Brandon Valenzuela

Um, there was, uh, you know, I want to talk mostly big picture and, like, looking ahead with you, but from last night's game, there was also a walk-off challenge, and a weird one where the Blue Jays lost their first challenge immediately.

Brandon Valenzuela lost it, and then there were a couple times where guys hesitated on using them because of that.

Um, the Jays have not managed this particularly well, and we're at game, you know, 153 at that point, at this point.

Not that, like, mathematically these challenges are not worth, like, a ton of wins, a ton of runs, but how notable is it to you that walk-off challenge success aside, this is still something that Jays don't really seem to have figured out?

That's the timing the first base coach is looking at.

Um, you know, that's who you're getting the, the read off of and the jump off of, so it's the catcher's job to make up for that.

And if we look at Brennen Valenzuela, no catcher in baseball has been better at trying to make up for- That than Brandon Valenzuela.

He is a plus seven caught stealing above average, which according to the Statcast measures is tied for the best in baseball.

And that first inning, okay, I'll, you're, you're a little concerned about that, but, uh, uh, you know, well, obviously, [laughs] you're concerned about it because if you followed this Jays team, you know, down one-nothing, at times it seemed like an insurmountable, uh, hill for this group to climb.

But Max really kicked it into gear after that, helped out by, uh, Brandon Valenzuela throwing out McGonagal.

Yeah, what a cannon.

Yeah, he, he-

Hmm.

But yeah, listen, it's, uh, the problem right now is you're just, what did Dan say? He hasn't hit a home run since July 17th.

Brandon Valenzuela, did I hear that right? Uh, offensively he's not giving you a great deal right now and, and that's-

That's not his fault

But I do say my prevailing thought in all of this, especially the way he battled yesterday through that first inning.

And if Brandon Valenzuela, there was a big moment in the first inning where Brandon Valenzuela, bases are loaded, the count's 3-0, a borderline pitch gets called a ball, so it looks like a four-pitch walk.

Valenzuela, little tap of the head.

he calls for the challenge, it gets overturned, and all of a sudden, you know, you're looking at a situation where it's Dylan Cease walking in a run.

You know, extra base hits and back-to-back games.

That's how low the bar has been set for 2026 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

But there was a quote from Brandon Valenzuela yesterday in an article at Sportsnet.ca. And basically what he said is the end of the quote after talking about Vlad and how everybody was so happy for him.

Thank God he got it.

Yes, yes.

Uh, also wanted to give a shout-out to Brandon Valenzuela for the game he called yesterday.

Yeah, also-

That, uh, the, that, that, that was a crucial, as John Schneider said, that challenge call basically changed the momentum of the game.

Yeah.

So I want to give Brandon Valenzuela a shout-out.

I also, I also wanna go a little further with that.

Him not challenging the 3-2 pitch to Henderson-