WEBVTT - Miguel Rojas (8-8-26) 

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<v Speaker 1>And an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk. Well, yesterday,

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<v Speaker 1>our very own Miguel Rojas was awarded and honored by

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<v Speaker 1>former players current players from the Players Association for the

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<v Speaker 1>Dodgers Heart and Hustle Award. It's the third time Miguel

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<v Speaker 1>Rojas has won that award, and I don't know anybody

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<v Speaker 1>else in Major League Baseball that exemplifies hard and hustle

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<v Speaker 1>more than our guest, Miguel Rojas. Congratulations Migey, and I

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<v Speaker 1>mean every word that you exemplify hard and hustle.

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<v Speaker 2>No, and it means a lot to me because this

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<v Speaker 2>award is given by players, people who who knows what

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<v Speaker 2>it takes to be on the field day in they

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<v Speaker 2>out the grind of playing one hundred and sixty two games,

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<v Speaker 2>and especially doing with this organization is a little bit

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<v Speaker 2>extra special for me. I know, I want too over

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<v Speaker 2>there in Miami, and I really appreciate she ate the

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<v Speaker 2>time that I spend there with my with my teammates

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<v Speaker 2>and my my colleagues and and all the people that

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<v Speaker 2>voted for me on that occasion.

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<v Speaker 3>But for this one, uh we will we all.

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<v Speaker 2>Know the talent and uh the track record that we

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<v Speaker 2>have in this organization, and and knowing that we have

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<v Speaker 2>so many players who play every single day that I

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<v Speaker 2>have ultimate respect for, like Freddie Freeman.

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<v Speaker 3>He's a guy who's always out there, you.

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<v Speaker 2>Know, uh, put everything on the line, his body, his

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<v Speaker 2>body is his family, everything that that you can even

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<v Speaker 2>think about. And for me to receive this a world

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<v Speaker 2>coming off the bench and playing limited time.

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<v Speaker 3>It doesn't feel it doesn't feel real.

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<v Speaker 2>But at the same time, every time I step on

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<v Speaker 2>that field, I give everything that I have for the organization.

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<v Speaker 2>And sometimes even when I'm not in there, I'm I'm

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<v Speaker 2>I'm doing everything and everything that I can to make

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<v Speaker 2>my teammates better. And I'm really grateful for the opportunity owner,

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<v Speaker 2>for all the people that took me into consideration to

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<v Speaker 2>represent the Dodgers, And this is a great opportunity for

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<v Speaker 2>me to say thank you to them and to my

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<v Speaker 2>teammates because they allowed me to be myself and they

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<v Speaker 2>allowed me to kind of like express my opinion, have

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<v Speaker 2>a boys in the clubhouse.

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<v Speaker 3>And obviously every.

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<v Speaker 2>Time I step on the field, I want to do

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<v Speaker 2>everything that I can to help the team win. But

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<v Speaker 2>this is a special one for me, for my family,

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<v Speaker 2>we are really happy and honor honor, and we're looking

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<v Speaker 2>forward for the on field celebration.

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<v Speaker 3>And when I received the plaque.

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<v Speaker 1>Miguel Koby Bryant used to talk about, it's not the destination,

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<v Speaker 1>it's the journey. Do you feel like you appreciate all

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<v Speaker 1>of this more because of your journey?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, definitely.

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<v Speaker 2>I feel like my path to the big leagus was hard,

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<v Speaker 2>and I didn't know that to be able to stay

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<v Speaker 2>here for this long it was going to be extra

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<v Speaker 2>harder and continue to work every single day towards the

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<v Speaker 2>same goals every single day that is a staying here

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<v Speaker 2>one more day that haven't changed since the day that

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<v Speaker 2>I got to the big league. So I'm I'm I'm

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<v Speaker 2>really proud of myself and the way that I kind

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<v Speaker 2>of like I kept myself in the big leagues and

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<v Speaker 2>uh in the in the highest level. And I can

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<v Speaker 2>say if this is my last year and my last

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<v Speaker 2>time playing baseball for a full season, I think I

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<v Speaker 2>give everything that I had on on an everyday basis.

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<v Speaker 3>So I'm excited that.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, when I'm thirty seven years old and and

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<v Speaker 2>kind of like at the back end of my career,

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<v Speaker 2>I can still produce on the field and and kind

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<v Speaker 2>of be respected off the field as well. So that's

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<v Speaker 2>that's the legacy that I wanted to leave in this

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<v Speaker 2>game whenever it was my last day. So I'm really

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<v Speaker 2>I'm really proud that my journey took me to a

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<v Speaker 2>place where I can be proud to say that I'm

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<v Speaker 2>going to be a motivation for.

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<v Speaker 3>The neat generation.

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<v Speaker 1>The legacy has been cemented already for Miguel Rojas. He

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<v Speaker 1>has a contract with the Dodgers to influence the heart

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<v Speaker 1>and hustle he exemplified when it's playing days or over. So,

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<v Speaker 1>Miguel Rojas, one of the most important voices in that clubhouse.

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<v Speaker 1>How are you and the team handling something that we're

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<v Speaker 1>all not used to yourselves included a seven game losing streak.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean this, this, these moments right now kind

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<v Speaker 2>of like take you back to your last question.

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<v Speaker 3>It's not it's not a destination.

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<v Speaker 2>I know, the destination feels really good when you get

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<v Speaker 2>there and when you when you have the opportunity to

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<v Speaker 2>celebrate and win the last game of the season, because

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<v Speaker 2>we we done that and a lot of these guys

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<v Speaker 2>in this clubhouse have that feeling. But this journey is

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<v Speaker 2>what's gonna make it even more special. You know, if

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<v Speaker 2>everything goes smooth for us and and we're just winning

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<v Speaker 2>the division with no with nothing else to kind of

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<v Speaker 2>prove during the regular season, it wouldn't be as excited

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<v Speaker 2>to get to the point, you know, and to get

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<v Speaker 2>to the destination. And I'm I'm one hundred percent believer

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<v Speaker 2>that this club have everything that it takes to overcome

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<v Speaker 2>situations and moments like this. We're playing against really good

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<v Speaker 2>teams over the past couple of weeks and one of

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<v Speaker 2>the hardest team in baseball, and that's not an excuse.

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<v Speaker 2>We need to continue to find ways to win baseball games.

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<v Speaker 2>But I feel like this is our moment to kind

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<v Speaker 2>of like seek back and and think about this as

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<v Speaker 2>a as a moment to prepare us for what is coming.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, we're not always going to have, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>all the luck. It's not everything is going to be

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<v Speaker 2>our way. So we've gotta be able to come at

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<v Speaker 2>at these moments too, and we've gotta be able to

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<v Speaker 2>find ways to win games like we did last year.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, we went against the wall, and that's that's

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<v Speaker 3>a good thing.

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<v Speaker 2>This team is not the first time we've been in

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<v Speaker 2>this situation and we gotta find a way to get

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<v Speaker 2>out of it. So as of now in the clubhouse,

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<v Speaker 2>everybody is confident. We just need to continue to go

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<v Speaker 2>one pitch at a time from now on. And that's

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<v Speaker 2>really hard to do because you have to do it

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<v Speaker 2>for one hundred and sixty two games plus the playoffs.

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<v Speaker 2>And it's really a little bit more easier to do

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<v Speaker 2>it when when the playoff starts, you know, because you

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<v Speaker 2>know it's a it's a sprint. But I challenge the guys,

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<v Speaker 2>I send a little quick message on the group last

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<v Speaker 2>night to start our sprint right now. You know why

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<v Speaker 2>not to start when it's forty four games left. So

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<v Speaker 2>we prepare for what is coming. And I feel like

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<v Speaker 2>if we put the little intensity on every pitch and

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<v Speaker 2>forget about the past and forget about what's the future

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<v Speaker 2>is gonna look like. I think we're gonna be on

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<v Speaker 2>the moment more and we're gonna give everything that we

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<v Speaker 2>have in that moment. So I think it's important to

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<v Speaker 2>remember those those little things when you go in the

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<v Speaker 2>middle of the summer and you know, like you're approaching

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<v Speaker 2>the end of the season and you kind of wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to get over it with so you.

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<v Speaker 3>Can go to October.

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<v Speaker 2>But I mean, no one is gonna give you anything

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<v Speaker 2>for free, so we're gonna have to earn it. And

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<v Speaker 2>this is our time to kind of start our sprint.

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<v Speaker 2>I believe we can do it. I know we've been

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<v Speaker 2>playing a lot of games the last two years and

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<v Speaker 2>this year, but if we have an opportunity to do

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<v Speaker 2>something really special, so if we have in our hands,

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<v Speaker 2>let's do it.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, we're in it to win it.

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<v Speaker 2>We're not in it just to say, oh no, we

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<v Speaker 2>won the last two, were okay, not winning this one

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<v Speaker 2>or let's see what happened.

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<v Speaker 3>No, we're in it to win this one.

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<v Speaker 2>And now that we have the opportunity that all we

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<v Speaker 2>have to play is fifty some more games in this

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<v Speaker 2>year is a good It's a good time for us

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<v Speaker 2>to kind of like do the sprint and finish the season.

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<v Speaker 3>I love it.

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<v Speaker 1>Nikki Row. You know what that screams to me. You

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<v Speaker 1>gotta play like there is no tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 3>There's there's no tomorrow for I mean for us.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean right now it might be a tomorrow, but

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<v Speaker 2>I feel like that the mentality of maybe having to

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<v Speaker 2>win every single day and kind of have a little

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<v Speaker 2>bit more of.

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<v Speaker 3>Sense or agency for winning those games.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not saying that we're not having it right now,

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<v Speaker 2>but it feels like we can be a little bit

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<v Speaker 2>more present and instead of like think about what happened

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<v Speaker 2>yesterday or what's gonna happen tomorrow. So I feel like

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<v Speaker 2>that's that's what we're gonna put you in a situation

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<v Speaker 2>where we were last year.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, we were last.

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<v Speaker 2>Year in a situation where not tomorrow in game six,

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<v Speaker 2>no tomorrow in game seven. And we've been there before

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<v Speaker 2>like Game five, in Game four and five and twenty

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<v Speaker 2>twenty four against the Padres, and and I mean, can

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<v Speaker 2>you can count the moments that we needed to win

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<v Speaker 2>a game, And it feels like today it's one of

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<v Speaker 2>those days. You know, we have the right guy on

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<v Speaker 2>the mound with Yamamoto, and we know we have a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of depth behind him. We're really excited about having

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<v Speaker 2>Blake back and having school pitching at home, and at

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<v Speaker 2>some point in glasnow, I'm pretty sure he's gonna be

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<v Speaker 2>in our rotation and we're looking forward to have those

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<v Speaker 2>guys back and having a complete roaster.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't need anything else from anybody else after listening

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<v Speaker 1>to a man that has overcome a lot of adversity,

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<v Speaker 1>saved the Dodgers season in Game seven of the World

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<v Speaker 1>Series last year, and this year's honoree for the Heart

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<v Speaker 1>and Hustle Award. Thanks a lot for the time, MIGGI

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<v Speaker 1>and I think he've inspired everybody back in Los Angeles.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you, guys, very much, appreciate it.