Hour 1: Must Win Wednesday at Yankee Stadium!

Chris (0:02)

Tell your friends, tell your friends.

Pat (0:04)

It's The Carton Show with Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle on The Fan, 1019-FM.

Chris McMonigle (0:23)

It's The Carton Show with Big Mac, live from Yankee Stadium. Are you ready for the pivotal game three of the ALDS on a gorgeous Wednesday afternoon in New York City? Phone number to join as always, 888-808-1019.

We are here.

We have six hours till first pitch, and the New York Yankees season comes down to the left arm of Max Fried, the guy the Yankees went to when Juan Sota decided to play for the Mets.

And they said, We're going to go get the best lefty in the game. We're going to go to a guy who's a big money, big game pitcher. And now, he has an opportunity to bury the ghost of a year ago when he did not fulfill his prophecy as a great prime time, post season pitcher and salvage and save the Yankees season. Good afternoon, Big Mac. How are you today, kid? I'm doing well.

Craig Carton (1:20)

I'm feeling refreshed.

I'm here where I love to be. And you're right. Look, forget all that. Forget when they signed him, why they signed him. Forget what he did in Atlanta. Forget what he did last year. This is Max Fried, one of the three aces that this team has been built on. And he has an opportunity to go out tonight and save the Yankee season and hopefully make it that pivotal game you mentioned because if they don't win, it ain't that pivotal.

Chris McMonigle (1:43)

It's a wrap. This is a legacy game for Max Fried.

Craig Carton (1:46)

This is a big game for Max Fried. It's obviously a big game for the Yankees. This series isn't over. I know it feels like that. Even I, the most pie-in-the-sky Yankee shill, even I after game two, went through a long period of feeling like, well, what's the point? And the point is this series isn't over. They won two games in their building. Return serve. It starts with tonight. We have seen crazier things happen in a short series. Momentum can change extremely quickly. If he shuts the Rays down, the Yankees' bats waken up. They have a convincing victory. We're all going to feel better, although we would be facing obviously Rasmussen in game four. I'm assuming if the Yankees win tonight, you would feel better about this team moving forward. Enough of complaining about what happened the other night. It doesn't matter. We'll get into the changes we think need to be made. The Yankees need to play better. Max Fried needs to pitch them deep into this game and be as successful as he's ever been in a Yankee uniform. And if they do that, they get a victory. And tomorrow, we feel different about it.

Chris McMonigle (2:38)

And by the way, it's not like the Tampa Offense has done anything.

Craig Carton (2:41)

No.

Chris McMonigle (2:41)

Because they had one run in game one and three to five runs in game two were unearned. Like the Yankees' defense gave them runs.

Craig Carton (2:49)

No, I know. And listen, it's what they do. And I'm not trying to knock the race anyway.

Chris McMonigle (2:52)

But the point is, they're not hitting the snot out of the ball.

Craig Carton (2:55)

They have a solo home run in game one, as you mentioned. Like three of the runs, one is an error in the first inning. And then it's on little ground balls. Now, I know that's what they do. And hey, scoring runs is scoring runs. But it's on little ground balls.

It's on...

Chris McMonigle (3:07)

The Garcia drop at first.

Craig Carton (3:09)

The Garcia drop at first, extends it so they get a base hit. That's really like the only hit with running the scoring position, pretty much this entire series for them. In fact, this entire series for them is that one base hit from Palacios.

Chris McMonigle (3:19)

And it's the Yankees 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 hitters who were for two games into this series.

Craig Carton (3:26)

We all know what needs to change.

Chris McMonigle (3:28)

I feel pretty comfortable, though, confident. I don't know why. I feel like Max Fried is going to be a big-money pitcher. I know last year he wasn't against Toronto, but I do think that he's going to step up to the mound tonight. I think he's going to give you a solid, legitimate ace type of start. Obviously, he's got his mind also on a hospital room not today as he awaits the birth of his first child with his long-time girlfriend. But I can tell you something else. We just watched last night Mason Miller not eligible to play on paternity leave as he and his wife had a healthy baby.