WEBVTT - Alex Vesia (6-5-26) 

0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:06.040
<v Speaker 1>And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.

0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:08.800
<v Speaker 2>Well, we've been to Downey Hunday together. We've been to

0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:11.400
<v Speaker 2>Benny Boy Brewing together. How about being in the Dodger

0:00:11.520 --> 0:00:15.920
<v Speaker 2>dugout together with two time World Series champion Alex Vesia.

0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:19.480
<v Speaker 3>You really missed me a lot. I could tell hi, Dave.

0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:20.360
<v Speaker 3>How you doing.

0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:21.319
<v Speaker 4>I'm doing good? Are you?

0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:22.919
<v Speaker 3>Everything's great? How about you?

0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:25.079
<v Speaker 2>I mean, obviously we don't get a chance to talk

0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:27.840
<v Speaker 2>too much about the pitching when we're having fun away

0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:30.680
<v Speaker 2>from the stadium, But at this stage of the season,

0:00:31.040 --> 0:00:32.720
<v Speaker 2>where would you say you're you're feeling?

0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:36.560
<v Speaker 4>Honestly, I'm feeling pretty good. You know. We try to

0:00:36.560 --> 0:00:37.520
<v Speaker 4>take it one day at a time.

0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:41.639
<v Speaker 1>I mean, we have the family trip coming up Pittsburgh

0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:43.919
<v Speaker 1>in Chicago, so that'll be fun. Happy to have Kay

0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:46.519
<v Speaker 1>on board, and you know, just trying to take one

0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:50.800
<v Speaker 1>day at a time. We with angels today, Tomorrow, Sunday,

0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:52.560
<v Speaker 1>so let's go get three wins.

0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:54.520
<v Speaker 2>Why would you do that to your family take them

0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:55.840
<v Speaker 2>to Pittsburgh.

0:00:55.880 --> 0:01:01.000
<v Speaker 1>Well, technically that was Kay's choice to go to Pittsburgh.

0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:03.320
<v Speaker 1>I think that they've got some stuff planned the wives

0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:05.320
<v Speaker 1>and families have some stuff planned.

0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:08.440
<v Speaker 4>But hey, yeah, she want she wanted to. I think

0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:09.280
<v Speaker 4>she's never been there.

0:01:09.600 --> 0:01:11.800
<v Speaker 1>She's never been to the White Sox, so she's like,

0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:13.679
<v Speaker 1>I need to check that off the bucket list.

0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:15.160
<v Speaker 4>So I told her, let's go.

0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:18.800
<v Speaker 2>All right, I vesia trip to Pittsburgh and Chicago coming up.

0:01:19.160 --> 0:01:21.640
<v Speaker 2>How are you doing this at this stage of your career.

0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:23.720
<v Speaker 2>You still have a lot left in the tank. A

0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:25.800
<v Speaker 2>lot of people regard you as one of the best

0:01:25.840 --> 0:01:27.759
<v Speaker 2>relievers in baseball.

0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:29.440
<v Speaker 4>Thanks, but you appreciate that.

0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:32.600
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean, but you're not the guy that throws

0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:34.959
<v Speaker 2>ninety seven ninety eight, but you find a way.

0:01:35.160 --> 0:01:36.479
<v Speaker 4>Nope, Yeah, I don't.

0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:39.199
<v Speaker 1>I don't throw very hard, Dave, but I think the

0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:42.760
<v Speaker 1>easiest thing is just to make sure the hitter is

0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:45.039
<v Speaker 1>guessing right, so it's being able to throw my slider

0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:45.559
<v Speaker 1>for a strike.

0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:48.120
<v Speaker 4>I've thrown the change up well this year as well,

0:01:49.200 --> 0:01:51.320
<v Speaker 4>you know, but I love throwing the fastball.

0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:54.120
<v Speaker 1>It's just something that, you know, I've always felt like

0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:57.360
<v Speaker 1>I've had a good feeling for and obviously my slider

0:01:57.400 --> 0:01:58.640
<v Speaker 1>and my changeup have gotten better.

0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:01.200
<v Speaker 4>You know. I have to thank the.

0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:02.880
<v Speaker 1>Dodger pitching coaches for helping me that developed that over

0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:05.840
<v Speaker 1>the years, and you know, I love being on this

0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:08.360
<v Speaker 1>team and this year has been really special.

0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:11.040
<v Speaker 3>How much do you trust your change up these days?

0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:14.480
<v Speaker 1>I've i mean lo over the last few outings, Will

0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:16.000
<v Speaker 1>and Rushing I've called it a lot more.

0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:19.880
<v Speaker 4>So I think it's they're trusting it more. For myself,

0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:21.600
<v Speaker 4>I'm just I'll go out there and just throw it.

0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:23.799
<v Speaker 1>You know, I'm not not really think too much about it,

0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:26.480
<v Speaker 1>but yeah, it's been it's been good.

0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:28.760
<v Speaker 2>It seems like that's the new pitch a lot of

0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:29.760
<v Speaker 2>guys are coming up with.

0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:34.000
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think like last year was the splitter for

0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:35.840
<v Speaker 1>like right hand a lot more right handers. I think

0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:40.480
<v Speaker 1>for myself adding the changeup is is we helped me

0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:42.280
<v Speaker 1>get right handers and left handers out.

0:02:42.360 --> 0:02:45.000
<v Speaker 4>So yeah, the third pitch is always nice.

0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:47.560
<v Speaker 2>But Alex VESSI, when you talk about him, you talk

0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:51.440
<v Speaker 2>about the rising fastball, the spin rate. How do you

0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:54.280
<v Speaker 2>get the baseball to do that? And is it still

0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:55.639
<v Speaker 2>always a work in progress?

0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:58.320
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean it's something I feel like I've always

0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:01.720
<v Speaker 1>kind of had, even in college in the minor leagues.

0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:07.200
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I can't really tell you, like I just kind

0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:09.480
<v Speaker 4>of throw. It's just my way of throwing. I guess

0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:10.360
<v Speaker 4>I'm not too sure.

0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.440
<v Speaker 2>But is it like how ken Lee Jansen just naturally

0:03:13.440 --> 0:03:14.760
<v Speaker 2>would throw a cut fastball?

0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:19.160
<v Speaker 4>So yeah, sort of because I don't like train that.

0:03:19.280 --> 0:03:21.280
<v Speaker 4>You don't really train it. It's kind of just naturally

0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:21.960
<v Speaker 4>within the throw.

0:03:22.680 --> 0:03:25.720
<v Speaker 1>I think this spin efficiency on the baseball is what

0:03:25.800 --> 0:03:29.040
<v Speaker 1>helps to because it's it's very close to one hundred percent,

0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:31.280
<v Speaker 1>so it means it matches like my armslot pretty well.

0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:35.280
<v Speaker 1>But yeah, I mean if we get into data analytics,

0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:36.040
<v Speaker 1>we'll be here for at.

0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:38.320
<v Speaker 3>Least an hour, Dave, So you know that's way over

0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:38.760
<v Speaker 3>my head.

0:03:39.000 --> 0:03:41.080
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, yeah, yeah.

0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:44.320
<v Speaker 2>Alex Vesia is our guest before first pitch of the

0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:47.360
<v Speaker 2>Freeways series. One guy I wanted to ask you about

0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:50.560
<v Speaker 2>because he's so quiet and he's been so vital to

0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:51.840
<v Speaker 2>the success of your bullpen.

0:03:51.960 --> 0:03:54.760
<v Speaker 3>Is it Gardo Enriquez? What can you tell us about it?

0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:57.400
<v Speaker 4>Gardo super human?

0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:00.760
<v Speaker 1>Just when you see Mountain and you're like, oh, that's

0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:03.920
<v Speaker 1>a big guy, right, like Stocky, you know, big shoulders,

0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:06.960
<v Speaker 1>when you're next to him, I feel so small.

0:04:07.360 --> 0:04:12.040
<v Speaker 4>He's just well, you know, he's a unit. He throwing

0:04:12.080 --> 0:04:15.680
<v Speaker 4>one hundred and four. Yeah, but he is he is quiet,

0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:16.920
<v Speaker 4>So we.

0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:18.320
<v Speaker 1>Do like to kind of get him out of his shell.

0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:21.480
<v Speaker 1>Chico and Hammer in the bullpen. They definitely get him

0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:24.719
<v Speaker 1>out of his shell. And that's it's fun there. I'm

0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:26.880
<v Speaker 1>really happy that, you know, we're able to have fun

0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:28.839
<v Speaker 1>with him. And but he is quiet. He's a quiet guy,

0:04:28.880 --> 0:04:29.960
<v Speaker 1>but it's just that's his thing.

0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:32.560
<v Speaker 3>Do you feel like he's starting to come into his own.

0:04:32.680 --> 0:04:37.919
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, absolutely, I think you know, last year he

0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:39.880
<v Speaker 1>was hurt for a little while, so like this year,

0:04:39.960 --> 0:04:42.120
<v Speaker 1>being hopefully all the way all the way through the season.

0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:45.480
<v Speaker 4>You know, his success and.

0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:47.840
<v Speaker 1>You know he's learning, and you know, he had a

0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:51.560
<v Speaker 1>quick rise up here, you know. And the one thing

0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:54.120
<v Speaker 1>he comes into the ballpark every day with a good

0:04:54.160 --> 0:04:56.760
<v Speaker 1>head on his shoulders, and he has a really good routine.

0:04:57.640 --> 0:04:59.359
<v Speaker 1>You know, he's always you know, has has just a

0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:02.720
<v Speaker 1>good attitude, you know, regardless of success or failure. And

0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:05.479
<v Speaker 1>I think that's a really big key to having success

0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:07.159
<v Speaker 1>in the game, is just being able to wake up

0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:10.279
<v Speaker 1>the next day and still, you know, work towards those

0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:13.200
<v Speaker 1>goals and and not have the highs too high or

0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:14.160
<v Speaker 1>the lows too low.

0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:16.760
<v Speaker 2>Do you feel like Tanner Scott has learned that in

0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:18.600
<v Speaker 2>his year and a half with the Dodgers.

0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:20.279
<v Speaker 3>Do you feel like he's getting better at that?

0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:24.360
<v Speaker 1>I mean, Tanner's had a lot of success in his career,

0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:28.760
<v Speaker 1>you know, and he's had big spots in postseason games,

0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:32.120
<v Speaker 1>and I just think that, you know, sometimes baseball is

0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:34.760
<v Speaker 1>just a tough sport man, and and you can do

0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:38.000
<v Speaker 1>everything right and still not have success, you know. And

0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:40.160
<v Speaker 1>you know, we got to know each other really well

0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:42.359
<v Speaker 1>last year, and for him to have you know, success

0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:44.760
<v Speaker 1>this year, it's it's been It's been really awesome to see.

0:05:44.760 --> 0:05:46.919
<v Speaker 1>And I feel like I feed off of that as well,

0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:52.400
<v Speaker 1>just because like we're you know, we're both lefties down there,

0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:54.600
<v Speaker 1>and it's like when he's doing good and when I'm

0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:57.280
<v Speaker 1>doing good, like it's it's just the the mojo and

0:05:57.400 --> 0:05:59.839
<v Speaker 1>just like that confidence I think just gets even.

0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:02.360
<v Speaker 2>Higher before I let you go, Alex Bessia. Every year

0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:05.920
<v Speaker 2>it is a new year. Every bullpen is obviously different.

0:06:06.560 --> 0:06:08.479
<v Speaker 2>Do you feel like you guys are trying to build

0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:10.440
<v Speaker 2>your own identity for twenty twenty six?

0:06:10.600 --> 0:06:10.800
<v Speaker 4>Yeah?

0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:12.799
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you asked me that when we were at Downy

0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:14.440
<v Speaker 1>and I'm still trying to figure out what.

0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:18.080
<v Speaker 4>Exactly we're gonna call ourselves. You know.

0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:20.719
<v Speaker 1>I always like the Bullpen Dogs, but you might have

0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:22.080
<v Speaker 1>to switch it up, so you might have to come

0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:24.920
<v Speaker 1>back with me with and hopefully we'll get a name

0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:25.719
<v Speaker 1>for us well.

0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:28.360
<v Speaker 3>As long as you're in the bullpen, it's the Bullpen Dogs.

0:06:28.440 --> 0:06:32.120
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, but that was Bazooka like that, Like he he

0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:34.640
<v Speaker 1>was the one that like really set the tone for that.

0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:38.560
<v Speaker 4>So yeah, well we'll see, okay, all right, we'll.

0:06:38.360 --> 0:06:41.200
<v Speaker 3>Work on it. We'll be together again off campus one day.

0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:43.040
<v Speaker 4>Yeah. Absolutely, I see you every day.

0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:45.599
<v Speaker 3>Thanks a lot for the time.

0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:46.680
<v Speaker 4>Absolutely, have a good day.