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<v Speaker 1>And an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.

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<v Speaker 2>All right, we're sitting with the man that has been

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<v Speaker 2>teammates with Clayton Kershaw longer than any player on this roster,

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<v Speaker 2>and that's the one and only Key k Hernandez, who

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<v Speaker 2>is starting in left field today behind Kershaw.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks a lot for the time.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, you're welcome. I didn't really get a choice, so yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>You know you want to spend more quality time with me.

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<v Speaker 4>No, I'm doing this for Kurse, not for you, but yes,

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<v Speaker 4>whatever you need.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, thank you, and it's great to have you in

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<v Speaker 2>the starting lineup behind Kershaw. You obviously are aware that

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<v Speaker 2>he's only eight strikeouts away from three thousand.

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<v Speaker 3>What does he meant to you as a teammate.

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<v Speaker 4>I think kursh has been an inspiration. You know, I

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<v Speaker 4>got here a lot of strikeouts ago, and when I

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<v Speaker 4>got here, he was in the midst of one of

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<v Speaker 4>the greatest runs that pitcher has ever put together. And

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<v Speaker 4>if you didn't know who, if you didn't know the name,

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<v Speaker 4>if you weren't aware of who he was, what he

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<v Speaker 4>had done in the game, and you just observed the

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<v Speaker 4>way that he handled his business and the way that

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<v Speaker 4>he worked and his routine and all that, you would

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<v Speaker 4>think that he'd be a guy that wasn't even establishing

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<v Speaker 4>the big leagues, you know, guy that was hungry, guy

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<v Speaker 4>doing whatever it took to stay at the big league level.

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<v Speaker 4>He worked harder than anybody in the in that locker room.

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<v Speaker 4>You never just you never saw him just sitting in

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<v Speaker 4>his locker. He was always doing something. And you know

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<v Speaker 4>for him to do that, you know, coming off an

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<v Speaker 4>MVP season's third side young and he was I would

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<v Speaker 4>say the best way to if I had to describe

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<v Speaker 4>in one word, it was a perfectionist.

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<v Speaker 2>How would you describe the way your friendship, your relationship

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<v Speaker 2>with him has grown since twenty fifteen.

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<v Speaker 4>It's grown a lot. I mean, I he with my personality.

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<v Speaker 4>It's not easy to be around pictures that you can't

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<v Speaker 4>necessarily talk to on start day. So we we we

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<v Speaker 4>it's a few times the first couple of years.

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<v Speaker 1>But uh, but no, man, uh you.

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<v Speaker 4>Know, he's uh, we can't be any we can't be

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<v Speaker 4>more different, but we're very similar at the same time

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<v Speaker 4>when it comes to the baseball and all this, all

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<v Speaker 4>these things, so you know, I see curse as a

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<v Speaker 4>as a great example for for for a lot of things,

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<v Speaker 4>you know, leading the pitching staff, leading by example in

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<v Speaker 4>the locker room. A great family man, great great dad.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, Curse is one of those guys that is

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<v Speaker 4>if you had to teach show your kids how to

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<v Speaker 4>handle themselves, you you you show the.

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<v Speaker 2>Curse when you look at him, even though you're a

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<v Speaker 2>position player. Do you feel like he sets the tone

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<v Speaker 2>for everybody else to raise their level of work ethic?

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, that's that's exactly what we're trying to get at

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<v Speaker 4>the first question. You know, Uh, guy that has done

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<v Speaker 4>that much and he's still working that hard, it.

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<v Speaker 1>Just it pushes you.

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<v Speaker 4>It inspires you to work harder and and and keep

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<v Speaker 4>trying to improve your game. And of course he's uh,

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<v Speaker 4>he's uh, he's a very much, very very different picture

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<v Speaker 4>than when when I first got.

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<v Speaker 1>To this team. But if it wasn't for his work ethic.

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<v Speaker 4>And his dead cation and and is desired to be

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<v Speaker 4>better each and every day.

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<v Speaker 1>Uh, the evolution of Clayton, not.

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<v Speaker 4>Just as a as a guy, but as a pitcher

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<v Speaker 4>has been incredible. And you know, to still be out

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<v Speaker 4>there and and his stuff is a lot different, you'd

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<v Speaker 4>say that than ten years ago. Uh, he's got new pitches,

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<v Speaker 4>but uh, you know, and he still goes out there.

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<v Speaker 1>And and and.

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<v Speaker 4>Manage manages the manages to to keep him off off

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<v Speaker 4>the off the board scoring runs.

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<v Speaker 1>Uh.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, it's it's really impressive. And you know, uh,

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<v Speaker 4>every time I hear that's on a Dodger stadium, it

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<v Speaker 4>puts me in a better mood. And it's just maybe

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<v Speaker 4>it's a coincidence, but some of my better games as

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<v Speaker 4>a doctor have been behind Clayton.

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<v Speaker 3>Is that for everybody? Does it?

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<v Speaker 2>Does it raise the level of focus and intensity when

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<v Speaker 2>you play behind him?

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<v Speaker 4>Uh? Yeah, I mean whenever you have those guys on

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<v Speaker 4>the mound, you just you want to be great for

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<v Speaker 4>them behind them, and especially guys that found the strikes

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<v Speaker 4>on the way that he does.

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<v Speaker 1>He gets a lot of early contact.

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<v Speaker 4>Guys are trying trying to get out of the batter's

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<v Speaker 4>box as soon as they can so that they don't

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<v Speaker 4>strike out there. You know, he has the curve. Boy

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<v Speaker 4>as a slider, he has the fastball, so guys don't

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<v Speaker 4>want to get to two strikes with him. So a

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<v Speaker 4>lot of guys swing early and he manufactures a lot

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<v Speaker 4>of weak contact because he throws a lot of pitches

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<v Speaker 4>off the strike zone that looks like strikes, and guys

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<v Speaker 4>are are, you know, being too aggressive because they don't

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<v Speaker 4>want to get to two strikes. And he gets a

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<v Speaker 4>lot of early contacts, so he keeps you, he keeps

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<v Speaker 4>you active on the defensive side. He never puts you

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<v Speaker 4>on your heels by you know, just walking the house

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<v Speaker 4>or anything like that. And of course he's Clayton Kershaw,

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<v Speaker 4>so you just want to make the place for him.

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<v Speaker 4>And I've been fortunate enough to play behind him a

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<v Speaker 4>lot and make a lot of really nice place for him.

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<v Speaker 2>K He said that Freddie Freeman has made him aware

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<v Speaker 2>as he gets closer to three thousand strikeouts? How aware

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<v Speaker 2>and how much do you think he's aware of going

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<v Speaker 2>into today and fighting against trying to chase those strikeouts?

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<v Speaker 4>He knows, he's he's very aware, you know, Clayton, he's

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<v Speaker 4>a he's a very self aware person. He always knows

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<v Speaker 4>what he needs to do. He's a he's he's I

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<v Speaker 4>know it for a fact, he's aware. Because we had

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<v Speaker 4>a conversation about him potentially flying some of his former

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<v Speaker 4>catchers for the day that he could get the three

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<v Speaker 4>thousand strikeout in a perfect world.

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<v Speaker 1>He he he.

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<v Speaker 4>Does it at home, but I honestly would love to

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<v Speaker 4>be behind him when he gets those that three thousand strikeout,

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<v Speaker 4>And if he can do it today, that'd be amazing.

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<v Speaker 4>That way, we can just get it out of the

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<v Speaker 4>way and and focus on.

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<v Speaker 1>Just the rest of the season.

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<v Speaker 4>But yeah, he's aware, and he's he's joked around like

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<v Speaker 4>he's like, what if I'm sitting at tween n nine

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<v Speaker 4>ninety nine and I want to get that last strikeout

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<v Speaker 4>on a heater and I try to overthrow it and

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<v Speaker 4>he never get that strike out, But he's going to

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<v Speaker 4>get that strikeout, and it doesn't really matter what pitch

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<v Speaker 4>he uses, because you know, the only pitch that would

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<v Speaker 4>that would not be an iconic strikeout would be the split,

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<v Speaker 4>just because he hasn't had that. Of his three thousand,

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<v Speaker 4>not many of them have been on a split. But

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<v Speaker 4>either way, three thousand strikeout is allowed to strikeouts, and

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<v Speaker 4>that's why not many pictures have done it. And you know,

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<v Speaker 4>it's it's always special when you get to be part

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<v Speaker 4>of a small part of history.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's awesome that you're here for it. It's awesome

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<v Speaker 2>that you're in the starting lineup playing behind Kershaw and

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<v Speaker 2>hopefully whenever he gets that three thousand strikeout, you'll be

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<v Speaker 2>there behind him as well.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks a lot for the time.

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<v Speaker 1>Amazing.

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<v Speaker 4>If I'm behind the play or behind the behind him

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<v Speaker 4>on the field and you're.

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<v Speaker 1>Doing television like that's wow, unbelievable. Huh.

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<v Speaker 3>Another great moment in Denver.

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<v Speaker 4>Another great moment in Denver. Thanks a lot, Thank you

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<v Speaker 4>so much.