David Vassegh
You travel with a team long enough, you start to see what makes a ballpark more than a ballpark. That’s what I wanted to get at with David Vassegh—who’s been on the Dodgers’ beat for over a decade. What’s it like when the game becomes an event? When fans faint in the hotel lobby? When Shohei comes to the plate and nobody’s watching with their own eyes—they’re watching through a phone? And yeah, I had to ask about the slide in Milwaukee. What I got back? A story about spectacle, connection, and maybe the greatest regular-season game ever played.
You’ve been traveling with the Dodgers thirteen years now. What is it like traveling with a team like the LA Dodgers, who are as star-studded as they are?
It’s really incredible. Specifically, this past year—it’s like traveling with the Beatles. The attention Ohtani brings, plus guys like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. I’ve been doing this since 2012, and the traveling party and personalities have grown so much. The players they bring in now are all good-character people. It’s not like the Bulls of the ’90s or the ’86 Mets. These guys should be in a convent compared to those guys, really.
Shohei Ohtani—what’s it like walking in and out of hotels or buses with him?
My first experience was landing in Seoul. Fans were behind barriers in the airport as the Dodgers walked through. It was like traveling with the Beatles. At the hotel, same thing—barriers in the lobby, fans everywhere. On the bus to the stadium, people were fainting. It was like Taylor Swift walking through a football stadium.
In every city, all eyes were on him. Even on the field, there’d be fifty to a hundred Japanese reporters just waiting for him to come out and play catch. I’ve never seen that kind of attention in thirteen years.
When Shohei comes up to bat—is it a can’t-miss moment every time?
One hundred percent. It’s like going to a Laker game when LeBron has the ball—everybody’s filming with their phones. That’s what it’s like when Shohei comes to the plate at Dodger Stadium. Fans aren’t even watching with their own eyes—they’re watching through their screens.
He hit a walk-off grand slam last year, and you look at the replay and everyone behind home plate has their phone up. That’s how much they don’t want to miss a second of him.
Have you ever seen anything like this in your career?
Never. The closest was Yasiel Puig because he had such a huge personality, but this is on a whole different level. Dodgers games aren’t games anymore—they’re events.
You were there for his 50–50 game in Miami. Where does that stand in your career?
It’s the greatest regular-season game I’ve ever covered. The only other one I’d put up there is Kershaw’s no-hitter that was one Hanley Ramirez error away from a perfect game.
Shohei needed two or three steals, maybe one homer. He was a triple shy of the cycle. In the same game, he broke Shawn Green’s franchise home run record. Three home runs, ten RBIs, seventeen total bases. It wasn’t just a statistical thing—there was all this attention, all this history. He told me in the interview after the game that he noticed the umpire switching out the balls because they were specially marked. It was all at the forefront of his mind.
It might be the greatest regular-season game ever.
It’s right up there. Nomar Garciaparra reminded me he had three home runs and ten RBIs in a game, but he wasn’t going for 50–50.
Let’s talk a little about Milwaukee. You went down Bernie Brewer’s slide. And you ended up with a broken wrist, right?
And six ribs.
How did that come about?
I do about twenty games a year on TV. I’m always the guy working in Milwaukee because the other sideline reporters take it off. The players, Rick Monday, everyone kept saying, “You’ve got to go down the slide!” So I said yeah.
I went down the first time—fine. Then the cameraman and director asked if I could do it again to get a better shot. That’s where it went sideways. I tried to “Shaq the Fool”—put on a show. I was on a potato sack in my suit and tie, and I went down faster than before. I thought if I tried to brake with my ankles, I might blow out a knee, so I tried to roll. My right arm got caught behind me—that’s when I broke my wrist. Then I hit the wall—my elbow pressed into my ribs. That’s how I fractured six ribs.
How long did it take to recover?
The trainers looked at me in the clubhouse and said, “Yeah, this is broken.” They sent me to the hospital. While I waited, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Austin Barnes came out—“What the hell happened to you?” They fed me, gave me water. Then I go to the ER. Mookie Betts FaceTimes me. Orel Hershiser calls.
I got taped up but couldn’t get a soft cast until I got back to LA. But I didn’t want to go back to the hotel and lie in a fetal position. So I went back to the ballpark and finished the game in the camera well.
That’s insane. I once got hit in the ribs by a Howie Kendrick foul ball and ended up sharing an X-ray room with Justin Turner.
It was Joe and Nomar in the booth when I showed them my cast. That’s famous now—“Hi guys,” and I wave the cast. I didn’t want this attention, Robby. I thought I was going to joke around, pretend like I got hurt. But I didn’t expect to actually get hurt.
My wife was not happy. She was in Milwaukee with our kids—her grandmother had just passed away. The talk of the funeral wasn’t her grandmother—it was me.
This is one of the funniest stories we’ll tell in the whole book.
I’ll try the Coke-bottle slide in San Francisco next time. That one sounds safer.
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NOTE: The above was edited for clarity and length.
You can read the full transcript here.