Well, it's Taco Tuesday, and we all know it's a celebration at Dodger Stadium on Taco Tuesday. And it's a celebration every time we have the man Anthony Banda joining us second time on the show. I appreciate you taking the time out. I know the energy level is high, but you gotta be ready, Bunda.
I'm ready. Yeah. What are we talking about right now? Talk for Tuesdays? Yeah?
Why are you so laid back man? Why are you trying to be so suave right now?
I am always laid back. I don't have any I'm not a ra ra guy or upbeat guys. I just always been this way. My father's that way. How about that?
Maybe that explains why you have a low heartbeat on the mound. You never get to you never let the game get too fast. Your heartbeat is just mellow like you are right now.
Yeah, I I think you know within that my head, my thoughts and everything, obviously they're racing, but the controlling of the thoughts and understanding what it is that I need to do to, you know, proceed to the next pitch, whatever it is, and understand like the sequence that I've already pitched to uh, you know that those are the kind of things that I'm that that's going through my head. But I was always taught not to show too much
emotion on the on the mound. Uh. I was always a kid that you know, younger, younger days, I would have a lot of emotions just from like failing and being upset, you know, And I was always getting in trouble for that. So that was something instilled in me right away, and uh, my father kept on it, and I think it's evolved into the sense of just understanding what it is I needed to do on the mound and then move on.
So two lefties and that Dodger bulpen on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as showing emotion on the mound. Alex Vessi is the complete opposite.
He's a great day. He's uh, he does he does a tremendous job. He's having a great year. I've watched him on the other side a lot. I followed him a lot, and you know it's I think it's it fits him because you know, his personality is exactly that. Off the field, he's very interactive, he's very uh, you know, he's funny, don't tell him I said that. But he is funny, he gets he gets me to laugh and
stuff like that. But no, watching him throw and watching him, you know, be himself and that that was That's the biggest thing I guess you can say as far as being confident and stuff like that, is if you're allowed to be yourself, you're gonna you're gonna shine and and be that. And you know, everybody around the clubhouse loves him. Everybody knows who he is. Everybody, you know, enjoys the energy that he brings every single day.
Los Angeles knows. So Anthony Bonda is as well. With how well you've been pitching, Anthony, I'll ask you the question everybody else is asking, why has it come together for you right now with this team.
I don't know the exact answer to that. I think it has a lot to do with, you know, the information given, you know, the pitching coaches, the staff, everybody around me allowing me to be myself. That was the first thing they told me. And then you know, obviously like understanding what my job is is throwing the ball of the plate, you know, and just having confidence and conviction with the pitch that we're throwing and you know, just understanding that. You know, at the end of the day,
we're a team. We're all pulling for each other. And that's the biggest thing as far as like for me is to be able to understand that I have, you know, eight guys behind me that will do like everything and anything that can possibly do to win the ball game. So I just I just think it all comes down to a mixture of all that, to be honest. But I think the clubhouse vibes and everything else like that, the you know, the guys introducing me to newer people,
bringing me in, understanding and accepting me. I think that's that plays a big role in it too.
So what does it mean when the people pictures that come here say the Dodgers allow me to be myself? Does that mean off the field or does it mean as a pitcher they allow you to pitch to who you are.
Both. You know, you know, if you're in this clubhouse for a reason, you have something some something special about you and they want to bring that out. They do a very good job of bringing that out. And you know, within this clubhouse there's there's no egos, there's no you know,
anything else like that. Of course, the Dodgers is loaded with superstars, but they treat we treat each other just like anybody else on the street, you know, with respect, you know, confidence and everything else like that that comes with that. But I think that's it's a it's a mixture of both. When they when they allow us to
be ourselves. They allow us to be ourselves in the clubhouse, allow us to be ourselves on the field, and I think that's just where we can just relax and just go play some baseball.
Love it, Anthony, Thanks a lot for the time. Great to have you on the pregame show again. The only rule on the Dodgers have your bag on time. That comes from Alex Torus, the Dodgers clubhouse manager. You better have your bag on time or he'll be knocking on your hotel door.
Okay, all right, cool,