Speaker 1: The Dodgers are back home from the first two regular
Speaker 1: season games in Tokyo. We're joined right now by veteran
Speaker 1: Dodger reliever, a new member to the Dodger bullpen, but
Speaker 1: not a new member to Major League Baseball or the
Speaker 1: National League West. That is the one and only Kirby Eates. Kirby,
Speaker 1: thanks a lot for the time, appreciate.
Speaker 2: It, no problem, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: So what's it like to be here at Dodgers Stadium
Speaker 1: for the first time wearing a Dodger uniform.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a little different. I mean, I don't know
Speaker 2: the numbers, but I feel like I've probably played here
Speaker 2: the most out of any visiting stadium, so it's always
Speaker 2: been one of my favorites. So it's kind of cool
Speaker 2: to be on the home side.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and it will be refreshing that if you do
Speaker 1: warm up in the game tonight or in Anaheim, it
Speaker 1: will be back in open air bullpens, unlike in Tokyo.
Speaker 2: Yes, it's uh, you know, we're people again. We got
Speaker 2: to be a part of the actual stadium. So looking
Speaker 2: forward to, you know, feeling the energy again.
Speaker 1: What was it like in Tokyo as far as the
Speaker 1: bullpen I.
Speaker 2: Mean, it was actually kind of fun to be down there.
Speaker 2: I mean, I think we made the best thought of it.
Speaker 2: But you know, you'd rather kind of be out in
Speaker 2: the field and have the you know, get to experience
Speaker 2: the environment and kind of the energy of the stadium
Speaker 2: instead of you know, running back from the tunnel, getting
Speaker 2: out on the dugout and then being kind of thrown
Speaker 2: right into it. It was a little weird, but you know,
Speaker 2: it was an experience.
Speaker 1: And you're getting a taste of the new Dodger clubhouse experience.
Speaker 1: Obviously you weren't here last year, but can you compare
Speaker 1: it to other clubhouses you've been in.
Speaker 2: That's very nice, you know, I think with the space
Speaker 2: that they had and you know, what they were capable
Speaker 2: of doing if they nailed it. You know, I think
Speaker 2: it's now you could say it's a first class facility.
Speaker 2: I would agree with that, And yeah, it's very nice.
Speaker 2: They did great job of the locker room, great job
Speaker 2: of the weight room, training room, everything.
Speaker 1: Globally Field one of the newest ballparks in baseball? How
Speaker 1: would you compare the amenities to that?
Speaker 2: It's definitely comparable, you know, the only the Dodgers kind
Speaker 2: we were kind of at a disadvantage of based on
Speaker 2: space that they had. You know, Texas got to build
Speaker 2: from a clean slate, so you know, in that aspect,
Speaker 2: I don't think it's kind of fair to compare the two,
Speaker 2: but I think they're both very, very nice, and you know,
Speaker 2: it would be one A, one B best clubhouses I've
Speaker 2: been in.
Speaker 1: Hey, Kirby H has been around for a while. So
Speaker 1: do you remember the old Dodger Stadium visiting clubhouse?
Speaker 2: I think the first year I got there, they had
Speaker 2: just remodeled a little bit and kind of gave it
Speaker 2: a facelift, but the old visiting one was still there
Speaker 2: and you could kind of you could go check it
Speaker 2: out if you wanted to. So you know, I think
Speaker 2: I just missed the very very old one.
Speaker 1: This new one, though, it's still a work in progress.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's still work in progress. I mean, you know,
Speaker 2: it's I believe it or not. It's probably not the
Speaker 2: worst visiting clubhouse there is. You know, it's just a
Speaker 2: little small and type for space, but overall it's nice.
Speaker 1: Yeah, all right. Facial of approval from kirbya who has
Speaker 1: seen many clubhouses in his Major league career. You've been
Speaker 1: a part of many bullpens in your career as well.
Speaker 1: Can you just take us through the organic process of
Speaker 1: a bullpen coming together.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think, you know, you just get to know
Speaker 2: everybody's personality. I think this team it's like, look, we
Speaker 2: got two new guys or three and me, Tanner and Louis.
Speaker 2: Everybody else's kind of been knows each other and knows
Speaker 2: each other's personality. So you know, as the new guys,
Speaker 2: you just kind of come in, try and fit in,
Speaker 2: and it's been fun. It's a good group.
Speaker 1: It's fun.
Speaker 2: You know, Barto keeps the loose down there. Barto does
Speaker 2: a really good job, and you know, I just you're
Speaker 2: looking forward to kind of getting in the role of
Speaker 2: things and having the season start and kind of, you know,
Speaker 2: everybody kind of settle in, settle in the roles, and
Speaker 2: you know, really have it become a bullpen.
Speaker 1: And speaking of roles, just being around the team since
Speaker 1: Dave Roberts took over, it's not necessarily roles when it
Speaker 1: comes to innings. It's about groupings of hitters. Is that
Speaker 1: something new to you, Yeah.
Speaker 2: I would say, yeah, No, I think here they do
Speaker 2: it a lot differently than a lot of other places.
Speaker 2: You know, other places kind of focus on the pockets too.
Speaker 2: I think this is a little bit different the way
Speaker 2: they do it, but you know, they communicate and tell
Speaker 2: you exactly what they do they're going to do, and
Speaker 2: where you think you're going to pitch, and you know,
Speaker 2: just be ready for that. And you know that makes
Speaker 2: it kind of easier to prepare.
Speaker 1: I've heard of relievers saying they want roles defined so
Speaker 1: they know when to, you know, get ready for the game.
Speaker 1: Just as long as it's defined for you clearly, Is
Speaker 1: that a good enough role of an understanding?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think just every guy down there wants clarity
Speaker 2: and does it want to be surprised when the phone rings.
Speaker 2: You know, you want to be prepared when that phone rings,
Speaker 2: and so you can go in there and do your
Speaker 2: job and help your team win. You know, that's all.
Speaker 2: That's what it's all about.
Speaker 1: Hey, opening day starter right in front of us here,
Speaker 1: Blake Snell. Hello, hopefully you don't have to work on
Speaker 1: the nights. He pitches. I want seven innings out of you, Snell. Hey,
Speaker 1: get on cold mobile time. Oh come on right, Kirby,
Speaker 1: I demand seven innings from this guy.
Speaker 2: She can go whatever he wants. We'll be ready. I
Speaker 2: think we're armed and ready for it, whether it's six,
Speaker 2: seven to eighth or ninth. But you know what, every
Speaker 2: bullpen guy never complains about those seven innings, those complete games.
Speaker 2: We you know, we love when we can kick our
Speaker 2: feet up and not have to worry.
Speaker 1: Well, Kirby, thanks a lot for the time. Mahalo and
Speaker 1: aloha means goodbye right now, all right, Aloha