	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AL DIVISION SERIES: ROYALS VS ASTROS

October 11, 2015

Lance McCullers

Houston, Texas - Pregame

THE MODERATOR: Good morning, we're going to get started in the interview room. Lance McCullers is here to take your questions. Who has got first one. All right.

Q. Yesterday A.J. was telling us that at this point in your season he doesn't feel like you're a rookie anymore. Do you feel that? And especially going into such a big game, do you have to kind of think that way?
LANCE MCCULLERS: Yeah, I think at this point in the season as far as being a rookie I'm just going out there, competing for the guys. That's how it's been since day one. I don't view myself as like a young kid when I go out there.

So I'm ready to go out there and just compete and do the best I can for the team.

Q. What has prepared you best for this moment? Is it being a Major Leaguer's son, what would you credit the most?
LANCE MCCULLERS: I think what's key for me is I logged a lot of I innings this year as far as being in the Big Leagues, they called me up pretty early, gave me a lot of opportunities to go out there and in some big games.

So I feel like just the overall season has prepared me for tomorrow.

Q. You had success against the Royals in your matchup with them. What about their lineup? They tend to attack early, what did you do that neutralized them?
LANCE MCCULLERS: Yeah, it was a couple months ago when I faced them. They're aggressive club. They can do all things, they can bunt, they can hit for high averages and hit the ball out of the park. So you have to do your best to neutralize them early and often. I have to go out there and trust myself. I can't go out there and do anything that I haven't done all year.

Q. What's been the process for you in terms of managing your emotions on the mound? Clearly you're a pretty fiery guy and it serves you well on occasions. As you have kind of gone through the season, what's been the process for how you utilize that?
LANCE MCCULLERS: My biggest thing is trying to channel it for the greater good as far as me pitching. I wanted to use that energy to my advantage rather than my disadvantage. And really it's just more of an I'm out there giving a hundred percent for the guys behind me and for the guys on the bench. So I get a little fired up sometimes. But it keeps me in the game, I think it pumps the guys up, so as long as I can just use that to my advantage, then that's really what it's there for.

Q. You'll either be pitching an elimination game or a potential clinching game. Have you thought about the gravity of potential situation?
LANCE MCCULLERS: Yeah, you can't go into a game like tomorrow and just say to yourself, oh, it's like every other game you ever pitched in, because it's not. And I'm okay with that. I'm going to attack that head on, understand that the moment's bigger, the stage is bigger.

But I'm out there pitching for more than just to win, I'm pitching for my guys, pitching for the fans. So it's going to be -- I'm going to be fine. I may get a little anxious like I do before pretty much every start, but I'm going to go out there and I'm going to compete and I'm not going to hold anything back.

Q. If I looked this up right, you're in your first year and here in the Postseason, your dad played seven or eight years, never got in the Postseason. Have you had a chance to give that some thought and talk to him about?
LANCE MCCULLERS: I talked to him about it, I talked to lot of the other guys about it as well. It's special. It's something that doesn't happen for everybody, as my dad played many years in the Big Leagues and he never got the opportunity to play in the Postseason.

So, it's really special, not only to me, to be a first-year guy, but for everybody else who is experiencing it for the first time as well.

Q. Do you anticipate that they might change their approach against you, maybe be a little bit more patient?
LANCE MCCULLERS: That's fine. I'm not going to change my approach. Every time I go out there my approach is to attack the zone and with all the pitches I have, and when I realize whatever's working best for me, that's what I'm going to ride with that day.

So, my approach has never changed. I'm confident in myself, confident in my stuff. Sure, they're going to maybe throw some wrinkles in there, but I'm going to be ready.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Thanks for coming in.

LANCE MCCULLERS: All right, guys.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297