We're in Pittsburgh with my guy that I predicted would finish in the top three of National League Rookie of the Year voting, and he's making me look good so far. And I know that's his motivation on the mound and in between starts every single step he takes, and that is the one and only Gavin Stone. Gavin, thanks a lot for the time. Did I feel like I tapped into your motivation? Oh yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, it's good to be on. Thanks for having me again. Hopefully I get
a boom box after this, but yeah, it's going to be. It's in the mail. Oh yeah, thanks, thanks for shure. I just need the charger honestly. Okay, we'll get you the charger for the boom box I gave you last year, courtesy of Travis Matthews. Yeah, thank you, Travis. Hey, how about this. Not a lot of people realize back in LA you and Bobby Miller are roommates, and he said he was a good roommate. After that torturous flight last week from New York back
to LA he was leaving while you were coming home. Yeah, we got back at like I don't know, it was probably like eight o'clock. Yeah, and he was going to the field that day. It was our off day. And I come in and and I eat something, I order some door dish, eat something, and then Bobby wakes up and it's literally probably like twenty minutes rot whenever I got home, he left, and then I went straight to bed after that. How many interactions do you guys have living
together? Oh? Yeah, I mean we see each other all the time at home, at the field. You know, we're pretty much always together. It sucks that he's been hurt, you know, this long, because he hasn't been on the road trips and stuff. But uh yeah, whenever I come home, like, we're always together pretty much. Can you tell his demeanor has changed in any way while he's been on the io because he wants to pitch so badly? Oh yeah, he's itching the pitch. That's
all he wants to do is pitch. I mean, you can tell he's he's, uh, you know, anxious to get back out there for sure. But no, he's got a good head on him. Do any of you cook? Does anybody make a home cook meal? I don't. I don't cook. Bobby cooks. Bobby likes to cook Bobby. He just got we have this little pool area and there's a girl downstairs. He just got a bunch of Kershaws Kershaw's beef. Yeah, so he's been cooking that downstairs. Have you tried any of the Kershaw beef? Is it what they say
on the package? No curveballs? No, I actually haven't tried it. Bobby said it's really good though. So Bobby knows his way around the grill. Yeah, he's a grill master. All right. That's a good roommate to have a guy that knows how to grill. Oh, I know he doesn't never cook me anything, but I'm sure he would if I. Gavin Stone is our guest, just head a first pitch here in Pittsburgh. How's the season been going for you? Obviously we know things seem to get into
a rhythm, but for you personally, I'm sure you want more. Yeah, I mean, I'm just trying to win ball games for the club, to be honest, it's been a lot of fun so far. I don't get a lot of strikeouts of the defense has helped me out a lot, sou and they've been great. We've had a great defense all year. But no, it's been a lot of fun. I'm enjoying it. Still got
a long ways to go, though. On the flip side, strikeout pitchers, sometimes the guys behind them kind of get bored when they're not doing much stuff. But it seems like the pace that you pitch at and the way these guys play behind you, it works that you work fast and you induce a lot of contact. Yeah. I mean it's always been something that I've done is just work fast, try and get the guys back in the dugout, trying and put up more runs, get them off their feet as much
as I can. Do you pay attention to that when people want to poke holes in your game and say, well, you know, he puts up zeros, but he doesn't strike out a lot of guys. No, I don't care. Zeros is it's the only thing that really matters. Do you feel like you're starting to find pitches that can dial up for you to be able to get that strike out when you need it. Oh? Yeah,
there's opportunities certain pitches of certain areas. You know, the last couple of games, I've gotten a couple of strikeouts on fast on heaters up and heaters around the zone and stuff like that, and then I think that'll open up my change up. Uh, And the slider has been good too, so you know, just trying to find ways to open up the change up and then and then you know, catching them off guard with the other crap.
What's the biggest difference between the way your change up appears and the way your two seamer appears to hitters because they're both pitches down in the zone. Yeah, I'm honestly, I mean, I'm not sure. I know two seamen has more vertical on it obviously, Uh, probably more run too, but I mean that feels the natural pronation feels good out of my hand. Uh,
And so that's why the two seam works really well. And then and then the changeup I've had since I got into Pro Bowl, and it's, uh, you know, it's a it's a pitch where you gotta you gotta keep making adjustments on week to week. But no, they've been, they've been, honestly two of my best pitches this year. Gavin. Just hearing you talk about pitching, it feels like you're constantly learning and you thrive and trying to to figure out different shapes for these pitches. How much do you
enjoy that part of it. Yeah, when you have multiple pitches that do different shapes, it's fun to play around with different parts of the zone. Like a couple of weeks ago, me and Walker and Connor and all, like Mark was talking about, you know, front hip two seamers to lefties and stuff like that, and so trying that out in the ball game. And then you know, backdoor cutters and stuff like that. It's always fun to just mix it up, mix around the zone and stuff like that and
see whatever, see what holes I can find, to be honest. Gavin Stone is our guest. Speaking of Walker Bueller, your roommate Bobby Miller talked about how he's started to become more friends with him. What's the relationship between the young guys and Buehler, who's really not that much older than you guys. Yeah, that's funny. He was talking about Jones the other yesterday saying that Walker was his guy, and Walker's like, I'm not even thirty yet,
no, but he's he's literally just a book of information. He's got so much stuff that he can lay on you and it's all useful, you know, It's it's great information. He's been around the League for a while. He's pitching a lot of high leverage you know games and stuff like that, and so the information that he gives is you know, it's really really fun and entertaining to listen to him, especially in his bullpen work, you know, him talking back and forth to Connor and Mark. You know,
you honestly learn a lot from that. And like he's one of the guys that likes to, I don't know, throw different shapes in different areas kind of like I do. And so just watching him and learning learning from him has been really really helpful. That's awesome to hear. And the one thing that I love about you and him is that you're able to keep your composure and your mound presence in different situations. Where does that come from for you?
Because it never feels like you're rattled on the mound. Yeah, that was something that you know, I'm thankful for UCA whenever I went there. Coach Arline, he's he was the pitching coach then he's the head coach now. But he was all about mentality and being strong on the mount and keeping your composure and having a little heartbeat. And I mean those three years were that's that was that's where I learned. That was from those three years in
college. And he does a great job and he's got he got the head job after I left, and so that that program is still flourishing. And I'm really thankful, you know, from my time there and what he taught me. That's not just you on the mound, just being around you the last couple of years. That's the way you live your life. It doesn't seem like you get too excited or too sad about many things. Yeah, there's no reason for that. I mean, uh, it's just life,
to be honest. You go through life. Some days are gonna be better than others. Some days are going to be, you know, worse than others. Uh. You just have to you know, be the same person. Really love it. I need to learn that. I'm forty plus and I'm very emotional. That's okay, That's okay. Some people are some people are wired different. But right, Thanks a lot for the time, Gavin. Really appreciate talking to you. And like I've said many times, you're
an easy guy to root for. And we'll certainly uh find that battery for your boombox soon. Thanks appreciate it. There he is the man Gavin Stone even when the power goes out, cool as a cucumber,