Blair & Barker

Following their rain-shortened 5-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles, the Toronto Blue Jays learned that they will be hosting the Wild Card Series after the Seattle Mariners' loss to the Detroit Tigers! Jeff and Kevin welcome in Blue Jays Central’s Caleb Joseph to assess José Berríos' season as a whole, who he would start following Alek Manoah in the Wild Card Series, and who would he rather face if he was the Jays: Seattle or Tampa Bay (27:32).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff and Kevin discuss the Wild Card standings and what needs to be done for the Blue Jays to secure home-field advantage, before hearing from Mariners’ manager Scott Servais and Rays’ skipper Kevin Cash after clinching their spots in the postseason. Blue Jays manager John Schneider joins the show to discuss what he’d like to see from his team in their final three games of the season vs. Baltimore, if he would consider changing the bottom of the batting order, and provides an update on the health of Kevin Gausman, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Santiago Espinal (24:34)

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates. 

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker return after the Blue Jays' sweep of the Boston Red Sox; a team that Toronto dominated in 2022 compiling a 16-3 record. Jeff and Kevin discuss Teoscar Hernández heating up at the right time, Whit Merrifield getting more and more comfortable, and Kevin Gausman leaving his start early with a cut on his finger. Dan Shulman, play-by-play voice for Sportsnet and ESPN, comments on the Jays' play over the weekend, if Moreno or Zimmer should be the final player on the postseason roster, and if he would move Hernández into the cleanup spot (32:15).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates. 

CBS Sports HQ Analyst & former Marlins President David Samson discusses how much playoff revenue means to ownership, the logistics of travelling teams and families in the postseason, where he would slot Alek Manoah in a series, and what Aaron Judge’s value is to the New York Yankees beyond his contributions on the field (02:03). Jeff and Kevin mix in some more phone calls on the Jays’ postseason hopes and end off the week with a couple of Barker’s Back Leg Bits (29:06).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

The Toronto Blue Jays are heading to the postseason! Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker open up the phone lines to hear from fans: who would like to see Toronto face in the Wild Card round? Sportsnet’s Dan Shulman joins the show ahead of this weekend’s series against the Boston Red Sox and talks about why he would like to see Alek Manoah start game one of any Wild Card series, who should make the Blue Jays’ post-season roster, and if it should include three catchers (30:33).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

MLB insider Jeff Passan shares his view on Aaron Judge’s accomplishment, if he will stay a Yankee in the offseason, who can challenge the Astros in the AL, Tyler Glasnow getting healthy for the Rays, and if Aaron Judge is in the Hall of Fame conversation (02:13). The guys end off the show with an extended edition of Barker’s Back Leg Bits (22:20)!

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

History was made at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night as Aaron Judge hit his 61st home run of the season to equal Roger Maris’ American League & New York Yankees single-season record. Jeff and Kevin react to the accomplishment and listen to post-game comments from Judge himself, Blue Jays Manager John Schneider, Roger Maris Jr. and Jays pitcher Tim Mayza, before asking the fans which number they consider to be the true home-run record: 61 or Barry Bonds’ 73 which was reached in the steroid era.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

With all the talk surrounding Aaron Judge’s potential home run milestones, Jeff and Kevin invite Phil Ozersky on the show; the man who caught Mark McGwire’s 70th home run in 1998, the single-season record at the time. Phil discusses what happened in the aftermath of catching ball, his decision to put it up for auction, and what it was like meeting McGwire himself after the ball sold (02:29). Later on, WFAN Yankees reporter Sweeny Murti discusses the Yankees winning the division, Giancarlo Stanton not hitting like himself lately, and how the Yankees will approach the next week with the AL East all wrapped up (30:43).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair & Kevin Barker discuss the Blue Jays’ 5-2 loss to the Yankees as New York was able to clinch the AL East division on Toronto’s home turf. Jeff and Kevin talk about the mistakes made on the base paths by Toronto, Bo Bichette’s play in the field, and José Berríos’ latest start where he lasted 5.1 innings in the loss. The guys invite Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi in on the conversation where he shared his reaction to John Schneider’s post-game availability and the baserunning blunders from the Blue Jays in an important game where they are also trying to solidify their place in the postseason (34:19).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sportsnet’s Joe Siddall joins Blair & Barker to discuss the latest surrounding the Blue Jays including if José Berríos is tipping his pitches, the work he is putting in with Pete Walker, Teoscar Hernández' two-run double and recent plate approach, and what he’s noticing from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. offensively (01:02). Play-by-play broadcaster for TBS Brian Anderson previews Game 2 of the Yankees-Blue Jays series and comments on how he prepares to call potential milestones when he’s on the mic (26:37).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.