On June 2, 2026, the Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher José Alvarado pitched a scoreless sixth inning to earn a win. But in the podcast universe, his hoops namesake is dominating the conversation as a simulated postseason hero for the New York Knicks. On The Pat McAfee Show, Iman Shumpert couldn't contain his excitement after a simulated Game 4, recalling how he ran into the guard: "I saw, I saw Jose Alvarado before, uh, leaving the arena. Got to go embrace him, let him know how key that was, uh, the minutes that he played."
On the same show, Iman Shumpert praised the guard as a selfless spark plug, highlighting "Jose Alvarado getting his name called in the fourth quarter, coming up huge" for a team that personifies the city. Peter Schrager took the hype to hilarious extremes, joking that during the electric run, "Every time Jose Alvarado made a shot, the poop went away."
Over on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Bill Simmons broke down the late-game execution, noting how "Alvarado gets a layup, Wemby gets, hits a jumper, and then Alvarado hits a three-" to keep the team alive. Bill Simmons kept it grounded by tallying "eight points for Alvarado." Meanwhile, on Pardon My Take, Big Cat marveled at the sheer workload, noting that "Jose Alvarado was, uh, he played so many minutes." Guest Spencer Hawes painted an even more vivid picture of the chaotic energy at Madison Square Garden, laughing at how "Alvarado's running around making fucking double twirl layups and shit."
Whether Jose Alvarado is shutting down batters in Major League Baseball or hitting clutch simulated floaters in the NBA, his stock as a multi-sport cult hero has never been higher as both seasons heat up.