WEBVTT - Special Dave Roberts sit-down conversation on Dodgers Territory 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:17.079 Hello everybody, and welcome to a very special episode of Dodgers' Territory. 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:20.040 We are live at Camelbacker Ranch, of course, the spring 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:23.120 training home of the back to back World Series champion 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:27.000 Los Angeles Dodgers. A man that needs no introduction, Dave Roberts, 0:00:27.040 --> 0:00:28.840 the manager of the team, joining us now. 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:32.319 I'm Alana Rizzo. Alongside with Clint Psias and Katie wou 0:00:32.360 --> 0:00:36.480 we are the hosts of Dodgers' Territory for the upcoming season. Dave, 0:00:36.560 --> 0:00:39.040 thank you for doing this. Appreciate it very much. There's 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:42.680 so much to talk about with the upcoming season. But 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:44.760 we want to take you back to the World Series 0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:46.680 last year, which one of the best World Series that 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:49.760 certainly I have ever seen. Of Course, it ended in 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:51.600 the right way, right, so it's a good World Series 0:00:51.640 --> 0:00:55.560 for us. But I want to go back to Game 0:00:55.600 --> 0:01:00.480 one and just the mentality and the mind set of 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:02.880 going up against naturally the best club in the American 0:01:02.960 --> 0:01:05.240 League in the Toronto Blue Jays. But what did you 0:01:05.319 --> 0:01:07.640 think going into that series of the way that we're 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:08.839 going to win this is. 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:12.360 How the way we're going to win this. 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:16.520 I felt that the Blue Jays didn't get the didn't 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:20.120 get enough credit kind of nationwide about how good they 0:01:20.120 --> 0:01:24.880 were of a ball club, very gritty, very tough team. 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:29.000 I thought, I thought we would perform better offensively against 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:33.000 their pitching staff, but I just felt that we were 0:01:33.000 --> 0:01:35.800 going to be in for a dogfight, and so you 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:40.680 try to win those games at home. And like I said, 0:01:40.760 --> 0:01:44.880 I didn't expect us to not perform offensively, but we 0:01:44.920 --> 0:01:47.440 really played defense really well, we pitched really. 0:01:47.160 --> 0:01:47.680 Well, and. 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:52.400 It was I'm looking forward to digging into this World 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:56.200 Series because I haven't, truth be told, I haven't gone 0:01:56.240 --> 0:02:00.480 back and replayed Game one, three, five, seven, seven, all 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:03.520 that stuff. So this would be good for my recall 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:05.040 to having this conversation. 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:07.040 I mean it worked for us last year too. You know, 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:09.600 you win a World Series again. After we talk about 0:02:10.080 --> 0:02:13.799 twenty twenty four, this one it seemed, I don't want 0:02:13.840 --> 0:02:16.359 to say, easier in some ways, but also a lot 0:02:16.400 --> 0:02:18.560 more stressful in other ways. I mean, obviously getting to 0:02:18.560 --> 0:02:21.000 the World Series, I don't want it's not a cakewalk. 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:23.160 Every team in baseball is very good, but you guys, 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:26.400 maybe you mentioned there, kind of face a little bit 0:02:26.440 --> 0:02:30.079 of a sucker punch meeting those Toronto Blue Jays, a 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:33.200 little bit better that splitter from everybody who was working 0:02:33.360 --> 0:02:37.400 very much. We talked last year about baseball's kind of 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:40.280 funny because something that maybe would have gone against you 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:44.640 guys six seven, eight years ago, it seemed like it 0:02:44.680 --> 0:02:50.120 fell your way. This last postseason. Baseball just weird. Is 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:54.080 it something where maybe you're managing different with the gut, 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:56.720 the heart, all that kind of stuff. What can you 0:02:56.800 --> 0:03:00.200 kind of say. I'm probably not articulating this well because 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:02.840 I don't want to take up everybody's time, But you 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:08.680 know what changes between a twenty seventeen, eighteen, twenties nineteen 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:11.400 postseasons to being able to put it all together? 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:14.320 And yeah, you know what? And I don't know that answer. 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:17.480 I think that's kind of a great thing about baseball, 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:22.160 where it is so unpredictable and there are a lot 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:25.160 of different pressure points in series, and you can look 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:28.079 back and we can do a show where you're talking 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:32.520 about sixteen, seventeen, eighteen. Every single year there are pressure 0:03:32.560 --> 0:03:36.000 points that went our way, decisions that I made that 0:03:36.080 --> 0:03:38.640 went well, and decisions I made that didn't go well, 0:03:38.960 --> 0:03:41.720 and then they're looked at as good decisions or bad decisions. 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:44.480 But yeah, in the past couple years. You need breaks too, 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:49.120 So I don't think that I overhauled kind of the 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:52.200 way I manage. But I do believe that I have 0:03:52.440 --> 0:03:56.680 really gone ahead and trusted players more than I have 0:03:56.800 --> 0:04:01.360 and that kind of comes with experience. But again, the 0:04:01.400 --> 0:04:05.080 ball gets stuck in the outfield wall a line drive 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:08.520 right at Max Muncy. When Blake comes in and you 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:10.840 know that ball is down the line. It's a different series, 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:13.480 and so there's a lot of things that happened that 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:15.839 have to happen for you to win a championship. 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:19.800 So I'm my first game of the World Series is 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:22.400 not Game one. I was still doing Cardinals, but knew 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:25.680 I was coming to Dodgers, so I hopped in on 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:29.280 Game three, which I may. 0:04:29.560 --> 0:04:32.039 Did you did you last eighteen innings? 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:32.320 Yeah? 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:35.760 I essentially had two games, of course, but to make 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:37.400 up for the two games that I missed, they put 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:40.120 two games into one. And as I'm watching Game three 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:43.120 and we're there's in a different press box, we're up 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:46.000 in like left field, and I think the story by 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:48.280 the seventh inning is going to be of Tawny's two homers. 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:50.080 And never did I think the story was going to 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:53.680 be a marathon eighteen inning game. As you're watching this 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:57.920 game transpire, especially when you get to like the thirteenth 0:04:57.960 --> 0:04:59.960 inning and you realize this, this is never going to end. 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:01.560 We're going to be here for the rest of time. 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:04.360 How do you I mean, I think Andrew Friedman even 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:06.440 came out and that was the game where he actually 0:05:06.520 --> 0:05:09.520 threw a bar stool because he was convinced that, you know, 0:05:09.560 --> 0:05:12.680 it was just so frustrated or all the emotions of 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:13.839 this game never ending. 0:05:14.080 --> 0:05:15.480 How do you manage that side of it? 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:16.920 And did it get to a point where you were like, 0:05:17.040 --> 0:05:19.440 oh my gosh, this will never this will never end. 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:23.120 I had thoughts that it was never going to end. 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:28.200 I think you're managing the game first and foremost, But 0:05:28.279 --> 0:05:32.000 there was a point where I was really considering having 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:34.520 I don't know if it was migey Ro or Kiki 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:37.720 was still in the game and having them come out 0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:41.880 and pitch after Will Climb, because you're also trying to 0:05:42.040 --> 0:05:44.640 appreciate that you still got to win four games in 0:05:44.680 --> 0:05:47.920 this seven game series, albeit the World Series, and there 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:52.800 was an attrition factor going on in that game, and 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:56.400 certainly with the pitching and so knowing also Shohey had 0:05:56.440 --> 0:06:01.040 to pitch the next day or actually it was past midnight, 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:04.280 so that same night, and Will Smith was going to 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:07.000 catch the next night or that same night, and so 0:06:07.120 --> 0:06:10.560 I'm also thinking about attrition, and so that was kind 0:06:10.600 --> 0:06:15.839 of got me a little anxious. Very grateful that Freddie 0:06:15.880 --> 0:06:18.720 hit the homer in the eighteenth but Yamamoto, I mean, 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:21.760 you wonder what would have changed if we didn't win 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:25.040 it right there, and Yamamoto had to pitch that game. 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:28.560 But yeah, there was it was up and down, and 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:30.520 you want to win them all. But I think at 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:32.200 a certain point I just wanted the game to end. 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:35.360 I remember Ken Rosenthal, Dave was reporting during the game 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:37.960 because obviously he's a sideline reporter for Fox, that you 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:40.839 would consider using a position player to come in and 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:43.240 pitch because you're trying, you're not just managing. Of course, 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:44.960 for that one, you have to think about the rest 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:47.159 of the series. Did you ever think there'd be a 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:49.719 time in your life as a manager where a position 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:52.520 player might be pitching for your club in the World 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:54.680 Series and try to continue to force it? 0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:57.719 Absolutely not that one. I don't think that had been 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:02.159 received well on social you know, but I think that 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:03.960 if you look back, you know, and I'm managing the 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:06.880 postseason where you know, certain times and people hate saying it, 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:08.760 but you gotta punt, and you got to you gotta 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:11.600 try to win a series, and so at that point 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:15.080 in time, you're trying to net out positives and negatives. 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:17.360 But I did get to the point after talking to 0:07:17.440 --> 0:07:20.600 Yamamoto that he was ready and he was I was 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:23.040 willing to kind of fire that bullet if we needed to. 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:26.520 But yeah, al I never thought even considering a position 0:07:26.520 --> 0:07:27.800 player in a World Series game. 0:07:28.440 --> 0:07:30.280 And I remember looking over the railing there in the 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:32.880 auxiliary press box seeing I'm a Mota. I see the 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:35.400 intent change in his throat. I'm like, oh shit, this 0:07:35.440 --> 0:07:37.440 could be real, this could be really Thank God for 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:38.000 will Climb. 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:41.680 What that kid did, it's amazing. And he blacked out. 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:45.760 And so that's sometimes you know, you can't overthink things, 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:48.000 and it was in the moment, and you know, but 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:51.200 it is a testament to when you don't give yourself 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:51.560 an out. 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:54.400 And I've even talked to him this this spring. 0:07:54.080 --> 0:07:57.600 And had him talk to the team about you know, 0:07:57.680 --> 0:08:00.800 when you think, when you know you're the last guy available, 0:08:01.320 --> 0:08:04.520 then you've got to be more efficient. You can't look 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:07.680 to the pen just for someone to save you. So 0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:11.000 this is situation he's never been in, might never be 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:15.040 in again. And so the way he performed, we certainly 0:08:15.080 --> 0:08:18.160 don't win that game without him, and maybe not the 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:20.960 World Series because obviously after that game we ended up 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:26.360 dropping two more at home. So always be a Willklin fan. 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:28.720 Yeah, absolutely, there you go. 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:31.040 This is what I think everyone wants to know. 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:32.880 If you had to choose between Migi Row and keyk 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:35.200 who's taken the ball in that situation. 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:36.800 You know what I would say. 0:08:37.480 --> 0:08:39.679 I know one guy was in the game, one goes out, 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:42.760 But if I had to pick one, I got Migi 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:46.720 Row right now. Key K is he's gone gone cold 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:51.040 recently kitchen, so he's given up walks and some homers. 0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:52.280 So I'd go to togu ro. 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:56.520 Started good, It started great, ye then yeah, a little 0:08:56.520 --> 0:08:57.040 too Froggy. 0:08:57.360 --> 0:08:58.280 That's right. That's right. 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:01.679 Mindset after game five, you guys are going back to Toronto. 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:03.080 You need to win both on the road. 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:07.000 Mindset. After game five. Was the first thing I did 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:10.880 after we lost that game was I texted Meggiro and said, 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.240 you're starting game six. So that was the first thing 0:09:13.280 --> 0:09:17.440 I did. I just felt we needed some infusion of 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:21.079 meg Euro in game six, and then I sent out 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:24.040 a text letting the guys know that I want everyone 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:27.040 to have we get to Toronto and then have an 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:31.000 off day so there's no workout, no problem. But then 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:33.680 shortly thereafter they reached back out to me saying the 0:09:33.760 --> 0:09:36.720 veteran guy is saying, appreciate it, but we want to go. 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:38.920 We want to work out. We've come this far, we 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:41.400 want to work out. And so at that point in time, 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:45.640 I'm on the plane, I'm giddy excited that our guys 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:49.240 want to work out and not take the option to 0:09:49.280 --> 0:09:53.480 not practice. And so everyone shows up, got their work in, 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:57.640 and I felt better about that. And this group, a 0:09:57.679 --> 0:10:00.600 lot of this group has played an elimination game on 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:04.080 the road, so we've been there. So I wasn't worried 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:08.960 about the moment getting too big. I was happy that 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:13.040 Yama was starting, and I just felt if we could 0:10:13.040 --> 0:10:14.680 just sort of hang in there, we're going to find 0:10:14.720 --> 0:10:17.800 a way to win. And again, going back to Miggy, 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:20.400 I just felt he made some great plays defensively, got 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:23.320 to hit that night, and I just felt having a 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:28.880 guy like that inserted into the lineup he's gonna not literally, 0:10:29.000 --> 0:10:31.720 but he will die on the field to try to 0:10:31.760 --> 0:10:32.880 get us to win a game. 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:36.280 And so I was excited about that. 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:39.440 Absolutely need to expand more on you know NIGGI roeing 0:10:39.480 --> 0:10:44.720 in that lineup. But first that break between games five 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:47.800 game six, the boys want to go to the ballpark, 0:10:47.840 --> 0:10:51.560 you're there. How much of the race between Hessong and 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:53.560 I know you've talked a lot about this already a camp, 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:56.200 It's been asked a lot, but the race between Dave Roberts, 0:10:56.200 --> 0:10:58.160 hes On Kim, how much of that was kind of 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:00.160 spur of the moment, any of that kind of of 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:03.480 premeditated a little bit here? Oh did you ever find 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:04.679 the sniper that got you? 0:11:04.720 --> 0:11:08.040 That's another Yeah, that was a pretty good face plan. 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:11.319 Banged up was a knee hamstring where it. 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:17.319 Was hamstring, so I didn't find the sniper. So premeditator. 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:20.760 I think it started where I was so excited about 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:23.439 our guys want end up practice. So then I was excited, 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:27.320 and then as I got out there, the mood was fine, 0:11:27.840 --> 0:11:30.120 and I just wanted to jazz it up a little bit, 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:34.480 add a little levity, and so I felt that why 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:39.720 not challenge our fastest runner to a foot race, and 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:42.760 I didn't expect to win, but I didn't expect to 0:11:42.800 --> 0:11:46.200 do a face plant. But I think my purpose was 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:48.760 served and everyone had fun. There was a little levity, 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:52.080 and then we went back to work. So some of 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:55.200 it was premeditated, but it just didn't The plan wasn't exactly, 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:56.720 didn't plout exactly as I wanted. 0:11:56.760 --> 0:11:59.080 Well, that was that was twenty twenty five, it's not 0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:00.440 two thousand and fourty doc. 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:03.000 That's right, that's right. The legs ain't doing what they do. 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:05.320 But the thing is always clinton is that your brain, 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:08.360 as I'm fifty three and now your brain still thinks 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:09.920 that it's like twenty seven. 0:12:09.760 --> 0:12:11.959 Twenty eight, and you'll learn that when you get older. 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:14.280 But then your body does it right, but you still 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:15.280 earn that place. 0:12:15.679 --> 0:12:17.439 But let me tell you right now, I will never 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:20.319 do a full sprint, a full speed sprint ever again, 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:22.360 because my body is fifty three. 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:23.640 Breaking news. 0:12:23.720 --> 0:12:25.200 You were fresh out of the gate, though, like you 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:28.240 start out hot. I think the underrated part of this. 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:30.120 As I saw you the next day, they're golf carting 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:32.840 you around. You've still actually had dirt on your hat 0:12:33.080 --> 0:12:34.840 from the face plant, and I was like that's the 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:35.520 gamer right there. 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:36.000 That's right. 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:38.480 And I did take a tourtoll shot too, so I 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:41.240 was like, guys are doing tourtoo shots and do whatever 0:12:41.320 --> 0:12:43.319 they could to get through the series of like. 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:46.400 Sign me up on then either way, Game six and 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:47.920 seven was gonna feel good, dude. 0:12:47.640 --> 0:12:50.320 That's right, that's right. I felt great, man. 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:52.640 So let's talk about a little bit about game six, 0:12:52.920 --> 0:12:56.600 specifically the ending because there and we've talked about this 0:12:56.640 --> 0:12:59.160 at camp already, just the different elements that could have 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:02.800 Kno gone your way and it changes everything. But when 0:13:02.800 --> 0:13:05.760 the ball gets stuck under the wall, what is your 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:06.480 initial reaction? 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:08.640 What did you want to see from Justin Dean? And 0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:10.199 how does that play out in real time? 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:13.280 Reacting to something that we would probably never see again 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:13.960 in that situation. 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:17.120 Yeah, I think that I was. I was very happy 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:19.320 to see that he put his hands up. But I 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:23.000 will say, as the rule plays, if the ball is lodged, 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:26.360 they will look at it. But Kei, k and Justin 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:28.720 put their hands up, and so it was a ground 0:13:28.800 --> 0:13:32.560 rule double. I felt good about that. I was so shocked. 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:34.520 But I think for me is once that ball is hit, 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:38.120 I'm thinking about the next move. So to be quite 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:41.880 honest with you, I'm not really reacting to the play. 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:45.040 I'm trying to figure out, Okay, do I need to 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:47.559 have the infield in, do I need to get somebody 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:50.400 else going, you know, who's coming up in the top 0:13:50.440 --> 0:13:52.880 half of the inning, So all those things, But it 0:13:53.000 --> 0:13:55.560 was it was just a really heavy play, And that's 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:58.400 something that I take a lot of pride in and 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.920 talking to our guys, not just about the talent, but 0:14:02.000 --> 0:14:06.040 being heady baseball players and knowing the rules, knowing you know, 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:10.320 Miguel Rojas, we practice the infield in all the time, 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:13.040 and so to make an accurate throw there. So yeah, 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:16.640 Game six, you know all the pitchers that we used, 0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:20.880 the different situations. So but to look back at that, though, Katie, 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:23.440 it was it was a heady play by Ki k 0:14:23.440 --> 0:14:25.280 a n justin talking about. 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:29.680 The next move. How quickly do you have to make decisions. 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:34.800 Very quickly because in the postseason, obviously everything happens faster, 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:40.440 and you know, on the margins everything matters, and you know, 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:43.840 not jumping ahead. But Game seven, when Miggi hit the homer, 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:47.360 that was the only time that postseason where I really 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:51.600 turned into a fan because as a manager, you've got 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:54.720 to expect good things happen, bad things to kind of 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.920 how do you react or respond right, And so that's 0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:02.160 something that I wasn't expecting. So once he hit that homer, 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:06.400 I just turned into a fanboy. And so but you've 0:15:06.440 --> 0:15:09.040 got to be steps ahead of it, because you know, 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:12.360 I think that's why people I probably get frustrated with me. 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:17.000 You know that I don't show a lot of reactions 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:19.600 because I'm always thinking about the next move, the next move, 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:22.600 and then once you put your fan hat on, you're 0:15:22.640 --> 0:15:25.680 not prepared for what outcome has happening in real time. 0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:28.200 Migail Rojas was on the show the other day and 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:29.880 he said when he was in the on deck circle, 0:15:29.920 --> 0:15:32.000 he looked back looking for Danny Lamb and the Dodgers' 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:34.360 bench coach, and he had been pinch hit for in 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:36.440 his career hundreds of times. He looked back to see 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:38.200 if Danny was going to call him back for a 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:40.560 pinch hitter. Danny wasn't there. He said, this at bat 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:43.440 is mine and he couldn't It wasn't that he couldn't 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:46.920 believe it, but you telling him that he was going 0:15:46.960 --> 0:15:50.320 to start six and then seven, of course, was such 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:53.840 a huge moment for him and probably the most unsuspecting 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:55.880 guy to hit a home run. He was not a 0:15:55.880 --> 0:15:57.960 home run hitter to hit it in that moment. What 0:15:58.120 --> 0:16:00.640 was bigger for you, the home run or the defensive 0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:01.640 play that he made. 0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:04.520 I think the home run because I think that we 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:09.320 can all count on Miggy's defense, and that's why, honestly 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:12.760 why he was inserted in the game, and I just 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:14.600 felt that he was going to do something helped the 0:16:14.640 --> 0:16:18.600 Dodgers win the home run because I talk a lot 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:24.440 about the game honorship and how or when I don't know, 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:28.400 but Miggie, to his credit, all season long, was a 0:16:28.520 --> 0:16:31.000 mentor to guy as a cheerleader, played for us when 0:16:31.000 --> 0:16:34.400 we needed him, and then then you get to the postseason, 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:37.200 and then he's not playing, not starting, and then when 0:16:37.200 --> 0:16:39.560 I called on him, he was ready. And so for 0:16:39.680 --> 0:16:42.120 him to get his flowers, his moment on a big 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:44.680 on a on a big in a big spot I 0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:46.480 always had for him, That's something that's going to be 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:49.440 talked about for years, and I think that him doing 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:52.400 things the right way the game honored him in that moment. 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:56.760 So yeah, that's something that I'm going to really be 0:16:56.960 --> 0:16:57.720 really proud of. 0:16:57.840 --> 0:17:01.760 The immediate impact he made. Obviously, Game seven makes an 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:06.199 insane scoop from a heady play from key K double play. 0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:10.240 You're like, oh man, this could be real Homer defensive 0:17:10.320 --> 0:17:13.560 play in Game seven to keep things alive. What was 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:17.200 kind of the gut the heart telling you that now 0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:19.359 is the time to pull the MIGGI lever. 0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:23.199 I think you know nothing against Andy at all. Andy 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:26.160 was a big part of getting us there. I think 0:17:26.200 --> 0:17:29.280 for me it's you don't know until you know. And 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:35.440 I say that and experience Andy next year, the year 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:38.360 is following, and throughout his career he's going to know 0:17:38.480 --> 0:17:42.800 how fleeting or how important, how much he's going to 0:17:42.880 --> 0:17:45.920 care more about the postseason as you get more experienced. 0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:49.160 And so now when you're talking about Miguel Rojas, he's 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:51.399 had a ten year career, he's talking about he's going 0:17:51.480 --> 0:17:54.440 to retire in twenty twenty six. Twenty twenty five could 0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:57.159 have been his last year with the Dodgers. So I 0:17:57.320 --> 0:18:02.040 wanted to bet on guys that it meant everything to them. 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:04.880 And so again, nothing against Andy, but I just felt 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:07.440 right there he was scuffling at the plate. Tommy at 0:18:07.440 --> 0:18:09.240 that point in time, we felt he could go back 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:12.520 out there and play center field. And you know, like 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:15.159 I said, Miggy was going to do anything he could 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:17.920 help us on both sides of the baseball in Game 0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:20.359 six and seven. So when you're riding a lineup out, 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:24.040 I said, there's nine guys that I felt were of 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:26.919 that same mind, and I was going to bet on 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:28.439 that when. 0:18:28.320 --> 0:18:30.080 You look at the pitching that you had to manage 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:32.760 in six and seven, I mean, your Game seven starter 0:18:32.880 --> 0:18:34.760 is pitching the ninth inning all of a sudden and 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:35.320 Tyler Glass. 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:37.240 Now in Game six, you have. 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:41.560 All hands on deck situation with your rotation as your bullpen. 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:45.320 How do you looking at you know only guys only 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:47.399 have a couple innings at this point, you also have 0:18:47.440 --> 0:18:49.679 Yamamoto and so aren't sure on what that looks like. 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:53.080 How do you manage ahead while also having to react 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:55.639 in real time to these guys where everything is on 0:18:55.720 --> 0:18:57.680 the line and you need all of them. 0:18:58.400 --> 0:19:01.639 I think for me, there was a certain amount of 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:03.480 guys that I was going to use in Game seven 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:07.880 and even in Game six, to be quite frank, because 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:10.400 it was elimination. So I think that there's a certain 0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:11.960 amount of guys I was going to use. And then 0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:15.240 so now once you have a certain group of guys 0:19:15.240 --> 0:19:18.560 that you're going to use, then you've got to figure 0:19:18.560 --> 0:19:23.119 out how to stagger those innings out and way somebody 0:19:23.520 --> 0:19:27.040 not going being a sharp versus introducing somebody else that 0:19:27.119 --> 0:19:30.600 you don't envision being a part of that equation. So 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:33.720 that's kind of where my head is at. And then 0:19:34.800 --> 0:19:37.960 you know, because even show Hey, for example, I knew 0:19:37.960 --> 0:19:40.639 that he didn't have his best stuff, but for me 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:43.880 not to try to get him through three innings potential 0:19:43.920 --> 0:19:45.800 could have introduced somebody else that I didn't want to 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:50.520 pitch for usage or for whatever reason. And so you 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:53.480 still got to cover nine innings. And so I think 0:19:53.520 --> 0:19:55.720 for me, it's really just watching to see what the 0:19:55.760 --> 0:19:58.840 guy has, but it's betting on people. If I've learned 0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.600 anything about the post season, it's you got to bet 0:20:01.640 --> 0:20:05.040 on people. And you know, the season is a long season. 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:09.199 There's ups and downs, it's a marathon, and you have 0:20:09.240 --> 0:20:12.280 a lot more latitude and leeway to kind of navigate it. 0:20:12.359 --> 0:20:15.720