Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.
Speaker 1: All Right, we're getting ready for the Dodgers and Angels
Speaker 1: Freeway Series. And it's special this time around because you
Speaker 1: got Clayton Kershaw and ken Lee Jensen reunited in the
Speaker 1: same stadium again, Dodger Stadium. And I'm with the man
Speaker 1: that has more saves in Dodger history than any other
Speaker 1: pitcher in the franchise's long tenured, storied history. And also
Speaker 1: he's got four hundred and fifty four saves, fourth most
Speaker 1: in Major League history, and he's going strong ninety seven
Speaker 1: heat last night at Dodgers Stadium, the one and only
Speaker 1: Kenley Jansen. Kenley, great to see you, and I always
Speaker 1: love seeing that smile.
Speaker 2: Thanks, thanks for having me pass. I mean, it's great
Speaker 2: to be back here. And you know, it's always great
Speaker 2: to pitch in Dodger Stadium. It's awesome. And yeah, I
Speaker 2: try to get here and then try to help my
Speaker 2: team win today.
Speaker 1: Your team, yeah, the Angels. What's it like being the
Speaker 1: veteran the leader of a bullpen considering where you started
Speaker 1: and where you're at right now.
Speaker 2: I feel great, man, Definitely feeling great. I'm still going strong.
Speaker 2: And you know, like I said, man, learn my teammates,
Speaker 2: they're learning me and you know, we giving each other's
Speaker 2: advice and helping each other and try to get better.
Speaker 2: That's that's what this gave me said about. You know,
Speaker 2: like when whatever I learned in the past and the
Speaker 2: experience that I have, what I bring, you know, I'm
Speaker 2: just gonna, you know, give it back to the guys
Speaker 2: who wants.
Speaker 3: To learn it.
Speaker 1: I remember we've talked about this many times back in
Speaker 1: twenty twelve when you were becoming the closer that you
Speaker 1: eventually became. Ken Howe on the back of the bus
Speaker 1: on road trips middle of the night in Pittsburgh would
Speaker 1: be trying to teach you how to be not just
Speaker 1: a really good picture, but a great leader.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's for sure.
Speaker 2: You know, it takes a lot of sensitivity out of me.
Speaker 2: You know, man, I appreciate that man, God rest his soul.
Speaker 2: He was great to me, and you know he was
Speaker 2: always hard on me, and I feel like that paid
Speaker 2: you know that. You know, everything that I did was earned.
Speaker 2: You know, I have to earn it, and you know,
Speaker 2: especially getting tough love. You know, it's just giving me
Speaker 2: love too.
Speaker 1: So you know, I appreciate him, Clayton Kershaw with his career.
Speaker 1: Now he has to pitch differently. How have you evolved?
Speaker 1: What's different about ken Lee? The cutter and just the
Speaker 1: way you do things?
Speaker 2: Still throwing the same cutter, you know, that's the thing.
Speaker 2: You know, he is ninety seven, Like, yes, not it
Speaker 2: might be like ninety or eighty nine, you know. So
Speaker 2: like I say, man, I just got to keep taking
Speaker 2: care of my body, stretching, you know, open up my hip.
Speaker 2: So you know, whenever my hips are open, you know
Speaker 2: you're gonna see the veto pops like that. So definitely
Speaker 2: feel great last night, and you know, I just got
Speaker 2: to continue to get better during the season.
Speaker 1: You still got it. So at this point of your career,
Speaker 1: you've accomplished so much. You obviously have the resume that
Speaker 1: many other closers would love to have. What still motivates
Speaker 1: you at this stage of your career.
Speaker 2: The things that motivate me, I think is you know,
Speaker 2: when you look back kids from kids are growing up,
Speaker 2: you know, six years old, playing this game in the backyard.
Speaker 2: You know, you know, imagine being the big leagues. And
Speaker 2: now I'm in the big league. So I'm not taking
Speaker 2: dad lightly. I don't want to take it for granted.
Speaker 2: I feel like a few years that sometimes when you're young,
Speaker 2: you do stuff and you don't realize, and now you're
Speaker 2: a little older now and you appreciate it and realize.
Speaker 3: And that's why make.
Speaker 2: Me continue to, you know, keep going strong, because it's
Speaker 2: not about the money. It's the love that I have
Speaker 2: for this game, and I want to do it for
Speaker 2: a little bit longer. I want my kids to see it.
Speaker 2: You know, my kids are growing up also seeing whole
Speaker 2: hearted dad is working, and I want to set a
Speaker 2: sample for them too. So I love this game. So
Speaker 2: I'm trying to go at least a few more years here.
Speaker 1: Your older kids were just babies when you were pitching
Speaker 1: with the Dodgers doing your thing. How much do they
Speaker 1: realize now how good their dad is?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: So, I mean, like you said, when I started, none
Speaker 2: of them was born, you know, so, and like you said,
Speaker 2: they're born here. I wasn't a dougy uniform being a baby.
Speaker 2: So now they've grown up watching me and understand the game.
Speaker 2: It's freaking awesome, man, So you know, I'm definitely keep
Speaker 2: doing it for them also too.
Speaker 1: I know you lost your mom in spring training? How
Speaker 1: much do you carry her with you every time you're
Speaker 1: out on that now?
Speaker 2: Now, No, it's tough sometimes, you know, I mean, you
Speaker 2: got to carry your fate. But you know, I believe
Speaker 2: in God, you know, knowing that she's in a better
Speaker 2: place now, she's not suffering no more. But you know,
Speaker 2: sometimes for us here as a human, you know, yeah,
Speaker 2: you miss her and it's tough sometimes, but you know
Speaker 2: I'm controlling that also, And you know, being around my
Speaker 2: teammates helps a lot.
Speaker 3: And being run the game of baseball.
Speaker 2: That again that my mom never miss a game watching
Speaker 2: me when I was a kid growing up.
Speaker 3: So I definitely feel great also too to keep doing
Speaker 3: this all.
Speaker 1: Right, before I let you go, one more baseball question.
Speaker 1: Kershaw is still going at this stage of his career.
Speaker 1: He wants to keep going. You want to keep going.
Speaker 1: Can you envision a where both of you are being
Speaker 1: inducted the same year to Cooperstown. How beautiful would that be?
Speaker 1: The guy that saved more of Kershaw's wins than anybody
Speaker 1: else being there together with him.
Speaker 2: Man, that's crazy, you know, that's crazy for me to
Speaker 2: think about that right now. You know, it's a great honor.
Speaker 2: You know, I think it will be a great honor.
Speaker 2: But you know, for me, I still gotta work hard.
Speaker 2: I still gotta earn it everything I earned. You know,
Speaker 2: I feel like for me, I didn't earn it yet.
Speaker 2: So you know that's why I continue to go and
Speaker 2: when I throw my last pitch in the game, and
Speaker 2: I feel like I earned every bit of you know,
Speaker 2: I tried to go to the Hall, So we've gotta
Speaker 2: keep working hard for that, all.
Speaker 1: Right, Kennlly, thanks a lot for the time, love that
Speaker 1: you got, the California love back being with the Angels
Speaker 1: and being back at Dodger Stadium certainly brings back so
Speaker 1: many great memories with you closing out games.
Speaker 3: Yes, sir, thank you, Thank you for having me.