Baseball Isn’t Boring

Evan Phillips is a great story without becoming the Dodgers' closer. This is a pitcher who was taken in the 17th round by the Braves, has been let go by the Orioles while still in the minors, spent just a few days in Tampa Bay before being cut loose, and finally ended up in Los Angeles as another reliever hoping to stick with the team. Now he is the game-ender for one of the best teams in baseball. Bradfo sits down with Phillips to talk the idea of closing out a World Series, his journey to get to this prominent role and even the process he is currently undergoing to find proper closer entrance music.

Ryan Brasier's most recent outing just happened to come against the team that let him go, the Red Sox, with the Dodgers' reliever pitching a perfect inning while striking out two. The appearance put his ERA in 27 appearances with LA at 0.99. He has become one of the best relievers in baseball over the past two months. Brasier explained to Bradfo how this all came about.

It's always a good time when you can catch up with Hall of Famer David Ortiz, which is exactly what Bradfo did. But this time around the moment was made even more special thanks to the main subject of the discussion - Mookie Betts. Not only did Ortiz offer behind-the-scene insight when it came to all things Betts, but to top things off Mookie swung by the podcast to catch up with his old teammate for an unforgettable reunion. It's the kind of sit-down you won't forget.

Mookie Betts is officially back in Boston for the first time in an opposing team's uniform, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Boston Media catches up with Mookie to discuss what is going through his mind as the game is merely hours away.

Tonight marks the night that Mookie Betts finally returns to Boston for the first time since being traded away to the Dodgers in 2020 and it is shaping up to be a very emotional night for Betts and Red Sox Nation. With this in mind, Bradfo sat down with Betts' Former Red Sox Teammate Brock Holt to discuss Brock's Top 5 Mookie Moments in a Red Sox uniform...

There are few people better equipped to analyze Mookie Betts' time in Boston, departure from Boston and return to Boston than Brock Holt. It's why Bradfo sits down with Betts' longtime teammate to discuss all things Mookie, as the former Red Sox star is returning to Fenway Park tonight for the first time since being traded to the Dodgers. Holt reflects on Mookie's mindset leading up to the trade, his favorite Mookie memories, and his own experience returning to Fenway. There is also some good contract extension and ravioli talk.

Wednesday night, Kendall Graveman pitched for the Houston Astros against the Boston Red Sox, the team Garrett Whitlock also took the mound for. They were the fiercest of competitors in an important late-August game between two postseason contenders. But outside those lines, Graveman and Whitlock have a great friendship that was forged well before the Sox pitcher became a big leaguer and continues with the pair living right down the street from one another. Bradfo sits down with Graveman for the story of how the two pitchers became such good friends.

Besides the news that Shohei Ohtani has a torn UCL, the biggest baseball news of the week came from Chicago where two of the three chief White Sox decision-makers - GM Rick Hahn and President Kenny Williams - were let go by owner Jerry Reinsdorf. So, when such huge White Sox news happens there is an obvious voice Baseball Isn't Boring will turn to - Courtney Finnicum. The lifelong Sox fan joins Bradfo for a good rant when it comes to what exactly is going on in Chicago.

Bradfo and Shawn Spradling of WBC Central got together to discuss a pitcher who may be the most coveted hurler (not named Shohei Ohtani) in the upcoming free agent class - Yoshinobu Yamamoto. In this part of the podcast, the guys talk about which team might have the inside track when it comes to signing the 25-year-old. To listen to the entire Yamamoto podcast, click here.

While the upcoming free agent class will undoubtedly be dominated by talk of Shohei Ohtani, with pitchers such as Blake Snell, Lucas Giolito, Julio Urias and Aaron Nola also entering into the conversation, there is one name that may be mentioned with more teams than any other hurler: Yoshinobu Yamamoto. At just 25 years old, Yamamoto is slated to arrive in Major League Baseball next season, with numerous teams already positioning themselves for the hurler's services. Bradfo catches up with Shawn Spradling of WBC Central to talk all things Yamamoto. If you're a fan of a team needing pitching heading into 2024, you're going to want to listen. Trust us.