Anthony Banda (5-25-25)

Anthony talks about the Lucha Libre Show at Dodger Stadium, his role in the bullpen, Ben Casparius, and Jack Dryer.  

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk.
All right, we're joined right now by one of the dogs,
part of the World Series Champions last year and a
big part of the Dodger Bullpen this year, the one
and only Anthony Banda. Anthony, thanks a lot for the time.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Appreciate it, Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Can we rewind to Mexican Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium.
What did you think about the uh Luce Libre fighters
that they surprised everybody with.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
I thought that was pretty cool, given the fact that
you know wrestling I watched growing up, Me and my brothers,
we watched it and fell in love with it until
I found out it was fake. But no, it's very entertaining,
and that's what I came to an understanding with was
the entertainment of it. So I can see, you know

(00:49):
why people love it and people cheer for it and
then blessed like the Jerseys. I thought they were awesome.
So I was begging you guys to uh to give
me something. So I'm glad I got some. I can
hook it up, Banda if you need some, I got
some I got.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
So you deserve it. I mean, you leave your arm
out there on the mound, You leave your heart out
there on the mound every time out there. What's it
like coming back and being a world champion.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
It's fulfilling, But you know, we got another job at hand,
and it's a new season, so you know, we leave
all the awards and everything else like that back at
home and get back to work and stay focused on
what we need to do this year.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
Your job title is still the same Dodger reliever, but
it feels like your role is a lot different than
last year. How have you adjusted to it?

Speaker 2 (01:38):
You know, it's the same mindset I had last year
whenever the phone rings and it's it's made just kind
of you know, understand what the job is and understand
my lane and understand the sequences I need to do
to attack the hitters, and just go and execute that
game plan and have some fun doing it.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
You and the other dogs from last year were pushed
to the limits. I have not forgotten that, and I
don't take for granted it. Just the the wear and
tear and the toll it takes on your body. How
have you been able to bounce back? And do you
feel like your body is is more in a rhythm
now than it was maybe to start the year.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, absolutely, given the fact, you know, we had some
unfortunate injuries going down, and you know, it's you know,
it's a it's a workload that we're taking on. But
that's that's kind of what we do, and it's kind
of our job, and you know, it's it's it's an
honor to put on the Dodger blue uniform and continue
to pitch for the Dodgers. So if you want to

(02:31):
continue doing that, you just got to understand that that
comes with the job. And uh, you know, like we've
always said, we always pick each other up, regardless of
what it what it takes. Uh, it's a team effort
and so that's what we're striving for every single time.
And whoever's coming out of that boat and we're rooting
for and cheering for, and when that person gets a job,

(02:53):
it's the next person up. So that's just what our
mindsets are and that's that's what we carry from last
year to this year. And we've been we've been in
a good spot lately, so I think we're doing a
very good job with that.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
How impressed have you been with Ben Casparius because he's
in a similar spot him and Jack Dryer as you
were last year, and they seem to have really stepped
up like you did.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah. Absolutely, you know, having guys to step up and
understand that that's the culture that that we expect and
that you know, they molded into very very quickly. It's
it's a it's amazing to watch. It's given the fact
that they are young and you know, this is our
first full year, but they're what impresses me the most
impresses everybody down there is that they're relentless and they're

(03:37):
not they're not scared to go after hitters and they
go out and just you know, they have unbelievable stuff. Uh,
and you know, they just take advantage of the hitters
and you know, basically bully the guys. So it's fun
to watch given the fact that we've known Ben for
a little bit now, but especially with Jack, he's a
very quiet individual, but he knows what he's doing. He

(03:59):
gets his job done, and you know, I couldn't be
more happier for those two guys to really step up
and take on those roles.

Speaker 1 (04:06):
World Champion and Great teammate Anthony Bonda is our guest.
Before I let you go, I know you have to
be in the moment. You're not reflecting on last year.
But there is a lot of that. Because the Dodgers
are going to be playing the Mets seven times in
the next week, You're gonna see the Yankees on the
next home stand as well as a group of that bullpen,

(04:27):
what do you believe you guys are the most.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
Proud of just taking on the workload and taking on
the responsibility of being in that bullpen and showing up
every day ready to compete. You know, we control what
we can control, and like I said, we're part of
the team and it's a team effort to go out
and try to win every single game. So the thing
is is like that's that's pretty much what we're proud of,

(04:51):
and that's what we carry around with us, regardless of
who we're playing or you know, where we're at, regardless
of you know, who goes down who does and it's
just all about a team effort and we're all pulling
for each other. And at the same time, we know
that every single day we got to bring our a
game because that's just a Dodger's way.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Hey, that was one of the most remarkable performances any
Bullpen has ever put together as a group in a
world series, in a postseason run and Anthony Banda, you
obviously wear a big part of it and keep it going,
Stay healthy, stay up, and we'll talk to you soon.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Thank you for having me.