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AL WILDCARD GAME: ORIOLES VS BLUE JAYS

October 3, 2016

Marcus Stroman

Toronto, Ontario: Workout Day

Q. Marcus, just talk about the energy that you brought to this year. You didn't play all of last year, yet you came in with a lot of energy, lot of emotion in the playoffs last year. Can you just talk about hoping that the team sees that tomorrow. Do you feel that energy going into tomorrow as the starter?
MARCUS STROMAN: Yeah, absolutely. It's my personality. It's the individual I am. I pitch with a lot of emotion, lot of energy. My teammates and everyone around me in the organization loves it as well, and they want me to go out there and be myself. So, I mean it's the Wild Card game, I'm sure we'll be pretty excited out there and ready to go.

Q. So what goes through your mind now tonight going into tomorrow? You're starting tomorrow night. What are you thinking? How do you focus and prepare for tomorrow's game?
MARCUS STROMAN: I do everything I can to get my body in preparation for tomorrow. Make sure I feel good. To be honest with you, I never overthink it the night before. I don't think about it until I get here to the park tomorrow, and then I kind of start to assess things.

I've been in this position before. I'm extremely confident. I can't wait for this task, and we're pretty excited about the opportunity.

Q. We know that you're a high-energy guy. Just wonder if you could address how you've have become a more mature pitcher given some of the experiences that you've had this year? Different from last year?
MARCUS STROMAN: Yeah, definitely had an up-and-down year and battled a lot of adversity. I think I've done a pretty decent job at making adjustments throughout the year that were key for me and able to pay off down the stretch. I'm at a point now where I feel great, mechanics feel great, body feels great. I'm actually feeling at my strongest now. So I'm excited.

Q. What can you take away from last year's post-season that you can carry with you in terms of the energy and emotion and pitching in that type of atmosphere with everything on the line?
MARCUS STROMAN: Yeah, been here before. I feel comfortable knowing we were at this last year and had to go through the entire thing. There is no sense of panic. There is no sense of -- there's no emergency in that room. It feels like it's just another day. The mentality and confidence of this group is unbelievable from the second we showed up to Spring Training. And we know what we're capable of.

Q. How much were you aware that you were going to get the start, and what was that feeling like?
MARCUS STROMAN: Got the official word this morning, and it felt great just shows me the confidence that this organization, this staff, the front office, the entire country of Canada has in me to go out there and give me the ball. I couldn't be happier. I couldn't be prouder, and I couldn't be more excited to go out there in a deciding game to put us in the playoffs. So I relish this opportunity, and I can't wait.

Q. Do you feel any extra pressure for tomorrow given the fact that the bats have been a little quiet over the past month, and this could be a low-scoring game?
MARCUS STROMAN: No, not at all. I mean, this offense is due to break out at some point. I'm very aware of the work that every individual on this team puts in, especially on offense. I see these guys are going to do everything to grind and do everything they can to prepare themselves for each and every day. It's unbelievable. So I have unbelievable confidence in every single guy behind me to produce, to field balls, to do everything in their power to get a win. And I pitch with that confidence that the team has in me, as well as the confidence I have in myself. I'm in a great place mentally and I'm ready to rock.

Q. What can you tell us about the challenges facing the Orioles, the team that's led baseball in home runs this season?
MARCUS STROMAN: It's an unbelievable lineup. One through nine, there are no easy outs. You really have to lock it in one through nine. There are no pitches you can take off. Each pitch you have has to be executed. You make a mistake, and they make you pay. So that's the mentality going into it.

Everyone knows what they've done this year. They've had an unbelievable amount of power bats in the lineup. So you just have to do your best, make your pitches and get them to put the ball in play weakly. Just do everything I can to keep my team in position long enough to get a win.

Q. We know that you and Aaron are good friends. Can you talk about what you can take away from his performance last night and perhaps one more game it would have been (inaudible) or just what you can take away from what he's shown you?
MARCUS STROMAN: Sanchez has been unbelievable. He's been unbelievable all year. I think he's been the best pitcher in baseball the entire year. I'm his best friend, and I'd be the first one to tell you that he deserves the Cy Young. What he's done is remarkable in his first professional year to go out there and put our team -- I felt like every time he went out there we were going to win. So he's extremely reliable for the entire staff. And not only Sanchez, but we can't speak highly enough of Happ, Estrada, Dickey, Liriano. Everyone that took part of this. Because what they've been able to do through the year is pretty unbelievable.

Q. Just a follow-up on Baltimore, you're in a situation now where you're facing the same team in consecutive appearances. You've done that before, obviously. What, if anything, will you do to sort of take that into account?
MARCUS STROMAN: It just comes down to executing pitches. I don't overanalyze, to be honest with you. It's about going out there, competing and discussing the game plan with Martin and the coaches.

Q. You pitched 200 innings for the first time in your career this season. That milestone, is that going to be something that's going to push you forward or maybe pull you a little bit back because that is quite a few innings? Are you worried about that?
MARCUS STROMAN: I feel stronger now than I did at the beginning of the year, so I'm not worried about it at all. I feel like I could throw another 100 innings. I do a lot to take care of my body. I work extremely hard in the weight room. We have an unbelievable staff here that does everything in their power to keep us on the field every single day. Trainers, you know what I mean? Everybody has their part.

So especially with what we have going on here, I feel great. My body feels great. There's no sense of slowing down.

Q. Yesterday John Gibbons put a positive spin on the struggles that this team had going down the stretch, and instead of going into the playoffs, being battle tested there, maybe it will make a difference. Is there a different feel about the way this team is heading into the playoffs this year? Are you feeling a different energy around the team?
MARCUS STROMAN: The mentality is the same, to be completely honest with you. It hasn't changed. That's why I love this entire group. We couldn't tell if we lost the game or won the game each and every day when we show up. That's extremely important to the clubhouse. It's kind of who we are. We have a lot of fun with it. We kind of go about things differently. But the mentality and confidence has never changed since day one. Even when we were going through spouts and losing games here and there, it remained the same because we knew what we were capable of the entire time.

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