The Dodgers are back in action tomorrow night at Dodgers Stadium. Our coverage begins at six o'clock, with first pitch at seven ten between the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. Gavin Stone will be on the mound for the Dodgers, and on Saturday afternoon evening twilight, our guest will be on the mound for his
third Major League start. A man that certainly has burst onto the scene and has made his name be known in the City of Angels, and that is the one and only Justin Robleski. Justin, thanks a lot for the time, appreciate it. Yeah, yeah, no worries, no worries. Hey, let's just get this out of the way right now. I've heard people refer to you as Robo. I'm not in with that nickname. I'm not sure if you're in with that nickname. Can you just set the record straight.
If you want people to stop referring to as Robo, we can make that happen right now. You know what. So when I was in when I was in fourth grade, when I was in fourth grade, fourth oh yeah, that's when that's when it started. And then kind of just my whole life everyone's called me that, so I've kind of grown into it and I kind of like it. So that's that's what we're gonna stick with, all right, all right. I was hoping you would say you hate it.
No, it's it's it's kind of just like it's me now, you know what I mean. At this point, I've written with it for so long, it's kind of just who I am. I mean, I look at your name. I don't see Robo anywhere in this name. It's just it's just because Robleski and for whatever reason, just Robo. That's just what it was. So win a W in the front though not not not r O b O. It's W R O b O. Yeah, and maybe that's why the fourth grader's there just went with robo right right there. Yeah,
W Yeah. It's easier to say, easier to say, hey, justin. I know you're in the big leagues right now, but man, you are an underdog story. You were an eleventh round pick in twenty twenty one. You were the three hundred and forty second overall pick that year. Do you feel like you're an underdog story? I would say, yeah, but kind of had a lot of unfortunate things happen in my college career that kind of, I guess, not derailed, but just kind of made my
path different than a lot of other people's. So I've always kind of felt, you know, that's kind of a chip on my shoulder, like they don't think I can, so I will. I think that's just kind of who I am. But yeah, it's I would say I'm an underdog, but I would say I've never I've never viewed myself as like lesser than I guess if that makes sense. I've always had confidence. Yeah, no doubt. I saw that at Dodger Stadium. You really had mound presence for a
guy that was making his major league debut. Where does that come from? I think I think it just kind of falls back on my preparation. It just kind of I don't know, I guess just who I am as a person, Like if I'm if I feel prepared, I think, you know, I can compete with with anybody. So I guess that's where it comes from. It's just I guess slowly been built up over time. But it's it's just kind of I don't know, that's a good question, but I'd
say it's just something I slowly built over time. Hey, I guess if you feel like you're prepared, you have that confidence. If you're not prepared, that's when you're nervous. Right. I've I actually get some homework on you, Robleski. I actually text your Triple A manager Travis Barbary, and asked him what he thought about justin Robleski. You want to hear what he had to tell me. If they were good things? Yeah, they were
good things, And it goes back to preparation. He said. The biggest thing that stood out to him is how detailed your pre start preparation is in the homework you do on the lineup that you're going to face. And I'm sure when you were in that hotel room before you made your major league debut against the Brewers, you were doing a lot of studying. So did I interrupt the preparation for the Red Sox? Uh? No, that's that's already been. I mean, there's already been a lot of that that's done already.
Obviously I'm gonna go probably going tomorrow and look at a few more things. But yeah, it's I kind of I try to do it. It's kind of like homework for me. I guess I just kind of I try to get it out of the way and then so I can look over it and kind of really understand, like what I'm trying to do from that standpoint, What what are you looking at? Without giving away too many secrets, Why are you so detailed? Are you looking at the swings? Can you
read swings as the game is going on? What are you what are you looking for? I think for sure reading swings is part of it for me. I'm I'm I'm definitely more of a numbers guy, So I like, I have a customer report that the Dodgers have that I've always I've looked at, and there's a couple of other things that they've helped me kind of, I guess mold and there's certain certain tendencies and other things that I'm looking at. I'm not going to say everything, but yeah, just certain tendencies kind
of what guys like to do where they do damage. I guess it's kind of the biggest pieces of it for me. And where did that come from? Justin Did you learn that over the years in the minor leagues, Did you learn that in college at Oklahoma State or has that always been you going
back to high school. Yeah, it's just it's definitely a minor league thing because you don't really have the data your fingertips so that we do now in college in high school, but definitely kind of when I got to the minor leagues and kind of got access to data like that, it's just kind of from my perspective, it's like, this can make me better, so why would I not use it and use it to its full ability. So just kind of but it's a process to try and figure out, like what do
I need to look at, what's important, what's not important? What's that way? You don't have too much to look at, So it's been kind of a process these past, you know, two seasons, just really trying to figure out what I need to know and what I don't. Justin Robleski is our guest. He started this season in Double A, made two starts at Triple A, and here he is just two days away from making his
third major league start against the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium. I'm curious, Justin, when a rookie comes up and a pitcher that's starting so quickly after he gets activated, how have your teammates treated you. They've been great. Everybody's been really kind of accepting and kind of just helpful to me and obviously teaching me kind of how things work and how things go. You know, Luckily know a couple guys and Knack and Gavin and Bobby and guys like
that that have been really just helped me out. And the guys that I had knew previously so just kind of had that comfort. But everyone's been really awesome. So it's been It's been a i'd say not it's not easy, but they've definitely made it easier to kind of just, I guess smash into the team. And from what you told us, Clayton Kershaw was kind of the guy you looked up to when you were a kid. How strange and surreal was it to be in the dugout with him? Yeah, it's crazy.
It's crazy, just kind of all those years watching him and just kind of especially as a lefty grown up, I mean, Kershaw was going to be your guy. So it's it was surreal and obviously something that I'm thankful for and I won't forget. Did you ever try to emulate anything of his delivery when you were a kid. Have you seen my delivery. It does not look like no, no, no, no. There's only one person
that can throw that way, and that's him. Have you ever thought about, you know, when you're out of the stretch, like bringing both hands up above your head. Have you ever thought about doing that? Robleski? You know what? Never? Once? Never, once have I thought about Justin Robleski is our guest. Obviously you could tell he's an easy guy to
root for. And you went to college at Oklahoma State. Your college coach was Josh Holliday, who's known for being a hitting guru, because that's where a lot of even major leaguers go to kind of get back on track. What was it like playing for him? It was great. It was great. They're they're great people over there, and you know, obviously can't thank them enough for giving me the shot they did as a as a junior college guy. So it was awesome and they were really really awesome to me in
my time there. And unfortunately I wish, I wish I could have fished in the postseason and done all that at Oklahoma State, but didn't get the opportunity because because of TJ. But they've they were awesome with everything and they're great people and I don't can't, can ever have a bad word to say about those guys, you know, Kershaw's guys over at Oklahoma Skip Johnson. Yeah, I don't. I don't. Uh is there a rivalry? How to answer that one? I don't know how to answer that one. We'll
leave it right there. We don't want to upset anybody. Hey, before I let you go, the one thing that we were all impressed about that you don't see a lot of pitchers do or know how to do, is how you change speeds, not with different pitches, but even how you change speeds with your fastball. That is something that shows signs of maturity beyond your
years. Yeah, it's funny because I think it's It definitely adds a layer of kind of I guess deception to me, where it's like you're expecting one thing and you get another, and you got two different fastballs to worry about that move the same. So I think upfront of that game is really important, no doubt. And it's been working for you and I can't wait to see it again on Saturday. We're all looking forward to a justin and really
appreciate you taking time out to jump on the show. Looking forward to seeing you out there at Dodgers Stadium tomorrow. Yeah, no worries, Thank you guys. Hey, there he goes, Justin Robleski, you can call him Robo. He's given us permission. There he goes. He's making the start on Saturday for the Dodgers against the Boston Red Sox. Twenty four years old. Started the year out at Double A Tulsa, and here he is pitching for the Dodgers and making his third major league start coming up in a couple
of days. So definitely excited for the young man and definitely is to me an underdog and a guy that certainly pitches because a lot of people, I'm sure counted him out. Eleventh round pick coming out of Oklahoma State in twenty twenty one. Another good pitching fine for Billy Gasparino and his staff.