WEBVTT - Clayton McCullough (4-27-26) 

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<v Speaker 1>And now an exclusive interview with David basseying for Dodger Talker. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>the most popular guy at Dodger Stadium today is wearing

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<v Speaker 1>that Marlins teal. And that's former Dodger first base coach

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<v Speaker 1>who was here for the first of two back to

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<v Speaker 1>back championships and also as part of the Dodger organization

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<v Speaker 1>since twenty fifteen, second year as the Marlins manager. And

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<v Speaker 1>that's the nice bronze tannd Florida man himself, Clayton Clton McCullough. Clayton,

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<v Speaker 1>thanks a lot for the time, David, It's.

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<v Speaker 2>Great to see you again, and thanks for having me

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<v Speaker 2>on and you spending a little time and those kind words.

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<v Speaker 2>I appreciate it.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, congratulations and all the success, and it's great to

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<v Speaker 1>see how loved you still are by so many in

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<v Speaker 1>the Dodger organization.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean it is I know for certain that I

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<v Speaker 2>wouldn't be sitting here now and have the opportunity that

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<v Speaker 2>I have without the time that I spent this organization

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<v Speaker 2>and the time room with Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman,

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<v Speaker 2>Brandon Gomes, all the players and coaches. So I know

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<v Speaker 2>how fortunate I was to have been part of this

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<v Speaker 2>oranization for ten years and to spend a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>time in player development and get some time here on

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<v Speaker 2>the major league staff. So yeah, a lot of people

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<v Speaker 2>that I still hold in very high regard and respect

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<v Speaker 2>how they go about it. And yeah, I have a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of great memories here, and you know, now the

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<v Speaker 2>other uniform. I come here to try to win a series.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm wondering we talked last year, but how much of

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<v Speaker 1>that version of Clayton McCullough is part of this version

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<v Speaker 1>leader of men managing a team.

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<v Speaker 2>I think a lot of it. A lot of anything

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<v Speaker 2>you go through helped shape what you've become and continue

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<v Speaker 2>to become. So I know I has to have a

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<v Speaker 2>long way to go as far as refining my leadership abilities,

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<v Speaker 2>But a lot of what I draw from are the

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<v Speaker 2>experience in people I was around here. I mean watching

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<v Speaker 2>Dave operate with everything that he has on his plate,

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<v Speaker 2>and how cool he is and how he allows his

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<v Speaker 2>staffs to just go operate and go coach and go

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<v Speaker 2>get guys better. So I've tried to emulate as best

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<v Speaker 2>as I can that here. So yeah, I mean there's

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<v Speaker 2>a dino evil probably one of the he helped me

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<v Speaker 2>out so much in the four years here, so having

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<v Speaker 2>Dino just kind of show me the way a little bit,

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<v Speaker 2>and so his preparation. No one works as hard as him,

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<v Speaker 2>So I think, you know, just try to take pieces

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<v Speaker 2>from all those that I was around and had the

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<v Speaker 2>fortune to spend time with and now' you know, kind

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<v Speaker 2>of make them my own with what you know, how

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<v Speaker 2>I'm going about doing things now, all.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, before we get to the Marlins and what you're

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<v Speaker 1>doing now to lead this franchise back. You were a

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<v Speaker 1>big part of the Dodgers twenty four success, winning the

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<v Speaker 1>first of a back to back championship. You were so

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<v Speaker 1>big in the base running game for the Dodgers. Were

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<v Speaker 1>you watching this year's World Series? Where were you when

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<v Speaker 1>Miguel Rojas hid his life saving Dodger home run?

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<v Speaker 2>I did watch it. I'll say that was the only

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<v Speaker 2>game that I watched in the postseason, and we figured

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<v Speaker 2>Game seven, I'm gonna turn it on and I was

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<v Speaker 2>in my living room on the couch when Mickey row

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<v Speaker 2>hit that Homer Hoffman. I did myself. Son, Kyle, we

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<v Speaker 2>all jumped up, like you know, I mean, Mickey's the best,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think, you know, for everyone you didn't mean

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<v Speaker 2>you know how important a moment like you know that

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<v Speaker 2>is for everyone involved. So I was incredibly happy for him,

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<v Speaker 2>all my you know friends here, and if anybody was

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<v Speaker 2>gonna win the World Series it wasn't us, then, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>I was. I was hoping it'd be them.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that a teaching moment even for your young Marlins

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<v Speaker 1>to realize that Miggy Rowe had not had a start

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<v Speaker 1>until Game six, did not hit a home run in

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<v Speaker 1>almost a month. Is that a teaching moment that you

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<v Speaker 1>can use with this young team to always be ready

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<v Speaker 1>for your opportunity.

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<v Speaker 2>I think that's you. I think you hit it on

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<v Speaker 2>the head. It is be ready for your opportunity, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>I mean you'd be ready, you know, do what you

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<v Speaker 2>have to do to get ready because when your moment,

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<v Speaker 2>your moment's gonna come, you know, and all you can

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<v Speaker 2>do is did you prepare yourself the best to go

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<v Speaker 2>take advantage of your moment? So you know, we have

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<v Speaker 2>it here. We have guys that start, some don't start,

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<v Speaker 2>come off the bench, pinch hit, and so it's just

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<v Speaker 2>you know, the challenge is with younger players, but just

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<v Speaker 2>understanding that and I have to do what I think

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<v Speaker 2>is best for our team, want a given day to

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<v Speaker 2>win right, and then just hope that you know, our

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<v Speaker 2>players understand you know what when my name is called

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<v Speaker 2>for whatever it is. All I asked that is you're

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<v Speaker 2>prepared and understand this is a hard game and the

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<v Speaker 2>results won't always match. But if you're prepared for that

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<v Speaker 2>opportunity and moment, then you know, I'll continue to give

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<v Speaker 2>you shots.

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<v Speaker 1>It seemed like the Marlins started to gain some momentum

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<v Speaker 1>at the end of last year and it's continued to

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<v Speaker 1>start this year. How were you able to continue that

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<v Speaker 1>wave into the beginning of this season.

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<v Speaker 2>I think we would just try myself at coaching staff

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<v Speaker 2>and players trying to be incredibly consistent each day with

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<v Speaker 2>with how we approached that day and not to get

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<v Speaker 2>not to get wrapped up in what other people thought

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<v Speaker 2>we were gonna be we're supposed to be. It's like, no,

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<v Speaker 2>we We're gonna go out there and continue to get

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<v Speaker 2>better every day, and we're gonna treat you know, today

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<v Speaker 2>in this game is the most important, and you know what,

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<v Speaker 2>tomorrow we got to go do it again. And you know,

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<v Speaker 2>it's very easy to ride the roller coaster in the

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<v Speaker 2>major leagues of losing in losing street winning streak. So

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<v Speaker 2>I was just trying to prepare and very similar manner

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<v Speaker 2>coach teach, And I think as the season went along,

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of our guys called some winding their sales

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<v Speaker 2>and really started to take off. We started playing much

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<v Speaker 2>better handling the things that we could control, and we

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<v Speaker 2>finished very well. And you know, this year, we came

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<v Speaker 2>into it expecting, we thought we'd have a you know,

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<v Speaker 2>a nice team and be able to build off of that,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think at this point we have and we

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<v Speaker 2>still have a long way to go with you know,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, our group and ORG just you know, continue

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<v Speaker 2>to get better on a lot of fronts to give

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<v Speaker 2>ourselves a chance year and you're out to compete for

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<v Speaker 2>you know, our division in postseason berths.

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<v Speaker 1>It sounds like what Clayton McCullough, the Marlins manager, just

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<v Speaker 1>described was the way that your mindset was, and the

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<v Speaker 1>mindset is for the Dodgers you can only control today.

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<v Speaker 2>That was probably the I tell you, if I asked

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<v Speaker 2>what was it like over there and what do you

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<v Speaker 2>take away? And that for me was the biggest takeaway

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<v Speaker 2>is that you know, every series there wasn't a circle

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<v Speaker 2>on the calendar and it's this series in June, or

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<v Speaker 2>this one in May or this one in August. Like

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<v Speaker 2>we're just gonna come out, We're gonna mount be ready

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<v Speaker 2>to play that game and do it the same way.

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<v Speaker 2>Because there was a there was a standard of what

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<v Speaker 2>it took to win the last game of the season.

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<v Speaker 2>You have to always be reflecting on you know, are

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<v Speaker 2>you holding yourself and playing to those standards? You know,

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<v Speaker 2>even if you're winning, you know, it doesn't mean it's great,

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<v Speaker 2>it doesn't mean it's good enough. So I think trying

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<v Speaker 2>to bring that here that when we're when we win

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<v Speaker 2>a game, when we lose a game, we're gonna take

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<v Speaker 2>moments within that game and dissect them talk about them

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<v Speaker 2>because that's how we're It's the only way we can

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<v Speaker 2>continue to get better. And so when you get in

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<v Speaker 2>the postseason, everything matters. So the regular season shouldn't be

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<v Speaker 2>any different.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, Clayton McCullough still keeps his T shirts in the

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<v Speaker 1>dryer extras medium so he shows his players who's the.

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<v Speaker 2>Boss, right, Yeah, yes, you called me out. It is

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<v Speaker 2>it's a medium shirt now, David.

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<v Speaker 1>How about me, skinny fat still or do you feel

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<v Speaker 1>like a little bit more on the fatter side.

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<v Speaker 2>No, David, you look great.

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<v Speaker 1>See that's how he gets his players to buy in.

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<v Speaker 1>He makes them believe, Hey, it's great to see you.

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<v Speaker 1>You always were one of the great people to be around,

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<v Speaker 1>and I feel like that's why your players respond to

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<v Speaker 1>you now with the Marlins as the manager, because your

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<v Speaker 1>genuine personality gets people to want to follow and you

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<v Speaker 1>could be the best. But if nobody follows, you're a

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<v Speaker 1>lonely guy. But Clayton mccull is an easy guy to follow.

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<v Speaker 1>So thank you for the time and great to see you.

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<v Speaker 2>Great, David, thanks for having me. Great catching up with you,

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<v Speaker 2>and you're the best.