Dodgers Interview: Rortvedt on his Emergency Service and Catching an Ace like Yamamoto
LOS ANGELES — Ben Rortvedt has stepped into a tough spot and made it look steady. With Will Smith on the IL, the emergency catcher has handled a busy staff and chipped in at the plate, including an RBI in the Game One win over the Reds. Before Game Two, he kept the focus on plan, poise, and the bigger picture. The job is simple. Help Yoshinobu Yamamoto attack. Keep the ball in the zone. Win the little moments.
“Yoshi’s been really fun to catch this past month,” Rortvedt said. “The main thing is being solid in our game planning and really staying on attack. He does an extremely good job of filling up the zone and getting ahead of hitters, and that makes it a lot easier when we’re able to accomplish that.”
The postseason stage is new territory, but he does not make it about himself. “It’s really cool,” he said. “I’ll take some time to reflect after this is all said and done, but this is way bigger than myself. We’re playing for what’s on the front, not on the back. Playing for everybody in that clubhouse, the city. It’s a lot easier when you have a group like that you’re all pulling for.”
Rortvedt credits the organization for sharpening his game and giving him direction. “They’ve instilled confidence in me on what they like seeing in me and the things I can improve,” he said. “Early on they gave me a lot of direction in my game. That’s been really cool to get that kind of feedback. With the type of personnel in this clubhouse, it’s easy to watch, learn, and get a lot of experience from those guys.”
The results have followed at the plate. “Beginning of the season was really tough for me,” he said. “I was trying to be someone I wasn’t. Taking time to reset and see what kind of player I want to be, then taking that on the field. Try not to do too much, play my job, do my role, and turn the baton over to the next guy.”
On Reds starter Zack Littell and the nightly prep, Rortvedt leaned on process. “We get a lot of information day in and day out,” he said. “Knowing Zack, he’s going to pitch to his strengths. He’s going to go for weak contact and get chase when he gets it. We’ve got to stay within ourselves and not chase around the zone. He’s got three fastballs. It’s going to be a good one tonight.”
The catcher’s job changes when an inning tilts, and Rortvedt knows those beats matter. “When things start to go off the rails, the main thing is the guys in that clubhouse have such good stuff that we should be leaning on our strengths more than anything,” he said. “We’re confident in who we are. Those guys are confident in what they have, and you shouldn’t shy away from that.”
Getting up to speed with a large pitching staff has been a crash course. “It’s trial and error,” he said. “When things are going well, it’s easy. When stuff hits the fan, it’s tough, but you learn a lot. It’s good to go through those times, those trial and errors. You take things out of the failures, you take things out of the wins, but I think you learn more from the chaos and being in it. You learn about who you are, what it takes, and what we need to do to get out of that stuff.”
As September turned toward October, he felt the lift in the room. “Everyone just kind of feels in the air that October’s coming,” he said. “Everyone’s getting excited. Everyone wants to play good baseball. Kind of rallying around each other. It’s really fun to see.”
The assignment for Game Two is straightforward. Rortvedt and Yamamoto will trust the plan and force contact on their terms. “Stay on attack,” he said. “Fill up the zone. Get ahead.” He has moved quickly from new face to steady hand, and he keeps the target clear. “We’re playing for the front,” he said. “For the room. For the city.”
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