Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.
Speaker 1: We're still celebrating back to back World championships, why wouldn't you?
Speaker 1: And we are jorn right now by a man that
Speaker 1: was a huge part of the twenty twenty five World Series,
Speaker 1: a man that many of you may not have known
Speaker 1: in spring training, but he certainly made his presence known
Speaker 1: in the postseason. That is the one and only winning
Speaker 1: pitcher from Game three of the World Series, Will Kline. Will,
Speaker 1: Happy New Year, and thanks a lot for taking the
Speaker 1: time to call in.
Speaker 2: Yeah, happy to here, guys. Thanks for having me on
Speaker 2: this as an honor.
Speaker 1: Hey, it's an honor to have you on. You are
Speaker 1: definitely a champion of the Dodgers, a champion of the city.
Speaker 1: What's life been like for Will Klein ever since the
Speaker 1: Dodgers won Game seven of the World Series.
Speaker 2: It's definitely been a different off season than last year.
Speaker 2: It's kind of been, you know, all over the place,
Speaker 2: like doing cool things like I've heard from you know,
Speaker 2: like I mean, like getting brand deals and like just
Speaker 2: meeting people I wouldn't have without, you know, everything that
Speaker 2: happened this year and obviously World serious champions Uh, is
Speaker 2: a pretty cool addition to know some awards and so
Speaker 2: that's that's certainly one of a kind. And so just yeah,
Speaker 2: just trying to take time to appreciate everything that's happened
Speaker 2: this year and how thankful we are for everything the
Speaker 2: Dodgers and everyone that supports the Dodgers, everything I've done.
Speaker 2: So it's been it's been really really fun to you know,
Speaker 2: kind of take all in and feel the support for everybody.
Speaker 1: Will We were on different buses for the parade and
Speaker 1: we missed each other that day. What was it like
Speaker 1: for you to see the sea of humanity on the
Speaker 1: streets of Los Angeles caring so much about you and
Speaker 1: the rest of the Dodgers.
Speaker 2: It was not at all what I expected. It was
Speaker 2: a million times cooler, And you know, maybe just so
Speaker 2: appreciative for everything that the fans do. And you know,
Speaker 2: like I grew up a baseball fan and like I
Speaker 2: was like die hard, and I like root for all
Speaker 2: sorts of other sports, and so to be on that
Speaker 2: side for you know, millions of people and to get
Speaker 2: to see them out there and how like excited and
Speaker 2: they see kids taking off school to come to the
Speaker 2: parade and you see people that have been fans for
Speaker 2: like eighty years doing the same thing, and so just
Speaker 2: seeing that and like that they're there to like celebrate
Speaker 2: something that I had a part of and you know
Speaker 2: we all did as a team was just it really
Speaker 2: makes you appreciate the little thing a little more.
Speaker 1: Will Klein is our guest. World Series Champion. Will Klein
Speaker 1: is our guest. You know. After the World Series and
Speaker 1: actually the day of the parade, Clayton Kershaw told me,
Speaker 1: I never saw the final out. I never knew what
Speaker 1: happened to end Game seven of the World Series. Did
Speaker 1: you see the final out? Did you know what was
Speaker 1: going on? Did you do you remember Kershaw being so
Speaker 1: locked in?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I was. I mean I was shaking that entire
Speaker 2: I'm not gonna lieh but yeah, Kirshall was warming up
Speaker 2: because I know they had a lefty either on deck
Speaker 2: or coming up in a couple and we had to
Speaker 2: yell at him in between innings to come in and
Speaker 2: start warming up because he was like playing catch on
Speaker 2: the field, you know, just probably was like a one
Speaker 2: last time kind of deal, and he was out there
Speaker 2: throwing and we had to like yell and then he
Speaker 2: couldn't hear us from the bullpen, so someone had to
Speaker 2: go down onto the field and actually get him to
Speaker 2: come up and like warm up, and so I know
Speaker 2: he said like he thought he was in, like he
Speaker 2: didn't realize we had got an adult play to end it.
Speaker 2: And so that's like to not be able to appreciate
Speaker 2: it instantly. It was kind of kind of funny for
Speaker 2: it to like happen to him, of all people. That's
Speaker 2: just how locked in he gets in Obviously that's why
Speaker 2: he had had such a story career. But it's really
Speaker 2: funny that, like, of all people to not be able
Speaker 2: to like appreciate it right away, it was it happened
Speaker 2: to him.
Speaker 1: So you're telling me that in between innings of that
Speaker 1: part of Game seven of the World Series, eighth ninth
Speaker 1: innings ish maybe tenth inning, that Kershaw was playing catch
Speaker 1: on the field instead of in the bullpen.
Speaker 2: Well, like a bullpen catcher or pitcher goes down and
Speaker 2: warm stuff either like the right field or the left
Speaker 2: fielder in between most things like on the road and
Speaker 2: stuff with like how far the ta oskar is in
Speaker 2: right field, so like they're out there and then our
Speaker 2: bullpen's right there. So you know, Kershaw being Kershaw like
Speaker 2: he can kind of override anyone and goes down and
Speaker 2: go do this. And so he went down there to
Speaker 2: kind of appreciate it one last time, and he was
Speaker 2: playing catch with in between and they're like cursh, I
Speaker 2: gotta get ready, and like, yeah, we were literally yelling
Speaker 2: from the bullpen and so he couldn't hear us because
Speaker 2: it was it was pretty loud there, and so yeah,
Speaker 2: someone had to go get them. But it's like it's
Speaker 2: a normal thing, like either a bullpen catcher or like
Speaker 2: a pitcher warms up with like throws him between innings
Speaker 2: with outfielders, you know, to help us those and them.
Speaker 2: But I think you just kind of want to do
Speaker 2: it one last time and kind of turn into a
Speaker 2: funny moment for all of us.
Speaker 1: That's amazing. Will Klein is our guest. All right, Well,
Speaker 1: I know you've been asked this a million times. I
Speaker 1: interviewed you after Game three of the World Series, after
Speaker 1: Freddy's walk off home run. What do you remember the
Speaker 1: most about getting through those four innings? And if you
Speaker 1: don't do that, there's a very good chance, with the
Speaker 1: way things played out, the Dodgers don't win the World Series.
Speaker 1: Has well, let's start with the first part of that question.
Speaker 1: How did you get through each and every one of
Speaker 1: those four innings?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I just there's something about like that
Speaker 2: last man standing thing that kind of kicks you into overdrive.
Speaker 2: I think it's like a really cool like fight or flight,
Speaker 2: Like you don't really get that ever experience it except
Speaker 2: for like those extreme situations. So it's like being that
Speaker 2: last guy out there just kind of motivates you even
Speaker 2: more and just be able to like do it for
Speaker 2: the city of Los Angeles, for the team, for everyone watching,
Speaker 2: you know, just drives you. And so each inning, like
Speaker 2: you hear the crowd go crazy after you get that
Speaker 2: last out, like Okay, I can keep doing this a
Speaker 2: little more. And you know, every time I came in,
Speaker 2: I'm I just kept thinking, like we're not losing this game,
Speaker 2: Like I told them, I didn't care how long I
Speaker 2: had to go, like we weren't going to lose a game.
Speaker 2: But then I was done after four and so if
Speaker 2: Yama goes, then who knows what happens there?
Speaker 1: Yeah, that that was amazing. You know one thing that
Speaker 1: struck me will and maybe you can describe what you
Speaker 1: were feeling on the mound your teammates in your dugout,
Speaker 1: they were willing you to every strike, to every out,
Speaker 1: to every inning. How much did you feed off of
Speaker 1: that emotion from your dugout to help push you to
Speaker 1: kind of pick you up emotionally.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I really felt that, especially those last the third
Speaker 2: and the fourth, the ending there. The first two you're
Speaker 2: like running like that's nothing super extraordinary except for it
Speaker 2: being the World Series and you know, super stressful. But
Speaker 2: you get to the third and the fourth and uncharted
Speaker 2: territories for me as a pitcher, and you know, you
Speaker 2: start to feel a little bit and you try to
Speaker 2: dig deep. But then you like feel those guys and
Speaker 2: you feel them like cheering brief pitch and you feel
Speaker 2: them like yelling at you, like keep going and stuff
Speaker 2: like that. And that's just like if you know, if
Speaker 2: they can believe in me, I can believe in myself too,
Speaker 2: and so it just it definitely gives you like an
Speaker 2: extra ten percent, you know, in your fuel tank to
Speaker 2: keep going. And so especially like in the last inning, like, man,
Speaker 2: those guys, I could I could hear them, you know,
Speaker 2: they were they were the ones to keep me afloat them,
Speaker 2: and you know, all the fans and stuff, So if
Speaker 2: they were pretty much the only reason I got through
Speaker 2: that last inning.
Speaker 1: I think, Hey, when I saw you coming back to
Speaker 1: the dugout in the seventeenth inning, it felt like you
Speaker 1: had emptied the emotional tank. How did you pick yourself
Speaker 1: up to go back out there for the eighteen I was,
Speaker 1: you know, you always hear about that when you emptied
Speaker 1: the tank, you feel like you're done. How did you
Speaker 1: how did you pick yourself back up emotionally after the
Speaker 1: seventeenth inning to go back out there for the eighteenth.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's a really good question because you always
Speaker 2: see guys that go crazy. If you didn't last out,
Speaker 2: like come back out the next inning, it doesn't go
Speaker 2: so well. But I was just you know, as soon
Speaker 2: as the third out happened, I'm like, all right, like
Speaker 2: you know, might as well go do it again. Like
Speaker 2: you get up there and like I think, you throw
Speaker 2: that first fish and in the adrenaline, you know, took
Speaker 2: over again. But like I got back in the dugout,
Speaker 2: we had a chance at that inning, and so like
Speaker 2: you're sitting there like cheering on your team, but as
Speaker 2: soon as two outs of team I just kind of
Speaker 2: stopped there and brought myself back back the earth, back
Speaker 2: to you know, the moment, and try to like get
Speaker 2: back into the game. And so just like I really
Speaker 2: worked with my breathing this year and like mental stuff
Speaker 2: and so be able to get myself back in the
Speaker 2: zone in the midst of so much chaoffs. It's a
Speaker 2: little bit of extra effort, but just be able to
Speaker 2: like call myself and find it and be like, all right,
Speaker 2: let's let's just go do this one more time, you know,
Speaker 2: like that we're not losing this game. Like that was
Speaker 2: a huge part of just just staying that over and
Speaker 2: over and over again until you start believing it. And
Speaker 2: that just kept me going. And then you get back
Speaker 2: on that mound and you hear all the fans again,
Speaker 2: all the all the teammates and the dugout, and it
Speaker 2: kickstarts for you too.
Speaker 1: Will kleinb when did you kind of click keeping your
Speaker 1: composure and the breathing to be able to help you
Speaker 1: throw strikes and also be the type of picture that
Speaker 1: a lot of the members of the coaching staff believed
Speaker 1: you can be and do what you did in Game
Speaker 1: three of the World Series. Of what point in the
Speaker 1: season did you really turn all of that around your composure,
Speaker 1: your mound presence.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I remember I had a couple of tough ones play.
Speaker 2: My tenure when I first got here wasn't bad, Like
Speaker 2: the results were good, but I had a couple I
Speaker 2: had a couple one in Milwaukee where you're up there
Speaker 2: and you're out there on strikes and it feels like
Speaker 2: you just can't. And so we have like we have
Speaker 2: a really good staff and really good mental health and
Speaker 2: mental skills people, and so just I sat down one day,
Speaker 2: I was just talk talk to them for a while
Speaker 2: about it, and they're like everyone everyone feels the same way.
Speaker 2: It's like sometimes you don't feel like you belong with
Speaker 2: especially in like the Dodgers' clubhouse. And then they're like,
Speaker 2: well everyone has thought that at some point you do belong.
Speaker 2: You won't be here if you don't. And then just
Speaker 2: like changing your attitude, like every pitch is just be
Speaker 2: like all right, go ahead and hit this, you know,
Speaker 2: like you got to go out there believing you're the
Speaker 2: best lay on the planet and just be like all right,
Speaker 2: like let's see what happens with this one. And you
Speaker 2: can't be worried about walking guys otherwise or you're going
Speaker 2: to you know, like you that's the number one way
Speaker 2: to walk guys, and worried about walking guys, and so
Speaker 2: just going out there and attacking each hitter with the
Speaker 2: mentality of all right, go ahead and hit this pitch,
Speaker 2: you know. And so I think that really helped, especially
Speaker 2: there in game three, because I could like I just
Speaker 2: could feel myself like I'm gonna go up there, I'm
Speaker 2: gonna rip this pitch in there, get it back, I'm
Speaker 2: gonna do it again, you know. And so just it
Speaker 2: really helped narrow it down, just attacking hitters and really
Speaker 2: going one pitch at the time and you know, self
Speaker 2: belief and just be able to take a deep breath
Speaker 2: and like slow the moment down. I remember there was
Speaker 2: when there was one time when I first got the daughters,
Speaker 2: kind of like wearing my way around, like nervous around everybody,
Speaker 2: didn't know anybody. I'm just like walking real faster the
Speaker 2: hallways and Doc comes up to me and he's like,
Speaker 2: you really got to slow down and just like appreciate it,
Speaker 2: you know, like you're supposed to be here, Like just
Speaker 2: slow down and you know, take a breath, and you know,
Speaker 2: take it all in and so I found myself like
Speaker 2: really trying to do that at some points until it
Speaker 2: became you know, second nature. But it is it is
Speaker 2: really easy to like let its feed up on you.
Speaker 2: And so just like even that like you we're in
Speaker 2: the hallway or the cafeteria or something. He said that,
Speaker 2: and that was a big thing for me too, just
Speaker 2: like slowing down and you know, taking in, taking a
Speaker 2: breath and so just different pieces I picked up from
Speaker 2: my tenure there when I first got there and really
Speaker 2: helped and kind of it's kind of funny what what
Speaker 2: comes to ahead and what helps them big moments, but
Speaker 2: I think each little thing did.
Speaker 1: Wow, that's amazing. Will Klein is our guest. I'm sure.
Speaker 1: I'm sure you you feel like you belong more, especially
Speaker 1: after what two play to what took place in the
Speaker 1: World Series. So do you feel like when you arrive
Speaker 1: in spring training it's a very different air of confidence
Speaker 1: for you.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, like the experience, Like I don't think anything
Speaker 2: can you try to get experienced to pitch in those
Speaker 2: moments and then like having done that already, it should
Speaker 2: make everything else, you know, a little a little better.
Speaker 2: But there's still like the whole like what you've done
Speaker 2: in the past doesn't really dictate what you do in
Speaker 2: the future. Like you still to go each time and pitch.
Speaker 2: But yeah, just having that and just knowing that I
Speaker 2: can do that, I can you can kind of do
Speaker 2: anything there, So that really helps. You know, there's like
Speaker 2: that's kind of a crazy experience to get no kind
Speaker 2: of after all the last couple of years, and so
Speaker 2: just having that and instill some serious confidence. But yeah,
Speaker 2: you still got to go to get pitch by pitch
Speaker 2: for that. Yeah, that definitely helps.
Speaker 1: No doubt. Baseball is a what have you done for
Speaker 1: me lately? Sport? That's for sure. Hey, Will, before I
Speaker 1: let you go, I got to ask you this question.
Speaker 1: It's not lost on me that Will kleimb may not
Speaker 1: have that opportunity in the World Series if it wasn't
Speaker 1: for the unfortunate reasons that Alex Vesia couldn't be on
Speaker 1: the World Series roster. Have you heard from Vessia after
Speaker 1: you guys won the World Series? Has that been lost
Speaker 1: on you? Do you realize just how everything kind of
Speaker 1: played out for you to even be on the roster?
Speaker 1: I'm curios if you've spoken to Alex Vessia.
Speaker 2: Yeah, obviously, Like that's that's such a heavy thing, you know,
Speaker 2: for them to go through, and it's really unfortunate, Like
Speaker 2: you know, you always want to find a roster spot
Speaker 2: for yourself, but for it to be like in such
Speaker 2: a way as that, like it kind of dampers it.
Speaker 2: And like he was on all of our minds and
Speaker 2: obviously like the Blue Jays players like we're really respectful
Speaker 2: about it too and put them on their hats, and
Speaker 2: so I like to think that, you know, he was
Speaker 2: with us the whole time, like especially in Game three
Speaker 2: where everyone in the bullpens kind of went out and
Speaker 2: shoved and so, uh, we wouldn't have gotten there without
Speaker 2: him either, Like he was such a huge part of
Speaker 2: the team and in behind the scenes on the mounds,
Speaker 2: you know everything like he did this year like got
Speaker 2: us there and so but yeah, like I had uh
Speaker 2: I heard heard from him after game three, Uh, and
Speaker 2: then we we've texted a little bit since then. I
Speaker 2: think they're, you know, handley as best as they can. Man.
Speaker 2: You know, it's it is as unfortunate as circumstances as
Speaker 2: one can have in life, and it's really it's really sad.
Speaker 2: But you know, like if anything if there's anything best
Speaker 2: that you can do it, it's get through it and
Speaker 2: you know, come back stronger and so like excited to
Speaker 2: see him and spring and everything. But I think they're
Speaker 2: doing doing well now and now just hopefully hopefully, yeah,
Speaker 2: hopefully they're gonna be able to get through it and
Speaker 2: we'll see him the spring.
Speaker 1: Love it will. Thanks a lot for coming on and
Speaker 1: sharing your story. It's so cool to be able to
Speaker 1: reflect on it now because I know when you're in it,
Speaker 1: you you really can't. And I know tops produced your
Speaker 1: first major league debut baseball card. I can't wait to
Speaker 1: see your first baseball card in a Dodger uniform maybe
Speaker 1: a World Series type of photo. Any any shot of
Speaker 1: that happening in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, they did a special shill run for the
Speaker 2: World Series and the Game Three, So the the Game
Speaker 2: three ones have been shipped out. I think people, like
Speaker 2: a lot of my family members got some of those.
Speaker 2: So it's really cool to get a Dodger's uniform one.
Speaker 2: And then you know, there's the World Series. They did
Speaker 2: a special World Series team set that should be shipping
Speaker 2: out soon, so that'll be really cool to I.
Speaker 1: Try to get that it sold out tops now sold out.
Speaker 1: I couldn't get that one, dang it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they were they were tough. I just yeah, I
Speaker 2: posted a picture, uh you know a week or two ago.
Speaker 2: They sent they sent him out to sign. It was
Speaker 2: just so cool, Like getting a hold of it in
Speaker 2: my hand, I'm like, man, that really that really happened.
Speaker 2: Like we won the World Series and you know of
Speaker 2: a part of this like some hard collector as well,
Speaker 2: So like it was just kind of like holding that
Speaker 2: card in my hand, it was like, oh, wow, that
Speaker 2: really did happen. And there's like I can actually prove
Speaker 2: to people happen to have the card now.
Speaker 1: You know, Hey, you'll be able to prove it the
Speaker 1: rest of your life with that ring. When you get
Speaker 1: that ring or the first game of the season, you're
Speaker 1: gonna be able to prove it. Will clinb.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm really excited for that. It's gonna be. That's
Speaker 2: gonna be really really it's cool.
Speaker 1: Can't wait for that too. And I know Dodger fans
Speaker 1: will show you the love that you deserve because you
Speaker 1: were such a key piece has so many were to
Speaker 1: be able to pull off one of the greatest World
Speaker 1: Series wins. In a seven game series, and definitely your
Speaker 1: name will be in history forever. We'll go down in
Speaker 1: history forever. Will thanks a lot for coming on. I
Speaker 1: know it took up a lot of your time. I
Speaker 1: know this is really a thrill for you to kick
Speaker 1: off twenty twenty six. Now it's officially begun for you,
Speaker 1: Will clinb being on the show with us.
Speaker 2: No, I really appreciate this was this was fun. Yeah,
Speaker 2: just really excited for the new year. I know this
Speaker 2: is gonna be a little bit creative with spring training,
Speaker 2: with everything that's happened, so I'm excited to get back
Speaker 2: at it with the guys. So I can't wait see
Speaker 2: you with twenty twight six springs. You know, hopefully another
Speaker 2: world series, so no doubt to make that happen.
Speaker 1: Will Klein will be walking slow with confidence in that
Speaker 1: Dodger Clubhouse when he arrives in spring training. Will, congratulations,
Speaker 1: and you are certainly a world champion. Can't wait to
Speaker 1: see you in Arizona.
Speaker 2: Yeh, thank you guys, Thank you for having me on.
Speaker 2: I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: My pleasure. There he goes Will Klin, What a great guy,
Speaker 1: what a great story great storyteller as well, He really
Speaker 1: let us in on everything that was going on with
Speaker 1: him on the mound with the team. Just really special