Latest / Foul Territory / Cubs starter Matthew Boyd announces WBC Team USA decision on FT + Inside his short-rest NLDS decision

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Cubs starter Matthew Boyd announces WBC Team USA decision on FT + Inside his short-rest NLDS decision · Foul Territory

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Matthew Boyd joining us right now, coming off a brilliant
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty five campaign, an awesome year with the Chicago Cubs,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: and here's our buddy, Matt.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: Great to have you on.
• 0:11
  Speaker 3: Man.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: How's your off season?
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: And I like to ask.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: This for the first time when I talk to a
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: player after the season comes to an end, did you
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: have time to do a little reflecting and if so,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: how do you evaluate what just happened?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, what's up, guys?
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  Speaker 4: Thanks for having me on. Yeah, man, I'm I'm super grateful,
• 0:30
  Speaker 4: super grateful to get to play for the Cubs this
• 0:32
  Speaker 4: year and get to experience, like playing at Wrigley every day,
• 0:38
  Speaker 4: like the energy that's brought every single day. You get
• 0:43
  Speaker 4: the feed off it, you know, and that's it's it's different,
• 0:46
  Speaker 4: you know. I mean Monday nights in April when it's
• 0:50
  Speaker 4: thirty degrees, you know, and you know we're playing the
• 0:53
  Speaker 4: Rockies and it's a sold out crowd sort of thing.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: Like it's it's just it's it's special. It's different. And uh,
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: I'm just I'm super thankful for that.
• 1:02
  Speaker 4: Man. We you look back at like the whole season
• 1:07
  Speaker 4: and you're like, it's a it's one of those things
• 1:09
  Speaker 4: where it's like, uh, we.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: Wish we we we could do more.
• 1:13
  Speaker 4: You know, like you look at the teams that were
• 1:16
  Speaker 4: you know, the Brewers who beat us and the teams
• 1:19
  Speaker 4: that were still around. You're like, we could have easily
• 1:22
  Speaker 4: been there and doing our thing, and unfortunately that's just
• 1:24
  Speaker 4: how it shakes out.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: Sometimes.
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  Speaker 4: You know, it's an inch here and an inch there,
• 1:28
  Speaker 4: and you know, a game that's won within the margins,
• 1:31
  Speaker 4: but like it's uh, you know, was was happy and
• 1:35
  Speaker 4: grateful for the year we had with this squad, and
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  Speaker 4: it was I wish we went further, but it was
• 1:40
  Speaker 4: a lot of fun.
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  Speaker 3: Ah R, Matthew, I hate to bring up a source subject.
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: You brought up the Brewers, so I got to go
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  Speaker 3: there early. Well, yeah, they started you in game one
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: on short rest. Well, yeah, were you and you didn't
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: go very well. I'm sorry because I think you're awesome.
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  Speaker 3: But what was what was different? Explain as a picture
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  Speaker 3: a starting picture. And I don't know if you've ever
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: started on short rest or not, but what's different when
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: you are used to a four day and then all
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  Speaker 3: of a sudden you go into a three day rest
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  Speaker 3: and then they're like, oh, you're starting explain what's different
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  Speaker 3: to the people there listening from a starting pitcher's viewpoint.
• 2:12
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I'll just like in terms of like, yeah,
• 2:16
  Speaker 4: I don't do the same routine in between, but there
• 2:19
  Speaker 4: was nothing like, like I truly believe this. If a
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: ground balls hit like, you know, maybe ten inches a
• 2:26
  Speaker 4: little more towards Matt Shaw and one fly ball is
• 2:30
  Speaker 4: hit two more feet towards Ian happ I'm cruising and
• 2:34
  Speaker 4: we're talking about something different.
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  Speaker 2: You know, It's just it.
• 2:37
  Speaker 4: Was one of those weird games where it let off
• 2:38
  Speaker 4: with double double double and they.
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  Speaker 2: Jumped on two first pitches, and you know, we could
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: get into why or how or you know whatnot.
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  Speaker 4: I mean, were there was anything in like because of
• 2:55
  Speaker 4: the rest that the outcomes happened because of theirs. No,
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  Speaker 4: Like I felt great and and my preparation, I mean
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: I threw on shorter rest, you know, in advance of it,
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: but like it had nothing to do with like me
• 3:10
  Speaker 4: being ready for that inning, had nothing.
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  Speaker 2: To do with the rest that I had. They just
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: got me.
• 3:14
  Speaker 4: And it's unfortunate that it happened on short rest because
• 3:17
  Speaker 4: it's easy to point to that and you know, could
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: have executed a few pitches a little bit better, but
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: like physically, mentally I felt great, they got me, and uh,
• 3:27
  Speaker 4: you know, we made a new game plan five days
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  Speaker 4: later and attack that and it worked out in my favor.
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: You know, that one could have easily not gone my
• 3:35
  Speaker 4: way as well. So you know, it's like, you know,
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  Speaker 4: in terms of short rest, it's like, yeah, it changes
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  Speaker 4: the five day routine, but at that time of year,
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: five day routines are shifting anyways, you know what I mean,
• 3:47
  Speaker 4: Like you're you're, you're, you're you're sometimes preparing to be
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  Speaker 4: ready in the playoffs, you know, within those five days,
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: just in case the team needs you. And as you
• 3:55
  Speaker 4: know AJ sometimes like as you get your inning total
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: gets up through the year, sometimes you don't even throw
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: a bullpen over five days and you just do your
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: work on flat work and you prepare for that start
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  Speaker 4: and that start goes great. So you know, short rest
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  Speaker 4: does change things, But in terms of that outing, yeah,
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  Speaker 4: I don't.
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  Speaker 2: I am the belief that I didn't have much impact.
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  Speaker 5: What did that conversation sound like, Because in twenty eighteen,
• 4:20
  Speaker 5: I was there when Craig Counsel and Derek Johnson went
• 4:24
  Speaker 5: to Jolie's Chasine, who was our guy at that time,
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  Speaker 5: and said, hey, we need you on three days rest,
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  Speaker 5: ironically pitched against the Cubs. How does Craig come to
• 4:34
  Speaker 5: you and have that conversation And was there any like kickback?
• 4:39
  Speaker 5: Was it like, hey, I got to see how I
• 4:40
  Speaker 5: feel on the day before to give you a final
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  Speaker 5: answer of yes, I can go, Or was it nope,
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  Speaker 5: I'm doing it.
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  Speaker 2: I mean we got done.
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  Speaker 4: We clinched against the Padres, and you just know the
• 4:53
  Speaker 4: situation you're in. So I went to Craig and said,
• 4:56
  Speaker 4: I can be. I can be ready for game one,
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  Speaker 4: you know, like I'm ready for the if you give
• 5:00
  Speaker 4: it to me. And uh, and he said, you know,
• 5:05
  Speaker 4: Craig's a great leader, and he said, hey, we'll be
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: well let's talk the you know, let's talk tomorrow sort
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  Speaker 4: of thing. And I mean it was just the right
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: thing to do, you know, like and uh, and with
• 5:20
  Speaker 4: just where the roster was and and you know where
• 5:24
  Speaker 4: we were rotation.
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  Speaker 2: Wise and whatnot.
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  Speaker 4: And uh, I mean, I'm you put it on the
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  Speaker 4: flip side. I'm gonna if I feel good on that
• 5:32
  Speaker 4: day and I don't tell him I'm ready to pitch,
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: and we go out and like, you know, if I'm
• 5:37
  Speaker 4: ready to pitch and I feel good, I'm always gonna
• 5:39
  Speaker 4: say I'm ready, you know, Like I'm never gonna say, oh, well, logically,
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  Speaker 4: you know I may not feel ready on this day,
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  Speaker 4: so I'm gonna hold off. And you know, it's like,
• 5:51
  Speaker 4: and then that day rolls around, You're like, man, I
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: could have pitched a day I could have helped my
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  Speaker 4: team win. And then you know, like you always want
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: to be ready. You don't ever know what the outcome
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  Speaker 4: is going to be, right, you just say, when the
• 6:01
  Speaker 4: ball's in my hand, I'm going to go compete with
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  Speaker 4: all I got and I'm going to go from there.
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  Speaker 4: So if I'm ready to pitch and I know I
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  Speaker 4: can do it and do it to the best of
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  Speaker 4: my ability, I'm always going to tell them yes, right,
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  Speaker 4: I'm never going to hold back in that sense. But
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  Speaker 4: you know that's just my mentality behind it.
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  Speaker 3: Okay, I just want to I want to make one
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  Speaker 3: thing clear about you. I wasn't blaming it. I just
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  Speaker 3: wanted to know what it was different as as a player,
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  Speaker 3: because I don't know, I've never had to play on
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: short rest, right, So I wasn't blaming that at all,
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  Speaker 3: So I just want to know.
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  Speaker 2: I know you were, I know you were okay.
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: I just want to make that abundantly clear that I
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: wasn't a little sensitive because everyone was saying that you
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: know what I mean. No, I know, I get it,
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  Speaker 3: and I didn't. That's why I didn't say you know that.
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  Speaker 3: I was like, I just want to know what it
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  Speaker 3: changes for you. And so you did a great job
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  Speaker 3: of laying that out, So so thank you. Now, what's
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: your off season?
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  Speaker 5: Like?
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  Speaker 3: When do you start throwing, when do you start picking
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: up a ball, When do you start getting off a mound,
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  Speaker 3: When do you start doing all of those things that
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: you need to do to prep for this year? And
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: are you going to the WBC? Maybe I should ask
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: you that are you going to be Team USA slinging
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: that lefty you know, slider and stuff for the w
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: Team USA because spring training starts earlier. So does that
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  Speaker 3: change your routine?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah?
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, So yeah, I'm gonna get the opportunity to represent
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  Speaker 4: our country and I'm super grateful for that. I'm I'm
• 7:18
  Speaker 4: super pumped up. It's an honor. In terms off season routine,
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  Speaker 4: twenty sixteen, I started changing what I did. I started
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: playing catch like lighter in terms of the amount of days,
• 7:33
  Speaker 4: but also like the amount of throws. And I started
• 7:36
  Speaker 4: doing that right after the season. I used to be
• 7:39
  Speaker 4: kind of that old school of like December first you
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: pick up a ball and then you know, start throwing
• 7:45
  Speaker 4: your bullpens right before you get to spring training. I
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: did that my first few years, and it was just
• 7:50
  Speaker 4: I December was just so hard for my shoulder to
• 7:54
  Speaker 4: get going. It just felt like you were really behind
• 7:59
  Speaker 4: the eight ball. So after talking, you know and getting
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: it affirmed by you know, guys like doctor Meister and whatnot,
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  Speaker 4: like play cash lightly through the off season, and then
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  Speaker 4: December rolls around and you amp it up a little bit.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, terms of the.
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  Speaker 4: WBC, you just you dial up that clock a few
• 8:17
  Speaker 4: weeks earlier, got a plan laid out with uh, with
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: you know, our pitching department with the Cubs about how
• 8:25
  Speaker 4: to prepare for that properly, and uh, you know, I
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: actually had to get ready. You know, we all did
• 8:30
  Speaker 4: as a team last year a little bit earlier because
• 8:34
  Speaker 4: we had that Tokyo Series and we were playing exhibition
• 8:37
  Speaker 4: games and against the Dodgers there, so, uh, it's fairly
• 8:41
  Speaker 4: comparable to that. You know, you get off the mound
• 8:44
  Speaker 4: basically two to three weeks, a little earlier than than
• 8:47
  Speaker 4: you would if opening day was in April. But yeah,
• 8:51
  Speaker 4: I think opening days even earlier this year too, So
• 8:54
  Speaker 4: you just you increase the intensity a little bit earlier
• 8:57
  Speaker 4: since we were already throwing and already in it. Like
• 9:00
  Speaker 4: it wasn't a jump or anything. It wasn't like you know,
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: you just kind of really stay in it. And that's
• 9:04
  Speaker 4: just baseball to stay in age. Like you know, some
• 9:08
  Speaker 4: guy's face hitters year around. I've never done that, but uh,
• 9:11
  Speaker 4: you know, you're getting off the mound in December as
• 9:14
  Speaker 4: compared to January, and you know, keeping your arm moving
• 9:18
  Speaker 4: all year round.
• 9:20
  Speaker 5: I feel like I'm really up to date on a
• 9:22
  Speaker 5: lot of baseball stuff. I had no idea you were
• 9:24
  Speaker 5: on Team USA. I know you were playing for Team America,
• 9:26
  Speaker 5: So I appreciate you breaking that news here. How did
• 9:29
  Speaker 5: that come about? Was that something that you said, I
• 9:33
  Speaker 5: want to be a part of this. Was it something
• 9:35
  Speaker 5: that they called you? Was it through? Did Scott set
• 9:39
  Speaker 5: that up with you? How? How does that come about?
• 9:41
  Speaker 5: And then since you've agreed to it, have you been
• 9:44
  Speaker 5: like getting other pictures because American pictures for the most part,
• 9:48
  Speaker 5: don't want to throw in it.
• 9:52
  Speaker 4: Uh yeah, you know, for me, my perspective is this,
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  Speaker 4: like any chance to get to represent our country is
• 9:59
  Speaker 4: something that's really special, and I'm grateful for this game.
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: It's given me so many opportunities. I get to play
• 10:06
  Speaker 4: a game for a living. You know, in two thousand
• 10:10
  Speaker 4: and nine on the eighteen U team, I was the
• 10:15
  Speaker 4: last cut. In college, I was a replacement player, you know,
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: I was the guy holding the spot for the.
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: Guys that were in the College World Series.
• 10:24
  Speaker 4: And then you know, I got sent home and went
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: back to playing college summer baseball. So you know, I
• 10:32
  Speaker 4: definitely told the uh uh you.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: Know, I told.
• 10:35
  Speaker 4: I told the guys I was interested in doing it,
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: and Dero called a couple of weeks ago, and uh
• 10:41
  Speaker 4: man when he when he called, it was something I
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: just knew I wanted to do, so uh prayed about it,
• 10:46
  Speaker 4: and you know, I'm just I'm super excited to get
• 10:49
  Speaker 4: this opportunity and uh, you know, represent Team USA or
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: the best of my ability.
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: I had no idea, So I'm proud of myself. I
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: had no idea. I was just going it out there.
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: Next thing, you know, we got Team USA breaking news,
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: so way to go.
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I've been sitting on.
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: I know, listen, I'm all for I'm jealous. I'm jealous
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: because I always wanted to play for Team USA and
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: the one year I got to, I know, I got
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: offered one year the first WBC, and the White Sox
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: shut it down because we just won the World Series.
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: So I'm jealous. I'm one hundred percent jealous. Do you
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: here's my thing? Who are you looking forward to? Like,
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: we know schemes, we know Aaron Judge, we know Cal Rawly.
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: I think Bobby Wits on the team.
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: Do you have a roster? Do they already told you
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: the roster?
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: Because I'm not saying you should tell us all, but
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: you should tell us all who's on this team.
• 11:35
  Speaker 4: No, No, I know, I know the public names and
• 11:37
  Speaker 4: all that you know, and I just did they get
• 11:39
  Speaker 4: to share a locker room with those guys will be
• 11:41
  Speaker 4: something that's just an honor in and of itself. I mean,
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: having any Pennant as a pitching coach is something that
• 11:47
  Speaker 4: you know as a kid growing up and watching lefties,
• 11:49
  Speaker 4: not to mention like the best pickoff move of at
• 11:52
  Speaker 4: all time, you know, like like that's that's cool in
• 11:56
  Speaker 4: it of itself, but uh, it's yeah, I don't I
• 12:00
  Speaker 4: don't know, but like, get the share of the locker
• 12:01
  Speaker 4: room with Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt, Pete Corbyn. Who am
• 12:07
  Speaker 4: I missing Cal Raleigh? I mean, you know, Cal is
• 12:11
  Speaker 4: right up the street from me here in Seattle. Now,
• 12:12
  Speaker 4: so I get to a I'll be thrown to him anyways,
• 12:15
  Speaker 4: because all my other catchers are moving out of the area,
• 12:18
  Speaker 4: so it'll, uh, that's gonna work out just fine. But uh, yeah,
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: it's man, it's just it's just an honor. It's it's uh,
• 12:28
  Speaker 4: there's no other words to say it outside of like
• 12:30
  Speaker 4: to get to represent your country playing the game you love.
• 12:34
  Speaker 4: You know, It's it's hard to put worse to it.
• 12:37
  Speaker 4: I'm just I'm super thankful, super grateful and super excited
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: for the opportunity.
• 12:42
  Speaker 5: Who's somebody, Now, obviously I get it, you don't know
• 12:44
  Speaker 5: the whole roster. I'm not telling you. I'm not saying
• 12:46
  Speaker 5: you're gonna break any news. But who's somebody that you
• 12:49
  Speaker 5: haven't seen that's on the roster for Team Amerca that
• 12:52
  Speaker 5: you're like, I hope he plays. I hope that because
• 12:56
  Speaker 5: because everybody's super juice that Cal's playing. I mean, he
• 12:58
  Speaker 5: was the hero last year. That Judge is gonna play.
• 13:02
  Speaker 5: Like the fact that we're getting the best players to play,
• 13:05
  Speaker 5: But who's somebody that you don't see him the roster
• 13:07
  Speaker 5: yet that you're like kind of need to see him
• 13:10
  Speaker 5: out there.
• 13:12
  Speaker 4: I'm biased to my teammates in Chicago. I'm just gonna
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: say that, Like I I we got a lot of
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: guys that are worthy, you know, thinking about the guys
• 13:23
  Speaker 4: on h on that on the first base and second
• 13:26
  Speaker 4: base side of the infield there with Nico and Bushy,
• 13:30
  Speaker 4: I mean, those are two guys that would be fun,
• 13:33
  Speaker 4: you know. I mean, I think Nico Horner is one
• 13:35
  Speaker 4: of the, if not the one of the best second
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: basemen in the game. The way he goes about his business,
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: the way he competes, uh, you know, the way he
• 13:44
  Speaker 4: can work in it bat and it's just it's super impressive. So, uh,
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: you know, those guys, You know, we got a lot
• 13:55
  Speaker 4: of guys on our.
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: Team worthy, you know, and uh and but I you
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: know that's those are you guys meant?
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: You know?
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: Answering that question, by.
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: The way, I want to go back to something you
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: said going to catch your bullpens this offseason, Like, how
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: the heck do you get Cal Rawly to catch your bullpens?
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: Because I know when I once I made it and
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: I never hit sixty homers, people would call me and
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: I'm like, heyll.
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: He offered, He offered, He offered, Cal, Yeah, you.
• 14:21
  Speaker 4: Know, I mean I've thrown I've thrown a resenta buire
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: a lot over the years here, Reese, Reese, you know,
• 14:26
  Speaker 4: started going for warmer climates. I threw to a few
• 14:28
  Speaker 4: minor league guys. My my wife's cousin, Caleb Hamilton, he
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: was up here for a long time and uh he
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: moved to Texas now that he's coaching.
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: He caught me. I mean, I beggars can't be choosers.
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: Man.
• 14:42
  Speaker 4: When when Cal offered to catch some pens, I heck, yeah,
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: I'd love to.
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: It's probably he I threw it.
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: He hit I threw my first pitch fastball last year
• 14:50
  Speaker 4: and he hit a homer, So it's probably him, just
• 14:54
  Speaker 4: like return in the favor in the nicest way. But uh,
• 14:58
  Speaker 4: but yeah, I mean if a catch offers to catch you,
• 15:01
  Speaker 4: and you know he can catch you, there's not going
• 15:02
  Speaker 4: to be like a high school kid that you're worried about,
• 15:04
  Speaker 4: like potentially killing behind the plate. You know, like I'm
• 15:08
  Speaker 4: going to say yes every time.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: Hey I've got one on Team USA. They didn't win
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: last time, so how does this team win this time around?
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: I feel like the pitching gets blamed a lot because
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: it's tough to a recruit and be talk certain teams
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: into allowing their pitchers to pitch. So what would your
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: recruiting pitch be to someone if they called you and said, Hey,
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: I got the phone call. What do you think? Not
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: just what do you think? As in should I say yes?
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: Because you're going to say yes? But how do I
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: navigate this in terms of prep I know you haven't
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: done it yet and making sure that my team is
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: comfortable with me doing it, because that's a factor, right,
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: especially if you're a younger pitcher you haven't gotten a
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: big free agent contract yet, or you're just worried about
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: how the team is going to perceive you if you're
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: focusing on.
• 15:55
  Speaker 4: That, I mean, every situation is different. Think there's one
• 16:00
  Speaker 4: right or wrong answer.
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: You know.
• 16:04
  Speaker 4: I feel like with how I prepare for the season,
• 16:06
  Speaker 4: how I prepared for last season, it's uh, it's very
• 16:10
  Speaker 4: comparable it's not the same, you know. I think each
• 16:14
  Speaker 4: guys has gotta make the best decision given you know,
• 16:18
  Speaker 4: what's ahead for them, and you know what they're kind
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: of coming off of. There's not many years that this
• 16:24
  Speaker 4: probably would have worked for me, you know. I think
• 16:25
  Speaker 4: it's kind of a situation where it would have. And
• 16:28
  Speaker 4: I'm super thankful that, you know, the Cubs are allowing
• 16:32
  Speaker 4: me to do it, and uh, and they're they're helping
• 16:35
  Speaker 4: me lay out a plan to have the best success
• 16:37
  Speaker 4: to to you know, obviously do this, but also you know,
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: thinking about what is ahead and and October after that too, right, So,
• 16:47
  Speaker 4: but you know, I do think, you know, so it's
• 16:49
  Speaker 4: hard for me to answer that for somebody else, but
• 16:51
  Speaker 4: I think the opportunity to represent your country, you know,
• 16:56
  Speaker 4: is something that is hard to pass up. And uh,
• 16:59
  Speaker 4: I and I it say something for me, I feel
• 17:04
  Speaker 4: like it makes sense and uh, it's an opportunity that
• 17:07
  Speaker 4: you know, I couldn't pass up, nor did I really
• 17:10
  Speaker 4: want to, you know, and I'm super honored.
• 17:13
  Speaker 5: Do you guys get paid? Sounds like the biggest, like
• 17:15
  Speaker 5: fourth grade question, how.
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: Much money do you know?
• 17:18
  Speaker 5: Because you don't know? Okay, because the big, big thing
• 17:21
  Speaker 5: with the Frighter Cup. Everybody you know was up in
• 17:23
  Speaker 5: arms because these guys are supposed to play for the
• 17:25
  Speaker 5: love of their country. But you're not sure.
• 17:28
  Speaker 4: No, but that's not what it's about either, you know,
• 17:31
  Speaker 4: like it's something that you know, I prayed about, and uh,
• 17:35
  Speaker 4: I prayed that if the opportunity was going to present itself,
• 17:39
  Speaker 4: you know, I would go for it. And if I
• 17:41
  Speaker 4: wasn't supposed to do it, the opportunity wouldn't be there,
• 17:43
  Speaker 4: and I'm super thankful and it came, and man, I
• 17:48
  Speaker 4: don't know, it's just it's one of those things where
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: it's like I know that if I prepare the right
• 17:51
  Speaker 4: way as I have been. You know, it was we
• 17:55
  Speaker 4: ended the year healthy, had everything went went the way
• 17:58
  Speaker 4: it was supposed to, and it was it's something that
• 18:00
  Speaker 4: I want to want to do, you know, And uh,
• 18:02
  Speaker 4: I'm uh, you know, in terms of pay, who knows
• 18:05
  Speaker 4: what's gonna happen.
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: I don't know.
• 18:07
  Speaker 4: I'm sure there's something, but that's not what it's about.
• 18:09
  Speaker 4: You get to wear USA on your chest and you
• 18:11
  Speaker 4: get to wear the flag on your sleeve and represent
• 18:12
  Speaker 4: the best country in the world, like heck, yeah, playing
• 18:15
  Speaker 4: our game, you know, or do everything we can to
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: win that gold medal. There's some really other there's some
• 18:21
  Speaker 4: really good teams out there, you know, some amazing countries
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: that want the same thing, and it's welcome competition. But
• 18:28
  Speaker 4: I mean it's about wearing that name on the on
• 18:30
  Speaker 4: the front of the jersey and uh, you know, doing
• 18:33
  Speaker 4: every cant everything we can to you know, hold up
• 18:36
  Speaker 4: that trophy.
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: Plus you need you need bragging rights again show to right,
• 18:42
  Speaker 3: So if you guys beat Shoda, you can have bragging
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: rights over Japan.
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: I know, yeah, it's exactly right.
• 18:48
  Speaker 4: That's that's the Finnish thing that came to mind is
• 18:50
  Speaker 4: probably gonna be on Puerto Rico.
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: Who's the next Cub.
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: I mean there's you know, he can he can come
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: when he comes back to town. He can do with
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: his thing.
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: You know, like there's there's.
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: A lot that goes into this as a player, especially
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: because WBC has gotten bigger, so you know, it's like
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: there's a lot of there's a lot of things that
• 19:05
  Speaker 3: can happen here. But here's my question. You're a cub.
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: I'm a cub hater. Okay, you know this, but it
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: doesn't a relationship. That's fine, But will the Cubs go
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: out and spend the money they need to do to
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: overtake the high spending Brewers. Right, Will they go out
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: and spend the money and make the team the way
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: they should be because they're the Cubs and they have
• 19:23
  Speaker 3: so much money? Will they do it? Because please say yes,
• 19:26
  Speaker 3: matth because I want every team to go out and
• 19:28
  Speaker 3: spend because baseball is better. As much as this pains
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: me to say this, when the Cubs are better, the
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: Yankees are better, the Dodgers are better, the big the
• 19:35
  Speaker 3: big cities are better, then it makes the smaller cities
• 19:38
  Speaker 3: have to compete and be better too. So I want
• 19:40
  Speaker 3: them to go spend money, plus saying my money.
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: So spend Yeah.
• 19:43
  Speaker 4: No, I mean, let me answer the second half of
• 19:45
  Speaker 4: that question, because I think you know something really important.
• 19:48
  Speaker 4: I think baseball would agree that baseball is better when
• 19:51
  Speaker 4: the big markets are in it. I mean like they're
• 19:53
  Speaker 4: that they're winning, you know, like just from a business perspective,
• 19:57
  Speaker 4: but I mean like the Brewers are a good ball club.
• 20:01
  Speaker 4: You know, the Brewers. The Centrals kind of ran through them.
• 20:04
  Speaker 4: And you know, our manager was a key you know, architect,
• 20:10
  Speaker 4: and and you know, and and and doing his thing.
• 20:13
  Speaker 4: Over there with the Brewers and then and now he's
• 20:15
  Speaker 4: here right. So it's like the Brewers have been good
• 20:17
  Speaker 4: for a long time. They play very good baseball all
• 20:21
  Speaker 4: around baseball. They play a form of baseball that, like
• 20:26
  Speaker 4: I think is a great form. They work at bats,
• 20:28
  Speaker 4: they play good defense, they pitch well.
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: You know. They it's a lot how we operate too.
• 20:35
  Speaker 4: I think we got a great team, you know, and
• 20:37
  Speaker 4: I like, like, obviously we came up short to the Brewers.
• 20:41
  Speaker 4: There's an aspect of like, yeah, we got to play better.
• 20:43
  Speaker 4: I got to pitch better. I didn't pitch as well
• 20:46
  Speaker 4: as I needed to pitch against the Brewers last year
• 20:49
  Speaker 4: all across the season. That's just you know, those are
• 20:52
  Speaker 4: little things that can come down that like meet that
• 20:55
  Speaker 4: matter in the margins. You know. I know that Jed
• 21:01
  Speaker 4: and Carter are doing everything you can to put the
• 21:04
  Speaker 4: best lineup and rotation out there that's gonna best like
• 21:08
  Speaker 4: fit the needs that we have and whatnot. That being said,
• 21:12
  Speaker 4: if we didn't make any additions, I'll go to war
• 21:14
  Speaker 4: with the guys we got, you know right now on
• 21:17
  Speaker 4: day one, and I think we're gonna be good and
• 21:19
  Speaker 4: I think believe we're good enough to win the World Series.
• 21:21
  Speaker 4: You know, I believe last year we were good enough
• 21:22
  Speaker 4: to win the World Series. You know, timing is a
• 21:25
  Speaker 4: weird thing in baseball. We just you know, didn't play
• 21:28
  Speaker 4: good at the right time and like another team played
• 21:31
  Speaker 4: better than us. But I believe we were fully capable
• 21:33
  Speaker 4: of beating the Brewers. So you know, such a complex question,
• 21:38
  Speaker 4: aj that you that you ask. And is it fun
• 21:41
  Speaker 4: to get the big name guys and guys that have
• 21:44
  Speaker 4: track records of success on your roster? Absolutely, and I
• 21:48
  Speaker 4: love playing with those guys, and those guys absolutely help
• 21:50
  Speaker 4: you win. But that's not at a detriment to anybody
• 21:53
  Speaker 4: that we have on the roster right now. You know,
• 21:55
  Speaker 4: that's somebody else's pay grade and somebody else's situations. And
• 21:59
  Speaker 4: I'll let them handle that, and I'll stay in my
• 22:01
  Speaker 4: lane and throw when the balls in my hand, you
• 22:03
  Speaker 4: know what I mean.
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: Wait, this play is right into my last question for you, Matt.
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: So we're going full circle here. Going back to the postseason.
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: We talked about the Game one start, but then you
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: shoved in Game four and then the team ultimately lost
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: in Game five to the Brewers in the NLTS. How
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: painful was it for you to either watch or see
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: the results of the next round where the Brewers get
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: swept by the Dodgers and you're thinking, ah, maybe our
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: team would have matched up better against them, and we
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: were one damn went away from being there.
• 22:35
  Speaker 2: It's hard.
• 22:36
  Speaker 4: It's hard, but like, I think that's the beauty of
• 22:39
  Speaker 4: baseball is that, like the best team doesn't always win, right,
• 22:44
  Speaker 4: Like that's and that that goes so many situations of
• 22:49
  Speaker 4: that year after year, right like, you got to play
• 22:51
  Speaker 4: better on that day.
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: And maybe there's a team that strikes a lot of
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: guys out and they.
• 22:58
  Speaker 4: Match up against a team that doesn't, you know, a
• 23:00
  Speaker 4: lineup that just happens to not strike out against those guys,
• 23:03
  Speaker 4: and you know, twenty eight, you know whatever, There might
• 23:07
  Speaker 4: be twenty nine other teams that are twenty eight other
• 23:09
  Speaker 4: teams that match up, you know, poorly against the team,
• 23:12
  Speaker 4: but this one team matches up well, so they're gonna
• 23:14
  Speaker 4: win on that day, or you know, or it's just
• 23:16
  Speaker 4: the beauty of our game is that there's so many
• 23:18
  Speaker 4: different ways to win. The best team doesn't always win.
• 23:22
  Speaker 4: I think that's very We've had a lot of parody
• 23:26
  Speaker 4: in terms of teams getting to the World series, you
• 23:28
  Speaker 4: know in recent years, and it's like it's just it's
• 23:33
  Speaker 4: the beauty of baseball. You know, there's styles of the
• 23:35
  Speaker 4: game that you can styles of lineup, styles of defenses,
• 23:39
  Speaker 4: how rosters are constructed that ultimately to different results when
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: you're matched up against different teams. You know, I think
• 23:47
  Speaker 4: you would ask the guys on our roster and say, man,
• 23:49
  Speaker 4: we were not scared of any team in Major League
• 23:52
  Speaker 4: Baseball last year.
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: We were ready if we got through the Brewers.
• 23:55
  Speaker 4: You know, Brewers were the best record in our league, right,
• 23:59
  Speaker 4: so they were or a good ball club. But like
• 24:01
  Speaker 4: if we got through them, we were ready for the Dodgers.
• 24:04
  Speaker 4: Who knows how that turns out.
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: You know.
• 24:08
  Speaker 4: Then again, I think the Brewers got swept or they
• 24:10
  Speaker 4: swept the Dodgers during the season, and then they got
• 24:12
  Speaker 4: swept in the playoffs. Right, So such a funny game, man,
• 24:16
  Speaker 4: Timing time of year, so many different things. But uh,
• 24:20
  Speaker 4: we believe that we could have. You know, we were
• 24:22
  Speaker 4: ready to do what we knew we could get to
• 24:24
  Speaker 4: where we wanted to go. Last year, it just didn't
• 24:25
  Speaker 4: work out.
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: No crabs are muted.
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: You're back, You're back.
• 24:34
  Speaker 5: That wasn't that wasn't me. But I don't want to
• 24:37
  Speaker 5: get you to hype early. But I have two Team
• 24:41
  Speaker 5: USA jerseys and the coolest part of a Team USA jersey,
• 24:44
  Speaker 5: and I'm sure Paul Seiler will tell you about it.
• 24:47
  Speaker 5: You see the flag, You see how the flag is backwards.
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: Progress maybe forward forward moving right.
• 24:56
  Speaker 5: For like that just it gives me chills thinking about
• 24:59
  Speaker 5: like I play with Noah Song on Team USA, like
• 25:02
  Speaker 5: somebody who's actually active military, and like I was never
• 25:07
  Speaker 5: in the military. It was never something that was like
• 25:09
  Speaker 5: you know, in in my life. But to be able
• 25:12
  Speaker 5: to wear the Team USA jersey, like to be part
• 25:15
  Speaker 5: of that brotherhood of people who have played from the
• 25:19
  Speaker 5: twelve you kids all the way up to the big
• 25:22
  Speaker 5: kids in the WBC this year. So congrats and welcome
• 25:26
  Speaker 5: to the club.
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: Thank you man.
• 25:28
  Speaker 4: I'm honored, I'm honored, I'm grateful. All those reasons you
• 25:31
  Speaker 4: said arem true with me too.
• 25:32
  Speaker 5: Man.
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: It's it's something I don't take lightly.
• 25:35
  Speaker 4: And it's something that if you would have asked, you know,
• 25:40
  Speaker 4: twelve fourteen year old Matt boy, that you get a
• 25:42
  Speaker 4: chance to play in the WBC or I guess the
• 25:45
  Speaker 4: WPC wasn't.
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: Around back then.
• 25:47
  Speaker 4: But like you know, you get the chance to represent
• 25:49
  Speaker 4: your country while you're a big leaguer.
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: I mean, dang, dude, I don't even I wouldn't have
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: words for that. That'd be amazing.
• 25:57
  Speaker 4: So I'm so thankful and it's going to be something
• 25:59
  Speaker 4: that I will chair it regardless of how it goes
• 26:01
  Speaker 4: for the rest of my life.
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: Oh, we can't wait.
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: And we were excited to talk to you anyway, because
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: we hadn't talked to you since the playoffs. This was
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: like a little bonus on top of that to get
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: some of the ins and outs of how it all
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: went down. So good to see you, dude, love to smile.
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: Very excited for you to pitch at the WBC. It
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: kind of amps up like you're basically going to be
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: in a playoff scenario when we see you in the
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: beginning of March pitching baseball games. So thanks for sharing
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: the info.
• 26:28
  Speaker 5: Dude.
• 26:28
  Speaker 2: Good to see you.
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: We'll catch you again later this offseason.
• 26:30
  Speaker 4: All right, Thanks guys, thanks for having me on