This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:06] Al Malafronte: Hello and welcome to the Break a Bat Podcast where baseball meets Broadway, an attempt to show that my two favorite mediums don't have to live in such separate worlds and maybe even break some stigmas.

[0:18] Al Malafronte: We're happy to have you with us. Now let's play ball.

[0:24] Al Malafronte: Hi everyone. Welcome to Break a Bat. I'm your host, Al Malafronte, coming at you from Broadway with my guest host for the day, Connor Lester.

[0:32] Connor Lester: Thanks for having me, Al.

[0:33] Al Malafronte: Pleasure to have you, Connor. Well, the MLB playoffs are upon us once again, and it's the 10-year anniversary of the 2009 Yankees, a season in which they won their most recent championship.

[0:44] Al Malafronte: Bryan Hoch is the Yankees beat reporter for MLB.com and recently co-authored a book with Mark Feinsan titled Mission 27: A New Boss, A New Ballpark, and One Last Ring for the Yankees Core 4.

[0:58] Al Malafronte: The book was released over the summer and chronicles everything you'd want to know about one of the most beloved Yankee teams of all time. Today he's nice enough to call in and talk about all that and more. Please welcome to the stage, Bryan Hoch.

[1:12] Bryan Hoch: How are you, Bryan?

[1:13] Bryan Hoch: I'm doing great. What an intro.

[1:15] Al Malafronte: Thank you. Thank you very much.

[1:16] Bryan Hoch: Well, that's how we do it on Broadway. We're extra theatrical around here, you know.

[1:20] Al Malafronte: Beautiful. Yeah, no, I it's a nice change of pace from what we usually get out of the ballpark. So this will be fun.

[1:27] Bryan Hoch: Absolutely. And you know, I gotta tell you, I pretty much told everyone how much I really loved your book. 2009 was such a special season to me. And I know for you and Mark, you were both on the beat together that year. Can you give me a little backstory as to what the inspiration was, you know, as far as deciding to write about that particular Yankee team and doing it when you did?

[1:48] Bryan Hoch: Absolutely. Yeah. So Mark and I had both had our first books out, and mine was on the baby bombers and this whole new core of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, all these guys who were now part of this team that is going to go for a World Series championship. And Mark had another book that was out, and really we wanted to do another book, but it's difficult to do one by yourself. That's what we found.

[2:15] Bryan Hoch: And so we were kind of brainstorming for something we could collaborate on, and we both kept coming back to 2009 because it was such a special year, as you mentioned. Obviously, they won the World Series, but it was a lot more than that too, because you had the closing of the old Yankee Stadium, this grand historic venue that was being kind of boarded up and torn down, and you've got this new 1.6 billion cathedral rising across the street.

[2:44] Bryan Hoch: And I think the move between ballparks is how we set the stage for this season. But the Yankees also went out and spent almost a half billion dollars on star players like CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Mark Teixeira. And it was obviously a fun year to be around, an eventful year to be around the team. But I feel like for Yankee fans, the 2009 Yankees didn't get enough credit in the moment.

[3:12] Bryan Hoch: First of all, people thought that they just bought a championship, which is not the case. I mean, they did get high-paid players, but a whole lot needs to go right, as we've seen in the years that followed. And I think that, you know, for Mark and I being on the beat, you figured this Yankees team, it was an older team, but they were so good in 2009, you figured there'd be more to come.

[3:36] Bryan Hoch: So you didn't really celebrate it as a one and done because you expected they'd be right back there in the postseason in 2010, 2011, 2012, and they'd probably get another World Series title. And it just didn't work out that way. And so when we talked to all the players and we tracked down almost everybody on that roster, they said, of course we thought that we were gonna win more. And so they didn't enjoy it as much in the moment.

[4:00] Bryan Hoch: So it's almost like now ten years later, we're finally giving that team its due because the teams of the 90s were celebrated so much. That one almost was an outlier because they didn't repeat and get back to the top of the mountain. And as it turned out, it was the final time we'd ever see Derek Jeter hold the World Series trophy. Same with Mariano Rivera, who just went in the Hall of Fame.

[4:22] Bryan Hoch: And so it was really a lot of fun. I keep telling everyone it was like going back to your high school or college reunion, you know, hanging out with the guys and telling old stories again. So hopefully that translated in the book.

[4:34] Al Malafronte: Well, I certainly think it did. And you know, one thing that you touched on, you know, was the expectation that the team is gonna keep winning because of the high-profile names that they brought in. That was very much the case also in the mid-2000s when you had A-Rod and you had Giambi, Sheffield, Matsui.

[4:49] Al Malafronte: There was an expectation that they were just gonna keep winning. However, one thing that you touch on in the book, and Brian Cashman even acknowledges it, and he acknowledged it to CC Sabathia when he was signing him, was the fact that it was a bit of a broken clubhouse before 2009. When did you first notice the change in attitude and the change in dynamic in the Yankee locker room in 2009?

[5:11] Bryan Hoch: Almost immediately because CC Sabathia was such a huge part of that. He was so inclusive with everybody on the team, you know. I say that before the CC era, in 2007 was my first year on the beat, but I remember being around that Yankee club a little earlier than that. It was a fractured, not a lot of fun room to be around, you know.

[5:33] Bryan Hoch: I'm thinking of guys like Tony Womack and Gary Sheffield and Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson, and all great players, but it didn't click, and it wasn't a pleasant environment to be around. And even circa 07-08, when the transition happened from Joe Torre to Joe Girardi, there was some of that still left over, I felt.

[5:54] Bryan Hoch: It was completely eradicated when CC Sabathia showed up. You had also Nick Swisher was a huge personality, came in the room, and Swisher, you know, Mark Teixeira talked about those guys felt that they were able to be themselves and kind of take care of business behind the scenes because Swisher was happy to be on stage and have the red light on and be in front of the camera and clown around and do all that bro stuff.

[6:19] Bryan Hoch: And the guys appreciated that because A, they laughed at Swisher and they found it amusing, but B, it really took the heat off them. And Sabathia did the same thing. You know, he was inclusive with all the pitchers, he organized a lot of outings. The guys went to Orlando Magic games during spring training. They had barbecues, they had fishing excursions, the starting pitchers, the position players, they would all hang out.

[6:41] Bryan Hoch: And so I think that is vitally important for a team. I don't think they all have to be 25 best friends and go out to dinner together every night, but it sure is nice if they do, and it's even nicer if they're winning. And that's the big thing about that team. They won 103 games, and you had a collection of really talented players who enjoyed being around each other, and that's what made it so much fun to kind of dig back into.

[7:05] Bryan Hoch: You know, you speak about talented players. There was nobody more talented than A-Rod, and A-Rod obviously was humbled that offseason, you know, after not only the steroid allegations, you know that came against him, which he ended up acknowledging. And then of course his hip surgery, he didn't think he was going to play baseball again. He comes back and he really became he came back as a different man and the team really seemed to rally around him.

[7:27] Al Malafronte: Was that the first time that you really saw that clubhouse rally around A-Rod? He certainly put them on his back, you know, come the postseason. But give me your impressions on A-Rod.

[7:35] Bryan Hoch: Yeah, I think he changed the storyline that year. And obviously, I mean there were so many ups and downs and he would have more down later after 2009. But that was the best year of his career because it's the only time that he was able to win a World Series.

[7:51] Bryan Hoch: And I think that the storyline between him and Derek Jeter was never going to go away and he was never going to win that one. You know, he was late to the party. He missed the first World Series title. So anytime you compare Derek and A-Rod as everybody loved to do, and look if you were a newspaper guy and you were hurting for a story, write Jeter and A-Rod. It'll wind up on the back page, you know, and it was a layup.

[8:17] Bryan Hoch: And so I feel that was done to death and it was kind of a tiresome storyline. And then as you mentioned, that spring we find out that A-Rod is a steroid user and he admits to his past use with the Texas Rangers. There would be more to come, not that we knew that at the time, but and then he comes back, he has hip surgery which he thinks is career threatening.

[8:40] Bryan Hoch: He said the first thing he did was he googled Bo Jackson hip surgery because he thought his career was over. And he's wondering if he's gonna be able to pick up his kids at some point again, let alone turn around on a 95 mile an hour fastball. And as it turns out, that's exactly what he did. His first game back in May in Baltimore, first at bat, first pitch, he hit the three-run homer in the season left field, and he's off and running.

[9:03] Bryan Hoch: The Yankees have A-Rod back. And I think that the real stain on his career to that point had been he was a playoff choker. Even though it's not completely accurate, there were enough times that he didn't come through in the big games. And once they got to that October, he was coming through all the time, so many big hits, so many home runs.

[9:23] Bryan Hoch: And you know, it's funny. I ran into Alex about a month or two ago. He was doing a game for Sunday Night Baseball, and he was asking me about the book, and he said, "So, how much of me did you use in it?" I said, "Alex, you were all over that book. You were such a huge part of the 2009 Yankees," and that made him laugh and smile.

[9:43] Bryan Hoch: So I think that Alex, in addition to everybody else, really enjoyed kind of going back into that year and peeling back the onion for us because I mean it was a fantastic year for them.

[9:56] Al Malafronte: Of course you want to talk about the best year of your career. I love how you mentioned, you know, the homer on the first pitch when he returned off the DL in Baltimore. One other thing in the book that you go pretty in depth on is that Atlanta series that's later that summer, I believe it was in June when you know the team was struggling.

[10:13] Al Malafronte: And Alex and Francisco Cervelli were instrumental in helping turn things around that series after Brian Cashman had a talk with the team. Do you consider that to be the true turning point for the '09 Yankees? Or do you think it was getting over the hump in August when they started to have their way with the Red Sox after not beating them all season?

[10:31] Bryan Hoch: Yeah, for sure. And that's one thing to think about in that season is that they did start the year 0 and 8 against Boston, which is remarkable. The fact that they were able to come back and reclaim their standing in the division because that was a problem to begin with.

[10:47] Bryan Hoch: But I do remember vividly that series in Atlanta because it did feel like a turning point at that time. And I think that it's not just Cashman flying down there because if I remember correctly, it didn't kind of it's not like they went out and scored 10 runs in the first inning. They were struggling.

[11:05] Bryan Hoch: They were getting no hit at one point there in that game and I remember Joe Girardi coming out of the dugout and Brett Gardner got picked off first base. Brett is a young player at that time obviously now he's the salty old veteran of the Yankees, but he gets picked off first base and Girardi comes out of the dugout and he told us that he was not going to leave that field without getting ejected.

[11:27] Bryan Hoch: Like it's one of those operating one of those times where you figure you've got to do something to fire up your team and Joe knew the timing was right there and he was in the first base umpire Bill Welkie's face and basically told him I'm not leaving here until you throw me out and eventually Welkie threw him out and the Yankees rallied back.

[11:27] Bryan Hoch: And so in hindsight, yeah, it was a huge turn of events there to go to Atlanta and right before that series that the Yankees had played in Miami a lot of guys stayed out a little bit too late. You know they were having fun. You know you don't get too many trips to Miami when you're a Yankee and so that was kind of a turning point in that Cashman got the team together didn't scream and holler and throw the buffet table but basically, and we call it the principal in the book is because Mark Teixeira said it was kind of like getting called to the principal's office, and the principal doesn't yell and scream, he just tells you he's disappointed in you and that you've got to do better, and that's basically what Cashman told us he did.

[12:29] Bryan Hoch: He's got this kind of peppy monotone that he speaks in, and um basically told him, "You're better than this. This is not what I brought you here to do. Um we paid a lot of money for this team, so we expect results." And um they went out and got him. So uh I think it was just a matter of time, whether it happened in Atlanta or later in the year. Um you had such a talented group there that it was going to mesh at some point. It just uh took a little time to kind of gel together.

[12:55] Al Malafronte: How much of that do you attest to Jeter and Arod seemingly being able to coexist for the first time?

[13:03] Bryan Hoch: Yeah, I think that winning cures everything. And I don't think Derek was ever going to call Alex among his closest friends again. And I Alex obviously knew that their relationship, I uh at one point he said they don't have sleepover six nights a week anymore. Um and you don't have to be. I think all they had to do was do their jobs. Derek was the shortstop, Alex was the third baseman, and um, you know, get all the balls you can on the left side of the field, hit the crap out of the ball when you can, and um they coexisted that way because they were pulling in the same direction, um, which was not always the case. Um I think that um there was a lot of noise always around Alex. There still is.

Um I think that uh there's always a lot of attention on what he does, and it's all magnified and Derek I think did not like that. Derek came from a a school where you were supposed to show up the first day of spring training, focus on winning the World Series and not stop until you achieve that goal. And um, you know, having fun along the way, you know what was fun? Winning was fun. And then Alex did a lot of kind of goofy things away from the field, and uh just a totally different personality. And I think in that year, they both had terrific seasons. They were on a terrific team that could go all the way, and like I said, they were pulling in the same direction that year.

[14:19] Bryan Hoch: And you know, uh we find we have a uh scene later in the book after they beat the twins in the first round and they've got this kind of piano bar team party at the hotel in Minneapolis, and um Derek and uh Alex and Minka Kelly and uh Kate Hudson, they're all sitting at the table together, kind of laughing, having a couple cocktails and um you know, just really kind of having this this moment. Um I believe Michael K told us about that, and um it was kind of like, oh wow, you know, they this the team is really together, and and I think that um that speaks volume when you have guys who like spending time around each other and and are able to coexist that way.

[15:00] Al Malafronte: Yeah, and they both certainly had monster postseasons, as did CC Sabbathia. Hideki Matsui obviously had that amazing World Series performance, as did Johnny Damon. One thing I am I've always been curious about, did you notice a change in the clubhouse after two thousand nine once Matsui and Damon had left? And do you attest that at all to you know part of why they didn't win after?

[15:22] Bryan Hoch: You know, well, we were talking to Johnny Damon for this book, and I asked Johnny, I said, "Why do you think the teams didn't repeat after that?" And he said, "Well, that's easy. They didn't bring back me and Matsui." And uh you know, um, nobody's a bigger fan of themselves than Johnny Damon, love him probably he's the best uh yeah, I think that yeah, absolutely. And um I I think that there was a kind of a change there, but and I I understand why they did what they did. Look, Johnny Damon wanted a multi-year deal. It turned out that he would only get one year from the Tigers, but um he was looking for three or four years, and uh Hideki Matsui lived through that postseason. He didn't know if he had much left in him. Uh obviously had a monster postseason and uh six RBIs in the clinching game, but it was probably the right business decision looking at it, um, to say uh all right, it's time to move on and go to other guys, but they didn't pick the right guys.

[16:19] Bryan Hoch: That that's the problem. You know, they went to Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson came in and was a solid player, but um there was something missing there too. Um and I think that um yeah, uh they were still a postseason team, but uh it was not quite the same juggernaut feel of oh nine. And um I think that really just shows you how hard it is to repeat. That's why we don't see teams winning back to back to back World Series uh very frequently. Um I I think it's just it's hard to have everything go right two years in a row. Look at the Red Sox. I mean, they're a perfect example. Last year, the Red Sox unstoppable team, 108 wins in the regular season. Uh the Yankees spent the entire year looking up at them, and you had largely the same group come back this year, but for whatever reason it just didn't click.

And I think that sometimes that magic, I I hate to say that because you really can't quantify what that magic is, but you know it when you're around it, and you definitely felt it in 09 and um by 10, 11, 12, it it wasn't quite there. You knew that the Yankees had a good team, and if things broke right for them, they could go deep into the postseason.

[17:21] Bryan Hoch: But um playoffs are a crapshoot, you know. Uh the uh the best teams get in, and it's the hottest team at the end that is able to run the table and get those 11 wins to win a World Series. And um, you know, we'll see what happens here in uh twenty nineteen. I I think that this team has every capability of catching fire and getting hot at the right time.

[17:42] Al Malafronte: Yeah, and you know, it's funny, yeah. I heard your old Derek Jeter-ism, the best team makes it, the hottest team wins. Um one last question uh regarding 2009 specifically had they won in 10, 11 or 12, do you think Joe Girardi's still managing the team this year?

[17:57] Bryan Hoch: Ooh that is a good question. If they had won back to back to back World Series but then everything else continued the way it was or even if had they won just one more yeah you know I think that the thing I would why I wonder about is how Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman have always said that they had made up their minds before 2017 that Girardi was not coming back um but before the postseason they had made up their minds. And and that team was one win away from going to the World Series. If they went down to Houston won that game seven and then went to Los Angeles and beat the Dodgers let's say they sweep the Dodgers are you gonna tell me they're really not going to bring Joe Girardi back for as after the parade?

I I'm not so sure about that. That really would have tested um what they think and obviously they they've made a good call with Aaron Boone. He's won a hundred games back to back years and has had control of that team but I find it very difficult to believe that if Girardi was coming off a World Series championship in 2017 that he wouldn't have been back for 18. I I just um it's not unprecedented but I feel like there would have been such public outcry to bring back Girardi and um I think that he would have come back. I uh I know they they've said otherwise but uh that's what I believe and um Joe Girardi's a great manager. I if I had a franchise, I'd want Joe Girardi managing that team.

[19:18] Bryan Hoch: And it's funny, you know, the MLB network had Girardi on yesterday working the desk when the Yankees clinched the division and they went live to Aaron Boone on the field in Yankee Stadium and Joe Girardi's asking Aaron Boone questions. And I'm just thinking this is kind of awkward. But Joe uh Joe, I think we'll get another opportunity to manage. I think that um they he's obviously had offers and I think uh you'll see him in the dugout again someday.

[19:44] Al Malafronte: All right, Brian, uh shifting gears a little bit, um, let's talk about the uh current team uh since we are in 2019. Um with the uh Domingo Herman's situation, um can you tell us anything that you've uh heard regarding that? And um how do you think this uh changes the Yankees pitching staff moving um into the postseason?

[20:04] Bryan Hoch: I think it changes it quite a bit, you know, because uh Boone and Brian Cashman had been thinking about the possibility of using Herman as kind of this super reliever that they could bring in uh tandem, you know, starters. They could just say you have like a J Happ, go three innings, and then you go to Hermann for the next three innings and all of a sudden it's uh the top of the seventh inning and you've probably got a lead and um I I think they're not gonna be able to do that now. I think they're gonna have to go more traditional with their starting pitching. So it really is a big blow to take that arm out of there.

[20:35] Bryan Hoch: And I don't wanna downplay the the importance and significance of what's going on. I mean that is hugely important. Obviously, uh there is no question in my mind that um he shouldn't be pitching right now. I I think that um I you just wonder why a guy would do a thing like that. And uh look, uh all the allegations, all the information is not out there yet, but clearly something happened to warrant this investigation, and um, you know, what it' of of what I've heard, it's it's not pretty, so uh it's disappointing news. It's surprising to me. I I wouldn't have expected Domingo Herman would be that kind of guy, and we'd be having this kind of conversation, but um in a baseball sense, um the Yankees have had all sorts of injuries and um taken a lot of hits all year long. Um they've had so many guys go down and hurt. Um this is just one more thing they're gonna have to overcome if they want to get where they want to be.

[21:34] Al Malafronte: Assuming, and this is asking a lot given the way that the season has gone, um, how do you see the playoff rotation shaking out?

[21:43] Bryan Hoch: Yeah, I think that's uh they're giving us some breadcrumbs here to hint how they're gonna line it up. I I think that um they could go James Paxton in game one, they could go Masahiro Tanaka game two. I I could definitely see that happening. Then you have uh Luis Severino three, and uh that would give you the option, I believe, if the schedule works out the way I'm thinking of it. You could go to J Happ for a game four, or you could go back to Paxton, perhaps. And um that that's one thing that you get the advantage of during the postseason is you get those off days, those travel days built in. Uh the good news is for the Yankees, they'll have home field advantage uh when they play in the division series. It's not clear if they will in the ALCS, they would probably have to play uh game six and seven on the road if they're playing the Astros. So that's something else they'll have to contend with.

[22:33] Bryan Hoch: But I I think those are gonna be your starting pitchers, and and like I said, uh you'll you'll have a more traditional rotation, is what I expect to see as a result of the Hermann injury. I just think you're not gonna have the flexibility, but they've got a great bullpen. So you're in the postseason, you don't need your starters to go six, seven, eight innings unless you're Justin Verlander and the Astros. I think that's um you're you're content to get four plus innings. If you if you get the ball through five, the Yankees have a great bullpen. And I believe the statistic is they're 42 and oh when their big four relievers at the back end pitch.

[23:08] Al Malafronte: Wow.

[23:09] Bryan Hoch: And that's yeah, 42 and 0 when they get all those guys in the same game. And um so it clearly is working. I'm talking about Tommy Kahnle and Zach Britton and Adam Ottavino and Aroldis Chapman. And so uh if they can get the ball to those guys to hand it off, uh I I do like their chances of locking down games and um getting the win.

[23:30] Al Malafronte: And um on the topic of the ALDS, um, who do you see as the sort of best case uh matchup scenario for the Yankees?

[23:38] Bryan Hoch: I think the most likely outcome is going to be the Twins. Um I'm not sure if that is best case. The Yankees did have a winning record against Minnesota this season. Um I tell you what, you've got two teams that can slug the heck out of the ball. And and I think that if you put those teams in Yankee Stadium or Target Field, they're gonna make it look small. And um, there was that usually entertaining series where the Yankees went to Minnesota in July. Aaron Hicks made a fantastic catch, uh probably the catch of the year to save a this crazy 14-12 game. Um I think that's what you're gonna see. And and we're talking all about the pitching. I think that it's not gonna matter a whole lot when you put those two teams head to head in the postseason because they're both gonna slug.

And um I I think that you're gonna see some pinball arena baseball scores, and that's ALDS, and it's gonna be the team that hits the ball over the wall the most that comes away standing at the end of it. Um, and this these two teams obviously have uh hit more home runs than any other teams in major league history, breaking the Yankees' record from last year.

[24:41] Al Malafronte: So, uh, I think, uh, my scorecard, I'm gonna need a little extra ink for that series if that's the way it goes.

[24:48] Connor Lester: Yeah, I could totally see that.

[24:49] Bryan Hoch: Yeah, for sure.

[24:51] Al Malafronte: Now, Bryan, we thought it would be a fun way to wrap our time with you for a little segment that we call fastball derby. We would ask you a question, and you'll tell us the first thing that comes to your head. How does that sound?

[25:02] Bryan Hoch: Oh, this could be dangerous, but, uh, yeah, let's go for it.

[25:05] Al Malafronte: All right, Connor, why don't you start, buddy?

[25:08] Connor Lester: All right, Bryan. In a, uh, hypothetical, uh, three-way series, who wins? The '99, '09, or 2019 New York Yankees?

[25:19] Bryan Hoch: Oh, I'm gonna go '09. I think that team can slug, and yeah, I'm gonna go '09. Uh, they've got the three starting pitchers. Uh, the Yankees in '09 only used three guys. Uh, the '99 Yankees, it's funny, nobody really gives that team a whole lot of credit because '98 was great, and then 2000 they beat the Mets, and it's almost like the forgotten team of that dynasty. But yeah, I'll go '09, and, um, since the story is incomplete here in '19, we don't know how that's gonna wind up.

[25:47] Al Malafronte: Bryan, I just want to mention '99 was the first season that I watched baseball, and people do get—don't—people don't give that team enough credit. They went 11 and 1 that postseason. So I personally look back on them very fondly, and I hope there's a nice segment of Yankee fans that do as well.

[26:02] Bryan Hoch: Yeah, for sure. Uh, now I kind of want to do that in like a computer league, and, uh, let's get those two teams together and see how they wind up in a best of seven.

[26:12] Al Malafronte: I'm in. Let's do it. All right. Most theatrical Yankee you ever covered.

[26:19] Bryan Hoch: Most theatrical. I mean, the first thing that pops in my mind is Nick Swisher. I mean, like I said, the camera was always on, and, uh, Nick, uh, you know, I think he was actually on Broadway. I think he was in Rock of Ages once. I think he did a cameo in that. So yeah, Twish is my answer for that. I think you stick him out on the stage tonight on Broadway, he'll put on a good show for you.

[26:41] Al Malafronte: Hey, and he is married to an actress, so his skills have probably gotten even better.

[26:45] Bryan Hoch: There you go. That's right. Joanna Garcia Swisher, yep.

[26:49] Al Malafronte: That's right. All right. Uh, best game you've ever covered.

[26:52] Bryan Hoch: Um, maybe regular season since, uh, most memorable regular season game. The first thing that pops to my mind is Derek Jeter's final game. Um, there was so much build-up to how that was gonna go. How could he author the perfect ending? And then I remember Dave Robertson blew the save, and it was like, oh my god, is he gonna go out this? They're gonna lose in Derek Jeter's final game. And of course, he has the inside-out single to right field, knocks in the winning run. And, um, I remember turning to the guy sitting next to me in the press box, we're watching this happen, and I say, how? How does he always have the perfect ending? And, um, I just, um, in my mind's eye, I see him leaping around first base, uh, kind of caught in midair, hands, uh, his fist in the air, just kind of hovering there, the great photograph, and, um, you know, Derek Jeter's final Yankee Stadium at-bat ended with a walk-off single, because of course it did. It was, yeah. Unreal.

[27:46] Al Malafronte: Who was more difficult to interview during their prime? Jeter or A-Rod?

[27:50] Bryan Hoch: A-Rod. Uh, and you know, obviously, like I said, Alex was great to us for the book, but Derek was always available. He might not give you a whole lot. Um, it was always vanilla and very guarded, but he was there. He was there every single day. And if you needed a quote from Derek Jeter just, uh, you know, on whatever the topic of the day was, you'd get it. Um, Alex was more difficult to track down. Um, it was kind of a lot of times you'd be walking in the hallway, and Alex would be coming toward you, and there'd be nobody else around, and Alex would have his eyes pinned to the ceiling and, uh, his lips pursed and just kind of whistling to himself. And it's like, dude, I know you're—I know you've seen me.

Uh, you know, but okay, fine. And that was just, you know, I think, um, you know, as I've talked to him more since he's retired, I think he had to build those walls around himself. He felt like he needed to insulate himself and kind of block out some of the noise because there was so much going on around him all the time. And, um, I guess I've kind of softened a little bit and become more sympathetic, but, um, it was kind of a pain during his career, and, um, a lot of that was always, especially once the steroid stuff started happening, and he was suing Major League Baseball, and, uh, there was all sorts of litigation, and all—it was like covering two things at once. You had to cover Alex and then you had to cover the Yankee game. And, uh, so I—I— it was great because it made for great copy and people cared about it, obviously, but I think it was definitely difficult and challenging to have to try and keep up with all of that.

[29:23] Al Malafronte: All right. Um, give us a name of, uh, maybe an unheralded prospect, someone in the minors right now that you think we should keep an eye out for.

[29:31] Bryan Hoch: Oh, wow, that's a good one. Um, they do—there's a few guys, but I think the one guy who has really impressed me, and I know he didn't have a great year this year, is Estevan Florial, who has been in spring training with the Yankees the last couple of years. He's a, uh, a center fielder, uh, five-tool kind of guy. He can run, he can throw, he can hit for power, he's—the speed is off the charts. Um, great defense in center field, and he got hurt this year in spring training, broke his wrist, uh, crashing into the center field wall. But this kid I think is going places. I think that, uh, you're gonna be seeing him at Yankee Stadium at some point in the future. Um, he really did impress me this year.

Um, you know, they've got a few other prospects up and down. But yeah, the first name that comes to my mind is Florial, and he's so bright and sharp and, um, just really impressed me being around it. He's so young. I think he's 21, going on 22, so he's got time to develop. But, um, I think that he's a guy that I'm still keeping an eye on, and I want to see how the rest of that story plays out.

[30:35] Al Malafronte: Favorite city or ballpark to travel to on the beat.

[30:41] Bryan Hoch: Wow. Um, favorite city. Favorite city might be San Francisco. Um, you know, the Yankees played there, and we got to play against the Giants this year, and that's such a great scene. Uh, it's less great when you have to go across the Bay Bridge and go play in Oakland against the A's. But, um, yeah, I think that San Francisco might be my favorite city to go to. Favorite ballpark is actually Target Field in Minnesota. I think that field, they did everything right. Uh, it's perfect, it's modern, it's old school at the same time. Um, you know, uh, if we're gonna pick a park that is not Yankee Stadium, I'm gonna go Minnesota. And, um, you know, it was cool to go to Dodger Stadium this year, but, uh, I'm glad we don't have to do that every year.

I think that's, uh, you know, it's kind of a time capsule that belongs in that Wrigley Field, Sunway Park, uh, kind of grouping, just in terms of, uh, it's cool to sit there and think about what it was like in nineteen sixty-two, but then you realize you can't get out of your chair and you can't move around, and everything is kind of, uh, antiquated. So yeah, no, I'm gonna go Target Field, I think honorable mention, Safeco Field, uh, or T-Mobile Park, what they call it now in Seattle, but, um, favorite city, San Francisco.

[31:54] Al Malafronte: Awesome. Are the balls juiced? And will the balls be juiced in 2020?

[32:00] Bryan Hoch: They are absolutely juiced, and I hope not. But maybe we—yeah, I—I mean, obviously, I think everybody knows something is up. And I noticed it this year in, um, the Yankees came north from spring training and they were taking batting practice, and it was one of those freezing cold 38-degree afternoons, and the ball was just flying to the back of the bleachers. And I was thinking it's almost like they're hitting with golf balls. And I'm thinking something is not right here. You know, I've just watched spring training for seven, eight weeks in Florida, and the ball was not flying like that. And now you get up to Yankee Stadium, it's freezing cold, and, um, you know, they're taking off like Titleists for home plate.

It was weird. And, um, it's continued to be weird. I—I said, I wonder what it's gonna be like when the summer months come and it warms up and the weather's good, and I think you've seen the answer to that. So hopefully they can—I, uh, look, offense is great, people like to see home runs. I—I have no problem with that. Um, but hopefully you can tone it down just a little bit. I heard, um, when Bob Costas was doing the game this summer, I think he made a really great point when he said the home run should be an exclamation point, not commonplace, and I think that really summed it up well.

[33:07] Al Malafronte: Yeah, I like that. I—I like that and I agree with that. And look, I'm not saying I want to see every game two to one and guys go back to hitting soft singles through the middle. I mean, I want to see the ball fly, and that's fun. But, um, I—I do understand why the pitchers are kind of scratching their heads and saying, hey, you know, it's my job to get people out, and it's just not easy. Um, so I think if we can tip it back a little bit in the pitcher's favor, that would be good for everybody.

[33:32] Al Malafronte: Now, Bryan, our last two questions are gonna be in the spirit of the other genre of our podcast, which is Broadway. I know that you know you're a pretty fair-weather Broadway fan, but you enjoy a good show.

[33:38] Bryan Hoch: I saw Waitress recently.

[33:44] Al Malafronte: Um, I did.

[33:46] Bryan Hoch: What'd you think of it, first of all?

[33:48] Bryan Hoch: Okay, no, I enjoyed it. My wife wanted to see it, and, um, yeah, I—I always enjoy going out to Broadway shows, and we've, uh, you know, we used to live on the Upper West Side, so we take advantage of it quite a bit and, uh, head down. I—I wouldn't say I'm a die-hard, uh, Broadway fan, but I, yeah, I enjoy it, and you're definitely, um, I say that is the perfect way to spend a night out in New York City. Um, you get, uh, got a good dinner and go see a show, and even if the show's not that great, you've had a full evening and, um, you know, now we've got kids and we're out in Jersey, so we don't get in quite as much as we used to do, but, um, still love getting in there, especially if we can find a babysitter.

[34:27] Al Malafronte: Yeah. Well, if you ever need advice on what shows to see, we're more than happy to help you with that. Now, that being said, do you have a favorite show tune?

[34:31] Bryan Hoch: Favorite show tune. Oh man, you—I'm not the best at this. I'm really not. But the first thing that just came to my mind was "Good Morning Baltimore" from Hairspray.

[34:48] Al Malafronte: Oh, that's a great one.

[34:49] Bryan Hoch: Um, probably because I hear it all the time when we go play the Orioles. But, um, they play that occasionally like that. That's great. I always like that.

[34:57] Al Malafronte: Yeah, I always like that one. That—that one, uh, that's my answer.

[35:01] Al Malafronte: That's awesome. And then lastly, uh, if you want, you could give us three if you want to rank your top three Broadway musicals, or you could just give us your favorite.

[35:13] Bryan Hoch: Wow. Top three. This is tough, you guys. Um, save the hardest one for last. It's like Chapman coming in in the ninth inning, you know, all of a sudden everyone's throwing 98, 99, then you see 103.

[35:26] Al Malafronte: I know, and I can't catch up to it.

[35:28] Bryan Hoch: Man, this is not, uh, not my forte, but I say Waitress was up there. You know, I saw Rock of Ages, uh, three times. I really enjoyed that one. That was, uh, that was right in my wheelhouse, and, uh, enjoyed that, and I'm trying to think. Man, we—I think I'm gonna have to take a pass on this one, guys.

[35:49] Al Malafronte: Um, I want to give you a good answer, but, uh, I've spent too much time at the ballpark, I think.

[35:54] Bryan Hoch: That's more than fair, Bryan. Listen, it was such a pleasure to have you. Thank you so much for coming on.

[36:00] Bryan Hoch: You got it. Thanks, guys, for having me, and I'll, uh, I'll work on getting that list to you.

[36:04] Al Malafronte: That sounds great. Well, that'll close out the ballgame here on Break A Bat. We'll see you next time.

[36:10] Al Malafronte: Thanks, Bryan.

[36:12] Al Malafronte: Thanks for listening to Break A Bat. This is produced by the fine folks at the Broadway Podcast Network. Visit and subscribe at BPN.fm slash breakabat.

[36:24] Al Malafronte: You can find me online at break underscore a underscore bat underscore podcast, and you can also find the Broadway Podcast Network on Instagram at Broadway Podcast Network.

[36:37] Al Malafronte: It's been so great having you here with us today, and we'll see you next time.