Speaker 1: I had a chance to catch up with Kirby Yates
Speaker 1: after he was officially announced a Dodger, and here was
Speaker 1: our conversation at Dodgers Stadium. Thanks a lot for the time.
Speaker 1: And does it feel real putting on this jersey? Now?
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a little I would say surreal probably a
Speaker 2: better word, but yeah, it's this cool. You know, this
Speaker 2: is going to be exciting and this is gonna be awesome.
Speaker 1: When you look at what the Dodgers have done this offseason,
Speaker 1: during this entire process, if all things were equal, was
Speaker 1: this an easy choice?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I mean, look, I kind of scoured the market.
Speaker 2: I don't think I made it exactly easy for them,
Speaker 2: but look all in all, you know to come here
Speaker 2: and uh so one, you know, they were pretty persistent
Speaker 2: in wanting to sign me all off season, which I
Speaker 2: appreciate and too to just for them to target me,
Speaker 2: and how active they've been all off season with you know,
Speaker 2: the people that they've brought in and me being one
Speaker 2: of them. I mean, you know, yeah, how could you
Speaker 2: not say this?
Speaker 1: You've been part of bullpens where you're the guy and
Speaker 1: everybody's leaning on you for high leverage outs. When you
Speaker 1: look at this bullpen the way it's constructed, do you
Speaker 1: feel like the sum is greater than the parts.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean to mean, it doesn't matter. They can
Speaker 2: still lean on me if they want, you know, but
Speaker 2: this is you know, a very very talented group and
Speaker 2: there's you know, kind of endless options on what you
Speaker 2: can do. You know in certain times that games are
Speaker 2: going to be really short for the other team, and
Speaker 2: you know in other times, you know, we have pretty
Speaker 2: good starting rotation also, so you know, I think the
Speaker 2: combination of both are is just going to really work
Speaker 2: out well.
Speaker 1: When Kirbyate's was watching the postseason, I would imagine you
Speaker 1: were watch some of it.
Speaker 2: Some of it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but you realize that Dodgers only had two and
Speaker 1: a half starting pitchers, went to bullpen games multiple times
Speaker 1: in multiple series. You're going to be teammates with those guys.
Speaker 1: They were known as the dogs. Are you ready to
Speaker 1: be inducted into a bullpen that identifies as that type
Speaker 1: of ferocious competitor?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, It's gotta be fun to take part in that. Yeah,
Speaker 2: they were some of those guys are really impressive, but trying,
Speaker 2: very very impressive. I mean, he's always been impressive. I
Speaker 2: think it's just you know, he'd kind of put it
Speaker 2: on full display in the World Series and the playoffs
Speaker 2: and all the other guys. I think, you know, Evan
Speaker 2: Phillips is kind of forgotten guy right now, and he's
Speaker 2: been pretty good at the past and you know, so
Speaker 2: like I said, I mean, it's as deep as you
Speaker 2: could probably have really a bullpen in the league, and
Speaker 2: so you know, be a part of that. It's very exciting.
Speaker 1: You mentioned Blake Tryning. You're both in the same demographic,
Speaker 1: so maybe you have a guy down there, just one
Speaker 1: guy and Blake Tryning that can relate to your TV shows,
Speaker 1: your movies, and maybe your music. I'm not sure about
Speaker 1: his music.
Speaker 2: Taste, Dad jokes. Yeah, I mean, like he's been around
Speaker 2: for a while, he's been nasty for a while. So yeah,
Speaker 2: you know, I had my partner last year that was
Speaker 2: dera old guys, So I tend to lightly use that
Speaker 2: word just because you know, I know I'm getting older.
Speaker 2: I just don't want to believe it. It's gonna be
Speaker 2: hard to believe that. I'm probably I think I am
Speaker 2: the oldest one on the team now, so finally made it.
Speaker 2: But yeah, it's gonna most experienced Kirby. There you go,
Speaker 2: There you go. It's gonna be a lot of fun.
Speaker 2: You know. I've heard nothing but good things about the
Speaker 2: guys as humans too, so I think that's the biggest thing.
Speaker 2: And you know, pitching aside, we have to hang out
Speaker 2: with each other all the time, so that's one of
Speaker 2: the things that I'm kind of looking forward to before.
Speaker 1: I let you go. I've always been a big fan
Speaker 1: of Kirby Yates split fingered fastball when I was growing
Speaker 1: up in the eighties. Roger Craig, the manager of the Giants,
Speaker 1: former Dodger pitcher, he was the godfather of the split
Speaker 1: fingered fastball. It seemed like to go out of vogue,
Speaker 1: but you've kept it alive. Do you feel like the
Speaker 1: split fingered fastball might have a comeback since Kirby Yates
Speaker 1: is continuing to persevere and endure.
Speaker 2: I revived my career kind of change to the path
Speaker 2: of my career. So and you kind of look around
Speaker 2: in the league. There's a lot more guys that are
Speaker 2: throwing them now. So I think that pitch is seriously
Speaker 2: I don't think it's going anywhere. Guys are learning it
Speaker 2: and it's uh, you know, usually when I about five
Speaker 2: six years ago when I started throwing it. You know,
Speaker 2: there was only a few that threw that pitch. And
Speaker 2: now you look around, there's a lot of guys that
Speaker 2: throw it.
Speaker 1: Before I let you go as well, you got some
Speaker 1: muscle over here. I mean two suits that are monitoring
Speaker 1: everything that I say, who do you got with you?
Speaker 2: It's my bodyguards. That's my agents.
Speaker 1: Oh agents slash bodyguards, very intimidating agents. No wonder the
Speaker 1: Dodgers signed you. They got a good deal. I bet
Speaker 1: they pounded the desk a few times.
Speaker 2: He got it done. I don't know what he did.
Speaker 2: I won't tell anybody though, but he got it done.
Speaker 1: Beverly Hills Sports Council, don't let the city name fool you.
Speaker 1: They're tough.
Speaker 2: That's a model for you. Got to use that right on.
Speaker 2: Thank you.