Speaker 1: Welcome to Dodger Talk. David vaseay with you until seven
Speaker 1: o'clock tonight here on AM five to seventy LA Sports.
Speaker 1: We have a great show for you tonight. We have
Speaker 1: two big Dodger guests on the show tonight, and that
Speaker 1: is Mariachi Joe Kelly, who is joining us at seven
Speaker 1: point fifteen. I had a chance to catch up with
Speaker 1: him at Dodger Stadium just he is probably one of
Speaker 1: the closest teammates to show Hey Otani, and we wanted
Speaker 1: to hear behind the scenes after Otani became the first
Speaker 1: Dodger and fastest Major League player in history to achieve
Speaker 1: forty home runs and forty stolen bases. So Joe Kelly
Speaker 1: will take us behind the scenes and coming up at
Speaker 1: the bottom of the hour. One of the greatest catchers
Speaker 1: in Dodger history, a man that holds the distinction for
Speaker 1: catching more games than any other catcher in Dodger franchise history,
Speaker 1: two time World Series champion with the Dodgers, World Series
Speaker 1: winning manager with the Angels, and now leading Team USA
Speaker 1: again in a different type of tournament this November. So
Speaker 1: we'll talk to Mike Sosha at seven thirty that's right.
Speaker 1: Mike Soshia will join us at seven point thirty. Looking
Speaker 1: forward to that conversation. I know he still keeps tabs
Speaker 1: on the Dodgers. He watches a lot of baseball, so
Speaker 1: we'll ask him about that and about whether or not
Speaker 1: he will manage Team USA in the twenty twenty eight Olympics,
Speaker 1: which will be here in Los Angeles and likely played
Speaker 1: at Dodgers Stadium. So looking forward to Joe Kelly coming
Speaker 1: up and Mike Soshia. The Dodgers have tonight off obviously tonight,
Speaker 1: but they will be back in action tomorrow night to
Speaker 1: close out this nine game homestand at Dodgers Stadium with
Speaker 1: three games against the Baltimore Orioles, the top one card
Speaker 1: team in the American League, one of the better teams
Speaker 1: in baseball, and it will be Jack Flaherty on the
Speaker 1: mound for the Dodgers tomorrow. Jack Flaherty, remember, was traded
Speaker 1: from the Cardinals to the Orioles last trade deadline, this
Speaker 1: time traded from the Tigers to the Dodgers, and he
Speaker 1: certainly is enjoying being back home. I could just tell
Speaker 1: you being around him, he is really happy being back
Speaker 1: back at home, back in the valley and pitching at
Speaker 1: Dodgers Stadium. He's going up against a guy that is
Speaker 1: very human in Cole Irvin, who is six and five
Speaker 1: with an ERA of four eighty two. Many people around
Speaker 1: baseball are saying the Orioles completely blew it at the
Speaker 1: trade deadline. Instead of making impact moves, they just made
Speaker 1: moves on the margin that really have not helped take
Speaker 1: them over the top. So we'll see what the Dodgers
Speaker 1: have for the Orioles. It is obviously a very important
Speaker 1: series for both teams because the Orioles are trying to
Speaker 1: not only hold on to that number one wildcard spot,
Speaker 1: but also trying to catch the Yankees in the American
Speaker 1: League East. For the Dodgers, a very important series because
Speaker 1: they are trying to hold on to the best record
Speaker 1: in baseball, the number one seed in the National League,
Speaker 1: and also trying to hold off the red hot Diamondbacks.
Speaker 1: The Snakes have won six in a row. They've come
Speaker 1: back virtually in all these games, although they did blow
Speaker 1: out the Red Sox in the first game of their
Speaker 1: series at Fenway, But yesterday they were down four to
Speaker 1: nothing and came back to beat the Red Sox and
Speaker 1: sweep that series at Fenway Park. And the reason why
Speaker 1: I bring that up is the Dodgers will head to
Speaker 1: Arizona to start a four game series beginning Friday night
Speaker 1: at Chase Field after they close out this homestand so
Speaker 1: a night game on Thursday, Dodgers will get to Arizona
Speaker 1: around one am and turn around quickly to be ready
Speaker 1: for a huge four game series. A split actually is
Speaker 1: a big win for the Dodgers if they get a
Speaker 1: split in that four game series because this will be
Speaker 1: the final four games the Dodgers and Diamondbacks play against
Speaker 1: each other, and time is running out on Arizona because
Speaker 1: by the time that series ends, the calendar will have
Speaker 1: turned with Labor Day weekends. So this is the Diamondbacks
Speaker 1: last chance to try to gain ground head to head
Speaker 1: against the Dodgers. And don't forget, you know, the Padres
Speaker 1: and Diamondbacks took advantage of a soft schedule recently going
Speaker 1: to Miami winning those games. The Dodgers have yet to
Speaker 1: play the Marlins in Miami. That will happen in the
Speaker 1: middle of September, and the Dodgers nine out of their
Speaker 1: last twelve games of the season are against the Marlins.
Speaker 1: And the Rockies. The Rockies put up a fight, but
Speaker 1: the Dodgers seem to have their number. But nonetheless, nine
Speaker 1: of the last twelve twelve games for the Dodgers is
Speaker 1: against the Rockies and Marlins. So tomorrow night Jack Flaherty
Speaker 1: against Cole Irvin of the Baltimore Orioles. Yesterday at Dodgers Stadium,
Speaker 1: my guy Gavin Stone, who was part of our fantasy draft.
Speaker 1: After he dealt for seven innings and had seven strikeouts.
Speaker 1: He did not get the win, but certainly deserved it.
Speaker 1: Gavin Stone. Where would the Dodgers be without Gavin Stone.
Speaker 1: I am continuing the parade for Gavin Stone from yesterday
Speaker 1: because I did a little bit of a deeper dive
Speaker 1: on where he ranks among rookie pitchers. Not only has
Speaker 1: he made more starts than any other Dodger pitcher twenty four,
Speaker 1: not only has he thrown more innings than any other
Speaker 1: Dodger pitcher, including Tyler Glass now and Yoshiyamamota, who are
Speaker 1: getting paid big bucks. Gavin Stone has been the anchor,
Speaker 1: the most consistent starter, the guy that has made every
Speaker 1: single start twenty four starts, one hundred and thirty five
Speaker 1: and a third innings for the rookie right hander, and
Speaker 1: as far as where he ranks amongst other Major League
Speaker 1: Baseball rookies in the pitching department, as far as the
Speaker 1: innings pitch goes, he's second to only the Cubs Shota Imanaga,
Speaker 1: who basically is not a rookie, He's a professional from Japan,
Speaker 1: and him and Imanaga and Louis Heel of the Yankees
Speaker 1: have started more games than any other rookie pitcher this season.
Speaker 1: Gavin Stone's eleven wins are second most to the Yankees
Speaker 1: Louis Heel, who has twelve wins this year. Now, Gavin
Speaker 1: Stone is not a strikeout pitcher by any means. He's
Speaker 1: not a Paul Skens type of guy. But he is
Speaker 1: fifth and rookie strikeouts this year. He has one hundred
Speaker 1: and twelve after seven yesterday. And just think about where
Speaker 1: Gavin Stone was when he started this season. Many ofview
Speaker 1: I'm sure, wrote him off after a couple of bumpy
Speaker 1: starts in his first two games in the big leagues.
Speaker 1: But the Dodgers saw something in him, and he saw
Speaker 1: something in himself, and he realized that I have to
Speaker 1: get better, which he did during the off season. He
Speaker 1: got bigger, he got stronger, and he got better. He
Speaker 1: developed other pitches. Now he's a five or six pitch
Speaker 1: pitcher if he needs to be. Last year he was
Speaker 1: a two pitch pitcher. So Gavin Stone went to work,
Speaker 1: knew he had to get better, got better, and once
Speaker 1: he got to spring training, all of a sudden forced
Speaker 1: his name in the conversation to compete with Emmit Shehan
Speaker 1: for the final spot in the rotation. Emi Sheen went down,
Speaker 1: Gavin Stone won the job. Started in Korea, or actually
Speaker 1: was on the Dodgers opening day roster in Korea and
Speaker 1: here in North America, and he hasn't looked back. Where
Speaker 1: would the Dodgers be without Gavin Stone, Because if you
Speaker 1: look at the rest of their rotation, nobody that they
Speaker 1: were counting on has been able to be that reliable.
Speaker 1: Yamamoto has been down for months. Tyler Glass now has
Speaker 1: been on and off the il two separate times. It's
Speaker 1: been Gavin Stone the most consistent pitcher and the Dodger rotation.
Speaker 1: So kudos to Gavin Stone. And by the way, Gavin
Speaker 1: Stone eh on fantasy drafting. He was talking a lot
Speaker 1: of trash, not sure he backed it up last night. Anyway,
Speaker 1: coming up at seven point fifteen, you will hear from
Speaker 1: Joe Kelly. At the bottom of the hour, you will
Speaker 1: hear from Mike Sosha. Right here on a five to
Speaker 1: seventy LA Sports Off Day Dodger Talk with David Vase,
Speaker 1: gotta say, as we start to get closer to September
Speaker 1: first show, Hey, Otani, with forty one home runs and
Speaker 1: forty stolen bases, is still on pace to become the
Speaker 1: first Major League player in history to steal fifty bases
Speaker 1: and homer fifty times in the same year. No player
Speaker 1: ever has been a fifty to fifty player, and Shoe
Speaker 1: Otani is doing it. And it really is remarkable a
Speaker 1: man of his size to be able to steal fifty bases.
Speaker 1: I feel like he's more of a machine. And the
Speaker 1: only other player I thought of that way was Jose
Speaker 1: Conseco when he became the first forty to forty player
Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty eight. I thought this guy wasn't human.
Speaker 1: I mean the size and power, I mean, how does
Speaker 1: he steal forty bases? How does Otani steal fifty bases? Well,
Speaker 1: I could tell you he doesn't just rely on his
Speaker 1: speed or jumps. He actually does a lot of homework
Speaker 1: to be able to get those jumps and to know
Speaker 1: when is the right time to steal. Clayton McCullough, who
Speaker 1: joined us in Oakland when Otani became a thirty thirty player,
Speaker 1: told us that Otani picks up little movements from the
Speaker 1: picture and shows McCullough just as much as McCullough shows him.
Speaker 1: So he's very much a student of the game in
Speaker 1: every facet. He does all his homework. He does a
Speaker 1: lot of preparation, and you don't just steal fifty bases
Speaker 1: by accident, and you don't just do it on pure
Speaker 1: raw talent. Otani certainly is is not just a talented guy.
Speaker 1: He prepares mentally, physically and obviously now with the technology
Speaker 1: with the video in that department. Eight six nine eight
Speaker 1: seven two five seventy is the phone number. I was
Speaker 1: visiting with doctor Neil Elatrosh yesterday at Dodger Stadium and
Speaker 1: he's helping Ronald Acunya Junior come back from his injury.
Speaker 1: And he was with Akunya when Otani stole his fortieth
Speaker 1: base and hit his fortieth home run on the same night.
Speaker 1: No player has done that either by the way, and
Speaker 1: doctor elatrosh said Acunya sent Otania text that meant that
Speaker 1: read welcome to the club. So sho hey. Otani joins
Speaker 1: Ronald Ducunya, Junior, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Consego among the six
Speaker 1: players to a steal forty bases and hit forty home runs.
Speaker 1: But like everything else, Otani is looking to be in
Speaker 1: a class by himself by becoming the first player in
Speaker 1: history to be a fifty to fifty player. We're going
Speaker 1: to take a time out here on Dodger Talk. When
Speaker 1: we come back, Joe Kelly will join us. He'll take
Speaker 1: us behind the scenes on the night that Otani became
Speaker 1: a forty to forty player. Don't go anywhere. Joe Kelly
Speaker 1: is next, and Mike Soosha coming up at the bottom
Speaker 1: of the hour on off day Dodger Talk right here
Speaker 1: on a five to seventy LA Sports.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to Dodger Talk.
Speaker 1: David Vase with you until seven o'clock tonight here on
Speaker 1: AM five to seventy LA Sports. On this off day,
Speaker 1: as the Dodgers get ready for a three game series
Speaker 1: against one of the best teams in the American.
Speaker 2: League, the Baltimore Orio.
Speaker 1: And since Monday is a day of rest for the Dodgers,
Speaker 1: there is no chance Joe Kelly was going to come
Speaker 1: in studio. And there is even less chance I was
Speaker 1: going to be able to call Joe Kelly because he
Speaker 1: is a father of eight or nine kids these days.
Speaker 1: So here we are at Dodger Stadium with the one
Speaker 1: and only Mariachi Boston La, Joe Kelly, Rancho Kuka Manga's mayor.
Speaker 2: Thanks a lot for the time, appreciate it.
Speaker 3: That intro David Vassay is something that I never want
Speaker 3: you to do again.
Speaker 4: Please.
Speaker 2: You really made me work for this interview.
Speaker 1: I had to find a cup of coffee in the
Speaker 1: Dodger clubhouse to be able to coerce you or bribe
Speaker 1: you to speak to the people.
Speaker 3: Well, rumor has it you're out of Travis Matthews swag,
Speaker 3: So I decided I needed a cup of Joe to
Speaker 3: help me get through this interview with you.
Speaker 2: Can I ask you a question?
Speaker 1: You were just playing like a stationary like game foosball
Speaker 1: game with your face.
Speaker 2: Why are you sweating so much?
Speaker 3: I'm not this is this is my hat doesn't fit
Speaker 3: in my head very well. So for anyone out there
Speaker 3: who can't see. I have my hat on, and David
Speaker 3: Best I think I'm sweating. I did my hat and
Speaker 3: water to get it to fit to the shape of
Speaker 3: my head a little better when the hats are kind
Speaker 3: of newer. But by the way, the football game you're
Speaker 3: talking about is not football. It's finger soccer. It's called
Speaker 3: bino and I'm the number one rank player in the
Speaker 3: in the clubhouse, I've probably played over a hundred games.
Speaker 4: I've lost once to my wife.
Speaker 3: I've lost once to River Ryan by one goal, and
Speaker 3: I've lost once to Blake by one goal. Other than that,
Speaker 3: I've beat the hell out of everyone else.
Speaker 1: The first time I saw anybody playing this was in
Speaker 1: the Oakland visiting clubhouse. Had it been going on before
Speaker 1: or all you guys got hooked after that.
Speaker 3: It's been going on before, but we all got hooked
Speaker 3: from that visiting clubhouse experience, and now we can't stop.
Speaker 3: It's been fun, you know. Sometimes there's some friendly wagers,
Speaker 3: sometimes there isn't. But if you're playing Blake, he likes
Speaker 3: to play for free, it's not It's not fun for
Speaker 3: me anymore.
Speaker 1: In Milwaukee, I saw you going up against Otani with
Speaker 1: see tough competition or not so much.
Speaker 3: I beat him once and then we haven't played again.
Speaker 3: We played a fake game to three. The game goes
Speaker 3: to seven, so I beat him in a real game
Speaker 3: to seven, and then we had to go out for
Speaker 3: the anthem. So he got me to three. He was
Speaker 3: like three to two. But obviously that game doesn't count.
Speaker 3: But I'm waiting to waiting to play him again.
Speaker 1: You're super competitive, he's super competitive. How does that go
Speaker 1: when somebody loses, does he flip the table or does
Speaker 1: Joe Kelly flip the table?
Speaker 3: Well, I've only lost three times in like one hundred games,
Speaker 3: so there's not very much of the table flipping going
Speaker 3: on around here. But no, he is super competitive. He
Speaker 3: it was his first time playing. He's obviously picked it
Speaker 3: up pretty quick. He's, you know, a man of many.
Speaker 4: Talents, that's for sure.
Speaker 2: Many talents, but few words, right.
Speaker 4: Very few words.
Speaker 3: A lot of laughs, a lot of smiles, a lot
Speaker 3: of headshakes. The words are i'd say, if he's like
Speaker 3: close to you.
Speaker 4: He'll talk to you.
Speaker 3: But yes, a lot a lot of headshakes and you know,
Speaker 3: good to see you and smiles.
Speaker 1: Okay, speaking of all that, the emotions or lack thereof
Speaker 1: from Otani. When he hits that walk off grand Slam,
Speaker 1: you guys mob him out on the field. Is that
Speaker 1: the most emotion you've seen from him in a good way?
Speaker 4: Yeah, he uh, he doesn't like to you know, it's
Speaker 4: not like he's.
Speaker 2: Oh, quidato, here comes ta Oscar.
Speaker 3: It's not like he's you know, bat flapping or pimping
Speaker 3: every homer or showing something that much emotion. But you know,
Speaker 3: there was a big spot, you know, obviously, you know,
Speaker 3: basically loaded twots in the ninth. You know, for him
Speaker 3: to come through with just a hit would have done.
Speaker 3: But obviously to hit a grand Slam for his you know,
Speaker 3: fortieth homer, that was a pretty special and you know,
Speaker 3: I think he enjoyed it more than what he probably showed.
Speaker 4: I mean, he's celebrated, but you know, I.
Speaker 3: Think he respects the game so much and respects, you know,
Speaker 3: his opposition, and he knows that any kind of sport
Speaker 3: could be humbling. So I think he doesn't ever really
Speaker 3: want to show up, you know, anybody, because he knows
Speaker 3: kids are watching. He's very aware of his surroundings, you know, daily,
Speaker 3: you know, whether it's in the clubhouse, whether it's on
Speaker 3: the field, whether it's you know, driving, you know, he's
Speaker 3: very aware of you know, where he's at and you
Speaker 3: know who's watching, and you know, trying to be a leader,
Speaker 3: you know, like I said, day in and day out.
Speaker 3: And I think that's probably one of the coolest things
Speaker 3: about him. You know, he's not going around talking about
Speaker 3: you know, oh, I'm a forty forty guy.
Speaker 4: He keeps himself.
Speaker 3: You'd never know that it means a lot to him,
Speaker 3: but I'm sure it does.
Speaker 1: So we saw the celebration on the field. What was
Speaker 1: it like in the clubhouse because I remember when Kurz
Speaker 1: shot through his no hitter, the team just showered in
Speaker 1: with a bunch of stuff, baby powder, all that in
Speaker 1: the shower. Was it similar to that last night in
Speaker 1: the clubhouse?
Speaker 3: So the problem with last night was it's firework night,
Speaker 3: so we all really spread out. And number two problem
Speaker 3: is Showy always has his own media. So by the
Speaker 3: time show he was done with his own media. He
Speaker 3: we barely saw him in the clubhouse. We saw him
Speaker 3: walk in. We all congratulated him. We wanted to shots specially,
Speaker 3: he had to do his media. So it was not
Speaker 3: the celebration, you would think, but we all obviously congratulated him.
Speaker 1: And that's another layer to him being show he Otani
Speaker 1: the greatest player in the world, is that there's a
Speaker 1: lot of people that want a piece of him. How
Speaker 1: is he is that?
Speaker 2: Even?
Speaker 1: Does it make what he's doing even more remarkable considering
Speaker 1: how much attention, how much people want a piece of
Speaker 1: him For him to lock in and have this type
Speaker 1: of year.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think he's always wanted to be the best
Speaker 3: at whatever he does, right, you know, whether it was
Speaker 3: pitching obviously, now he's a dh you know, he knew
Speaker 3: he was fast, so obviously he put it on his
Speaker 3: radar where I want to steal you know, forty bags
Speaker 3: going in the year, he wanted to steal a.
Speaker 4: Bunch of bases.
Speaker 3: He knew that, you know, he could be the best,
Speaker 3: one of the best base runners in the game, and
Speaker 3: he's proved that. So I think, uh, he's a big
Speaker 3: goal guy. So I think any kind of a goal
Speaker 3: he puts in his mind, he tries to you know,
Speaker 3: attains as much as he can without you know, letting people.
Speaker 4: Know about it.
Speaker 3: Right, Like if you're like, hey, what's your goals, He's
Speaker 3: not going to tell you exactly what his goals are.
Speaker 3: But I think he has some in the back of
Speaker 3: his brain where you know, he wants to go out
Speaker 3: there and say he wants to hit a hunter urbiys
Speaker 3: this year he wants won twenty like you might see
Speaker 3: him lose betting average and go for abi eyes like
Speaker 3: there's probably you know, little games he plays within the game.
Speaker 4: That's what the greats do.
Speaker 3: And obviously being here as a Dodger teammate with him,
Speaker 3: and you know, especially the fans, they get to come
Speaker 3: out and watch a literal you know experience. You know,
Speaker 3: it's like going to watch a live concert, like watching
Speaker 3: show Hey play, It's it's different, you know, area bad
Speaker 3: as must see. Even my son Knocks, you know, will
Speaker 3: watch the games on and show showy bats like you know,
Speaker 3: be like, hey, show it up, and then I'll go
Speaker 3: watch the game and then I'll go back to do
Speaker 3: him playing Fortnite whatever he does. But uh, yeah, he's
Speaker 3: much must watch baseball and you know, like I said,
Speaker 3: there's any given night he's going to break history and
Speaker 3: you know it's very fun and obviously he's a great
Speaker 3: teammate too, and a great player, but it's very fun,
Speaker 3: you know, to be a part of it and you know,
Speaker 3: be able to tell my kids went to Hey, I
Speaker 3: was at that game where you know where we were
Speaker 3: at when you hit forty forty, Well, I was in
Speaker 3: you know, in the bullpen.
Speaker 4: We're all celebrating.
Speaker 3: So it's gonna be a cool experience, you know when
Speaker 3: it's all said and done. To be able to play
Speaker 3: with them.
Speaker 1: Could you see where the home run landed?
Speaker 2: And did you see the fans?
Speaker 1: There were two fans that got in each other's way
Speaker 1: and clinked it off their hands.
Speaker 2: Did you see all that? No, I saw.
Speaker 3: I saw it go over the fence. I didn't watch
Speaker 3: the fans. You know, you just goes over the fence
Speaker 3: and you start celebrating. You don't really care what the
Speaker 3: fans are doing. I didn't have that angle. But no,
Speaker 3: we just made sure it cleared and you know, the
Speaker 3: game was over. It was a not anything in particular
Speaker 3: that we were looking for after that.
Speaker 1: Have you you've been around baseball a long time, Joe
Speaker 1: Kelly's played baseball for a very long time. Would you
Speaker 1: rank that, outside of winning the World Series, as one
Speaker 1: of the coolest moments you've been part of.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's definitely for a regular season game, it's a
Speaker 3: there with you know, the coolest experience I've had on
Speaker 3: a baseball field. Anytime you see someone hit a milestone,
Speaker 3: you appreciate it. You know, Freddy Freeman playing in two
Speaker 3: thousand games, you know there's been multiple milestones. You know,
Speaker 3: Kershaw with wins or you know he's coming up on strikeouts.
Speaker 3: So it's it's it's one of those things where you know,
Speaker 3: just because you didn't play or you're not part of
Speaker 3: that game, you know, to be on the team and
Speaker 3: to be able to experience those moments with the guys
Speaker 3: and watch it through the rise and see how they react.
Speaker 3: You know, some guys you know, all only live for,
Speaker 3: you know, moments like that, like oh, I'm gonna check
Speaker 3: off my scorecard or I'm gonna check my box score
Speaker 3: to you know, to.
Speaker 4: Get to the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 3: But the cool thing about being a Dodger is we
Speaker 3: don't have any of those guys in our clubhouse. Like
Speaker 3: they get those milestones, but it's never even talked about, like,
Speaker 3: you know, the next day, like you got three dound strikeouts,
Speaker 3: He's like, all right, cool and then onto business. So
Speaker 3: that's a good thing about being in this organization. You
Speaker 3: get the right type of talents as Hall of Fame players,
Speaker 3: and you know, good people on and off the field,
Speaker 3: and you know, makes up for a lot of wins.
Speaker 1: Joe Kelly is our guest here on Dodger Talks speaking
Speaker 1: of the clubhouse. You are, you know, one of the leaders,
Speaker 1: one of the veterans on this team. A lot of
Speaker 1: people were making a big deal when all of us
Speaker 1: were a little surprised when Jason Hayward was designated for assignment.
Speaker 1: Can you set us all straight on the effects inside
Speaker 1: that room compared to being professionals and just keep being
Speaker 1: keep moving forward. How how does that dynamic work?
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, I mean it's it's baseball, and it's like
Speaker 3: you said, it's it's a it's a profession. And you know,
Speaker 3: obviously we weren't all here when it happened. It was
Speaker 3: on the off day. But you know, if people talk
Speaker 3: about it yet, it's sad.
Speaker 4: It sucks.
Speaker 3: But you know, it's not like we're gonna go out
Speaker 3: there and you know, not play a game of baseball.
Speaker 3: You know, he's a great teammate, a great friend. It's
Speaker 3: not like all of a sudden you don't become friends
Speaker 3: when someone's off her team. So it's decisions like that happened,
Speaker 3: you know, throughout the league, throughout everybody's teams, And like
Speaker 3: I said, it's one of those things that you talk about.
Speaker 3: You know, he's not going to be obviously forgotten. He's
Speaker 3: gonna be missed for sure, but it's doesn't change the
Speaker 3: way you play the game of baseball as a professional athlete.
Speaker 1: Joe Kelly as our guest, it feels like you guys
Speaker 1: have not played your best baseball all season yet a
Speaker 1: lot of injuries, a lot of different dynamics, but it
Speaker 1: feels like now you have your team back together, you're
Speaker 1: getting healthy and you're going to continue to get healthy.
Speaker 1: Do you feel like you're starting to hit your stride
Speaker 1: and this division race? Is that going to be significant
Speaker 1: with you guys playing meaningful games down the stretch.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Injuries, you know, they happen.
Speaker 4: We've had a ton. A lot of teams had a ton.
Speaker 3: It's kind of just been battling the season, you know,
Speaker 3: rather than you know, playing good or bad baseball, it's
Speaker 3: been kind of battling the ups and downs of you know,
Speaker 3: who's ready to pitch that night, who's not going to
Speaker 3: be you know, in the lineup. You know, maybe a
Speaker 3: sore foot, like there's just little things here and there,
Speaker 3: and obviously major injuries and surgeries. But obviously our lineup
Speaker 3: is back, you know. Again, our relievers are pretty much
Speaker 3: all back starters are making their way back. So it's
Speaker 3: good to see.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 3: Obviously the leads a little bit closer than it has
Speaker 3: been in the past few years. It's not talked about
Speaker 3: what between guys or players, you know, it's something more
Speaker 3: for the fan to say. I think that, you know,
Speaker 3: the division is. It is what it is, you know.
Speaker 3: But for us, the way we're playing the game of baseball,
Speaker 3: you know, we just want to play Obviously, solid defense,
Speaker 3: starters go deep, bullpen does their job, you know, and
Speaker 3: then make guys work. And that's what our line has
Speaker 3: been doing, you know lately, and you know, it's given
Speaker 3: life to I think at least to speak to the
Speaker 3: guys down there in the bullpen. It's given life knowing
Speaker 3: that you know, we're down two runs, you know, going
Speaker 3: past the six. Other teams have good relievers, but with
Speaker 3: our lineup being so deep, you know, everyone's pretty much
Speaker 3: we don't really have I would say, like low leverage
Speaker 3: guys in our pen, they're all pretty nasty. So I
Speaker 3: think that at any given point, you know, every single
Speaker 3: relievers checked into the game, because at any given point,
Speaker 3: our name could be called because the game in the
Speaker 3: blink of I could be tired or we could go ahead.
Speaker 3: So that's the cool part about you know, our team
Speaker 3: getting healthy now and being able to see where you know,
Speaker 3: you're warming up and all of a sudden you got
Speaker 3: a leading got to protect and it makes it a
Speaker 3: lot more fun, you know, as as as a as
Speaker 3: a player and being part of the team, you want
Speaker 3: to you know, help your team win games. And so
Speaker 3: when you see those guys fight in the box, you're like,
Speaker 3: all right, let's go pick them up out of the
Speaker 3: bullpenner started his job, Let's go pick them up. So
Speaker 3: it's been the past i'd say week and a half
Speaker 3: two weeks has been a lot I want to say
Speaker 3: more fun, but it's been you know, definitely more interesting.
Speaker 3: And the energy has definitely been up all around, you know,
Speaker 3: from bench guys to role players to bupen guys like
Speaker 3: I said, to starters to superstars. Everyone's caring kind of
Speaker 3: a little bit different buzz and and kind of locking
Speaker 3: in a little bit more.
Speaker 1: Everybody's got the same goal World Series, and Joe Kelly
Speaker 1: wants one for sure. We'll see whether or not he
Speaker 1: comes back next year if he's got a World Series
Speaker 1: ring on his finger. I give a salute to that
Speaker 1: big mural on the reserve level, Mariachi, Joe, and when
Speaker 1: you come in, well, not that kind of salute, Joe,
Speaker 1: I give it a different kind of salute. Hey, you
Speaker 1: want to take us to break? Since you're so confident
Speaker 1: you could take my job.
Speaker 4: I don't really want your job, David. You did a
Speaker 4: great job.
Speaker 2: Why don't you take us to break?
Speaker 4: Say?
Speaker 5: Hey?
Speaker 1: Coming up next, More Dodger Talk on AM five seventy
Speaker 1: LA Sports.
Speaker 3: Coming up next, More Dodger Talk on AM five to
Speaker 3: seventy LA Sports with Joe Kelly, Cia.
Speaker 1: David Welcome back to Dodger Talk. David Vase with you
Speaker 1: until eight o'clock tonight here on AM five to seventy
Speaker 1: LA Sports. The Dodgers are back in action tomorrow night
Speaker 1: against the Baltimore Orioles. The last time the Dodgers and
Speaker 1: Orioles ever met in the World Series was back in
Speaker 1: nineteen sixty six, the last season Sandy Cofax ever pitched
Speaker 1: in Major League Baseball before retiring and joining US right
Speaker 1: now is a man that learned quite a bit in
Speaker 1: his catching career from the great Sandy Kofax while he
Speaker 1: was in the Dodger organization. A two time World Series
Speaker 1: champion as a player with the Dodgers in nineteen eighty one.
Speaker 1: In nineteen eighty eight, he holds the distinction for catching
Speaker 1: more games than any other Dodger in franchise history. He
Speaker 1: also holds the distinction of being the only manager to
Speaker 1: lead an Angels team to the World Series. And now
Speaker 1: he has taken his talents global with Team USSA. He
Speaker 1: is back managing for Team USA in the Premiere twelve
Speaker 1: and that is the one and only Mike Soosha. Mike,
Speaker 1: thanks a lot for coming on. Appreciate it.
Speaker 5: David, great to be with you, and boy, did I
Speaker 5: learn a lot from Sandy. You're right about that. It
Speaker 5: was just a great experience to be around a lot
Speaker 5: of those great Dodgers, and Sandy was at the top
Speaker 5: of the list.
Speaker 1: Mike, is it true. I've heard stories from past reporter
Speaker 1: Set told me Sandy Kofax would throw BP to you.
Speaker 1: Guys in Vero Beach. Is that true?
Speaker 5: Yes, he would, and he still got us out. He
Speaker 5: was throwing BP. Last time I remember was nineteen eighty five.
Speaker 5: I remember hitting off of him on the lower fields
Speaker 5: and he still had that curve ball. You could hear.
Speaker 5: It was unbelievable, and he really enjoyed it. He loved it.
Speaker 5: And then I think he finally his shoulder gave out,
Speaker 5: but he loved it. You know, anything he could do
Speaker 5: to make us a little better, he put his time
Speaker 5: in and just a tremendous man.
Speaker 1: You feel like, who makes you this manager? Now? That
Speaker 1: team USA once was was kind of built as a catcher,
Speaker 1: as a young catcher in the Dodger organization with all
Speaker 1: these guys being around like Sandy.
Speaker 5: Oh, there's no way, I mean, excuse me, there's no
Speaker 5: doubt that. You know. The way that I took through
Speaker 5: the Dodger organization was special. And to get so many
Speaker 5: great baseball minds around you at at such a young
Speaker 5: age and just being smart enough to shut up and
Speaker 5: listen was really important to my development. Is not only
Speaker 5: a player, but getting opportunity to manage and you know
Speaker 5: the great, the great guys like Roy Campanell, the Sandy
Speaker 5: Kofax Del Krandle playing for timeerless order for all those
Speaker 5: years Joel Malfatano Monty basketballin on a whole list you
Speaker 5: know of of coaches that I had and that just
Speaker 5: that just had a huge impact on me.
Speaker 1: All Right, So all these years of managing and playing
Speaker 1: and all the knowledge and experience you've gained has brought
Speaker 1: you to Team USA. You managed in the Olympics and
Speaker 1: now here you are back again managing this premiere twelve team.
Speaker 1: Can you explain the type of players that you'll be
Speaker 1: managing and is this a qualifier necessary to be able
Speaker 1: to have Team USA here in LA in twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 5: Well, since we're the home country, we will get an
Speaker 5: automatic bid into the twenty eight Olympics. But this is
Speaker 5: important tournament, Dave. But it's it's really for world seeding
Speaker 5: and world ranking. We're gonna be playing really tough teams.
Speaker 5: There's twelve teams around the you know globe that are
Speaker 5: really that just excel in baseball. You know teams teams
Speaker 5: from you know, Mexico and Venezuela and Cuba and Japan, Korea. Uh,
Speaker 5: these these these these it's gonna be a tough tournament,
Speaker 5: So we'll play a series of Mexico to get going,
Speaker 5: hopefully get through that and then head to Tokyo, and
Speaker 5: the quality of players and the caliber players is going
Speaker 5: to be very high. We can't use forty man roster guys,
Speaker 5: but we can use a lot of guys that have
Speaker 5: major league experience that aren't attached to a to a
Speaker 5: team when we play and uh, and then some of
Speaker 5: the young guys coming up that are in Double A
Speaker 5: and Triple A that haven't hit forty man rosters yet.
Speaker 5: So we're excited about the group. We're putting the rosters
Speaker 5: together as we speak through these last this last month
Speaker 5: and moving forward getting ready for the tournament, so we're
Speaker 5: we'll be ready to go.
Speaker 1: We hear about when these players want to play in
Speaker 1: the World Baseball Classic that are on the forty man roster, Mike, Obviously,
Speaker 1: the team has a lot of say and how many
Speaker 1: innings the pitchers can pitch and just the restrictions on them.
Speaker 1: Will you have the same type of challenges managing this
Speaker 1: premiere twelve tournament.
Speaker 5: If a player is with an affiliated team in an organization,
Speaker 5: most likely yes, if there's but there's a lot of
Speaker 5: guys that are are pitching an independent ball, a lot
Speaker 5: of guys that are pitching you know, overseas right now
Speaker 5: that aren't really affiliated with with an organization, so they'll
Speaker 5: be able to you know, we'll be able to use
Speaker 5: them probably, you know, a little in some of the
Speaker 5: roles we want, but certainly every organization wants to protect
Speaker 5: their players, and we'll be looking at the guys that
Speaker 5: are in the Fall League. They'll be hopefully ramped up
Speaker 5: or ready to go, and if they can come, we'll
Speaker 5: we'll live with wherever restrictions the organization gives us.
Speaker 1: I was talking to Dino Ebel, who is going to
Speaker 1: join your staff for this premiere twelve, and I let
Speaker 1: them know that team USA put out there with you,
Speaker 1: Ron Rennicky, Denuebel, Dave Wallace, among the others on your
Speaker 1: coaching staff. There is eighty four years of coaching experience
Speaker 1: on the staff, and Dino said, you got eighty of them.
Speaker 5: I would expect, you know, to say that, but yeah,
Speaker 5: I'm excited about our staff. I think we've got guys
Speaker 5: that are going to set in an environment and it's
Speaker 5: one of the things I learned from Tommy is just
Speaker 5: how important that environment is. The player's got to come
Speaker 5: in feeling he's going to achieve, you're going to win,
Speaker 5: and we'll certainly do our best to set that environment.
Speaker 5: I think the players will feed off of that. This
Speaker 5: is a tough tournament. I mean in the past, you know,
Speaker 5: you had Shohe playing for Team Japan in twenty fifteen
Speaker 5: before he came over here. In this tournament, you know,
Speaker 5: guys like you know, croner Worth played here, Bond with
Speaker 5: the guy with Phillies and with Philly, and Rooker with
Speaker 5: the A's domback with Boston. These guys all played in
Speaker 5: this tournament. So it's it's going to be a high
Speaker 5: level tournament and we'll be ready to go.
Speaker 1: Mike Soosha is our guest. He is Team USA's manager
Speaker 1: in the Premiere twelve tournament coming up this November. And
Speaker 1: as you know, Mike, we just mentioned it. The Olympics
Speaker 1: are coming back to Los Angeles and Dodgers Stadium for
Speaker 1: the first time since nineteen eighty four, and there's been
Speaker 1: some major league players that are trying to encourage Rob
Speaker 1: Manfred to find a way to have major leaguers participate
Speaker 1: in the Olympics. How do you feel about that during
Speaker 1: the summer.
Speaker 2: Of twenty eight.
Speaker 5: Well, obviously would be welcome. I think, you know, I
Speaker 5: really think the best based on the world has played
Speaker 5: here in the United States, although Japan has really done
Speaker 5: well in the international level over the past five or
Speaker 5: six years. But it would be great. You know, It'll
Speaker 5: be welcomed these players if they want to play. I
Speaker 5: just don't know about the logistics. I don't see how
Speaker 5: baseball's going to shut down for the two to three
Speaker 5: weeks it would have to to get this, you know,
Speaker 5: to get these Olympics finished, and uh, and then you know,
Speaker 5: rampant back up. So there's so many hurdles that are
Speaker 5: going to come into play, and and uh, it might
Speaker 5: be a little bit difficult.
Speaker 1: You still would I mean, if major leaguers can't do it,
Speaker 1: I would be open to having maybe the top prospects
Speaker 1: in the minor leagues or even the top college baseball players, Mike,
Speaker 1: That's how they did it in eighty four. And they
Speaker 1: turned out to be Will Clark and Mark McGuire.
Speaker 5: They did well. They were all collegiate players back in
Speaker 5: eighty four. And you're right, they had they had a
Speaker 5: really good team and uh, you know, a lot of
Speaker 5: these guys were just you know, cutting their teeth into
Speaker 5: that hadn't even played in pro pro ball. Yet We're
Speaker 5: going to have a good team. I would like to
Speaker 5: the Olympics at least to open it up to forty
Speaker 5: man roster guys, maybe some guys that are in a
Speaker 5: minor in major leagues, but are forty man guys, and
Speaker 5: that would give you a deeper talent pool and you know,
Speaker 5: a team that you know, you could really go out
Speaker 5: there and and contend.
Speaker 1: I know it's a few years away, but since you
Speaker 1: are very much involved in USA Baseball, what are the
Speaker 1: chances that you're managing Team USA in the twenty eight Olympics.
Speaker 5: Let's get by this tournament first thought happening, You know,
Speaker 5: a lot could happen in four years. I just you know,
Speaker 5: I just know how much what a great experience it
Speaker 5: was in Tokyo, and even though with COVID, it was
Speaker 5: still a great experience. And I think that, you know,
Speaker 5: whoever gets an opportunity to manage in the twenty eight
Speaker 5: Olympics here in southern California, it's going to be the
Speaker 5: same incredible experience.
Speaker 1: Mike, do you remember your Dodger season in eighty four
Speaker 1: where you guys had to be away for an extended
Speaker 1: period of time. What was that summer like for you
Speaker 1: guys in eighty four while the Olympics were going on
Speaker 1: at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I want to think it was like a thirteen
Speaker 5: day road trip. I might be mistaken, but you know,
Speaker 5: you're young, and you go out and you you know,
Speaker 5: you're always you're always somewhere playing baseball. So we didn't
Speaker 5: put too much stock in to it. You know. Eighty
Speaker 5: four was a little bit of a of a you know,
Speaker 5: a little bit of a mediocre here for us. We'll
Speaker 5: be bounced back in eighty five. But I honestly, I
Speaker 5: don't I couldn't tell you a lot about it other
Speaker 5: than you know, it was a long road trips for sure.
Speaker 1: Mike'soshia is our guest, one of the best catchers of
Speaker 1: his generation. And I've had some hitters these days. Mike
Speaker 1: tell me the saying, if you reach, I'll teach, meaning
Speaker 1: catchers these days are reaching for pitches a little bit
Speaker 1: too early. And there's a lot more catchers interference these
Speaker 1: days than I can ever remember. What is that all about?
Speaker 1: With so much catchers interference these days.
Speaker 5: Well, there's no doubt that the catching business position is changing.
Speaker 5: You know, I'm not going to say it's for the better,
Speaker 5: but it's changing into and it's evolving into really trying
Speaker 5: to steal a strike, steal a low strike. You're moving
Speaker 5: your glove a lot, You're trying to catch the ball
Speaker 5: out in front to keep it keep that low pitch
Speaker 5: looking like it's a strike. And at times your glove's
Speaker 5: going to get out there a little bit early and
Speaker 5: you're going to get some interference calls, that's for sure.
Speaker 5: It's just really the it's a philosophy of you know,
Speaker 5: a lot of analytically driven teams to say, look, we're
Speaker 5: going to do everything we can to steal that low pitch,
Speaker 5: and here's the way you have to do it. So
Speaker 5: there's a lot of glove movement, the glove is out
Speaker 5: in front, and you know, my position on this whole
Speaker 5: thing is you always want to represent a good target
Speaker 5: for the pitcher. And we were taught to get low
Speaker 5: strikes back in nineteen seventy six instructional League. I remember
Speaker 5: being taught how to get a low pitch from guys
Speaker 5: like Johnny Roseboro and del Crandall and Roy Campanella, and
Speaker 5: you were in a conventional stance and you learned how
Speaker 5: to get up underneath that low pitch and frame it
Speaker 5: and make it look good. They've taken it to the
Speaker 5: nth degree. So you're going to see a little lot
Speaker 5: more movement. You know, there's certainly a one knee aspect
Speaker 5: to catching right now, to try to get low that is,
Speaker 5: that is making some of the other things, not that
Speaker 5: it's impossible, but some of the other things you catcher
Speaker 5: has to do a little more difficult. So you know,
Speaker 5: just like you're talking about catchers, interferences is up for
Speaker 5: this simple reason. These you know, catchers are reaching a
Speaker 5: little bit to try to keep that low pitch looking
Speaker 5: like a strike.
Speaker 1: I remember growing up they would always talk about a
Speaker 1: good catcher is quiet behind the plate. That doesn't sound
Speaker 1: very quiet when you're moving as much as these guys.
Speaker 5: Are, well, you're certainly not quiet. And before even before
Speaker 5: you're receiving the ball. I think it's important to give
Speaker 5: and give that picture a definitive target. That's part of
Speaker 5: the picture catcher communication that are so important. I think
Speaker 5: pictures need to have that target. They need to understand
Speaker 5: what their focus is. There's an old adage in almost
Speaker 5: every spot. I know it's in golf and baseball. We
Speaker 5: talk about it, aim small and miss small. So if
Speaker 5: these pictures can get a good target and really zero
Speaker 5: in on what part of you glove, there's a better
Speaker 5: chance they're going to execute a pitch. So you know,
Speaker 5: that's where I think you looked at Bob Boone. What
Speaker 5: a tremendous receiver he was, How quiet he was, Johnny Bench,
Speaker 5: you know, all the all the great receivers that were
Speaker 5: you know a little before me. But those guys were
Speaker 5: the class of their own and the league of their own.
Speaker 5: And I think it has a lot of merit on
Speaker 5: the way they received the ball and they they got
Speaker 5: more strikes called then, uh, you know than anyone else
Speaker 5: on borderline pitches.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you guys were pretty good back in the day
Speaker 1: without trying to do all these different things.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 1: I guess you used to present the strike. That's the
Speaker 1: term that you used to talk about, right, Mike, Present
Speaker 1: the strike to the umpire and not try to yank it.
Speaker 5: Oh you want to you want to hold that ball
Speaker 5: there and and and you're right, give the umpire a
Speaker 5: good luck at where you held that ball. You know,
Speaker 5: you worked on getting strong hands and being able to
Speaker 5: control the ball. That was that was all part of
Speaker 5: the training you went through as a young catcher. And uh,
Speaker 5: I'm sure it's the same now as far as how
Speaker 5: important you know, the priory they put on having strong
Speaker 5: hands and controlling the ball. It's just there's a there's
Speaker 5: a huge there's a huge gap in the guys that
Speaker 5: put the ball on the plate. Put we put the
Speaker 5: glove on the plate and they come up to catch
Speaker 5: a pitch and then they keep going. You know, it
Speaker 5: almost ends up high higher or you know, or waist
Speaker 5: high on a pitch that was maybe four inches low.
Speaker 5: So there's a lot of glove movement. I think you're
Speaker 5: you're you're going to see, uh, some issues and guys
Speaker 5: on if a guy's running, and some of the transfers
Speaker 5: that go on. Uh, it's it's just a different philosophy
Speaker 5: that's really in play right now. David.
Speaker 1: All right, Mike, Well, we can't solve the world's problems today,
Speaker 1: but hopefully with you teaching at these youth academies, you
Speaker 1: could teach the next generation how to do it the
Speaker 1: right way.
Speaker 5: All right, Well, I appreciate that, and there's a lot
Speaker 5: of talented catchers out there. It's fun to watch. I
Speaker 5: just the philosophy is totally different, that's for sure.
Speaker 1: Look forward to keeping tabs on Mike Soosha, Denu Ebel,
Speaker 1: Ron Rennicky and the rest of the Team USA team
Speaker 1: in the Premiere twelve tournament coming up in November. Mike,
Speaker 1: thanks a lot for your time. We always learn a
Speaker 1: lot from you, and despite me hosting the show, I appreciate.
Speaker 2: You doing this.
Speaker 5: All right, all right, David, thanks a lot.
Speaker 2: Thanks Mike, We'll see.
Speaker 1: You there, he goes, Mike Soosha. One of the best
Speaker 1: catchers in Dodger history, and there's been a lot of
Speaker 1: good ones. And when you think about the Dodgers' identity
Speaker 1: as an organization, obviously Jackie Robinson in his own category,
Speaker 1: but there are certain positions when it comes to certain
Speaker 1: organizations that they develop and find a way to have
Speaker 1: the best at and for the Dodgers, it's always been
Speaker 1: pitching and catching, pitchers and catchers. And you think back
Speaker 1: to even Roy Campanella. I know he's a Hall of Famer,
Speaker 1: I still believe he's one of the most underrated players
Speaker 1: in baseball history. Here's a guy that hit thirty plus
Speaker 1: home runs one season multiple seasons, won an MVP three
Speaker 1: different times, and was one of the best catchers and
Speaker 1: hitters of his generation. I also think you have to
Speaker 1: look back at the guy that succeeded Roy Campanella, Johnny Roseborough,
Speaker 1: who was dryas Dale and Cofax's catcher for many of
Speaker 1: the years here in Los Angeles. And you had even
Speaker 1: good backup catchers like Jeff Torborg who caught Cofax's perfect game.
Speaker 1: And you have a guy like Steve Yeager, one of
Speaker 1: the best hitting catchers, one of the toughest catchers, one
Speaker 1: of the guys that had the best throwing arm as
Speaker 1: a catcher.
Speaker 2: He was really good for a lot of years.
Speaker 1: And when you talk about that legendary infield of Garvey, Lopes, Russell,
Speaker 1: and say, well, Steve Yeager has to be part of
Speaker 1: that as well, because he was right there with them.
Speaker 1: And I know, technically the catcher is not part of
Speaker 1: the infield, but come on, he was there. So you
Speaker 1: go back all the way to Brooklyn to Roy Campanella,
Speaker 1: then you have Johnny Roseborow and then you have Steve Jaeger,
Speaker 1: and then you have Mike Soosha literally succeeding Yaeger and
Speaker 1: overlapping beginning in nineteen eighty one and was basically the
Speaker 1: catcher that caught more of Fernando's games than anybody else.
Speaker 1: He caught Fernando's one and only no hitter. Oral Herscheiser
Speaker 1: and Mike Soshia always had a great pitcher catcher relationship,
Speaker 1: and from there Mike Piazza took over. After Mike Soosha retired.
Speaker 1: Mike Soosha played maybe one more year with the Rangers
Speaker 1: and Padres, but after ninety two it was Piazza's team
Speaker 1: as the catcher from ninety three until he was unceremoniously
Speaker 1: traded by Fox in nineteen ninety eight. And after Mike Piazza,
Speaker 1: there was some time in between. He had carlsh Johnson
Speaker 1: and Todd Hunley. They were basically outsiders holding the position.
Speaker 1: But then you had Paul Aduca, who Mike Soosha managed
Speaker 1: in the minor leagues with the Dodgers and from Laducah
Speaker 1: and went to Russell Martin and now the Dodgers have
Speaker 1: Will Smith. So uh, it's a lot. It's an organization
Speaker 1: that has been known for having great catchers. And there's
Speaker 1: a great responsibility for all those guys succeeding each other,
Speaker 1: and also now with Will Smith, who has a long
Speaker 1: term extension. So Will Smith is the latest in a
Speaker 1: long line of great Dodger catchers. And by the way,
Speaker 1: Will Smith this year leads all catchers by throwing out
Speaker 1: thirty five percent of the runners trying to steal. That's
Speaker 1: the best in baseball. He's got a great throwing arm,
Speaker 1: and he credits the Dodger pitching staff emphasizing holding runners
Speaker 1: on better than what they did a year ago. Now,
Speaker 1: we just need Will Smith the hitter, to to do
Speaker 1: what he has done since twenty nineteen. For whatever reason,
Speaker 1: Will Smith is missing a lot of pitches in the
Speaker 1: strike zone that he has never missed before in his career.
Speaker 1: Since June first, Will Smith is a two h two hitter.
Speaker 1: That's certainly not the Will Smith we all know and
Speaker 1: why he's so popular and why the Dodgers gave him
Speaker 1: an extension at the beginning of the season. So hopefully
Speaker 1: he gets back on track. Hopefully these days off will
Speaker 1: rejuvenate Will Smith, who has got to be just worn down.
Speaker 1: I know Dave Roberts continues to resist that notion that
Speaker 1: Smith is just simply worn down. But he's got to
Speaker 1: be worn down, there's no other reason. Obviously catchers have
Speaker 1: their bumps and bruises more than other players. But he's
Speaker 1: got to be worn down to a certain extent. So
Speaker 1: hopefully Will Smith gets back on track. This is Dodger
Speaker 1: Talk Off day addition, taking you to the top of
Speaker 1: the hour. Dodgers and Orioles out this nine game homestand
Speaker 1: starting tomorrow night, Jack Flaherty on the mound against Cole Irvin.
Speaker 1: So it should be a fun series at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 1: And I love what Mike Sosha had to say about
Speaker 1: catchers today. I know the analytics department can never quantify
Speaker 1: how good a catcher is, and now they've gone to
Speaker 1: the extreme of trying to get these guys to come
Speaker 1: under the baseball to catch, and even go to the
Speaker 1: extreme of going on one knee. I mean, come on,
Speaker 1: that never has set well with me. To me, it's
Speaker 1: a lazy way to catch. Number two, It's not a
Speaker 1: great athletic position to catch and receive the baseball and
Speaker 1: also block baseballs. A lot of times now you see
Speaker 1: catchers try to short hop pitches in the dirt, and
Speaker 1: a lot of times they get them, but there's a
Speaker 1: lot of other times that they don't get them. So,
Speaker 1: you know, I understand the value of getting that low strike,
Speaker 1: but at some point you've got to be able to
Speaker 1: do it and also be able to do everything else
Speaker 1: that requires a catcher to be able to get the
Speaker 1: best out of their pitcher. You have heard me say
Speaker 1: many times where I would love to see Will Smith,
Speaker 1: especially in big moments, hold up a target exactly where
Speaker 1: he wants, maybe exaggerate where he wants, just to make
Speaker 1: sure the pitcher knows exactly where to get that ball
Speaker 1: instead of trying to kind of navigate it and cast
Speaker 1: it over there. I'm not saying it's on the catchers
Speaker 1: for not giving a target, but it certainly would help
Speaker 1: the pitcher if there was a target there. I know
Speaker 1: Kershaw loves the targets, and Austin Barnes he's very unique.
Speaker 1: He's just having a knack his whole catching career to
Speaker 1: be able to get those low strikes because he is
Speaker 1: I know, I'm not saying this in a funny way,
Speaker 1: but he is a smaller stature type of catcher, so
Speaker 1: he's able to do that naturally. There's other guys like
Speaker 1: Sal Perez and are much bigger that cannot do it
Speaker 1: as naturally as Will Smith. So I just feel like,
Speaker 1: hopefully guys like Mike Sooshia are teaching the next generation.
Speaker 1: There is a way to do it, but there also
Speaker 1: is a way to do it where you're not compromising
Speaker 1: other things that are required out of a good catcher
Speaker 1: and also giving a target to your pitcher. In case
Speaker 1: you missed the full conversation with Mike Soosha, you can
Speaker 1: find it on the iHeartRadio app. Also, if you missed
Speaker 1: our conversation with Joe Kelly, who took us behind the
Speaker 1: scenes the night that show Hey Otani became a forty
Speaker 1: to forty player, you can find it all on the
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app. Thanks a lot for listening. We'll be back
Speaker 1: with you tomorrow night at six o'clock from Dodgers Stadium,
Speaker 1: Morongo Casino. Dodgers on Deck begins at six o'clock with
Speaker 1: first Pitch with Rick Monday and Steven Nelson at seven
Speaker 1: to ten for Dodgers Orioles. Thanks to Katie Newton for
Speaker 1: all her help filling in for Annie Fasio, and thanks
Speaker 1: again for listening. We'll talk to you tomorrow from Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 1: Have a great rest of your night, Sea Kay