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MLB WORLD SERIES: METS VS ROYALS

October 29, 2015

Yordano Ventura

Flushing, New York - Royals Workout day

(Through interpreter Christian Colon)

Q. Coming into the series obviously Daniel Murphy was a red-hot hitter for the Mets, and they have other hitters in their lineup as well. But is part of the strategy going in, do not let this guy continue his hot streak by maybe pitching him more inside than he's been used to? Is that something that you guys had discussed and kind of have implemented in the first two games of the series?
YORDANO VENTURA: Their plan is to -- they'll always pitch in, that's something they do, the pitching staff, and especially me. I pitch in. So my plan is to attack them in, and see how I feel throughout the game, and if I'm in that spot. I'm adjusting pitch to pitch, too. That's my main focus going in, it's just pitch to pitch, really, making sure I'm adjusting to the at-bat.

Q. I know the season didn't start the way you wanted to, but around early August you really started to have some good results, and you finished off the regular season really strong. What happened there? What was key for you finally getting back on track?
YORDANO VENTURA: I started the season kind of rough, but it was just something that I just kept working hard, same work ethic every single day, same thing, kind of pushing through it, knowing that it was going to turnaround eventually. I just kept pushing. So really there's nothing that was different. It was kind of like just baseball, just the game of baseball. I wasn't getting breaks, wasn't making pitches. But I just continued to work hard. That was my main thing, main goal and just get encouraged by my teammates and everybody.

Q. How much attention do you pay to the radar gun and what do you learn from it? Tomorrow night will you take a peek at Syndergaard's radar gun reading?
YORDANO VENTURA: Right now I'm not worried about velocity at all. I just want to go deep in the game, let my team -- give them a chance to win. My main goal is to really go deep in the games, not really velocity. I'm not really going to pay attention to it on either side.

Q. What does it do for your confidence boost when the team takes a 2-0 lead tomorrow night, you pitching with a 2-0 lead? Can you talk about the confidence of the team right now in general?
YORDANO VENTURA: I feel ready to go. I feel like, yeah, this is a great spot to be in, 2-0. But I also know that we're coming into their park and their fans. You've still got to push through it.

As a team I think we still have that focus to get it done right away, because we know that they're a good ballclub here and they can play. The fans are going to show up and they can play good baseball here. We're confident, but we're ready to just get it done.

Q. Does pitching with two more Dominicans on the same team help you in your career?
YORDANO VENTURA: The influence that those two guys have brought up on me is great. I feel like we're brothers. I've learned a lot from seeing them go out there and pitch and how to react to things, certain situations in the game. So I've learned a lot from them. I just like the encouragement that they bring every single day, the positive energy that they've got. I'm just excited to be a part of that.

So, yeah, they definitely helped.

Q. This ballpark, a lot like your home park, the dimensions are pretty big in the gaps. Does that give you some confidence in pitching in a ballpark that's similar to the park where you pitch most of your games?
YORDANO VENTURA: I'm really just thinking about just going out there and executing pitches. The ballpark is nice, hey, like they're bigger ballparks, but I don't really think about that. My main focus is just to execute the pitches, and then if I think I can do that on a consistent basis, that I'm going to be successful that night, it doesn't matter where I'm at.

So I think I don't pay too much mind to the ballpark or the radar gun right now. It's about getting outs and going deep in the games.

Q. We're from the Dominican Republic and with Volquez's father passing away, that was rough for us, and obviously the Dominican Republic. You can take the series 3-0, how will that help to make the Dominican Republic -- they're paying attention to the fact that Cueto pitched a great game the other day. It's a strong bond that you've got as brothers. I want to know if you have any emotions going into the game tomorrow and if it's going to help the country if you obviously pitch well.
YORDANO VENTURA: There's a lot of pride in this from the standpoint that there's all three Dominicans pitching and doing well. I'm going to continue to try my best to do that for my country and for the Royals. I'm just very excited to be a part of this group.

And it was sad to hear about Volquez's dad because that's something that I knew before going into the game and he pitched a great game to keep us in the game. And to show heart like that, it's incredible.

I'm excited to be a part of this, and I'm going to do everything I can to put my country on my back and give us a win.

Q. This is already going to be your 9th postseason start. Did you ever find yourself getting a little too nervous for these things, a little overamped up? At this point now having been through it, how do you control your emotions when you're pitching on a stage like this?
YORDANO VENTURA: It pretty much is in my blood that when I strike out a guy in a big situation, I'm going to be myself and let it all out there. But I have changed a lot. Some of the hitters sometimes can take me the wrong way and say something to me, but I just ignore it now.

Nervous or anxious or anything like that, I feel none of that at this point. I'm just ready to go, just kind of like we're all in this together. I feel, like, the support from the team and I feel good going out there.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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