WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.359 Well, last week was Canada Day, but we still can talk to great 2 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:07.000 Canadian James Paxton. Thanks a lot for your time, James, appreciate it. 3 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:10.679 Absolutely. We've seen you pitch obviously. You've done a great job for 4 00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:15.279 the Dodgers all season long. How has the experience been being on a new 5 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:19.920 team in a new city and still being very good for the team. It's 6 00:00:19.960 --> 00:00:24.280 been great and I've had an awesome experience here. Teammates are awesome, coaching 7 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:28.280 staff, training staff, training staff. Everybody's treating really well, taking great 8 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:31.600 care of me. Yeah, I feel like I was just welcome with open 9 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:36.320 arms. We've heard from other pitchers that the Dodgers do it better than most 10 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:40.439 teams around baseball. Have you experienced that firsthand? Yeah, you know, 11 00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:42.880 I really have. I've gotten a lot of help with some pitches. You 12 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:45.840 know, I came in and I needed help with my change up, and 13 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:48.719 I really got to help a lot of help there. And you know, 14 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:51.399 I'm kind of evolving in the way that I pitch. I don't have quite 15 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:53.920 the same stuff I used to have, and they're they're helping me make that, 16 00:00:55.039 --> 00:00:58.600 make that change and learning how to pitch with different stuff. And it's 17 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:02.039 been it's been great. Is that the first step to understand that you are 18 00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:06.480 evolving, That James Paxton at this stage of your career is not that James 19 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:08.879 Paxton from even five years ago. Yeah, you know, I think you 20 00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:12.319 see it happen to all pictures, most pictures. You know, you get 21 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:18.120 a little older and you lose some velocity, maybe lose certain sharpness on certain 22 00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:19.680 certain pitches, and you have to learn how to pitch a little differently. 23 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:23.640 And you know that can be tough, and it has been, you know, 24 00:01:23.719 --> 00:01:26.400 frustrating and hard. But I've had a lot of help here to to 25 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:30.799 help me learn how to make that work best, and it's been good experience. 26 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:34.959 You always hear about love language when it comes to relationships, when it 27 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:40.799 comes to pitching, if somebody says the same thing but in a different way, 28 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:45.680 does it click for a picture more than maybe somebody else saying the same 29 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:48.079 thing. Yeah, you know, I've heard that. It just depends, 30 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:52.000 I think different people a little kind of grasp on it with things that are 31 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:53.599 said differently. You know, so a lot of people can say the same 32 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:57.719 thing to you, but it just takes you know, someone saying in a 33 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:00.840 way that you understand that really, like you said, clicks with you. 34 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:06.040 And I feel like they've done a really good job of helping me with that 35 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:09.840 and you know, finding things that help me figure things out. What does 36 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:15.520 Connor McGinnis so do so well that it seems to really click with so many 37 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:19.080 pitchers. I think he's just really good at understanding, you know, pitch 38 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:22.639 grips and stuff and how guys throw the baseball. And he's really good at 39 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:25.080 just explaining how the ball moves and how to create movement and stuff like that. 40 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:29.879 He's helped me tremendously with my change up and my two seamer I changed 41 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:32.479 my grip and my two team just the other day and really help with the 42 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:36.199 movement. So, you know, I think he's just got so much experience 43 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:38.719 working with different guys too, that he knows different things to try and trust, 44 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:42.960 right, he builds that trust with the with the pitcher, And how 45 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:46.159 does that trust form? Does it come from seeing what the ball does when 46 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:52.080 you change things or does it How does the trust start to form? You 47 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:53.360 know, I think it's just his personality. You know, he's very easy 48 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:58.879 to talk to, and you know, I think he just like he said, 49 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:01.400 everyone knows how experienced he is and stuff. How many guys he's worked 50 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:06.240 with and helped, and he's very patient with guys. And he also, 51 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:08.759 you know, is very good at cheering you on and you know, encouraging 52 00:03:08.759 --> 00:03:14.039 you to keep on trying stuff. I've actually heard change up in James Paxton 53 00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:17.080 a lot more during this season, so I guess he's really trying to encourage 54 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:20.400 you to throw that pitch. Yeah, you know, it's a pitch that 55 00:03:20.439 --> 00:03:23.439 I've never really used a whole bunch of my career, but like I said, 56 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:25.039 where I'm not right now with my career myself. It's a pitch that 57 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:30.719 is extremely useful. I've heard Kershaw talk about change up envy. Do you 58 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:32.919 have change up envy as well? Oh? For sure, you know guys 59 00:03:32.919 --> 00:03:37.800 with great change jobs. It's a pitch that's so effective, especially you've got 60 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:40.680 a really good one, So it's fun to kind of play with and have 61 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:45.400 some success with it now. James Paxton is our guest in front of first 62 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:49.919 Pitch, and James, you've been unbelievable. I feel like Houdini level where 63 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:53.319 you're able to navigate in and out of traffic. How have you been able 64 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:59.439 to do that so successfully all season? Just sticking with my process, you 65 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:01.199 know. So I'm on the mound and I'm giving everything I got in every 66 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:04.719 pitch and doesn't matter what's going on around me. I'm focused on throwing my 67 00:04:04.759 --> 00:04:10.800 next pitch, and you know, just I think just having that mental kind 68 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:15.280 of approach has helped me work through situations. Were you I know I mentioned 69 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:18.240 at the beginning of this that you're a proud Canadian. What was it like 70 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:24.600 for you when you saw Eric Gagne last week be introduced and throwing out the 71 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:28.480 ceremonial first pitch. It's pretty cool, you know. It's it's awesome to 72 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:32.480 see those guys that represented Canada so well and had so much success, you 73 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:36.639 know, come out and just be examples of what you know Canadian baseball players 74 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:40.720 can be. And he's a great one. What is baseball like for a 75 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:45.279 young man in Canada? Is it as big of a deal as hockey is 76 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:48.000 or are you outlier when you decide I'm going to pursue baseball. You know, 77 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:51.560 I think it's getting more popular. There's definitely some good leagues up there. 78 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:56.360 There's not as many as in the States, obviously, but there's some 79 00:04:56.399 --> 00:04:59.480 great programs and there's a lot of really good baseball players coming out of Canada 80 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:02.079 these day. Yeah. Are you a big hockey fan? I would say 81 00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:05.600 I'm a big hockey fan. I enjoy I really like watching it live live. 82 00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:10.399 Hockey is are my favorite sports to watch. I could see it being 83 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:14.720 something that I get into watching more when I'm done playing baseball. Would you 84 00:05:14.839 --> 00:05:17.360 lean anyway with the team in Canada? Oh, I gotta stick with my 85 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:23.480 Canucks, you know, Vancouver hometown team. I'll be a Canucks fan forever. 86 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:26.879 See, this is what I wanted. I wanted that Canadian accent to 87 00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:32.240 come out. Can you just say organization once organization. Thanks a lot for 88 00:05:32.279 --> 00:05:35.600 the time, James. Great to watch you pitch this year and continued health 89 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:38.680 the rest of the way. Absolutely, thank you very much.