Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk.
Speaker 2: Miguel Rojas will forever live in Dodger and baseball history
Speaker 2: for his improbable home run with the Dodgers down to
Speaker 2: their final two outs in Game seven of last year's
Speaker 2: World Series. Rojas hasn't been embracing the celebration ever since
Speaker 2: the Dodgers clinched the World Series in Toronto. The celebration
Speaker 2: continued at Dodger Fest on Saturday. Here is the Great Miguel,
Speaker 2: Here is World Series Hero Miguel Rojas. It's hard for
Speaker 2: me to get time with you, Miguel. Everybody wants a
Speaker 2: piece of you.
Speaker 3: It's being overwhelming, but uh, in a good way. You know,
Speaker 3: when you prepare for moments like that, and you what
Speaker 3: your your entire career and your entire life to get, uh,
Speaker 3: to get to the highest point that you're saying, you
Speaker 3: never think about realizing that moment twenty years after you start.
Speaker 4: Your professional career.
Speaker 3: But that's what happened to me in Game seven. But
Speaker 3: obviously there's no Game seven without Game six.
Speaker 4: And that's why I'm so proud the way that I play.
Speaker 3: Game six, because I got in there because of my defense.
Speaker 4: I got in there because.
Speaker 3: Of my energy and the things that I can bring
Speaker 3: to the thing other than the hitting a home run.
Speaker 3: And it's crazy to believe that now everybody's going to
Speaker 3: remember me for hitting a home run in the game
Speaker 3: sevens all wards ears for me.
Speaker 4: Not being a home run hitting my whole career.
Speaker 3: But I mean, things happen for a reason, and I'm
Speaker 3: not gonna walk away from it happened to me because
Speaker 3: I prepare and I got ready for the opportunity. And
Speaker 3: I'm glad that the Dodgers got the chance to win
Speaker 3: the Ward Series again.
Speaker 1: Everywhere you go around Los Angeles, kids of all ages
Speaker 1: are wearing Dodger jerseys the championship hats. How does it
Speaker 1: feel to be a role model for all these kids
Speaker 1: by example to never give up on yourself and never
Speaker 1: not be ready for the opportunity whenever it comes.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's it's really cool to uh to be able.
Speaker 3: Through the the experience that you get in life and
Speaker 3: and in this sport, you can teach a lesson to
Speaker 3: a lot of people, not just the kids, but the
Speaker 3: partners as well.
Speaker 4: You know, not everybody is going to be shown and not.
Speaker 3: Everybody's going to be a Hall of Fame like Freddie
Speaker 3: Freeman and Mookie Bets.
Speaker 4: But teams are our bible.
Speaker 3: To kind of have a lot of different characters on
Speaker 3: a team.
Speaker 4: And I feel like if you're willing to work.
Speaker 3: Every single day and sacrifice a lot of things, uh
Speaker 3: to do what you want to do, uh, You're going
Speaker 3: to have good results. So I feel like a lot
Speaker 3: of people can actually look theirselves in the mirror and say,
Speaker 3: I got an opportunity to be a Miguel.
Speaker 4: Row has in whatever I do, Uh, come in uh.
Speaker 3: When the people needs me, and when the opportunity is
Speaker 3: given to me, and and don't make sure you're ready
Speaker 3: and make sure you are you're taking everything into consideration
Speaker 3: to be ready for that chance.
Speaker 1: All your teammates have always told me nobody has hands
Speaker 1: like Miguel Rojas. But in game six, when you took
Speaker 1: the short hot from Key k Hernandez, that looked more
Speaker 1: difficult than it appeared. Then you made it look And
Speaker 1: then the play that you made with the infield in
Speaker 1: to be able game of inches to throw a strike
Speaker 1: to Will Smith, what was the more challenging play to
Speaker 1: be able to pull off?
Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely Game seven play because it's a do or
Speaker 3: that plays a backsack and said, well, you know you're
Speaker 3: playing in field in right there, wishing for something that
Speaker 3: they hit right at you, and it wasn't definitely was
Speaker 3: hitting a right at me.
Speaker 4: Was a couple of steps to my right. You know,
Speaker 4: I have to go there.
Speaker 3: I have to get on my knees, glove the ball,
Speaker 3: get back on my feet and make a good throw
Speaker 3: home play.
Speaker 4: I think if I don't make that play.
Speaker 3: Doesn't matter what else you know, like what else you
Speaker 3: can do to help the team until that point, it's
Speaker 3: all it's all kind of like battling through all the
Speaker 3: indies that we have to play during that series. There's
Speaker 3: no Joshioyamamoto MVP. I mean a lot of peop but will
Speaker 3: remember him still for what he did. But uh, I mean,
Speaker 3: if I don't make the play, he's getting over and
Speaker 3: and we're not.
Speaker 4: Celebrating, and we're not back to back champions.
Speaker 1: If you don't make those plays, if you don't hit
Speaker 1: that home run, the Dodgers would be going home all right,
Speaker 1: back to back champions. Now, Miguel, how do you guys
Speaker 1: stay hungry for that three.
Speaker 3: P Yeah, for for this moments like this, seeing the
Speaker 3: fans excitement around this building like always you know.
Speaker 4: Uh, these people know.
Speaker 3: How to pack this place every single night for six
Speaker 3: three months, you know.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 4: And then when you have.
Speaker 3: The key of the chain on top, make him move
Speaker 3: to make your team better and compete again for for
Speaker 3: another championship and not being okay.
Speaker 4: Just because we won the last two. Uh.
Speaker 3: I think that's that give you the motivation to go
Speaker 3: to the sprint training, to fight for the spot and
Speaker 3: to fight for for.
Speaker 4: Something that that is bigger than.
Speaker 3: Jose yourself, is a is for the whole city, for
Speaker 3: the whole community, and for the organization.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 3: We deserve the opportunity to go back together to that
Speaker 3: sprint training plus guys that wants to be here and
Speaker 3: wants to be part of this uh.
Speaker 4: And I think we're gonna.
Speaker 3: Have a chance to have a real chat to threepeat
Speaker 3: something that not everybody can say that got the opportunity.
Speaker 1: To the run it back for that three peat. Miguel
Speaker 1: Rojas is such a big part of this Dodger team,
Speaker 1: not only last year, but the last three years. All Right, Miguel,
Speaker 1: I had to explain some backstory. Miguel Rojas is our
Speaker 1: guest because I was asked about Team Venezuela and you
Speaker 1: not being able to get the insurance to play in
Speaker 1: this year's World Baseball Classic. I was asked this past week,
Speaker 1: and I had to give some context. I'm not sure
Speaker 1: all these reporters that were asking you about that remember
Speaker 1: the fact that you sacrificed not playing for Team Venezuela
Speaker 1: and the World Baseball Classic because of your responsibility to
Speaker 1: be able to stay with the Dodgers, because of just
Speaker 1: how your body was feeling and the opportunity. Does that
Speaker 1: make it even more frustrating that you have this opportunity
Speaker 1: and for some reason they won't allow you to play.
Speaker 4: Yeah, the whole situation is frustrating to me.
Speaker 3: And going back to twenty twenty three, I was in
Speaker 3: a totally different position. You know. I was kind of
Speaker 3: on the prime of my career and even though I
Speaker 3: got to the Dodgers, I wasn't supposed to be the
Speaker 3: every day short stup until something happened to Gavin Locks
Speaker 3: and they decided to kind of like gave me the
Speaker 3: opportunity to play every day.
Speaker 4: And I feel like playing every day in the big leagues.
Speaker 3: Requires a really little a little stream preparation when it
Speaker 3: comes to at bats in spring training and getting ready
Speaker 3: for that.
Speaker 4: At that moment, my opportunity to represent.
Speaker 3: Venezuela wasn't going to be to play every day as sure.
Speaker 3: My at bats and my opportunity were going to be
Speaker 3: limited if I go to the WBC. And that's why
Speaker 3: I make the decision that I needed to get at
Speaker 3: bats because I was coming out of the surgery from
Speaker 3: my wrist and I needed to get the bats.
Speaker 4: I needed to get my timing.
Speaker 3: Down for a full season, and I ended up playing
Speaker 3: one hundred and fifty close games for the Dollyers that
Speaker 3: that year and we went to the playoff, we won
Speaker 3: one hundred games, and I think I made the right
Speaker 3: decision at the moment.
Speaker 4: Definitely was a really tough one because you always want
Speaker 4: to represent your country and that's.
Speaker 3: Gonna be kind of like in the top of the
Speaker 3: priorities for the player.
Speaker 4: But at the end of the day, I thought, I got.
Speaker 3: Another opportunity in twenty twenty six to represent my.
Speaker 4: Country, and it's a it's such.
Speaker 3: A bomber that I'm not gonna be able to do
Speaker 3: it just because I'm I'm thirty seven years old and
Speaker 3: you're thirty seven I guess, I guess thirty seven years
Speaker 3: old and I'm still playing for the best team, and
Speaker 3: you never went to pay a L last year ever
Speaker 3: went on the I L and that we need a
Speaker 3: little bit more of clarification on the on the teams
Speaker 3: that are going on, you know. But I'm really sad,
Speaker 3: not just because of me, but I'm saying the news
Speaker 3: of other players like the hotel too. For our country,
Speaker 3: a guy that has always been there, always being representing
Speaker 3: our country, it's being one of our best representative no
Speaker 3: matter what if it's a WBC, the Big Leagues and
Speaker 3: the World Series and MVPs and all the I think
Speaker 3: everybody who wants to represent the country should have the
Speaker 3: opportunity to do it, especially if you know you're healthy
Speaker 3: and you can contribute to with the whole.
Speaker 1: Thing without a doubt, without a doubt. The World Baseball
Speaker 1: Classic has a lot of holes to be able to
Speaker 1: be taken as seriously as they want to be taken.
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna be happy to see you in spring
Speaker 1: training because your energy, your leadership, you need that and
Speaker 1: there's not gonna be Key k Hernandez at the beginning.
Speaker 1: So you know, you guys, you guys made things go.
Speaker 2: For a lot of guys last year.
Speaker 1: So the Dodgers need you. This is not just a
Speaker 1: victory lap, right, Miguel Rojas means business.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Definitely, we're gonna show up to the sprint training
Speaker 3: this year with the same attitude and the same hunger.
Speaker 3: You know. Definitely we're gonna enjoy The sprint training is
Speaker 3: gonna be a regular one this year. We're gonna We're
Speaker 3: gonna be there for six weeks and we wanna work
Speaker 3: on everything that we need to work on to be
Speaker 3: ready for sprint for for opening Day. Definitely, you mentioned
Speaker 3: a name that it's really valuable for us. Kick he
Speaker 3: Ernandez is part of this and hopefully he can be
Speaker 3: part of a group that wants to compete for three
Speaker 3: times in a row World City Champions And I know
Speaker 3: he will be a great addition to this team and
Speaker 3: everybody in this club out one Kick to be back,
Speaker 3: So first he needs to take care of business and
Speaker 3: and get back to one hundred percent healthy. I know
Speaker 3: his arm and his work Kait is going to take
Speaker 3: him there. But I'm really I'm really hopeful that Kick
Speaker 3: is going to be back with us, no doubt.
Speaker 1: Miguel Rojas world serious hero.
Speaker 4: Thank you, brother, a champion to the people.
Speaker 1: Los Angeles loved him, but now forever his new home
Speaker 1: will always be Los Angeles. Thank you for the time,
Speaker 1: and of course you know you always have a place
Speaker 1: in our hearts, even before that home run.
Speaker 3: Of course, come on, it's been a twelve year relationship,
Speaker 3: yes right here, ever since twenty fourteen.
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I know him when