The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Postgame Show: Billy, I Love You (feat. JuJu Gotti)

Episode Date: October 16, 2025

"That was cringe AF." JuJu is here to deliver a Thursday Thunder that's definitely gonna cash this time, and to update the Polls, share his thoughts on Tua and Paul Pierce, and say thank you to Billy Gil. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you're with Amex Platinum, you get access to exclusive dining experiences and an annual travel credit. So the best tapas in town might be in a new town altogether. That's the powerful backing of Amex. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more at Amex.ca. We've got pitch clock coming up here. We've also got some juju-gadi coming up here, but we've got to do Thursday

thunder here, and we've got to do it quickly, and we've got to win this week. It's time to start winning people some money. Let's win people some money. Juju is, I still don't think that in all the time that Juju has been doing this, maybe I'm wrong. If he has ever gotten zero right, I don't think. one right is very rare but two right out of three that's his wheelhouse so just selectively if you don't want to bet them together bet them individually but together is the big payout give us

the thursday thunder this week juju yes sir since i'm so successful at those two out of threes this week i'm going with a four piece baby first of all i'm going with t higgins for over five reception yards in the first quarter. First quarter, T. Higgins, lock it in. Secondly, I'm sticking with T. Higgins, and I'm going with him for over three catches tonight. Scooby snacks. Scooby snacks. Joe Flacco in the building. Unk, I see you. Next leg, I'm going with my brother, Noah Fant. You know, Mike Gassicki, he's out. He's on the IR, and that tight-end Drew sample isn't the same as tossing the pill to Noah Fent. Over 3.5 catches tonight for my brother.

And lastly, but not leastly, Jamar Chase for over six catches from Joe Flacco tonight. Lock it in. Excellent job, Juju. Juju, I got to ask you, have you seen Paul Pierce's recent comments on Club Shay-Shay? Have you seen what he said about LeBron? Yes, sir. And I wanted to, I wanted to understand or know what you guys feel about it. Mike is Mike for sure, but you as well, Zas.

This is, this is, this was, Paul Pierce's quote. Yeah. So, so, so, I mean, just to shorten it for everyone listening, who doesn't know, he went on club shay-shay, and he said that if he were younger, all of those years that LeBron was sunning him with the Miami Heat, if he were younger, LeBron would have no rings. It made no sense. It made no sense because he had a lot of his career without LeBron to even worry about. And he didn't do much when and there. I mean, we could play this game forever. Like, I could then just come back and say, yeah, you know, if Kevin McHill and Danny Ains weren't good friends and corroborated to send Kevin Garnett to Celtics, like you wouldn't want shit.

Like, we could do this forever. I kind of love Paul Pierce, I think. Like, post-retirement Paul Pierce. Like, he just seems kind of crazy and like a good time. Yeah, I believe it. I also, yeah, if Pat McAfee didn't think of having Aaron Rogers and stuff on, I would have did that. So I feel it, Paul Pierce. It's ridiculous. I guess it had been a little while since Paul Pierce said something that only he believes. So, you know, that's- No, he fell asleep last

week, if you remember correctly. Oh, that's right. That's right. Just in the middle of- Yeah. Yeah, I love that one. Just the middle of traffic. Hey, you know, you know what it's like to be stuck in traffic for 45 minutes? And no, Paul, tell me. That's never happened to anybody. Yeah, I agree with you also, too. not to change the subject too quick but when you said Tua is potentially becoming unlikable and you pointed back to

the show me the money oh my I forgot all about that bro that was the most embarrassing thing he's ever done so I agree with his ass. Cringe A.F right, Jiu cringe A. F? Cringe A. F. Not as much as you saying cringe A.F. Come on.

Six, seven. There we go. Now you're back. Juju, you got some polls for us to update? What do we got here? Yes, sir. Also, too, Billy, I love you. Before we get to the polls, Billy, I love you so much, bro. Like, people don't understand you a great guy.

Like, you hilarious on the show and you be playing your role. But when I first got to this company, I was, you know what I'm fresh out the streets. So I don't understand a lot of what's going on, you feel me? And he helped me understand a lot of what was going on, took the time, talked to me for hours on the phone. Like, bro, we're grown folks And people don't use the phone no more My boy Billy took a time out of his life Two kids to talk to me

You feel me? So I always appreciate you I always appreciate the time we spent together And I love you brother Thank you, Jude, you love you Yes, sir Do you like it when there are two Monday night Football games? I'm in on this

67% of the audience says No, they do not People are just looking for things to complain about I don't understand. You're telling me a Monday night football game will end, and it'll end at 10 p.m. Eastern Time, also known as Lord's Time Zone. The game will end on Monday, and you'll be like, damn, I wish there wasn't another game on right now. I like it when it's staggered by an hour.

Me too. I don't love the 710 thing. I like that better. I like the 7 and 815. That's where it's at. I like that better. Yep. I kind of like the 710.

It's like, give me something to stay up for. It's like basketball season. I'm used to staying up so late because LeBron and them, they don't come on to 10,000 Eastern Time. So I'm used to staying up late. I kind of like it. Neither here nor there. Who is cooler?

A person who scores baseball games or a person who has sex? Oh, big. This is big. 63% of the audience says a person who has sex. What they don't know is that if you do the first, you do the second more than if you don't do the first. Mm, hello. Is Max Scherzer as crazy? as his eyes look. 90% of the audience says yes he is and the last poll was the

Pope talking trash. 96% of the audience says yes he was and those are your polls. That Pope was spitting. Thanks Juju. Thank y'all. Pitch clock. Next. Yes, sir. Don Liebertard. Can I tell you something? I don't know, it was maybe like a month ago. And I decided to watch pitch clock. And I told Jeremy, Stugats. This is a good show you're doing. This is the Dan Levertar show with the Stugats. I've decided that since I did so well last week, I'm not going to change.

And I'm going to wear the same clothes this week. What's your excuse? I've been in the lab studying all baseball statistics for a week straight. I haven't changed. And I'm ready to win maybe. I don't know. I don't feel any confidence in this anymore. Ha, everybody.

Welcome to the pitch clock. Here's the pitch. A two-part baseball segment. Combining a nostalgic baseball trivia game and an interview with an expert. This is the pitch clock. So you already hi everybody. Yeah, I did. Oh, I did that.

Oh, that's right. I'm supposed to do that here. I did in the cold open. You did. Don't tell me when to hi everybody. It's the playoffs. We're doing the pitch clock. And we are back for another week.

We will have our baseball analyst with us momentarily to dive into everything that's going on. Ethan, what is our game for today? So in front of you, there's a sheet of logos. Those are the World Series champions every year since 2009. You are going to tell me the World Series MVP for each of these seasons. It was three strikes and you're out. And there are teams with multiple on here. You have to get the year right.

You cannot just throw out a name and hope they're on this list. You have to point me to the right year. So the Dodgers would be 2004. Correct. Going back to the Yankees at the bottom right would be. In 2009. Correct. Last week, Cody won.

So he is going to have the honor this week. He hit a big, he hit a big Grand Slam. I'm going to go Freddie Freeman in 2024. That is correct. That's a good one. I knew you would. I knew you and knew. Three big home runs, I believe, in that series.

Of course, most famously, the Grand Slam off of Nestor Cortez. Okay. Okay. Okay. I'm going to go with, here's a fun one. I'm going to go with, it's three, two, 2021, Atlanta Braves, Jorge Soler. That is correct. We all remember that big home run he hit in Houston. We all remember it, right? We all remember it, right, Cody? Damn, that's where I was trying, I was trying to, like, figure out where are the ones that Chris definitely knows. but I think I just got to get myself on the board on these, so. So one, one after one.

Oh, boy. All right, Dodgers, 2020, mooky bets? That is incorrect, and I'm not going to give you the right answer because if Jeremy wants to take that one, he can't. So, Cody has the first strike. This is not going to be good for Chris. But he was there. Um, oh, God. Uh, okay, there's like one that I know for sure, but I don't know.

which year. I'm intrigued by who you're thinking. Oh my God, I just thought I know one. I like one. Well, here, I'm just going to go here. 23, it's Corey Seeger with the Rangers, correct? That is correct. Yes, Corey Seeger had a great series for the Texas Rangers as they defeated the Arizona

Diamondbacks. That was a fun world series. Yeah, man, that was a great world series. Our ALCS and NLCS expert is with us now, and it's my new best friend and the author of make me commissioner. I know what's wrong with baseball and how to fix it. You can also check out her big piece coming out in the New York Times right before the World Series. Jane Levy, back with us on the pitch clock. Jane, thank you so much for taking the time to join me today. For you, boy, toy, anything. All right. Well, let's dive right into the ALCS. Last night, it's the

Mariners and the Blue Jays. And those Jays bats finally looked like the Jays bats we saw against the Yankees. third inning breaks the game open. They pile on five homers in Seattle, which is like the toughest place to hit home runs. So Jane, what changed last night in either in terms of the Blue Jays offensive approach or the Mariners pitching staff's execution that really flipped the script in this one? The Jays to have looked so bad at home and then flip the script and have the Mariners look so bad at home, it makes you wonder whether these teams that haven't had playoff games, you know, to really talk about for a long time. You know, we're a little tight. And sometimes getting away from home is a really good thing. I doubt that the Mariners will be as

brain cramped as they were. I mean, they got Castillo going. And he doesn't, he seems, what's the opposite of flappable, unflappable. Unflapable. And he seems unflapable. So, you know, and strangely, unless it's changing, though I've been checking this morning, the Blue Jays have decided to go with Max Scherzer, who is a wily vet. They're now calling him the wily vet as opposed to the future Hall of Famer. You know, in terms of grit and experience, you can't do better than Mad Max. But Mad Max hasn't pitched. since September 24th, and, you know, he's 41. You know, maybe they're not expecting much more than a couple of it.

Maybe they're going to treat them like an opener for all we know. But it's a very strange choice in my view. I mean, Chris Bassett's available. Why not Chris Bassett? It's fascinating to see Scher take the Hill. And I think you're right. That experience is paramount here. When you're looking at a moment like this,

it's probably one time through the order and get into that bullpen or even a piggyback situation where you have Scher go early and you have Bassett go through the order from there so they have to game. But now that the Blue Jays did get this one game and we saw those bats wake up, what should we expect here for the rest of this series? Like all of a sudden this goes from a foregone conclusion to some real pressure on the Mariners at home in game four. Well, pressure's okay. You know, pressure is what professional athletes and even some amateur if there are such things anymore, that's what they should thrive on. You know, wasn't Billy Jean King's pressure is a privilege.

And, you know, if they can't do it, then so be it. They can't do it. But, you know, I think they'll be more relaxed tonight. And remember, they have two more games at home. It's not one. They have two more chances, you know, to end this at home. And, you know, I was really rooting for a Mariners Brewer's series, to be able to see what the network television people did.

I don't even want to say what team is because I feel like if I make you thinking about it, you're going to think of it too. I think I'm on to what you're thinking here, Coach. There's a couple that I know. Can I just say a last name? Can you say a last? I know his position. I know his team.

I know his last name, I think. I just, the first name is like it begins with an A, I think. Oh, I know who you're thinking about. I mean, obviously. I'm thinking of the 2000. 2011 Cardinal. Oh, I already, that's the one that what you're thinking about is what I, hold on, no reaction from you. No reaction from you.

I know who you're thinking about and I just had the same thought process that you did. Mind you, while you go ahead and let yourself think, I am going to go through for the audio audience. I'll go through each year here since we haven't yet. Good call. So we obviously got the 24 Dodgers, 23 Rangers. For those of you who don't remember, in 2022, it's the Houston. Astros. 21, it's the Braves. 2020 was the Dodgers.

19 is the Washington Nationals. 18 Red Sox. 17, Houston Astros. That's a very famous team. 16. The Chicago Cubs. Another very famous team. 15. The Royals. 14. The Giants. 13, the Red Sox. 12 the Giants. 11 the Cardinals.

10, the Giants. And 2009 was the New York Yankees. 2019 Nationals. Trey Turner. No, he did have a great postseason, but he was not the World Series MVP that year.

So that is two strikes for Cody. That's two strikes? Yeah, I got the Dodger, I guess. Mookie Betts. Oh, you don't know who, like, you don't know who that Cardinal is? I know who you're thinking of. It's not him, but I don't know.

So here's the thing. I don't know if you have the right name. I know for sure. Like their third baseman hit a bunch of home runs. Like they, no, so I know who it is, but I'm trying to- 100% he was the MVP. I'm helping you.

I mean, 100%. Okay. I don't have any strikes yet, right? You are not on the board with any strikes. 2011 Cardinals, David Freeze. It's David. Yes. All right.

So the reason I wasn't sure, no, you didn't. The reason I wasn't sure about David Freeze was because I couldn't remember. Did the dominance start? And I helped you. It was like a thousand percent. Did the dominance start? You have to help me on now. No, I was willing to go.

You have to help me on one now. That was a willingness to get a strike. Hold on. Hold on. I want to hear what Jeremy has to say. What I wasn't totally sure of was, was that. dominance starting in the NLCS, was that dominance starting in the NLCS, and thus in turn, I think of him as the World Series MVP, but I now remember that big double off the wall that was over the head of Nelson Cruz.

Two strikes in the ninth inning. It was game six of the 2011 World Series, one of the greatest baseball games ever played. And then, of course, he hit the walk off in game six. And then in game seven, they had to come back again. And I think he had another big hit in, seven. How many pitchers did the Los Angeles Dodgers use in the 1963 World Series? Oh, my goodness. I don't want to go too low because that defeats the purpose of the game.

So I'll say seven. Four. Oh, my gosh. In the entire World Series. Peronowski relieved Johnny Padres. And other than that, it was. is complete games. These are the names that we look for. And speaking of complete games, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, he just threw one for the Dodgers. Blake Snell went eight

innings himself. It required two more pitchers and Trinan and Roki Sasaki to finish that out. So we're already at four pitchers despite 17 combined innings from the starting pitching. But Jane, I mean, it's been all about that starting pitching. And as you just laid out, you're a historian of this game, particularly with Dodgers pitching, go by her Sandy Kofax book as well. Can you please put into perspective how impressive this starting pitching has been for the Dodgers, particularly in a modern game where going that deep into the game is so rare? So it's like being back in 1963. It's the game that people used to like to see. It's the game that people expected from the Dodgers.

And, you know, I hope it turns a whole generation of. new baseball fans on to see what the game can be when guys who are that good are allowed to find out how good they can be. They're preempted where, you know, in modern baseball. Okay, here's my next step for you. How many pitchers did the Dodgers use during total during the 20, 25 season? Ooh, during this season, because they dealt with a lot of injuries. No kidding. I would say, gosh, I would say near 20. I'll try 48. Shut up.

48. Shut up. 48. And the Mets were 47. Good Lord. I mean, that just shows that for them to now be healthy, to have these guys ready to go. Dan's talked about it on the show for a while. It's one of the first teams he's seen that's sort of like in basketball or in football where it's like, hey, as long as you're healthy by the playoffs, it's all going to be okay.

And that's what this Dodgers team has been like. I saw a game in Baltimore. I was talking with Dave Roberts before and giving him a hard time again about having how many times he's removed starters from no-hitters and perfect games. And that night, he allowed Yamamoto to go back out. He was pitching a no-hitter for the ninth inning. And so what happens? Jackson Halliday hits a wall scraper home run in Camden Yards and they lose the game and certainly the no-hitter. And people are like, oh, no, that's terribly.

You shouldn't have let me go back out. No, it was the perfect thing to do. It's a glimpse of what the guy could do and what baseball can be when it's played the way it was meant to be played. Absolutely. So he lost the game. Big deal. It was a great baseball moment. And I thought that was kind of a turning point.

Let's talk about tonight's game and moving forward in this series. If you're trying to be an optimist for. the Brewers fans watching this, or just the baseball fans who maybe don't want to see the giant payroll, L.A. Dodgers back in the World Series, although I think that's what's good for baseball if it's them against the Blue Jays or the Mariners. Why is that good for baseball? I do think it's always fun when there's a giant that can be toppled. I think that that element in any sport is something that that's fun to watch, whether it was the Warriors or the big three heat in in basketball, when there's a giant that can be toppled, the Patriots or the chiefs in football

over the last 20 years, it's always intriguing to see if that upstart team can do it. The Mariners would be the best example. But let's talk about this. What can the Brewers do in tonight's game and potentially moving forward to get back into this series? Like, what has to happen and what would give you any sort of inkling that it's possible? Well, Glass now has a history of sort of. disappearing in the moment.

The face that you made is basically what happens. Right. And they have to be themselves. But look, you know, the other thing that starting pitching the Dodgers has masked, what's wrong with Otani? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he'll be there.

He'll theoretically be there for game four. Yeah, but he's not hitting. Right. Oh, he's been a-hitting at all. He's been a disaster offensively. And, you know, I can't help but wonder. I know it's not a popular thing to. say, but I looked at stats the other day, yesterday, of how he does in games when he pitches.

And it's not good. No. And it's really lousy. And, you know, he's pedestrian at the plate in games that he pitches. And you can't help but wonder, even though they have, you know, been careful in how many innings they've allowed him to go. And that's another question. If it's a, you know, a game where they can win it all, are they going to be, you know,

careful in how much they let him pitch, you know, is he going to have a pitch limit? Is he going to have an innings limit? If I were Shohei Otani, I'm not sure I'd be willing to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wow. I mean, look, 48 pitchers. Yep. 48. Yep. You know, and there is an argument that their lives would be easier. I mean, they have to build everything around his starts in terms of having people available to pick up the extra innings, which they certainly haven't had. And in terms of, you know, worrying about his offensive potential and is production. And not my potential, it's, you know, it's production. And it's, you know, the man has had two Tommy John surgeries.

Yeah. Not one of the official Tommy John and one Tommy John redux. Right. Right. Well, look, when we talk about this Dodgers team, it'll be whether or not Otani can wake up those bats. or not, the Dodgers can get it done against a bullpen game. We'll see if

sort of history here, which is just last night, repeats itself, and the road team continues to win all of these games in these series. Lots of great baseball coming up. Jane, you love it as much as anyone. Thank you so much for being back with us. Again, everybody

go check out her book, Make Me Commissioner. I know what's wrong with baseball and how to fix it. Nothing wrong about baseball tonight. We're going to enjoy it together. Jane, thank you so much. There's a lot right about baseball. There is a lot right about baseball. I can't wait to watch it. Thank you again for joining us.

Here's how I'll help you. I don't need your help. I got an answer. All right. 2012 Giants Madison Baumgartner. Oh, you're so close. Was it 14? Yes, he was.

That was the year where he came in. He pitched game five and then he came in in game seven and pitched like from the fifth inning. It has to be the middle one. It's so funny. It's so funny you do that because what I was going to say to you is there is a player. where you're going to have a 33% chance of getting it right no matter what. Just pick that was going to be your help for me.

That was my help. I mean, that was obvious. Well, see, my help was. You didn't help me? I gave you the answer. I had the answer. You can't handle the truth. Ah, you can't handle the truth.

Can I go through with the rest and just see what I can get? Okay, so tell me 2010 since I clearly didn't get it. Is that Pudger Renteria? Oh, there's the big home run in game five. against Texas that gave them the lead. It was a nothing, nothing ballgame. And he gave them the lead, and they went on to win the World Series. Who wanted for the Yankees in 2009?

Hadecki Matsui was the World Series MVP. That was one that I had sitting there. Alex Gordon for the Royals? No, Salvi Peres. Oh, he was. It was Salvi Peres. I couldn't remember because I remember Alex Gordon. Yeah, he had a great postseason.

It was such a big deal because he had such a great postseason, and he was the lifelong Royal. I remember seeing Eric Hosmer Publix a few days after they won the World Series. I'm a sore loser. Do I have to sit here for this? Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

Yeah. We're going to talk to South. I actually thought that Zobrist was the World Series MVP because he was the World Series MVP the next year. And I could have sworn that he was a back-to-back World Series MVP. He was the one for the Cubs. He, of course, had the big hit in Game 7 that delivered the lead in the 10-day. Which one was Jose Al-Tuvae? Jose Al-Tuve has never won a World Series MVP.

It's Springer, right? and 17. It was Springer and 17 and then Alvarez? And Pena in in 2020. He was a rookie and he had an amazing postseason Jeremy Pena. So I'll go through the, I'll go through all of them just for everybody. It's not Soto, is it? In 19?

No, it was Stephen Shrosberg. There's no world where Will Smith won it in 2020, right? Is that what he was Corey Seeger also Seeger, right? Seeger is a two-time military's MVP. Steve Pierce won in 2018. As crazy as that sounds. Out of nowhere Steve Pierce had a crazy

Post-season ride. I don't even think, honestly, maybe that's why we didn't know. I don't even think Steve Pierce remembers that. David Ortiz won in 2013. Yeah, it's dumb. And Pablo Sandoval, the Panda, of course, won in 2012.

He had a three home run game in the first game of that World Series, I believe. Good parade. Next week, I'm changing clothes.