World Series rematch: Dodgers face the Blue Jays again
Why did the 2025 World Series champions Dodgers collapse so spectacularly, and what went wrong with the Blue Jays after winning the AL pennant?
A radio-style debate on a real news story, written for A1 learners of English (beginner): short, slow sentences about everyday things, with the most common words.
Hear the whole debate in the app Free every day: today's episode at your level, with a synced transcript and the key vocabulary.
Get it on Google Play iPhone: join the waitlistKey vocabulary
| English | Meaning and example from the episode |
|---|---|
| Brewers | A baseball team from Milwaukee“The Brewers sweep them.” |
| sweep | Win all games in a series without losing“The Brewers sweep them.” |
| rotation | Group of pitchers who take turns throwing“The rotation is tired.” |
| stars | Best or most famous players“Tucker and Diaz are stars.” |
| injury | Physical damage or harm to the body“Toronto loses arms to injury.” |
| champion | Winner of a competition or title“He carries the champion team alone.” |
| poor | Not good or of low quality“has a poor season.” |
| collapse | Sudden failure or breakdown“That is the collapse.” |
Who's talking
- Host
- Marcus Chen
Former MLB pitching coach with 12 seasons in - Sienna Rodriguez
Sports columnist and beat writer who covered - David Kapoor
Baseball operations analyst specializing in
The panelists are fictional characters, and their voices are generated with AI.
What they debate
- Did the Dodgers' Tucker and Diaz signings break their chemistry?
- Why couldn't Guerrero Jr. carry Toronto through September?
- How did Milwaukee's payroll beat LA's star power in four games?
- Which rotation collapse hurt more: Dodgers or Blue Jays down the stretch?
- Can small-market teams actually win it all if Brewers close the deal?
Transcript (beginning)
Hello. The Dodgers and Blue Jays are out. Milwaukee plays Friday. Marcus throws balls. Sienna writes about games. David builds teams.
Marcus. The Dodgers are out. Why did their pitchers fail?
No. Chemistry is not the problem. The rotation is tired. Tired arms can't win in October. The Brewers sweep them. That's a rotation problem, full stop.
David. Did the Dodgers spend wrong money?
Yes. They buy wrong. Tucker and Diaz are stars. But the money goes to the bats. The rotation gets nothing, Marcus.
Sienna. Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays. What happened there?
Money is not the story in Toronto. The man is. Guerrero Jr. has a poor season.
No, no, wait — money can't help arms with injury.
No. Money can help with injury. You buy more arms. Six, not four. The Dodgers buy bats. That is bad.
No, no, wait. Toronto buys arms too. But the players are afraid. I see their faces. The head breaks first, not the money.
Marcus.
No. The head is not first. The arm is first. Toronto loses arms to injury. Then the bats go bad. Here's what the film shows you.
David. But Guerrero Jr. plays. Why does he play bad?
Guerrero Jr. has no injury, Marcus — he just hits poor.
Sorry, but "he just hits poor" is too easy. He carries the champion team alone. That weight is an injury too.
Continue listening: 31 more turns The full episode, with the transcript synced to the audio, is in the RoundTalk app.
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