FOX Sports’ John Smoltz Talks NL Cy Young Race, AL East & More with Rich

John Smoltz joined the show in golf mode, calling in from home by his pool as he prepares for the American Century Championship and a run at qualifying for the US Senior Open. But the Hall of Fame pitcher had plenty to say about the sport he actually conquered, starting with the best race in baseball.

The National League Cy Young chase, in Smoltz's words, is off the charts. Paul Skenes is a perennial front-runner, and Cristopher Sánchez is doing something ridiculous in Philadelphia, where, as Rich noted, he is closing in on Orel Hershiser's scoreless-innings record. But the name Smoltz keeps defending is Shohei Ohtani.

"I've been saying for years his greatest asset is his arm, and everyone thought I was crazy," Smoltz said. He called Ohtani the greatest generational pitcher and hitter the sport has seen, a player whose mind is locked on the award. The only thing that could cost him, Smoltz noted, is a good problem: his team is deep enough to rest him, leaving him short of the counting stats his rivals pile up.

What makes Ohtani work, to Smoltz, is the mental load. He wrote down his goals as a young man in Japan and has been living them out. When his offense slumps, he cannot let it bleed into his pitching, and the daily puzzle of meetings, batting practice, bullpens and video is more than people grasp. "If he wins the Cy Young, he's going to win the MVP as well," Smoltz said. "It's basically his trophy to lose."

Then Rich steered him to the American League, and Smoltz called it wide open. The Yankees are his prohibitive favorites because their rotation can dominate, especially with Gerrit Cole back and Max Fried due to return. Their lifelong October problem is making enough contact, but he argued they can now win a close game on pitching alone.

He sprinkled in reads on the rest: the surprising White Sox are a great story, Toronto will climb back to last year's form once healthy, and Seattle is getting dangerous. Asked about a young Yankees starter facing a brutal two-start week against the Guardians and Red Sox, Smoltz raved that the kid has ice water and tremendous life on his pitches, while cautioning that the hardest lesson for young arms is managing a full season rather than throwing max effort every fifth day.

The conversation kept circling back to golf, because Smoltz badly wants this one. He confessed to four runner-up finishes at the celebrity event, a pattern he compared, wincing, to his Atlanta Braves career. At 59, he knows he would be the oldest champion, and he joked about lying on the putting green at Edgewood overnight to commune with it, provided his caddie keeps an eye out for bears.

There was Michigan business, too. Smoltz, a Michigan State man, graciously congratulated Rich on the Wolverines' basketball title and raved about Dusty May as a coach he pegged for a championship by the fourth game he watched. As for Rich's own golf, Smoltz offered a promise: after finishing near the bottom last year, he will not be in the bottom five this time.