George Lombard Jr., Cam Schlittler, and the Yankees' October Push (9/12/26) - CF28-131

The Yankees are playing good baseball—and suddenly, the path to October looks a lot more interesting.

Since the last episode, the roster has changed, young players have emerged, Aaron Judge has returned, and the Yankees have put themselves in position to make a serious push for the AL East. But even with the offense clicking and the rotation looking dangerous, one major question still hangs over this team: Can the bullpen hold up when October arrives?

Chris breaks down the Yankees' recent surge and the players shaping the stretch run, including George Lombard Jr., Anthony Volpe, Aaron Judge, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Max Fried, and Gerrit Cole.

Can the Yankees catch Tampa Bay? Is George Lombard Jr. already changing the future of the franchise? Should Cam Schlittler get the ball in Game 1 of a postseason series? And is the Yankees bullpen the one weakness that could derail everything?

The final weeks of the regular season are here.

The chase is officially on.

Topics Discussed

• Why the Yankees' recent record has changed the conversation around their season.
• How the upcoming series against Tampa Bay could shape the AL East race.
• Why George Lombard Jr. has quickly become an important part of the Yankees' future.
• What Anthony Volpe's return could mean for the Yankees moving forward.
• How Aaron Judge's presence changes the way opposing pitchers attack the lineup.
• Why the bullpen remains the Yankees' biggest unanswered question.
• Why Chris believes Cam Schlittler should start Game 1 in October.
• How Will Warren could become an unexpected postseason bullpen weapon.
• Why Max Fried's ability to pitch deep into games could be critical.
• Why the Yankees' four-man postseason rotation could be among the best in baseball.

Yankees Trivia

• There are 13 players in Yankees franchise history whose last names begin with the letter “Y.” Name at least three of them.
• Answer: Ryan Yarbrough, Kevin Youkilis, Miguel Yajure, Ed Yarnall, Kirby Yates, George Yeager, Joe Yeager, Stan Yerkes, Jim York, Chris Young, Curt Young, Eric Young Jr., Ralph Young
• This Episode: Which legendary Yankees pitcher previously held the franchise record for the most starts allowing one or zero runs in a single season—a benchmark set during the 1978 season?

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