August 5, 2026 • 8 mins
Tarik Skubal talks about starting a new chapter in his career with the Dodgers, his friendship with Clayton Kershaw, and his demeanor on start days.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talkers.
We're in the Friendly Confines a Wrigley Field, a place
where Terrece Spooble had never pitched before before last night,
making his Dodger debut, and we're joined right now by
the Dodgers left hander. Thanks a lot for the time,
appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yeah, of course, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
What's it been like last night? I know, opening day,
your major league debut. Were there any butterflies when you
took the mound last night?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I mean even just going to bed the night before
and you know, waking up, you know, super excited to
kind of start this journey, you know, a different chapter
in my story. So, you know, excited to be a
Dodger and you know, give everything that I have to
the city, end of this team, and you know, try
to win as many baseball games as I can.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
It's so strange you haven't been on the Dodgers more
than a couple of days, but it seems like you
have connections and relationships with so many guys through your
time with the All Star Games and the World Baseball Classic.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, no, I mean I try to get to know
everybody throughout the league. You know, it's kind of this fraternity,
right all these guys throughout the league, and there becomes
a lot of familiar faces and playing guys. Uh, just
you know, and I got a lot of respect for
everybody in this league. You know, it's it's really hard
to be a big leaguer, and then you know, when
you get to establish some time here, it's really cool
(01:17):
to know some guys and get to know guys, you know,
not just on the field, but off the field a
little bit. So you know, I try to, you know,
get to know everybody. You know, everyone's unique in their
own way, and you know, I really enjoy that part
of the game.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Clayton Kershaw reeved about you after the World Baseball Classic experience.
How much did you pick his brain? How much did
you get to connect with him?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Quite a bit, you know, quite a bit. We talked,
spoke about everything you know about his career. Obviously you don't,
you know, just go to Baseball Reference and you'll understand
that he's probably, you know, the best left hander to
ever do it. So to be around him and just
you know, and embrace greatness obviously, at a different point
in his career, right, But it was a ton of
fun just to talk to him about baseball, pitching, about
(02:00):
how he goes about his business, any advice you know
that he would have told his younger self, you know,
all that stuff, you know, I think, And he's an
open book. Credit to him, you know, he doesn't have
to be. And then he's an open book. And when
I was traded over here, he texted me and you know,
kind of gave me the lay of the land, the
people here, you know that he works with, and everything
(02:22):
like that, and where to live, all that good stuff,
you know.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
So I I really appreciate that, you know, appreciate that
from Kursh.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Do you remember what he told what he would have
told his younger self.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I'll keep those between me and him. You know.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I think there's some conversations that should probably stay a
little private, and that's probably one of them.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
You know.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
One thing that he's very public about is his change
up envy. Never could get the feel for the change up.
So did he share with you how much change up
envy he had?
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Yeah, I think he didn't need a change up.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
First off, I don't think he ever needed a change up,
So I don't know if there should be any envy there.
He had the best curveball in the history of the game,
and his execution with his force m and slider were great,
so you know, he didn't need a change up, so
I think that the env probably shouldn't be there. But yeah,
I mean, if I could swap some pitches out with him,
I would. I would take his slider and curveball and
(03:12):
a heartbeat.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah, that curveball, even at this stage of the career
that you saw, how impressed were you with how he's
able to still get over that front leg and be
able to snap it.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
No, I mean his his curveball, everything about it, execution,
you know, for him, it's kind of like a change
up because it's so much slower than his heater. So
that's kind of how he. I feel like he regulated
lineups and regulated guys swings, you know, when they want
to get aggressive and swing at the first pitch.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
You can go right after.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
A you know, a curveball, and you're either gonna be
way out in front or it's going to be a
lazy fly ball.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
And I think he used that to his advantage.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
You know, just watching from Afar, So yeah, I mean
it's really impressive to watch him do what he does.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Terry Scooble is our guest to head a first pitch
between the Dodgers and Cubs. Just looking at your season, yeah,
I've noticed that you're getting speaking of Chase more Chase
this year than you ever have before in your career.
Is there a reason why are you just evolving as
time goes on as well?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I haven't really
thought about it much. You know.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
I I kind of try to stay in the zone
and beat guys in the zone. You know, That's kind
of my mentality. I'm very confident in my stuff, so
I want to go right after guys and get in leverage.
And you know, I think when you're in leverage consistently,
that's when Chase starts to happen because they're you know,
they think every pitch is going to be a strike,
so you use that to your advantage. So yeah, I
mean I haven't really looked at any of that stuff,
(04:30):
you know. I'm just I go out there and I
try to put my team in a position to win
a baseball game. And if I do that, good day.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
You know. That's how I think about it.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Do you believe too, Not every start you're gonna have
your best.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Which separates winning and losing and getting deep into game
is competing, right, You've got to find a way to compete.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
No doubt.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
I think the best in the game are the best
competitors in the game. Obviously the stuff is going to
be really good, But I think the best hitters, best pitchers,
doesn't matter, best relievers, they're the best competitors in the game.
You know, they go after everybody. It doesn't matter if
you feel good or if you you know, you got
in at five am the night before or whatever. You know,
you just go out there and give it everything you
got every fifth or sixth day, and that's all you
(05:09):
can ask for yourself, you know, and then slay it
all out on the line and then you know, results,
I mean, they matter, but they don't really matter. I
think how you compete and how you go about your
business and keep you know, be relentlessly attacking hitters is
what really matters.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So just to let you know, I got I covered
Kershaw for the last fifteen years of his career, and
I do have like boundaries when it comes to starting
pictures the day of their start. He has traumatized me.
I look directly into the ground now to any picture
that I come close to on start day. But Max
Munsey told me yesterday as you were getting ready, you
(05:40):
are so far from a Kurse Shaw type of start day.
Are you a guy that doesn't want anybody to talk
to you? Am I allowed to make eye contact with you?
Can you just set the ground rules? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (05:51):
No, I'm very approachable. Obviously.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I don't really want to talk a lot to the
media in general on the day I'm going.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Oh, trust me, I would never even come close.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Good mo, how's it going? You know, good, Good to
see you. You know those are all good to go. Yeah,
I just you know, as the game gets closer to
game time, I tend to kind of start to lock
it in. But you know, five six hours before the
game or four hours for the game. It's just like
I used to do that early in my career, and
I found myself very mentally exhausted before the game started.
So I just want to be myself. You know, I
(06:20):
think you know who I am is. You know I'm
I'm not outgoing, but I'm not an introvert. By any
means I want to talk to everybody and have fun.
I mean, we get to play baseball for a living.
How awesome is that?
Speaker 2 (06:30):
You know.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
There's not that many people that have been able to
say that. So I want to enjoy every minute of it.
You know, you never know, how you know, when my
career is going to be done. I want to look
back and say I had fun and enjoyed every single
minute of it and and worked my ass off to
be the best player I can be. So that's kind
of how I approach the game, not saying that anything
is wrong. You know, each guy is different in each
of their own you know, and it works. Obviously it
(06:52):
worked really well for Kersh, but.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
It didn't work for me.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
So I kind of just went back and resorted to
just being who I am, and that's who I am.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So the next start day, when I see you laying
on the ground doing your yoga, should I just give
you a shooter? McGavin point, you can do whatever you want.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
I'm probably not going to do it back, but I'll
acknowledge you for sure.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
All Right, good, we got the ground rules. Here's another
question for you. I heard you don't prefer being called
by your first name. You rather me call you Scoops?
Is that true?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Yeah? I think only my wife calls me by.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
My first name when she when you're in trouble or.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Well, then I'll get my middle name too.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
It's kind of like my mother when she says my
first and middle name or first and last right back
to back. I know I've done something wrong, which I'm
not oblivious too. I probably knew I did something wrong
to try to get away with it, but.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
I'm always in the doghouse too.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yeah, I think everyone, everyone on the basement in the
baseball wroll just calls me Scoob or Scooby or Scoob
something like that. And okay, that's just what I respond
to I, you know, as when you're in season. I
honestly I forget my first name a little bit because
they don't really, you know, no teammate really has.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Ever called me Terrek.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
It's kind of it's not a it's not an easy
word to pronounce and kind of get off the time.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Okay, all right, last one for you. Since you're in
La it's a great food town. What does Scoobs like
to eat? Are you Italian? Have you had in and
out before?
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Oh my god. I'm a West Coast guy. I love
in and out.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
You're an az guy, that's right.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Yeah, I mean, I don't know. People say Waterburger. I
don't even think it holds.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
It's not even the same level, and it ou'ts so good,
you know.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
But for food like Taco's, Italian steak sushi, I'm into
every type of food, you know. I love eating good food,
good quality food, and I'm sure LA has plenty of it,
and I look forward to exploring that.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
All right, Thanks Scoops. Thanks for the time. Great to
share you with Dodger fans. Obviously you're a human being.
You're not just an ultimate picture in baseball right now.
So I love showing fans what you're all about. And
since you love good food, you'll receive a gift card
to Hobbyers Newport Beach, Pasadena. Your agent, Scott Boris, lives
at the one in Newport Beach, so enjoy hobby Aers
(08:57):
when you're in LA.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
I appreciate it. Thank you,
And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talkers.
We're in the Friendly Confines a Wrigley Field, a place
where Terrece Spooble had never pitched before before last night,
making his Dodger debut, and we're joined right now by
the Dodgers left hander. Thanks a lot for the time,
appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yeah, of course, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
What's it been like last night? I know, opening day,
your major league debut. Were there any butterflies when you
took the mound last night?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I mean even just going to bed the night before
and you know, waking up, you know, super excited to
kind of start this journey, you know, a different chapter
in my story. So, you know, excited to be a
Dodger and you know, give everything that I have to
the city, end of this team, and you know, try
to win as many baseball games as I can.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
It's so strange you haven't been on the Dodgers more
than a couple of days, but it seems like you
have connections and relationships with so many guys through your
time with the All Star Games and the World Baseball Classic.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, no, I mean I try to get to know
everybody throughout the league. You know, it's kind of this fraternity,
right all these guys throughout the league, and there becomes
a lot of familiar faces and playing guys. Uh, just
you know, and I got a lot of respect for
everybody in this league. You know, it's it's really hard
to be a big leaguer, and then you know, when
you get to establish some time here, it's really cool
(01:17):
to know some guys and get to know guys, you know,
not just on the field, but off the field a
little bit. So you know, I try to, you know,
get to know everybody. You know, everyone's unique in their
own way, and you know, I really enjoy that part
of the game.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Clayton Kershaw reeved about you after the World Baseball Classic experience.
How much did you pick his brain? How much did
you get to connect with him?
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Quite a bit, you know, quite a bit. We talked,
spoke about everything you know about his career. Obviously you don't,
you know, just go to Baseball Reference and you'll understand
that he's probably, you know, the best left hander to
ever do it. So to be around him and just
you know, and embrace greatness obviously, at a different point
in his career, right, But it was a ton of
fun just to talk to him about baseball, pitching, about
(02:00):
how he goes about his business, any advice you know
that he would have told his younger self, you know,
all that stuff, you know, I think, And he's an
open book. Credit to him, you know, he doesn't have
to be. And then he's an open book. And when
I was traded over here, he texted me and you know,
kind of gave me the lay of the land, the
people here, you know that he works with, and everything
(02:22):
like that, and where to live, all that good stuff,
you know.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
So I I really appreciate that, you know, appreciate that
from Kursh.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Do you remember what he told what he would have
told his younger self.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I'll keep those between me and him. You know.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I think there's some conversations that should probably stay a
little private, and that's probably one of them.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
You know.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
One thing that he's very public about is his change
up envy. Never could get the feel for the change up.
So did he share with you how much change up
envy he had?
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Yeah, I think he didn't need a change up.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
First off, I don't think he ever needed a change up,
So I don't know if there should be any envy there.
He had the best curveball in the history of the game,
and his execution with his force m and slider were great,
so you know, he didn't need a change up, so
I think that the env probably shouldn't be there. But yeah,
I mean, if I could swap some pitches out with him,
I would. I would take his slider and curveball and
(03:12):
a heartbeat.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah, that curveball, even at this stage of the career
that you saw, how impressed were you with how he's
able to still get over that front leg and be
able to snap it.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
No, I mean his his curveball, everything about it, execution,
you know, for him, it's kind of like a change
up because it's so much slower than his heater. So
that's kind of how he. I feel like he regulated
lineups and regulated guys swings, you know, when they want
to get aggressive and swing at the first pitch.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
You can go right after.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
A you know, a curveball, and you're either gonna be
way out in front or it's going to be a
lazy fly ball.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
And I think he used that to his advantage.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
You know, just watching from Afar, So yeah, I mean
it's really impressive to watch him do what he does.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Terry Scooble is our guest to head a first pitch
between the Dodgers and Cubs. Just looking at your season, yeah,
I've noticed that you're getting speaking of Chase more Chase
this year than you ever have before in your career.
Is there a reason why are you just evolving as
time goes on as well?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I haven't really
thought about it much. You know.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
I I kind of try to stay in the zone
and beat guys in the zone. You know, That's kind
of my mentality. I'm very confident in my stuff, so
I want to go right after guys and get in leverage.
And you know, I think when you're in leverage consistently,
that's when Chase starts to happen because they're you know,
they think every pitch is going to be a strike,
so you use that to your advantage. So yeah, I
mean I haven't really looked at any of that stuff,
(04:30):
you know. I'm just I go out there and I
try to put my team in a position to win
a baseball game. And if I do that, good day.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
You know. That's how I think about it.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Do you believe too, Not every start you're gonna have
your best.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Which separates winning and losing and getting deep into game
is competing, right, You've got to find a way to compete.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
No doubt.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
I think the best in the game are the best
competitors in the game. Obviously the stuff is going to
be really good, But I think the best hitters, best pitchers,
doesn't matter, best relievers, they're the best competitors in the game.
You know, they go after everybody. It doesn't matter if
you feel good or if you you know, you got
in at five am the night before or whatever. You know,
you just go out there and give it everything you
got every fifth or sixth day, and that's all you
(05:09):
can ask for yourself, you know, and then slay it
all out on the line and then you know, results,
I mean, they matter, but they don't really matter. I
think how you compete and how you go about your
business and keep you know, be relentlessly attacking hitters is
what really matters.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So just to let you know, I got I covered
Kershaw for the last fifteen years of his career, and
I do have like boundaries when it comes to starting
pictures the day of their start. He has traumatized me.
I look directly into the ground now to any picture
that I come close to on start day. But Max
Munsey told me yesterday as you were getting ready, you
(05:40):
are so far from a Kurse Shaw type of start day.
Are you a guy that doesn't want anybody to talk
to you? Am I allowed to make eye contact with you?
Can you just set the ground rules? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (05:51):
No, I'm very approachable. Obviously.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I don't really want to talk a lot to the
media in general on the day I'm going.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Oh, trust me, I would never even come close.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Good mo, how's it going? You know, good, Good to
see you. You know those are all good to go. Yeah,
I just you know, as the game gets closer to
game time, I tend to kind of start to lock
it in. But you know, five six hours before the
game or four hours for the game. It's just like
I used to do that early in my career, and
I found myself very mentally exhausted before the game started.
So I just want to be myself. You know, I
(06:20):
think you know who I am is. You know I'm
I'm not outgoing, but I'm not an introvert. By any
means I want to talk to everybody and have fun.
I mean, we get to play baseball for a living.
How awesome is that?
Speaker 2 (06:30):
You know.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
There's not that many people that have been able to
say that. So I want to enjoy every minute of it.
You know, you never know, how you know, when my
career is going to be done. I want to look
back and say I had fun and enjoyed every single
minute of it and and worked my ass off to
be the best player I can be. So that's kind
of how I approach the game, not saying that anything
is wrong. You know, each guy is different in each
of their own you know, and it works. Obviously it
(06:52):
worked really well for Kersh, but.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
It didn't work for me.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
So I kind of just went back and resorted to
just being who I am, and that's who I am.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So the next start day, when I see you laying
on the ground doing your yoga, should I just give
you a shooter? McGavin point, you can do whatever you want.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
I'm probably not going to do it back, but I'll
acknowledge you for sure.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
All Right, good, we got the ground rules. Here's another
question for you. I heard you don't prefer being called
by your first name. You rather me call you Scoops?
Is that true?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Yeah? I think only my wife calls me by.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
My first name when she when you're in trouble or.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Well, then I'll get my middle name too.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
It's kind of like my mother when she says my
first and middle name or first and last right back
to back. I know I've done something wrong, which I'm
not oblivious too. I probably knew I did something wrong
to try to get away with it, but.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
I'm always in the doghouse too.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yeah, I think everyone, everyone on the basement in the
baseball wroll just calls me Scoob or Scooby or Scoob
something like that. And okay, that's just what I respond
to I, you know, as when you're in season. I
honestly I forget my first name a little bit because
they don't really, you know, no teammate really has.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Ever called me Terrek.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
It's kind of it's not a it's not an easy
word to pronounce and kind of get off the time.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Okay, all right, last one for you. Since you're in
La it's a great food town. What does Scoobs like
to eat? Are you Italian? Have you had in and
out before?
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Oh my god. I'm a West Coast guy. I love
in and out.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
You're an az guy, that's right.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Yeah, I mean, I don't know. People say Waterburger. I
don't even think it holds.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
It's not even the same level, and it ou'ts so good,
you know.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
But for food like Taco's, Italian steak sushi, I'm into
every type of food, you know. I love eating good food,
good quality food, and I'm sure LA has plenty of it,
and I look forward to exploring that.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
All right, Thanks Scoops. Thanks for the time. Great to
share you with Dodger fans. Obviously you're a human being.
You're not just an ultimate picture in baseball right now.
So I love showing fans what you're all about. And
since you love good food, you'll receive a gift card
to Hobbyers Newport Beach, Pasadena. Your agent, Scott Boris, lives
at the one in Newport Beach, so enjoy hobby Aers
(08:57):
when you're in LA.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
I appreciate it. Thank you,
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