Dodgers: Cody Bellinger Talks About The Pursuit of .400 On Dan Patrick Show

Cody Bellinger is hitting .404 at the time of this post – and it may feel like he’s building steam on the national stage. Moreover, if it feels that way; it’s because a Los Angeles Dodgers player has not been over .400 this far into a season since 1944. That’s correct – it was last achieved in 1944 when Dixie Walker hit .400 into June.

When we have something taking place in the game of baseball that last took place before many of our parents were alive – it’s going to get serious discussion.

Now, Cody Bellinger joins The Dan Patrick Show to talk about the historic season he’s part of.

Courtesy of AT&T AUDIENCE Network.

Patrick and Bellinger had a laid back and solid conversation about baseball. One thing I like about Patrick is the way he comfortably fires off questions – and it’s stuff you naturally want to hear Bellinger talk about.

First, Patrick asked Bellinger how many times he’s reminded that he’s hitting .400 for the year.

Every day, to be honest. Whether it’s social media or just the media coming up to talk to me. It’s definitely cool, but the most important thing is to try to block that stuff out every day.

More Cody Bellinger at Dodgers Nation

• Dodgers: The Tool That Keeps Cody Bellinger From Slumping
• Dodgers News: Cody Bellinger Adds More Offensive Records

Then, Patrick asked Bellinger about what his philosophy is at the plate or his approach to hitting. I always enjoy hearing big leaguers talk about this aspect of the game, so we can discover what is going on between the ears.

Timing is everything at the plate. When you’re playing every single day, the hardest thing to do mentally is to lock it in mentally every single at-bat. You tend to give at-bats away but if you go up to the plate and force yourself to lock it in, you give yourself a little advantage. The biggest key is to try to hit the ball hard.

Finally, we have to recap the awesome parts of this interview; because there was a lot.

• Bellinger mentions that he would rather face Kenley Jansen in his prime then Clayton Kershaw. His reasoning on this is because Jansen is a right-handed pitcher.
• Patrick asked Bellinger if he has tried to hit a home run at all this year. Indeed, Bellinger said he cannot remember the situation but he has tried several times this season.
• The pair had a nice conversation about pitchers around the league tipping their pitches.
• Bellinger indicated that he doesn’t like knowing what pitch is coming, it messes his head up mentally.
• When people see Bellinger on the streets in Los Angeles they let him know they’re a Dodgers fan, and want a picture usually.
• Kobe Bryant left Bellinger speechless last season while visiting the Dodgers clubhouse.
• Lastly, Bellinger talks about the superstition of using the same Louisville Slugger model bat since 2016.

It feels like Bellinger is a really easy guy to listen to. While his responses are interesting, they feel authentic. To hear him talk about what it’s like to chase a historic number like a .400 average is a lot of fun.

Props to Dan Patrick for pulling this one off.