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We're going out in the background, perhaps you can hear and let's go Dodgers chant. We are inside the locker room on the fifth floor of the iHeartRadio Studios.
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The next hour we'll commence with a live inside the locker room guest. We will head to Clippers basketball at five o'clock. So we got about fifty minutes with a beautiful collection of folks.
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It's our guests we're talking about it. Not only one of the great men representing Venezuela and Southern California simultaneously, but also a legendary Dodger hero of epic proportion. I feel steel what Miguel Rojas was able to pull off this off season was very, very special. The fact that he's here is very special. There's so much to celebrate, but the flair the exuberance, the leadership that Miguel brings to the Dodgers. Honestly, very inspiring. Thanks for coming, Miguel,
God bless you. That's Matt Smith on Petros Papadakas. I don't think we've talked on the radio in many years.
Many years. Yeah, maybe way back the first time around.
Something.
I remember that, So tell us we don't know if that's good.
Bet.
It's two worlds, Ampi and Chips for Miguel going for three, just get another deal, and how could he not after such a magical postseason, But just give us an idea. It's been such a magical time for everybody in the city. I can't imagine what it's been like for you, your family and your teammates.
What's this offseason been like. It seems like it's been very special.
Yeah, it's been overwhelming, to be honest with you, guys.
But I didn't want to walk away from it because I know what happened was really special, having happened in twenty five years, and for us to bring together a city as big as La together for the last couple of games, and not just for those games, but for the whole playoff when we were down three to two against Toronto, going to Canada to play against a team in another country and pull it off that way that we did, and then coming back here and seeing all
the people in the streets, not just the War series and all the fans that travel with us, but going downtown and do the parade and see all the people together. I feel like that's the most special thing on Mahart, not just winning back to back champions but bringing everybody together after a devastating gear starting with all the fire and all the stuff. I feel like the city of La they sort of a team like this that wants to get better every single time, and I'm.
So proud of being part of the part of this organization.
Baseball.
Look at that beautiful opening statement, Miguel. The you know you always hear about when when people retire, they say, you know what do I miss? I miss the clubhouse, I miss you know, being around the guys. I assume every team is different. It's never the same twenty five guys. Baseball's you know, one hundred and sixty two games and one hundred and eighty five days.
So kind of take us through because it feels like you.
Need it, Like what is it about this group these last two years that is special that has led to this sort of success.
Yeah, kind of the same, the same core.
If we see the roster, couple additions that are always going to be important and impactful because we're never going to use just the same twenty six guys for the whole year. I think Dave rovers is being really good on making everybody part of the family. As soon as
we get to sprint training. I know it's being two different things and so many people that contribute for us to win a championship in back to back years, But at the end of the day, it's kind of like the same chemistry with everybody who walks in this clubhouse. The mentality is winning, and the mentality is playing until
the last game of baseball every single time. So I feel like that's the part that you were excited about getting ready for another year, is getting excited because you know you're gonna spend a lot of time with these guys. You're gonna go to battles and it's gonna be open downs, and that's the most graarifiing thing like winning after knowing that A lot.
Of people talk about you talk about.
Running baseball talking about doing all this, spending all the money and all that.
And I remember in.
The middle of July, we were in a position where the Padres took over the first place and a lot of people were talking about a lot.
Of people were talking about that that we weren't good enough.
And I think that's what kind of like fooled you every single day, because it's like you say, it's a long season. You play a lot of games, you're studying in Japan the year before, you study in Korea, and you spend a lot of times away from your family, and these people become your family, and that's what are going to miss the most, definitely when I when I step away from the game.
From the game, you mentioned, every team's different. You know, you have different players, you know, either the back of the bench, starters, rotation, you know all of that. One thing that was different for you was your number. You won a World Series in number eleven, and you won a World Series in number seventy two. For people that don't know you did that for Roki Rokie came over, he signed you flip them eleven. You go back, what about what about the number eleven? So kind of take
us through that decision. Why it was specially no you said, you mentioned that that was kind of special to win it in seventy two as well.
Yeah, I mean, I make.
My deview over ten years ago and that was the first number that was gave to me when I came to spring training. I wasn't giving supposed to be on the opening the roster for the Dodgers on that year, and they took me to this trip in Australia as a as a backup player, as a taxi squad guy, and then I make my debut that year and they
asked me one number I want to wear. I had a really good sprint training and I got the opportunity to experience my first major league game from the dog out in Australia with them, and I said, you know
what I'm gonna wear seventy two. Seventy two was a number to me that it means a load because it was my first opportunity to play in the big leagues in this franchise that is one of the most it franchise in sports, not just in baseball, and then having the opportunity to welcome another guy that it was going to help us, and I knew I knew he was going to be big for us, not just in the future,
but in that year. And then Rocky Sasaki became one of the most love players on our team because he's step up big in the biggest situation as a closer, a position that he never pitched before or And I think I'm not gonna take all the credit, but I think that's the reason why we do things for other guys, because you want to make them feel good, make them feel part of the family.
And that's another thing about this club.
We were now selfish, we're trying to put the ego aside and we're trying to make everybody feel comfortable because when you feel comfortable, you're going to perform the way that you're supposed to.
And that's what happened to Rocky.
And I'm happy that he won a championship with number eleven and hopefully he can go to the to the wards here, to the to the Hall of Fame now with that number.
And remember me, I love.
You for that.
Right in Japan, they gave you quite an ovation. But just because you gave up the number, yeah.
I mean my relationship with with the Japanese fans, my teammates obviously show He Yoshi and Rocky U is being is being really cool ever since we signed show in twenty four and then Yoshio came along and and last.
Year was Rocky It's being.
It's very special and all the fens in Japan, I want to say uh, thank you to them too, because that's something that I will never imagine that I was going to be that kind of big time in Japan just because I play along with Shoe and I do like a little handshake. But now it is beyond that. It's my personality. It's what I like is I like the culture. I like the traditions, and I like the beer, you know.
And right in front of us I love I love if you want to drink it. I mean it's that kind of atmosphere.
Yeah, I love supporo, I love sushi, and I feel like it's a it's a special connection there with with the Japanese culture, especially because we have a lot of Japanese people here in l A and they support us, and they come to a field and they showed me a lot on on social media, and I went to Japan and it was it was amazing. I was hitting, but in practice, I was hitting Homer seem but in practice, and they were clapping for me. So that was something that I will learn.
If it's not for Miguel Rojas, there's no way that the Los Angeles Dodgers are back to back World Series champions. We're talking about real history. But you know, it's not always been a great ride for you. I mean there's always ups and downs in anybody's career. You've been other places, Like you said, we talked to you ten years ago. What keeps you because it's hard to have a fire for a long time for anything. What keeps you competing and leading? You know, even on days that you're not playing,
there's still leadership in the clubhouse. What keeps you doing that year in and year out, keeps you engaged in that way?
I just feel like the mentality that I have, you know, like I knew I wasn't gonna be like the superstar that is Shohi Otani or Mookie Bets or Freddie Freeman. There's so many of them, you know, like not everybody can beat that guy, but I mean every clubhouse, every organization needs these guys that kind of put themselves aside and kind of help everybody else to feel better and to do their job a little bit easier. And I feel like that's something that I always live through in
baseball and in life too. If I make you better, my job is going to be a little bit easier. So that's what I tried to do ever since I came to the Dodgers. They were really honest with me. They told me, you're going to be a utility guy on this team. I need you to bring your press and your leadership and everything that you are that you've
been going through with the Madriless organization. I know I didn't win there, but I still got a lot of experience from like leading a clubhouse, being the better in that clubhouse, and when I came here, I just like continue to be myself and trying to help everybody to get better. And I think that's why my mentality of always being ready for my opportunity and instead of like asking for time or being mad because I wasn't playing
every day. And like you said, my career is being through up and downs, but I never quit on my abilities. I always believe for myself and I feel like I knew my opportunity was gonna come. I didn't know that it was gonna be in Game seven of the Words Years and I was gonna hit a home run that the tide the game to gave us an opportunity.
Yeah, exactly right.
Uh.
To be honest, To be honest with you guys, I'm more proud of the way that I play in Game six because I put a display on my on my defense, which is something that I that a lot of people.
Know me for.
They know me for my defense, and I feel like that's.
The reason why the Robberts put me in the in the in the line up, not to hit a home run, but to play my defense, to inject that energy that I that I could bring because I was making jokes with the with the hitting coaches that my body was really fresh because I haven't played.
A long time. So I got all that.
I got all the energy from all the energy drinks that I was taking, and I put it all in that Game six.
So yeah, I just the pictures to drink the energy drinks, you guys, to everybody.
Sometimes we have some.
Of the bullpen guys come over here and the amount of energy drinks they drink is a dangerous It's crazy.
So many, so many energy drinks to play one hundred and sixty two games in Yeah, plus all the travel, not sleeping on the plane because you play.
Cards the whole night.
So yeah, and we're getting older. We're not, We're not. We're not a young team. We got a got a lot of thirty mid thirty guys on this team. So I that's that's that can be a positive but a negative at the same time.
Well, you brought it up the defense, so let's uh. I mean, shoot, we get to the big stuff straight out the gate here. So what was what was the tougher play? Was it was a Game six and digging that thing out for the game ending double player? Was it throwing that ball home? And I mean it's it's a fraction of an inch from losing the World Series and extending the game and ended up winning an eleven.
Yeah, you just answered, Uh, so which one was?
Which one was? They were both huge? Was there one that was a harder play to make?
Game seven? Play at the play because it's a du or di play.
You know, if you don't if you miss misplayed the ball, if you babble the ball, if you don't make a great throw game sover Game six, I mean I did my best to kind of keep the ball in front of me. But we still got an opportunity to win the game after because we got two outs. Obviously you want to finish the game there. You don't want to give them another opportunity to score runs. But it was a great play, don't get me wrong. But game seven is basis loaded one out, and if you don't make
the play, you lose. You lose the words ears and and all the work that you do throughout the year is kind of like empty because you didn't win.
So so just.
Like when you when you fielded that ball, you're you're obviously your way up on the on the grass right there. Did it because it looks like it was not an easy throw. You kind of have the ball here, kind of take us through. Did it get on you quick? Did it take a weird bounce because that was not an easy exchange to get that thing fired off?
Yeah?
No, for for a lot of people who don't know were playing in a regular grass in la and the majority of the fields in Toronto got a this artificial grass, So the ball bounced different on the artificial grass. And you could see in practice we were missing a lot of ground balls when we were taking like infield in like in the position that I was, and I felt like when when the ball was hit, was hitting with this like weird tossing and I have to go backwards on it.
When I catch it, I kind of stumbled a little bit.
I lose my my food there and kind of like I don't know how I regroup and I plant my feet and I make a good throw.
But that's what happened with the ball was hit.
I took a bad route to the ball, like didn't go straight to the ball. I went back just because of the I was thinking about the back hops that this ball take. But I'm glad that I I gloved it and I played my feet and I make a good throw.
But it was it was amazing. Still give me anxiety every.
Time I just think about it. Yeah, think about it, because you can see my reaction. I put my my hands on my knees and I was just like being grateful that we got that out.
And we will get into the home run maybe in the next segment.
But before before we get too far ahead of yourself, we were talking about your defense and what a special talent you have for that. Was that something you had as a young man when you were starting. Was that what everybody noticed about you first when it came to baseball. How did you develop those skills? Because there's a lot of creativity and you know, and like an art that goes in when you're that good of a fielders as you are.
Yeah, everything is started back in Venezuela watching marviy Scale play. I think that's the reason why I decided.
To keep your shirt button up higher than him.
Yeah, Omar Omar was was a wizzar man on the field and he won eleven Goglove and gray shorts.
That great player. Uh so good with his in.
Things and the way that he played the game. I was really like him because he was never like the best arm or or the taller guy from that generation. Know, he played alongside delegitor Alex Rodriguez car Rick m Junior, but Omar continued to be kind of the best short stop in that era. I know he didn't hit the same way that the old guy said, but I felt like I wanted. I wanted to be a player like O Marvis Kale and that's the reason why I decided to train really hard on my defense. And uh, I
don't know, it's it's got given. Like the talent he was just there, Like a lot of the scouts told me that that that.
Was the tool that it was going to take me to the big leagues.
And it's definitely an opportunity here to talk about that because I think a lot of jump players put their mind on, oh, I need to hit, I need to hit, I need to hit to continue to get it, get an opportunity for college or for professional baseball and to go through the system. But remember, if you don't have a position and you hit a lot, but they can't really put you on the field, it's really hard. Because you're going to have just thirty dhs on the league.
You have to be able to play defense. And I feel like that's something that I always gonna tell John players to continue to work on their hitting and continue to do whatever they need to do, but make sure you get good at defense and whatever the position you play, you kinda you gotta continue to play hard and find your position, because that's what I was gonna keep you in baseball, and I think that's what I did.
So I think, I mean, I'm just kind of doing the math in my head here. I'm guessing that Omar probably made his debut maybe before you were born, or you had to be really really small. I'm guessing so like late eighties, yeah, late eighties.
Yeah, I'm born in in eighty nine.
Okay, So that never you never were like you never went to like I'm a teenager now I want to be Mickey Cabrera.
I want to hit five hundred. Like that never shifted.
You kept that defensive focus even with I think Alex Gonzales, I want to say it was probably when you were a little kid as well.
Marcus Cutro was a right guy, So.
I always stayed on Viscale though.
Yeah, I always I always always shaped my game on on like kind of three or four different players on Marvis Keal, Marcus Cutro, Martin In, all guys that kind of play all over the infield.
Biscal was always a short stop. He never moved.
But Martinez and Marcus Kuta kinda taught me something really special. Always play short and be a short stud that can play all their positions. And I feel like that's what opens me the door to playing the big leagues. Kept me in the big LIGs for a long time and continue to give me a job because it's not because I hit twenty homers. It's because I, yeah, my personality, my leadership and.
All that that you guys already talked about.
But my defense is what kind of gave me a job yere after year, and it's because I took a lot of pride over it and and I wanted to be the best a defense.
So yeah, I checked my game out of those three guys.
Pretty easy guy to interview. Huh uh.
You know, Mookie Bets credits you for helping him learn the position of shortstop.
How good of an ne studiente? Is Mookie the best?
I think not just because he's a he's a good student, and he's a kind of he's in love with the game, but his work ethic is what takes him to the next level. I feel like whatever he wants to do he can do because of he works on it really really hard every single day.
He found he found his groove this last year. You guys could.
See the difference between twenty three, the couple games that he played a short stop. Then twenty four wasn't that pretty, but twenty five was a Goglove caliber shortstop and he was if he wasn't because another guy had an amazing season. A sure, I think Mookie got all the credit to get that gog glove a short stop, and he's going to continue to do whatever he wants. If he wants to move back to right field, he's going to be a go glover over there. And it's because of the
work ethic. He comes to the field every single day to prepare to get better. And I feel like, I mean, he credit a little bit to me, but I credited back to him because the way that he plays every single day. I was just an accept for him to kind of like share my experience at the position that I think he couldn't get in any with any coach, because I mean, one thing is the things that you do every single day to get better at a.
Fielding or throwing or moving your feet.
But the experience of like knowing that this guy is pulling the ball, or this guys is staying through the middle, that display you should throw the thirty instead of first. So those are the things that I'm there for Mookie every single day, and I'm willing to continue to do that this year and hopefully next year when I'm starting to be a coach.
Pretty hard not to be excited about the next forty minutes with Miguel Rohase. After that starts, we are inside the locker room. We'll step aside here for a minute. We're going until five o'clock. Two more segments with Miguel. A big thank you to our friends at Verizon Wireless.
Dance party in here.
Putting this thing on a packed house inside the locker room as you would expect, as we make our way forward on your home the back to back World Series champion Dodgers Amphi sevylas words, this is Petro send money demand Uh. We continue live inside the locker room, courtesy and brought to you by Verizon Wireless, with two time World Series champion Miguel Rojas.
Uh.
If you were not able to make it in we have got a hack of a crowd all enjoying Miguel's company.
He took pictures of everybody durned the brain.
Talk about it, batterer afternoon here on your home of the Dodgers Pee.
We're live inside the locker room, brought to you by Supporo.
As we have is this cold? It's cold? I mean, should we crack them?
You know?
Migal has a Sapporo tattoo. I'm going to crack them, Miguel ere we go. Yeah, good, of course, let's crack them.
Salute, cheers, cheers, guys, must my favorite be it right here.
That's right and brought to you by Verizon and our friends. We're talking to a real hero of to see you, don and beyond, Miguel Rojas. Now, before we go any further, let's talk about that home run because it was very special. It happened here on the radio. No one will ever forget it. It'll be like Kirk Gibson and Freddie Freeman and his teeth. It'll go down in the history in the history of Los Doyers in town. So let's hear it on the radio live when it was recorded on m FHI seventy LA Sports.
When Rojas fight his way on base full count, Hoffman delivers, Rojas hits it in the air left field.
This post got some carry.
It is gold.
It's gone.
In game seven, he's died.
Miguel Rojas off.
The bench in game six, on the board. In game seven.
Now we all know where we were and we know where he was.
He was in Canada.
Now, whenever something like that, we talked about the defense in game six. But whenever something like that happens, and you've been a pro for so long, when you thinking about it, do you think about those moments in bed where you know what happens if I do this, or what happens if I do Could you ever imagine something like that happening?
Yeah, I mean I dream of it, but I never knew that I was going to get the opportunity to do that, especially in game seven. Obviously I'm not a home roun hitter, and not many people would remember me as a as a big home roun hitter. But now that I hit the home run, think about it, right? Yeah, that's what that's That's something that he talks a lot about preparation and being ready for the moment.
And and I continue to quote though, Doc, because when we get.
To spring training a couple of years ago, he says something that he was really impactful, not just for me, but for the whole clubhouse. I feel like a lot of people I wanted to be in that in that in that opportunity and ask for the for the chance to to have the big moment, you know, three two
two outs. You know, I want to be on the mound until you really got the chance, you know, like, are you are you really gonna have your mentality and you're gonna have to keep your composure and and do everything that you need to do in practice to be ready for that moment.
And I think, uh, that's what I always I.
Was thinking when I was on the bench, because if you have a spot on the roster, you're always gonna have the opportunity to get something like that. And that moment was for me, uh, the biggest moment of my career and always gonna leave between me, my family, and the city of Los Angeles because uh.
That that was really special.
And and for me to hit the ball and and kind of gave us an opportunity to.
Win everywhere in Canada exactly.
From ven with all of North America except for the top.
You always hear, like a lot of times with players, they'll say, oh, well, you know, when you hit the home run, what were you looking? I usually say, I wasn't looking to hit a home run. I've got to believe three and two show Hail Tani's on deck, you really probably weren't thinking of hitting a home run, were you?
Or was that pitch so groove that it changed It's hard for us to fathom, like a spherical object coming at ninety five miles an hour, and you can make those sort of split second decisions.
So kind of what went into that swinging.
Yeah, The thing is like he kept me like thinking and guessing what he's gonna throw, you know, because I guess wrong from the beginning. You know, I guess that he was gonna throw me a fassile away because I just got a good bass hitting my second about against Jersey with a slider, with a hanging slider. I hit it to left and I felt like, Okay, I got a hit against the slider. He's probably gonna attack me a little bit different. He don't want to walk me. He wants to he wants me to put the ball
in play. So I thought he was gonna throw me a fassble away. He threw me a slider into the dead and I swiingmed through it, and I think that that pitch kind of make me lock it in a little bit more and make me let the boat travel. We talk about that when when a guy throws ninety four ninety five is a little bit easier, but this guy was throwing ninety six ninety seven almost ninety hour and it's really hard to let the boat travel and
be on time for the fastball. So I felt like, what kind of gave me the confidence to do that was the second, the third and fourth pitch were fast, was away and I was able to file the back to right field and I was letting the boat travel, and I said, okay, I got time. I can't let the ball travel. I'm hitting his best fastball. So let's see what he's gonna throw now. So he threw me a bad slider that he was kind of like opening, and then he honed one and I was able to
put a good swing on it. But like you say, I wasn't. I wasn't thinking to hit a home run. I mean, everybody knows that I'm not a power hitter. I was just trying to get on base for show, to get the opportunity to tie the game with a big swing of our big guy, you know.
But I was able to do it, and as you know, I was going out, Uh, I hit it. I knew I hit it good.
I was running hard because I thought because of the big fans in left field. But then when I saw the the booping guys looking up like this.
I tied the game.
What did show Hey say to you when you came exactly to the clause so you tie the game? Show Hay's coming. We always see like a high five of you guys had a little bit of an exchange there. What did what did he say to you when you came back to the dugout?
Yeah, sho show He flew out on the first pitch to left field. And one one thing that happens before that is I'm seeing Blake snel on the on the bench's pitching right, and he had to pitch it but the bottom uh, the bottom of that inning.
Uh to give us the opportunity to win the game.
After uh, And he's just like quiet, like focus on on going back to pitch. It was just clapping. Well when everybody else is screaming like we.
Won the World Series already, you know. Uh.
That kind of like made me realize that we still got work to do, you know, like we I wing win the game. We just like this something really special because I mean we're down to our last two outs. But show her when he flew out, he came back to a dog and I'm like, I'm just walking back to put my helmet on the on the rack, and he just told me that.
Hey, MIGGI, you can retire. Now you have to play for ten more years.
Ten more years. So there you go. You're stuck for ten more years.
So I played one more year with you and then
after that I'll be coaching or doing something else. But that was special because I mean, when you put anything on, everything on context and and how great show he's being through his career, not just on the field but off the field, and the way that he carried himself, the way that he was like working so hard and getting that speech the other day, and it was flawless for the MVP, and I think that's that's the greatest player of our generation, if not the best player that ever
played the game. For him to come to me and say something like that, it means a lot, and he is something that I will take forever.
The one and only Miggy Rojas our guests on the Petros and Money Show brought to you by Verizon Wireless, his favorite beer Supporo, and his Japanese teammates who love it as well. But it really is a global team, uh is the you been on other baseball teams, other franchises in the miners.
I mean, you fought your way all the way through.
Uh, what is the feeling inside the Dodger Clubhouse among those guys Because you look around and this one guy sitting here is the best player maybe ever to play, Clayton Kershaw, your generational Hall of Fame pitcher. What's it like, you know, on a day to day basis being around all those guys and leading those guys.
Yeah, he sucks because they become human beings, you know you And I mean they're not they're not superstars superheroes anymore to you. But that's that's what's really cool, you know, like that you get to uh to to for your family, your son and the people around you.
To get to be with these people.
And and when you get in the clubhouse is like a really a good connection that not everybody else can see. And it's really really cool to see the other aspects of the just the player, and see what kind of people they are and where they're coming from and the different culture and the way that they like things. It's pretty special because in this clubhouse we have so many different players from different cultures coming in with the same goal and and and that's right, it's a different creature
when he's American. But that's that's the most special that the most special thing about this team is that everybody who walks in this clubhouse doesn't matter who it is. The mentality change and it's all about the Dodgers and about the winning that we have, the winning.
Culture that we created.
And then these guys they created before me and before us right now because they've been the winning on a regular basis for a long time in.
The regular season.
Now we put it all together and now we're going not just to the playoffs, but we're reaching another level, which is like, if we don't win the last game of the year is a failure every single time, and everybody knows it, from.
The front office to the ownership, to the to the to the manager, coaching staff, and us.
We feel it every single day and they continue to not make us be acceptable than anything else.
And the reason why is because the.
General manager went out and got the best reliever of the free agency and it got the best player on free agency this year, and that creates the competition that still needs to be alive. Older players need to continue needs to continue to do their job, and younger players they can't really come in and say, Okay, I'm just gonna have my spot right here, and I'm gonna be okay playing our level. No, it's not gonna be a kind of like a flexibility of like okay, I I can, I can be okay.
For a little bit.
No, everybody needs to kind of continue to push themselves to be the best because we have the best time in the room.
Well, uh, it goes by quick.
We got one more to go as we'll step aside here, come back for our final segment inside the locker room and join our souporos enjoying our company, then certainly enjoying the centerpiece of it all, Miguel Rohans, a two time World Series champion. We'll do it for one more segment before passing it along to Adam Ouslin and Clipper Pregame stick around. Uh, still a handful of time, a handful of questions, and some time to go when we come back on a five to seventy l a sports.
Southern California's most listened to sports talk show this Money on Demand.
Well, we have a lot of time, team, so uh, let's get right to it. We got good Let's go Dodgors xach. They got the let's go Dodger chant. We are in side the locker room with the great Miguel Rojas. We only have about seven minutes left, so jump right back into it so we can try to get because Miguel is so loquacious.
I don't know, it's fantastic. Where and when did you learn such beauty? I mean you're a great communicator.
I mean, I've been in this country for over twenty years now, I really understand.
It wasn't always like that. Fernando never spoke. I mean he never talked.
To us well because he might never think about being a coach after afterwards, you know, and when you just have to play baseball, you don't need to speak English, right, But I feel when you when you want to be a good leader, when you want to be a coach after, I feel like you have to put the fort of beautiful learning. And my son and my daughter are American, so they they got yeah.
Exactly, I do want to go to before I want to make sure we get this in because I think obviously everybody knows about the home run, everyone knows about the double play, about the force out at home But because you know, you were gone so quickly after you arrived. I want to go back to June eighteenth, twenty fourteen, because Clayton Kershaw has only had one no hitter in his career, And for people that may not be aware, let's go to the I think it was a seventh inning,
right one out. You're playing third base, and you basically save the no hitter, kind of take us through being a rookie wearing number seventy two. Kershaw is through six and a third and this freaking shot pushes you all the way back. If you can visualize the diamond the farthest right corner of dirt, You've got one foot in the grass, and you manage to pepper a throw over the first and preserve the no hitter for Clayton.
Yeah, that was really special. Top three in my career for sure.
At that time, I was just trying to stay in the big leagues and help any way I can. And I go back to what I was talking about a couple moments ago when I say, when you walk in that clubhouse and you see a guy like Clayton Kersher, Brian Clayton Cirsher, you know he's the MVP of that year. Cy Young winner, face of the franchise, face of baseball at the time, and you seem like dominating every single start. Like the least you can do is play your ass
of every single time you're out there. So I feel like that moment was really special for me and obviously all the fans when I came back, that's the first thing that they remember.
I remember.
I remember me from saving kerchonal hitter and I didn't say anything. I feel like I just was doing my job because if that ball goes through me, they probably find someone else that can catch it.
And that's what I was thinking about. And at the end, at the end of the game.
It was like really special that he came to me and say thank you, MIGGI, and we started to create a really good relationship and he's gonna be one of my favorites forever. But that moment and that time in my career kind of make me make me realize that I was doing something good at my young age, and I'm glad that I did it with the tollerself.
Well.
Part of the great appeal of Miguel Rojas, isn't you. It's the hard work, the story, the leadership, the things we talk about it's a style, a style, and a lot of people don't know because we don't know the Van Cleve and our peals, you know, most guys, you know, they don't know about the necklace and the ear rings. They see it, but they don't know. Could you tell the people because they're I mean, it's really beauty.
You gotta lot. Did you always have that style?
Now?
I feel like shoes and kind of the same one we always see the earrings and necklace or.
Do you have all I pair the same colored necklace, the Dodger blue. I pair it with the earrings now. So I brought it for this year for FanFest and for a community tour that we're gonna do. But definitely a style. Always been part of my game, kind of, you know. I love shoes. I love the Jordan brand, and I love Nike brand, and and I trying to kind of like reflect my personality through my shoes when I play baseball, right, because you can't really.
Wear too many things or many colors.
Especially when I was coming into a lee, it was a rule that you have to wear circuit colors, uh, you know, and and that changed over time and now that you can actually spress yourself a little bit more through the colors and and the shoes and all that.
I always being kind.
Of like that.
But nobody else wears the cliff Bank Cliff, the number one. You only see that at like the can film festivals. That's pretty super style for the Dodgers. Yeah, that's a great style.
I came.
I came last year with the bank Cliff necklace because I felt like that's something that just the woman's where I got a couple for my wife and I said, you know what this, I think this would look good collaboration.
I hope so they should. God, I'm playing.
Nobody's pushed more than you.
I'm playing.
I'm playing on the biggest the biggest page with the biggest team in the in the world.
So uh.
But now it was really cool to see a lot of people like kind of connecting with me and and the stuff that I was wearing. And actually a lot of people from from Bankleef reach out to me and say, hey, you don't even know how many people came during Christmas trying to find the same necklace that I was wearing.
Two bracelets I got thrown out of my house.
I'm putting the guy an endorsement deal. I mean, my goodness, well we're right up against it. We got about thirty seconds forty five seconds here, So I do want to ask you wanted to play for the country. David Vesse shared with us that you committed to the Dodgers the last time this thing happened, and unfortunately now it's not
going to be able to put together. But just it's hard for I think people in America kind of wrap their head around the World Baseball Class, but how important it is to so many players in this league.
Yeah, WBC and putting the flag in your on your chest and like over your your career is really important. And I feel like that's why so many players that accomplished so much during their careers they always talk about, like how the e speerience was in the WBC, because it's different baseball. It's a game seven, every single game that you play, it doesn't matter who you go against. And I mean in twenty three, I had the opportunity
to go. I was on the roster and everything was clear with my insurance, but then Gamy locks went down and the Dodgers asked me to stay to prepare to play short stuff for a full season, and I decided to do that.
I couldn't go to the WBC.
And then this year just because of my age, I'm turning thirty seven by the start of February, and the insurance companies say, I'm sorry, we can really get insured, like ensure your your contract with the Dodgers, And it's really hard for me to kind of like go out there and take away from what we.
Can do for a long season.
So it's kind of sad, and I feel like I want the best for the for the country, one of the best, the best for the team, and that's why I wanted to go, because I feel like I can help them to accomplish what they want.
But at the end of the day, it will be a little portunia, hopefully as a coach.
Always the best intentions. What a guy, Miguel Rojas. What a special treat. A big thank you to Soporo Caitlin from Soaporo is here. Our friends at Verizon Verizon Wireless brank you this great, great opportunity to talk to a great player, a great leader, a great countryman and a great Dodger Miguel Rojas.
Every night, Thanks everyone for coming. Adam Oslin here with Clippers Pregame Next
