Rays Sweep the Yankees to Win ALDS While Bucs Search for a Win in Dallas

The Tampa Bay Rays are headed to the American League Championship Series after sweeping the Yankees with a 4-3 win in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, and Rick says the only downside is that they can't pop champagne in the Bronx a third time this year. The Yankees never led in the series. Rick and Steve break down the finish: a lineup tweak that sat Chandler Simpson but got Ryan Vilade's home run, Victor Mesa Jr.'s no-doubt two-run bomb off a lefty, a patchwork bullpen that held on (Griffin Jax, Cam Boozer, Kevin Kelly, Bryan Baker, and a calming visit from Kyle Snyder), and a Volpe "home run" that was overturned for fan interference. They also explain how a team picked to finish last in the AL East have won 101 games so far by bringing bunting back (a Wall Street Journal story says the Rays had more bunt attempts than any team in 10 years), playing the deepest outfield in baseball, and finding value on the margins. From there: Rays vs. the White Sox or Guardians on Monday at the Trop, a possible World Series against the Dodgers or Brewers, a 34-page MLB lockout memo (no Christmas cards to players after Dec. 2), and a comparison to Jeffrey Maier in 1996.

The second half turns to the Bucs, who are 0-4 and headed to Dallas for Thursday Night Football with Jalon Daniels making his second start in four days. Baker Mayfield and Antoine Winfield Jr. are out, kicker Chase McLaughlin (9-for-9) is nursing a hip and leg injury but expected to play, and the Cowboys are averaging 30 points per game with CeeDee Lamb piling up targets. Rick and Steve discuss what Daniels needs to do better (reading blitzes and setting protection), why special teams can't cost them again, and why Rueben Bain Jr. could be the game-wrecker the Bucs need.

Timestamps:

• 0:35 – Rays sweep the Yankees; no more champagne at Yankee Stadium
• 1:12 – Yankees never led the series; Rays clinch there for the second time in 15 days
• 1:52 – ALCS opponent: White Sox or Guardians, with Game 1 Monday at the Trop
• 2:11 – Third ALCS in franchise history: 2008 Red Sox, 2020 Astros
• 3:16 – Chandler Simpson on the bench, Vilade's home run, Mesa's two-run blast
• 4:04 – Yankees lineup change leaves Ben Rice out of the ninth
• 4:31 – Rays bullpen: Griffin Jax, Boozer, Kelly, Baker, and Kyle Snyder's mound visits
• 6:06 – Victor Mesa Jr.'s two-run bomb off a lefty
• 7:21 – Bryan Baker's rise from "B bullpen" to leading the majors in saves
• 9:01 – A team picked to finish fifth in the AL East
• 9:41 – Rays bring fundamentals back to baseball: bunting, stealing, hit-and-run
• 11:32 – Winning on the margins: pitching, defense, speed
• 13:07 – The new ownership group and the Rays' AL East champion T-shirts
• 14:20 – How the Rays' deep outfield positioning is changing baseball
• 15:17 – Volpe's "home run" overturned: fan interference
• 17:12 – Kevin Cash sticks with Jax for another inning
• 18:21 – Lightning off to a decent start; three TVs needed for Thursday night
• 19:12 – NLCS: Dodgers advance, Brewers up 3-1; salary cap talk looms
• 19:58 – MLB's 34-page lockout memo: no Christmas cards after Dec. 2
• 21:05 – Fan interference and the 1996 Jeffrey Maier comparison
• 22:49 – Rays' 101 wins; World Series would start on the road
• 24:34 – White Sox, the Pope, and a Popemobile bullpen cart
• 26:36 – Sponsor: Breitling Boutique, International Plaza
• 27:37 – Bucs at Cowboys preview: Chase McLaughlin's injury, Baker and Winfield out
• 29:36 – Jalon Daniels handling the noise in his second start on a short week
• 31:31 – A louder road environment; Cowboys' high-scoring offense and shaky defense
• 32:40 – Reuben Bain Jr. as a game-wrecker
• 34:48 – Special teams and a fair evaluation of Daniels' first start
• 36:36 – How Green Bay saved its blitzes for the final drive
• 38:05 – Rain in Tampa and the flight to Dallas
• 38:49 – Contending with CeeDee Lamb, and what a Bucs win would change
• 40:05 – Alabama-Georgia weather and wrap-up

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