And an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talking. We're here with Wednesday starter. That's right, it's official. It's on every app, every website. Tony Gonsolin is back on Wednesday, and he joins us a couple of days before his start.
Thanks a lot for the time. Yeah, thanks for having me. Happy to be here.
Yeah, so now it's official. How have the feelings been, because I know you've been waiting for this moment for a while.
Yeah, I'm feeling good. You know.
Having that little setback in spring and then having to build back up and go through springs training essentially at the start of the season. Not fun, but got through it and I'm back now, hopefully for the long haul.
Dustin May talked about just the emotions he had getting back, even in a spring training game in the Freeway Series. Do you feel like you have to control your emotions when you get back out there on Wednesday?
Not really. I feel like I've been doing a pretty good job.
Maybe it'll hit me once I'm actually out there on the field in front of our you know, I because it's a day game, so are.
There'll be a lot of fans.
Our thirty five fans instead of our nice fifty. But yeah, I'm just excited to get back out there and try to help.
The team win.
Last October, you were part of the Dodgers winning the World Series in a different way. Did you feel connected to that run, because even in a limited way, you were able to prepare the hitters for the postseason.
Yeah, a little bit.
You know, I felt like the live reads that I gave our hitters to live AB's that I gave those guys got them prepared to go in and face the face whoever and have success against them.
If the Dodgers needed you last October, could you have pitched in a postseason game?
Yeah? Absolutely?
Were you hoping for that opportunity?
I was looking forward to it whether that that time came. Honestly, I wasn't necessarily hoping for it because that means we had some guys get hurt. So I'm glad I didn't get in there because that means.
Our guys stayed healthy.
Where were you when Freddy Freeman hit his walk off Grand Slam?
I mean I think I was right up here somewhere somewhere in the dugout. But no, that was incredible to see just nothing like that. I don't think Freddy pimps pimps it very very often. So watching him do it, he looked like it was his first time a little bit, but it's it's a memorable.
Moment for sure.
You were teammates a long time on the same starting staff as Walker Buehler. To see him do what he did last year? How rewarding do you believe that was for him? And what was it like for you to see him have that moment?
Yeah, watching Walker pitch through the years, coming back from injury, going through some adversity, you know, struggling and then having success late in the year last year, and then I'm ultimately closing out Game five of the World Series to clinch the whole thing. It was it was really cool, really cool to see so happy for him, and.
Yeah, just incredible.
Watching that run not just during October but the entire season last year. Do you have visions of helping the Dodgers in that same way this year? I know a lot of guys do a lot of visualizations of success. Do you ever allow yourself to go there?
Yeah?
Absolutely, you know, getting that different perspective of watching games on TV. I suppose that in the dug out in the clubhouse with the guys being around them every day, you know.
Not being able to do that.
I got to see a different light from it, and really just watch how competitive our bats are, how everybody comes up the bat just ready to hit, you know, and watching how much work they do to score runs for us so.
And ultimately scoring runs.
So I feel like it takes a little bit of the pressure off of myself pitching, knowing I don't need to be so fine and that we're gonna score runs, and you know, everything isn't Every pitch isn't so much. There isn't so much pressure on each pitch.
Do you feel like that's what you've taken away, taken a step back, not being able to pitch. Is that which you've kind of learned when you go and start again on Wednesday?
Uh, yeah, that's one of the things for sure. And just to go out there and just have fun. I mean, yeah, it doesn't need to be so serious. Granted, like I want to win, like that competitive nature is not gone, but I'm just gonna go out there and.
Just try to have as much fun as I can.
I remember that about you when you first came up. You were saying that you were taking in so much information from other guys that you needed to simplify that. Have you turned the corner in that mentality as well?
I like keeping it simple, honestly. Yeah.
It can be as complex as you wanted, or it can be as simple as you need it to be, and I'm trying to keep it simple.
Any new tricks in the cat bag for Wednesday?
No, let's just attackt the zone and see what happens.
All right, Since we have you here and we've heard so much about the new hairdo or lack thereof for Tony Gonsolin, would you mind showing America the way it looks now? This is a new improved Tony Gonsolin in more ways than one.
Yeah, you know, maybe hated it said it was said my air was so we decided to cut it all off.
It's due for a shave, but I'll love the fresh one on Wednesday.
Maybe you're catcher Will Smith who is looking on, can come over here and give us a review on Tony Gonsolin's new shaved head.
He likes it.
A man of few words, no doubt about it. Tony, thanks a lot for the time, appreciate it. And happy to have you back on Wednesday. Thank you, thank you, appreciate it. Can't wait to see that ball beautiful head on Wednesday,