Bruce Bochy On Langford's Clutch Hitting, Seager's Injury, Pitching Injuries | K&C Masterpiece

and also brings to you Texas Rangers manager Bruce Boi good afternoon sir good afternoon how how's it going there well we're doing great and we were all super pumped about the Wyatt walk off yesterday I'm curious are you a hug guy or if somebody hits a game-winning home run do you are you like you can go ahead and hug me that's great well I'll say uh when somebody does something like that yeah I I become a hug guy you know starters that throw great games uh so yeah I I I'll mix in some probably not as much as a lot of them but man that's a big home run I mean great great comeback uh you know lot of frustrating things happened earlier for a couple Innings there but you know they po back and uh set up that situation and I tell you that Wyatt's got a coming through doesn't he yeah was it made all the more impressive by the fact that I know he's not going to say this and you probably shouldn't say it either but it really felt like there was a couple of questionable uh there was a questionable strike call along along the way it feels even more impressive that he can power through those tough calls that he's experienced all year right right I I agree he he did have some tough calls and we talked about the in the post game last night you know the the guy just is having a year where you know he's getting a lot of tough calls to go against them and and for a young kid he's just uh handled it so well he's you know there's been a little frustration at times because you're doing your job up there and you take a two strike pitch that's off the plate and you get rung up on it yeah that's that's not a lot of fun and um but you know he he doesn't let it affect his next at bat but last night I know there was frustration not just with Jonas at bat he he was really frustrated uh and that was a bigger bat he had chance to not just tie the game but but gives a lead with the base hit and uh you know first two calls you know he he was frustrated with so Bo we get to have fun talking you know baseball here and have hypotheticals and we all agreed that with the game on the line number one we would want Cory Seager up on the Texas Rangers but we came to the conclusion today number two we want Wyatt for up and we're like that is just so surprising we're answering it that way for a kid who was in college last year he's a rookie but he seems to handle the moment whether you fail or succeed he seems to handle those clutch moments where he doesn't seem overwhelmed by him do you feel like he's your second best clutch hitter oh I'd say he's right up there I mean you got to look at Marcus I know he's going through a little rut right now you know those guys you're always uh hoping they come up in a big situation but um when you look at you know this being his first year yeah yeah he's he's right there with the I think all of them because he's able to control the the moment adrenaline that's probably going through you fans are you know they're into it they're yelling and and it's all about slowing down the game and it's not that easy sometimes that just takes time and but uh he's he's such a I I get back to using this award and I know gets overused he's such a a great competitor and wants to win he's he's he uh you know whether game goes well for him or not you can see after the game when we win he's excited and and if you play for that reason uh you know usually good things happen and usually uh you know you you want to be up in uh a big moment and I and and with that uh mentality I think think you're seeing good swings come off talk with Bruce bochi right here on 105 through the fan I realize as the season goes along it's going to be tough to stay you know 100% healthy might not be such a thing at this point in the season but do do does would Corey Seager say he's feeling healthy right now are there any anything that you feel like might be kind of hindering him yeah oh no no there there's no doubt there's something uh Henry and and and you'll hear soon uh you know we're going to talk about it today uh yeah that's why he's getting some time off and um you know without talking to Cory and see why uh you know that's as much as I can give you but uh yeah it's it's no doubt it is obvious he's not 100% I realized this could be a waste of time but I got to give it a shot it's my job will he end up on the injured list oh yeah very very good POS ability to be honest yeah yeah and uh you know when you're in a situation you don't want to risk you know having a even a bigger setback or you know another injury uh same with John Gray I put him in that boat now if we were writing the thick of things you know uh probably John might be able to push through it but you know this thing was really bothering I me and the concern you have to have when you have an injury you know give back to gray even though we're talking about Cory right now is with that foot you know if he Alters his delivery ends up hurting his arm I think we go back to the Dizzy Dean story and uh so you know this is the best thing uh you can do for these players is look after them take care of them now Bo we were I was talking about to Mike earlier and I said did you see Jack lighter in The Dugout whenever that grand slam was hit to to walk off and and Mike goes yeah and that's the first time he's ever watched a game a professional game from The Dugout as a player because he hasn't been you know around for that he's got come up and gone back down immediately I was just kind of curious from your perspective what can you what can you gain by being a pitcher in that Dugout uh in between games whenever whenever you like for a jack lighter what can he gain by being around the club being around those other pitchers and just kind of talking the game oh I think it's really really U beneficial for these kids to be around these veterans uh watch a game uh to see a game like last night you know Jack yeah he's he was put in a tough spot coming up these spot starts and returning uh but you know it just allows you get in the flow not just a game but you know being around your teammates getting more comfortable uh uh you know watching the hitters you know if you don't have the first game of the series you know you you get to watch uh you know how guys are attacking them or any adjustments you need to make uh you know you just feel like you're you belong more and that's you know it's a lot easier coming in for a game and it's kind of like a gunslinger you come in for a game you go back so now this this will help him out I think uh bo I want to go back to Wyatt Langford I know he's playing a little bit of center field do you think by the end of this season you will have a better idea if he is a center fielder or left fielder of the future fut yeah I think he could play center field right now you know we'll see what happens uh this off season as always you never know you know Leo is one of the you know best center pillers in the game uh you know Carter he's GNA be healthy next year so you know I you know if I looked at the crystal ball U you know I would say more left field is the plan but without question this guy can play center field I I mean he's he's a gifted athlete he can run uh he got great game awareness I think center field I think he thinks it's easier too you you just have that freedom to move around you don't have to worry about the walls you know on the line and so I think he's comfortable out there and he know doesn't doesn't even think about you know the move when I put him in center field even the first game and they just played a few games there at Florida but I could tell he's comfortable out there you know it's interesting I'm listening to some of these answers you know and you were talking about some of the issues that Cory seager's facing and then it pivoted to John Gray and you were just talking about Evan Carter who I know we're optimistic about next year but is hurt right now do you ever look at this like slate of injuries and I know it's your job to figure it out but do you ever look at it and you're like what are we supposed to do today or what are we supposed to do this week cuz it feels like injury after injury yeah you know it's easy to do that you know the wo is me I guess but you know there's no point in it a lot of teams have injuries big injuries uh now if I didn't say this a couple times the baseball gods are punishing us for for having an incredible year last year yeah because uh you know it just between the numbers being down with our guys injury and everything it's like okay you're getting us for uh for all the good things that happened the year before but that that's in just and fine and uh um you know what you always try to look at the silver Lin he does force you to play other guys and all that so you you know just gives you a better idea what you have as you go into the winter Bo do y'all do y'all practice hurdling pitchers when running to first base or is that just something Josh Smith just did instinctually yeah yeah you I still down a replay yeah cuz he kind of slowed down I don't know if he assuming assuming that he was going to catch the ball and tag first or he's like a pole Balter he's getting his timing down to you know the ball over him and uh it was kind of bit different play fact I thought the pitcher even had a shot to throw his glove up and tag him but he didn't so Bo being a former catcher uh I watched Carson Kelly behind the dish and he kind of has this I I don't know energy spark grit I don't know the exact word I'm trying to use but I feel like he's really emotionally there with the pitcher and working his tail off to make sure that pitcher knows hey I like that pitch or you know kind of with the body language how important is that from your perspective being a former catcher that that catcher kind of looks like he kind of has that that energy and desire behind the plate yeah Carson's been around he's uh you know I think he's done a great job here and he's gotten better you know when going back to when he was a backup for the Cardinals in uh in U Arizona got him uh uh you know he he was trying to find his way there but uh I think with the experience and everything he's made himself into a a really good catcher thrower which he he was but the I think the experience is really helped that and draw drawing that out of him and um but I mean he's a he's a man I I don't know if you've had a chance to talk to him but uh you know he's he's all in on uh you know calling the game and everything and that's important for the pitcher uh without question that's that's what you want to see and no he's he's done a good job with that I think I know we have the pitchcombe uh not at the time but if he caught the ball away from his body he was telling the catcher I want a fast ball away if he caught the ball and caught it into his body he was saying I want fast ball in if he kind of scratched his cheek with his glove he wanted to cut her you know was there anybody that you caught that when you threw the ball back to the pitcher catching it the way he caught the ball or something he did let you know what the next pitch was supposed to be yeah well you know back U when I came up we had a lot of pictures that you know through adding and subtracting you know that's kind of along the line what you're talking about yeah they they would do that uh uh not so much where they cut the ball but uh you know if I put down a sign we had a sequence of signs and instead of going back through them you know if they went up above the belt they would add or below the belt it would subtract the number from where you're from or you know if they if they went across it' be just the opposite uh so yeah you had to keep up with it uh and that that was pretty popular you know with that Houston staff back when I came up in the late 70s early 80s talk with Bruce bochi right here on 105 through the fan I know You' said I believe it was two days ago that the plan for deg Grom was to pitch again on Saturday and if that goes well hopefully he'll be ready to join the big Club is that still on track is that still The Hope yeah yeah still on track now we're we're not going to deviate from our plan uh we we're going to give him his fourth outing I think that's the right thing to do right thing for him for us uh um so uh all set there sherzer will throw the same day he'll go to Las Vegas so and uh and get his work in so we'll have you know those two knock on the door after this next outing on Saturday and then the last question I have for you you know we have Chris Young on our station every week as well and he talked about self-reflecting this season about what could have been done differently what he could have done differently to have a more successful season do you self-reflect it all during the season or is that not really possible because you're like well we got another game tomorrow and the next day and the next day and you're more focused on that oh no of course we do yeah that's how you get better uh you know there there'll be moments during the game know yesterday for example I mean that can't happened to you know to have a double Ste end up being a bog but they had the base you know and it's happened before with hosy done out the clerk but just little things during the game uh we just talk about it uh you know well the last two days about things we want to do different uh you know to get better uh what because really I'm honest you know if you look at all facets of the game uh uh that BAS you know that we do uh quite hasn't been as sharp as we were last year so you know and that's you know that's where it stops with me and uh as a staff this is what we're talking about uh you know this next spring training you what what we can do different on the fundamentals uh holding Runners uh you know bunt and things like that all these hit and running more that so yeah yeah I I think everybody should uh self reflect and and see how you get better I I said that you you never arrive in this game with player coach or manager I mean you're always doing what you can to to get better excellent stuff as always we appreciate it very much we'll catch up with you again next week all right guys always good talking with you see you [Music]