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MLB WORLD SERIES: NATIONALS VS ASTROS

October 21, 2019

Max Scherzer

Houston, Texas - Workout Day

Q. The old cliché is you're facing the other team's lineup not their opposing pitcher. Do you even get jacked up over you versus Cole, and what's coming in Game 2, as well?
MAX SCHERZER: Of course. I mean, I've been in the situation, faced really good pitchers here in the National League over the years; Kershaw, deGrom, those guys. You just know you've got to come out there, you're going to be throwing up zeros. And you've got to try to match the intensity from your opponent.

And Cole's had a terrific year. So obviously it's going to one heck of a challenge.

Q. When you were teammates with Justin Verlander what did you learn about him?
MAX SCHERZER: The pitching aspect or off the field? Just everything? That was a time in my career when I really kind of developed and settled into kind of the pitcher who I am.

In Detroit I learned so much from everybody, and especially from Ver, of just how to go about it, attack the lineup, how you take a ball every fifth day. Just all the little things that go into being a Major League pitcher. He was at the forefront of that, and we all developed together and it was a fun time.

Q. How difficult was it the long path from going as a kid where with the eye condition, you were taunted about it, to where it's become individuality and you embrace it and the team celebrates it? Was it difficult at all going that path to the point where it's celebrated?
MAX SCHERZER: I've always celebrated it, whether you liked it or not, that's who I am. I am one blue and one brown. There's nothing I can do about it. So you embrace it.

Q. I read you have several dogs with that condition over the years. How many?
MAX SCHERZER: Yeah, we've got -- really, it's two. One for sure and then Bo, she's got -- half the eye is blue and brown.

But, yeah, it seems -- everybody kind of outside the baseball world will always text me photos of, Hey, you should get this dog, it's got two different color eyes. It makes it easy, there's a lot of dogs out there that have that.

Q. What are your two dogs' names and the breeds?
MAX SCHERZER: Rocco and Bo both have it.

Q. How happy are you for Ryan Zimmerman to be here, given the length of his career, all with this franchise?
MAX SCHERZER: Yeah, what he's done and meant for this team and this organization, he's really kind of the -- when you think of the Washington Nationals, he's the face of the franchise, he's the player you think of.

For him to be here this whole time, seen it from the good to the bad and now here we are in the World Series, that's a testament of what he's done and meant for this organization.

As players we're so happy for him, as well. He's such a great guy, great clubhouse guy. And we couldn't be happier for him, and especially the way he's producing in the postseason, as well.

Q. When you don't have to pinch-hitter or I guess think about that at all, does it change how you map out your start or change anything about how you're going through a lineup?
MAX SCHERZER: Yeah, I mean, obviously it's tougher to pitch with a DH, things happen. The couple of times I have pitched with it, it's just a different feel to the game of not grabbing a bat. I've definitely grown accustomed to doing that, it kind of keeps you in the game flow even more. It feels weird when you get to the DH and you're not in that flow of the game offensively.

It's different, but at the same time my job is to go out there and stay on the hill and throw pitches.

Q. Seven postseason appearances, one World Series appearance seven years ago in 2012. How is this team different and how in general is this going into this World Series rather than in '12?
MAX SCHERZER: I mean, I guess there are some similarities between the two teams. You can dissect it any which way you want to. But for me looking at this team, I loved the team that we had in '12 and obviously I love this team we have here in '19. I speak to our group the most of how much clubhouse chemistry we have, we're just playing good baseball together. We're really firing on all cylinders. And there's just -- we've got some mojo going, that's the easiest way to describe it. That we just seem to be playing great baseball together, and anybody who gets their number called just continues to step up and perform for the team.

So not just one guy that's going out there and carrying the load, it's not two; it's really the whole team. I know Howie was very deserving of the NLCS MVP, and he's rightfully MVP, but it could have been anybody. We had so many contributions from everywhere across the team that it all allowed for us to be in this position.

Q. Have modern analytics made it easier at all when you have runners on base and you need a strikeout to know where the batter's weaknesses are and what to do to get out of it without the ball getting hit?
MAX SCHERZER: Yes and no. So yes, you do know because now the hitters know exactly what your strengths and weaknesses are and the chess game continues. It's not just a one-sided equation. The hitters also have the same type of information as well and they're obviously using it to their advantage when they see fit.

So it's still baseball.

Q. What stands out to you about the Astros lineup?
MAX SCHERZER: Just a lot of different ways they can beat you. Predominantly right-handed but they've got a couple of left-hand bats in there that are definitely big-time threats. And just what they do up and down the order. It's a complete lineup 1 through 9.

You've got to be executing every single pitch you go out there and throw.

Q. Given what Howie has done and Michael Brantley has done for the Astros in a time of the game where they say, Let the kids play, what are your thoughts on the value of having veterans and some of the "older guys" in this Championship Series?
MAX SCHERZER: I just know our clubhouse, it's hard for me to speculate across every team's clubhouse and what veterans mean and what young guys mean. In our clubhouse, I don't know, it's just a fun atmosphere that we have. We have youthful players and we have guys in their primes. But we also do have a good contingent of guys who are way past their prime, past 33 years old, that continue to perform at a high level, that continue to go out there and grind and know what it takes to win.

I think that's the biggest thing is we've got some guys that really know what it takes to win and what that looks like in the clubhouse and the type of atmosphere you have to create. And I feel like we've created that atmosphere. Everybody is on board and sees what it takes for us to go out there and compete at the highest level.

Q. Starting the season out 19-31, what has the turnaround been like this season, and of course getting a sweep in the NLCS over the Cardinals and how proud are you of this team?
MAX SCHERZER: We dealt with some injuries. We weren't playing good baseball in the beginning, it's obvious. And so we were what our record said. Obviously we just didn't do anything -- we got some key guys back from injury, especially with Trea Turner and Soto, when they got healthy again and our lineup started firing.

And our pitchers started pitching better and we started running the bases better, and we just started doing all the little things better, everything we set out in Spring Training to do. We just happen to get out of the gates the first 50 games pretty slow.

After that, we've been playing to our potential. This whole time, even from the moment we got to Spring Training, we knew we could compete with anybody. Obviously we've proven that, that we can compete with anybody in this League, and we're good enough for that.

Nothing has changed my mind whether that slump we hit in the beginning or how we played in the end, it's just a matter of going out there and playing high-quality baseball, and making the other team beat us and not beat ourselves.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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