Dodgers Interview: Alex Call Ready for Whatever is Required

PHILADELPHIA — The Dodgers woke up Monday with a chance to seize full control of the series. Game 2 means Blake Snell on the mound and a deep bench ready to match Philadelphia’s lefty run. One of those bench pieces is Alex Call, who arrived at the deadline and slid right into the club’s grind-it-out DNA. He isn’t in the starting lineup, but he sounded ready for whatever comes his way.

“For me it’s about doing what I’ve always done,” Call said. “Take good at-bats and find a way to get on first base. You’d love to deliver in a clutch moment, but I just trust the process to be who I am. What I do best is get on base, play great defense, and do the little things. Even though it’s the postseason, nothing changes.”

He leaned on that same approach after joining the Dodgers in July. “It was quite the transition walking into a new locker room,” he said. “They did a great job making me comfortable and I tried to dive into all the resources they had. I used every bit of technology they offer. Maybe it took a week or two to settle in, but guys kept telling me, ‘We got you because you do this and this. That’s all you have to do.’ So I was going to be who I am and play the game the way I play it.”

With a string of left-handed starters on the schedule, Call knows the phone could ring. “I pride myself on being ready for whatever comes my way,” he said. “The more at-bats you string together, the better the rhythm, but even when I’m not in the game I’m competing. I’m watching pitchers on the headset, hitting the machine at home, finding a way to turn that side of my brain on so it feels normal when I step in there, even if it’s been a couple days. Getting a few looks in a row is always helpful.”

The move from a rebuilding club to October lights hasn’t been lost on him. “When I got the call, it was, ‘You’re going to the Dodgers,’” he said. “They were the World Series favorites at that moment, and that’s what I envisioned right away. I still text some of my Nationals teammates and I know I’m lucky to be here playing postseason baseball. This is what every little kid dreams about—playing in front of a crazy loud crowd in a packed stadium. My wife and I talk at the end of the day and say, ‘This is so awesome.’ To have a role on a team this good is really special.”

He sees the team’s identity in the way they chip back into games. “It just feels like a matter of time,” Call said. “With the quality of hitters we have, it’s a lot for the other side to keep executing over and over again. Our job is to make them work. You grind each pitch, each inning, and guys wear down while we get more comfortable.”

Hitting coach Aaron Bates set the tone before Game 1, and Call said the message landed. “He told us the crowd was going to be into it and they’d probably score,” he said. “Don’t be shocked by it. We’d be right there at the end with a chance to win. It was almost like he put it out there before it happened, and we did exactly that.”

That mindset is rooted in repetition. “When the other team scores, some clubs feel, ‘Oh shoot,’” Call said. “Here it’s, ‘We’ve got plenty of time.’ I’ve been on both sides of that. The feeling here speaks to the quality of the group. As it keeps happening, the confidence builds.”

So Call will have his helmet nearby and the scouting report fresh, ready for the moment. “I’m going to be who I am,” he said. “Get on base, play great defense, do the little things, and help the team.”

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