The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Inside the Parker - Verlander Dominance; Twins Record HR Barrage; Aquino's August Explosion; Guests: Michael Bourne, Lavelle Neal

Episode Date: September 4, 2019

This week on Inside the (Rob) Parker, Rob looks at Justin Verlander's recent no-hitter, his late career resurgence, the Twins continuing their record home run barrage, and Reds' rookie Aristedes Aquino's rookie record August tear. He also names his Top 3 MLB Teams of the Week, this week's 'Twitter Trash Talk' Winner, 'Fair or Foul' and the Analytic Stat of the Week.Guests: Michael Bourne - Former MLB Outfielder and stolen base leader discusses the decline of the stolen base, and why it will come back.; Lavelle Neal - Twins Beat Writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune discusses watching the Twins record home run barrage, and playoff possibilities.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

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Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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From wherever you live in MLB America, this is inside the parker. You give us 22 minutes and we'll give you the scoop on. Major League Baseball. Now here's Baseball Hall of Fame voter number 103. Rob Parker. Welcome into Inside the Parker. I'm your host Rob Parker. Coming up on the podcast, former Major League outfielder Michael Bourne will join us. Talk about what he's up to and his former team, the Atlanta Braves. Plus, we'll talk with Minneapolis Star Tribune baseball writer LaVelle Neal. He'll talk about. He'll talk about. those home run hitting twins, that and much more.

I'm here, you're there, let's go. Better up. To lead off, it's getting robbed. And keep him out. Rob's hot take on the three biggest stories in Major League Baseball. Number one. For sure, Justin Verlander has joined the elite class of pitchers when on Sunday he no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays

and recorded his third no-no of his career. He becomes only the sixth pitcher in baseball history to record more than two no-hitters. Four of the previous pitchers, and we're talking about Nolan Ryan, Sandy Kofax, Bob Feller, and Cy Young are all Hall of Famers. So that tells you where Justin Verlanders is headed.

and this is the thing about Justin Verlander that's been really impressive. He's one of those guys, when you look back at 36 years old, he won early when he was a young stud with the Detroit Tigers, and now he's winning late as a veteran pitcher. He won his first World Series in 2017 was a big part of that with the Houston Astros. So Justin Verlander has been one of those guys who struggled a little bit in the middle of his career. People thought maybe he wasn't going to reach the plateau of greatness, but he got it righted, big time winner early, big time winner late. He is one of those guys.

We'll look back now and think that Justin Verlander was one of the best pictures that we were able to see. during this time because you start talking about a lot of guys. When you add the World Series, when you add an MVP, when you add a Cy Young, you add those things all together and a few no hitters. Now three, Justin Verlander is on top of the pitching world right now. Number two. The Minnesota Twins. That's right. Slug their way to a Major League record on Saturday night when they hit their two hundred.

168 home run in a loss to the Tigers. It didn't matter that they lost. They broke the previous record set by the 2018 New York Yankees. But this Twins team has been unbelievable with young players, the addition of Nelson Cruz, a veteran, and with a big bat. And the twins now entered the month of September with seven players totaling 20 plus home runs. Polanco, their shortstop,

entered September with 19. So they have a chance of having eight players with 20 or more home runs. The 2018 Yan- Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying,

and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice. on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

Kier Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase. that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app search learn the hard way

and listen now. What's up guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, the Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Look. Quarterback on office blue with 42.

Hey, Brett. My mama want you to weigh better. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. American soccer is about to explode.

The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to earn a score at the chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Bo. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan.

I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals.

The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, inside American soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Yankees surpassed the 1997 Mariners with their 267 home run campaign last season and just one Yankee hit 30 or more home runs in 2018, while the twins have two players with just two players, I should say, with 30 plus home runs entering September as well.

And it's the only little funny part about this whole thing is if you think that it's their record and it's a done deal with a month left, guess again, the twins are the only club that could break the previous record. The Yankees have 254 home runs with a month left in the season. So it's not inconceivable that the Yankees could actually catch them and beat them in the same season. but for right now, the twins are the home run champs of Major League Baseball. Number three. Don't look now, but the Cincinnati Reds have a stud and Ariste as Aquino. What a historic start to Aquino's career. He joined a short list of players to sweep the National League Player of the Month

and Rookie of the Month awards. He has 14 home runs in the month. of August, which is, of course, is a league record for rookies. Akeeno had 33 hits, 33 RBIs in the month of August, batted 320 with a 391 on-base percentage. His slugging, 0.767, the highest in the majors. He becomes the first rookie since Yassio Pueig. And coincidentally, he's the player who replaced Pueig when Pueg was traded from the

Red City. Indians in right field in the same month. The list of rookies to win both awards in the same month since the rookie of the month was introduced in 2001, Pueg, Buster Posey, Ryan Braun, and now Aquino. Why is it that the oldest child grows up with the strict rules, but the younger ones get away with everything? Shouldn't everyone get the same treatment?

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Here comes the big interview. Listen and learn. Oh, it's so good. All right, let's welcome into the podcast. Michael Bourne, the former Major League Center fielder, played 11 major league seasons, broke in of course with the Phillies, play with the Astros, the Braves a couple times, Indians, Diamondbacks, finished up with the Orioles. Michael, welcome to the podcast.

Well, thanks for having me. Rob, thanks for having me. It's always good conversating with you. No doubt. So first, let's start off with you and what's going on after you've retired for Major League Baseball. What are you doing? Well, I have three kids now. I have a son that's 10 that's in the baseball a lot. actually is playing fall ball ball right now trying to give him to play soccer but you know of course

he don't want to listen to daddy just let work on his footwork have a daughter that's playing tennis she's just turned six and I have a newborn basically where she'll be a year old actually in a few days so I got that going on got a couple of businesses going on on the side and man just just just trying to continue to grow as a person continue to grow business-wise and uh that's about it you know keeping his body in shape and that that's it no doubt out about it. Are you seeing all these balls flying out of all these ballparks? You want to get up there and take some swings? Because you might be able to hit 40 out of the park.

Yeah, the right team call me, I'll go ahead and take a swing and get it. Well, no matter of any team, Kauffman gave me a chance, I'll probably take a swing and get it. But, you know, I'm cool either way. If they're carving, they want to me, I'll come. If not, I keep doing what I'm doing. What jumps out at you the most about baseball? Is it that the home runs? Is it all the good young players out of the time?

there. It's amazing how many young players who are really, really good playing Major League Baseball? I think a little bit of both. And I think those young players are good because, you know, coming up when I played, I think I don't think we played as much baseball. And I think they're playing a little bit more baseball as they're coming up even through like Little League, you know, come going to all these showcases. So they're used to being on the scene a lot more than we were and they're playing a lot more and a lot more often than we or than we were at the time. But at the same time, I'm still an old-school person

or hard because I still like the kids to play every other sport and child of sports. And, you know, once they kneel it down and round 14 or 15 or 16, they think they won't one sport then do it. I'm into, like, trying different things. Because the one thing about baseball is, you know, Rob, you play a lot of it. It's keep playing.

Right. No doubt about it. Now, the game, too, you were the National League Stolen Base leader, 2009 to 2011, three years in a row, but people don't steal bases anymore. Are you surprised how the game has changed and they don't look at it the same way manufacturing runs and stuff like that? I am surprised, but at the same time, I think that it will come back over time. I think the home run ball is took over right now,

and it did it before, right before I was coming up, to be honest with you, and then they went to – I came in at the right time, They were looking for it to manufacture runs. And if you go before that, before the home run came the first time, you remember Willie McGee and Vince Colman and all those guys and Ricky Henderson and Kenny Luff. They were part of the Stilling Base area that was going on before. So I figure to switch again.

I think analytics is taking over a lot, which I think has a part in the game. But I also think that it can be used too much. I heard Kobe say something about it. He was doing an interview at the U.S.O., but he'd say he hates analytics. and I think it can be over you because it can't measure certain things at certain times

so I mean, number of the good always, but I think it can also be overused. So I think a little bit of both is good. I think it's all the ways to come back. You still have some out there in Malick Smith and, you know, you still got D.Guard now so they represent well for the line of the shields. They still got something that's running a little bit,

and I think I've got to come undersea, Mundy from Kansas City. I still keep up, Billy Hamilton. So, you know, it's still there. It's just not as much, and I think the home run ball has taken over. I think certain people are, you know, they're taking the green light for some of these kids, which I think if you can prove yourself that you can steal the base at a high rate, I think you should have the green light. You know, I think that's, you know, if you want to get to the next base as soon as possible.

And the home run ball works a lot in the regular season, but as you know in the postseason, I don't think it plays as much, you know. I think it still plays, but not as much. That's all. That's what I think. you because it is harder. You're facing the best pitchers. You're not facing the also-rans like you do during the

regular season. Speaking of the playoffs, two of your former teams, the Braves look good and so do, obviously, the Houston Astros. Tell me about the Braves and the Astros. Who do you like? Oh, man, that's a, you know, I'm from Houston, but I love Atlanta,

and they know that was a great organization towards me. But if you have to ask me, honestly, I think Houston is a little bit better team, a little bit more depth. I mean, they just all around the board, they can be just so many ways, you know. They have great pitching, a great one-two punch, and you have Grinky in there, too. So really a one-two-three punch. And I see they just move James to closes.

So, I mean, whew, with that offense, man, I mean, you're talking about starting off with Springer, Al-Tube, Breggman, Brantley, Carraya, Alvarez, the young kids, Then you got a, I mean, Redick and now, you got kids. I mean, that's a 1-6, 1-2-7. Not to mention Guriel, who was the player of the month, I think, one last month, and Breggman was a player in the month. So I'm going to have to say the Astros on that. Sorry, Freda Freeman.

Shout out to Freddie Freeman. You know. You know, right? He's going to be hurt that you're not talking about the Braves. He knows. He knows, my God, man. He wanted the best hitters around, man. And I do think the Braves have a chance.

You know, I think they do have a chance. like their manager snicker. He was my third base coach, and I love him as well. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real.

From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Care Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month,

I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it

and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff.

Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue 42. A rep. My mama want you to wave at her.

What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. American Soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart the chip. I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Boe.

On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Polic. I'm not worried about Balligan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team.

And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

wherever you get your podcast. Great organization. They have a great ups and stuff. side. I like the young kid that's playing left field for him right now. I can't remember his name. It just blank my mind. But I like him. He's in the second year. He looks amazing. You know, Ronald Ocuna, Jr.

Right. A cuna, right, right. He's nice, man. And I think they have a great nucleus. You know, they got Donaldson over there that. It's hit well for him. So they got a good team, man. They got good young players, good prospects coming up. But right now, if you ask me right now, I have to lean to the strove, man. They look real good. I think the Dodgers are good, too. That's going to be hard for the Braves to get across in the NNL.

I was going to ask you that. It's going to be tough for the Dodgers to get to the World Series three years in a row. It's not easy. It's not easy, but you know what? I have to say, the Astros versus the Dodgers the last time they faced off at the World Series is one of the best World Series I have ever seen from both sides, man. And that matchup was amazing, you know, and I think it would be amazing again. You know, I know the Dodger wants to get back, but, you know, I got to rule with my hometown boys from Houston Astros, man.

I got them taking it all, and I hope they come through for us. And the city will definitely be rooting them on. Shout out to Michael Brander. That's one of my good friends, too. So I just think that, man, baseball is, you know, of course, you know, in sports things change. Like, you know, when Jordan was playing the basketball, the mid-range game was more of a game here. And now, you know, in the NBA, the three-point game is more the more the game. Now, a lot of people are going towards the three-point, just like in the NFL.

You got nothing but, you know, they used to run the ball a lot more. Not just throw it. So, you know, it's just, you know, stuff involved. But, you know, I think things will turn back the clock and, you know, the clock will go, just like a clock in real life. It'll go around and come back again, you know, it just part of life how it goes. you know, so I think the stormed come back, and I think that speed

is always necessary, not on just the base pass, in the outfield as well. You know, defense always wins championships to me. That's another thing the Astros have. They have a real good defense, and so do the Braves, but the Astros have real good defense, and I think that, you know, when you're talking about winning championships, you have to be able to play defense.

I really think that's a big key to winning, is playing defense. There you go. His name is Michael Bourne, former Major League center fielder for 11 years, Mike. Always a pleasure. Next time I have you on, we're going to break down some NBA like we used to always talk. Always, Rob. You know, I'm a big NBA fan.

I know. I hope I can put it out too. But we'll see. Whenever you have the time, I love to join the podcast any time. I love talk of sport. We'll do that, my man. Thank you so much. Appreciate you.

Thank you, Rob. Thank you for having me. It's time for the Pocket Protector Central. numbers you need to know, well, maybe. FS1's Anthony Masterson is his name. BS analytics is his game. What you got for me today, Anthony? Hi, Rob.

Today I'm here to tell you that not all 95-mile-per-hour fastballs are created equal because all pitchers are not created equal. Rainy Johnson at 610 and Pedro Martinez at 511 might have both thrown hard, but to the badder, their fastballs look like night and day. This is because of a metric we can track now for pitchers called Extension, which ties right in to perceived velocity to a hitter. Extension quantifies how much closer a pitcher's release point is to home plate than the rubber, which stands out on the mound at 60 feet, 6 inches.

While perceived velocity is, you guess it, how fast the pitch appears to a batter compared to what it reads on the radar gun. Take Tampa Bay race starter Tyler Glassnow. Glass now stands on the mound in an imposing 68, 230 pounds, with a four-seeing fastball that averages 96.6 miles per hour this season, one of the top marks in the league. Now, Glass now has an outstanding extension on his pitches, reaching over eight feet at times.

That puts his perceived velocity of that pitch at an average of 99.4 miles per hour, highest of any starting pitcher in baseball this season, and nearly three miles per hour added onto his radar gun readings. No surprise, hitter is hitting a paltry 216 on that pitch this season. Rob, perception versus reality, has found its way to the world of baseball analytics. And I might even pay attention to that reality.

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I don't want to say that the Houston Astros GM had his panties in a bunch, but after the Yankees and the Dodgers played that epic weekend series in Los Angeles, he went on the record and said that his team would pass both the Yankees and the Dodgers and have the best record in baseball. J.R., are his comments foul or fair? Fair. It's a fair ball. Definitely fair.

having the best regular baseball means anything once the playoffs start. But the Ashes are playing well, and they'll probably finish strong. It's simply just bragging right, though. We all remember when Seattle won 116 games. When was that, Rob, in 2001 and couldn't finish the job in the ALCF? Lord knows the regular season is just a 162 game audition for the October get-down. Now, I don't know why the Astero Jim will be concerned with that right now. These guys have the best team in baseball, in my opinion, led by Verlander, Cole, a pitcher's staff, nobody wants to face.

Their only mission should be to get back to that World Series that they got in 2017 and continue the dynasty. Houston has great stars and talent. They can dominate the years to come, but they'll never get as much press as the Yankees or the Dodgers. Big Market Rule in baseball. Stop whining. Go in another ring. Fasten your seat back. Give me fuel, give me fire, give me double-trial-as-eye.

Here comes Parker's top three MLB teams this week. Number three. The Los Angeles Dodgers, I know people think I'm crazy. As of Tuesday, they were 90 and 50. Despite that Garty record, can you imagine the Dodgers don't even have the best record in baseball? In fact, there are two teams with a better record than the Dodgers. And the Dodgers did have some bad news this.

past week. Max Moncksy will miss a couple of weeks with a small fracture in his right wrist. So that's not really a good thing. And Rayu, the other problem is he's had a couple of bad starts allowing 18 runs in his last three starts covering 14 and two-third innings after he had been lights out for the Dodgers. So I dropped the Dodgers down to number three. Number two. The second best team in baseball is the Houston Astros. They move up and you know what? They deserve it.

Last night they won a big game against the Milwaukee Brewers. That was on Monday night with some heroics by Springer late. And as of Tuesday, they were 90 and 49 tied with the Yankees for the best record, not only in the American League, but in baseball as a whole. So the Astros with their top heavy pitching staff and their big bats, and they seem to be loaded and getting better and better every week as far as health. So there you go. The Astros are the second best team in baseball.

Number one. The New York freaking Yankees. We keep talking. about them week after week. I know people are tired of hearing about it, but let's just be honest. As of Tuesday, they had the best record in baseball tied with the Astros at 90 and 49. An incredible record. The Yankees were the first team in baseball to get to the 90 win mark. That is impressive when you think of all the players that have been hurt. We have now seen Aaron Judge come alive that home run bat.

That's scary. That's right in the nick of time. And then when you talk about the heroics, we saw the Yankees with a couple of dramatic walk-off wins against the A's who are a really good team. DJ LeMayhew hit a home run in the 11th inning on Saturday. And then on Sunday in a wild five to four win, Gardner hit a home run, and Mike Ford hit a home run.

And the Yankees walked off, were able to be. to win that game as well. So there you are. The Yankees are the best team in baseball. It's time for Trash Talk Twitter. Your chance to trash anyone or anything in Major League Baseball. This week's winner is Talon Chappelle. He's at T-Chap 66 and he tweeted me this. MLB pitchers are the biggest prima donnas in all of sports.

Even worse than wide receivers and soccer superstars. I'm baffled how often their frail little eagles get shattered when a guy goes to the sweet bat flip after bashing a pitch over the upper deck. Hashtag, get over it. If you want a chance to win a new era snapback like Talon did, send your trash to at Rob Parker, FS1, on Twitter. When Rob was a newspaper columnist, he lived by this motto. If I'm writing, I'm ripping. Let's bring in a writer or broadcaster, older new. All right, now let's welcome to the podcast, LaVelle Neal from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

He covers the Twins and Major League Baseball and has been doing it for a long time. 22 years. Lavelle, what's up, buddy? I'm not much, man. How's everything with you? Man, all is well. Thanks for joining the podcast. Let's get right to those Twinkies.

And what a year it's been thus far. Just set the record for most home runs in the single season. And still, there's, you know, a month to go still, almost a month. How crazy has that been? It's been really remarkable, man. I mean, they thought they had a chance to hit a few home runs, going into the regular season. but they didn't know things were going to take off the way they did.

But, you know, if you sit back and look at it, you know, it was just kind of a confluence of factors here because they had a young core with Matt Kepler, Orhe Polanco, and Ada Rosario, and Byron and Buxton, and Bill & Mitch Garvin to that mix, and they all took steps forward in their games. You know, Bucksons have been injured a lot this year, but when he's been on the field, he has shown the ability to put the bat on the ball.

So you mix those guys in, and then you add it a veteran pre-agent group of Nelson Cruz, Johnson Scope, C.J. Crone, and Marring Gonzalez. And the result has been just a ball flying out of the park. The more remarkable thing about

this is that if you look at the strikeout numbers in baseball, the twins are one of the, I think they're in the bottom 10 in terms of frequency of strikeouts. This team takes good at bats from top to bottom. And the home runs a result most of the

time of them take a good bat. Now, they're hitting coach, Jeff, James Rousin. He advocates an aggressive approach to the plate. He allows these guys to hunt for strikes. It was in the strike zone. Go ahead and crush the ball. And I mean, given that green light, and they have focused on hitting strikes, and the ball's taken off.

And it's been something to see, and it really puts pressure on a lot of opposing pitchers because every third in that bat in order, the top third, a middle third, a middle third, have a guy who's got at least 20 home runs somewhere in it, and you cannot relax against this lineup. I was going to say they have seven guys with 20 or more, and Polanco has 19 as of Tuesday. So that's unbelievable. That's eight guys, almost.

Yeah, and they should get to eight. Eight would be a major league record. And then they have Marlon Gonzalez, he's 15. He's a hot streak away from becoming a ninth guy. So, like he said, it's been really remarkable to see how the homerism spread up and down the lineup. And you've got a couple guys, and Max Kepler and Nelson Cruz, who have a chance at 40 home runs this year.

And that's Harmon Killebrew numbers right there when you get the 40, man. And that's been, you've got a couple guys within there. They're going to have great season. Eddie Rezario is probably going to drive on 100 runs. Max Kepler is going to drive 100 runs and score 100 runs while hitting 40 homers. And that's a tremendous year. And I thought you couldn't hit ball home runs in that ballpark.

Wasn't that the wrap on target field? No, they just didn't have the muscles at the time. That's what it was. There was more muscles than homers because they used to see the guys like Miguel Cabrera, Edwin and Karnassia, and all the big boppers would come in and go deep to the right center field. They're like, how in the ball in the far? Well, now you see the twins do that. and it's a combination of guys getting more mature, filling out,

and no one of the strike you and punishing the baseball. So it's been, you know, it took a couple years for this to develop the way it has, but now there's not a park they can't home run. I mean, they hit eight home runs in a game twice. I think they hit six home runs in the game five times, and they won the first four. They happened to lose on Saturday when they hit six home runs against the Tigers, and that was actually the night in which they broke the record for most homerunsit in the season.

The other part about this team I like is that they come back, come from behind. They don't give up. That's a great trade, isn't it about a young team? It is. They have 28 come from behind wins. The most recent one was yesterday at Tiger Stadium when they were trailing three to two. And Jordan Zimmerman pitched a pretty good game. I guess adding a sinker to his repertoire has helped them out.

And the twins had one home run in the game, but then in the eighth and Max Kelly. Rapper came through with a two-run single that gave them the 4-3 lead. So they hang in there, man. They battle, and they've come back against good teams. They come back in the Red Sox. They come back in the Yankees. They trust in their ability, man. And they're not going to, you know, they're not going to give up when they fall behind.

I'm not going to poo-poo on a great regular season. And obviously, to win the division and whatnot get to the playoffs when some people didn't think it was possible. The other part is they haven't won a playoff series since 2000. 2002. Is this going to be another twin story, or could this team really advance and move forward? Well, they're not to prove

that they're more than just a one-serious team, but it's going to be tough because right now that the postseason began today, they would be going to Houston to play the Astros. The Astros are loaded now. Their offense is locked in. They're a better team than when they face the twins earlier in the season because Albert's kid was not in the lineup, and they hadn't

trade for San Dreekie yet. And both those people are on board, and it's taken them to a now level, plus Houston's healthy. So the twins took three out of four against Houston early in the season in target field. And they lost two out of three at Houston. But that's going to be a tough team to get by in the first run of the postseason. And the twins have to do it with their bats. I mean, the pitcher staff is solid but not spectacular. And the start rotations kind of faltered a little bit during the second half.

So they're going to have the out-hit teams. And that's going to go against the old adage that claims that good pitch and will stop good hitting. But we'll see. but it's going to be a challenge for them to break that drop going back to 2002. All right, his name is Lavelle Neal. Been covering the twins in Major League Baseball for 22 years from the Minneapolis Star Tribune. My man, thank you. Appreciate your time.

All right, my pleasure, man. Thanks for having me. All right. Appreciate you. Closer. Track one. Strike one. Strike two.

Here's reason number 9,000 why Major League Baseball is better than the NBA and better than the NFL. You just never know what you're going to get when you go to a baseball game. You could get Justin Verlander pitching a no-no. You could get the Minnesota Twins hitting six home runs in the game and losing. You could get the Yankees being shut out for the first time in 220 games. which seems incredible with the bats and the players that they have, that they've actually gone this long without ever being shut out in a game. The last time the Yankees was shut out was July 1st, 2018.

But the Rangers did it. You just don't know. Baseball is full of surprises. That's why I think people still love to go out. It's not the same thing every day. it's not automatic that the team with the best record or the best players win every day. Baseball is indeed like a box of chocolate.

You just never know what you're going to get. In the words of New York TV legend, the late Bill Jorgensen, thanking you for your time this time until next time. Rob Parker, out. He can't get it. This could be an inside of Parker. See you next week. Same bad time, same bad station.

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Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. And every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline.

And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me.

Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Clivert Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office, Blue 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. American Soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramers sending on the Army.

I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Boeh. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines, the biggest decisions, and the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals.

Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.