National Baseball League

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Mike Francesa voice first… slow burn, disbelief building…
I mean… lemme just say this right now…

I have been watching baseball my entire life… and I have never—and I mean NEVER—seen anything like this game.

Thirty-seven to twenty-eight?!

Thirty-seven to twenty-eight, Chris!!

This isn’t a World Series game… this is a football score with a typo!

Mike Francesa:
The New York Yankees scored 37 runs… THIRTY-SEVEN… in a World Series game. You realize how insane that is? And the crazy part? The Chicago Cubs scored TWENTY-EIGHT!
This game had 65 runs!

You had guys hitting three homers… on BOTH sides… and it didn’t even feel like enough!

Chris Russo (losing his mind):
MIKE!!! MIKE!!! WHAT ARE WE DOIN’ HERE?! WHAT IS THIS?!
THIS IS THE WORLD SERIES OR A VIDEO GAME?!

You got Zuby Ejiofor—SIX HITS! THREE HOMERS! THREE TRIPLES!!!

THREE TRIPLES, MIKE!!! WHO HITS THREE TRIPLES IN A GAME?!?!

AND HE DROVE IN SEVEN RUNS!!! SEVEN!!!

Mike (cutting in):
Chris… Chris… he had 21 total bases. Twenty-one! That’s not a stat line—that’s a season total for some guys!
Mad Dog (talking over him):
AND IRVING ON THE OTHER SIDE!!! DON’T FORGET HIM!!! THREE HOMERS, FIVE HITS, SIXTEEN TOTAL BASES!!
AND THEY LOST!!!

HOW DO YOU HIT LIKE THAT AND LOSE BY NINE RUNS?!

Mike:
Because the Yankees lineup is a joke—in the sense that it’s unfair.
Cavazos? Six runs.
Thomas? Six runs.
Ejiofor? Six runs.

Everybody scores six runs! What is this, a charity event?!

Dog:
AND THE PITCHING—MIKE—THE PITCHING!!!
There IS no pitching!! It’s gone! It left the building in the FIRST INNING!!

Mike:
This game was over before it started. Diaz gives up bombs immediately—Cavazos, Ejiofor, Martinez—and you knew right there…
This was gonna be a long afternoon.

Dog (dramatic):
Five hours, Mike! FIVE HOURS!
Fans showed up for a baseball game… they got a DOUBLEHEADER worth of runs in ONE GAME!!

Mike (resetting the series):
But here’s the bottom line…
The Yankees do what great teams do—they respond.

They get embarrassed in Game 1, they come back in Game 2, and they absolutely blow the doors off.

Series tied, 1–1. Now it shifts to Chicago.

Dog:
And how do the Cubs recover from THIS?! You score 28 runs and LOSE?!
That’s demoralizing, Mike! That sticks with ya!

Mike (calm, ominous):
Or… it tells you something else.
These two lineups?

Nobody is safe.

Nobody.

Dog (yelling to close):
FIRST TEAM TO 50 RUNS IN A GAME WINS GAME 3!!! BOOK IT!!!
And somewhere… every pitcher in this series is hiding.

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🎙️ YES Network Postgame — Michael Kay & David Cone Recap Game 3

Michael Kay (measured but energized):
Welcome back to Wrigley Field, where the New York Yankees take Game 3 of this absolutely unhinged World Series… 13–10 over the Chicago Cubs… and Cone, I don’t even know where to begin.
You score 13 runs… and you’re still sweating in the ninth inning.
David Cone (analytical, slightly amused):
That’s the theme of this series, Kay—no lead is safe, no inning is quiet, and no pitcher is sleeping well tonight.
But I’ll tell you where this game turned: the first two innings. The Yankees didn’t just come out aggressive—they came out relentless.
Kay:
Top of the first—Zuby Ejiofor, and here we go again. Two-run homer. Then Rick Carter follows it up. Blink, and it’s 3–0.
Then the second inning… that’s where this thing explodes.
Cone:
Exactly. You hang a pitch to this lineup, it’s gone. Josh Thomas with the triple, Ejiofor again—another homer—and suddenly it’s 7–0 before Chicago can even process what’s happening.
And here’s the key, Kay: this wasn’t just power. This was pressure. Triples, stolen bases, constant traffic.
Kay:
Zuby Ejiofor—let’s just say it—he is owning this World Series.
3-for-4… two home runs… a triple… four RBIs… and an OPS that looks like a video game setting.
Cone, is this becoming one of the great World Series performances we’ve ever seen?
Cone:
It already is. And what stands out isn’t just the power—it’s the adjustments. First homer on a sinker, second on a different look, then later stretches one into a triple.
He’s not guessing—he’s reading everything.
Kay (shifting tone):
But here’s what makes this game wild…
It felt over at 10–0.
And it wasn’t.
Cone:
Not even close. Credit Chicago—they don’t quit. Lozano with triples, Irving with two home runs… and suddenly it’s 10–4, then 12–8, and you’re thinking…
“Here we go again.”
Kay:
Birgir Irving—three hits, two homers, four RBIs… and somehow he’s not the story tonight.
Cone (laughing):
That tells you everything about this series.
Kay:
Let’s talk pitching for a second—because we probably should, even if it’s been optional.
Mike Bowden gets the win… but 8 runs, 3 home runs allowed. That’s not exactly dominance.
Cone:
No, but in this environment, it’s survival. He gave them innings when they needed it most. And that’s the difference tonight—Yankees pitching bent, but didn’t completely break.
Chicago? They never stopped the bleeding early.
Kay (building drama):
So now, the Yankees lead this series 2–1.
They’ve scored 37 runs in Game 2… 13 more tonight…
That’s 50 runs in two games.
Cone:
And somehow, you still feel like every game is hanging by a thread.
Kay (closing, classic tone):
Game 4 tomorrow night here at Wrigley Field.
If the first three games are any indication…
You might not want to blink.
Because in this World Series…
You miss an inning—
You miss everything.

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🎙️ Colin Cowherd Recap — “The Herd” Style

Let me tell you something—we just watched Game 4 of the World Series, and if you think this is normal baseball… it’s not. This is chaos. This is backyard football with no referees. This is offense on offense on offense.
18–17. Eleven innings. Twenty hits EACH.
That’s not a baseball game—that’s a philosophy.
Here’s the takeaway—and I say this all the time:
👉 Great teams don’t panic in chaos. Average teams do.
The New York Yankees? They’re built for this.
They don’t need structure. They don’t need a clean game.
They walk into a mess—fires everywhere—and say, “Cool, we’ll just outscore you.”
That’s what dynasties do.
Now let’s talk about the star—because every great team has one guy who feels inevitable.
Zuby Ejiofor.
Four hits. Two bombs. A triple. Thirteen total bases.
At this point, he’s not just hot—he’s controlling the series.
You ever watch a player and think, “Yeah… he’s deciding outcomes now”?
That’s where we are.
But here’s where it gets interesting…
The Chicago Cubs didn’t fold.
And I actually respect this—because most teams, down 13–2, go quiet.
Not Chicago.
Birgir Irving? Three home runs. FOUR runs scored.
They dropped 17 runs and still lost.
Think about that. You score 17 in a World Series game… and you’re walking back to the clubhouse down 3–1.
That’s brutal.
And this is why I always say:
👉 There’s a difference between being explosive… and being reliable.
Chicago is explosive.
New York is reliable.
Big difference.
Let’s talk about the moment.
Top of the 11th. Game tied. Season hanging.
Steve Carver—catcher—steps in.
Not the superstar. Not the headline guy.
BOOM. Two-run homer.
That’s championship DNA.
It’s not always your best player—it’s your deepest roster.
Now zoom out.
Yankees lead the series 3–1.
And I don’t care how many runs Chicago scores—this series feels over.
Because when everything breaks down…
when the game turns weird…
when it becomes a street fight…
New York is calmer. New York is deeper. New York wins.
Final thought:
If this series has taught us anything, it’s this—
👉 Pitching wins championships… unless nobody can pitch.
And right now?
Nobody can pitch.
So I’m taking the team that can hit forever.
And that’s the Yankees.
Game 5 tomorrow.
If you’re Chicago, you don’t need adjustments.
You need a miracle.

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New York Yankees: 1940 World Champions (5th title)
1909 1912 1937 1939 1940

🎙️ Mike and the Mad Dog — 1940 World Series Game 5 Recap

Mike Francesa:
Alright, lemme tell ya somethin’ right now—this is not a normal World Series clincher. This is not a tight Game 7, this is not small ball, this is not pitching duels.
This is a 22–13 demolition by the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field—and with it, they make HISTORY.
Five championships. FIVE! First team ever to do it!

Chris Russo:
Mike, I mean this sincerely—I don’t even know what I watched! Twenty-two runs! EIGHT home runs! You got guys hittin’ triples all over the ballpark like it’s batting practice in July!
And they’re doin’ this… in a clincher… on the road… in the WORLD SERIES?!

Mike:
And Dog, here’s the thing—you wanna talk dynasty, this is a dynasty.
Three titles in four years. Back-to-back now. Five overall.
This is the gold standard. This is what every franchise in baseball is chasing.

Mad Dog:
And it’s not just one guy, Mike! Everybody hits!
Ejiofor—TWO homers, SIX RBIs!
Kassebaum—TWO homers!
Mortensen—TWO homers!
Culpepper, Cavazos—everybody!
They had 18 hits and 9 walks! You can’t pitch to these guys! You just CAN’T!

Mike:
And that’s the key. It’s not about one superstar carrying you—it’s a lineup where if you get through one guy, the next guy buries you.
That first inning—BOOM, five runs.
Second inning—BOOM, six more.
Game’s over in two innings, Dog. OVER.

Mad Dog:
But Mike—lemme say this about the Chicago Cubs, because I don’t want this lost…
They scored THIRTEEN RUNS!!
Birgir Irving—FOUR home runs! FOUR!
Six hits! Eight RBIs! TWENTY-TWO total bases!!
And they LOST by nine runs!!

Mike (laughing):
That’s impossible! That’s IMPOSSIBLE!
You score 13 runs, your center fielder hits four home runs, and you lose comfortably?! That’s how good the Yankees are offensively.

Mad Dog:
But I’ll say this—Chicago’s got somethin’.
This is their first World Series appearance, they didn’t back down, they didn’t quit. They can HIT.
They’re gonna be back, Mike. I really believe that!

Mike:
I agree. They’ve got a core, they’ve got stars, and if they ever figure out the pitching—even a little bit—they’re gonna be right back here.
But right now? This belongs to New York.

Mad Dog:
This is history, Mike!
Five titles! A repeat! A dynasty in full bloom!
Mike (firmly):
And let’s be very clear—when you talk about the greatest teams ever assembled…
This Yankees team is now in that conversation. 152-10 regular season, 11-2 postseason.
No debate.

Mad Dog (rising):
THE BRONX BOMBERS DO IT AGAIN!!!

Mike:
Ballgame over. Series over. Dynasty secured.

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2007 NHL Standings

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OH BABY—now that’s a wild card game, folks! You gotta love it! 🍁🏒
Don Cherry here—listen, I’m tellin’ ya right now, this is what playoff hockey—yeah I know it’s your OOTP version but still—this is what it’s ALL about: guts, heart, and guys steppin’ up when it matters!
First off—Utah Mammoth—FIRST playoff game in franchise history—and what do they do? They go into Los Angeles, big crowd, tough building, and BOOM! Three runs right outta the gate in the first inning! That’s how you set the tone! No feelin’ it out, no осторожно stuff—just ATTACK!
And I gotta talk about this kid Erick Flores—are you kiddin’ me?! This guy was unbelievable! Six innings, no walks—NO WALKS!—that drives me nuts when guys are walkin’ everybody. He says, “Not tonight!” That’s old-school hockey mentality—pound the zone, make ‘em earn it!
Now look, the Los Angeles Kings—they didn’t quit. I’ll give ‘em that. You got guys like Kopitar and Olachea battlin’, they chip away, they tie it, they even take it to extras—this wasn’t a rollover job. This was a TRACK MEET!
But here’s the thing—Utah? They bent… but they didn’t break. Even when Montez gives up a couple bombs—hey, it happens!—they come right back and WIN it in the 12th! That’s character! That’s a TEAM!
And how about Wilfredo Rodriguez early? Big home run, sets the whole thing up. And Cuylle—two doubles! That’s clutch hitting! Not just swinging for the fences—get on base, do the job!
And I LOVE this—Utah’s bullpen? They hang on just enough, and then Bolanos shuts the door. That’s playoff composure right there.
So what do we got?
👉 Expansion-type feel team
👉 First playoff game EVER
👉 On the road
👉 Extra innings
👉 And they WIN?!
That’s how fanbases are built, folks! That’s how you start something SPECIAL!
Now they’re going to face Kansas City—rested team, had the bye—but I’ll tell ya right now: you come off a win like THIS? You’re dangerous. You got momentum, confidence, and a little swagger.
And I’ll leave ya with this—
You don’t always remember the stats…
But you ALWAYS remember your first playoff win.
And for the Utah Mammoth?
They’ll never forget this one. 🚨

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Alright, folks—have you seen this one? The defending champion Hartford Whalers… survive! Survive! It’s like a horror movie—Carolina had ‘em, the music’s playing, you think it’s over… and then BOOM, the Whalers pop back up! 😄
So Carolina jumps out early—2-0 in the first inning. Right away you’re thinking, “Oh boy, the champs are in trouble.” Hartford fans are sitting there like, “We waited all year for this?!”
But give the Whalers credit—they hang around. You ever notice that? Championship teams, they don’t panic. Regular teams panic. Championship teams? They just look annoyed. Like, “Alright, alright, we’ll fix it.”
Then the fourth inning—here we go! Thie Peters—THIE PETERS!—three-run homer. Three runs! This guy turned the game around faster than a late-night host changes topics after a bad joke! Suddenly it’s 4-3 Hartford and the crowd’s going nuts.
And by the way—this game had everything. Walks, doubles, errors… at one point even the pitchers looked confused. You had Ellsworth giving up hits early, Hernandez doing the same—it’s like both teams said, “Defense? Nah, let’s make this interesting.”
Carolina ties it again in the fifth—4-4—and now you’re thinking, “Alright, this is going extras.” But nope! Hartford comes right back—Tony Gomez with a clutch double, Ron Francis scores, 5-4. That’s your ballgame!
And then the bullpen—ohhh, the bullpen. You gotta love this—five relievers! Five! They didn’t manage the game, they assembled a committee! Cashmann, Trujillo, Ramos, Bunney… it sounds like a law firm!
But they get it done—shut the door, no runs the rest of the way. And Carolina? Ten hits! Ten! And only four runs! That’s like ordering a huge meal and still leaving hungry.
So the Whalers survive, they move on, and now they get the Islanders—who, by the way, had a bye. A bye! That’s like showing up fresh while the other guy just ran a marathon.
But I’ll tell ya—when you win a game like this? Close, messy, pressure-packed—that’s the kind of win champions love. They don’t care how pretty it is. Just survive and advance.
And Hartford? Hey—they’re still alive.
Just barely… but hey, in the playoffs, barely is all you need! 😄

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West Semifinals

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Alright, ladies and gentlemen—what a game we have here! Or… actually… what a lack of a game for about seven innings. 😄
So we’re at Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers—Western Conference Finals, Game 1—and for most of this thing, absolutely NOTHING happens. I mean nothing! You could’ve left, gone out for dinner, come back in the 6th inning—same score, same mood, same nachos!
Both pitchers? Fantastic. But especially this guy—Tamotsu Yamamoto. This guy was so locked in, I think even he forgot there was an opposing team. Seven innings, two hits—TWO hits! At one point I think Colorado considered just sending thank-you notes instead of batters.
And poor Colorado—MacKinnon, Makar—these guys are stars! Big names! Couldn’t hit anything. I’ve seen people at airport baggage claim make more solid contact.
Then finally—the 7th inning! Something happens! Edmonton scratches across a run and the crowd goes wild—not because it was dramatic, but because they finally had something to react to. “Oh! A run! That’s legal?!”
And then the 8th inning—Edmonton says, “You know what, let’s really open things up… let’s go crazy… let’s score TWO runs.” And that was it. That’s your offensive explosion—three total runs. This wasn’t a shootout, this was a polite disagreement.
But I’ll tell you what—this is classic playoff stuff. Tight, tense, nobody blinking. And then Edmonton just waits… waits… and then boom—capitalizes.
And how about Yamamoto after the game—“I was able to fill up the zone.” Yeah, no kidding! He filled up the zone, the stat sheet, and Colorado’s nightmares for Game 2!
So now Edmonton leads the series 1-0… and Colorado? They’re heading back to the hotel thinking, “Did we just play a game… or attend a seminar?”
Game 2 is tomorrow—same place. And if you’re Colorado, maybe bring some bats.
Or at least… a flashlight to find the ball. 😄

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🎺 “Nyuk nyuk nyuk!”
MOE: Alright, listen up, ya knuckleheads! We got Game 1—Utah Mammoth vs. Kansas City Scouts—and what do we get?! A nice, calm, normal—
LARRY: —8 to 7 game!
CURLY: WOO WOO WOO WOO!! That ain’t calm, that’s a food fight with skates!! 🤪
MOE: Right outta the gate—BONK!—Jack Klompus hits a homer!
CURLY: A homer?! In hockey?!
MOE: Quiet, you! I oughta homer you! 🤚💥
LARRY: Nyah, see, this guy Klompus—two home runs! Two! Every time he comes up—BANG!—there goes another one!
CURLY: Somebody hide the baseballs! Or pucks! Or… whatever they’re usin’!!
MOE: Utah’s down 5-2, then 6-4—these guys keep comin’ back like a bad haircut!
LARRY: Hey, they got close late—made it 8-7 in the 9th! That’s guts!
CURLY: That’s noodles! Everybody’s hittin’ everything! I seen less hits in a pie fight!
MOE: But then—THE BIG ONE! Bottom of the 8th—Utah makes an error!
CURLY: An error?! I hate errors! They make my eye twitch! WOOP WOOP WOOP!
MOE: That error lets Kansas City score—8-4 at the time—and that’s the difference!
LARRY: Yeah, see, you can’t be doin’ that in the playoffs! That’s like handin’ the other team a sandwich and sayin’, “Here, beat us!”
CURLY: But hey! Utah scored 3 in the 9th! They almost pulled it off!
MOE: ALMOST?! I almost became a genius, what does that mean?!
LARRY: Nyah, it means they lost, 8-7!
CURLY: Lemme tell ya—this game had everything! Homers, errors, runs, confusion—
MOE: —and YOU! That’s the problem! 🤚💥
CURLY: WOOO!! I’m seein’ stars! Hey, maybe they can hit those too!
MOE: Final word—Kansas City takes Game 1, 8-7!
LARRY: Klompus is the big shot—two homers, three runs—he’s everywhere!
CURLY: Yeah, somebody check if he’s playin’ for both teams!
MOE: Game 2 tomorrow! And Utah—LISTEN CLOSE—
CURLY: Yeah?
MOE: TRY NOT TO HAND ‘EM THE GAME NEXT TIME!!
CURLY: Oh, a wise guy, eh?! NYUK NYUK NYUK! 🤪

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East Conference SF

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🎩 (Soft piano music. A quiet rink. Two gentlemen stand watching the chaos unfold…)
OLLIE: Well, Stanley… this appears to be a perfectly ordinary hockey game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Quebec Nordiques…
STAN: Oh yes, Ollie… perfectly ordinary… aside from the fact it’s gone TWELVE innings and nobody seems to know how to stop scoring.
OLLIE: (sighs, looks at camera) That’s another fine mess they’ve gotten themselves into…
STAN: The Flyers didn’t score for five innings, Ollie. Not one!
OLLIE: Yes, I noticed that, Stanley. They were about as productive as you are when asked to carry luggage.
STAN: I carried luggage once!
OLLIE: Yes… and dropped it down a staircase.
STAN: But then! Sixth inning—they score!
OLLIE: Naturally… just in time for Quebec to say, “Oh no you don’t,” and promptly hit a two-run homer.
STAN: That was Peter Stastny! Three hits, a homer—
OLLIE: —and, as it turns out, a flair for the dramatic.
STAN: Then the Flyers come back again! Seventh inning—boom! Home run!
OLLIE: Yes, yes, they tie it. Then they take the lead in the eighth. At that point, one might assume the game is under control…
STAN: Is it?
OLLIE: Of course not.
STAN: Because Quebec ties it again!
OLLIE: Naturally. Why settle anything in nine innings when you can inconvenience everyone for three more?
STAN: I like extra innings, Ollie.
OLLIE: I’m quite certain you do. You’re not the one standing here aging visibly.
STAN: So there they are… 12th inning… two outs…
OLLIE: Yes, the sort of moment where everyone holds their breath… except you, I imagine.
STAN: I was chewing gum.
OLLIE: Of course you were.
STAN: And then—Stastny hits a double! Game over!
OLLIE: Walk-off victory. 6–5. Curtains. Chaos. Bedlam.
STAN: That’s exciting!
OLLIE: (slow burn, turns to camera) Exciting?! That game lasted four hours, Stanley. Four hours! I’ve seen shorter winters!
STAN: But Ollie… you have to admit… it was a good game.
OLLIE: (pauses… softens slightly)
…Yes.
…It was rather good.
STAN: What happens tomorrow?
OLLIE: Tomorrow, Stanley… they’ll do it all over again.
STAN: Oh boy!
OLLIE: (facepalms, looks at camera)
…Well, here we go again. 🎩

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Under the soft glow of a September evening on Long Island, Game 1 of this Eastern Conference Semifinal unfolded with the kind of narrative symmetry that often defines postseason sport—measured beginnings, a sudden shift, and ultimately, a single decisive moment that lingers.
The Hartford Whalers struck first, and did so with authority. A leadoff double from Melvin Montez set the stage, and Mike Zuke’s two-run homer—driven deep into the night—gave Hartford an early 2–0 advantage. For a time, it appeared that Markko Mäntymaa, steady and composed, might script a road victory with quiet efficiency.
But playoff games, as we know, rarely adhere to linear expectations.
In the third inning, the Long Island Islanders authored the game’s defining sequence. A walk, a hit batsman, and a timely single created tension. Then, with two outs and the inning teetering, Jean-Sébastien Giguère delivered the pivot point—a three-run home run that didn’t merely change the score, but altered the emotional gravity of the night. What had been a Hartford-controlled game was suddenly tilted, 4–2, in favor of Long Island.
From there, the contest settled into a rhythm of missed opportunities and subtle resilience. Mäntymaa recovered admirably, completing seven innings, while Eduardo Roman navigated trouble with just enough poise to keep the Islanders in front.
Yet October—well, late September in this case—demands late drama.
In the seventh, Hartford answered. Jose Mendosa, who had been quietly effective all evening, launched a two-run homer to even the score at four. For a brief moment, the game felt destined for extra innings—a fair and fitting extension.
But the eighth inning offered a reminder of how fragile equilibrium can be.
Warming Bernabel stepped in and, with one swing, provided the difference—a solo home run that carried just far enough, a ball that perhaps hangs in the memory longer than it did in the air. It proved decisive. The Islanders reclaimed the lead, 5–4, and this time, they would not relinquish it.
And so, the Islanders take Game 1—not with overwhelming force, but with timely precision. Giguère’s three-run shot remains the centerpiece, Bernabel’s homer the exclamation point.
For Hartford, there is encouragement in the margins. They matched their opponent in many respects, even outhit them. But in postseason play, the distinction often lies not in how much you do—but when you do it.
Game 1 goes to Long Island. And already, the tone of the series has been set.