'Can they put him in twice?': Tim Walz goes to bat for Joe Mauer

Walz was asked on the Dan Le Batard Show whether Mauer deserved to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch and National Baseball Hall of Fame chairman of the board Jane Forbes Clark pose with Hall of Fame Inductee Joe Mauer with his Baseball Hall of Fame plaque during the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 21, 2024. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has to be getting used to pointed questions by now after months as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. He got one of those pointed questions on the Dan Le Batard Show on Tuesday. 

Le Batard’s co-host Jon Weiner, referred to on the show as Stugotz, pressed Walz on the best “Rocky” movie, and in the world of sports, Stugotz tried to get Walz to agree that former Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer should not have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, saying he was “outraged” when Mauer became a first-ballot Hall of Famer. 

“Oh my God, Joe is the best guy,” Walz said. “Just imagine — he’s a Hall of Famer at catcher, he’s a Hall of Famer at first base. This — can they put him in twice? Can he be in there twice?” 

Stugotz didn’t deny that Mauer deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, he just didn’t think Mauer should have been enshrined on the first ballot, saying it should be reserved for only the best. It's hard to argue that wasn't Mauer, a six-time All-Star who hit .306 for his career with 143 homers and 923 RBIs and won the American League MVP Award in 2009.

“Like who?” Walz asked, to which Stugotz floated Babe Ruth, who’s third all-time in homers with 714. 

“OK, I’ll give you that. He might not be Babe Ruth,” Walz said.

Throughout the podcast, Le Batard and his crew asked Walz whether Notre Dame deserves a spot in the College Football Playoff and who will win the showdown between No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday — Walz picked the Nittany Lions. They also showed Walz a photo of New York Mayor Eric Adams wearing a Mets-Yankees crossover cap, to which Walz said he needed to pick one, like how he’s not afraid to say the Minnesota State Fair is the best in the country. 

And, of course, they talked politics as well. Find the full podcast episode below: