For World Series Games 3 through 5, The Athletic was joined by MLB veterans Tommy Pham, Max Stassi, Adam Ottavino, Trevor Williams, Rob Refsnyder and Jameson Taillon to offer their thoughts and analysis for our live blog. We asked them questions before, during and after these games to get their takes, and we’ve broken out some of their most interesting answers to give readers a glimpse at the way big leaguers watch the game.
Ottavino, a right-handed reliever, is a New York City native and a 14-year MLB veteran, with stints on the Yankees, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies, and Boston Red Sox.
Stassi is a catcher, having split his big-league time between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels.
Williams, a right-handed pitcher, has nine years in the majors, with stops on the Chicago Cubs, the Mets, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and now the Washington Nationals.
Pham has played for nine teams over 11 years, and is known as a veteran bat who can help bring a competitive team over the top.
Taillon, a right-handed starter, has pitched eight major league seasons, and logged stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees.
Refsnyder has mostly played the outfield in his nine-year career, and while he’s played for six teams, his longest stints came for the Yankees and his current club, the Boston Red Sox.
Game 3
Pregame
The Yankees entered Game 3 down 2-0, reeling from Freddie Freeman’s heroics. We asked our player-experts what that situation feels like.
The Athletic: Not to bring up bad memories, but you were in a two-game hole in the 2019 and 2021 ALCS. Those were 3-1 series and facing elimination, not 2-0, but could you give us a sense of what it’s like for a player and a team like the Yankees when they’re on the ropes?
Adam Ottavino: Being down in the series 2-0, the Yankees will absolutely treat this as a must-win. They will do whatever it takes to win this one and grab some momentum back in the series. One thing I do think is huge for tonight is the Yankees having some success on offense early.
Falling behind tonight will make the crowd feel very negative very fast, and it can be hard to overcome that energy in the building. It’s a tough task coming back, but in baseball guys are very used to letting go of what’s already occurred and attacking the next game fresh. The Yankees will definitely do that. Excited to watch it play out.
Ohtani’s injury dominated the discourse before Game 3. (Harry How / Getty Images)
It may seem like ancient history now, but before Game 3, all eyes were on Ohtani, who had injured his shoulder sliding into second base in Game 2. He surprised observers by bouncing back to play in Game 3, but it wasn’t clear how much could be expected from him.
TA: Shohei Ohtani is playing and, presumably, leading off for the Dodgers. There might not be anything to this, but if you know a guy has a somewhat injured shoulder, would that open up any ways/areas to pitch him knowing he might be cautious with his swing?
Ottavino: It’s a bit odd for the injured shoulder to be the top-hand arm. Most of the time when a hitter subluxes their shoulder it’s that bottom-hand arm. Righty throwers who hit lefty tend to hurt that right arm, and that can really mess you up at the plate because the bottom hand is the hand that gives you length in the swing as your top hand starts to come off the bat. Being that Ohtani is right-handed but hits lefty, I don’t think having a dinged left shoulder will make a huge impact on his swing. I wouldn’t expect the Yankees will have any new strategy because of the injury, but I’m sure they will keep an eye out early and see if there is anything to exploit.
First inning, Game 3. Dodgers lead 2-0
The players chat was popping after yet another Freddie Freeman homer, this one in the first inning
Ottavino: He’s so quick to the ball.
Trevor Williams: Especially after expanding with the cutters and sweepers down and away. You would think he would start to lean over and that’ll give you more room up and in. But he stays so true to his zones. Throw three back-door cutters or sweepers for strikes. Ball to strike only.
Ottavino: Classic pulled heater home-run ball.
Williams: One of my signature moves.
Ottavino: When guys pull the four-seam it doesn’t maintain its shape and ends up on plane with the barrel.
Top of the fourth inning, Game 3, Dodgers lead 3-0
For the second time this series, Nestor Cortes was brought on to retire Shohei Ohtani. The players discuss how to attack him.
Cortes vs. Ohtani was a key matchup throughout this World Series. (Luke Hales / Getty Images)
Ottavino: Last time Nestor went at him hard in, and it worked. If Ohtani is healthy he might cheat fastball.
Williams: I wonder how his injury affects his swing. If it hurts more on extension then throw him away and get him to reach rather than pounding inside.
Ottavino: It’s definitely bothering him.
After a first-pitch foul tip on a fastball …
Williams: That looked like that hurt. So maybe hunt away to get him to keep reaching?
Ottavino: I agree. Away with everything. Soft away might be best.
Williams: I can only imagine what a check swing will feel like
After Ohtani struck out chasing …
Ottavino: I don’t understand how his elbow doesn’t hurt from swinging as hard as he does.
Bottom of the fourth inning, Game 3. Dodgers lead 3-0
The Yankees finally had a chance to score after a Giancarlo Stanton double. With two outs, Anthony Volpe singled, and Stanton was send barreling around third to score. Teoscar Hernández hosed Giancarlo Stanton at the plate.
Ottavino: Sheeeeeesh.
Williams: Wowowowowow.
Ottavino: G just can’t get moving fast.
Williams: (Williams’ wife) Jackie goes, “Oh, he’s out,” as he rounded third.
Ottavino: That’s so deflating.
Sixth inning, Game 3, Dodgers lead 3-0
A pair of pitchers witness the Brusdar Graterol experience as the reliever enters and mixes baserunners with groundouts.
Brusdar Graterol is distinctive in many ways. (Tim Heitman / USA TODAY)
Ottavino: Graterol is a madman.
Williams: 100 mph BOWLING BALLS.
Ottavino: I can’t imagine even trying to make the throw Graterol just did hahahaha
Williams: Hahaha it would hurt.
Postgame
The Dodgers cruised to a 4-2 victory, opening up a 3-0 series lead. No team has ever come back from three games down in the World Series.
Williams: The Yankees aren’t executing on offense. The Dodgers are, and they have dictated everything on both sides. It’s not over — because it’s baseball — but it’s hard to see the Dodgers losing four in a row. They are locked in.
Brief interlude
Wherein The Athletic asked Williams about that time he hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch.
TA: I don’t want to ask you about Anthony Rizzo’s eight hits and two homers off you. That would be rude. I want to ask about the hit by pitch.
Williams: I hit him?
TA: You’ve both probably forgotten. But no one in the crowd has.
Williams: Oh yeah. That’s a kneecap spinner.
TA: Rizzo is the HBP king. He drew two in Game 2, one to put the tying run in scoring position in the ninth inning. Why is he such an easy target?
Williams: (laugh) I don’t think he’s an easy target. He’s just one of those guys who doesn’t get out of the way. He knows the name of the game is to get on base. He’s also a smart baserunners. He’s one of those guys who will pick your back pocket if you’re not paying attention to him at first or second. He used to be way more on the dish. I haven’t thrown to him in a few years. Earlier, he was on top of the dish and had his zones he was looking for. If you threw inside and hit him, his thinking, I assume, was:
Great, now the guys behind me have a chance to drive me in or hit a two-run homer. I wonder if when I hit him he scored that way. (Editor’s note: He did not.) He’s actually on my short list of people I send Father’s Day cards to.
TA: Wait, really?[long silence]
TA: Oh, you mean he owns you, he’s your dad, etc.
Williams: Yeah.
GAME 4
Pregame
Now down 3-0, the Yankees were in a tough spot. Tommy Pham hadn’t been in exactly that position before, but he’d faced similar odds.
TA: A year ago, you were down 3-1 at home in the Word Series after a couple close losses early in the series. What’s it feel like in the clubhouse staring at that uphill climb in the series? Did it feel noticeably tighter or more tense playing when facing elimination?
Tommy Pham: Every game in the postseason should be played like it’s Game 7. If that’s not the mentality then shame on the players and coaches. I’ve gone — and my teammates have gone — into the postseason like every game is Game 7 because every single thing matters: defense, base-running, hitting and coaching. If you don’t approach it like it’s Game 7 from Game 1, you already lost.
The Dodgers were planning a bullpen game, sending reliever after reliever at the Yankees. Max Stassi has caught those, and offered his thoughts on how those are planned.
TA: What’s the challenge for a catcher in a bullpen game? I know typically managers/front offices have a blueprint for how they want these to go. Are you aware of that blueprint ahead of time, and are bullpen games more difficult to gameplan?
Stassi: It’s not more or less challenging to catch a bullpen game, in my opinion. Navigating a lineup for 9 innings is a challenge regardless of pregame pitching strategy. Catchers are usually told the day before the game about whether to expect a bullpen game or an “opener.” I haven’t previously been told of the pitching matchup blueprint before the game — though a World Series must-win could be different. The manager knows which pitchers match up well against opposing hitters – it’s referred to as each pitchers “pocket.” In some organizations, pitchers in the bullpen are told their pocket, so they can prepare ahead of time. Obviously, real time adjustments are inevitable and require pitchers to adapt. As a catcher, It’s my job to make sure I’m prepared to know the hitter and situation to support the pitcher with best possible pitch suggestions to put us in position to succeed.
Pham weighed in on the pressure Aaron Judge and other hitters are facing at this time of year.
TA: You’ve played in 37 postseason games and have hit .315. We often see batters hit a wall in the playoffs, like Aaron Judge has this time. What did you key in on come October to make sure you were in a good position and headspace to perform in that pressure-packed playoff environment?
Pham: Playing winter ball has helped me for the postseason. There’s no atmosphere comparable to playing winter ball. It’s a hostile environment, expectations are through the roof as an American player, and it’s all about winning! You also have to want the moment. For instance, do you want to be up with the game on the line or not? Most guys really don’t. In the postseason, you also have to take your singles. That’s something I’ve learned recently that can actually help me in-season. Like, you know how guys are gonna pitch you, for the most part. All of them have great stuff, so just past the baton to the next guy and take what they give you.
Top of the first inning, Game 4, Dodgers lead 2-0
Yet again, Freddie Freeman launches a home run to put the Dodgers on top, which made Max Stassi consider how to attack him in this state.
TA: Freddie Freeman has taken inside fastballs deep. That one’s a spinner that got his arms extended. How do you pitch to that guy right now?
Max Stassi: Freddie Freeman is obviously red hot right now. Situation dependent, I would take my chances away — flash a few fastballs up-and-in — and make him beat us to the opposite field. In a perfect world, you pitch around him, but the middle of the order for the Dodgers can also really hurt you. He’s so aggressive and will punish any mistake. Hitters that are very aggressive in zone, with solid contact rates, can scare you when they are rolling.
Bottom of the first inning, Game 3, Dodgers lead 2-0
In a World Series with several famous moments, this might be the longest-lasting: Several Yankee fans interfered with L.A.’s Mookie Betts as he tried to catch a fly ball, eventually attempting to rip the ball from his glove.
Yankee fans interfered with Mookie Betts as he attempted to catch a fly ball. Tommy Pham was not amused. (Al Bello / Getty Images)
TA: You have any take on the Mookie Betts/Yankees fan interaction? What would you do in that spot?
Pham: Buddy touching me would be a problem. Keep your hands to yourself.
Second inning, Game 4, Dodgers lead 2-0.
Anthony Volpe failed to score from second on Austin Wells’ ball off the center field wall. How should that play have gone?
Pham: Terrible baserunning there. You have one out, and a ball is hit hot off the bat. You get in a position to score if it’s not caught, and in a position to tag if he makes an incredible catch. Right there I’m halfway off the bag. If it falls for a hit, I score. If he catches it, maybe I can tag. But you don’t want what just there because if the next guy strikes out you’re in trouble and you don’t score.
Max Stassi: In that situation, you pay attention to how far back the center fielder is going. He’s going back to the wall (deep at Yankee Stadium). The further he goes back, the more you can get off the base and potentially go back and tag up to third base, especially if you can run like Volpe. And if the ball drops (like it did) the runner at second can score pretty easily.
Third inning, Game 4, Yankees lead 5-2
The Yankees broke the game open in the third inning on Volpe’s make-good grand slam, ultimately cruising to an easy victory. They did it with home runs, some of them to Yankee Stadium’s short right-field porch.
TA: We’ve seen two cheap homers to right field in this game. If you played at Yankee Stadium, would you aim for that short porch?
Pham: I tried to do that, just doesn’t work that way. But their field caters to my swing. It just hasn’t played to my advantage yet. But I’ll get it. When a hitter starts trying to make things happen like that, it tends to go wrong. Take what the game gives you.
The Yankees would go on to win 11-4, offering them some hope for what could come with ace Gerrit Cole on the mound in Game 5.
Stassi: Huge grand slam by Anthony Volpe. That seemed to change the course for the Dodgers’ bullpen day. Yankees pitchers were solid all night, and it’s always fun watching an offense score a bunch of runs with the long ball. Looking forward to watching Gerrit Cole and Jack Flaherty square off tomorrow in a front-line starter battle!
Game 5
Having forced a Game 5, the Yankees leapt out to a 5-0 lead. They weren’t able to hold it, however, thanks to an error-riddled fifth inning. The players didn’t do in-game commentary this time, but several offered their thoughts after the game on the World Champion Dodgers, the runner-up Yankees, and a surprisingly dramatic 4-1 series.
Mookie Betts was out. And he had also just won the World Series for his Dodgers. (Mary DeCicco / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Taillon: The margin for error in the big leagues is already so small. But when you have two of the very best teams, it’s even smaller. The Dodgers capitalized on mistakes. They had one of their stars, Freddie Freeman, super hot at the right time. I’m also impressed with the situational baseball the Dodgers played considering the star power. (Think Mookie Betts’ sac fly that won it, lifting that pitch and pumping his fist running to first.) … Walker Buehler, coming off his second Tommy John and a tough year, steps up in the playoffs. He’s a playoff dawg. He closes out the final game. He’s about to be a free agent after two Tommy Johns and still closed it out. I’m guessing he wanted/asked for that moment.
Refsnyder: Great series. Jam packed with superstars and big performances. I think just really good overall for the game of baseball. Happy for the Dodgers organization. They have been playing winning baseball for a long time. Like a couple of their players mentioned, nobody can question their greatness.
Taillon: As a whole, what a postseason. The sport is in a great spot. Talent. Young talent. Great stories. Young and old. Mix of big markets and small markets. This postseason had MOMENTS. Don’t forget about San Diego, and Kansas City, Cleveland, Detroit and the Mets! Just some electric games. Big players doing big things. Guys you haven’t heard of stepping up.
(Top photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
