Speaker 1: This is off season Dodger Talk.
Speaker 2: Get in on the show by calling eight sixty six
Speaker 2: Non e seven two seventy four hashtag.
Speaker 1: Dodger Talk and now your host David Basse. Hey, welcome
Speaker 1: to Dodger Talk. David Vase with you for the first
Speaker 1: time in twenty twenty six, getting you ready for the
Speaker 1: Dodgers Cactus League opener, which is just right around the
Speaker 1: corner February twenty first, right here on AM five to
Speaker 1: seventy LA Sports. The Dodgers will kick off the Cactus
Speaker 1: League portion of their schedule for the first time in
Speaker 1: three years. They will have opening Day in North America,
Speaker 1: so somewhat of a normal spring training and we have
Speaker 1: got you covered starting tonight on Dodger Talk. We've got
Speaker 1: a great show for you tonight. We'll climb. As you
Speaker 1: just heard, Money Petros and Kate's mentioned one of the
Speaker 1: heroes of the Dodgers championship run in the World Series,
Speaker 1: a man that came out of nowhere to pitch the
Speaker 1: final four innings of that eighteen inning marathon through a
Speaker 1: career high seventy two pitches and helped the Dodgers get
Speaker 1: their only win of the World Series at Dodgers Stadium
Speaker 1: in Game three. He will join us in thirteen minutes.
Speaker 1: We'll climb coming up at the bottom of the hour,
Speaker 1: I'll let you know what I know about the possibilities
Speaker 1: of Trek Skoubol being traded. And we have some late
Speaker 1: breaking Bob Bishek Kyle Tucker rumors circulating from Toronto because
Speaker 1: the Blue Jays held a press conference today to introduce
Speaker 1: their newest signing, and that is the infielder from Japan Okamoto.
Speaker 1: He signed with the Blue Jays and is expected to
Speaker 1: play third base. And we'll get more and more into
Speaker 1: what that means for Bob Bishett and Kyle Tucker and
Speaker 1: how the Dodgers may be waiting in the wings for
Speaker 1: one of those two players. But before we get to
Speaker 1: all that, Before we get to all that, I just
Speaker 1: want to share with you that I've done a lot
Speaker 1: of things so far this offseason and over the Christmas break.
Speaker 1: I've been to a Laker game, I've been to a
Speaker 1: Kings game, I've been to a Rams game. And I
Speaker 1: could tell you, hands down right now, major League Baseball,
Speaker 1: in the experience of being at a major League stadium,
Speaker 1: especially Dodgers Stadium, tops all of it SOFI Stadium, beautiful place,
Speaker 1: but I don't want to get there at nine in
Speaker 1: the morning to be able to beat the traffic. I
Speaker 1: don't want to have to leave with eight minutes left
Speaker 1: in the fourth quarter. And by the way, have you
Speaker 1: ever been to an NFL game in person? They talk
Speaker 1: about baseball being slow? Oh my goodness, the NFL in person.
Speaker 1: If you have low attention span, you can't sit there.
Speaker 1: I mean, no wonder people are getting up, getting drinks,
Speaker 1: getting food. There is so much time in between snaps,
Speaker 1: so much time in halftime. Forget about that just TV timeouts.
Speaker 1: I mean, at some point we have to celebrate the
Speaker 1: fact that Major League Baseball in twenty twenty six is
Speaker 1: the best experience. It's the best and most entertaining sport
Speaker 1: out there. I mean, NHL in person is amazing. I
Speaker 1: can't knock that. It was a great experience to be
Speaker 1: at the Kings game on Dodger Night. But the Lakers,
Speaker 1: I mean, the Lakers are as much of an afterthought
Speaker 1: now as they were right after Magic Johnson retired in
Speaker 1: nineteen ninety one. I mean, we are talking about Sedale
Speaker 1: three vlade Eldon Campbell days right now. As far as
Speaker 1: you know, just the feelings towards the Lakers. I know
Speaker 1: they got Luca, I know they got Lebron, but I
Speaker 1: think we all know they're not going anywhere. And until
Speaker 1: Mark Walter and his group put their stamp on things,
Speaker 1: it's gonna be that way. And the NBA product is atrocious.
Speaker 1: I used to love the NBA. I love the Lakers.
Speaker 1: It's unwatchable right now. The way they play the game.
Speaker 1: They talk about, you know, analytics ruining baseball, Well, you
Speaker 1: add to a certain extent, they went too far, and
Speaker 1: I would argue that some team still go too far.
Speaker 1: But the Commissioner of baseball, and I don't give him
Speaker 1: too many compliments, he kind of got the rails back
Speaker 1: on to make this a better sport to watch, a
Speaker 1: more entertaining sport. And the Dodgers are the most entertaining team,
Speaker 1: and we are so spoiled in Los Angeles the last
Speaker 1: ten plus years. But the NBA is unwatchable. They ruined it.
Speaker 1: It's a three point euro game. Now it's unwatchable. Can't
Speaker 1: watch the NBA. So my point is everybody around baseball
Speaker 1: wants to complain about it. I think at some point
Speaker 1: everybody needs to acknowledge baseball is the most entertaining sport
Speaker 1: out there. And maybe I'm spoiled because we cover the Dodgers.
Speaker 1: We see the Dodgers every single night. That may be true.
Speaker 1: But this postseason was amazing. Last year's postseason was amazing,
Speaker 1: This regular season was amazing. And the Dodgers being as
Speaker 1: good as they are is not ruining baseball. It's making
Speaker 1: it ten times better. When the Yankees, the Dodgers, the
Speaker 1: Red Sox are good, Baseball is in a better place.
Speaker 1: So there's my thing. And also, you know, everybody talked about,
Speaker 1: you know, the baseball playoffs and the records of some
Speaker 1: of these division winners and the reseeding the last couple
Speaker 1: of years. How about what we got on our hands
Speaker 1: on Saturday afternoon, our own rams, My rams, that's right,
Speaker 1: My rams are going to Carolina on a short week
Speaker 1: to play a one thirty Pacific time game, a four
Speaker 1: to thirty Eastern game against a division winner that has
Speaker 1: an under five hundred record. The Panthers are eight to nine.
Speaker 1: You're telling me the Panthers should have a home game
Speaker 1: and not the Rams. So everybody goes up in arms,
Speaker 1: including our very own Matt money Smith I mean, mister
Speaker 1: nfl over here talks about reseting in baseball. Has he
Speaker 1: mentioned once in the last two days about how disproportionate
Speaker 1: the seating is in the NFL, especially this Saturday with
Speaker 1: the Rams. I bet he hasn't. But when it comes
Speaker 1: to baseball, everybody wants to poke holes in the best
Speaker 1: sport this side of the NFL. Eight six six nine
Speaker 1: eight seven two five seventy is the phone number we
Speaker 1: are taking phone calls. We are going to have time
Speaker 1: to take your calls at the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1: But really, I mean, I just had to get those
Speaker 1: things off my chest. Major League Baseball, this side of
Speaker 1: the NFL, is the best professional sports league out there
Speaker 1: right now, hands down the NBA. There is zero buzz
Speaker 1: about the NBA. Nobody cares about the NBA. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1: Baseball right now has such a golden opportunity to capitalize
Speaker 1: on the great players and the great league and the
Speaker 1: great presentation of the game. They can't squander it. They've
Speaker 1: got to amplify it. And speaking of that, you know
Speaker 1: some of these platforms that they've made deals with, you know,
Speaker 1: it's hard for people to keep up with where these
Speaker 1: games are going to be at and there's a report
Speaker 1: today that Peacock has reached out to Clayton Kershaw to
Speaker 1: be their lead broadcast analyst. That's a great choice. It's
Speaker 1: outside the box choice, it's the right choice. Will he
Speaker 1: accept I would say it's fifty to fifty. I don't
Speaker 1: know how committed he is to being mister mom for
Speaker 1: twenty four seven, three sixty five, But being a national
Speaker 1: broadcaster is not as big of a commitment as being
Speaker 1: Eric Carros or Oral Herscheizer splitting being the analyst for
Speaker 1: the Dodgers, the two best analysts the Dodgers have that's
Speaker 1: on TV. That's not as big of a commitment as
Speaker 1: Rick Monday calling every single game on radio this year.
Speaker 1: So I think it's a good fit. I think he
Speaker 1: would be great. He has great insights. I could tell
Speaker 1: you talking to Clayton, not only during interviews, but without
Speaker 1: the microphone. He has taught me a lot. He has
Speaker 1: opened my eyes a lot when he's on headset during
Speaker 1: games the last five six seven years, in the middle
Speaker 1: of innings. I think he's really insightful. I don't think
Speaker 1: he's cookie cutter. I think I know for a fact
Speaker 1: that he has not only evaluated other hitters, but has
Speaker 1: evaluated other broadcasters, so he seems to believe that he
Speaker 1: hasn't figured out. It's not as easy as I'm sure
Speaker 1: he believes it is. It does take some effort. And
Speaker 1: Charlie Steiner once pointed something out to me that I
Speaker 1: still believe is one hundred percent true. There are athletes
Speaker 1: that are in the broadcast booth that are just former athletes,
Speaker 1: but the great ones that have made the transition. The
Speaker 1: Chris collins Worth, the John Smoltz, guys like that, Oral Herscheizer,
Speaker 1: Eric Carrows, those type of guys, they are broadcasters that
Speaker 1: used to play. That's the biggest difference. And you can
Speaker 1: tell the difference pick anybody out that is the analyst,
Speaker 1: no matter what sport it is. Are they just a
Speaker 1: guy that is relying on, you know, what they did
Speaker 1: as a player and hanging around the cage and that's
Speaker 1: what they're going with with no other preparation, or are
Speaker 1: they actually doing some homework in the hotel room at
Speaker 1: their house before they show up at the ballpark. That's
Speaker 1: a broadcaster. And I firmly believe that if Kershaw went,
Speaker 1: you know, it's not if it's a matter of when
Speaker 1: he goes into the broadcast booth and whatever he does,
Speaker 1: I believe that it will be at the stadium in
Speaker 1: the booth instead of being on a desk. That's just
Speaker 1: my own personal opinion. He will be really good and
Speaker 1: insightful and open your eyes and make you learn things
Speaker 1: that you may not otherwise have known. So, if it's
Speaker 1: this year with Peacock, if it's five years down the
Speaker 1: line after John Smoltz believes that, you know, he wants
Speaker 1: to just be on the golf course twenty four to seven.
Speaker 1: Kershaw's that guy. He's the next guy. Trust eight sixty
Speaker 1: six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number.
Speaker 1: We're gonna take a time out when we come back.
Speaker 1: One of the key members of the Dodgers twenty twenty
Speaker 1: five World Championship team, Will Cline, will join us next
Speaker 1: on AM five to seventy LA Sports. David Vasse with
Speaker 1: you until eight o'clock tonight on Dodgers Radio AM five
Speaker 1: to seventy LA Sports. You can find us as well
Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app. Make us one of your presets.
Speaker 1: You can find all the podcasts, all the interviews, all
Speaker 1: the shows of Dodger Talk on the iHeartRadio podcast. Our
Speaker 1: next show is going to be on Thursday night at
Speaker 1: seven o'clock. And hey, we're still celebrating back to back
Speaker 1: World championships. Why wouldn't you? And we are joinin right
Speaker 1: now by a man that was a huge part of
Speaker 1: the twenty twenty five World Series, a man that many
Speaker 1: of you may not have known in spring training, but
Speaker 1: he certainly made his presence known in the postseason. That
Speaker 1: is the one and only winning pitcher from Game three
Speaker 1: of the World Series, Will clinb Will, Happy New Year,
Speaker 1: and thanks a lot for taking the time time to
Speaker 1: call in.
Speaker 2: Yeah, happy to you 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 offseason than last year. It's
Speaker 2: kind of been, you know, all over the place, like
Speaker 2: doing cool things like I've heard from you know, like
Speaker 2: I mean, like getting brand deals and like just meeting
Speaker 2: people I wouldn't have without, you know, everything that happened
Speaker 2: this year and obviously World Serious Champions is a pretty
Speaker 2: cool addition to know some awards, and so that's that's
Speaker 2: certainly one of a kind. And so just yeah, just
Speaker 2: trying to take time to appreciate everything that's happened this
Speaker 2: year and how thankful we are for everything the Dodgers
Speaker 2: and everyone that supports the Dodgers, everything I've done. So
Speaker 2: it's been it's been really really fun to you know,
Speaker 2: kind of take all in and feel the sport 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: see 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 as a team. Was just
Speaker 2: it really makes you appreciate the little thing a little more.
Speaker 1: Will Kleine 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 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: I was, I mean I was shaking that entire Oh
Speaker 2: but yeah, Kershaw was warming up because I know they
Speaker 2: had a lefty either on deck or coming up in
Speaker 2: a couple and we had to yell at him in
Speaker 2: between innings to come in and start warming up because
Speaker 2: he was like playing catch on the field, you know,
Speaker 2: just probably as like a one last time kind of deal,
Speaker 2: and he was out there throwing and we had to
Speaker 2: like yell and then he couldn't hear us from the bullpen,
Speaker 2: so someone had to go down onto the field actually
Speaker 2: get them to come up and like warm up.
Speaker 3: And so I know, he said, like you thought he
Speaker 3: was in Like.
Speaker 2: He didn't realize we had got an adult play to
Speaker 2: end it. And so that's like to not be able
Speaker 2: to appreciate it instantly. It was kind of kind of
Speaker 2: funny for it to like happen to him, of all people.
Speaker 2: That's just how locked in he gets. And obviously that's
Speaker 2: why he had had such a story career.
Speaker 3: 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 fielder or the left
Speaker 2: fielder in between most things like on the road and
Speaker 2: stuff with like how far think ta Oska 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 I'm
Speaker 2: gonna go do that, And so he went down.
Speaker 3: There to kind of appreciate it.
Speaker 2: One last time, and he was playing catch with in
Speaker 2: between and they're like, yeah, curse, I got to get
Speaker 2: ready and and like yeah, we were literally yelling from
Speaker 2: the bullpen and so he couldn't hear us because it
Speaker 2: was pretty loud there, and so yes, someone had to
Speaker 2: go get them. But it's like it's a normal thing,
Speaker 2: like either a bolben catcher or like a pitcher warms
Speaker 2: up with like throws them between innings with outfielders, you know,
Speaker 2: to help us stal those and them. But I think
Speaker 2: he just kind of want to do it one last
Speaker 2: time and kind of turned into a funny moment for.
Speaker 3: 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
Speaker 1: Series has Well, let's start with the first part of
Speaker 1: that question. How did you get through each and every
Speaker 1: one of 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 to 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 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 in, 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 ending there. The first two you're like
Speaker 2: running like that's nothing super extraordinary except for it being
Speaker 2: the World Series and you know, super stressful. But you
Speaker 2: get to the third and the fourth and uncharted territories
Speaker 2: for me as a pitcher, and you know, you start
Speaker 2: to feel a little bit and you try to dig deep.
Speaker 3: But then you like feel those guys and you feel.
Speaker 2: Them like cheering freef pitch and you feel them like
Speaker 2: yelling at you, like keep going and stuff like that.
Speaker 2: And that's just like if you know, if they can
Speaker 2: believe in me, I can believe in myself too, and
Speaker 2: so it just it definitely gives you like an extra
Speaker 2: ten percent, you know, in your fuel tank to keep going.
Speaker 2: And so well, 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 they
Speaker 2: were pretty much the only reason I got through that
Speaker 2: 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 eighteenth 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 daying it doesn't go
Speaker 2: so well. Well, I was just you know, as soon
Speaker 2: as that third out happened, I'm like all right, like
Speaker 2: you know, might as well.
Speaker 3: Go do it again.
Speaker 2: Like you get up there and like I think, you
Speaker 2: throw the first fish and in the adournaline you know,
Speaker 2: took over again.
Speaker 3: But like I got back in the.
Speaker 2: Dugout, we had a chance at that inning, and so
Speaker 2: like you're sitting there like cheering on your team. But
Speaker 2: as soon as two outs of team. I just kind
Speaker 2: of stapped there and brought myself back back there earth,
Speaker 2: back to you know, the moment, and try to like
Speaker 2: get back into the game. And so just like I
Speaker 2: really worked with my breathing this year and like mental
Speaker 2: stuff and so be able to get myself back in
Speaker 2: the zone in the midst of so much chaos. It's
Speaker 2: a little bit of extra effort, but just be able
Speaker 2: to like call myself and find it and be like,
Speaker 2: all right, let's let's just go do this one more time,
Speaker 2: you know, like that we're not losing this game. Like
Speaker 2: that was a huge part of just just staying that
Speaker 2: over and over and over again until you start believing it.
Speaker 3: And so that just kept me going.
Speaker 2: And then you get back on that mound and you
Speaker 2: hear all the fans again, all the all the teammates
Speaker 2: and the dugout and it kicks starts 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,
Speaker 2: Like my tenure when I first got here wasn't bad,
Speaker 2: Like the results were good, but I had a couple.
Speaker 2: I had a top one in Milwaukee where you're up
Speaker 2: there and you're not throwing strikes and it feels like
Speaker 2: you just can't. And so we had 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 Knight the Dodgers Clubhouse. And then they're like, well
Speaker 2: everyone has thought that at some point you do belong.
Speaker 2: You want to be here if you don't, And then
Speaker 2: just like changing your attitude, like every pitch is just
Speaker 2: be like all right, go ahead and hit this, you know,
Speaker 2: like you got to go out there, believe me, you're
Speaker 2: the best player on the planet, and just be like
Speaker 2: all right, like let's see what happens with this one.
Speaker 2: And you can't be worried about walking guys otherwise or
Speaker 2: you're going to you know, like you that's the number
Speaker 2: one way to walk guys, and to worry about walking guys.
Speaker 2: And so just going out there and attacking each hitter
Speaker 2: with the mentality of all right, go ahead and hit
Speaker 2: this pitch, you know. And so I think that really helped,
Speaker 2: especially there in game three, because I could like I
Speaker 2: just could feel myself like I'm gonna go up there,
Speaker 2: I'm gonna rip this pitch in there, get it back,
Speaker 2: I'm gonna do it again, you know. And so just
Speaker 2: it really helps narrow it down, just attacking hitters and
Speaker 2: really going one pitch at the time and you know,
Speaker 2: self belief and just be able to take a deep
Speaker 2: breath and like slip the moment down. I remember there
Speaker 2: was 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: hall ways and Doc comes up to me, and I 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 all in. And so I found myself like really
Speaker 2: trying to do that at some points until it became
Speaker 2: you know, second nature, but it is it is really
Speaker 2: easy to like let its feed up on you. And
Speaker 2: so just like even that like now we're in the
Speaker 2: hallway or the cafeteria or something. He said that, and
Speaker 2: that was a big thing for me too, just like
Speaker 2: slowing down and you know, taking in, taking a breath,
Speaker 2: and so just different pieces I picked up from my
Speaker 2: tenure there when I first got there and really helped them.
Speaker 2: Kind of it's kind of funny what what comes to
Speaker 2: ahead and what helps them big moments, but I think
Speaker 2: each little thing did.
Speaker 1: Wow, that's amazing. Will Klein as 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 where you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely like the experience, Like I don't think anything
Speaker 2: can you try to get experience 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 have to go each time
Speaker 2: and pitch. But yeah, just just having that and just
Speaker 2: knowing that I can do that, I can you can
Speaker 2: kind of do anything there and so that really helps.
Speaker 2: You know, there's like that's kind of a crazy experience
Speaker 2: to get no kind of after all the last couple
Speaker 2: of years, and so just having that and instills some
Speaker 2: serious confidence. But yeah, you still.
Speaker 3: Got to go take a pitch by pitch for that. Yeah,
Speaker 3: 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 Vesia 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 curious if you've spoken to Alex Vesia.
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 mood days players like we're really respectful
Speaker 2: about it too and put in them on their hats,
Speaker 2: and so I like to think that, you know, he
Speaker 2: was with us the whole time, like especially in game
Speaker 2: three where everyone of the bullpen kind of went out
Speaker 2: and shoved, and so we wouldn't have gotten there without
Speaker 2: him either, Like he is such a huge part of
Speaker 2: the team and and behind the scenes on the mound,
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.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: It's it is as unfortunate as circumstances as one can
Speaker 2: have in life, and it's really it's really sad, but
Speaker 2: you know, like if anything, if there's anything best you
Speaker 2: can do, it's it's get through it and you know,
Speaker 2: come back stronger and so real, like excited to see
Speaker 2: him in spring and everything. But I think they're doing
Speaker 2: doing well now and now just hopefully hopefully, yeah, hopefully're
Speaker 2: gonna be able to get through it and we'll see
Speaker 2: him in 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 run for the World
Speaker 2: Series and the Game three, So the Game three ones
Speaker 2: have been shipped out. I think people, like a lot
Speaker 2: of my family members got some of those. So it's
Speaker 2: really cool to get a Dodger's uniform one. And then
Speaker 2: you know, there's the World Series. They did a special
Speaker 2: World Series team set that should be shipping out soon,
Speaker 2: so that'll be really cool.
Speaker 1: To I try to get that it sold out tops
Speaker 1: now sold out. 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 you know, a week or two ago.
Speaker 2: They sent they sent him out to sign. It was
Speaker 2: a so cool, like getting a hold of in my hand.
Speaker 2: I'm like, man, that really that really happened. Like we
Speaker 2: won the World Series and you know of a part
Speaker 2: of this like some hard collector as well, So like
Speaker 2: it was just kind of like holding that card in
Speaker 2: my hand, I was like, oh, wow, that really did happen.
Speaker 2: And there's like I can actually prove to people happen.
Speaker 3: 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 for the first game of the season, you're
Speaker 1: gonna be able to prove it. Will kleinb.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm I'm really excited for that.
Speaker 2: It's gonna be that's gonna be really really it's cool.
Speaker 1: I can't wait for that too. And I know Dodger
Speaker 1: fans will show you the love that you deserve because
Speaker 1: you were such a key piece. Has so many word
Speaker 1: to be able to pull off one of the greatest
Speaker 1: world series wins in a seven game series, and uh,
Speaker 1: definitely your name will be in history forever. We'll go
Speaker 1: down in history forever. Will thanks a lot for coming on.
Speaker 1: I know it took up a lot of your time.
Speaker 1: I know this is really a thrill for you to
Speaker 1: kick off twenty twenty six. Now it's officially begun for you.
Speaker 1: Will klinb being on the show with us.
Speaker 3: No, I really appreciate this. This was fun. Yeah, just
Speaker 3: really excited for the new year.
Speaker 2: I know this is gonna be a little bit creative
Speaker 2: of spring training with everything that's happened, so I'm excited
Speaker 2: to get back at it with the guys. So I
Speaker 2: can't wait and see you with twenty twenty six springs.
Speaker 2: You know, hopefully another world series, so.
Speaker 3: No doubt to make that happen.
Speaker 1: Will Klin 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 3: Yeh, thank you guys, thank you for having me on.
Speaker 3: 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, really let
Speaker 1: us in on everything that was going on with him
Speaker 1: on the mound with the team. Just really special. Your
Speaker 1: thoughts on Will Klein eight six six nine eight seven
Speaker 1: two five seventy. Will also get to a Trek Scooble update, Bobashett,
Speaker 1: Kyle Tucker update, and where the Dodgers stand in search
Speaker 1: of another outfielder. A lot more Dodger talk to come
Speaker 1: between now at eight o'clock right here on a five
Speaker 1: to seventy LA Sports. One of the heroes of Game
Speaker 1: three of the World Series, Freddie Freeman sho Heyo Tani,
Speaker 1: also had something to say as far as the outcome
Speaker 1: of that game and the outcome of the World Series.
Speaker 1: But certainly that Will Klein. I'm not going to say
Speaker 1: he came out of nowhere, but he kind of came
Speaker 1: out of nowhere for the majority of fans watching that
Speaker 1: World Series, especially a lot of Dodger fans that really
Speaker 1: didn't know who he was, and certainly Baseball fans who
Speaker 1: did not know who Will Line was. But I can
Speaker 1: tell you this, you know, going back to even the NLCS,
Speaker 1: there were a lot of coaches that were telling me
Speaker 1: Will Klin should be on our roster. Will Climb belongs
Speaker 1: on this roster. And he proved them right. He proved
Speaker 1: Andrew Friedman wright, and he proved Dave Roberts right. What
Speaker 1: Dave Roberts says the first day of spring training to
Speaker 1: the entire group of players, it doesn't just take twenty
Speaker 1: six guys to win the World Series. Some of you
Speaker 1: that are not going to break camp with us are
Speaker 1: going to help us win the World Series. When you
Speaker 1: have guys like Will Kline among others, Justin Dean among
Speaker 1: others that play pivotal roles not only in the regular
Speaker 1: season but in the World Series. How much more credibility
Speaker 1: do you need if you're Dave Roberts when you address
Speaker 1: the team day one of this year spring training. The
Speaker 1: sixtieth guy in that room that probably is not going
Speaker 1: to see or doesn't believe he's going to see the
Speaker 1: major leagues until June July, well you better be ready
Speaker 1: because you could be the next Will Kline. So thank
Speaker 1: you to Will Klin for coming on the show, a
Speaker 1: great story, a great interview. In case you missed it,
Speaker 1: you could still find it on the iHeartRadio app. It'll
Speaker 1: be posted after the show. I heard Petro some money.
Speaker 1: By the way, are going to be at BJ's and Cerritos.
Speaker 1: Have they checked the Clippers schedule? Make sure that they're
Speaker 1: not rescheduling any insignificant NBA games. Just want to make sure,
Speaker 1: you know, four hour show in Cerritos. You gotta make
Speaker 1: sure has Adam Auslin notified them about the Clippers schedule?
Speaker 1: You never know anyway, I well, come on, that's a
Speaker 1: continuation of you know, December twenty twenty five. Got to
Speaker 1: close the book on that. And also December twenty twenty five,
Speaker 1: Katela five Pingalore report, pingaling David Pingalore was making you
Speaker 1: freak out that the Dodgers and Tigers were going to
Speaker 1: make a trade before Christmas. Well it's January sixth, twenty
Speaker 1: twenty six, and no trade has happened. In fact, Terrek's
Speaker 1: scuobel over the holiday break was making the Detroit sports rounds.
Speaker 1: He attended the Lions game, he attended a Red Wings game.
Speaker 1: He even attended a college basketball game with Tom Izzo's
Speaker 1: Michigan State Spartans. Doesn't seem like Terrek Scuobol is acting
Speaker 1: like a guy that's going to be traded and he's
Speaker 1: not going to be traded. I have spoken to people
Speaker 1: in the School Bowl camp over the last couple of
Speaker 1: weeks that made it very clear to me that they
Speaker 1: would be shocked if Trek school Bul was traded. Now,
Speaker 1: they don't control that, the Tigers do, but the way
Speaker 1: they explain it to me was the way I was
Speaker 1: trying to explain it to you when everybody was freaking
Speaker 1: out over you know, an instagram or a you know,
Speaker 1: a video in the lobby of the winter meetings that Hey, yes,
Speaker 1: the Dodgers and Tigers have talked. The Tigers have talked
Speaker 1: to other teams, and yes, I would agree that if
Speaker 1: the Tigers were to trade Tearg Schoobl, the Dodgers have
Speaker 1: the players that bets fit what the Tigers should be
Speaker 1: asking in return. And also I reported before Christmas that
Speaker 1: the Tigers are asking for an exorbitant amount in return
Speaker 1: as far as player capital goes. They're asking for what
Speaker 1: the Padres gave up for Juan Soto when Soto had
Speaker 1: two and a half years left of team control. School
Speaker 1: Bol is a free agent at the end of twenty
Speaker 1: twenty six. That's a lot to ask and basically tells
Speaker 1: you that they weren't serious about trading Schooble. The way
Speaker 1: it was laid out to me is if the Tigers
Speaker 1: were to trade Trek Scooble and whatever team traded these
Speaker 1: amount of prospects to the Tigers, they would lose a
Speaker 1: lot of leverage in free agency to his agent, Scott
Speaker 1: Boris to be able to re sign Trek's Schouble. Scott
Speaker 1: Boris has been through this before Garrett Cole with the Astros.
Speaker 1: Everybody was saying the Astros should trade Garret Cole because
Speaker 1: the Astros and Boris couldn't come to some sort of
Speaker 1: extension agreement. And by the way, Scott Boris is not
Speaker 1: going to agree to an extension this year. He's taking
Speaker 1: Trek Scouble to the open market to get what many
Speaker 1: people probably believe he won't be able to get, similar
Speaker 1: to what people were saying about Garret Cole, that he
Speaker 1: wouldn't be able to get the single greatest contract at
Speaker 1: the time for a pitcher in Garrett Cole. So the
Speaker 1: Astros kept Garrett Cole and got to the World Series.
Speaker 1: The Tigers are not going to wave the white flag
Speaker 1: on their season before pitchers and catchers arrived, So you know,
Speaker 1: just put that into perspective, Trek Skouble, I would say
Speaker 1: the chances of him being traded before pitchers and catchers report,
Speaker 1: I put it at ten percent. How about that you
Speaker 1: want to number there? It is there's a better chance
Speaker 1: that he gets traded at the deadline if the Tigers
Speaker 1: fall out of it. But they're in a very weak
Speaker 1: division and they had a pretty big lead that aj
Speaker 1: Hinch blew. So take that for what it's worth, all right,
Speaker 1: bobashek Kyle Tucker. A lot of news surrounding those two
Speaker 1: players at this hour right now, because there are multiple
Speaker 1: reports from credible reporters around Major League Baseball, including Ken Rosenthal,
Speaker 1: a friend of the show from The Athletic and Fox Sports,
Speaker 1: that is saying that with the signing of Okamoto that
Speaker 1: the Blue Jays just made official yesterday, he is going
Speaker 1: to play third base, and the Blue Jays do not
Speaker 1: want to block Ernie Clement from getting regular playing time
Speaker 1: at second base. So what does that mean? That means
Speaker 1: that Bo Bishett, according to Ken Rosenthal, is not going
Speaker 1: to return to the Blue Jays, And there is increasing
Speaker 1: reports at this hour at seven forty five tonight that
Speaker 1: Kyle Tucker and the Blue Jays are getting closer to
Speaker 1: a deal. Jim Duquett of a series XM and the
Speaker 1: Mets Network SNY is saying it's the Dodgers, the Blue Jays,
Speaker 1: and the Mets in in the race for Kyle Tucker. Now,
Speaker 1: Jim Duquett doesn't tweet those things very often. He works
Speaker 1: for the Mets Network. He's based in New York, former
Speaker 1: Mets GM. That would tell you that the Mets and
Speaker 1: Blue Jays are trying to get Kyle Tucker at a
Speaker 1: very high annual salary for an extended amount of years.
Speaker 1: The Dodgers are reportedly hanging around the quote backboard. If
Speaker 1: Tucker's market falls out, drops out and he is more
Speaker 1: inclined for a shorter term deal, that's where the Dodgers
Speaker 1: would come into play for Kyle Tucker. And quite honestly,
Speaker 1: you know, Kyle Tucker's baseball reputation seems to have taken
Speaker 1: a hit during this winner and during this past season,
Speaker 1: there's been a lot of talk about Kyle Tucker's lack
Speaker 1: of enthusiasm for baseball and the willingness to grind out seasons.
Speaker 1: You know, teams that have players for multiple years know
Speaker 1: those players better than other teams. What does it tell
Speaker 1: you that the Astros decided to trade away Kyle Tucker,
Speaker 1: who supposedly is a generational talent. That tells you a
Speaker 1: lot the Astros are not afraid to spend anyway. Bobashett,
Speaker 1: if he's not a Blue Jay, I believe he fits
Speaker 1: in perfect with the Dodgers, and he could play second base.
Speaker 1: Keep in mind Keiky Hernandez, who is going to be
Speaker 1: back with the Dodgers eventually, is not going to be
Speaker 1: able to play a game until you know, juneish and
Speaker 1: last year he played more outfield than he played infield.
Speaker 1: Tommy Edmond is coming back from major right ankle surgery.
Speaker 1: He I mean, he told me that he believes he'll
Speaker 1: be a little bit behind in spring training. But with
Speaker 1: the way the Dodgers played so cautiously to keep their
Speaker 1: guys healthy for the end of the season, you know,
Speaker 1: if Tommy Edmund's not one hundred percent, they're not going
Speaker 1: to rush him out to the gates. So there is
Speaker 1: room for Bishett to play a lot of second base.
Speaker 1: There is room for Bob Baschett to give Munsey days off,
Speaker 1: and if Munsey gets hurt, play third base. So in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty six, there is a fit for Bo Bischett.
Speaker 1: Max Munsey's on the last year of his deal. We'll
Speaker 1: see where that goes and where that plays out. And look,
Speaker 1: if for some reason the Dodgers need Bo Baschett to
Speaker 1: play shortstop, they got a guy that could play second,
Speaker 1: short and third base, and more importantly, is a right
Speaker 1: handed hitter with power that hits for average. And he's
Speaker 1: twenty eight years old. Name another Dodger on the infield
Speaker 1: that is under the age of thirty you can't. So
Speaker 1: when we talk about the Dodgers getting younger, Bob Baschett
Speaker 1: would fit all that. And he's a pretty good second baseman.
Speaker 1: He's I don't know, willing to play third and second
Speaker 1: in short so you know, he's a guy that I
Speaker 1: believe is a great fit for the Dodgers. As far
Speaker 1: as the outfield goes, they're looking for outfield help as well.
Speaker 1: Just because you would sign a Bob Bashett doesn't mean
Speaker 1: you can't sign or make a trade for an outfielder.
Speaker 1: Now that's the reason why you're still hearing the Dodgers
Speaker 1: interest in Kyle Tucker. If they signed Tucker, there's no
Speaker 1: trade for anybody else And probably not going to work
Speaker 1: out with Bo Bashett, But it seems like the Blue
Speaker 1: Jays are saying goodbye to Bo Baschett and they are
Speaker 1: working to sign Kyle Tucker, and I actually think that's
Speaker 1: a pretty good fit for Tucker. Not a lot of
Speaker 1: pressure up there in Canada. As far as the Dodgers
Speaker 1: other outfield options. We've heard about Lars Newbar out of
Speaker 1: Elsagundo High School. Teammates with sho hey O Tani on
Speaker 1: Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, and I know
Speaker 1: he likes Lars Newbar, so he's got the Otani stamp
Speaker 1: on him. Free agent out there the Dodgers had interest
Speaker 1: in during the trade deadline. Harrison bad are still out there.
Speaker 1: I have heard the Dodgers have talked to the Astros
Speaker 1: about their center fielder Jake Myers, who had a breakout
Speaker 1: year last year. And everybody is talking about the Dodgers
Speaker 1: and Jared Duran. How about Willy a bray You. If
Speaker 1: I'm the Dodgers, I'm not asking about Jared Duran. I'm
Speaker 1: asking about Willy a bray You. Willy obray You is
Speaker 1: a better player than Jared Duran, and he's only twenty nine.
Speaker 1: He hit twenty. He hit twenty two home runs last
Speaker 1: year and had an OPS close to eight hundred, and
Speaker 1: it was a down year for Willy A. Bray You.
Speaker 1: He's only twenty what is he? He's twenty six years old.
Speaker 1: He turned twenty seven in June. He's a really good
Speaker 1: outfielder too, that can play right field. So you could
Speaker 1: have Bray You and Taoscar Hernandez in left field, to
Speaker 1: Bray You and right Hernandez and left and Pa Haz
Speaker 1: in center if you went that route, if you went
Speaker 1: the Larst new Bar route. He can play all three
Speaker 1: outfield spots. He could play center, Paz could play right,
Speaker 1: Taoscar Hernandez could play left. What this all leads back
Speaker 1: to is Taioscar Hernandez going back to left field. That's
Speaker 1: where he thrived in his first year with the Dodgers.
Speaker 1: And when you make mistakes or you don't get great
Speaker 1: jumps in left field, it's not as glaring as it
Speaker 1: is in right field. Speaking of Taoscar Hernandez, I'm not
Speaker 1: sure if you are on social media a lot many
Speaker 1: of you are, if you have seen Taoscar Hernandez's photos
Speaker 1: since the season ended, this guy is in tremendous condition.
Speaker 1: It appears, and from what I've been told by p
Speaker 1: close to ta Oscar, he has been in the lab
Speaker 1: in Tampa, in Florida working to get better for a
Speaker 1: resurgent twenty twenty six. And he didn't have a bad
Speaker 1: twenty twenty five. He was doing pretty well. He was
Speaker 1: on his way to the All Star Game before he
Speaker 1: injured his groin. And it's refreshing to hear him, a
Speaker 1: proud Dominican and a man that loves his country and
Speaker 1: his people say, you know what, I'm going to pass
Speaker 1: on playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball
Speaker 1: Classic and focus on allowing my body to heal, to
Speaker 1: rest to be ready for the Major League season and
Speaker 1: the Dodgers. That tells you the mentality of Taoscar Hernandez
Speaker 1: going into spring training. So you know, when I'm on
Speaker 1: sports Net LA and they throw us all these topics,
Speaker 1: hey pick your number one target for the Dodgers if
Speaker 1: they If you were to ask me today, who is
Speaker 1: going to have the bounce back season for the Dodgers,
Speaker 1: the biggest bounce back come back season for the Dodgers,
Speaker 1: it's one guy. It's thirty seven it's ta Oscar Hernandez.
Speaker 1: He is going to have a monster twenty twenty six,
Speaker 1: mark my words on that. Eight six six nine eight
Speaker 1: seven two five seventy is the phone number. Our next
Speaker 1: show is coming up on Thursday night at seven o'clock,
Speaker 1: and we're gonna have basically two shows a week up
Speaker 1: until spring training starts. I'll be leaving for Camelback Ranch
Speaker 1: in Glendale, Arizona, on February thirteenth, that's my report date,
Speaker 1: so I'll be out there then. And the first Dodgers
Speaker 1: Cactus League game is on February twenty first, and you
Speaker 1: will hear it live right here on AM five to
Speaker 1: seventy LA Sports. And the Dodgers will be opening up
Speaker 1: the Major League season or they're part of the major
Speaker 1: League schedule for the first time in a number of
Speaker 1: years at Dodgers Stadium. That's right. Ring Day is going
Speaker 1: to be opening Day for the Dodgers on March twenty sixth.
Speaker 1: It's a Thursday Dodgers Diamondbacks at five thirty at Dodgers Stadium,
Speaker 1: the home opener, Opening day for the Dodgers in North
Speaker 1: America for the first time in three years. On March
Speaker 1: twenty six five thirty against the Diamondbacks. It's not too
Speaker 1: soon to start looking at the first homestand because the
Speaker 1: Dodgers will start with three games against the Diamondbacks and
Speaker 1: then host the Cleveland Guardians for three games before they
Speaker 1: head out on their first road trip of the season,
Speaker 1: and that will be in our nation's capital and then
Speaker 1: going back to Toronto. Can you believe that the Dodgers
Speaker 1: first road trip of the season will include a trip
Speaker 1: to Toronto, Canada as world champions? That should be spectacular.
Speaker 1: All right, that'll do it for us on Dodger Talk tonight.
Speaker 1: Thank you to Ronnie Fossio for all his help, Thank
Speaker 1: you to listen, Thank you for listening. And like I said,
Speaker 1: in case you missed any of the show, you can
Speaker 1: find it on the iHeartRadio app. We'll be back with
Speaker 1: you on Thursday night at seven o'clock. I'll be back
Speaker 1: with you as well on sports net LA at six
Speaker 1: o'clock on Thursday night with our guy John Hartung and
Speaker 1: Jerry Harriston Junior. So we got a big Dodger day
Speaker 1: on Thursday, sports net LA at six o'clock, Dodger Talk
Speaker 1: at seven o'clock right here on a five to seventy
Speaker 1: LA Sports. You can follow me on Instagram at officially
Speaker 1: Vassa and on x at the Real Underscore DV. We'll
Speaker 1: talk to you on Thursday. Coming up next, Jason Smith
Speaker 1: on Fox Sports Radio. See you