As the Boston Red Sox continue their recent tear of winning lots of baseball games, it is time to start thinking about where they stand heading to the trade deadline. Could Hall of Fame closer Kenley Jansen get traded? On today's show, Gabby explains why Boston would be dropping the ball big-time if they move him. She also gives an update on the return of pitcher Liam Hendriks, and talks about some of the biggest keys for the Red Sox to make a playoff run this year.
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[MUSIC PLAYING] It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. [MUSIC PLAYING] Here there, that's what cooked when you order juicy beef sounds like. The steaming hug of two slices of melted cheese, the crunch of tangy pickles and sliced onions, all topped with a toasted sesame seed bun. That's the sound of a McDonald's quarter bounder with cheese. First beef had participating US McDonald's. That excludes Alaska Hawaiian US territories. When you hear a good idea, it's natural to do a double take. That's what you might do when you hear discover will automatically double the cashback you've earned on your credit card at the end of your first year with cashback match. Wait, what? Yup, double the cashback is something so good you might do a triple take. It pays to discover. See terms at discover.com/creditcard. The Boston Red Sox will be making a massive mistake if they traded Kenley Jansen at this year's trade deadline. Why I'm about to tell you right here on Lockdown Red Sox. [MUSIC PLAYING] You are Lockdown Red Sox, your daily Boston Red Sox podcast. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team, every day. Hello, and welcome to Lockdown Red Sox. Your daily Boston Red Sox podcast. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team, every day. I'm your host Gabby Herlba, former ESPN social media associate and current host of the Boston Balling Podcast as well. And I am here to bring you the latest in all things Boston Red Sox Monday through Friday, straight to your favorite podcast feed, and it's all free. Who doesn't love free? If you don't, then that sounds like a personal problem. But if you do, this is the perfect place for you. Lockdown is your team every day. Today's episode of Lockdown Red Sox is brought to you by Tax Network USA. Did you know that it's never too late to resolve your tax issues with the IRS? Don't wait. Reduce your tax debt and get help from a team of licensed tax professionals. Just call 1-800-549-100 or visit tnusa.com/lockdown. Happy Wednesday. Welcome to Lockdown Red Sox and graduations on making it two halfway through the work week. And luckily for us Red Sox fans here, each week that passes is now getting more and more exciting because the Red Sox are playing very good baseball. And back in April, I don't think any of us would have guessed that the Red Sox would be in a playoff spot in June. And it's crazy to think about just over just the course of this season alone so far. Everything that this team has done to continue to grind, continue to work hard and work through injuries to get to the point that they are at now. And they are having fun. And it's hard to look at a game like Monday night and not feel like the Red Sox should be buyers at the trade deadline to be down four runs in the eighth inning and then rally back and win the game, walk it off in the bottom of the ninth. How do you look at that situation and say the Red Sox should be sellers? It would be doing this team such a disservice if they were. Monday night's game just had great vibes at Fenway Park with the Boston Celtics in the building, the champs. And it very much seemed to rub off on the Red Sox that they were there because lots of winning was to be had. The environment at Fenway was awesome. Alex Gora said it was the best environment he's seen at Fenway Park since 2021, which was very exciting. So many people from Celtics Nation were there. And it was just a great time to be had for Red Sox fans and Celtics fans alike, all gathered as one at Fenway Park. And one player who's been a big part of the Red Sox success this year, who actually has expressed frustration in the past about the Red Sox front office and the lack of moves that they've made, is Kenley Janssen, the Red Sox closer. Now, Kenley has been in a situation where we weren't sure if he was going to be able to perform well, going into this season. He was injured at the end of spring training. He didn't look fantastic in the spring training outings that he did make. So there were question marks surrounding whether Kenley was still going to be that guy for the Red Sox this year. And he certainly has been that guy to 30 ERA on the season. He's only given up seven earned runs this year. He has 15 saves on the season, and he's only blown one save opportunity, one. So when you really think about it at the end of the day, he has been doing what he's supposed to be doing, which is close baseball games. And ultimately, he is a Hall of Fame closer, and you don't want to get rid of a Hall of Fame closer, especially when you have young players surrounding you in the bullpen and some unknown surrounding who would be the next closer if you trade somebody like that. Now, if the Red Sox decided they were going to move Kenley Janssen because they don't feel like he's part of the future, which makes sense. And they feel like they're trying to just focus more on the players that are going to be here a long term and they want to try to flip somebody like him. That would be sending a very bad message to Red Sox fans and the team that they don't feel like they believe in them enough to make a run this year. So therefore, they decided they're going to move Kenley because they are more focused on the future because honestly, the behaviors of the front office this season so far have indicated that they are about the future and focusing on players that are going to be part of the picture long term. And we know that Kenley is not part of that, but the Red Sox need to feel like people believe in them. This team relies heavily on momentum and heavily on confidence. And the vibes are so high right now with this team that I would hate to see those vibes just drop significantly because the Red Sox decide that they're going to trade Kenley Janssen because he's not part of the future and they just don't want to see what could happen in a potential postseason run with him. The Red Sox will not make a deep playoff run this year if they don't have Kenley Janssen on the team. If they want to contend they cannot be experimenting with the closure position now. I get it if they were the Angels right now or the White Sox. A team that very much is looking like they probably won't be in contention this year. I get that, but the Red Sox are not in that situation. They are in a playoff spot and they are playing very good baseball overall. And you can't possibly sit here and tell me that they could contend in this fashion by experimenting with a closure in the late months of the season. That just would not work out. And maybe every once in a while that scenario works out 'cause a team gets lucky and they happen to have the right guy for the job. But I'm not thinking that that's a very promising situation for the Red Sox to be. And you want a sure thing, a solidified closure. And yes, Kenley has given me some scares when he puts runners on base and there's base traffic there, but he's managing to get the job done and record these saves. He's pissed in 27 games overall. He has a three in one record and so far, he does have that 93.8% save percentage. He's only blown the one save. He's averaging 2.9 strikeouts per walk and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He is pitching very well for this Red Sox team and he's part of the puzzle. He is a veteran presence in this locker room. I know I emphasize veteran presence a lot, but it's so important when you have a lot of young guys on the team who are still shaping into the players that they're going to be in the future. When the Red Sox don't have a defined clubhouse leader right now, having somebody like Kenley who's pitched in the highest of pressure situations is great to have around this Red Sox team right now. So it would be an absolute disservice to the Red Sox as a whole if they do move Kenley Janssen because that's sending a message that, okay, hey, yeah, we obviously want you to win, but we don't feel like you need your solidified closure. Right now, it just wasn't worth keeping him around. If the Red Sox keep him around at the trade deadline, that would send a message to him that they believe in his ability to help lead this team to a potential World Series run and two, it would put their trust in a lot of the players by saying, we like this combination of guys and you guys have gotten us this far. So why should we move somebody who's been a big piece of that puzzle? If they do move Kenley Janssen, who would make the most sense to move into the closing spot, probably Chris Martin and you could argue maybe Zach Kelly, but none of that's a sure thing. You don't know how they are going to perform in the closing spot when you have a Hall of Fame guy in there who you know will give you what you need and the vibes with him are so high right now. I mean, he had a lot of fun when the Celtics came to town on Monday to watch the game. He was amazed when he saw Chris stops poor Zingas because Kenley is six foot five and 265 pounds. So he's a very big tall guy, but then he saw poor Zingas and said, okay, nevermind, this makes me feel really small. And even with Tatum and Brown, he said he couldn't even make direct eye contact with them because they both have at least two inches on him. So he felt very little with them, but he loved being around them because he said it was nice to be around champions and get that feeling of being around guys who just grinded through the season and won it all. And that's great for the Red Sox to be around too. The young players who haven't experienced that type of scenario can be around guys who can hopefully rub off on them and give them that extra desire to wanna win because they see how fun it is to be a champion. So there are just so many good vibes with this Red Sox team right now that why would you wanna break that up by trading your Hall of Fame closer? If the Red Sox are going to stay in contention this year, they need to do everybody on this team the favor of keeping the vibes high and keeping those key pieces together and that absolutely includes Kenley Jansen. So hopefully that's exactly what they do. Coming up, I'm gonna be talking about another player who I bet you might've forgotten is even on this team because of the recent fun distractions of this team. So I'm gonna be talking a little bit about that next. Passion, drive and patience. The formula for winning championships is also what keeps your rider die alive. eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance. Superchargers, roof racks, exhaust kits, LED headlights and more. Whether you're into speed, power or style, eBay Motors has you covered. With over 122 million parts for your number one rider die, you'll always find exactly what you're looking for. And with eBay guaranteed fit, your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors, you're burning rubber, not cash. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it's easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins. Keep your rider die alive at ebaymotors.com. 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Right now, you can try LinkedIn sales navigator and get a 60 day free trial at linkedin.com/lockedon. That is linkedin.com/lockedon for a 60 day free trial. Let LinkedIn sales navigator help you sell like a superstar today. Just go to linkedin.com/lockedon and get started. I'll tell you, I worked in sales for a brief period of time and I really wish I had been able to have access to LinkedIn sales navigator so it'll make your job so much easier if you're in that field. Also, your life will be easier if you subscribe to locked on sports today. The first ever national sports 24/7 streaming channel. It's available on YouTube or Amazon Fire TV in the free Fire TV channels app and our experts here at lockdown will keep you up to date in everything going on in sports. So make sure you check that out today. I bet you forgot about Liam Hendrix. I know I'm sure that there's a chance you could have heard that just now and said, "Oh wow, I forgot Liam Hendrix was a member of the Boston Red Sox." I feel you sometimes I have to remind myself to unfortunately is recovering from Tommy John's surgery which typically can take a whole season worth of recovery but he is planning on coming back soon. Originally before the season started, he had said around February time that his plan was to try to return around the all-star break. And as a result, he is expected to throw his first bullpen session this week. So that's very exciting, definitely an upward trajectory for him and it would be great to see him come back sooner rather than later for this Boston Red Sox team because having his arm along with this pitching staff would be so helpful for this Boston Red Sox team. And it's difficult for people to see past last year. He did only pitch in five games last year and he gave up three earned runs. He did record two wins and one save but he had an ERA of 540 but you have to scratch that whole entire season for him because he obviously was injured and then had to get the Tommy John surgery. So in my book, 2023 doesn't really count but 2022 with the White Sox, 58 games pitched 18 earned runs, four wins, four losses, 37 saves and an ERA of 2.81. And then the year before that in 2021, 69 games pitched 20 earned runs, eight wins, three losses, 38 saves and a 254 ERA. He is a very good, very talented pitcher. He has had a couple of seasons here and there like in 2017 with the A's, he finished with an ERA of 4.22 and in 2014 with the Blue Jays, he finished with a 6.08 ERA. So he has had seasons like that but his last few seasons, prior to when he got injured last year, he really buckled down and was pitching at a very high level. And that's the type of pitcher you wanna add to this Red Sox team around the time that the trade deadline's coming and the Red Sox are hopefully going to look to add players having an internal option who hopefully can come back and pitch better than ever would be huge for this Red Sox team. And not only that, but what Liam Hendrix has been through off the field and the obstacles that he has faced in terms of being sick and coming back and returning to play is just very inspirational and him being able to go through all of that and stick to the game that he loves is incredibly admirable. And it shows that he knows more than anybody how to overcome difficult times. And if you are able to overcome difficult times and go through the unimaginable but keep yourself open and confident, then you will be able to succeed. And he's an inspiration for other people who are younger and are maybe trying to make it to the major leagues. Life is not perfect. We all have things that we go through outside of our jobs that happen that we cannot control. And it's not about what happens to us. It's about how we overcome it and how we deal with those situations. And for somebody like Hendrix, it's difficult to look at his story and not be his number one fan and rooting for him when he steps foot on the pitcher's mound. And that to me is the type of high character athlete that I want in a Boston Red Sox uniform. Somebody who is not afraid to tackle anything head on and has faced the unimaginable and is still out there determined to come back and play baseball well. And he's excited to play in Boston. He was on the Neston broadcast doing an interview during a game earlier this season. And he was just talking about how just the history of the Boston Red Sox and the culture that comes with playing at Fenway Park and the environment being part of a fan base that is so loyal and so intense about their teams makes him excited to be a part of it. So that's another huge addition that the Red Sox could have later on to this pitching staff. And it would be great to see him thrown into the mix. He probably would start in the bullpen and likely finish the season in the bullpen. And then they probably would reevaluate next year what the situation with him is gonna look like and whether it makes sense to keep him, have him go into the rotation or what's gonna happen there. But for this season he would be a great bullpen piece to pitch a couple innings in relief leading up to the sure things of Chris Martin and Kenley Janssen in close games. Those are still the eighth and ninth inning guys like a one two punch there of Martin and Janssen. So if you can stick Liam Hendricks in there two pitch a couple innings before those two, then that would be massive for a Boston Red Sox team that any addition that is internal who has been injured is going to put the Red Sox in a very good place to succeed. So I'm excited for him to come back. What the Red Sox do need to think about is what does that mean for the other pitchers on the staff? Because as we know the Red Sox have had to do some reshuffling with pitchers, especially with somebody like Cooper Criswell who was pitching well out of the rotation, getting optioned back down to AAA Worcester and then Cam Boozer getting sent back down and Josh Winkowski coming back up and just a lot of flip flopping of guys coming back into the bullpen or getting sent down to AAA. So that is another decision the Red Sox are gonna have to think about. Is there a pitcher that it doesn't make sense for them to keep if Hendricks does come back? Is there somebody who's been significantly struggling that they no longer need to rely on to be in their pitching stuff? So that's something that's gonna be really interesting but in terms of clubhouse vibes, Liam Hendricks will definitely help with that. He is somebody who knows firsthand the type of attitude you need to have to maintain belief in yourself. And baseball is a very long season. Teams go through tough stretches. They go through big win streaks. And the very good teams overcome when they aren't playing as good a baseball and they are able to get themselves back on track and back into the winning ways. And I've seen it really hurt teams when they are in a bad stretch and they can't come back from that. So they just continue to play poor baseball. But if you have somebody in that clubhouse who can help you through those tougher times, then that could help the team as a whole to stay focused and really have that belief in themselves of, okay, we can do this. We want to win games and we as a team need to work together to accomplish that. So there are a lot of different things that Henderson can provide when he comes back. The flip side is going to be what kind of pitcher are we going to get because he's been removed from the game for a long time. Are we gonna get a pitcher who's super rusty and is having trouble getting back to the competitive numbers that he had been in previously? Are we going to get a pitcher who has been struggling last year prior to having to take the time away? Or are we going to get somebody who maybe is in between both, not necessarily at the level of dominant that he had been at in the past, but not to the extreme of struggling significantly in his very few outings last year. So it's hard to know for sure which version of him we're going to get. You don't really know when a player comes back from being injured, but the surgery a lot of times tends to make pitchers come back and bounce back better than ever. So that's what I'm hoping happens for him. I mean, look at Chris Sale, who had to have Tommy John surgery and then came back and pitched very well. So I'm hoping that it's a similar situation here with Hendrix that after doing the operation and getting himself back on track, he's able to come back and be a force for this Red Sox team. Hopefully they take their time with easing him back into it. Don't make him rush back into things and just take it one rehab assignment at a time in terms of taking baby steps towards him coming back. So if they do that and he's able to come back prior to or at the all-star break, that would just be an absolute game changer for this Red Sox team. And would very much have me even more saying, look out because the Red Sox are coming, they are competitive, they want to win and they certainly have the capability to do it because they have proven that they have the fight and the determination to win they are a gritty, resilient baseball team. And that's all we can really ask for. So if you add Hendrix into that mix of a special group of guys, I could see maybe some special things happening in Boston moving forward. Coming up, I am going to be talking all about this team that's fun right now and what are gonna be the biggest keys to them making a run for the rest of the season. Here in lockdown, Red Sox, we pride ourselves on getting you the latest news for your team. Whether it's the off season, the draft, spring training or the playoffs, it's year round. You know what else is year round, collection season. Just because tax season is over, doesn't mean the IRS will stop coming after you for unfiled taxes. The IRS can garnish your wages, levy your bank accounts and even seize your property. Don't let the IRS target you, let the licensed professionals and tax experts at Tax Network USA go to bat for you. 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It really is that easy and it will help you out a ton with making money and you will be addicted to check out Price Fix today. Also, just a reminder to check out Lockdown Sports today as we have launched the first ever National Sports 24/7 streaming channel on YouTube and it's also available on Amazon Fire TV in the free Fire TV channels app. So make sure you check that out today if you wanna stay caught up in all of the biggest things going on in sports, no matter where you are. The Boston Red Sox are fun and they are going to start to get more fun as they get guys like Liam Hendrix returning, Tristan Casas coming back soon. They are in a position to make a playoff run. Now that they're starting to show that they can rattle off lots of wins, it's great that they are showing that now and sending a message to ownership in the front office as a whole, that they have the capability. And early on in the season, it was hard to get on this train because the Red Sox were very inconsistent. They were making tons of fielding errors and they were quite literally playing 500 baseball, whatever they would dip to 500. They would lose a game or two, get themselves below, win a couple of games, get themselves back to 500, but they were incapable of getting too far over 500 and when they were over 500, they just wouldn't stay there that long. So they were literally a 500 baseball team, but now they are playing a lot better. And it really sparked with those two series wins against the Phillies and the Yankees and then it's just continued since then with the Red Sox gathering all of these wins and they can grind through the close games and they can win the blowout games. They've shown that they can win in many different fashions and Jared Duran at the top of the lineup doing everything he's doing to be a complete five-tool player, has really showcasing the Red Sox, has really been evident towards the Red Sox ability level with the young players on this team because you see guys like him, David Hamilton, Satan, Rafaela, who all have a ton of speed and are all contributing in a lot of different ways for this Red Sox team in terms of getting on base, making their way around the bases and scoring and rattling opposing pitchers. That's something that a lot of teams don't have is that level of speed. And that's something that the Red Sox could use to their advantage as the season progresses because they have those fast guys and keeping Rafaela in the nine hole is actually a good spot for him because yes, he's been red hot at the plate as a plate. He has cooled down a little bit over the last few games, but he has been very good offensively. But having his speed in the bottom of the lineup is almost a good thing because you have the other two speedsters at the top of the lineup. So then if Rafaela gets on in the nine hole, then you have three fast guys in a row hitting with the chance to do a ton of damage for pitchers. So I actually like where he's at, even if he continues to hit well, I think keeping him there makes a lot of sense. Then you have guys like Devers who is just gonna continue to bash balls. Tyler O'Neill hopefully is gonna keep up his little home run pattern that he's been having. And then you have Connor wrong, who just has been having an unbelievable season at the plate. He's been hitting all over the place and defensively. He is an above average catcher statistically. So that's been a blessing for this Red Sox team. Robert Repsthiter, who is very underrated and doesn't get talked about a lot, is hitting very well this year as well, especially on the road. He's the king of the road and just absolutely mashes when the Red Sox are not playing at Fenway. So that's another player who's been a key part of this. Will you're a bright you as well? Hopefully he can get back on track since being back from the injured list. So lots of players offensively that can contribute. And then you obviously have Tanner Howe get the top of that pitching rotation. And then you have Carter Crawford and Nick Pavetta. Pavetta has the tools to be a very good pitcher, but he just gives up the long ball too much. And that is a problem. That's something he needs to try to figure out moving forward. But overall, you have your 1-2 punch right now in Tanner Howe and Carter Crawford. I hope Brian Beyo can get himself back up to a level of competitiveness that we want to see from him because he has been struggling a bit this year. And it's been hard to feel confident in his abilities in the Red Sox rotation. And Cooper Crisbell has obviously been a pleasant surprise in the rotation as well. So if the Red Sox can maintain that solid 1-2 punch in Howe and Crawford, yes, you need to have a deep rotation to make a deep playoff run. But that 1-2 punch is so important because you can use them for the first couple of games of a series. And then they could also, again, be used later on in a seven-game series. So it's very important to have those top two guys at the top of the rotation that you absolutely trust. And Tanner Howe, I trust more than anybody else. He's been so consistent this year. All-Star caliber season, Cy Young caliber season. So I absolutely trust him to pull his weight in that rotation. Then you have Carter Crawford, who also has been very good, but was ridiculous at the beginning of the season, kind of dropped back into a sense of reality later on as the season progressed a little bit and hasn't pitched to that same level. But he has overall been consistent and is still pitching a good amount of quality starts. He does have some of his struggles, but I'm hoping he can maintain a level of being able to be consistently providing those quality starts for us. And then the Red Sox have that 1-2 punch. Then you have a bullpen makeup of Zach Kelly, who's been emerging as just a very good pitcher and reliable pitcher. He's a great seventh inning guy to go before Chris Martin and Kenley Janssen. And having Martin and Janssen there is so important. Your closeout guys that you need in close games to be able to put everything together and finish it for the Red Sox. So that's been a great person to add to that group. Is Zach Kelly, then you have Cam Booser, Josh Winkowski, guys who had spent time in AAA are getting called back up, called back down. So those guys are inconsistent bullpen pieces that we've seen all season long. But they could contribute as well. I mean, Cam Booser has not been bad out of this Red Sox pen. Then we have to talk about Justin Slaton and Greg Weiser, who both have been solid out of this Red Sox pen this year. So I've enjoyed watching them pitch too. I mean, there's a lot of different guys that you could name who have contributed to the Red Sox success as of late. But if they want to make a big playoff run, the key primarily is going to be consistency. When they put it all together and they win a game and it's a clean baseball game where they are not making the defensive errors, they are a very competitive good baseball team. And that is something that I want to keep seeing from them because the consistency is something that has been a concern for this Red Sox team this year. We don't always get the same version of the Red Sox that we would want to get. And they just need to make sure that they are staying on point and sharp with everything defensively because they have made a good amount of fielding errors this year. And in the first game of the series against the Reds over the weekend, they made three errors in one inning. That is absolutely a no go if they want to be able to be competitive with other teams in the playoff hunt. So that's another thing that they need to make sure that they do more consistently and that they're cleaning up is their ability to play solid clean defense. But overall, I'm looking at this team. And when you look at the trade deadline and what needs to be done, hopefully they decide to buy. And I'm sure they'll add another arm or two to just create some depth from the standpoint of their pitching staff. And I could maybe see them adding an infielder just because the second base position in Von Grisham's absence has been kind of a mix of guys playing in there. David Hamilton's getting a lot of playing time, but he also plays shortstop, Rafaela plays shortstop. And then they have Valdez at second base or they have Romy Gonzalez at second. So that position has kind of had a lot of players who have bounced around in it. So if they want some consistency at second base, especially if they don't know when Von Grisham is going to be coming back, then they could maybe trade for somebody to play that spot, but not somebody who's overly expensive but could also provide some value at the plate. So I could maybe see them doing that. I do expect the Red Sox to get better. I wouldn't be surprised if they trade Tyler O'Neill, but still get better because Tyler O'Neill would be a free agent after this season. And yes, they'd be losing his defense, but if they want to trade for somebody who they could have more in the long term, I wouldn't be surprised to see them do that as well. So I am curious to see what the Red Sox do end up doing at the trade deadline, but consistency, consistency, consistency. That is the biggest thing. It seems like Alex Quora has really mastered who's good in what role and he uses that speed on the roster to his advantage. And if the Red Sox can keep their level of positivity that they have right now and approaching every game with the same level of energy and enthusiasm, they could be a tough team to beat. They are fun, they are entertaining. This is probably the most fun I've had watching this Red Sox team since 2021. They are having an absolute blast right now and they are finding ways to win games. And as a fan, a die-hard fan who has watched all the frustration in the last few seasons, this has been an absolute blast. So let's hope they continue to play at a very high competitive level of baseball and that they can get the job done and string together a lot of wins as we approach this second half of the season. Can you believe it's already halfway done? It's absolutely crazy. But as always, keep the faith, go Red Sox and I will catch you on the flip side. - I love sports. I love them so much. I never want them to stop. But as the playoffs wind down, we get fewer games and the sports aren't sporting like I want them to. But Fandal lets me keep the sports going whenever I want. All I have to do is open the app and dream up bets anytime I'm in the mood. In this summer, Fandal is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily. That's right, there's something for everyone every day all summer long. So head over to Fandal.com and then start making the most out of your summer. Fandal, official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball. - This episode is brought to you by Game Time. Game Time is an authorized ticket marketplace of Major League Baseball, which makes getting tickets faster and easier. Prices on the Game Time app actually go down the closer it gets to the first pitch. 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