August 20, 2025 • 12 mins
Alex talks about his decision to retire, the 2017 Dodgers, and being teammates with Clayton Kershaw.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talking.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well, I can't believe this because I knew this guy
when the Dodgers acquired him at the trade deadline in
twenty fifteen, and he had a great Dodger career. He
had a great major league career. Twelve seasons in the
big leagues, and he was a winner, a World Series champion,
and his winning percentage in the regular season five point
(00:28):
thirty one as a starting pitcher, one of the fiercest
competitors you will ever see on the mound in this generation.
And he just announced his retirement. That is the one
and only Alex Wood, a proud Georgia Bulldog. But more importantly,
after all these years, will always be a Dodger. Alex.
Thanks a lot for the time, and man, congratulations on
(00:51):
a great career.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Oh what an intro that was. H That's the only
reason I came on, just to hear you say great
things about me.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
That's the reason why you just I had to retire.
You needed this victory.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Lap, no doubt, but yeah, I appreciate it. Man, Thank you,
that was kind of you.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
How how did you come to this decision? Because uh,
I know you love the game so much. How tough
was it to make this decision?
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, I mean I hadn't been thinking thinking about it
for a little and you know, it's things go by
so fast and so slow all at the same time.
Twelve years a long time. I just you know, I
was someone that always felt like I gave every ounce
of myself every day for as long as I can remember,
and just kind of got to the point where I
felt it just felt like I was I was ready
for kind of the next thing, you know. And so
(01:37):
I had shoulder surgery last July, and I tried to
rehab and kind of make come back and just was
taken a little bit longer than I than I was hoping.
Kind of got into a you know, as far as
timing goes, kind of got into a spot where I
needed to make a decision on what I wanted to
do and just decided to you know, I think that
it was time. So kind of been in a honeymoon
phase so to speak, since I made my decision a
(01:58):
couple months, two or three months ago, and uh, it's
been enjoining being home and playing playing a lot of
golf and hanging out with the family.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
That sounds like a good life. You deserve it because
you gave everything to the game of baseball. And when
you made that post on your Instagram, there were a
lot of great photos, a lot of great memories. What
was it like to go through those photos and what
were the memories that flashed the most in your mind's eye?
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Oh? Man, Yeah, tough. I think that, you know, all
the decisions I'm making my life, you know, I try to,
you know, be completely okay with the outcomes, and so,
you know, initially, you know, making up my mind side
of it, it was time. I was ready to retire,
you know, I felt good about it. And then you know,
you have have helped making this video kind of like
(02:44):
briefly highlighting just even just a fraction of all the
memories that we made over you know, over the last
decade decade plus. It's hard hard to choose one for sure.
I mean, I mean, my my favorite probably personally is
Game four of the World Series was probably in seventeen.
It was part It's probably like an all time moment
(03:05):
for me personally, so, but just looking back on all
of it and seeing, you know, how it started and
all the different teams and places that we got to
play and just kind of looking at the you know,
all the sum of all the parts, you know, it
was just you know, pretty cool, pretty cool. For sure.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
You had so many great years, but twenty seventeen does
stand out. It was your lone All Star season. You
were sixteen and three that year, Your era was incredible
to seventy two, and like you said, you were the
only starting pitcher to be able to defeat those cheating
Astros on their home turf. When you look back at
that one year, is it clearly defined as your best
(03:45):
season in the big leagues?
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah, I mean fourteen was really good for me, and
then seventeen, fourteen or seventeen was probably my favorite year.
Seventeen just because we were so freaking good. That was
just you know, obviously the Dodgers while I was there,
and to this point, I've had a lot of great teams,
and they wont another title after we won it in
twenty twenty. But I still maintain that the twenty seventeen
(04:08):
team was, you know, in my whole career across the league,
I think it was one of the more special teams.
Talent and just the quality of people top to bottom.
It was just that was just a really special year
and a special team, and so that year definitely has
a has a pretty pretty big place in my heart
for sure.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
I Mean when you say that the people that were
part of that team, the competitors that were part of
that twenty seventeen team, including yourself, it seems like you
guys are still a very close knit group. It doesn't
feel like you guys have have lost what you guys had,
even though you've gone your separate ways and life has
taken over. How close are those members of that team still?
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yeah, I mean I think that it's really rare, and
especially you know as the years go on to have
like a core group of of players that are together
for you know, three, four, five, and even some of
some guys in that group being you know, six seven
years on this on the same team. I mean, it's
a pretty unique thing this day and age to basically
(05:13):
have a lot of guys that were you know, so
to speak, you know, at the in the prime and
the heart of their heart of their career, you know,
from like the once they got permanently established early on,
so I you know, going through a harbon and starting
free agency, you know, just definitely a unique situation and
just a really cool thing. And a lot of us
are still very very close for sure, and so you know,
(05:35):
you know seeger Jack Barnes, me Kei k Belly, when
he when he when he came up, you know, Cet,
all these guys, you know, definitely just just a really
great group.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Alex Wood is our guest. He has retired as a
World Series champion, and Alex when you look at that
twenty twenty team, obviously a very unusual year for all
of us on this planet, but you guys were able
to persevere and overcome. And yourself, I mean, yeah, you
were so big in the NLCS and in the World Series,
(06:08):
pitching valuable innings. Uh, you were kind of the underdog
story that year. Don't you feel that way?
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah? For sure. You know it was obviously it was
interesting interesting here for a lot of reasons. You know,
I felt so good coming to camp and was off
the really hot start, and then you know, everybody gets
sent home. You don't know what's gonna what's gonna happen,
and then you come back, ramp up really quick, and
uh then you you know, bang my shoulder up a
little bit. Uh, and then by the time I came back,
(06:36):
got a couple of innings out of out of the
out of the pen, and then it was it was
the postseason. So it was definitely you know, it's moments
like that are fun, you know. And I think you've
seen You've gotten to go to a lot of postseasons
now at this point in your life too, And I
think some guys show up and some guys don't, you know.
And I always tried to try to be the type
of guy that showed up, and I was fortunate that
(06:57):
more times than I was. I felt like I was
a able to do that and show up. So you know,
it doesn't get any better than being in the postseason,
much less doing it with Dodgers' uniform, you know, across
your chest. So a lot of a lot of good
years for sure.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Hey, Alex, I remember walking into the clubhouse when you
were with the Dodgers and that newly renovated Clubhouse, Part one,
and your locker was close to Clayton Kershaw's right next
to it. What do you remember the most about being
teammates with a guy that is going to go down
as one of the greatest pitchers in the history of
this game.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
I mean, I think the easy answer is just Cursh's
focus and work work ethic, you know. I just the
thing I even remember talking about when when David Price
was with us is just like, and you can even
put David Price, you know, up up there to how
you would put Kersh is just any of these guys
that just sustained that level of greatness for you know,
(07:53):
even seven, eight, ten years and now we're talking about
you know, I mean what Clayton's me You see what
he's doing, Clayton's doing this year and what years are
from eighteen eighteen.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Yeah, I mean I just even even fans that you know,
live and breathe it, you know, for whatever their their
baseball team is, it's just really really hard.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Uh to fathom and and truly understand, like how absolutely
incredible it is to sustain that level of greatness. It's
just you know, the injuries, the age, just the you know,
to be that consistently consistently performed at that level is
just I mean, it's just incredible. It's and it's just
it's hard to put into words, but he claims just
(08:38):
a special person, uh you know, uh, just one of
the best, if not the best of our of our generation,
and I think the best left handed ever you know,
ever throw a pitch. Uh, And he's just an unbelievable
person to go with it. You just, you know, kind
of the perfect storm for sure. You definitely don't you know,
meet people in any in any line of work that
(09:00):
have that combo of ability. Uh, and they're that great
of people as Clayton and his wife eleanor they're just
they're just fantastic.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Is it incredible how great he is Alex, But yet
as humble and normal as he is, he doesn't seem
to take himself too seriously.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Yeah, no, no doubt. I mean, I definitely think he
does take himself seriously, but no, he's definitely. It's it's
pretty cool because I feel like I got to see
I got to see like early kids and pre kids Clayton,
and then you know, post post kids Clayton, and so
I definitely, you know, people say, having having kids, you know,
(09:39):
change changes you, and and you know, seeing him put
things intiving the perspective that he had post you know,
post kids, Capri was was pretty cool to see, all
while maintaining the level of just being the one of
the best competitors I've ever played. With and been around. Uh,
he's just it was really cool to be a teammate
(10:00):
for five years and lockermate, and you know, to be
able to call him a friend.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I remember telling you this when you were pitching for
the Dodgers, and a lot of times the words don't
come out of my mouth the way I need it
to be, but it was a huge compliment. And obviously
Clayton Kershaw is one of the most talented guys out there.
But if I had to say, and somebody asked me
to pick a guy that was as competitive as Clayton Kershaw,
(10:28):
I automatically always say you. And I feel like that's
the reason why you have the respect of your teammates
with the Dodgers and with other teams, because you had
that same competitive energy as Kershaw did. You may not
have had his curveball Alex Wood, but you had the
competitive juices and I will always remember that about you.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
I appreciate you saying that day. That's that's really kind.
You know. I think it's just about fight, right it
start grit and fight and just had a tough game
a lot of talent, talented people, and so you just
got to kind of fight and scratch and call your way,
no matter you know, what kind of a player you aren't.
So I always, you know, I always wanted to go
out there and do my best for the for the
(11:09):
guys that were playing behind me, and for the organization.
And definitely, I guess the old cliche left, try to
leave it on the field. You know, I appreciate you
saying that.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Yeah, Yeah, I know. There's been a lot of good
Dodger teams I've covered over the years, Alex. But that
group of guys that you started with in twenty fifteen
and you know you came back to in twenty twenty,
special group of guys that I'll always cherish that you
guys let me in and saw a little peak of
what the magic sauce was because you guys were special
(11:41):
people and those were great years. I'll always cherish those days.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yeah, for sure, there was definitely. I always kind of
kind of viewed it as you know, the kind of
the start of where they are now and kind of
the you know, the foundational years of you know, building
the Dodgers into what they you know, what they what
they are now, you know. Yeah, just some special teams
and some special times, for.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Sure, congratulations on a great career, Alex. Would I hope
to see you in Los Angeles or in Atlanta sometime soon,
or maybe Las Vegas. We'll have a twenty seventeen Dodgers
reunion in Vegas. How about that?
Speaker 1 (12:19):
That sounds good to me. I'm in Okay, sounds good.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Hey, congratulations Alex. Great to hear your voice. Great to
share you with Dodger fans who obviously saw what we
all saw, how you left it all out on the mound.
And that's why you will always be remembered in LA
not only as a world champion, but as a world
champion competitor. And we look forward to seeing you soon.
And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talking.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well, I can't believe this because I knew this guy
when the Dodgers acquired him at the trade deadline in
twenty fifteen, and he had a great Dodger career. He
had a great major league career. Twelve seasons in the
big leagues, and he was a winner, a World Series champion,
and his winning percentage in the regular season five point
(00:28):
thirty one as a starting pitcher, one of the fiercest
competitors you will ever see on the mound in this generation.
And he just announced his retirement. That is the one
and only Alex Wood, a proud Georgia Bulldog. But more importantly,
after all these years, will always be a Dodger. Alex.
Thanks a lot for the time, and man, congratulations on
(00:51):
a great career.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Oh what an intro that was. H That's the only
reason I came on, just to hear you say great
things about me.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
That's the reason why you just I had to retire.
You needed this victory.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Lap, no doubt, but yeah, I appreciate it. Man, Thank you,
that was kind of you.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
How how did you come to this decision? Because uh,
I know you love the game so much. How tough
was it to make this decision?
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, I mean I hadn't been thinking thinking about it
for a little and you know, it's things go by
so fast and so slow all at the same time.
Twelve years a long time. I just you know, I
was someone that always felt like I gave every ounce
of myself every day for as long as I can remember,
and just kind of got to the point where I
felt it just felt like I was I was ready
for kind of the next thing, you know. And so
(01:37):
I had shoulder surgery last July, and I tried to
rehab and kind of make come back and just was
taken a little bit longer than I than I was hoping.
Kind of got into a you know, as far as
timing goes, kind of got into a spot where I
needed to make a decision on what I wanted to
do and just decided to you know, I think that
it was time. So kind of been in a honeymoon
phase so to speak, since I made my decision a
(01:58):
couple months, two or three months ago, and uh, it's
been enjoining being home and playing playing a lot of
golf and hanging out with the family.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
That sounds like a good life. You deserve it because
you gave everything to the game of baseball. And when
you made that post on your Instagram, there were a
lot of great photos, a lot of great memories. What
was it like to go through those photos and what
were the memories that flashed the most in your mind's eye?
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Oh? Man, Yeah, tough. I think that, you know, all
the decisions I'm making my life, you know, I try to,
you know, be completely okay with the outcomes, and so,
you know, initially, you know, making up my mind side
of it, it was time. I was ready to retire,
you know, I felt good about it. And then you know,
you have have helped making this video kind of like
(02:44):
briefly highlighting just even just a fraction of all the
memories that we made over you know, over the last
decade decade plus. It's hard hard to choose one for sure.
I mean, I mean, my my favorite probably personally is
Game four of the World Series was probably in seventeen.
It was part It's probably like an all time moment
(03:05):
for me personally, so, but just looking back on all
of it and seeing, you know, how it started and
all the different teams and places that we got to
play and just kind of looking at the you know,
all the sum of all the parts, you know, it
was just you know, pretty cool, pretty cool. For sure.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
You had so many great years, but twenty seventeen does
stand out. It was your lone All Star season. You
were sixteen and three that year, Your era was incredible
to seventy two, and like you said, you were the
only starting pitcher to be able to defeat those cheating
Astros on their home turf. When you look back at
that one year, is it clearly defined as your best
(03:45):
season in the big leagues?
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah, I mean fourteen was really good for me, and
then seventeen, fourteen or seventeen was probably my favorite year.
Seventeen just because we were so freaking good. That was
just you know, obviously the Dodgers while I was there,
and to this point, I've had a lot of great teams,
and they wont another title after we won it in
twenty twenty. But I still maintain that the twenty seventeen
(04:08):
team was, you know, in my whole career across the league,
I think it was one of the more special teams.
Talent and just the quality of people top to bottom.
It was just that was just a really special year
and a special team, and so that year definitely has
a has a pretty pretty big place in my heart
for sure.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
I Mean when you say that the people that were
part of that team, the competitors that were part of
that twenty seventeen team, including yourself, it seems like you
guys are still a very close knit group. It doesn't
feel like you guys have have lost what you guys had,
even though you've gone your separate ways and life has
taken over. How close are those members of that team still?
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yeah, I mean I think that it's really rare, and
especially you know as the years go on to have
like a core group of of players that are together
for you know, three, four, five, and even some of
some guys in that group being you know, six seven
years on this on the same team. I mean, it's
a pretty unique thing this day and age to basically
(05:13):
have a lot of guys that were you know, so
to speak, you know, at the in the prime and
the heart of their heart of their career, you know,
from like the once they got permanently established early on,
so I you know, going through a harbon and starting
free agency, you know, just definitely a unique situation and
just a really cool thing. And a lot of us
are still very very close for sure, and so you know,
(05:35):
you know seeger Jack Barnes, me Kei k Belly, when
he when he when he came up, you know, Cet,
all these guys, you know, definitely just just a really
great group.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Alex Wood is our guest. He has retired as a
World Series champion, and Alex when you look at that
twenty twenty team, obviously a very unusual year for all
of us on this planet, but you guys were able
to persevere and overcome. And yourself, I mean, yeah, you
were so big in the NLCS and in the World Series,
(06:08):
pitching valuable innings. Uh, you were kind of the underdog
story that year. Don't you feel that way?
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah? For sure. You know it was obviously it was
interesting interesting here for a lot of reasons. You know,
I felt so good coming to camp and was off
the really hot start, and then you know, everybody gets
sent home. You don't know what's gonna what's gonna happen,
and then you come back, ramp up really quick, and
uh then you you know, bang my shoulder up a
little bit. Uh, and then by the time I came back,
(06:36):
got a couple of innings out of out of the
out of the pen, and then it was it was
the postseason. So it was definitely you know, it's moments
like that are fun, you know. And I think you've
seen You've gotten to go to a lot of postseasons
now at this point in your life too, And I
think some guys show up and some guys don't, you know.
And I always tried to try to be the type
of guy that showed up, and I was fortunate that
(06:57):
more times than I was. I felt like I was
a able to do that and show up. So you know,
it doesn't get any better than being in the postseason,
much less doing it with Dodgers' uniform, you know, across
your chest. So a lot of a lot of good
years for sure.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Hey, Alex, I remember walking into the clubhouse when you
were with the Dodgers and that newly renovated Clubhouse, Part one,
and your locker was close to Clayton Kershaw's right next
to it. What do you remember the most about being
teammates with a guy that is going to go down
as one of the greatest pitchers in the history of
this game.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
I mean, I think the easy answer is just Cursh's
focus and work work ethic, you know. I just the
thing I even remember talking about when when David Price
was with us is just like, and you can even
put David Price, you know, up up there to how
you would put Kersh is just any of these guys
that just sustained that level of greatness for you know,
(07:53):
even seven, eight, ten years and now we're talking about
you know, I mean what Clayton's me You see what
he's doing, Clayton's doing this year and what years are
from eighteen eighteen.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Yeah, I mean I just even even fans that you know,
live and breathe it, you know, for whatever their their
baseball team is, it's just really really hard.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Uh to fathom and and truly understand, like how absolutely
incredible it is to sustain that level of greatness. It's
just you know, the injuries, the age, just the you know,
to be that consistently consistently performed at that level is
just I mean, it's just incredible. It's and it's just
it's hard to put into words, but he claims just
(08:38):
a special person, uh you know, uh, just one of
the best, if not the best of our of our generation,
and I think the best left handed ever you know,
ever throw a pitch. Uh, And he's just an unbelievable
person to go with it. You just, you know, kind
of the perfect storm for sure. You definitely don't you know,
meet people in any in any line of work that
(09:00):
have that combo of ability. Uh, and they're that great
of people as Clayton and his wife eleanor they're just
they're just fantastic.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Is it incredible how great he is Alex, But yet
as humble and normal as he is, he doesn't seem
to take himself too seriously.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Yeah, no, no doubt. I mean, I definitely think he
does take himself seriously, but no, he's definitely. It's it's
pretty cool because I feel like I got to see
I got to see like early kids and pre kids Clayton,
and then you know, post post kids Clayton, and so
I definitely, you know, people say, having having kids, you know,
(09:39):
change changes you, and and you know, seeing him put
things intiving the perspective that he had post you know,
post kids, Capri was was pretty cool to see, all
while maintaining the level of just being the one of
the best competitors I've ever played. With and been around. Uh,
he's just it was really cool to be a teammate
(10:00):
for five years and lockermate, and you know, to be
able to call him a friend.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I remember telling you this when you were pitching for
the Dodgers, and a lot of times the words don't
come out of my mouth the way I need it
to be, but it was a huge compliment. And obviously
Clayton Kershaw is one of the most talented guys out there.
But if I had to say, and somebody asked me
to pick a guy that was as competitive as Clayton Kershaw,
(10:28):
I automatically always say you. And I feel like that's
the reason why you have the respect of your teammates
with the Dodgers and with other teams, because you had
that same competitive energy as Kershaw did. You may not
have had his curveball Alex Wood, but you had the
competitive juices and I will always remember that about you.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
I appreciate you saying that day. That's that's really kind.
You know. I think it's just about fight, right it
start grit and fight and just had a tough game
a lot of talent, talented people, and so you just
got to kind of fight and scratch and call your way,
no matter you know, what kind of a player you aren't.
So I always, you know, I always wanted to go
out there and do my best for the for the
(11:09):
guys that were playing behind me, and for the organization.
And definitely, I guess the old cliche left, try to
leave it on the field. You know, I appreciate you
saying that.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Yeah, Yeah, I know. There's been a lot of good
Dodger teams I've covered over the years, Alex. But that
group of guys that you started with in twenty fifteen
and you know you came back to in twenty twenty,
special group of guys that I'll always cherish that you
guys let me in and saw a little peak of
what the magic sauce was because you guys were special
(11:41):
people and those were great years. I'll always cherish those days.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yeah, for sure, there was definitely. I always kind of
kind of viewed it as you know, the kind of
the start of where they are now and kind of
the you know, the foundational years of you know, building
the Dodgers into what they you know, what they what
they are now, you know. Yeah, just some special teams
and some special times, for.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Sure, congratulations on a great career, Alex. Would I hope
to see you in Los Angeles or in Atlanta sometime soon,
or maybe Las Vegas. We'll have a twenty seventeen Dodgers
reunion in Vegas. How about that?
Speaker 1 (12:19):
That sounds good to me. I'm in Okay, sounds good.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Hey, congratulations Alex. Great to hear your voice. Great to
share you with Dodger fans who obviously saw what we
all saw, how you left it all out on the mound.
And that's why you will always be remembered in LA
not only as a world champion, but as a world
champion competitor. And we look forward to seeing you soon.
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