AI Summary
5 min readThe Brewers just finished a four-game series in Los Angeles and won three of them. The Dodgers lost 6-2 in a Sunday matinee, and the decisive moment came in the eighth inning when Kyle Tucker failed to catch a routine fly ball near the right-field wall. The ball glanced off his glove, the Brewers capitalized, and the home crowd at Dodger Stadium responded by booing him. Tucker was benched the next day.
That moment crystallizes what Ben Maller argues is the defining story of the Dodgers' season: Kyle Tucker is not in a slump. He is a liability. A $240 million liability.
The case against Tucker
Maller is emphatic that Tucker's performance is no longer explainable as a rough patch. "He is a capital L liability," Maller says. "He's an albatross." Tucker was acquired with fanfare and given a four-year, $240 million contract — $60 million per season. But Maller points out that Tucker is not hitting, not fielding, and not hustling. He says Tucker "looks like he'd rather be anywhere else" and compares watching him to "tumbleweeds."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (04:14) **Kyle Tucker Booed at Dodger Stadium** - Ben Maller opens the hour by detailing how Kyle Tucker was booed by home fans after a costly outfield error in a Brewers-Dodgers game, setting up the question of whether he's a liability.
- 2 (10:41) **Tucker's Full Collapse: No Hitting, Fielding, or Hustle** - Maller argues Kyle Tucker is failing in every phase of the game, making him unplayable for a playoff roster.
- 3 (15:03) **Yankees to Pass on Qualifying Offer for Jazz Chisholm** - Ben shifts to a report that the Yankees will not give Jazz Chisholm a qualifying offer, effectively ending his time in New York.
- 4 (19:13) **Remembering Tommy John: The Original Patient Zero** - Ben pays tribute to former pitcher Tommy John, who died at 83, and argues he revolutionized sports medicine by undergoing experimental elbow surgery.
- 5 (24:48) **The Great Injustice: Tommy John Snubbed by Hall of Fame** - Ben delivers a passionate criticism of baseball writers for failing to elect Tommy John to the Hall of Fame.
- 6 (31:06) **Show Segue and Listener Call** - Ben transitions to a promotional segment for an upcoming live event in Las Vegas and takes a call from "Blind Scott" in Boston.
- 7 (39:08) **Tarik Skubal's Rough Start with the Dodgers** - Ben briefly critiques Tarik Skubal's performance since joining the Dodgers, noting the team has a losing record in his starts.
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Show Notes
Ben Maller talks about Kyle Tucker officially being a Dodgers liability, reports the Yankees will not even make a qualifying offer to Jazz Chisholm, the passing of former MLB pitcher Tommy John, Maller to the Third Degree, and more!
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