That one about the next day's starting pitcher

Just one year ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers were famously in the midst of a run to and through the World Series that was keyed by their bullpen. There were lots of trips to the mound by Dave Roberts. Lots of plans and sequences and match-ups to optimize the use of the Dodger relief pitchers.

It was a fair representation of this era of baseball. The Dodgers were hardly the only team to build plans around their bullpen. Had the New York Yankees won the World Series instead, it would have also been a story of many relievers.

Those bullpen characters bring entertaining elements to the game. They have electric stuff and quirky personalities. Some of them wear funny gear. There was still plenty of joy to be found in bullpen games. This is baseball, after all.

One year later, we are watching the sudden and unexpected return of starting pitchers as the main characters of the MLB playoffs. I didn't realize how much I missed that until we got it back.

Today

• Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the return of dominant postseason starters
• Revisiting the big moment for the Toronto Blue Jays in game 1
• Relating to Joe Flacco

Momentum and so on

The Toronto Blue Jays seemed like they might actually carry the momentum of their offensive explosion right over into game 2 of the 2025 World Series.

Having erupted for 11 runs to open this year's Fall Classic, Toronto opened their first offensive frame by putting two runners on base. Nobody out. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. coming to the plate.

They had the start of a rally against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the same pitcher who had delivered a complete game in his last outing against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. As far as the story of the World Series goes, it seemed in that moment like the story might be the dominant Toronto offense.

Yamamoto fooled Vlad Jr. with a nasty curveball to get strike 3. It was an immediate splash of cold water. Surely, though, there were still ample opportunities ahead for these Toronto hitters. The momentum was still in the Blue Jays' dugout.

Ah, but what's the one about momentum and the next day's starting pitcher?

Looking at it now, maybe those good vibes had already started to wane. The surprising strikeout of Vlad Jr. was a fitting picture of what was to come, as Yamamoto wiggled out of that first inning jam, dominated the rest of the game, and fulfilled the promise of that famous Earl Weaver quote: "Momentum is the next day's starting pitcher."

With Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman matching Yamamoto for much of the game, we were watching an actual pitchers' duel. Not a pitching staff duel, but an actual showdown between the two starters. As far as individual playoff games, these versions offer some of the best tension and key moments that we associate with October baseball. We just hadn't seen one for the last few years.

In the end, it was Yamamoto's night. For his second straight playoff start, he threw a complete game. He retired the last 20 batters he faced, making that early flurry from Toronto's offense a distant memory. He won the pitchers' duel.

The last starting pitcher to throw two consecutive complete games in the playoffs was Curt Schilling in 2001. Thinking back to those postseasons, the starters were central to the plot of each game. Schilling and Randy Johnson. Josh Beckett. Pedro Martinez. Some years after those guys, you had Madison Bumgarner.

That is not a comprehensive list. The fact that I surely left out a name that seems obvious to someone else only emphasizes the point that the starting pitchers were the main characters of some of our favorite baseball stories.

Yamamoto has seized a spot as one of the central figures in these playoffs. Even if you aren't cheering for the Dodgers (and you probably aren't), it's hard not to enjoy the experience of watching him work. At the very least, it's hard not to appreciate his craft.

For example, I associated Yamamoto with that famous splitter he throws. That and his high 90s fastball. I probably knew he had a lot of pitches in his arsenal, but I didn't have so much as a notion of him throwing nasty curveballs before game 2. Yet there he was, snapping off breaking pitches that were 20 MPH less than his fastball.

I'll say it again: he tricked Vlad Jr. with that pitch. Nobody is tricking Vlad Jr. in these playoffs. That was just one of a number of outstanding pitches by Yamamoto as he pitched another memorable game and the Dodgers evened up the World Series.

Don't forget Bam Bam

My eight-year-old son Declan picked the Blue Jays as his favorite baseball team a few years ago. I think it was mostly because he thought their logo was cool. But then he saw Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr., and he thought their players were cool, too.

He has been loyal, sticking with the Jays after their last place finish in 2024. That made this season a lot of fun.

As the Blue Jays have continued their success and earned their trip to the World Series, another favorite player has emerged in our house: Addison Barger.

From the moment that Declan said Barger was one of his favorite players, I could see why. The guy is pure energy. Any play he makes might be a lightning strike, whether it's a throw from the outfield or one of those violent swings at the plate.

Even having watched a lot of Blue Jays games, I hadn't heard anyone refer to Barger as "Bam Bam" until the World Series. Boy is that a fitting and fun nickname. The youthful energy that earns that moniker and the admiration of a young fan was on full display when Barger delivered the signature moment in game 1 of the World Series:

If the starting pitchers beyond Yamamoto truly become the story, it doesn't bode well for the Blue Jays. But that's not the only way this World Series could go. We saw that in game 1, capped off in loud fashion by Bam Bam.

You and me both, brother

Joe Flacco and I have a complicated history. He was at the helm of a crushing and embarrassing sports fan moment for me. When the Baltimore Ravens inexplicably beat the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos in the playoffs, they felled one of the best teams I have ever cheered for. Those Broncos were the obvious favorites to win the Super Bowl.

As if it weren't enough, I tossed my phone (a flip phone) down the hallway of our apartment when that game ended. It was carpet. Insofar as I was thinking at all, I thought it was a safe direction to throw something in disgust. It wasn't. I broke my phone.

A number of years later, Joe Flacco played for the Broncos. He was terrible and kind of a grump in the process. That cemented things in my mind. Flacco and I were destined to be at odds. I didn't like him.

Here we are in 2025, and Flacco is still in the league. I had already softened my stance on Flacco because I am rooting for any active athlete who's older than me and not named Aaron Rodgers. Then I saw this clip.

Joe Flacco and I both have some gray in our beards. We've got some perspective on things. And we both appreciate the chance to just sit and eat by ourselves.

You and me, Joe, maybe we're not so different after all.