Dodgers Interview: Glasnow credits coaches for lights-out afternoon
CAMELBACK RANCH, AZ– The Dodgers stayed unbeaten in Cactus League play on Wednesday, hanging on for a 7-6 win over the White Sox at Camelback Ranch. The score got a little messy in the third inning, right after Tyler Glasnow allowed his first hit of the day and turned it over to the bullpen. Still, the main story was Glasnow’s first outing of the spring: two no-hit innings, crisp stuff, and a pitcher who sounded like he brought last season’s feel straight into February.
Asked how he felt in his first game action, Glasnow kept it simple. “Good,” he said. “I just kind of took what I was doing last year into this spring and stayed with it, normal buildup, and then today felt really good.”
The velocity ticked up, and Glasnow chalked it up to where his delivery is right now. “Definitely not adrenaline,” he said. “I think it was just the mechanical stuff that Connor [McGuiness] and and Mark [Prior] have had me on. It’s kind of getting back to what I was doing a while, finding that mid-range between the bad habits I got into and staying a little bit more behind it. I think it’s getting back to more of mechanical alignment, and the velo always kind of matches when I’m in a good spot.”
Early in camp, he said the work is about exploring the mix and finding the right feel, even if the sequencing looks different than it will later on. “Certain pitches, I might not necessarily throw in the same sequences now as I would in season,” Glasnow said. “The slider today felt a little weird, so me and Will were on the same page of throwing it and trying to get it right. A couple were more feel, as opposed to trying to get guys out quickly. I’m still trying to do that, but feeling around a little bit more.”
Glasnow also made it clear what matters most to him as the spring builds. “My biggest goal is to stay healthy and log innings,” he said. “Trying to solidify everything mechanically and recovery-wise, and just trying to stay healthy and log a lot of innings.”
When the conversation turned to how he feels compared to this point last year, he said it’s still early, but the foundation feels strong. “First game, we’re going to find out,” he said. “Hopefully. I feel pretty good.” Then he expanded on the idea that this has felt like one continuous track, instead of a reset. “Mechanically I’ve been in such a good spot since last year, and taking it into the offseason, it’s been a seamless transition from offseason to in-season,” Glasnow said. “Having Connor and Mark here, being able to look over stuff while I’m in throwing program, if I’m getting into bad habits, it’s nice to have those eyes around me. I feel like it’s been a lot easier to be athletic. It feels natural to me now. I’m not thinking about it. I’m just pitching.”
He even pointed to a specific time when this kind of comfort last showed up for him. “Probably 2022,” Glasnow said. “I feel similar to the end when I came back in ’22 after Tommy John. Everything kind of felt nice. So in a long answer to get to ’22.”
That “feel” matters, he said, because it lets him compete instead of managing his body mid-inning. “It allows me to go out and pitch and be athletic,” he said. “I’m worrying about that in practice, and when I go out to the game, I’m able to go out and play baseball.”
When a reporter mentioned Roberts saying he thought Glasnow grew as much as anyone on the club last year, Glasnow tied it to confidence and trust, especially once the games got big. “There was a lot going on with having that injury and trying to get back to what I was doing before,” he said. “Working with Connor and Mark to get back, there was a lot thrown in at once. Juggling all that and still being able to go out and pitch well was good. I think how comfortable I was on the mound, especially in the postseason, I was confident and comfortable. It was fun for me to go out and pitch in the postseason.”
He said the biggest change is the way he leans on the people around him now. “Working with Connor and Mark has been extremely helpful,” Glasnow said. “I have so much trust in them. I don’t feel like I have to do everything on my own in my mind and away from the field. It’s like, ‘What do you guys got?’ Then I go out and I just do whatever they tell me. It expedites the process. And as a whole, all the staff, training room, weight room, everybody, everything is so buttoned up here. It’s nice to know a bunch of people have your back.”
He laughed when he got asked about overthinking, and he answered it like a guy who knows himself. “I will always, till I die, be an overthinker,” Glasnow said. “I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. A perfectionist mixed with an overthinker can be detrimental at times, but I’m learning and growing, and it’s not as bad as before.”
At the end of the day, Roberts sounded like a manager who loved what he saw from his starter in a first spring outing. “Today he was in rhythm,” Roberts said. “He was synced up. Everything was working. The stuff looked good. Rhythmic, very confident, efficient outing.”
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
