April 29 — Nestor Perez

Columbus Clingstones broadcaster Jack Johnson visited with manager Nestor Perez inside the manager’s office at Synovus Park in Columbus, Georgia. 

Perez recapped the recent road trip to Birmingham, discussed the club’s powerful offensive identity, Brett Sears earning Southern League Pitcher of the Week honors, and Jordan Groshans’ game-tying home run in the ninth inning on Friday. He also praised the staff around him and discussed the rehab assignment of Ha-Seong Kim.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Back on the Columbus Klingstones pregame show inside the manager's office at Sanovis Park, joined by Nestor Perez at the start of the six-game homestand against the Montgomery Biscuits. Nestor coming off a series split against Birmingham. The bats were great, especially late in the game. You had a comeback victory with a team record 16 hits, and that's become a theme for your team all year, battling from deficits early in the game. There was a lot of exciting games last week. What was the main takeaway or the main impression you had from the series against Birmingham?

SPEAKER_00 0:31

The same. We talked about this before. Power has been outstanding. And like I said before, uh power is gonna help you to win games. You don't need to have uh 10 hits or 12 hits in a game to win when you have a couple homers. So everybody in their lineup is hitting for power, and that's been something that's helping a lot win a lot of games, especially coming back in uh from behind a couple times last week. Um it was a good week, uh three and three. Um I thought the last game we had a really good chance to win and take the series, but you know, at the end it would at the end I think it was a good week for us, starting losing the first two games and then one three in a row. Uh three and three, I take it on the road, and now we're back home.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Brett Sears is the Southern League pitcher of the week after going five scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and seven strikeouts and his start on Saturday. And he could have gone longer if not for the rain delay that shortened his start. What did you enjoy about watching Sears on the mound in Birmingham?

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Um so far, Sears is being our best one of our best starting pitchers uh uh for the year. Um I know we got a lot of a lot of good young talents like Bauman, Murphy, Hernandez, but Sears has been consistent and he had a he had a great game last week, and that's why he he won the pitcher of the week.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. had one of the best games of his entire career. He went three for five, stole three bags, recorded four RBIs in the game on Thursday night. He's been here in Columbus for two years now. What have you enjoyed about watching his growth and development in the organization?

SPEAKER_00 2:03

Always good to watch uh KK having a good night. Uh he's a guy, he's a good teammate, uh always uh always positive, always laughing, always uh pulling for his uh his teammates. So every time uh Galahame had a good night, uh it's good for him and it's good for the team.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Watching that solo home run from Jordan Groshans to tie the game in the ninth inning, that's one of the most clutch swings that the Klingstones have ever had for you watching that in the moment. What were your reactions and what were your emotions?

SPEAKER_00 2:34

One swing away. Um I had Groshans uh at the plate that that night. Um I knew I I didn't know it was gonna hit a homer, right? But I knew one swing uh could put us uh tying in the game and and take twice trainings, and that was what happened, and it was even better that we won that game.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

So coming home to face Montgomery, it's the first time the Klingstones are facing an opponent for the second time this year. I know it was very cool for you to go back to a place that you played in Montgomery at Davos Park when we were there a few weeks ago. But what did you learn about this Montgomery team and what do you think your team's up against this week?

SPEAKER_00 3:10

If if there is a team that we know pretty good is Montgomery because uh remember they are in Port Charlotte in Florida for spring training. We are like just 20 minutes away. We play a lot in spring training, so we know it, we know each other pretty good. Um we've been on last time five games out of six, but they are not that bad. This is a pretty good team. They can run, everybody can run, like pretty much like everybody can bump for head, they play aggressive. It's gonna be a good series.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Working with your entire staff, Mike Steed, Grant Kay, Francisco Diaz, what has it been like just working with these guys so far here in Columbus?

SPEAKER_00 3:46

I said um the first day and you were there. Um when we have our first meeting in front of uh the players once when we got here, I thought I told the players this is this is uh one of the best staff uh in baseball. Not because the knowledge, it's because the kind of people. These guys are very, very nice people and they care. They are here every day ready to help and ready for the players. And and that's that always goes first. I always tell them that I want to have good coaches as a person, as professionals, then knowledge. And they also have the knowledge, so it's a they have the full package.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

So Haseong Kim is here on rehab, he's the first ever Braves player to rehab in Columbus in club history. What are the things that you have to focus on as a manager with an Atlanta Braves player down here rehabbing?

SPEAKER_00 4:36

We have King here, he's a big league choice top. We signed on this year for to be our starting choice top in the big leagues. Our team in the big leagues is winning, uh they are in in in in good way right now. So our goal right now is just to help the big league team, and especially Kim, to be ready to go there and help the our big league team to win games every night.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

So you have played here before, and we haven't talked about this yet on a pregame interview, but in 1998, when you were in the Appalachian League and the Api League, you actually played here in Columbus at what was then known as Golden Park. Do you have any memories of that time coming here?

SPEAKER_00 5:12

Uh difficult because um I was very young. It was my first year in professional baseball. I was 19 years old. Um I just remember that I played against the Columbus Red Sticks. Yeah. Um that's all I got. That's all I got now coming back and this is completely different, you know. This is a new stadium. And but I I I remember, actually I told you that I play here and excited to be now back in Columbus as as a manager.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Well, Nestor, another successful series against Birmingham, facing Montgomery and team that Columbus had some success against when they faced him over on the other side of the Alabama Georgia border. So I wish you and the team the best of luck this week, get some wins. Thank you. Thank you very much.