We are inside the Dodger Clubhouse. It's a great college football Saturday, landon Nack last night. Starting Pitcher is joining us right now. Pretty fun ending to Notre Dame in Northern Illinois. There were a lot of Northern Illinois fans in here.
Yeah, obviously you always enjoy seeing the upsets and on Saturdays, and so.
Yeah, no, that was a fun one. You did not go to Tennessee. But since your college doesn't really have a football team, you're all in with the balls.
Yeah, we're We're not exactly a powerhouse over there. It's been a couple of years since our old coach retired and then now we're kind of been kind of stuck in the middle. So yeah, we've all but we've always been Tennessee fans since I was a little kid, so we've always root for the balls.
Do you remember going to a college football game there? Who was the first Tennessee quarterback you ever saw play tem Martin.
I'm trying to think who was the first one I saw play? The one? I mean obviously like whenever I was in like high school and stuff, it was Josh DAWs was like the main guy I watched a ton when I was younger. I don't exactly remember who the young young guys were, but yeah, Josh Dobbs was probably like the guy I remember watching the most games of I'm.
Gonna show him my age as an eighth grader. I saw Peyton Manning play at the Rose Bowl against UCLA.
Yeah, obviously Peyton is Knoxville Royalty. Yeah, they go crazy for him anytime he comes around. He's still a big part of the program out there. And so yeah, obviously we love Peyton.
Landon Neck is our guest after Northern Illinois and Kevin Kiermier are victorious here in the Dodger Clubhouse. Landon last night, you obviously did what you've done all season long and pitch pitch well and get the job done. When you look back at your season, how have you been able to navigate all this?
Yeah, I mean it's it's really just like trying to to kind of take care of what you can take care of. Like obviously it's as you kind of go back and forth a little bit, it's hard to like not kind of like think about where you want to be and think about other things, and so it's just trying to kind of just stay focused, do what you continue to do all the time and just like take advantage of the opportunities that you get when you're up here.
Last night, you used all four of your pitches. Is that how you do it? When landon Nak is successful, do you use all four the way you were using him last night?
Absolutely? Yeah, No, when I'm at my best, yeah, all four available at any any counts, any situation. And so yeah, whenever I kind of can especially land the land curve ball early and be able to get the offbeat in there early to get ahead in the count, it just kind of sets up everything else that I do. And so yeah, no, absolutely, last night is kind of what we're.
What we're looking for in this day and age of pitchers chasing velocity and spin ray. Do you feel like you're a little underrated in how you go about things because it's not like you throw lukewarm. You got ninety five heater coming at guys to go with your other three secondary pitches. How does land and Nak fit into this landscape and get noticed to be this guy to get this opportunity?
Yeah, I feel I feel like I've always been a guy who just knows how to pitch. I kind of learned how to throw harder later on in my career, So like whenever I was in college, I didn't exactly throw gas until kind of really the end of college and then so I've always been somebody though who just before that just knew how to pitch, and so it's really just continuing to showcase that and kind of make like changing speeds, getting people back, like off the heater, and then just just mixing.
Well, you're one of the few young pitchers that understands that you can change speeds by throwing fastballs, maybe putting a little extra, taking a little off. Where did you learn that?
It's just kind of always been something I've done for a long time. I feel like, I mean I was I didn't I had to kind of learn how to deal with less on the fastball whenever I was younger, and so it's really just kind of just learning how to pitch and just understanding like changing speeds with different things, including your fastball, is a big piece of success.
Do you feel like now, unfortunately with the injuries to certain pictures on this staff, you may have an opportunity here now to be on a five day schedule.
Yeah, I mean, obviously there's been a tough time around here. Obviously, you want to see your guys kind of get back out there, and hopefully we can continue to get some of our guys back here soon, and hopefully obviously we got Yoshi coming back Tuesday, and hopefully you can get Glass back in here at some point soon, and the
same with Kersh get him back. But yeah, I mean, obviously it's just trying to take advantage of the opportunity that's in front of me and continue to to showcase what I can do and help put our team in a position to win games. And so yeah, obviously you'll embrace that.
You've come up with a lot of these guys, Gavin Stone, Bobby Miller, Emi she and Ryan Pepio to name a few. What's it been like for you to watch them go through some serious injuries that have, you know, put a put a pause button on their careers.
Obviously you want to, Yeah, you hate to see some of your guys go down, especially guys you've grown so close with. Uh, seeing Sa Gavin go down here recently, Like, yeah, obviously not not h makes you makes you your heart hurt a little bit kind of hate saying that for those guys, and seeing like she had this the entire year. But uh, it's just really just trying to stay with them, like talk to them, kind of know that like you're with them and uh and hopefully get them back soon.
All right, Landon, Thanks a lot for the time, Great to see you back out here. Did you show up in a Bentley yesterday for your start?
And now just the normal car for yesterday and nothing too crazy this time.
Hey, you got a good agent that treated you in first class style. Thanks a lot for the time and always great to see you and always appreciate how candid you are with your answers.
I appreciate you, man,