And then there were five.

One game remains in the Division Series round before the field narrows to MLB’s final four teams left standing. And this week, we have Jimmy Knorp going deep on everything we’ve seen so far.

Is our resident Tigers fan actually rooting for an AL Central rival to win it all? Or for (yet another) former Tiger to lift the trophy wearing another uniform? It’s complicated.

Knorp: It's crazy. I basically grew up with Justin Verlander, and, like, I don't really know baseball without Justin Verlander. So, one, I went to the game with my mom, just super cool for us to experience that together. But I thought the Tigers did a great job, the whole game, Tigers fans on their feet. You're hoping JV goes out on top, things like that, then for his daughter to come out, take him out of the game, super emotional, to be there. 

When A.J. Hinch went to pull him from the game — at first I didn't know what was going to happen, because most of the time you see retirements like this — I think back to when, like, Mariano Rivera retired, when Andy Pettitte and Jeter came out and got him. So I was thinking, all right, something's gonna happen, right? Like, you don't know what it's gonna be. Is it Jim Leyland coming out of the dugout? Is it something like that?

But you see Hinch come out and he walked actually towards the home plate umpire, not towards JV. And I was like, hey, what's going on? And then sure enough, you look down to the dugout and see his daughter come sprinting at him, and then seeing the videos after, like, how fast Verlander broke down crying, that was unbelievable. That was something that I couldn't see in person, and I wish I could, but yeah, it was crazy. End of his career — passing over to his family time in real time.

I also was lucky enough to go to Miguel Cabrera's final game in Detroit. So, kind of comparing those two together, very similar vibes. They say there's no crying in baseball, but at Comerica Park, there was a lot of tears that day. Because obviously baseball is a huge part of my life. I felt like I grew up watching these guys play, so it's kind of an end of an era for me, like end of my childhood, to say goodbye to those Tigers legends.

All in all, just a really good time. I thought the Tigers crushed it with all, you know, the video board stuff of past players and past managers talking about JV in between innings and things like that. So I experienced Miggy's with my dad and JV's with my mom, so like, those are memories we’ll have forever.

Knorp: I think that every year, people sleep on the Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs, and a lot of the time they're right. This team feels a little different to me, though. I feel like whoever wins this next series between the Dodgers and the Brewers is going to win the World Series. 

During trade deadline time, as a Tigers fan, obviously, there were a lot of eyes on Tarik Skubal, and people were talking Dodgers and Brewers. It kind of seemed like those were the two teams in the running for him. I wonder how different the perception would be if Skubal did end up in Milwaukee. Could you imagine if he was a Brewer right now? Misiorowski and Skubal against Yamamoto and Snell? 

Obviously, you have to favor the Dodgers right now with that pitching staff, but if the Brewers do go on to lose this series, I think we're gonna look back and be like, hey, maybe that was the time for the Brewers to make that big move and get Skubal, and they didn't. So I'm really excited for this next series between LA and Milwaukee.

Knorp: It's hard. It really is hard. Like, last year being my first year working at Jomboy Media and the Tigers being in the playoffs was some of the best memories I had, just streaming and getting a chance to go nuts and have people supporting you — or even people not supporting you. Like, it's all part of the fun of the game. 

So watching Skubal succeed, like, there's certain Tigers fans out there who I talk to who hate it. I'm kind of on the opposite end of that. I'm rooting for the guy. I hope he pitches well. 

It's just tough because it's kind of the Tigers way. We had that 2012 rotation. Verlander, he's won a ring somewhere else. Scherzer's won a ring somewhere else. Anibal Sanchez won a ring somewhere else. Porcello — the list goes on and on. Even Jack Flaherty with the Dodgers a couple years ago. So you have a feeling Skubal's gonna be added to that list, but I hope he does get it. He deserves it. He's a great guy from everything I've seen. I just love watching him pitch.

Knorp: Guardians, can't stand ‘em. I've always said that. Their fans are the only fanbase that's ever given me a tough time — which, again, I love. I'm all here for it. I love that kind of stuff, but they're the fans that always give me the toughest time, and the way they win is so, like — I respect it, but it's so frustrating. Like, we're gonna play small ball, small ball, small ball, and eventually it always works. 

The White Sox, on the other hand, is a team I'm rooting for. I think their story's not really getting talked about enough. They won 41 games two years ago, and now they have a chance to be a final-four team in baseball, that quick of a turnaround. I remember when they signed Munetaka Murakami and everybody was like, really? The White Sox? Like, why? And now, again — they have a chance to be a final-four team. We haven't seen a turnaround that quick in quite some time. It's been impressive to watch. I'm rooting for the White Sox.

Knorp: Okay… I’m gonna say that the White Sox beat the Guardians, so we'll start there. 

Which means the White Sox will play the Rays, and this will be my big upset. I will go White Sox over Rays. I think they're just a team of destiny, a team built on friendship, as I've said a lot — a lot of goofy guys in that clubhouse. So I'll take the White Sox to upset the Rays. 

Then, again, I think if the Brewers got Skubal, they win the NLCS. But they didn't. So I'm gonna go Dodgers over Brewers. 

And, man, I mean, you can't take the White Sox to beat the Dodgers. Well I guess you could! It's a team built on friendship. But no, it's inevitable. I hate to be that guy — normally, I don't pick a clear favorite. Normally I love to go and kind of be the goofball, and go with the crazy pick, but with only four teams left in a seven-game series, now that every series is seven games, I don't see anybody beating the Dodgers.

Knorp: Wow. Okay, I like this question a lot. I'm gonna go Bryce Harper. That's one for me. I think his energy is unbelievable. He's always been one of my favorite players to watch. He's kind of gotten into the content game a little bit himself on TikTok, so he would bring some good things to the table. 

And then let's go Mookie Betts. Another guy who's been in the media world. A guy who can do a little bit of everything. Similar to Bryce Harper, he’s always been one of my favorites to watch. We could talk bowling. Me and Mookie Betts both bowlers, so we'd have that in common. Just seems like a really good dude and knows a lot about ball. I'd pick his brain all day long.

We’re talking moments in the chat. What’s yours?

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Taste It Fresh

The best of what came out of Jomboy HQ, the Warehouse, and anywhere else we wandered out to over the last week.