Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander

Latest Episodes:

Is Shohei Ohtani Having The Greatest Season Ever? Leads MLB in ERA AND OPS Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

Is this the greatest season we’ve ever seen in baseball history?

In this week’s This Week in Shohei Ohtani News, we break down another unbelievable stretch from Shohei Ohtani as he continues to dominate both as a pitcher and a hitter at the same time.

Ohtani currently leads MLB in both OPS and ERA, a combination that simply shouldn’t exist. Through 10 starts on the mound, he’s posting one of the lowest ERAs in baseball history while also hitting over .300 with elite production at the plate. We dive into the numbers, the historic comparisons, and why what we’re watching right now may be unprecedented even in the long history of Major League Baseball.

From 0.74 ERA dominance to elite offensive production, on pace for one of the highest WAR seasons ever recorded, everything about Shohei Ohtani right now is pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible.

This episode is all about appreciating greatness — because we may be watching something we’ll never see again.

We also dive into his 11th start on the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates and how he did at the plate as well, blasting his 12th HR of the season!

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

0:15 Greatest Season Ever

7:00 Shohei’s Offense

9:17 Pitching Performance vs Pirates

17:37 Postgame Comments

21:19 Recap

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Roki Sasaki's Emergence, Astros A Playoff Team?! + Aaron Judge Injury Update | MLB Power Rankings Jun 08, 2026

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Has Roki Sasaki finally arrived?After an up-and-down start to his MLB career, Roki Sasaki is beginning to look like the dominant pitcher baseball fans were promised. We break down his recent surge, what's changed, and why his latest outing may be the clearest sign yet that he's figuring things out at the Major League level.Plus, Aaron Judge is on the injured list with a stress fracture, what play did it happen on? How long is he out? All that and more is answered! Shohei Ohtani continues to put up numbers that don't seem possible, Cristopher Sanchez's incredible scoreless streak comes to an end, and I explain why I believe the Houston Astros are going to make the playoffs.We also dive into Josh Naylor's heated weekend, Tarik Skubal's return, this week's MLB Power Rankings, Team of the Week, and everything else happening around Major League Baseball.Subscribe for new episodes multiple times per week covering the biggest stories, players, and moments from around the game.#flippinbats FlippinBats #MLB #shoheiohtani #houstonastros #rokisasaki #japan #npb #aaronjudge #tarikskubal #powerrankings SUBSCRIBE to get the latest Flippin’ Bats with Ben Verlander content: https://www.youtube.com/flippinbatspod?sub_confirmation=1Timestamps:0:00 Intro0:41 Around The League Recap10:48 Roki Sasaki 13:45 Houston Astros17:05 Kevin McGonigle19:27 MLB Power Rankings28:56 Team of the Week37:43 UC Health HR Derby40:08 Outro

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Shohei Ohtani (大谷翔平) or Deion Sanders? John Smoltz Has His Answer Jun 06, 2026

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Is Shohei Ohtani the greatest athlete of all time? This week, John Smoltz joins the show to weigh in on one of the biggest debates in sports. Smoltz not only faced some of the greatest athletes ever—he was also teammates with Deion Sanders. So when it comes to comparing Deion and Shohei Ohtani, his opinion carries more weight than almost anyone else's. We discuss Ohtani's incredible season as he lowers his ERA to 0.74 while raising his batting average above .300, continuing one of the most remarkable two-way stretches baseball has ever seen. Plus, we dive into whether the Yankees can survive without Aaron Judge, Cristopher Sanchez's dominant scoreless streak, and whether he has emerged as a legitimate Cy Young favorite alongside Ohtani. All that and more with Hall of Famer John Smoltz on this week's episode of Flippin' Bats. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:20 John Smoltz Joins 2:41 Shohei Ohtani is UNBELIEVABLE 4:48 Better Athlete: Shohei or Deion 7:08 Cristopher Sanchez remarkable stretch 8:40 Cy Young Front runner? 9:50 Yankees OK without Judge? 10:33 Outro

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Braves First to 40 Wins + White Sox Are LEGIT! | New MLB Power Rankings Jun 01, 2026

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Braves First to 40 Wins + White Sox Are LEGIT! Tatis Finally Homers | Flippin’ Bats The Atlanta Braves became the first team in MLB to 40 wins and continue to look like the best team in baseball. Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox are officially for real, they’ve already matched their entire 2024 win total before June, Munetaka Murakami is smashing records with 20 HRs as a rookie, and the energy on the South Side is back. Plus: - Fernando Tatis Jr. finally ends his homer drought with a massive 451-foot bomb - The Mariners have taken control of the AL West - Christopher Sanchez vs Jacob Misiorowski — Who had the better month? - Full Power Rankings + Team of the Month Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:24 Around the MLB 6:28 White Sox On Fire 9:30 Fernando Tatis Jr Homers 11:43 Sanchez or Miz in May? 16:14 New MLB Power Rankings 26:20 Team of the MONTH 31:00 Outro

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Most Disrespectful Celebration in MLB History?! Who is the Best Team In The NL Central? + Do Combined No-Hitters Count? May 31, 2026

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John Smoltz joins Ben Verlander for another great weekly breakdown. We discuss: - Does a combined no-hitter actually count as a real no-hitter? - The wild NL Central race... Why the Cubs are such a rollercoaster while the Brewers remain the model of consistency (and how they turned Kyle Harrison into an ace). - Who's the best in the NL Central? - One of the craziest celebrations you’ll ever see! Abner Uribe’s over-the-top, derogatory strikeout celebration + the craziest thing Smoltz ever saw or did Smoltz also shares his unfiltered thoughts on what counts as “disrespectful” in today’s game and his most memorable celebration stories from his playing days. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:34 Smoltz Joins 1:47 Do Combined No-Hitters Count? 4:21 Cubs or Brewers in NL Central? 7:04 How Do The Brewers Do It? 9:23 Most Disrespectful Celebration Ever? 13:00 Outro

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Shohei Ohtani (大谷翔平) 6 NO-HIT Innings + HISTORIC Leadoff Homerun | Case Closed: Ohtani Is The GOAT May 28, 2026

Show notes

Shohei Ohtani continues to do things no one has ever seen before. For the second straight week, Ohtani hit a leadoff home run on the day he pitched, becoming the only starting pitcher in MLB history to do it in back-to-back games. He now ranks 3rd in Dodgers history for career leadoff homers in less than 2.5 years. On the mound, he delivered another strong outing, lowering his ERA to an incredible 0.82! That's the 4th lowest through 9 starts since earned runs became an official stat in 1913. We also dive into: - Ohtani’s fiery emotions on the mound (including some loud F-bombs) - His insane two-way dominance compared to Babe Ruth - Why we should never take for granted what Shohei is doing right now Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:41 Shohei Keeps Making History 1:24 Shohei Ohtani Leadoff Homerun 4:48 Shohei Ohtani 6 No-Hit Innings 11:01 Shohei Ohtani is the GOAT 14:04 Outro

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Tigers Nightmare Season: Do They Have to Trade Tarik Skubal? + Cristopher Sanchez is UNSTOPPABLE May 25, 2026

Show notes

Tigers Nightmare Season: Might Have to Trade Tarik Skubal? + Christopher Sanchez is UNSTOPPABLE | Flippin’ Bats

The Detroit Tigers are in a full collapse, sitting at 21-33 after losing 8 games in a row. In this episode we discuss the nightmare scenario they’ve been dreading: whether the Tigers will be forced to trade Tarik Skubal if they can’t turn things around soon.

Plus:

- The Milwaukee Brewers are a Factory! How they turned Kyle Harrison into an absolute ace (1.77 ERA) with a simple mechanical tweak.

- Christopher Sanchez is the most underrated player in sports on a 37.2 scoreless inning streak, currently the favorite to win the NL Cy Young, and putting up historic numbers.

- Full Power Rankings + Team of the Week included.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:33 Tigers playing BAD baseball

6:10 Brewers are a FACTORY

9:50 Cristopher Sanchez is ELITE

12:55 New MLB Power Rankings

21:45 Team of the Week

26:28 Outro

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FULL Shohei Ohtani (大谷翔平) Experience vs Padres + Shohei ALMOST TRADED WHERE?! 👀 May 21, 2026

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This Week in Shohei Ohtani News: Leadoff HR + ERA Drops to 0.73… He’s BACK! Shohei Ohtani delivered the full superstar experience in the 1st inning! Hitting a leadoff home run (the 2nd time a pitcher has ever done it in MLB history, joining himself) and dominating on the mound. On the mound: 5 IP, 0 ER, 4 K, lowers his season ERA to a ridiculous 0.73 — the lowest through 8 starts in the live-ball era (since 1920) outside of a few all-time great seasons. At the plate: He’s absolutely on fire lately! 13 hits in his last 24 at-bats, and he DOMINATED his former team the LA Angels. A “down year” for Ohtani is still a career year for most players. Plus: - The crazy story of the Angels almost trading Ohtani to the Rays for Junior Caminero right before the 2023 deadline - Ohtani’s honest post-game comments - Historic two-way dominance Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:43 1st Inning Ohtani Experience 1:30 Pitching Performance vs Padres 6:32 Shohei’s Offense is BACK 13:40 Ohtani almost traded WHERE?! 18:18 Outro

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Tarps Off in STL is the Best Thing in Sports Right Now + Phillies Are Back & Mariners struggles May 18, 2026

Show notes

On this week’s episode we dive into the 3 biggest stories in baseball right now:

Tarps Off in STL — The best fan energy in all of sports right now. How a group of college kids from Stephen F. Austin started a shirtless movement that has taken over Busch Stadium and even got manager Oliver Marmol buying out sections for fans.
The Phillies Are Back — After a slow start, Philadelphia is rolling under Donnie Baseball. Christopher Sanchez is the Cy Young favorite, Zack Wheeler is dealing, and Kyle Schwarber already has 20 homers.
What’s Wrong with the Mariners? — My preseason AL West and AL Champion favorite is struggling badly. We break down their terrible offense, the Cal Raleigh regression, and why their pitching hasn’t been enough to save them.

Plus full MLB Power Rankings and Team of the Week.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:29 Rivalry Weekend Recap

2:45 Shirtless in St. Louis?!

6:12 Phillies are ROLLING

10:31 Mariners Surprising Struggles

15:34 MLB Power Rankings

26:48 Team of the Week

32:15 Outro

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John Smoltz on Bobby Cox: Legendary Stories After the Passing of His Hall of Fame Manager May 16, 2026

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John Smoltz opens up about the passing of his legendary manager Bobby Cox — one of the greatest managers in MLB history and a true father figure to so many players. In this heartfelt conversation, Smoltz shares incredible stories, memories, and lessons from his years playing under Cox with the Atlanta Braves. From Cox’s intense competitiveness and leadership style to funny moments, life lessons, and what made him so special behind the scenes. We discuss: What Bobby Cox was really like as a manager and person His impact on Smoltz’s career and the Braves dynasty Hall of Fame legacy and why he meant so much to generations of players Rest in Peace, Bobby Cox. One of the all-time greats. What’s your favorite Bobby Cox memory or story? Drop it in the comments below. #BobbyCox #JohnSmoltz #AtlantaBraves #MLB #flippinbats Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:00 John Smoltz on Bobby Cox 13:26 Outro

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