Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker,
Speaker 1: The Dodger's longest road trip changes scenes. We're in Arizona
Speaker 1: with the Dodgers Captain, the one and only Austin Barnes.
Speaker 1: Thanks a lot for the time, Barnes appreciate it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks for having me on be I say, it's
Speaker 2: always a pleasure.
Speaker 1: Is it awkward when Taoscar Hernandez is doing his rehab
Speaker 1: and we're doing this pregame interview?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I don't he keep staring at me all funny?
Speaker 2: I don't. I don't. I don't want him hear my interview.
Speaker 2: You can't hear nothing.
Speaker 1: Why does he have his hands on his hips? Is
Speaker 1: he tired already?
Speaker 2: It's a big nan Huh, it's a yeah, that's a
Speaker 2: big man.
Speaker 1: How great of a teammate is Tioscar Hernandez.
Speaker 2: Good?
Speaker 3: He's uh, you know, he's always He's the same guy
Speaker 3: every day. He's always happy, unusually happy all the time.
Speaker 2: Like nothing bothers him. Uh.
Speaker 3: He's got a slow tempo, so you know, he's a
Speaker 3: great Teammate's been great to know him.
Speaker 2: Obviously, the stuff he's been doing on the field has
Speaker 2: been awesome.
Speaker 1: You've been here since twenty fifteen. Is he one of
Speaker 1: those unique teammates that brings that type of energy every day?
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, he.
Speaker 3: Brings his own energy, is authentic, He doesn't try to
Speaker 3: be somebody he's not, and that man can really drive
Speaker 3: a drive.
Speaker 2: A runner in from second base. That strick he's been
Speaker 2: on is crazy.
Speaker 1: Austin Barnes is our guest before first pitch between the
Speaker 1: Dodgers and Diamondbacks. Yamamoto is on the mound today. Barnes,
Speaker 1: Why has he been so good?
Speaker 2: Why has he.
Speaker 1: Taken it to the next level.
Speaker 3: I think he's doing more stuff. I think he's his
Speaker 3: confidence in throwing the pitch inside is a lot higher.
Speaker 3: I think he's locating up and end affecting them. And
Speaker 3: the spliitping has always been pretty good, but it's the
Speaker 3: cutter has been a lot better this year.
Speaker 2: I'm not saying better. I think it's more confident.
Speaker 3: I think his conviction is it a lot better so
Speaker 3: and I think he's more comfortable his second year. You know,
Speaker 3: in the States, how he pitching the you know, one
Speaker 3: of the toughest places you could pitch in New York
Speaker 3: in the World Series. You know, and you know, he
Speaker 3: did great. So I think he's got all the confidence
Speaker 3: the world, which should he's He's probably one of the
Speaker 3: best pitchers in the game.
Speaker 1: A lot of these guys that won their first World
Speaker 1: Series title with you last year. Is there something to
Speaker 1: be said when you come back the next year and
Speaker 1: you can say world champion.
Speaker 3: Yeah, especially after the you know, the first one too.
Speaker 3: You know, it's, uh, those games are real high intensity.
Speaker 3: I think it's uh, you know, it's it takes a
Speaker 3: lot out of you. I think that, you know, the
Speaker 3: the offseason, especially for pitchers, I think that you know,
Speaker 3: the bullpen who gets used in those high leverage situations,
Speaker 3: they you know, they feel it a little bit more
Speaker 3: than in the offseason the next year.
Speaker 2: But now we're excited. I think we started off pretty good.
Speaker 3: But you know, obviously we've had our ups and downs,
Speaker 3: but I feel like we're heading in the gard right direction.
Speaker 1: The Dodgers have the best record in baseball, and everybody's
Speaker 1: asking what's wrong with the Dodgers. Do you feel like
Speaker 1: the ceiling is that much higher for you guys? Do
Speaker 1: you feel like, once you hit your stride, you're going
Speaker 1: to be tough to beat?
Speaker 2: I mean that's how it's always been here.
Speaker 3: You know, everybody expects us to win every game, and
Speaker 3: we expect to win every game. But yeah, I think
Speaker 3: it's uh, you know, there's high expectations for this team.
Speaker 3: I think, uh, you know, the fans demand us to
Speaker 3: you know, win, especially since they got to taste you know,
Speaker 3: which this team's been really successful for the last ten
Speaker 3: years or so. And then but yeah, you know, I
Speaker 3: think when we hit our stride and all some guys
Speaker 3: are hurt right now that you know we're a dangerous team,
Speaker 3: I think we could beat it. Obviously, we can beat
Speaker 3: any team anytime.
Speaker 1: Speaking of a lot of teams and the standard you
Speaker 1: guys have had had a chance to check in with
Speaker 1: your former teammate Ross Strippling earlier today. He just retired
Speaker 1: last week. What do you remember the most about Ross
Speaker 1: as a teammate.
Speaker 3: There's probably two. Ross was a great teammate, but two
Speaker 3: like incidents. It was probably when he threw behind Stan
Speaker 3: and he and he just looked down the whole time,
Speaker 3: and it was if I remember, I got it in
Speaker 3: front of standing and his wife said thank you to
Speaker 3: me after the game. But besides that, I remember he
Speaker 3: pinched r Into. I hit like a walk off double
Speaker 3: and he scored it. I liked his little jogg around
Speaker 3: around the basis, But no, he was a great teammate,
Speaker 3: Still really close with Ross, congratulating on a.
Speaker 2: Great career and for his next chapter.
Speaker 1: Did you think you were going to stop Stanton if
Speaker 1: he really wanted to go out there.
Speaker 2: I would have.
Speaker 3: I would have been a small speed bump, right, But
Speaker 3: that's that's also another big man, So.
Speaker 1: Yeah he is. Austin Barnes is our guest in front
Speaker 1: of first pitch between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, being Will
Speaker 1: Smith's backup catcher. Not as easy as it seems. Austin,
Speaker 1: how have you been able to keep your timing at
Speaker 1: the plate and still being engaged when you get those opportunities.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I've been in the same position for
Speaker 2: a while now.
Speaker 3: Yeah, sometimes you know the timing is better than other days,
Speaker 3: but you try to go out there and you know,
Speaker 3: get on time with the pitcher.
Speaker 2: Really, you know, I think hitting and and all.
Speaker 3: That stuff is people for you know, think about mechanics
Speaker 3: all the time, but you know timing is an important
Speaker 3: part of it. And yeah, you know, you just try
Speaker 3: to go out there. Try to be as consistent as
Speaker 3: you can. You know, it's tough, it's not you know,
Speaker 3: there's no excuses on you know, playing time or anything
Speaker 3: like that. Like I said, I've been in the same
Speaker 3: role for a while now and I know what I
Speaker 3: know did entails. So but yeah, you go out there,
Speaker 3: you just try to win the games you play. That's
Speaker 3: I think that's the mingle.
Speaker 1: Before I let you go being a proud Arizona State
Speaker 1: Sun Devil. You're further removed from your college days than
Speaker 1: you were when you first got here. Have they retired
Speaker 1: your number yet? What's going on at Arizona State in
Speaker 1: Austin Barnes?
Speaker 2: Is that Andre Ether your question? Did he did he
Speaker 2: phone in right now? No? I know they're I'm not
Speaker 2: sure how they're doing anything.
Speaker 3: Statue no statue, but I'm not sure how they're doing. Yeah,
Speaker 3: a lot of pride for being a Sun Devil. It
Speaker 3: was great times there. I love Arizona.
Speaker 1: Did you catch at Arizona State?
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's when the when Pat Murphy made me a catcher.
Speaker 3: He likes to remind me of that too, But you
Speaker 3: should get him on one day.
Speaker 2: Talk to him.
Speaker 1: Very intense guy.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was I like funning for Murph and but yeah,
Speaker 3: he made me a catcher and that's what I played
Speaker 3: in college.
Speaker 2: All right.
Speaker 1: Well, when Austin Barnes was traded to the Dodgers, we
Speaker 1: heard about this young guy that played second basic catcher.
Speaker 1: But he's found a home. Holy smokes, barn what do
Speaker 1: you got there on your left arm? It's black and blue?
Speaker 3: Yeah, that that guy hit a fell Wolf Mountain arm yesterday.
Speaker 2: Yeah that's okay, it's just part of it. But it
Speaker 2: uh yeah, it's like a little ah got it was
Speaker 2: a little stinger. You just move on though, all right.
Speaker 1: That's why you're tough. That's why everybody loves you. Thanks
Speaker 1: a lot for the time, and you will receive a
Speaker 1: gift card to Canan Sunglasses.
Speaker 2: You're welcome. Oh, thank you. I can't wait. There he goes.
Speaker 1: Austin Barnes has been our guest, playing hurt with a
Speaker 1: bruised left arm doing this interview.