The Dodgers are back in action tomorrow night at Dodgers Stadium. Our coverage begins
at six o'clock, with first pitch at seven ten between the Dodgers and Boston
Red Sox. Gavin Stone will be on the mound for the Dodgers, and
on Saturday afternoon evening twilight, our guest will be on the mound for his
third Major League start. A man that certainly has burst onto the scene and
has made his name be known in the City of Angels, and that is
the one and only Justin Robleski. Justin, thanks a lot for the time,
appreciate it. Yeah, yeah, no worries, no worries. Hey,
let's just get this out of the way right now. I've heard people
refer to you as Robo. I'm not in with that nickname. I'm not
sure if you're in with that nickname. Can you just set the record straight.
If you want people to stop referring to as Robo, we can make
that happen right now. You know what. So when I was in when
I was in fourth grade, when I was in fourth grade, fourth oh
yeah, that's when that's when it started. And then kind of just my
whole life everyone's called me that, so I've kind of grown into it and
I kind of like it. So that's that's what we're gonna stick with,
all right, all right. I was hoping you would say you hate it.
No, it's it's it's kind of just like it's me now, you
know what I mean. At this point, I've written with it for so
long, it's kind of just who I am. I mean, I look
at your name. I don't see Robo anywhere in this name. It's just
it's just because Robleski and for whatever reason, just Robo. That's just what
it was. So win a W in the front though not not not r
O b O. It's W R O b O. Yeah, and maybe
that's why the fourth grader's there just went with robo right right there. Yeah,
W Yeah. It's easier to say, easier to say, hey,
justin. I know you're in the big leagues right now, but man,
you are an underdog story. You were an eleventh round pick in twenty twenty
one. You were the three hundred and forty second overall pick that year.
Do you feel like you're an underdog story? I would say, yeah,
but kind of had a lot of unfortunate things happen in my college career that
kind of, I guess, not derailed, but just kind of made my
path different than a lot of other people's. So I've always kind of felt,
you know, that's kind of a chip on my shoulder, like they
don't think I can, so I will. I think that's just kind of
who I am. But yeah, it's I would say I'm an underdog,
but I would say I've never I've never viewed myself as like lesser than I
guess if that makes sense. I've always had confidence. Yeah, no doubt.
I saw that at Dodger Stadium. You really had mound presence for a
guy that was making his major league debut. Where does that come from?
I think I think it just kind of falls back on my preparation. It
just kind of I don't know, I guess just who I am as a
person, Like if I'm if I feel prepared, I think, you know,
I can compete with with anybody. So I guess that's where it comes
from. It's just I guess slowly been built up over time. But it's
it's just kind of I don't know, that's a good question, but I'd
say it's just something I slowly built over time. Hey, I guess if
you feel like you're prepared, you have that confidence. If you're not prepared,
that's when you're nervous. Right. I've I actually get some homework on
you, Robleski. I actually text your Triple A manager Travis Barbary, and
asked him what he thought about justin Robleski. You want to hear what he
had to tell me. If they were good things? Yeah, they were
good things, And it goes back to preparation. He said. The biggest
thing that stood out to him is how detailed your pre start preparation is in
the homework you do on the lineup that you're going to face. And I'm
sure when you were in that hotel room before you made your major league debut
against the Brewers, you were doing a lot of studying. So did I
interrupt the preparation for the Red Sox? Uh? No, that's that's already
been. I mean, there's already been a lot of that that's done already.
Obviously I'm gonna go probably going tomorrow and look at a few more things.
But yeah, it's I kind of I try to do it. It's
kind of like homework for me. I guess I just kind of I try
to get it out of the way and then so I can look over it
and kind of really understand, like what I'm trying to do from that standpoint,
What what are you looking at? Without giving away too many secrets,
Why are you so detailed? Are you looking at the swings? Can you
read swings as the game is going on? What are you what are you
looking for? I think for sure reading swings is part of it for me.
I'm I'm I'm definitely more of a numbers guy, So I like,
I have a customer report that the Dodgers have that I've always I've looked at,
and there's a couple of other things that they've helped me kind of,
I guess mold and there's certain certain tendencies and other things that I'm looking at.
I'm not going to say everything, but yeah, just certain tendencies kind
of what guys like to do where they do damage. I guess it's kind
of the biggest pieces of it for me. And where did that come from?
Justin Did you learn that over the years in the minor leagues, Did
you learn that in college at Oklahoma State or has that always been you going
back to high school. Yeah, it's just it's definitely a minor league thing
because you don't really have the data your fingertips so that we do now in
college in high school, but definitely kind of when I got to the minor
leagues and kind of got access to data like that, it's just kind of
from my perspective, it's like, this can make me better, so why
would I not use it and use it to its full ability. So just
kind of but it's a process to try and figure out, like what do
I need to look at, what's important, what's not important? What's that
way? You don't have too much to look at, So it's been kind
of a process these past, you know, two seasons, just really trying
to figure out what I need to know and what I don't. Justin Robleski
is our guest. He started this season in Double A, made two starts
at Triple A, and here he is just two days away from making his
third major league start against the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium. I'm curious,
Justin, when a rookie comes up and a pitcher that's starting so quickly
after he gets activated, how have your teammates treated you. They've been great.
Everybody's been really kind of accepting and kind of just helpful to me and
obviously teaching me kind of how things work and how things go. You know,
Luckily know a couple guys and Knack and Gavin and Bobby and guys like
that that have been really just helped me out. And the guys that I
had knew previously so just kind of had that comfort. But everyone's been really
awesome. So it's been It's been a i'd say not it's not easy,
but they've definitely made it easier to kind of just, I guess smash into
the team. And from what you told us, Clayton Kershaw was kind of
the guy you looked up to when you were a kid. How strange and
surreal was it to be in the dugout with him? Yeah, it's crazy.
It's crazy, just kind of all those years watching him and just kind
of especially as a lefty grown up, I mean, Kershaw was going to
be your guy. So it's it was surreal and obviously something that I'm thankful
for and I won't forget. Did you ever try to emulate anything of his
delivery when you were a kid. Have you seen my delivery. It does
not look like no, no, no, no. There's only one person
that can throw that way, and that's him. Have you ever thought about,
you know, when you're out of the stretch, like bringing both hands
up above your head. Have you ever thought about doing that? Robleski?
You know what? Never? Once? Never, once have I thought about
Justin Robleski is our guest. Obviously you could tell he's an easy guy to
root for. And you went to college at Oklahoma State. Your college coach
was Josh Holliday, who's known for being a hitting guru, because that's where
a lot of even major leaguers go to kind of get back on track.
What was it like playing for him? It was great. It was great.
They're they're great people over there, and you know, obviously can't thank
them enough for giving me the shot they did as a as a junior college
guy. So it was awesome and they were really really awesome to me in
my time there. And unfortunately I wish, I wish I could have fished
in the postseason and done all that at Oklahoma State, but didn't get the
opportunity because because of TJ. But they've they were awesome with everything and they're
great people and I don't can't, can ever have a bad word to say
about those guys, you know, Kershaw's guys over at Oklahoma Skip Johnson.
Yeah, I don't. I don't. Uh is there a rivalry? How
to answer that one? I don't know how to answer that one. We'll
leave it right there. We don't want to upset anybody. Hey, before
I let you go, the one thing that we were all impressed about that
you don't see a lot of pitchers do or know how to do, is
how you change speeds, not with different pitches, but even how you change
speeds with your fastball. That is something that shows signs of maturity beyond your
years. Yeah, it's funny because I think it's It definitely adds a layer
of kind of I guess deception to me, where it's like you're expecting one
thing and you get another, and you got two different fastballs to worry about
that move the same. So I think upfront of that game is really important,
no doubt. And it's been working for you and I can't wait to
see it again on Saturday. We're all looking forward to a justin and really
appreciate you taking time out to jump on the show. Looking forward to seeing
you out there at Dodgers Stadium tomorrow. Yeah, no worries, Thank you
guys. Hey, there he goes, Justin Robleski, you can call him
Robo. He's given us permission. There he goes. He's making the start
on Saturday for the Dodgers against the Boston Red Sox. Twenty four years old.
Started the year out at Double A Tulsa, and here he is pitching
for the Dodgers and making his third major league start coming up in a couple
of days. So definitely excited for the young man and definitely is to me
an underdog and a guy that certainly pitches because a lot of people, I'm
sure counted him out. Eleventh round pick coming out of Oklahoma State in twenty
twenty one. Another good pitching fine for Billy Gasparino and his staff.