August 18, 2025 • 11 mins
Andre Ethier talks about the series against the Padres, Clayton Kershaw setting the tone for the team, and Mookie Betts' unique season.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talking.
We're joined right now by a man that spent his
entire twelve year Major league career wearing Dodger blue. He
left it all out on the field, and he still
is connected to the franchise. Yesterday at Dodger Stadium, before
(00:20):
the Dodgers swept the Padres, Andre Ethier was out there
in centerfield plaza meeting, greeting, kissing babies and being part
of the people of Dodgers Stadium. And that good Andre
Ethier karma showed out yesterday as the Dodger swept the Padres,
and Andre was part of the Jim Beam experience at
(00:42):
Dodger Stadium yesterday. And Andre joins us right now. Dre.
Great to have you on the show. It was even
better to have you at Dodger Stadium yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Thanks Dave. Yeah, I don't think the day could have
been any better for a regular season game. Weather was perfect,
big game, big meaningful game against the the only claimed
from one side, our rivals, not our side, but their
side obviously claimed being our rival. And uh, hanging out
(01:13):
with like you said, with Jim Beam out and right
filled plaza you know, having great uh samples of their
uh you know Lifetle mixed uh pineapple mango jim bean
drink that we were out there sampling all day. So
it was a great day. And then of course ended
up with a big series sweep win with our guy
(01:37):
Mookie coming through and what did the clutch hit there
at the eighth and uh, you know, had a great
day doing it.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
You got to tell everybody that these games mean something.
The vibes obviously were a lot different going into Friday
night compared to where they were after Sunday's game. Does
that mean something when you're playing even in August.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, And I think it means something too. And I
think you can see just being at home, uh how
kind of just rejuvenates you and and gets you just
walked in a little bit more there. There's there's always
something And I've heard multiple guys who've come here and
say it over the years. You know, there's just a vibe.
A few a few cities have it, uh, you know,
(02:18):
New York, Boston, Chicago, you know, those big cities kind
of have that vibe to them, that feel, and you know,
as a player, there's nothing better than you know, having
a rough little stretch and knowing you have a big
series coming up, coming back to LA and just kind
of film that vibe, that energy of the city, of
(02:39):
the fans, and getting to play back at the Oger
Stadium that kind of just be locks you back in,
doesn't matter what time of year it is, And I
know I felt it over my career too, where you just, man,
the dog days are happening and all of a sudden
that plane's come and landing into LA and it just
kind of that kind of gives you a little second win.
You show up to the stadium, you can fill the energy,
(03:00):
and you know that's that's the biggest thing that always
you didn't want to get in the top of saying,
you know, this is just a regular season game, doesn't
really mean anything more. You know, once he gets to
the playoffs, well, you still got to get to the playoffs,
and the team definitely showed up and showed that they're
you know, playing with that type of headspace and frame
of mind with you know, games still there in August.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
You've played behind Clayton Kershaw many times for big games.
How much do you believe he set the tone not
only for Friday Night but for the rest of this series.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah, he's been the star of this team all year,
and he's been the star of the team for eighteen years,
but he's been the star of the team this year especially.
And it's not just because everyone's like, oh wow, look
how great Kershaw's doing. He's really performing that well. And
just to even you know, add on that a little
bit more, you keep seeing those legacy numbers of his
(03:52):
tick down even further. It's not like he's you know,
treading water just gathered. And I know he has a
ton of innings pitch and a ton of tond of
of you know, strikeouts, everything added on to that stuff.
But he's adding and his numbers are going down. They're
not going up over those you know, legacy numbers that
he's adding onto. And yeah, you said he came out
(04:13):
Friday night under lights, and you know, I guess, for
the fan, for the teammate, for whatever, you hope that's
not the last Friday night big game that we get
to see Clighton Pershaw pitch in Dodger Stadium. But you know,
it's it's hard not to reminisce and and look ahead
(04:33):
and see what a special night that was at Dodger
Stadium to have him pitch you know there that way.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Obviously you brought it every night, and Andre Ethier is
our guest. You brought it every night. You were so focused,
so intense. But can you describe what it's like when
you play behind Kershaw and just what Dave Roberts mentioned
how the focus seems to be heightened when he's on
the mound, it felt like that carried over all three games.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well, it's hard not to. You're on a team and
a guy who's been with the team this long and
only team this long, you've always he's obviously had to
perform a certain way, and the way he's performed is
is elite, elite, the first ballot Hall of Famer. I
think I saw a stat the other day that he's
now run number one or close to being number one
(05:26):
for run prevention. Yeah, as a pitch. I don't know
if he saw that sat right, Like for keeping runs
off the board, he's number one all time. So there's
a lot of credit to the way he does his madness.
And you know, for and I think his madness has
been stepped down and toned down a ton from what
he first was. But you know, you hear the stories
of when he was a young guy, like it was on
(05:48):
pins and needles for the entire clubhouse. When he would
come in and starters. He had certain routines starting a
certain amount of time, and he would throw him all
of a certain spot and he couldn't go down that
hallway and go because he was throwing that ball and
if he got his way, he gave you that look like,
you know, get out of my way. You should know
my routine. He had a certain table reserved in the
in the training table, and you knew from a certain
(06:11):
time that you didn't go near that training table or
even try to start treatment on there because he was
going to come in at a certain time and be
on that table. That was his routine. That's what made
him the best. That's what made this team the best.
Everyone respected it. And he's and he's done that now
for eighteen years, and it's amazing to see that he's
able to have that type of concentration and that type
(06:33):
of you know, dominance over this run and he's still
doing it. And you could see that guy stepped up
and kind of fell online here from the series and
follow Lee like you're saying and made these guys dig
deep and realize, hey, we're out here just to float
and figure out we can get there. We're going to
take it ourselves. And I think that's kind of the
attitude you saw started there. You know in that first
game of.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
The series, Andre you taught me this and I still
carry it forward. You told me every season is unique,
and for Mookie Betts, this has been his most unique season.
Not in a great way, but how much does a
hit like yesterday change just the feeling for him going
forward to the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah, to me, you know everyone's going to have those
tough years, and you know, I don't the great players
have those tough years at the end of their career,
when you know things start catching up to them, the
natural the natural forces of aging and you know, whatever
is catch up to you at the end of your career,
and you're going to have seasons like this. And by
(07:35):
no means is I'm saying as Mookie you know, get
to that age. It's just you know, hey, sometimes you
have little hiccups and it happens, and it's how you
battle through them. And lucky enough, he's on a team
right now that has very good players. Around him where
you're you know, it's not you know, the biggest notice
or or or brag on what the team's doing. And
(07:56):
for him to you know, be given time to step
up and have that moment where you know, hopefully it
gets it back on track. So that's all you can
ask for. And it just shows where the maturity is
on this team, where the churity is on this organization,
where the maturity is on this fan base. Even knowing
that they've you know, had a lot of success, has
the ups and downs, and they realize, like you said,
(08:18):
Caesars are really unique and you have times where they
don't always go your way. And I think, you know,
it's a lot of credit to everyone involved in this
organization to see that, hey, Mookie's been a great player.
We're gonna have to help him get through this and
you know, hopefully this is the moment that kind of
just relights that the positive energy, the confidence something that
(08:42):
might not be going right for them and just helps them,
like you said, deep here at the end and help
this next run and in playoff run that's uh. You know,
this team's line up.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
For love it. Andre ETHERI was a big part of it.
He's still a big part of the organization. Still connecting
with fans like he was yesterday with Jim Beam at
Dodgers Stadium and I hope you held up a toast
after Mookie Betts hit that home run in the eighth inning.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Uh, we did. We were having a great time. We
actually worked our way up to this to the suite
with the with all the gym Bean sponsors and uh
and fans that are that were part of that event.
So yeah, we had a great time out in right field. Honestly,
it's one of my one of my favorite things to do, uh,
you know from the Dodgers community. For the Dodgers fans
(09:28):
just come back and get a chance to just shake hands,
take photos, and you know, I you know, you feel
good when they're you know, all the fans come up
to you and tell you how appreciative they are of you.
But I like to do the same thing back to
them and just tell them I'm appreciative of them being
a fan of you know, not only myself, but the
(09:48):
Dodgers and being support of this team for however long.
You know, you hear the story thirty years, forty years,
ten years, seven years, you know, I heard a story
yestually became a Dodger fan with that. I think it
was your last year, the guy said, in seventeen. And
you know, I love the way that team played, I
love the way that team's character was, and I've been
(10:08):
a Dodger fan since that day. I know it was
your last year. I just want to say, you know,
thank you for doing it. And you know, I like
to see the thing, you know, same thing back to
you know, a guy like that, and hey, thanks for
becoming a fan of Dodgers. And it's the continued support
that allows the success of this team's allows the success
of this organization moving forward. And you know, you don't
(10:28):
realize it until you're done. You know how impactful not
only plan years, but you know years after you get
to be as a as a as a former player,
and a person around the team because you're always giving
back to you know, the ones who have come out
and support you through the good times at bad times
as a fan.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Hey, there's a reason why fans react the way they
do when they see you because they know that you
never left anything on the field. You left it all
on the field. So awesome to see you back out
there yesterday and let's keep it rolling and we'll talk
to you soon.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
I hope to see you out in right field here
into the month. Maybe we can get a little Jim
Beam Pineapple slushie together out there and call the game
if you're not too busy up there pretending to be
you know, doing something in the press box during the game.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Ooh, I love that. Maybe we'll post up at the
home run seats in right field too.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Oh yeah, maybe we'll do that. That's that's one of
me and your favorite things to do is catch a
game in the home run seats and our favorite uncle
Uncle Lon to hopefully get us some tickets out there. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
If I'm with you, he'll he'll deliver. If it was
just me, it'd be no chance. Thanks Drake. Great to
hear your boys, and we'll see at Dodger Stadium soon.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Yeah. Yeah, good luck out there in Colorado and keep
it going.
And an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talking.
We're joined right now by a man that spent his
entire twelve year Major league career wearing Dodger blue. He
left it all out on the field, and he still
is connected to the franchise. Yesterday at Dodger Stadium, before
(00:20):
the Dodgers swept the Padres, Andre Ethier was out there
in centerfield plaza meeting, greeting, kissing babies and being part
of the people of Dodgers Stadium. And that good Andre
Ethier karma showed out yesterday as the Dodger swept the Padres,
and Andre was part of the Jim Beam experience at
(00:42):
Dodger Stadium yesterday. And Andre joins us right now. Dre.
Great to have you on the show. It was even
better to have you at Dodger Stadium yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Thanks Dave. Yeah, I don't think the day could have
been any better for a regular season game. Weather was perfect,
big game, big meaningful game against the the only claimed
from one side, our rivals, not our side, but their
side obviously claimed being our rival. And uh, hanging out
(01:13):
with like you said, with Jim Beam out and right
filled plaza you know, having great uh samples of their
uh you know Lifetle mixed uh pineapple mango jim bean
drink that we were out there sampling all day. So
it was a great day. And then of course ended
up with a big series sweep win with our guy
(01:37):
Mookie coming through and what did the clutch hit there
at the eighth and uh, you know, had a great
day doing it.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
You got to tell everybody that these games mean something.
The vibes obviously were a lot different going into Friday
night compared to where they were after Sunday's game. Does
that mean something when you're playing even in August.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, And I think it means something too. And I
think you can see just being at home, uh how
kind of just rejuvenates you and and gets you just
walked in a little bit more there. There's there's always
something And I've heard multiple guys who've come here and
say it over the years. You know, there's just a vibe.
A few a few cities have it, uh, you know,
(02:18):
New York, Boston, Chicago, you know, those big cities kind
of have that vibe to them, that feel, and you know,
as a player, there's nothing better than you know, having
a rough little stretch and knowing you have a big
series coming up, coming back to LA and just kind
of film that vibe, that energy of the city, of
(02:39):
the fans, and getting to play back at the Oger
Stadium that kind of just be locks you back in,
doesn't matter what time of year it is, And I
know I felt it over my career too, where you just, man,
the dog days are happening and all of a sudden
that plane's come and landing into LA and it just
kind of that kind of gives you a little second win.
You show up to the stadium, you can fill the energy,
(03:00):
and you know that's that's the biggest thing that always
you didn't want to get in the top of saying,
you know, this is just a regular season game, doesn't
really mean anything more. You know, once he gets to
the playoffs, well, you still got to get to the playoffs,
and the team definitely showed up and showed that they're
you know, playing with that type of headspace and frame
of mind with you know, games still there in August.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
You've played behind Clayton Kershaw many times for big games.
How much do you believe he set the tone not
only for Friday Night but for the rest of this series.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah, he's been the star of this team all year,
and he's been the star of the team for eighteen years,
but he's been the star of the team this year especially.
And it's not just because everyone's like, oh wow, look
how great Kershaw's doing. He's really performing that well. And
just to even you know, add on that a little
bit more, you keep seeing those legacy numbers of his
(03:52):
tick down even further. It's not like he's you know,
treading water just gathered. And I know he has a
ton of innings pitch and a ton of tond of
of you know, strikeouts, everything added on to that stuff.
But he's adding and his numbers are going down. They're
not going up over those you know, legacy numbers that
he's adding onto. And yeah, you said he came out
(04:13):
Friday night under lights, and you know, I guess, for
the fan, for the teammate, for whatever, you hope that's
not the last Friday night big game that we get
to see Clighton Pershaw pitch in Dodger Stadium. But you know,
it's it's hard not to reminisce and and look ahead
(04:33):
and see what a special night that was at Dodger
Stadium to have him pitch you know there that way.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Obviously you brought it every night, and Andre Ethier is
our guest. You brought it every night. You were so focused,
so intense. But can you describe what it's like when
you play behind Kershaw and just what Dave Roberts mentioned
how the focus seems to be heightened when he's on
the mound, it felt like that carried over all three games.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well, it's hard not to. You're on a team and
a guy who's been with the team this long and
only team this long, you've always he's obviously had to
perform a certain way, and the way he's performed is
is elite, elite, the first ballot Hall of Famer. I
think I saw a stat the other day that he's
now run number one or close to being number one
(05:26):
for run prevention. Yeah, as a pitch. I don't know
if he saw that sat right, Like for keeping runs
off the board, he's number one all time. So there's
a lot of credit to the way he does his madness.
And you know, for and I think his madness has
been stepped down and toned down a ton from what
he first was. But you know, you hear the stories
of when he was a young guy, like it was on
(05:48):
pins and needles for the entire clubhouse. When he would
come in and starters. He had certain routines starting a
certain amount of time, and he would throw him all
of a certain spot and he couldn't go down that
hallway and go because he was throwing that ball and
if he got his way, he gave you that look like,
you know, get out of my way. You should know
my routine. He had a certain table reserved in the
in the training table, and you knew from a certain
(06:11):
time that you didn't go near that training table or
even try to start treatment on there because he was
going to come in at a certain time and be
on that table. That was his routine. That's what made
him the best. That's what made this team the best.
Everyone respected it. And he's and he's done that now
for eighteen years, and it's amazing to see that he's
able to have that type of concentration and that type
(06:33):
of you know, dominance over this run and he's still
doing it. And you could see that guy stepped up
and kind of fell online here from the series and
follow Lee like you're saying and made these guys dig
deep and realize, hey, we're out here just to float
and figure out we can get there. We're going to
take it ourselves. And I think that's kind of the
attitude you saw started there. You know in that first
game of.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
The series, Andre you taught me this and I still
carry it forward. You told me every season is unique,
and for Mookie Betts, this has been his most unique season.
Not in a great way, but how much does a
hit like yesterday change just the feeling for him going
forward to the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah, to me, you know everyone's going to have those
tough years, and you know, I don't the great players
have those tough years at the end of their career,
when you know things start catching up to them, the
natural the natural forces of aging and you know, whatever
is catch up to you at the end of your career,
and you're going to have seasons like this. And by
(07:35):
no means is I'm saying as Mookie you know, get
to that age. It's just you know, hey, sometimes you
have little hiccups and it happens, and it's how you
battle through them. And lucky enough, he's on a team
right now that has very good players. Around him where
you're you know, it's not you know, the biggest notice
or or or brag on what the team's doing. And
(07:56):
for him to you know, be given time to step
up and have that moment where you know, hopefully it
gets it back on track. So that's all you can
ask for. And it just shows where the maturity is
on this team, where the churity is on this organization,
where the maturity is on this fan base. Even knowing
that they've you know, had a lot of success, has
the ups and downs, and they realize, like you said,
(08:18):
Caesars are really unique and you have times where they
don't always go your way. And I think, you know,
it's a lot of credit to everyone involved in this
organization to see that, hey, Mookie's been a great player.
We're gonna have to help him get through this and
you know, hopefully this is the moment that kind of
just relights that the positive energy, the confidence something that
(08:42):
might not be going right for them and just helps them,
like you said, deep here at the end and help
this next run and in playoff run that's uh. You know,
this team's line up.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
For love it. Andre ETHERI was a big part of it.
He's still a big part of the organization. Still connecting
with fans like he was yesterday with Jim Beam at
Dodgers Stadium and I hope you held up a toast
after Mookie Betts hit that home run in the eighth inning.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Uh, we did. We were having a great time. We
actually worked our way up to this to the suite
with the with all the gym Bean sponsors and uh
and fans that are that were part of that event.
So yeah, we had a great time out in right field. Honestly,
it's one of my one of my favorite things to do, uh,
you know from the Dodgers community. For the Dodgers fans
(09:28):
just come back and get a chance to just shake hands,
take photos, and you know, I you know, you feel
good when they're you know, all the fans come up
to you and tell you how appreciative they are of you.
But I like to do the same thing back to
them and just tell them I'm appreciative of them being
a fan of you know, not only myself, but the
(09:48):
Dodgers and being support of this team for however long.
You know, you hear the story thirty years, forty years,
ten years, seven years, you know, I heard a story
yestually became a Dodger fan with that. I think it
was your last year, the guy said, in seventeen. And
you know, I love the way that team played, I
love the way that team's character was, and I've been
(10:08):
a Dodger fan since that day. I know it was
your last year. I just want to say, you know,
thank you for doing it. And you know, I like
to see the thing, you know, same thing back to
you know, a guy like that, and hey, thanks for
becoming a fan of Dodgers. And it's the continued support
that allows the success of this team's allows the success
of this organization moving forward. And you know, you don't
(10:28):
realize it until you're done. You know how impactful not
only plan years, but you know years after you get
to be as a as a as a former player,
and a person around the team because you're always giving
back to you know, the ones who have come out
and support you through the good times at bad times
as a fan.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Hey, there's a reason why fans react the way they
do when they see you because they know that you
never left anything on the field. You left it all
on the field. So awesome to see you back out
there yesterday and let's keep it rolling and we'll talk
to you soon.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
I hope to see you out in right field here
into the month. Maybe we can get a little Jim
Beam Pineapple slushie together out there and call the game
if you're not too busy up there pretending to be
you know, doing something in the press box during the game.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Ooh, I love that. Maybe we'll post up at the
home run seats in right field too.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Oh yeah, maybe we'll do that. That's that's one of
me and your favorite things to do is catch a
game in the home run seats and our favorite uncle
Uncle Lon to hopefully get us some tickets out there. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
If I'm with you, he'll he'll deliver. If it was
just me, it'd be no chance. Thanks Drake. Great to
hear your boys, and we'll see at Dodger Stadium soon.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Yeah. Yeah, good luck out there in Colorado and keep
it going.
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