WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.720 The Dodgers and Brewers getting set for first pitch, and this is a great 2 00:00:03.799 --> 00:00:08.199 series for shortstops. Willie Thomas on the Brewers side, but the king of 3 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:12.160 defensive shortstops here with the Dodgers, Miguel Rojas. Thanks a lot for the 4 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:17.280 time. Yeah, no problem, man. Everybody knows trying to I mean 5 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:20.920 trying to get this thing going. You know, like we haven't been playing 6 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:23.600 really good the last couple of days, but I feel like this is a 7 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:28.879 great up portunity for us to close out the homestand with a serious win against 8 00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:33.000 a rival that they're they're playing pretty good baseball too, So it's gonna be 9 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:38.399 a fun and really enjoyable series. Miguel, you obviously understand the grind of 10 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:42.600 one hundred and sixty two games, but how important is it not to allow 11 00:00:42.679 --> 00:00:47.000 complacency to set in. Yeah. I feel like as a as a professional 12 00:00:47.079 --> 00:00:51.799 athletes, we have to come every single day and and do our part and 13 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:55.479 to work at it kind of be prepared for the game, regardless of like 14 00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:58.759 how long this season is going to be, and I mean what the part 15 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:02.280 of the season we are right now, like knowing that the All Star break 16 00:01:02.359 --> 00:01:04.120 is coming and we're gonna need those days, you know, to kind of 17 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:07.400 relax and and set the mind for the second half of the year. But 18 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:11.159 at the end of the day, we can't really stop working. We have 19 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:15.760 to come to a ball part every single day with uh the mentality of winning 20 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:19.439 this baseball game. So it's really important. It doesn't matter what what kind 21 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:23.280 of UH of a day do you having off the field, you have to 22 00:01:23.319 --> 00:01:26.640 come here and give your best to the team to prepare them be ready for 23 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:30.400 the game. Jason Heyward said something last night after the game. He believes 24 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:34.239 some of the guys having to fill in for the injured players have been trying 25 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.719 to do too much. How important is it not to try to do that? 26 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:40.560 It's really hard not to, you know, like when you get an 27 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:42.879 opportunity to play and you get an opportunity to help the team in a daily 28 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:46.920 basis, I feel like you are you feel the pressure and you feel the 29 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:52.159 necessity of getting your job done. I don't think it's a it's a bad 30 00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:53.719 thing, you know, like we're gonna have to face that, We're gonna 31 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:57.200 have to deliver it on the top moments. And I feel like with the 32 00:01:57.719 --> 00:02:02.159 with the injuries that we been having, throughout the last couple of months of 33 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:07.360 the season. Uh, that's gonna create a character on players who are start 34 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:10.599 the year on the on the bench or on the on a different role. 35 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:14.479 I feel like this is our time to be the next guy up, you 36 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:16.479 know. Uh, James Allman is going to have a new opportunity to come 37 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:20.520 here impact the game, and we all believe in him, and we all 38 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:23.879 believe and everybody that's out there in the on the field. So for me, 39 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:28.759 it's not it's not it's not necessarily a bad thing that you feel pressure 40 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:30.479 to do your job, no doubt. Got to have that urgency. And 41 00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:36.240 Miguel Rojas certainly has been a consummate teammate, on selfish teammate. And I'm 42 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:38.159 not sure you heard what Mookie Betts had to say in the booth a couple 43 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:44.080 of nights ago about Miguel Rojas. He talked about how karma is paying you 44 00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:47.599 forward now after your unselfishness putting in the time with him when he was playing 45 00:02:47.639 --> 00:02:53.360 shortstop learning shortstop. What does that mean to you that he still appreciates the 46 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:57.400 time you put in to help him be a better player. That's the best, 47 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:00.000 because I mean when I when I decided to do it. I decided 48 00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:05.800 because I just want him to feel comfortable and to feel better at shortstop. 49 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:08.400 I know it's not an easy task. He said it that he's one of 50 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:13.240 the like the hardest thing that he have to do on a baseball field and 51 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:15.719 during a baseball season, And it's not a really easy thing to do when 52 00:03:15.719 --> 00:03:20.479 you have to go to short stop and be the best that you can be 53 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.080 in that position by yourself, you know, like he we have like a 54 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:27.159 great group of coaches, great group of people. I know he has his 55 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:31.080 own kind of core on his family and his friends, but at the same 56 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:35.960 time, you're going to need your teammates to actually like help you keep you, 57 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:38.520 keep you accountable, and at the same time like help you to kind 58 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:42.719 of like overcome little things, you know, and be next to you when 59 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:46.960 you're not like doing so good as well. So for me, it was 60 00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:50.919 never like a sacrifice that I did because everything that I did with him helped 61 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:54.000 me to stay in shape for this moment. And I think my body's charted, 62 00:03:54.800 --> 00:03:59.439 my mind is shart because I never took a game a day off from 63 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:02.159 working and from like doing what I need to do. And that guy, 64 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:06.599 right there make me work extremely hard because he's never satisfied with what he have. 65 00:04:08.039 --> 00:04:11.159 I love that. Miguel Rojas, like I said, this is a 66 00:04:11.240 --> 00:04:15.759 series of the best shortstops in baseball. How do you look at a series 67 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:19.120 like this when you got Willie a damis playing your position. Obviously he's younger 68 00:04:19.160 --> 00:04:24.199 than you, but certainly you can appreciate how good he is. Well. 69 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:28.680 First off, I really enjoy when I have to go against the best, 70 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:31.240 and I feel like Willie's been on top of the game for a long time 71 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:34.800 now, you know, he found it seems like he found a home in 72 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:41.439 Milwaukee. Unleach kind of his potential offensively, but he's always being a defensive 73 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:44.800 first guy for me. When when I get the opportunity to play against him 74 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:48.839 in Tampa, I always see his ability to actually make great plays, but 75 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:53.240 he always make the routine plays as well. So that's kind of what you 76 00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:57.519 want as a short step, you know, being able to make every routine 77 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:00.040 play and at the end of the day when the need, when the he 78 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:02.639 needs a clutch play out there. A shortstop, he's one of the guys 79 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:06.879 that I kind of look up to because he's he's really good out there. 80 00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:13.040 And on my side, I feel like really proud that with thirty five years 81 00:05:13.079 --> 00:05:16.519 old, I can actually compete against a guy like him in his mid twenties. 82 00:05:17.319 --> 00:05:21.120 That's something that I really take pride of. Hey, it's not thirty 83 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:26.279 five years old, it's thirty five years young with way Miguel Rojas is playing 84 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:30.279 this year. Thanks a lot for the time, and obviously your words speak 85 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:32.040 volumes to appreciate the time. Thank you by appreciate it.