Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney

Tim Kurkjian and Buster discuss Yankees slugger Aaron Judge returning, what New York can expect, if Judge and Shohei Ohtani can start hitting before the postseason, Ohtani not expected to pitch again in 2026, Jesús Luzardo’s domination of the Braves, and umpire Doug Eddings going fashion police on Cardinals pitcher Hancel Rincon. Then, Hembo stops by to talk about why the Phillies are the most dangerous team in a three-game series, the White Sox becoming the first team this season with three 30 home run hitters, whether the Giants should trade or build on Rafael Devers, and what Roman Anthony does at the plate that no other Red Sox hitter can replicate. Later, Buster answers your questions during Bleacher Tweets.

0:00 Welcome

0:10 Top of the First

3:55 Tim Kurkjian joins

4:50 What can the Yankees expect from Aaron Judge?

6:00 Should MLB reseed after the Wild Card?

9:55 Shohei Ohtani most likely won’t pitch again in 2026

12:14 Will Judge or Ohtani hit again before the postseason?

14:38 Jesús Luzardo dominates Braves

17:41 Ump calls out Hancel Rincon for sideways cap

22:38 Hembo joins

23:25 Braves-Phillies rivalry

24:26 Scariest potential NL Wild Card team

26:19 White Sox have three 30 HR hitters

29:06 Rafael Devers: Building block or trade piece?

34:39 Roman Anthony’s return is what the Red Sox needed

38:48 Padres catcher could make history

41:15 Bleacher Tweets

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Paul “Hembo” Hembekides and Buster Olney discuss Shohei Ohtani looking physically uncomfortable swinging the bat and why he should stop pitching this season, Arte Moreno selling the Los Angeles Angels to Stan Kroenke and how the team is already in better hands, why they were right about Bryce Harper all along, the Hall of Fame case for Paul Goldschmidt, the scourge of position players pitching, and a warning: spin the Cubs at your own peril. Then, Todd Radom stops by to talk about why we see so many home run robberies, and administer the weekly quiz. Plus, Sarah Langs plays The Numbers Game. Finally, Buster answers your questions during Bleacher Tweets.

0:00 Welcome

3:14 Hembo joins

5:29 Shohei Ohtani isn’t right

7:50 Angels sold to Stan Kroenke

12:30 Hembo was right about Bryce Harper

14:53 Position players pitching is a scourge

18:24 Cubs mashing breaking balls

22:14 HOF case for Paul Goldschmidt

25:16 Todd Radom joins

26:38 Why so many HR robberies?

30:29 The Quiz

31:56 Sarah Langs plays The Numbers Game

32:04 Bleacher Tweets

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Jesse Rogers and Buster Olney discuss whether MLB should reseed the playoffs after the Wild Card round, what is keying Pete Crow-Armstong’s MVP run, if the Cubs pitching staff can find its swing-and-miss, a potential Shohei Ohtani pivot to the bullpen, Aaron Judge’s possible return next week, the Red Sox radio broadcast stirring the rivalry pot and Kete Marte being booed in his return. Then, Atlanta Braves great and Hall of Fame Chipper Jones stops by to talk about reuniting with teammates in Cooperstown, what he sees when watching PCA, how he would approach hitting Jacob Misiorowski and the infamous “Eric Gregg Game” in Game 5 of the 1997 NLCS. Later, Buster answers your questions during Bleacher Tweets.

4:20 Should MLB reseed the playoffs?

7:07 Limits on position players pitching?

9:46 Pete Crow-Armstrong “Mike Trout vibes”

12:18 Cubs lead the league in HR hit, HR given up

14:05 Could Shohei Ohtani pivot to relief?

16:02 Details on Aaron Judge’s return

18:46 Red Sox radio crew stirs the pot

23:26 Ketel Marte returns to boos

26:06 Chipper Jones joins

29:24 What he’s seeing from PCA at the plate

35:56 How he would approach Jacob Misiorowski

37:14 “The Eric Gregg Game”

51:19 Bleacher Tweets

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Tim Kurkjian and Buster Olney discuss their colleague Karl Ravech signing off the ESPN airwaves for the final time, why the Los Angeles Dodgers need Shohei Ohtani’s bat more than his arm, Pete Crow-Armstrong’s five home run weekend, the Atlanta Braves’ heater, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox possibly setting up for a Wild Card series in the Bronx, and which teams will grab the third Wild Card spots in the American and National Leagues. Later, Buster answers your questions during Bleacher Tweets.

0:00 Top of the First

4:34 Tim Kurkjian joins

5:04 Karl Ravech signs off

8:52 Should Shohei Ohtani shut it down on the mound?

12:19 Ohtani’s knee for a RHP is a red flag

14:59 Pete Crow-Armstrong pulls ahead in NL MVP

17:40 Braves on 7-game win streak

20:56 Yankees take season series vs. Red Sox

22:55 Max Scherzer 9th on all-time K list

25:08 Sal Stewart locking up NL ROY

27:58 Third NL Wild Card team?

30:39 Third AL Wild Card team?

32:41 Bleacher Tweets

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Welcome back to the Baseball Tonight Podcast with Buster Olney! On today’s episode, Buster is joined by ESPN Producer and Researcher for “Get Up!” Paul “Hembo” Hembekides to discuss why the Mariners’ weak strength of schedule at the and of the season should lead them into the playoffs. We’ll also discuss why the Red Sox have a historically great outfield duo in Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela. We’ll also hear from ESPN’s MLB prospect and farm system expert Kiley McDaniel on why the Brewers came in at number 1 in his latest farm system rankings, and why beauty is in the eyes of the beholder when it comes to teams’ player evaluations. All this, plus we play the numbers game with Sarah Langs, and Buster answers your questions in Bleacher Tweets.

Timecodes:

0:02 Welcome, Top of the First

2:53 Hembo joins the show!

3:34 Cooper Pratt benched for lack of hustle

7:32 Mariners fighting for a playoff spot

10:33 MLB has a competitive balance problem

15:00 Red Sox are playing great defense

19:01 Sal Stewart is an RBI machine

21:37 Andrew Painter stepping up

24:42 Mike Trout, Ernie Banks & Walker Johnson shared stat

28:42 Sarah Langs plays the numbers game

30:24 who topped Kiley McDaniel’s farm system rankings?

32:07 Did the Brewers offer enough for Tarik Skubal?

34:28 Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder when it comes to player value

42:17 The Angels take a big step forward in the rankings

46:05 Why do the Orioles' prospects constantly stall?

50:11 What direction are the Mets heading?

58:05 Bleacher Tweets

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