Luke Weaver has a unique way of going about things.
Regarding the World Series, his preparation involved the long-term rivalry with the Boston Red Sox.
He binged the Netflix documentary, The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox, on the team that won the World Series in 2004, taking notes of the similarities to his own New York Yankees.
The main one being the 3-0 hole the team faced.
The Yankees reliever told Rob Bradford that as different as the teams were, there were some comparisons.
“I watched it all. I watched it in L.A., actually. There was a lot of great tidbits that came from that,” Weaver told the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast. “Honestly, it was a great reference to what’s happening now. Obviously it’s two different stories, but a very similar one indeed.”
The Yankees might not have expected to find themselves in a comparable situation – after all, nobody plans on falling behind 3-0 in a series. Yet, in an ironic twist, Weaver now draws from the Red Sox’s miraculous turnaround, trying to capture the tenacity that made baseball history
“It was cool to get the perspective, understand the clubhouse dynamic, understand what it took to get back into it, what they were thinking, what they were saying,” Weaver added. “…I think every guy should watch it now. Watch it when you need to, but I think it was cool for me.”
Weaver praised the documentary, gaining valuable insight from the experiences of legendary players who pushed through challenges in the past.
The Yankees, meanwhile, delivered an impressive 11-4 offensive show against the Dodgers, keeping their World Series hopes alive.
Weaver also highlighted the presence of three-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion reliever Andy Pettitte as a key resource—one reliever recognizing the wisdom of another.
“The pressure is something that you put on yourself,” Weaver said. “The narrative is always going to be out there, right? People have a job to do. They’ve got to put out information for the masses to understand, but the most amount of pressure is always put on ourselves, by ourselves. I think what I understood was, this is a game, it doesn’t change — the moment changes, the platform and the height of it changes, but it’s still — I need the umpire to call it a strike, I need this guy to swing and miss, I need this guy to field it. And I think they did a really good job of being like, ‘Screw it, let’s have fun if we’re going down, we’re going down swinging.'”
Weaver then added that he appreciates the narrative fans and the media (ahem) bring to the games, but you truly just have to take it one game at a time.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.