MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS VS BRAVES

October 25, 2021

Framber Valdez

Minute Maid Park

Houston Astros

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Framber, the honor of being the World Series Game 1 starter, what does that mean to you? If someone had told you maybe in 2014 or 2015 that this would eventually happen, what would your reaction have been?

FRAMBER VALDEZ: For me it's an honor. It's a privilege to be the starter. It's super exciting for me to be the starter in Game 1 of the World Series.

It's something I never thought about, to be honest, as a kid. I didn't know what it meant, but when I started getting involved in baseball and realizing how impactful it was for youth just on and off the field, that's when I started dying wishing to be part of the postseason, to be part of the team, and obviously to be an opener and to be a starter in the World Series.

So it's an honor for me. It's a privilege. I'm just super excited to be here.

Q. Framber, Eddie Rosario is in his moment right now. Just what can you do to prepare to face him?

FRAMBER VALDEZ: My preparation is going to be the same. Just go at it with half your hitters, whether it's a lefty or righty. We're going to attack them equally. He's obviously having a really good stretch right now, but Kiké was having a really good stretch as well, and we were able to make some adjustments on him to be able to have some success against him.

I'm just going to attack him, be focused, be prepared at all times and be ready to make some adjustments to be able to face him as well.

Q. Because of how well you pitched last time out, what do you take from that that you can carry over into Game 1? Do you think you had figured something out, or is something going to have to translate to Game 1 for you to keep up that momentum?

FRAMBER VALDEZ: What I realized after that game was I think I needed to control my emotion a little bit. I got really excited. I was super excited to throw in that first start, just being in the Championship Series. I think that might have gotten the best of me a little bit. I think I was trying to do a little bit too much with my pitches and let the excitement get a little bit of the best of me.

For me it's a matter of controlling my emotions, controlling the adrenaline. Just worry about executing my pitches, throwing my pitches with intensity and not trying to be too perfect with everything and just let the results follow from there.

Q. Framber, you grew up in a humble home, kids are looking at you. Did you ever think of being here, living at a local church?

FRAMBER VALDEZ: It's a dream that a lot of kids have. It's a privilege to be here. It's something that not a lot can achieve. It's something you definitely have to appreciate, and you just have to stay focused, know what it is you want out of life, and just work hard and stay focused to achieve it.

It's something that I feel definitely privileged to be here. It's just a matter of all the work that I've put in, the focus that I've maintained on the way up and something you have to appreciate and you have to work hard to maintain once you get here.

Q. Atlanta starter Charlie Morton is in the World Series for the third time in recent years. Since this is your first time, there might be people who watch the World Series who don't know much about you. I wonder if you could describe yourself as a pitcher and as a person to people who haven't met you or seen you or have any idea about you.

FRAMBER VALDEZ: As a person, I think of myself as a happy man. I've had a lot of problems in the past, but I've known how to get past those and overcome those to get to where I am today. It's just been a lot of sacrifice and hard work.

If I said back in 2014 and 2015 I wouldn't have thought of being a starter in Game 1 of the World Series, but now it's real and I appreciate it. It's just a privilege. You have to have respect for the game and for the organization of the Astros, which I think is a great organization.

For me, it's just been a matter of putting in the hard work and overcoming the struggles of the past to become the man I am today and be the starter for Game 1.

Q. How helpful was the moment when you closed your eyes in your last start? Is that something that you've done often in the past or plan to do more of in the future to slow things down?

FRAMBER VALDEZ: It's something that I have planned to continue doing for the rest of my outings. It's something that, when I do it, I lose my sense of pride. I lose my sense of shame. I just focus on the job at hand, and it really centers me to get focused on the job that I need to do.

So it's something that's definitely helped me a lot, and it's something that I plan on continue doing for the next outing.