WEBVTT - Miguel Rojas (5-19-26) 

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<v Speaker 1>And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the Dodgers and Padres and San Diego. It's always exciting.

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<v Speaker 1>Miguel Rojas has been part of this for a while

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<v Speaker 1>now and he joins us as we get ready for

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<v Speaker 1>first pitch. Mickey, thanks a lot for the time. You

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<v Speaker 1>always got beautiful swag even during warm ups.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, trying to trying to stay up with with the style.

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<v Speaker 2>But uh, no, you said, we've been playing really good baseball.

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<v Speaker 2>Excited to come here to San Diego and uh and

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<v Speaker 2>face the Padres for the first time of the year.

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<v Speaker 2>It's always a special series. We all know their rivally

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<v Speaker 2>the last.

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<v Speaker 3>Couple of years.

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<v Speaker 2>And uh, obviously the fans get all excited and top

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<v Speaker 2>two for these yeares and you.

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<v Speaker 1>Feel the energy in the streets when you're walking around

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<v Speaker 1>in the afternoon or when you're coming to the ballpark.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it's hard not to.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, a lot of fans around it, a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of excitement, you know. Uh, the whole media kind of

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<v Speaker 2>like put it out there for us. He's obviously we're

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<v Speaker 2>in the middle of May. We're trying to grind every

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<v Speaker 2>single day, trying to get better, trying to take out

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<v Speaker 2>of the things that we have to take out of

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<v Speaker 2>inside the loger room, and and everybody separately grinding to

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<v Speaker 2>kind of get to the best place that they can be.

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<v Speaker 3>But at the end of the.

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<v Speaker 2>Day, we all leave through the fence and the excitement

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<v Speaker 2>around the league for this kind of series, and it's

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<v Speaker 2>always it's always good to get to get the excited

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<v Speaker 2>the excited series during the during the middle of the

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<v Speaker 2>year because this is the only way that you can

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<v Speaker 2>actually get ready for October and what you want to accomplish,

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<v Speaker 2>which is winning our war series.

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<v Speaker 1>Miguel Rojas is our guest before first pitch between the

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<v Speaker 1>Dodgers and Padres. Dave Roberts has said this a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of times during the last few days, how you guys

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<v Speaker 1>are starting to earn the counts that you're getting and

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<v Speaker 1>that's part of the reason why you're having success. Does

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<v Speaker 1>that resonate with you as far as earning counts to

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<v Speaker 1>be able to get into a hitter's advantage.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I totally agree.

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<v Speaker 2>I feel like we've been doing a better job understand

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<v Speaker 2>and what the pitcher is trying to do to us,

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<v Speaker 2>not trying to be one dimensional kind of offense, just

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<v Speaker 2>like waiting for one of our big guys to hit

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<v Speaker 2>a home run and driving three runs and for us

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<v Speaker 2>to win the game just because of pitching.

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<v Speaker 3>It's being so good. We're being way.

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<v Speaker 2>More diligent on a student what he's doing in the game,

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<v Speaker 2>more than just the approach that we have before the

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<v Speaker 2>game starts, because sometimes we studied this guy and see

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<v Speaker 2>how they pitched up the the like the different opponents.

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<v Speaker 2>But it's not we are not the same. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>sometimes he's gonna trying to do something different and watching

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<v Speaker 2>the game and paying attention to what he's doing.

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<v Speaker 3>It's being paid off.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, we faced a really good pitcher on Saturday

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<v Speaker 2>night and the guys did an amazing job. I was

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<v Speaker 2>just watching on the bench and how how good the

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<v Speaker 2>approach was with when the game started to go to

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<v Speaker 2>the third and fourteen, and you know, the guys have

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<v Speaker 2>put better at bats in the second time through because

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<v Speaker 2>they they they see it.

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<v Speaker 3>They saw that they were.

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<v Speaker 2>He he wasn't gonna just give in and given strikes

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<v Speaker 2>to hit early in the count, and you see a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of guys walk, a lot of guys took hit

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<v Speaker 2>by pitches standing at bags and then we just want

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<v Speaker 2>hit later, we scored to runs and we blew the

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<v Speaker 2>game open. So it was really good to see that series,

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<v Speaker 2>the last two games against San Francisco, And obviously when

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<v Speaker 2>we're winning, it's a little bit easier to talk about

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<v Speaker 2>this stuff, but definitely Dog is seen in the same

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<v Speaker 2>way that we're feeling it when we're playing.

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<v Speaker 1>I heard the Blue Jays say that there's being pitched

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<v Speaker 1>so much differently this year than they were last year.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you feel like you guys are being pitched differently

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<v Speaker 1>than other teams or differently than a year ago.

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<v Speaker 2>I just feel like everybody, everybody is different when they

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<v Speaker 2>step in to a play, and I think these guys

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<v Speaker 2>are trying not to make mistakes against us, and they're.

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<v Speaker 3>Trying to be really careful, and sometimes they're not in.

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<v Speaker 2>So on as much as we try them to be.

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<v Speaker 2>It seems like they don't care if they walk a couple,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, So we need to be able to realize

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<v Speaker 2>that that's what they're trying to do. Take our walks

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<v Speaker 2>and then let the guy behind you kind of like

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<v Speaker 2>swing the bad if he needs to, you know. And

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<v Speaker 2>that's what it's been showing. It's been showing way more

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<v Speaker 2>people on base, and that's when you get the production.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, not just because of.

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<v Speaker 2>The three room homer that pashit or or you know,

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<v Speaker 2>like a back to back home runs hit and there,

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<v Speaker 2>it's just like constantly having men on base, and then

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<v Speaker 2>you don't have that.

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<v Speaker 3>You don't have to get a hit in that situation.

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<v Speaker 2>You can get you can get a sackfly, you can walk,

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<v Speaker 2>you can you can do so many things. And that's

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<v Speaker 2>what I'm talking about when I'm talking about one dimensional

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<v Speaker 2>way to score runs. But we right now it feels

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<v Speaker 2>like it's a little bit more complete offense, not just

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<v Speaker 2>a guy that can actually leave the ball pa or

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<v Speaker 2>another couple guys that are having a good game and

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<v Speaker 2>that's why we're winning. But obviously having show here like

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<v Speaker 2>getting better at bats, a talker and all those guys

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<v Speaker 2>is obviously gonna help our offense get better.

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<v Speaker 1>To Miguel Rojas is our guest. Before I let you go,

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<v Speaker 1>I read that you've talked about maybe coming back next

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<v Speaker 1>year of the Dodgers three peet. But I do follow

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<v Speaker 1>you on Instagram, very popular Instagram account for Miguel Rojas.

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<v Speaker 1>And after you put your collage photos the caption at

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<v Speaker 1>the end, said last dance, Mickey Rowe. So where do

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<v Speaker 1>you stand on all that? As far as leaving the

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<v Speaker 1>door open for returning to playing next year, This.

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<v Speaker 3>Is my last year.

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<v Speaker 2>That's that's something that I that I always had that

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<v Speaker 2>I said last year, this is going to be my

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<v Speaker 2>last year playing professional baseball, and kind of like, that's

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<v Speaker 2>the way that I want to see it, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>I want to see it us coming every single day

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<v Speaker 2>knowing that that was my last time playing at in

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<v Speaker 2>your stadium, or or this is my last time playing

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<v Speaker 2>in this series.

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<v Speaker 3>For you know, for for my career.

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<v Speaker 2>There's one possibility, and it's like winning another championship. I'm

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<v Speaker 2>going to have to sit down with my wife and

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<v Speaker 2>real and see what is out there for me, especially

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<v Speaker 2>with this organization, because I would I wouldn't play for

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<v Speaker 2>any other team that is not the Dodgers. At this

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<v Speaker 2>point of my life and my career, my decision is

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<v Speaker 2>already made that I wanted to go. I wanted to

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<v Speaker 2>go home, and I want to start pursuing the next

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<v Speaker 2>chapter of my life and my my professional career, which

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<v Speaker 2>is helping this team from another standpoint or from another role.

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<v Speaker 2>So that's that's design you know the only way that

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<v Speaker 2>I will have a conversation, and this is not one

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<v Speaker 2>hundred percent, and it have to be both ways kind

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<v Speaker 2>of like one in the same thing, you know, because

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know, I don't know what the what the

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<v Speaker 2>team is gonna want for next year in my position

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<v Speaker 2>and all that.

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<v Speaker 3>And it's not just me saying that, yeah, I.

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<v Speaker 2>Want to come back if we win, because they might

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<v Speaker 2>have a different, you.

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<v Speaker 3>Know, a different way to go.

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<v Speaker 2>So for me, it's just like, if we win this year,

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<v Speaker 2>it will be really hard not to have a conversation

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<v Speaker 2>with my family to try and to get something for

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<v Speaker 2>next year. But I'm focusing on on this year and

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<v Speaker 2>enjoy my last time playing baseball because something that I know,

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<v Speaker 2>as hard as we want, as hard as we work,

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<v Speaker 2>nothing is guaranteeing this four and we have to earn

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<v Speaker 2>everything that we that we accomplished. So I'm really humble

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<v Speaker 2>about that because I mean, even though we won the

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<v Speaker 2>last couple of Wars series, in one of them, we

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<v Speaker 2>were one out away from losing it, and uh, it

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<v Speaker 2>will be a different conversation. I might not have a job,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, Like if I if I didn't hit that homer,

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<v Speaker 2>so I'd rather wait until like the season is over

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<v Speaker 2>and then make conclusions after you after the years old.

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<v Speaker 1>Winning is addicting, that's for sure. Miguel Rojas knows all

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<v Speaker 1>about that. A back to back World Series champion with

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<v Speaker 1>the Dodgers. You've earned everything you've gotten, Miguel, and the

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<v Speaker 1>game has rewarded you. And last dance, Mickey Row, I

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<v Speaker 1>love it and we will all savor it. And you

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<v Speaker 1>have it on the glove too.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it's on my glove.

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<v Speaker 2>It's all over the place because I really wanna I

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<v Speaker 2>really want to enjoy it. And uh, I think I

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<v Speaker 2>decided it too. I like, I like being humble and

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<v Speaker 2>all that, but I feel like my career have been

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<v Speaker 2>a little bit different than what everybody expected. So I'm

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<v Speaker 2>really proud of myself and I'm really.

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<v Speaker 3>Enjoying this year.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Somentown's looking good, the game's looking good, the shoes

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<v Speaker 1>are looking good. Everything's great for Miguel Rojas and the Dodgers.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much for the time.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you, thank you,