Speaker 1: And an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.
Speaker 2: All Right, we're here with the man that the Dodgers
Speaker 2: rely upon and two things in life that you need
Speaker 2: reliability and availability, and that means even more when you're
Speaker 2: a relief pitcher and we're here with one of the
Speaker 2: best in the game, that's the one and only Alex Vesia.
Speaker 2: Thanks a lot for the time and thanks for being
Speaker 2: available for us.
Speaker 1: No worries. I think you also have to add in
Speaker 1: there a lot of caffeine.
Speaker 2: Well, we see you on the mound. It feels like
Speaker 2: you do take it to another level. What world are
Speaker 2: you in when you're out there?
Speaker 3: I would definitely say it's it's my own world. Yeah,
Speaker 3: you know, as a reliever, every day is a new day.
Speaker 3: When I'm out on the mound, it's it's sort of
Speaker 3: on the edge of like super focused and then blackout.
Speaker 3: So there's there's there's a fine line between the two.
Speaker 3: And uh, I feel like I'm riding that lot.
Speaker 2: Can you think back to your first year with the
Speaker 2: Dodgers to where you're at right now?
Speaker 1: A World Series champion?
Speaker 2: One of the pillars have strengthened that bullpen. How have
Speaker 2: you been able to harness all of that emotion.
Speaker 3: I mean, I think it's kind of leaning on veteran
Speaker 3: guys throughout the years.
Speaker 1: You know, you have like Kenley Jansen.
Speaker 3: Was a was a big, big one that I kind
Speaker 3: of looked after his routine and how he went about
Speaker 3: certain things. And you have guys like Joe Kelly and
Speaker 3: Blake Trining that you know, set the tone day in
Speaker 3: and day out. So it's you know, really relying on
Speaker 3: the veteran guys kind of bring you under your wing
Speaker 3: and kind of show you the ropes, you know, from
Speaker 3: twenty one until now. You know, it's I kind of
Speaker 3: feel like I'm slowly getting into that role where you know,
Speaker 3: guys like Jack Dryer and and you know Ben Consparis
Speaker 3: is like I've kind of you know, taken them under
Speaker 3: my wing, not not necessarily, like you know, they have
Speaker 3: great routines, they they're very very good pictures, but I'm
Speaker 3: always like open to you know, having conversations with them,
Speaker 3: and you know, we have really good friendships and you
Speaker 3: know they've been doing great for us.
Speaker 2: It sounds like you're paying it forward.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, absolutely, absolutely, you know it's I always want
Speaker 3: to make sure that there's like a level of comfort
Speaker 3: down there. You know that we there is some some
Speaker 3: turnover and you know, I'm always I want to be
Speaker 3: welcoming to everybody who steps in the in the Pendent.
Speaker 2: Yeah, speaking of turnover, there's a lot of guys from
Speaker 2: last year's bullpen dogs, but you got some new guys.
Speaker 2: Like you mentioned, what's the dynamic this year in the bullpen.
Speaker 3: I also think we have a very good group of
Speaker 3: guys right and it's it's a little bit different than
Speaker 3: last year. But I also think that the you know,
Speaker 3: we have about four lefties and you know, five ish
Speaker 3: rieties depending on who we bring up and whatnot, So
Speaker 3: it is roles are a little bit different. But I
Speaker 3: also think that we're very versatile in that.
Speaker 2: And Kirby Yates, he seems like he has a lot
Speaker 2: of veteran salt and edge.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't call it salt. I wouldn't call it saul.
Speaker 3: You know, I've been around some salty vets. He's definitely
Speaker 3: not one of them. I think he brings some really
Speaker 3: good energy for us, and you know, he he loves
Speaker 3: to keep it loose, loves to have fun and but
Speaker 3: like you know, when his name's called it's you know,
Speaker 3: all all go, So it's a it's a great dynamic
Speaker 3: down there.
Speaker 2: It seems like you've really embraced being a leader and
Speaker 2: now being a world champion, being through it and being successful.
Speaker 2: Are you embracing being that guy now?
Speaker 3: I mean, I think it's it's just I go about
Speaker 3: my business day in and day out, where you know,
Speaker 3: I want to be available, I want to I want
Speaker 3: the ball, and I think it's kind of just leading
Speaker 3: by that, you know. I think someone who does a
Speaker 3: very very good job with that is is Kershaw Right.
Speaker 3: I mean, he every day he works, he you know,
Speaker 3: he does, he has his set routine, and that's kind
Speaker 3: of something that from the beginning, that's what I noticed
Speaker 3: and why he's so great. So I kind of want to, you.
Speaker 2: Know, mimic that that same on Wednesday, he'll be three
Speaker 2: strikeouts away from three thousand. What will it be like
Speaker 2: in the bullpen watching him start that game?
Speaker 3: I mean, I'll be on the fence for every every pitch,
Speaker 3: every batter until he does it.
Speaker 1: So very special.
Speaker 3: I honestly don't think it will set in until I'm
Speaker 3: older about how special this moment really is. But I
Speaker 3: do know how you know how hard he's worked and
Speaker 3: just to come back, and you know he's been throwing
Speaker 3: the ball great for us, and you know he's been
Speaker 3: helping the pen out.
Speaker 1: So I mean he's he's doing it.
Speaker 2: When you have a guy like Kershaw around, what's what's
Speaker 2: his presence mean to the team.
Speaker 3: I think he holds a standard that is different than
Speaker 3: than most right, and you know, being a pitcher as well,
Speaker 3: I think it really resonates with me more obviously guys
Speaker 3: like move to you and Freddie and show hey, right,
Speaker 3: you know, Joey, I'm starting to see the pitching side,
Speaker 3: but we mostly see him from the hitting side, right.
Speaker 3: So Kersh definitely brings that that standard. The you know,
Speaker 3: like I said, he's very focused and the I don't
Speaker 3: know how to really explained to other than just like
Speaker 3: he sets the example.
Speaker 2: Yeah, today is Otani's start day. What's it like behind
Speaker 2: the scenes? What is he like on start day?
Speaker 3: Honestly, it's it's he's very quiet, right, he has his routine.
Speaker 3: You can say what you can say hi to him,
Speaker 3: you can say what's it like. Either it's not it's
Speaker 3: not like it don't talk to me type, so, but
Speaker 3: you know it is his his time, you know, and
Speaker 3: you know he takes a serious and uh, I'm looking
Speaker 3: forward to you know, keep.
Speaker 1: Keep watching him and building up.
Speaker 3: And you know it's a very interesting build up, right
Speaker 3: because he can't go down to the minor leagues and
Speaker 3: kind of have that build up process. So you know,
Speaker 3: this is a great you know, kind of stepping stone,
Speaker 3: you know, for for him.
Speaker 1: And you know today today will be fun.
Speaker 3: I was very, very surprised for him to be ninety
Speaker 3: nine one hundred miles an hour the last time.
Speaker 1: So you know, he's he's just so special.
Speaker 2: Hey, so are you, Alex VESSI. It means a lot
Speaker 2: to this Dodger team, to this Dodger bullpen. You've been
Speaker 2: a lot since twenty one, since you arrived. I call
Speaker 2: him the key a Hernandez of relief pictures. When the
Speaker 2: lights are the brightest, the moments the biggest Vessia has delivered.
Speaker 1: So thank you for the time. Yeah, I like that.
Speaker 1: Thank you