The LA Dodgers are sliding into the playoffs tonight against the San Diego Padres, and third baseman Justin Turner will be in action. His wife and co-host of the “Holding Kourt” podcast, Kourtney Turner, says they’re feeling optimistic.
On the podcast, the couple talks about everything from the rivalries, to gambling in Vegas, to how she prepared for singing the National Anthem before a recent game.
The sport can be anxiety-inducing for her, but she loves it.
“There's something about it. When someone gets that big hit or that big out to escape a jam at the end of an inning, you really can't explain it,” she says. “I can already just picture Dodger Stadium tonight, and everyone losing their mind over a big hit or big strikeout.”
Kourtney Turner sang the National Anthem at a recent LA Dodgers game against the Colorado Rockies. Photo by Carrie Giordano/Los Angeles Dodgers.
And while Turner doesn’t travel with the team, she tries to go to as many away games as possible.
“You never know how long their careers are going to be. … I won't say that I am forever frustrated about packing and unpacking a suitcase and getting to the airport and all of those things. But I think you just have to enjoy it while it's here,” she says. “I know a lot of the wives, they don't love baseball probably as much as I do. But I actually fully enjoy it. So that's one of the best parts of my life.”
Turner adds that it’s possible to lose your own identity as a so-called “baseball wife.”
“It's hard … as someone that went to college and always worked, and then you find yourself in this sidekick role where you're maybe viewed as like ‘that's just his wife.’ … The biggest struggle is just making sure you don't lose yourself in your husband's career.”
As a result, Turner works with the Justin Turner Foundation, where she can support her husband while making space for herself.
“We do a lot of it together. I think he'll say, ‘Oh, it's all Kourtney.’ But he's there every single day, whether it's helping me respond to emails, calling sponsors for events, helping me pack up auction items, raffle items, and reaching out to kids and giving them experiences, and bringing veterans out to the game. It's an equal partnership in my eyes.”
She adds that the podcast helps.
“[It] helped me find my own personality. And I think the best comment I got on the podcast so far was: ‘Justin got me in the room with the podcast, but then I stayed for Kourtney.’ … That makes me feel good.”