Griffin Jax on Royce Lewis, Summer Sausage, Rivalry with Yankees

N/A everybody's on the plane we just lost three straight to New York uh we're tired we want to get into Pittsburgh go to sleep and Royce is sitting up on his chair screaming at everybody just you know to start having some [Music] fun a few and just show them what's up but I love that also by the way in DC yeah well exactly in DC the broadcasters can't see either they put us in um in heaven yeah it's ridiculous trust me it's it's the worst place to call a game all right let's bring in our next guest it is Griffin Jack from the Minnesota Twins got a lot to get to with Griffin let's bring him home right now Griffin great to have you on we're going N/A to start actually with a couple of the combos that we were having if we can we appreciate the time a fun opposing Stadium Bullpen to be in and by Fun it could be an answer like Trevor saying chicken tendies are thrown at him at Yankee Stadium yeah I think Philadelphia is kind of uh insane uh they got a gnarly fan base especially recently uh and you know I was we were the I think last year middle of the week in July on a Wednesday night and you know these six-year-old girls are just giving it to me and uh they're saying some pretty nasty stuff so that place was insane KRA you know they teach them at a young age to really bring your Heckle game to Philadelphia um it's another it's another level up there because they're right on top of you there and they surround you and the security guard's like hey stop stop saying things to them he doesn't care that's all they're doing and playoffs is even worse yeah oh yeah oh yeah okay so next N/A up here Trevor gave us a sneak peek of the interesting connection that you have with one of our F hosts would you like to describe it and then Trevor you can help fill in the blanks sure um you're me you're the me you're you're the you're the you you're you're the SEC you're you took my spot uh and you were number 65 when left so he even took my number 65 yeah that's right and then started for a bit and they're like hey let's see what you got out in the pen and he's like oh I got 90 I got 98 out in the pen they're like that's cool uh try throw on a slider like this thing and 89 M sweeper sure sure and now we got eight thinning and we're we're doing the do uh I am a little bit disappointed that you changed the number though I'm gonna I I wanted this to be a you know you got you got to have your own identity I get it I get it but you know I I I felt a connection and then we lost it a little bit um no and just full disclosure you were my request for the show so I want all the credit here um because I'm so fascinated by your your your uh your journey being a starter and then going out and being a reliever um uh we're seeing guys do this you know all over the league you know we got M Miller this year Luke Weaver what he's doing is really impressive so uh question one what was the what do you think was the um the thing that you that was easiest for you in that transition what what do you think was the most natural part about transitioning into be reliever um I mean like just being on the rotation uh being in the rotation you know you have that pretty solid routine um and I hated it I hated having something specific to do every single day when I came to the field so I think the best part about going to the bullpen was there's no routine you just show up every single day ready to pitch that's cool love it I love that so much that is that is I'm the same I told you you're you're me uh so uh I got to follow up real quick um you know you you were with Wes uh Wes Johnson for for a little bit right um and then and then Mackie since um and you know I was there N/A with both those guys as well um Pete was our Bullpen coach at the time uh what what what's the biggest thing give me like one big thing that either Wes or Pete or has given you that you think has uh kind of helped you develop into the P into the picture you are right now yeah I mean they're totally they're two separate pitching coaches Wes was more of the Bulldog mentality just get the job done he didn't care how you did it as long as you did it and Pete's more you know methodical thought process analytical based so um I like to take parts from both of them Wes being the competitor on the mound Pete being more like how do we dive into getting this guy out um and putting the odds back on our favor so uh I like to think that we do a little bit of both and you need a little bit of both um especially in today's game game so definitely learned a lot from both of them I like it um all right I'm going to take you back to the you know it's troubling times but twins Yankees series N/A do you feel like there's actually something you know on this org and can you describe what that is because I know that you know Minnesota had a tough time with the Yanks in the regular season series this year and you're smiling so do you guys talk about it because it goes back so far especially you playoff wise that you know the most of your teammates probably maybe weren't even born honestly but your thoughts I mean I wouldn't even say it's really acknowledged in the clubhouse everybody knows what's going on it's kind of the same thing with our playoff streak last year like that was the first question everybody you know grilled us on with the media um when we showed up to play the Blue Jays in the Wild Card they're like are you guys aware of the the 20-some game losing streak you guys have had in the playoffs and again a lot of us weren't either born or hadn't been playing in the pros since the time that had been started so um it's just a piece of information I guess you know they're a very good organization they do things right um I think it's just a little bit of luck and a coincidence that they're doing this against us you know but we'll see the next time we playing will probably be in the playoffs so uh it'll be interesting to see what uh that match Up's like what did you see from him this year I because I want to reiterate I don't think think you're saying that it was luck that they beat you it was just luck for 20 years that the that the Rivalry been that way but what did you what did you see from that team when you know when they did beat you yeah and they're very good team you know up and down um they got a obvious top four in their lineup that's pretty hard to beat throughout the rest of the league and then they got a second half of the lineup that will help turn it over to the top um stto obviously makes a huge impact on that um lineup up and down and they protect him well with judge and ston and uh vulpi at top so they're a pretty good lineup pretty good complete lineup and then their rotation um their starters have been shoving all year um rodon strowman uh Clark Schmidt before he got hurt and now you add garri Cole to the mix you know it's just it's a very good team when you're in the minor leagues for the twins do do you talk to any of N/A the minor Leaguers and say like look if you don't throw a 100 if you don't have something wipe out you're not coming to this Bullpen or is it something that is not discussed and it's just like we have this locked down because every single dude that's called up has just unbelievable stuff yeah I think it's just where the game's at right now you know teams are not drafting um or really giving much thought to guys that don't have that ability and I'm not just I'm not going to say you know that you need to have it to uh get to The Bigs because I didn't have it when I first got there I was more of a pitch ability guy throw strikes you know get hitters to off balance that kind of stuff but I've just learned how to do it since um so not everybody's path this is the same but uh I think our Bullpen two years ago was one of the maybe three years ago was one of the had the smallest one of the smallest Vos in the league but now you know we got Duran I'll call is back throwing upper nines Brock Stewart when he's healthy can get it up there I've shown a handful of times so um it's pretty impressive but yeah when you look up and down the league everybody's doing N/A it can you give us an Insight of what happened to the summer sausage uh I think they left it somewhere it got to the point where it was just disgusting you could smell it it smelled like like the packaging had like opened up and you could smell it it was just something that had fermented for over the course of a couple months and it had traveled multiple States and it it just was starting to seep through the packaging a little bit and it was hot outside you know like we're in the middle of the summer and that thing just got started getting nasty you seem like you're not about it you seem like I'm glad it's gone get rid of that thing please that's right I'm glad it's gone uh let's what about Royce N/A Lewis okay so I have been absolutely Blown Away with this guy um he's now officially has 81 games I think it's like his pace for a full season like 55 homers and 160 Ro ribbies or something uh what do he meant to you guys and he's hitting tons of homers are you playing the Homer game out there where you pick pick someone to click for the day um because if we we used to do that and uh I know who who I would choose every single day oh for sure well em back to first question Roy just brings an spark back to this lineup and Spark back to this team regardless of what he does at the plate just the energy he has that brings to the clubhouse is just contagious and he gets everybody uh on their feet and then Mak sure everybody gives their best that single day so uh we were actually flying home from uh New York a couple weeks ago it's 2 am uh going to Pittsburgh and we had a little bit of a delay and everybody's on the plane we just lost three straight to New York uh we're tired we want to get into Pittsburgh go to sleep and Royce is sitting up on his chair screaming at everybody just you know to start having some fun and let loose a little bit so it's kind of guy he is uh but we are playing the game and the pin I've been on an absolute chill of just making the wrong calls at the wrong time every time I throw it's either double play or just an ending ending just complete sack so uh I'm not allowed to play right now oh no that's I was gonna ask yeah have they kicked you out have have you thrown your hat do you guys throw the Hat in or do you put it on the bench or something just toss it yeah throw it out it's got to be on the ground first got to hit the ground first standard game as soon as you throw it do people like do people like Jump On It Like It's a fumble and like just get your hat and put it back on like are you that much of a cooler right now no they should I mean with just the streak that I've been on has been insane we'll stop it trying to Speed the game up trying to Speed the game up I get it yeah I want to go home yes all right uh Griffin I got one for you um I know you mentioned the v in the N/A bullpen um it's going to sound weird asking this but is is Duran okay because I think his V's down a little it's still like worlds ahead of just about everyone else but I'm sure you guys talk about it in the bullpen where what is it it's like I don't I'm gonna 103 and now it's like 101 or whatever right it's it's down a tick or two is he okay yeah gu's great I mean just his work ethic is unbelievable shows up the field it's very impressive for someone his age and for the success he's already had in the big so keep doing it every single day but yeah I mean he's definitely good he's not shy about it um it's talked about here and there um I'm sure it's on a lot more people's minds outside of the clubhouse than it is inside the clubhouse because it's kind of crazy talking about a vlo decrease when the guy's still averaging over 100 miles an hour uh but that's what happens when you show3 consistently last year but uh the guy's got such weapons that even if he's down a tick or two he's still getting outs at a pretty incredible Pace it happens uh yeah you lose V you don't keep it forever uh I want to try try something new with you Griffin and I want to know how well you know yourself N/A so I'm about to ask you three questions and I want to see if you can if you can tell me get it right about your own career all right right I have a bunch of stats up here and it's funny some guys do this some guys don't some guys I knew all this stuff uh do you know what statistically what your best inning that you pitch in terms of the game what number of inning what inning is your best inning oh man um I is it the eighth it's the eighth by a lot you have a 17 career in the eighth inning so uh this guy's pitching in the correct inning uh what is your best month I want to say it's June I want to say it's June it's June June you have a 29 career in June so we're we're pretty good two for two unknowing yourself but this is a big one this one might trip you up this is kind of a doozy yep what days of rest do you pitch best so like Z back toback days one day rest two days rest three days rest I got to think two days rest pitching on that third day it's one day rest and it ain't even close you have a two when you have one day of rest between your outings and you know it's like it's still like a 28 everywhere else but but it's much better with one day rest and and that's fascinating to me because it it varies wildly from guy to guy for example Adam ovino three days rest he is unhitable me back to back for some reason the second day was always my best day and that makes no sense if you think about it I mean that's impressive though for the bullpen hey two for three though I'll give it to you the first two were tough too so good job that was great yeah you got a lot of months to choose from too so a followup to that is what do you talk to not just the coaching N/A staff but you know the analytics team or the you know Ops whatever you want to call it right behind the scenes like does it go that in depth on that side or is it more about you know pitch mix Effectiveness stuff like that like would you actually have a conversation and go hey just FYI one day rest I'm probably your guy uh I hope that goes without saying I think everybody kind of understands you know you get a day off here and there the better you're going to be but uh no yeah I mean our conversations are pretty straightforward before the series we'll go through the Scout or the lineup and just we'll figure out what our windows are going to be and we do a pretty good job of uh identifying those windows and sticking to N/A them I like it all right question for you about the rest of the division are you surprised at how strong it's been at the top and do you feel like it was getting dumped on by national media we can raise our hands too you know we thought you guys would be good we're good there I me that makes sense that the team you know won the division went in the playoffs did you see Kansas City and Cleveland at this spot right now um I'll be honest no I mean Cleveland they are very solid and um very fundamentally sound so you knew they were going to put together some really good baseball but at the pace they're doing it and the consistency they're doing it throughout the first three months of the season it's been very impressive to watch um can a city though uh you could see pieces from from them for the past year or two uh their young guys are now in their second and third years in The Bigs um with that many bats and you could see that their lineup was starting to put it together um and we've always just said you know they get some good quality pitching um they're going to they're going to make some real noise um and I think that's kind of been their their heel a little bit this year has been um I want to say they're Bullpen but uh yeah the the division as a whole it's been very good and you know a lot of guys throughout the league will tell you that the central for the past few years had been you know sort of weird whereas you don't want to come into the series and not give us any attention because if you just knock us and say you know you we're playing the Tigers today we're playing the Royals whatever there's they're going to put up eight on you um and you're going to look back in the sixth inning and be like where did that come from all of a sudden so uh it's a very um quick division in the sense that um if you just don't give them the same amount of attention as you know the Dodgers Yankees some of those bigger teams that they can put up some runs pretty quick do you notice an approach change with Cleveland this year because their players and coaching staff have talked a lot about it they've talked about it on this show but I mean it's still hard for most fans to grasp like what you just decided you're gonna you know hit with more slug welcome to the party yeah I I mean that's like the one part of the game that they weren't really doing the past couple years you know they were going to beat you with their singles they were going to put the ball in play small ball all the the things that um you know some other teams aren't really focusing on so uh they were pesky in that sense but now the fact that they're hitting homers all of a sudden like it's it's it's not fun for the opposing Team all right so Paul SK made his debut do you consider Paul skin an Air Force alone or not yeah I think you have to I mean the N/A with what he says about his time there and how he carries himself and you know the foundations he's working with and just the respect he has for the place is is like he graduated um and you know you have to take him at his word uh with what he says he wants to do postc career I hope he plays long enough and he makes enough money where he doesn't need to go back and serve uh I think that's just the guy he is um but yeah I do consider N/A him an Alum nice all right Griffin I've I've done a few of your games over the years and there was was a weird note on you forever and I got to ask you it said you hate to taste of water we've mentioned it a couple times so how do you hate to taste of water because I've always wanted to ask you and so please tell me I think it's you know the the tastelessness of water probably um but it's been it's been in the back of my head for my entire life it's always been something I've been anxious about you know growing up playing sports what's going to be in the Gatorade cool it's not going to be Gatorade it's going to be water and uh I went to it's funny story like when I was in basic training uh at the Air Force Academy um they used to give us these cantens and we're you know we're doing some pretty gnarly physical stuff in the middle of the mountains and on campus at the air force uh in the middle of the summer and it's hot outside and uh I just I just wouldn't drink anything I would just like almost dehydrate myself so they' line us up in these hallways uh we'd be facing each other um just grilling us um just treating us like basically basically and uh they'd make us hold out our cantens and to see to show that we've been hydrating throughout the day and you would have to dump it and pour it um uh and if there was anything left uh you you got you had to do more physical activity and of course at the hallway silent I'm facing you know a couple other kids my age and everybody got so mad at me because they knew I didn't drink the canteen and I would be the only one pouring out an entire like gallon worth of water out of my canteen and because of that my entire like unit would have to get uh more physical activity more push-ups sit-ups running all that stuff so they hated me because of that did they do anything to you because you can't hit they can't hit you with a pitch or anything like that so what was their retaliation I mean it was just a bunch of groans and like this guy's kidding you know like I didn't make a lot of friends uh because of that that's wild I didn't know how that worked now now yeah it's like a it's a weird connection to water but good to know for sure yeah Griffin this was awesome fre you out when other people drink water like like does this does this out out of the faucet tast oh Trevor it's so [Laughter] tasteless cruel cruel Griffin thank you dude this was awesome great way to finish the combo hey we do things a little weird on here um but appreciate the time dude really great having you on the show keep doing your thing with Minnesota and I would love to have you back sometime yeah appreciate you guys this a blast NASCAR N/A appearance that ft will be doing I got a question in the chat they were like why are you saying get your tickets now at NASCAR chicago.com I thought it's a baseball show I'm like it is but we're going to do a special ft live from Chicago with AJ Kip and Alana Rizzo and it's really soon it's in like a week and a half but we are not me is because you guys all didn't want to come Chicago I get it true I get you guys are from the north you guys don't really understand NASCAR it's not your fault but didn't get invited well I can't control that either talk to was available Alana Kip and myself are gonna be in Chicago July 7th for NASCAR Chicago the street race it's really cool uh they race right through Millennium Park right there right by the bean everyone can get their picture with the bean and we are going to be there doing a live ft show on a Sunday yeah I know we got to work on a Sunday but is pre- nasar R so come out and see us come say hi and you never know what kit might say or what I might say or what Alana might do but it's going to be a fun time and afterwards you know we after the race over we can go out in the K's boat and go in the play pen there in Chicago and have a good old time wow that sounds like a nice little weekend all right well I'll be watching from long distance but again you can get your tickets now at NASCAR chicago.com hey everybody be sure to like And 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