Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talkers.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, everybody sees our World Series hero. He is
Speaker 1: being mobbed as he comes from the front of WSS
Speaker 1: and Boyle hides to the back of the stage. World
Speaker 1: Series Hero, Miguel Rojas, my guy, look at this, A
Speaker 1: champion of the people. From Santa Monica to Boyle Hids.
Speaker 1: Everybody loves Miguel.
Speaker 2: Rojas, even at eleven am.
Speaker 1: The best dressed Dodger, the best smelling Dodger at eleven
Speaker 1: am after leaving the game last night, Miguel Man, great
Speaker 1: to have you in the city where the heartbeat of
Speaker 1: Dodger fans beat.
Speaker 3: What a weekend to start the season.
Speaker 4: Huh, thank you guys for being here today. He's a
Speaker 4: pleasure always to see a lot of Dodger fans. I mean,
Speaker 4: it will never get all when you walk into places
Speaker 4: and you get recognized by these amazing Dodger fans. They
Speaker 4: go above and beyond when it comes to a Dodger players.
Speaker 4: They understand what the sacrifice that we made to make
Speaker 4: them feel good, you know, to give him back to
Speaker 4: them with wings on the field, championships and it's been
Speaker 4: an amazing couple of days for us in that clubhouse.
Speaker 4: We're so excited to be back and looking forward to
Speaker 4: winning other championship and three P.
Speaker 1: So much has happened this weekend, but before we look forward,
Speaker 1: I mean, this is the type of reaction now that
Speaker 1: you get everywhere you go in Los Angeles.
Speaker 2: How do you handle things?
Speaker 1: We have a personal security guard here that can you
Speaker 1: can hire him wherever you go because I feel like
Speaker 1: you need a bodyguard.
Speaker 2: Maybe I could be that guy for you the rest
Speaker 2: of your life.
Speaker 4: I'll be okay, but yeah, it's overwhelming to me. I
Speaker 4: just feel like I've been playing baseball for so long
Speaker 4: and I never got this kind of attention until, like
Speaker 4: I played my nineteen season in the in professional baseball,
Speaker 4: you know, And.
Speaker 3: That's what happened.
Speaker 4: When you do something cool the War Series Game seven,
Speaker 4: when everybody's watching, and uh, I'm not gonna walk away
Speaker 4: from just gonna enjoy every single time because this is
Speaker 4: gonna be my last season. And obviously, uh, when you
Speaker 4: when you want to do some big things for people
Speaker 4: and to bring the whole city of La together, and
Speaker 4: that's kind of what we do every single night when
Speaker 4: we play, you know, it's not just a fifty tho
Speaker 4: at the stadium.
Speaker 3: Is everybody at home. The amount of.
Speaker 4: Videos and pictures that I received from LA houses and
Speaker 4: people around the world wearing LA gear with with so
Speaker 4: much joy to watch the home run and the place
Speaker 4: and jam a model closing out the game, it was
Speaker 4: unbolie ole and do something that I want to take
Speaker 4: with me forever.
Speaker 1: Once we're done here at ws S and Boyle Heights,
Speaker 1: Miguel Rojas is going to take photos. It's gonna kiss babies.
Speaker 1: You never know, might put one of you on his shoulders,
Speaker 1: like Mookie puts the Sense on his shoulders. But are
Speaker 1: you ready to hear even more of those stories? Because
Speaker 1: your home run man so much to so many people,
Speaker 1: does it give you greater perspective on what you guys do?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 4: I mean every day we all understand that we're playing
Speaker 4: for more than just our name and our own career.
Speaker 4: We play for so many people who comes to the
Speaker 4: baseball field every single day, and that's why we kind
Speaker 4: of have to put a good shop every single night,
Speaker 4: and we have to show up and prepare for every
Speaker 4: single game because there's someone new in the stands every day.
Speaker 4: So I think for me, doing it every single day
Speaker 4: is what counts.
Speaker 2: But when you do it in the.
Speaker 4: Biggest stage in the World Series, to win a championship,
Speaker 4: for all the fans who support us throughout the whole
Speaker 4: year and not just last year. But I mean, I've
Speaker 4: been here for the last four and then I make
Speaker 4: my debut in twenty fourteen, and it's been the same
Speaker 4: kind of support to the team, regardless of whoever's playing.
Speaker 4: But I'm really happy that we're going to leave a
Speaker 4: legacy here that this team was really special.
Speaker 1: I'm so glad you brought that up, because when you
Speaker 1: first started with the Dodgers in twenty fourteen, it just
Speaker 1: seems so far away, a little bit out of reach.
Speaker 1: You guys were just missing something or some luck. In
Speaker 1: twenty fourteen when you guys started this run and you
Speaker 1: were a big part of it, have you had a
Speaker 1: chance to reflect on where it started and where it's
Speaker 1: at right now for you and the Dodgers.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I remember it started kind of the same way.
Speaker 4: We have the best player in the game at the time,
Speaker 4: on Clayton Kersha on the mound for us every five days.
Speaker 4: But definitely when you have a team like that, you
Speaker 4: kind of like continue to get to a playoff and
Speaker 4: get there every single year, but you couldn't like really
Speaker 4: put it away because you're missing this kind of ability
Speaker 4: of making this a complete family that is coming from.
Speaker 3: All over the place.
Speaker 4: And I think a big difference is being kind of
Speaker 4: like the guys who are being the core of this
Speaker 4: team for a long time get together for a few
Speaker 4: so when you see the Mookie Kik, Will Smith and
Speaker 4: and all these guys kind of grew together. So that's
Speaker 4: that's when we're seeing right now.
Speaker 3: A lot of talent.
Speaker 4: Obviously we show Yamamoto and people coming from different places,
Speaker 4: but these guys are the the column of this of
Speaker 4: this foundation because they really been putting work and I
Speaker 4: mean they they got to the Wars series, they couldn't
Speaker 4: get it done. But now is the time where they
Speaker 4: know how to win, and they know how to win together.
Speaker 1: And Miguel Roja is a big part of the pillar
Speaker 1: of the Dodgers success back to back World Series championships.
Speaker 1: He came back to the Dodgers and he has won
Speaker 1: back to back championships. A legacy player now forever in
Speaker 1: Dodger history. All right, so where's the ring did you
Speaker 1: bring the ring. Is it in your pocket?
Speaker 4: No, I didn't put it onto that because I had
Speaker 4: it on last night, but.
Speaker 2: I brought the small one.
Speaker 3: So a ring is really special. So the one the
Speaker 3: one this year. You can open the up on the on.
Speaker 4: The face of that top there's a little bit of
Speaker 4: a home plate is a home plate and a little
Speaker 4: bit of dirt from home playing Game seven in Toronto.
Speaker 4: So pretty special. So kind of like a really good
Speaker 4: touch right there. And then when you open there's this
Speaker 4: older little rint that you can wear every single day.
Speaker 4: And I'm planning on wearing this this ring a lot.
Speaker 4: So you say World City Champions back to back LA Dodgers,
Speaker 4: how about that?
Speaker 1: And it doesn't happen without Miguel Rojas's home run as
Speaker 1: the Dodgers were down to their final two outs. What
Speaker 1: what has been the last two nights for you and
Speaker 1: your teammates? Because Opening day celebration you did a great
Speaker 1: job with Will Ferrell and coming in on the low Rider,
Speaker 1: and then last night the ring ceremony. I mean it
Speaker 1: feels like it's not just a game anymore. It's an
Speaker 1: event when you come to Dodgers Stadium.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a it's a show. Every single night, and
Speaker 4: they deserve the show every days. It's not the videos,
Speaker 4: it's not just the the stuff that happened behind the
Speaker 4: scenes or before the game is actually the game.
Speaker 3: You guys are seeing the product of what we're doing.
Speaker 4: Every single year, this team got better and last night
Speaker 4: was a perfect example for those two guys coming into
Speaker 4: the team and Carl Talker driving in the the winning run.
Speaker 4: And obviously for me that I watched the game a
Speaker 4: little bit more, he's a bad early in the game
Speaker 4: when he walked after being al to and getting on
Speaker 4: base for Mookie to hit that we run Homer. That's
Speaker 4: the that's the difference that these guys are gonna are
Speaker 4: gonna make on this team. And obviously I mean the trumpets.
Speaker 4: Who didn't like the trumpets trumpets last night they were amazing.
Speaker 4: Sugar Dias coming into the town closing the game that year,
Speaker 4: that gives you that extra energy that you need sometimes
Speaker 4: lay in the game.
Speaker 3: And I'm so happy that we got those guys as well.
Speaker 4: But definitely, these guys deserve all the all the love,
Speaker 4: all the things that are happening are right now, and
Speaker 4: the city o l in baseball, I think definitely like
Speaker 4: you say, it's a show every single day, and for
Speaker 4: me it's being really emotional because I know this is
Speaker 4: gonna be my last year, but I mean, you're always
Speaker 4: gonna miss those times, you know, opening days, these rains,
Speaker 4: cere morning. Yesterday, what an amazing day to kind of
Speaker 4: remember and kind of close out the book because we
Speaker 4: got somewhere to go this year and we were trying
Speaker 4: to win a third one in a row.
Speaker 1: How do you how do you stay in the moment
Speaker 1: knowing it's your last year, knowing that you guys have
Speaker 1: an ultimate goal that you can't achieve all at once.
Speaker 1: So how does Miguel Rojas, knowing what's the opportunity and
Speaker 1: knowing this is your last year in Major League Baseball?
Speaker 1: How do you stay in the moment each and every day?
Speaker 4: Yeah, my mindset is empty the tank every single day.
Speaker 4: I don't have a I don't have to worry about
Speaker 4: what going to happen next year. I already talked Dave
Speaker 4: rovers anything that you need from me, pulled me in
Speaker 4: the game at any any chance, any any opportunity you have,
Speaker 4: Just get me in there, because I'm not going to
Speaker 4: be complaining about being tired or anything like that, because
Speaker 4: I get rest after after this year, but definitely that's
Speaker 4: the way that I'm kind of approaching it and sprint training.
Speaker 4: I knew it was all about getting ready for the
Speaker 4: season and all that, but I feel like it's my
Speaker 4: opportunity to kind of like give it all out. And
Speaker 4: that doesn't mean that I didn't before, but I feel
Speaker 4: like right now it's like I'm enjoying every single game
Speaker 4: like it's my last one because it is the last
Speaker 4: opportunity of doing everything almost every single day.
Speaker 2: So for me, that's the way.
Speaker 3: That I'm going to approach it and looking forward.
Speaker 4: To to win the last game of the season. Again.
Speaker 1: Hey, Miguel Rojas is at ws and Boro Heights and
Speaker 1: he's going to be in the starting lineup tonight against
Speaker 1: the leftie Edward or Rodriguez.
Speaker 2: First pitch at six'. Ten, hey going back to last.
Speaker 1: Night you're such a guy that is a vocal, leader
Speaker 1: leads by, example work ethic every Day outani is the same.
Speaker 1: Way how about is that bat in the eighth inning
Speaker 1: last night After freeland got the leadoff double for him
Speaker 1: to hit the ball to the right side to get
Speaker 1: free in the third base For. Tucker does that go
Speaker 1: unnoticed by everybody in the dugout or is that just
Speaker 1: something that should.
Speaker 3: Happen, YEAH i mean it will never go.
Speaker 4: On, notice we totally understand the quality of players that
Speaker 4: we have and the talent that we have in this
Speaker 4: clubhouse and around this, team but the willingness and the
Speaker 4: un selfishness to kind of take that about knowing that
Speaker 4: we don't need a home. Run we just need to
Speaker 4: get that guy over to third. Base he got down
Speaker 4: in the hole with two strikes early on. Him he
Speaker 4: was able to take some tough pitches and then all
Speaker 4: of a sudden there's a pitch up in the sauna
Speaker 4: and he's rolling over a ball to second. Base the
Speaker 4: best player in the world doing. That that, said the
Speaker 4: don't for the. Rest you, know if the best player
Speaker 4: in the war back to BACK mvp or three times
Speaker 4: in a row and four TIMES mpp is doing, that
Speaker 4: everybody else gonna follow. Suit SO i feel like that's
Speaker 4: the that's the beauty and the the how pretty this team.
Speaker 4: Is because we're full of, talent we're full of, starts
Speaker 4: and we all understand.
Speaker 3: That but at the same, time we all understand.
Speaker 4: That there's things to be needs to be done during
Speaker 4: the game that it doesn't acquire to be so, talented
Speaker 4: which is like running hard to first, base supporting your,
Speaker 4: teammates being on the bench for. OTHERS i think that's
Speaker 4: that's what we do really. Good and we don't write
Speaker 4: those roller coasters of emotions too.
Speaker 3: Much we're trying to stay level as much as we.
Speaker 3: Can and the emotional.
Speaker 4: One you can be emotional because you don't have a
Speaker 4: bat in your, hand you. Know but at the end
Speaker 4: of the, day it's, like how can we maintain the
Speaker 4: level of excellence throughout the year and then when we're,
Speaker 4: down we're not.
Speaker 3: Gonna look like we're sow.
Speaker 4: Down and when we're, up we're gonna enjoy it if
Speaker 4: we win The World, series because that's the ultimate.
Speaker 3: Goal but a.
Speaker 4: Game is a, game and we need to win win them.
Speaker 4: All so if we don't win them, all that's gonna
Speaker 4: be a we're not gonna get what we want to.
Speaker 3: Get in that, day which is winning the.
Speaker 4: Game so that's how we approach it in the, clubhouse
Speaker 4: and that's why we.
Speaker 3: Are we have a pretty good.
Speaker 1: Team so you won the series? Already are we keeping
Speaker 1: The taqi going after every series win this?
Speaker 2: Season?
Speaker 3: YEP i love it tea chats last night for, sure and.
Speaker 4: Looking forward to get another one tonight because we always
Speaker 4: get one when we win the, series because we secure
Speaker 4: the series and then if we, sweep we do, it
Speaker 4: we do it.
Speaker 2: Again oh, yeah the thing is it's an off date.
Speaker 3: Tomorrow SO i love.
Speaker 2: IT i love it all.
Speaker 1: Right one one more Thing i'm gonna give To Miguel
Speaker 1: rojas and to everybody. Else it's kind of full circle
Speaker 1: to his home, run and then he's gonna take photos
Speaker 1: and a meet and greet with all. You as you
Speaker 1: were getting your ring last. NIGHT i had The Blue
Speaker 1: Jays a's game on.
Speaker 2: In the radio. Booth you know what happened as you
Speaker 2: were getting your.
Speaker 1: Ring Jeff hoffman was giving up a game tying home
Speaker 1: run and the ninth. Inning how crazy is? That you
Speaker 1: don't have to say. ANYTHING i just want to let
Speaker 1: you know that was. HAPPENING i.
Speaker 3: HEARD i heard all about it.
Speaker 4: Already you know social, media you know social media say,
Speaker 4: so oh, yeah right, right.
Speaker 2: Not big, secret not big.
Speaker 4: Secret, yeah so they so a, friend a friend of
Speaker 4: mine after the game was, Older.
Speaker 3: Uh send me kind of like the. Video, yeah like
Speaker 3: the two things happen at the same.
Speaker 2: Time see you're ahead of. Mean thank, you thank you
Speaker 2: for letting me. Know, Hey, miguel the, fans they're foaming
Speaker 2: at the. Mouth they want to get to know. You
Speaker 2: they want to shake your, hand they want to give
Speaker 2: you a.
Speaker 1: Hug you deserve all this because the game certainly has
Speaker 1: rewarded you for your commitment to the.
Speaker 2: Game how you've emptied the.
Speaker 1: Tank and thank you for coming out To Boil hips
Speaker 1: to meet all the. Fans thank you some, pictures that's,
Speaker 1: go let's. Go Miguel rojas is in the house AT
Speaker 1: wss And Boil.
Speaker 2: Heights