WEBVTT - Miguel Rojas (9-24-26) 

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<v Speaker 1>And now, an exclusive interview with David Basset for Dodger Talk.

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<v Speaker 1>Three-time Roy Campanella Award winner. It's voted on by his teammates,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's Miguel Rojas. You got that honor earlier on

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<v Speaker 1>the homestand. How much does it mean to you that

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<v Speaker 1>not only to be recognized by the fans, the media,

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<v Speaker 1>but more importantly, your teammates, for how much you mean

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<v Speaker 1>to this team?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it means a lot. I feel like it's really

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<v Speaker 2>special to me just being here for the last four

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<v Speaker 2>years and won this award. voted by my teammates, my coaches,

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<v Speaker 2>and the personal staff that I come to work every

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<v Speaker 2>single day with. And those are the persons that I

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<v Speaker 2>really think that they're my family, you know? And their

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<v Speaker 2>expectations of me, what they get from me is what

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<v Speaker 2>they see and what they get every single day. So

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<v Speaker 2>it's really important. I'm really proud. And I can tell you, like,

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<v Speaker 2>it makes me really, really happy that– So many of

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<v Speaker 2>my teammates kind of like get from me what I

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<v Speaker 2>do on that everyday basis. So yeah, it means a

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<v Speaker 2>lot and I take it with a lot of gratitude

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<v Speaker 2>and a lot of responsibility because I know when you

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<v Speaker 2>get an award like that, you kind of live up

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<v Speaker 2>to the expectations. And I don't really feel like I

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<v Speaker 2>need to do that. I feel like I can be myself.

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<v Speaker 2>I can just be out there every single day and

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<v Speaker 2>come to the stadium and with the mentality of helping

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<v Speaker 2>others get better, you know? And that's my role, that's

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<v Speaker 2>my job here. And one of the things that I

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<v Speaker 2>told the group when I received the honor by Dave Roberts,

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<v Speaker 2>it was, you can't really go wrong voting for anybody

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<v Speaker 2>in this clubhouse. So anybody that you pencil on that

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<v Speaker 2>paper when they pass it around, you will be okay

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<v Speaker 2>voting for anybody in that clubhouse. And I'm really happy

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<v Speaker 2>that I got the opportunity to be recognized by that

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<v Speaker 2>award for the third time in a row.

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<v Speaker 1>How much does it mean to you to know that

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<v Speaker 1>other younger players have experienced Miguel Rojas and your leadership

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<v Speaker 1>and your care for others, and that part of your

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<v Speaker 1>career will live on through other young players?

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<v Speaker 2>That's what I always hope for. I hope for leaving

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<v Speaker 2>this game in a better place than when I get them.

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<v Speaker 2>I feel like when I got here, I got so

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<v Speaker 2>many people that helped me. become the player and the

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<v Speaker 2>person that I am right now. And that's why I

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<v Speaker 2>feel so grateful for the opportunity to put this uniform

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<v Speaker 2>on and not just perform on the field, but being

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<v Speaker 2>a person that they can look up to off the

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<v Speaker 2>field as well. I want them to know that they

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<v Speaker 2>always have their back from me. And that's something that

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<v Speaker 2>is really special because, like I said, this is family

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<v Speaker 2>to me. This is what I spend the majority of

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<v Speaker 2>my time on the field. on a daily basis, on

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<v Speaker 2>a yearly basis, and it's been really special to me

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<v Speaker 2>and I feel like these last four years of my

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<v Speaker 2>life have been something that I think not even in

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<v Speaker 2>my wildest dream I could have dreamed of something better

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<v Speaker 2>than this.

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<v Speaker 1>Miggy Rowe will never be forgotten in Major League Baseball history,

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<v Speaker 1>Dodger history, and of course by this fan base and

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<v Speaker 1>his teammates. We're getting closer to the end of the

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<v Speaker 1>regular season. You guys are getting closer to that bye.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you feel like you're already making plans on how

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<v Speaker 1>you guys are going to come together If you have

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<v Speaker 1>those five days, it seems like it's not an if,

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<v Speaker 1>but when. But in the past, you guys have really

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<v Speaker 1>come together on those five days.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, the most important part right now is kind of

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<v Speaker 2>like fitness is even strong. You know, staying with the

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<v Speaker 2>foot on the gas pedal. I think it's really important

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<v Speaker 2>for us to keep playing hard. these last five games

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<v Speaker 2>of the season. Obviously, we're looking forward to win one

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<v Speaker 2>more so we can for sure get the bye. After that,

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<v Speaker 2>I think we've done a really good job committing to

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<v Speaker 2>one another, to play for each other, to play for

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<v Speaker 2>the next guy, and to actually have a full month

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<v Speaker 2>of baseball. You know, like, we always... go through the

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<v Speaker 2>162 games. We take days off. Sometimes we don't hit BP.

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<v Speaker 2>We don't take a full batting practice, a full infield routine.

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<v Speaker 2>But when it comes to October, I think we got

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<v Speaker 2>a pretty good understanding of what it takes to win

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<v Speaker 2>it all, you know, and to stay engaged and to

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<v Speaker 2>stay in the moment. So I feel like it's really

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<v Speaker 2>important for us to continue what we did the last

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<v Speaker 2>couple of years. And obviously in 2024, we play with

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<v Speaker 2>the bye. And we did a pretty good job staying

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<v Speaker 2>in shape, staying baseball ready, coming here, using all the

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<v Speaker 2>things that we have in the clubhouse, the trajectory, using

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<v Speaker 2>the coaches, using the pitchings, the pitchers that they're going

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<v Speaker 2>to be throwing like VP. So I think we are

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<v Speaker 2>in a pretty good place knowing that we've done it

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<v Speaker 2>before and we're going to be ready to go whenever

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<v Speaker 2>that first game is.

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<v Speaker 1>Last question for you. Do you feel like this team's

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<v Speaker 1>not getting enough credit for knowing how to win? It's

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<v Speaker 1>one thing to be experienced, but you guys are experienced

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<v Speaker 1>in winning championships.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean, that's what we did the last couple years,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, and you always have to respect that. But

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<v Speaker 2>at the same time, the experience, the talent... or anything,

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<v Speaker 2>the money, whatever, that's not going to guarantee you wins,

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<v Speaker 2>you know? And there's not going to guarantee you're going

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<v Speaker 2>to win an award series just because you have the

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<v Speaker 2>best team out there. I feel like everybody's searching and

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<v Speaker 2>looking for the same thing. So the crown is the

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<v Speaker 2>ultimate goal, winning the last game of the season. And everybody,

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<v Speaker 2>anybody who can get hot and play really good baseball

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<v Speaker 2>in October have a chance to win 11 games. We

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<v Speaker 2>have done it a couple times in the last couple years,

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<v Speaker 2>and then we're looking forward to do it again. But

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<v Speaker 2>it's going to take a lot of sacrifice, a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of effort, talent, and we're going to have to win

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<v Speaker 2>moments and be able to use all the experience in

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<v Speaker 2>our favor because I know all the other teams that

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<v Speaker 2>I get in, they're going to look for the same thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, Miguel Rojas knows all about winning. Back-to-back World Series champion,

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<v Speaker 1>World Series hero, and certainly the heart and soul of

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<v Speaker 1>this team. And his teammates recognized him with that Roy

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<v Speaker 1>Campanella Award for the third straight year. Thank you, Miggy.

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<v Speaker 1>All the love from L.A. to you.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you very much, and I want to say thank

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<v Speaker 2>you to all the fans and all the people that

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<v Speaker 2>have been following my career. If this is it, I'm

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<v Speaker 2>really proud, and I'm going with a smile on my

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<v Speaker 2>face because it was a great journey.