Claim OwnershipDeep Left Field with Mike Wilner
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Longtime Toronto Blue Jays radio voice Mike Wilner hosts Deep Left Field, a baseball podcast from the Toronto Star. With great baseball coverage, opinion and analysis, Deep Left Field has everything you need to know about the Jays, specifically, and baseball in general.
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Guests: Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, former Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion, New York Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay The Blue Jays came out of the all-star break and picked up right where they left off, sweeping the San Francisco Giants then taking two of three from the Yankees as part of a 5-1 homestand. This week in Deep Left Field, we sit down with Kevin Gausman, who threw seven brilliant innings in Monday night's win over the Yankees, to discuss the first-place Jays, who moved into a tie with the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League with their win on Wednesday. That Wednesday win was the seventh straight sellout at Rogers Centre, and Jays fans are becoming a big part of the story. Edwin Encarnacion remembers what it was like at the dome when the Jays were rolling in 2015 and 2016, and he joins us to compare those teams and those atmospheres to this one. Also, Yankees television broadcaster Michael Kay created a firestorm with his comments about the Jays not being a first-place team and not even playing that well on his radio show a few weeks ago. We gave him a chance to clarify, apologize or double down - join us to see which route he chose.
1Guest: Blue Jays reliever Mason Fluharty The first ALCS to open up in Toronto since 1992 began the same way the last one did - with a Blue Jays loss. The Jays got a leadoff home run from George Springer and then just one more hit the rest of the night and fell to the travel- and extra-inning-weary Seattle Mariners 3-1. Mason Fluharty got two huge outs in the top of the eighth, striking out Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez to escape Seranthony Dominguez’ jam and give the bats a chance to come back. They didn’t. The rookie lefty joins us from a very quiet Jays’ clubhouse to talk about his playoff experience so far. And, of course, we dip into the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca to hear what you have to say!
Guests: Chris Bassitt and Davis Schneider The American League Championship Series begins tonight and for the first time since 1993, it's opening up in Toronto. The Blue Jays are getting set to take on their expansion cousins, the Seattle Mariners, with the well-rested Kevin Gausman facing off against Bryce Miller, who will be pitching on three days' rest. We're joined by Chris Bassitt, who talks about the sacrifices he made during the season that wound up costing him in September and October, but how missing playoff series doesn't matter to him as long as the Jays keep winning. Davis Schneider stops by as well, to tell us about getting a hit in his first playoff at-bat ever, at Rogers Centre in Game 2 of the ALDS, and in his first playoff at-bat at Yankee Stadium two days later. Plus, as always, we open up the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca - keep those cards and letters coming!
Guests: Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm, Kim's Convenience/The Mandalorian's Paul Sun-Hyung Lee It took a while, but the Toronto Blue Jays have an opponent in the American League Championship Series that begins Sunday night at Rogers Centre. The Seattle Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in the decisive Game 5 of their American League Division Series, but it took them an all-time record (for a winner-take-all game) 15 innings to do it, which is certainly good news for the Jays, who were home and likely in bed watching things finish up just after 1:00 a.m. Eastern time. We discuss the Jays-Mariners ALCS match-up with Gregor Chisholm and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, looking at how the short rest – and using three starting pitchers Friday night – might affect the M's as they try to get to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. For the Jays, it would be their first trip to the Fall Classic since 1993. Will Cal Raleigh be Seattle's version of Aaron Judge? Will the Mariners have anything left after an exhausting, emotional series with the Detroit Tigers, especially after having to win 17 of 18 down the stretch just to win their division? What did the Jays prove to the baseball world with their win over the New York Yankees in their ALDS? These questions and more will be answered, or at least will attempt to be answered, on this playoff bonus episode of Deep Left Field! You can be part of the next episode by sending your questions and comments to the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca.
The Blue Jays are going to the American League Championship Series! The Jays shrugged off their ugly loss to the New York Yankees in Tuesday's Game 3 and did all the things that got them to this point on Wednesday - great defence, timely hitting, making their opponents pay for mistakes - and combined that with an outstanding performance from eight relievers to knock the Yankees out of the post-season, guaranteeing that they won't defend their American League pennant. Of the four teams that went into their games Wednesday with a chance to advance to the next round, the Jays are the only one that managed to do it. They're in the League Championship Series - one of the last four teams standing - for the first time since 2016 and only the third time since 1993. They'll face either the Detroit Tigers in the first-ever 401 series or the Seattle Mariners in the first-ever ALCS battle between 1977 expansion cousins. On this latest playoff bonus episode of Deep Left Field, we go over the Game 4 win, what went right and what could have gone wrong, and we open up the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca for your comments and questions! Audio sources: Fox and Sportsnet
The Blue Jays quite literally kicked away their chance to sweep the Yankees in the American League division series, uncharacteristic errors and shoddy fielding giving New York the opportunity to overcome a five-run deficit and roar back to win the game and keep their playoff hopes alive for at least one more day. We'll go through the gory details for you on this special playoff bonus episode of Deep Left Field: -Did Shane Bieber get taken out of the game too soon? -What happened on that pop-up that Addison Barger missed to open the floodgates? -Should Anthony Santander be in the lineup and, if so, should he be playing the outfield? As well, and as always during the post-season, we open the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca to go through your questions and comments, including whether it would be wise for the Jays to use Kevin Gausman in Game 4, how they'll work a bullpen game, when will Bo Bichette come back and what's up with Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer?
Guests: Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa Two games into their post-season, the Blue Jays are doing things that have never been done before – not just by them, but by anyone. No team had ever scored 23 runs in the first two games of a post-season until the Jays did it in taking a two games to none stranglehold on their best-of-five American League Division Series with the New York Yankees. No pitcher had ever struck out 11 batters while allowing no hits over the first five innings of a playoff game until Trey Yesavage did it on Sunday – less than three weeks after making his major-league debut! We hear from Yesavage and Jays manager John Schneider from the post-game podium, then talk to Kevin Gausman and Isiah Kiner-Falefa about what they saw from the 22-year-old on Sunday. And we open up the deepleftfield@thestar.ca mailbag, as well!
On this playoff bonus episode of Deep Left Field, we go over the Blue Jays’ blowout of the New York Yankees in Game 1 of their ALDS on Saturday, the Jays’ first post-season win in nine years and one that snapped a seven-game playoff losing streak. Many demons were slayed, especially by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who doubled his career playoff hit total and tripled his career playoff RBI total in a game that also included his first-ever post-season home run. Also, we open up the mailbag to talk playoff roster, pitching rotation, the crowd, the vibes, the white-panel hats and more!
Guest: RUSH frontman and Blue Jays fanatic Geddy Lee The Blue Jays are on the eve of their American League division series against the New York Yankees, which begins Saturday afternoon. We talk to the Jays' most famous fan, the lead singer, bassist and keyboardist from the legendary Canadian rock band Rush, who also happens to be a massive baseball geek. Geddy Lee shares his thoughts on the Blue Jays' worst-to-first season, how much fun he's had watching the team and how large a part of their success all the unsung heroes have been. We also look at the ALDS match-up with the Yankees and open up the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca!
Guests: 2025 Blue Jays MVP, Rookie of the Year and Unsung Hero We don't want to spoil the surprise for you, so as the Jays' American League division series draws ever closer, check out this episode of Deep Left Field to find out who the players, coaches and other uniformed personnel voted as their end-of-season award winners. We're joined by the MVP, who got 45 of 53 votes cast, Rookie of the Year, who got 48, and Unsung Hero, who ran away with an award for which 14 different players received votes, truly symbolizing this year's Blue Jays, for which there seemed to be a different hero every night. As we continue with our far-more-frequent-than-usual episodes through the post-season, remember that the Deep Left Field mailbag is always open. If you want to get your comment or question onto the show, send an email to deepleftfield@thestar.ca!
Guests: Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement, pitchers Jeff Hoffman and Eric Lauer As the Blue Jays prepare to play in the American League Division Series for the first time since 2016, we take you back onto the field in the wake of their division-clinching win Sunday. Ernie Clement is the poster boy for the Jays' cast of unsung heroes and versatile contributors, and he joins us to talk about his multiple roles over the course of the season and how his flexibility was once again put on display by playing three different positions in Sunday's season finale. Eric Lauer may have saved the season by stabilizing the pitching staff when he was called up at the end of April, and he had the ball in his glove when the season ended, stepping on first to retire Tampa Bay's Jonathan Aranda for the final out. He talks about bouncing back from a 2024 in which he got released by two major-league organizations and wound up pitching in South Korea, and what he's doing with the ball from the 27th out. Closer Jeff Hoffman was on the National League East champion Philadelphia Phillies last season, who also got a first-round bye, and we talk to him about what the Jays will do with five days off and how the break could affect them in the next round. All that, plus we open up the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca for your questions and comments!
Guests: Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm The Blue Jays are American League East champions. They clinched the division with a 13-4 mauling of the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre Sunday, giving them the AL East crown for the first time in ten years. It was the first time they'd clinched at home since 1993. We talk to injured shortstop Bo Bichette about his season, the comeback from last year's last-place finish and what his status is as the Jays enter a five-day break before taking on either the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. Gregor Chisholm stops by as well, to discuss Game 162 and how it felt like a microcosm of the season as a whole, as well as the odd path the Jays took to the division title, having to win their final four games of the season following an ugly run of six losses in seven games
Guest: Blue Jays pitcher Tommy Nance With 161 games done and the American League East still in question, we present a bonus episode of Deep Left Field. The final game of the regular season goes Sunday, and a Blue Jays home win over the Tampa Bay Rays gives them their first division title since 2015. So does a Yankees home loss against Baltimore. We talk to Tommy Nance, whose scoreless eighth inning in Saturday's Jays win whittled his ERA down to a sparkling 1.99, about how we got here, how the team is feeling going into the biggest game of the year (so far) and what he thinks of the decision to start Kevin Gausman in the season finale. As well, the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca will be open and we'll take your comments and answer your Blue Jays questions!
Guest: Blue Jays Associate Manager DeMarlo Hale The Blue Jays are going into the season's final weekend having clinched a playoff spot but not knowing whether they'll be the first, second or fourth seed in the American League. The only thing that's assured is that they will open the playoffs at home, whether that's in the wild card round or with a first-round bye. We talk to Jays' associate manager DeMarlo Hale about a wild week in which the Jays won just twice in eight tries and were almost swept by both Kansas City and Boston. Hale, who was John Gibbons' bench coach with the Jays in their 2015 and '16 playoff runs, and also coached in post-seasons under Terry Francona and Buck Showalter, weighs in on the playoffs to come, on the Jays sputtering to the finish line and on all the recent controversies with umpires and replay reviews. Also, we open the mailbag and take about a dozen of your questions, most of which have to do with the playoff roster and starting rotation. And thoughts on DFAing Alek Manoah.
Guests: Children Ruin Everything star Aaron Abrams, Clare Blackwood of The Beaverton and Second City After finishing in last place just a year ago, the Blue Jays clinched a post-season berth with their 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals Sunday, becoming the first American League team to do so. In honour of the return of playoff baseball to Toronto for the first time (actual Toronto, as in a home game) since 2022, we have gathered a panel of some of the city's best, brightest and professionally funniest Blue Jays fans to talk about the clinch, the awful week leading up to it, the replay debacles in Tampa and KC and so much more. Aaron Abrams, the star of Children Ruin Everything on CTV and Netflix, joins the roundtable discussion along with distinguished Second City alumna Clare Blackwood of The Beaverton podcast. You're gonna love it!
Guest: Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman Kevin Gausman has taken a huge leap forward over his past four starts, dominating the playoff-bound Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees and Houston Astros before turning in a solid September 17 performance in a 2-1 Blue Jays loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander has a sparkling 0.90 ERA over those four starts - and just 2.30 over his past 15 outings - and he's put himself in position to be the Jays' first starter out of the gate in the post-season. The 34-year-old joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about his turnaround, being at his best when it matters the most, and this magical Blue Jays' season as they head into the playoffs. We also deal with the news of the week, including Trey Yesavage's magical major-league debut, Bo Bichette being out for at least the rest of September, Baltimore analyst Brian Roberts' ignorant comments about Canadian baseball fans, the release of one-time top prospect Orelvis Martinez and the replay controversy in Tampa. Plus, we open up the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca!
Guests: Blue Jays infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, catcher Tyler Heineman The Blue Jays had a rare losing week, but still carried a three-game lead in the American League East into Thursday's rubber match against the AL West-leading Houston Astros. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Tyler Heineman both played huge roles in the Jays securing the first game of the series, and they both join us this week in Deep Left Field. Kiner-Falefa, signed to a two-year deal before last season, traded to Pittsburgh at the 2024 trade deadline and re-acquired on waivers just before the September 1 playoff eligibility deadline, talks about how he fell in love with Toronto years ago and how happy he is to be rejoining the team for the stretch drive. With Bo Bichette sidelined with a knee injury, IKF is going to play a greater role than anticipated and he discusses that, as well as how much he loves hitting in Toronto. Heineman couldn't have picked a better time to have a career year. As Alejandro Kirk's back-up, he is currently posting career highs in batting average, slugging percentage, home runs and even stolen bases. He's also throwing out base stealers at a higher rate than he ever has before. Tuesday night he picked up the first walk-off of his career. All that plus a look back at The Week That Was and your emails on Episode 278 of Deep Left Field!
Guests: Blue Jays home run leader George Springer, New York Mets bench coach John Gibbons and starting pitcher Jonah Tong September is upon us and the tension of the pennant race has ratcheted up. George Springer knows all about it, having played on three straight division winners with the Houston Astros and he is off to a tremendous September start, with three home runs and a 2.031 OPS to begin the month. Having moved into second place in the American League in OPS, behind only the Yankees' Aaron Judge, Springer joins us to talk about his incredible resurgence this season and what the Jays need to do down the stretch to take the division crown. John Gibbons was the Jays' manager the last time the team won the AL East, in 2015, and the current bench coach of the New York Mets, who hold the final wild card spot in the National League. We chat with Gibby about his memories of the Jays' great run when he was at the helm, as well as some of the challenges facing the current team. As always, Gibby is the best. Finally, Jonah Tong makes his first appearance in Deep Left Field. The 22-year-old Markham, Ontario native began his career with a win in his major league debut on August 29. The former Toronto Met who was the 75th-best prospect in the game going into this season according to Baseball Prospectus, made a meteoric rise through the New York Mets' system this year, posting a 1.43 ERA in 22 starts at Double-A and Triple-A combined with 179 strikeouts in just 113 2/3 innings. Listen here now or at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts Thursday afternoon. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can at thestar.com/subscribingmatters.
Guests: Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer, left fielder Davis Schneider, reliever Tommy Nance The Blue Jays are getting set for a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers, who have the best record in MLB, and they'll go into it just half a game behind the Detroit Tigers for the best record in the American League. Bullpen questions abound, and we discuss those on this episode of Deep Left Field, and also welcome Max Scherzer to the podcast for the first time. The 41-year-old, Cooperstown-bound starting pitcher is showing glimpses of the pitcher who won three Cy Young awards every time out and we discuss his comeback from three months missed with a thumb injury. We also try to get him to compare this Jays team to the three teams he's played on that have been to the World Series, but he's not looking past his next start. Davis Schneider homered twice Wednesday night and has been red-hot in the month of August, batting .341 with an 1.123 OPS. He joins the show to talk about his turnaround and to sing the praises of his roommate, Ernie Clement, and of Joey Loperfido, who is likely to move back in with them shortly. And 34-year-old Tommy Nance, who has a 0.90 ERA out of the bullpen in 17 appearances, discusses his long and winding path to the big leagues, his flourishing in his role with the Jays and how excited he is to be part of a September pennant push for the first time in his career.
Guests: Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman, reliever Seranthony Dominguez, infielder Ty France This week in Deep Left Field, we talk to the closer. Jeff Hoffman melted down in embarrassing fashion in Los Angeles on August 10, causing panic among the fans and calls to put him in a lower-leverage role in the Jays' bullpen. Since that outing, Hoffman has appeared in four games and allowed only one hit, with nine strikeouts against 13 batters faced. He talks about his meltdown - and how he wanted to stay in that game to face Shohei Ohtani with the bases loaded - his first year as a full-time closer and the potential to be pitching in big spots in the post-season. Seranthony Dominguez has pitched in several big spots in the post-season, with a career ERA of 1.02 in 17 playoff appearances, some as a teammate of Hoffman's two years ago in Philadelphia. We play "Get To Know The New Guy" with Dominguez, acquired from Baltimore at the trade deadline, and do the same with Ty France, who was picked up from the Minnesota Twins a couple of days later.
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What a nice young man Alek Manoah comes across as. Thoughtful, intelligent, straightforward, and no attempt to obfuscate. There's clearly a lot of respect between him and Mike (and other Jays' correspondents by the sound of things), and that made for a really interesting listen. Looking forward to seeing him pitch again in August, fingers crossed...
Wilner you are doing such a great job. Your pacing and rhythm you have in your interviews and the way you speak is just fantastic. Though what I love most is how you listen. It’s such a great quality in an interviewer. To let space happen, let thoughts happen and then wind them together in a great response that adds to your listeners enjoyment. As a songwriter and someone with Bipolar and ADHD I end up hyper focused on minute small things that others might not pay attention to. Pacing and space is one of them. Since leaving your last gig and then starting this podcast you’ve improved remarkably in that manner. I think the platform helps with that. Please keep up the great work and know that the people that listen keep listening because they can’t pull away. Much love and respect BiPolaRMaN Ps. If you like new music our group Special Agent Sunshine is on the come up in the Canadian seen. Feel free to check us out. Stay awesome 😊