Strike Zone podcast: John Smoltz on youth baseball; Jonah Keri on playoff races

This week's edition of The Strike Zone podcast is the Jon, John and Jonah Show, as guest host Jon Tayler welcomes two guests of his own in Hall of Famer John Smoltz and SI contributing baseball writer Jonah Keri.

First up, 2015 Hall of Fame inductee and Atlanta Braves star Smoltz calls in to talk about youth baseball and its epidemic of arm injuries, and how the sport could and should protect its players better and encourage practices that preserve health. He also discusses the game's pace of play initiatives, and what MLB should be doing to make the game faster. After that, Keri joins the show to talk about a wide range of topics, from baseball in the Olympics to pace of play to the AL and NL playoff races to Canada's social and cultural identity (yes, really).

John Smoltz: 0:50–15:35
Jonah Keri: 16:14–1:02:35

Want more top-notch baseball talk delivered straight to you every week? Then subscribe to The Strike Zone podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and Soundcloud. Have any questions, comments or thoughts on the show? Reach out to regular hosts Ted Keith and Steve Cannella or producer Jon Tayler on Twitter.

Check back on SI.com next week for another episode of The Strike Zone.