The MLB postseason is down to the Final Four:
ALCS: Toronto Blue Jays v. Seattle Mariners. NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers v. Milwaukee Brewers.
[Breaking News: Seattle won yesterday and leads Toronto in the ALCS 2-0. The Dodgers beat the Brewers last night to take a 1-0 lead in the NLCS]
My hope is a World Series of Seattle v. Milwaukee. Why? As I say in Hot Stove year after year, I generally root for the cities that have not recently (or ever) basked in the glow of a Series victory. Especially small market/low payroll teams (like when the Royals won in 1985 and 2015). So, my logic for 2025…
1. ALCS: Seattle, an MLB franchise since 1977, has never been in a World Series. Toronto also became an MLB franchise in 1977 and has won two World Series (1992 and 1993).
2. NLCS: Milwaukee has been an MLB franchise since 1969 and has never won a World Series. The Dodgers have won eight times, once in Brooklyn and seven more in Los Angeles. Milwaukee has basked in the glow of a Series with their Braves winning in 1957 before moving to Atlanta in 1966. The Brewers franchise has played in one World Series (1982), but those “Harvey Wallbangers” were beaten by the Cardinals in seven games (on a personal note, I attended Game 7 in St. Louis with Eagleton staffers Woody Overton and Mike Ryan; ticket stub below).
3. Two for Seattle: The Milwaukee franchise was an expansion team in 1969 (same year as the expansion Royals). But the franchise was not yet in Milwaukee. It was the Seattle Pilots, a team that went bankrupt and was bought by Bud Selig who moved the team to Milwaukee in 1970. So, Seattle could potentially claim two teams in the 2025 Series, the current Mariners and the old Pilots.
4. The Money: The Dodgers are #1 in player payroll. The Blue Jays, #5. Their poorer opponents are #15 (Mariners) and #22 (Brewers). As a fan of the Royals (#18), my heart is with the Mariners and Brewers.
Below are some short takes on how the Final Four got to the NLCS and ALCS. But first, a comment on the pitching.
Postseason Starting Rotations: Many of the postseason teams had a surprising (to me) lack of depth in their starting rotations. The Blue Jays were a good example. They won their division series by starting Game 4 with an “opener” who pitched briefly before being relieved by a series of seven “followers.” The eight Toronto pitchers eliminated the Yankees with a 5-2 win. Below is an overlay of all eight in action (video here).
Another example is Game 5 of the Brewers/Cubs series…
NLDS – Brewers Beat Cubs (3-2): With this series tied 2-2, BOTH the Brewers and Cubs used an opener to pitch the first inning of Game 5. The Brewers ultimately used five pitchers; the Cubs, six (stats below). Luckily for the Brewers, Jacob Misiorowski, usually a starter, pitched a good four innings in his role as a “follower.” The Brewers won 3-1 to move on to the NLCS.
[Royals Opportunity: The Royals have six or seven legitimate starters for 2026. With starting pitching so thin in the postseason, maybe one of the playoff teams will give up a big outfield bat in a trade.]
NLDS – Dodgers Beat Phillies (3-1): Sadly, the key memory of this series will be that it ended on a walk-off error. In the bottom of the 11th inning with the score tied 1-1 and two outs, the Dodgers loaded the bases. Andy Pages came to the plate to face Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering. Pages hit a comebacker to Kerkering who could have thrown to first to end the inning. But he instead hurriedly threw home well wide of the catcher (video here). Below, Kerkering hunched over in agony as Dodgers race to celebrate in ecstasy (video here).
Likely NL MVP Shohei Ohtani had one hit (a single) in 18 at bats. The Dodgers won anyway.
ALDS – Blue Jays Beat Yankees (3-1): Toronto outscored the Yankees 34-19 in the four games. Although the Yankees were able to salvage a game, they appeared overmatched by the Blue Jays.
Likely AL MVP Aaron Judge had a monster series (.600/.684/.933; OPS of 1.618!). The Yankees lost anyway.
ALDS – Mariners Beat Tigers: (3-2): The line score for Game 5 tells the story. Or as headlined in the Washington Post, Sleepless in Seattle (fan reaction to the walk-off win here). Also, sleepless in Detroit where Tiger fans saw their season end just after 1:00 in the morning.
Minutes played: 298 (4:58)
Pitches thrown: 472
Plate appearances: 115
Pitchers used: 15
Strikeouts: 37
Runners left on base: 22
This was the “classic” game of the 2025 division series.
Go Seattle!
Geddy Lee’s Triumphant Return to NLBM: Geddy Lee, bass player and lead vocalist for the band Rush, is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is also a big baseball fan. The Canadian loves his Toronto Blue Jays. He is a baseball historian and fantasy league player. Over the last 30 years, Lee assembled one of the all-time private collections of baseball memorabilia.
Lee also donated one of the iconic exhibits at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum – a collection of over 400 baseballs autographed by Negro League players.
Two years ago, Geddy sold off a good part of his collection at auction. While parting ways with his beloved memorabilia, he decided to write a book of stories about 72 of his favorite items.
The book was released two weeks ago, and for his inaugural book signing event, Geddy chose the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. This past Saturday, the event kicked off with an interview with NLBM president Bob Kendrick.
Hundreds of baseball and Rush fans were in attendance.
The backstory of how Geddy Lee assembled his collection is reflected on the dedication page of his book:
“In memory of my good friend and baseball guru J.W. Jones. Thank you for all those years guiding me down the rabbit hole.”
Some of the story will be familiar to Hot Stove readers because I wrote about Geddy and Jones in 2023 (Hot Stove #240 – Baseball Memorabilia – Geddy Lee, J.W. Jones and Wayne Tenenbaum). I met J.W. Jones in the mid-1980s when he became COO of my client Tenenbaum-Hill. J.W. and Wayne Tenenbaum were memorabilia aficionados. For Wayne, this included a huge (and valuable) baseball card collection. J.W. took it to the next level by leaving Tenenbaum-Hill and opening The Legacy in Crown Center. The shop specialized in historic documents and celebrity autographs, many of which were beautifully framed.
J.W. also became a client of our firm and displayed some of his excess inventory at our offices, figuring it was good advertising when seen by clients and others coming to our offices. I recall temporarily having a Thomas Jefferson item in my office. I also acquired a couple of framed items that hang in our condo today.
Around 1990, Geddy Lee was in Kansas City for a concert and staying at the Crown Center Hotel. He wandered into The Legacy, bought a couple of items and followed up to ask for a meeting with the owner to discuss building a collection. J.W. recruited baseball savant Wayne Tenenbaum to help cement the deal with Lee over a lunch at Bryant’s. This started a 30-year relationship between advisor Jones and collector Lee. J.W. also introduced Lee to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and encouraged the donation of the baseballs signed by Negro Leaguers.
When I told this story in Hot Stove #240, it was based on conversations with J.W. and Wayne. What’s really cool about Lee’s new book is that I now have his perspective on this same history. In the “Introduction” to the book, Lee details both his relationship with J.W. and his love for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
Here’s how he describes his first time at The Legacy: “In The Legacy that day, I suddenly found myself captivated by the older photos of stars from the games long and colourful [Canadian style] past. It was like a door on another world, another time, had been left ajar, and I couldn’t resist sticking my head inside. I felt compelled to buy something…”
He bought two autographed items that first day, a photo the 1951 homer (the “Shot Heard Round the World”) by Bobby Thomson and a photo of Satchel Paige in his St. Louis Browns uniform. The selection of the Paige photo turned out to be a first step in his appreciation for the contributions of the Negro Leagues to baseball.
Lee followed up with J.W. to see about more items. Lee: “To steal a phrase from Casablanca, this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship – a decades-long trawl of the history of baseball, propelled by the whims and unevenness of my knowledge of the game – and J.W. would remain my mentor for thirty years.”
Lee’s first impression when J.W. introduced him to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in 2007: “The museum…is a magical place designed with a Field of Legends baseball diamond at its heart, featuring life-size bronze statues of some of the league’s greatest players in their customary positions around the field: catcher Josh Gibson, pitcher Satchel Paige…”
When a large quantity of baseballs signed by Negro Leaguers came up for auction: “J.W. suggested that acquiring the lot would be an opportunity to show support for the museum in a form of a donation, which immediately resonated with me.”
On the reason for ending his collecting and letting some go to auction: “I spent close to three decades collecting baseball ephemera with the help of J.W. Jones, so it was a terrible blow to me when in 2018 he passed away, and it took the heart out of the hobby for me. In fact, I have not bought a single baseball item since. I’m now passing some of my treasures on to younger, more enthusiastic collectors, but until then, I’ll remain extremely proud of the vast collection I built with the help of my buddy from the Midwest, and I don’t regret a penny or second I spent getting to the heart of what the great game of baseball means to me.”
Below, J.W. Jones (flanked by son Todd and daughter Anna) and Geddy Lee at the NLBM in 2008 (Photo from 72 Stories).
To get a good feel for the joy of the Saturday event, check out these two videos, each of which I selfishly link because I’m accidentally in both: KCTV5 (1:07) and Neon Jazz (5:34). Below is a screenshot from the Neon Jazz video. While Lee signed my book, we discussed our mutual friends J.W. Jones and Wayne Tenenbaum. I did not bring up that I was rooting for the Mariners to beat his Blue Jays in the ALCS.
Lonnie’s Jukebox – Rush Encore: In Hot Stove #240, I featured Rush in Lonnie’s Jukebox. It would feel odd to close this post with anyone other than Rush, so I’m giving that Jukebox an encore presentation. I also have some current news on the band. They are going on tour in 2026, the first time since their drummer/lyricist Neil Peart died in 2020. Details here.
I’ll start with a confession. I’ve heard of Rush. Know they are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sort of remember hearing about Paul Rudd being a fan of Rush in a movie. I have previously written about Geddy Lee giving the 400 baseballs to the NLBM. But I know almost nothing about their music.
When Rush was putting out hit albums in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I was in my 40s and 50s. They were on the “album rock” stations while I was still listening to Top-40 stations with hits from the singles charts. I missed the “progressive rock” era. So, I’ve had to cobble together an “Old Man’s Rush Playlist.” I hope Geddy Lee understands.
In the liner notes to their Signals album, the band used baseball positions to describe their roles. The other positions around the diamond were assigned to producers, stage managers and technicians.
From left, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart and Geddy Lee (1978). Lifeson and Lee are now 70. Peart, the primary lyricist for the band, died in 2020 at the age of 67.
When I reviewed the Rush discography, I spotted two covers of records I have in my 45-rpm record collection.
“Not Fade Away” by Rush (1973). This was their debut single. The record in my collection is by Buddy Holly and the Crickets (1957; click here).
“Summertime Blues” by Rush (2004). Mine is by Eddie Cochran (1959; click here).
Three other songs have some familiarity…
“Limelight” by Rush (1981, but this link is to the concert scene in the 2009 movie I Love You, Man). Rush fanatics Paul Rudd and Jason Segel dance and air-guitar while ignoring Rudd’s fiancée (Rashida Jones). Rudd has been trying to get his fiancée to appreciate Rush (click here). The song is also played over the closing credits by a cover band led by Rudd and Segel, and Rudd is pleased that his new wife has become “Rushified” (click here and prepare for raunchy dialogue).
Rudd is also a fan of Rush in real life and was the interviewer on the inaugural stop of Lee’s current book tour. Below, at the Beacon Theater in New York.
“The Spirit of Radio” by Rush (1980). This is a Rush song that has appeared in a prior Lonnie’s Jukebox. Hot Stove #183 featured baseball on the radio, and the playlist included various songs about radio. Don’t miss the video in this song – it’s very interesting.
“Tom Sawyer” by Rush (1981). This is considered by many to be the signature song for Rush. In this clip from Family Guy, Peter is at a Rush concert and yells out a request for “Tom Sawyer.” Geddy Lee responds that it’s already been played and then chides Peter for being the only fan not wearing black jeans. Geddy also throws in a reference to the “completely unoccupied ladies room” – Rush is known for having a male-dominated fan base.
Having exhausted my knowledge, I called my son Brian to close this out with a couple more songs. He was first exposed to Rush in 1977 when he was a sophomore in high school. That’s when he heard the 2112 album that was popular with the “long hairs” (like Brian at the time), and it was the kind of album you had to listen to from beginning to end (so way too long for the Jukebox). Brian’s first Rush concert was the Farewell to Kings tour at Municipal Auditorium in 1978. He added four more Rush concerts over the years. His picks…
“Working Man” by Rush (1974).
“The Trees” by Rush (1978).
I’ll close with a return to baseball…
“O Canada” by Geddy Lee at the 1993 MLB All-Star Game at Camden Yards.