LOS ANGELES, CA—Sometimes baseball really is about being ready for anything. For Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt, that moment came just minutes before first pitch when he found out he’d be catching Blake Snell.
“I think 6:55. I think about like 10 minutes before the game,” Rortvedt said with a laugh. “I got a little warning that Will wasn’t feeling great. So yeah, they found me when I woke up from a nap and then I just kind of showered, stretched a bit, was ready to go, and then got word after he finished his bullpen.”
With no real time to prep, Rortvedt met Snell on the bench and tried to catch up on the fly. “I never really, I haven’t really talked to him that much even this week,” he admitted. “So just trying to hang with him, honestly. He controlled most of the game. He did a fantastic job. I was just trying to do my best out there.”
It wasn’t exactly the usual routine for a catcher, but Rortvedt handled it like a pro — proof of the value of staying ready, even when the call comes just 10 minutes before first pitch.
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