's got a really soft schedule coming up, and you have to guard against complacency.

UCLA is not limping into this game like they were when they were 0.3. That's right. And to mention that, go back into the details of that soft schedule for Indiana, UCLA, of course, tomorrow, at Maryland, at Penn State, Wisconsin and Purdue. They should win all the rest of their games.

and this is why Indiana is the feisty or team. Because they know they can win these games and get into for a second straight season the playoff. Their coaches, their coaches warning them. Their coaches say, treat them like they're three and old. And that's why they're feisty too. Okay. Because he knows what you know

that this looks like a trap game. They don't want that. Look, he's getting a lot of money now. Eyes are on him. Eyes are on Indiana football for the first time in my life. I grew up next door, Indiana football. Indiana basketball, not Indiana football.

That's right. And so they got a chance to do something really great here, Tony. And again, UCLA at Maryland at Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue. Indiana will be favored to win all those games. Yeah, the assumption is Penn State has collapsed at this point. What's next? Toss up which quarterback has more on the line when they meet on Sunday night? Aaron Rogers or Jordan Love?

Jordan Love has nothing on the line. The answer to this is Aaron Rogers. Aaron Rodgers. And why is that? Because this is it for Aaron Rogers. This is his last year. This is his one shot against the team where he made his reputation. His one shot against the team where he won a Super Bowl and won four MVPs and his one shot against

the team, as you well remember, that traded up to get Jordan Love while Aaron Rogers was still great. Aaron Rogers thinks about things like this. Now, everything he has said so far about Green Bay and Jordan Love, it's like he's reading from a script on how to be a nice fella. And, you know, is it convincing? Maybe for some. But, you know, Aaron Rogers sees this game as part of his legacy.

Jordan Love's got years to go in this. And, I mean, they lost last week, Pittsburgh. And Aaron Rogers sees himself as having to staunch that. That's how he thinks. I think it's all on the line for him and not at all for Jordan Love. I don't give a damn what Aaron Rogers thinks. Well, that's part of the question. No.

I'm judging this. and it's all on the kid. Really? He's got to do something. Aaron Rogers has a gold jacket in a garage next to the ayahuasca tank. Okay. It's over for Aaron Rogers. He's going to the Hall of Fame.

He'll do TV if he wants. He'll get his own show and 17 podcasts and pair himself for somebody in a black muscle shirt. He wants this. It doesn't matter. Even if he gets it. It's nothing. The Green Bay Packers have it all in front of them this year. I know the NFC is tougher than we thought it would be, and their division is tougher.

But Jordan Love has years to go. Jordan, he has now. He's been like five years. So that's it? How long is he going to wait? Aaron Rogers did his about this time? Aaron Rogers, get off the stage. It doesn't matter.

What is that thing you say has a tank, ayahuasca? I always think of Hiawatha. Every time you say that, I think you're saying Hiawatha. Aaron Rogers, what? Oh, look, come on now. Look, the people saw this. I win. He's crazy.

He's wrong. Let's take one last break coming up, Lamar Jackson. Might be back in time just to torment your bears, Wilma. I'm worried about that one. Matt Rimpy and Ryan Reeves turned the ice rink into a

thug ring. Old school. 1960s. Referee doesn't want to get in the middle of that. No, we shouldn't. No, because he's going to get hit by both each other. You know?

Freshing taste of twisted tea, hard iced tea. Please drink responsibly. Part of Happy Hour. Happy time, people. Happy 29th birthday, Rafael Devers. The Red Sox couldn't wait to get rid of Devers after he publicly complained about losing his third-based job to Alex Breggner. Devers then refused to play first base as well. So Boston shipped him across the country and to the other league as well in June.

Devers slumped badly when he first joined the Giants, but by the end of the year, he had 35 home runs and 109 RBI. His second most homers of his career, the third most RBI. His batting average fell to 252, though, his worst average since 2018. Devers is a three-time All-Star. He was on the Red Sox World Series champions in 2018, and now he will play for a college coach in San Francisco. Devers played 163 games a show.

By the way, now he has to be about the business of leading his new team to catch that rival team, the one down south. That's what it's about. And the giant stiller. lead the Dodgers three championships to two in this century, right? It's your stats, I know. Happy anniversary, Sandy Kofax.

On this day, 62 years ago, the Dodgers lefty became the first pitcher to win the Tsai Young Award by unanimous voting. Kofax won three Tsai Youngs, won each by unanimous vote. No other pitcher has won three sys unanimously, and Kofax won his in the era when there was only one such, not one each league. Kofax won four World Series rings, including in 1963 against the Yankees, when Kofax's 15 strikeout performance earned him Series MVP. He got another series MVP in 1965 when he made three starts against the twins,

pitching 24 innings, giving up one earned and striking out 29. In his career, Kofax's record is 165 and 87 with a 276 ERA. I don't want to hear any case made that basically. baseball now is as good as baseball then. I don't want to hear it because you don't even have that. And he wasn't while he was singular in some ways, you had Marischel, you had Whitey Fool. Doesn't Otney change your mind a little bit?

Look at how many people I just said. Otani can go nine, he didn't go 24 and three games. He might. Let me see it. Let's see what happened. Let me see it. Happy trails to most of last night's game from Matt Rempey. The Rangers tough guy exited last night's game early

with an upper body injury after an exchange of haymeg with Sharks Enforcer Ryan Reeves. You hate fighting, Wilma, because you've got to appreciate helmets flying off. Turns out Mr. Rempey had challenged Mr. Reeves to the fight in the pregame warm-up. Be careful what you ask for, kids. Not only did the sharks win the fight,

they won their first game of the season, 6-5 in overtime. How about Rempe going 6-9-255? I mean, he makes Reeves look tiny at 6-2-225. His nickname is the Rempire State Building. That is still a real. fabulous garbage and the NHL doesn't need it. Doesn't need it.

Radle. It's a fabulous nickname. One omission, Eagles receiver, A.J. Brown has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Giants with a hamstring injury. Let's go to the Big Finns. Let's do it. Lamar Jackson, full dough at practice today for the Ravens. What does that mean, Mr. Bear? I'm scared that we could get Michael Spinks if he's right. Because Baltimore has to win this game. They're at home coming off a buy. I'm a little scurred. The Falcons have listed Michael Pinnock's Jr. is questionable against the dolphins.

What does that mean? It means it's possible Kurt Cousins will be in the game. Yes. Could he come back and Wally Pipp, the guy that Wally Pipptip, you know? That's a great story line. Could they do that? Is that possible? It is.

The ceremonial first pitches in Toronto for games one and two will be thrown out by Cito Gaston and Joe Carter. Makes sense, doesn't it? They are the national baseball heroes of Canada, right? Yes. They are. Absolutely. Well, George Springer is getting there.

Springer is. You getting there. On deck. Yeah. The Bruins have lost six. Great cause for concern. Anytime you lose six inroads, it's very early in the season.

Save up seven. I mean, you know, if this happened in March, somebody might get fired, you know, even in January. Everybody gets fired. Everybody's fired in hockey. Last one, the MLS playoffser tonight, into Miami hosts Nashville SC.

Who you got? I got three TV screens, as you know. Right. None of them will have that. Okay. I'll have the World Series large. I'll have two NBA games planking. I may click over to watch your boy.

I'm going to do that. We're out of time. We're trying to do better than next time. I'm Tony Corny. I'm Mike Wilbon. Have a great weekend knucklehead.