AL WILD CARD SERIES: MARINERS VS BLUE JAYS

October 7, 2022

Robbie Ray

Rogers Centre

Seattle Mariners

Pregame Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with Robbie Ray.

Q. Come back here to Toronto, what are the emotions as you prepare for tomorrow?

ROBBIE RAY: I'm excited. I'm excited to get back on the mound. Excited to see the fans, to see everybody. I think it's just a lot of excitement.

Q. How surreal have the past 24 hours been for you coming back here, the success you've had and the ups and downs of 2020 and everything? This was an organization that you kind of got back on track with.

ROBBIE RAY: I think I'm more excited for where our team is at and what we've accomplished to this point.

For me I'm proud of those guys in the locker room and what they've done, all the adversity that we've gone through this year with some injuries that we've had to deal with. For me it's all about the guys in that clubhouse.

Q. Thinking back to your last playoff outing, it was brief, but it was really good, and it was in front of nobody in a playoff series that seemed to be over in a heartbeat. So much has changed for you since then. How different a pitcher are you now? How different a person are you now?

ROBBIE RAY: Yeah. I think 2020 it was in Tampa. No fans. That was before the change that I made as a pitcher, the delivery changes that I have made.

So, yeah, for me the past two years that I've had, there's been a lot of growth. Obviously, last year the success that I had, this year being able to make some changes throughout the year to adapt and kind of change the pitching repertoire, I feel like there has been a lot that's changed since then.

Q. You've played here when this place is loud and rocking, but your teammates also seem to thrive no matter what when there's just people there. How will you guys handle it or what are you expecting from your team now when you know that this place is going to be very loud?

ROBBIE RAY: Yeah, I think you just have to control your emotions. Not let the situation get too big. Not let the crowd control how you're feeling about the game.

It's, obviously, going to be very loud here. The roof is closed. They're going to be packed out. The fans here are loud. They love baseball. They love the Blue Jays. So, it's going to be loud.

I think for me it's just understanding that we're still playing baseball, and we just have to continue to play the way that we have that has gotten us here. Like I said, not letting the situation get too big, not letting the crowd control the narrative.

Q. Can you go at all into why you chose Seattle instead of Toronto when it was time to sign your contract, and did the restrictions in Canada because of the pandemic play into that?

ROBBIE RAY: I chose Seattle. We played a series last year there late in the season. The fans were loud. It was a fun atmosphere. Seeing the team, talking to the guys, you know, it seemed like a really good fit.

Obviously, the financials behind it were a big part of it too because I'm trying to set up my family for a long time. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. That was a big part of it, the money aspect of it as well.

Those were kind of the two biggest factors for me.

Q. Just, obviously, you know this lineup really well. They know you. I know you're a different pitcher a little bit this year, but how does familiarity play into how you're game-planning them and how you think they're game-planning you?

ROBBIE RAY: It's going to be interesting, for sure. I faced them earlier in the year and had some success, but obviously, this lineup is a really good lineup. They can hit the ball really well.

So, I think for me it's just focusing on one pitch at a time. That's my game plan going into every single game and executing one pitch. Not try to be two, three pitches ahead of guys. I just need to focus on what I need to accomplish, and that's executing one pitch at a time.

Q. I know that you have to, like you said, pitch your game and do that stuff, but does your mindset change at all if tomorrow is do or die?

ROBBIE RAY: No. It's the same. I treat every game the same. I go out there, and my goal is to put up zeros and give my team a chance to win. Get as deep as I can into games. Regardless of the situation, that's my number one goal.

Q. I don't know. As pitchers I know you generally when you were here, your relationship is with Pete and Busch as far as the coaching staff is concerned, but can you speak at all to John Schneider? Did you have a relationship with him? Are you surprised to see that he has taken over?

ROBBIE RAY: No. I, ultimately, thought that he would be in a manager position. I didn't necessarily think it would be here or where it would be, but I ultimately felt like he was built to be a manager somewhere.

The communication with him even in the position he was in when I was there was great. It was top-notch. It's what you want from staff.

You could just tell that the players really respected him and cared about what he had to say. It was evident by the way he carried himself that he was destined for a manager job.

Q. When you signed with Toronto, it was a sort of bet on yourself kind of contract. How much good did the team and staff do for you in terms of maybe just helping you achieve more and reaching another level?

ROBBIE RAY: Honestly, they allowed me to kind of be myself and learn some things on the fly and learn a little bit about myself that I hadn't known.

I think for me that was kind of something that was missing. It was always, it seemed like, You need to do this, you need to do this.

With the Blue Jays it was, We are just going to let you be yourself as far as your workout routine, your pitches that you choose, game-planning, stuff like that. It was kind of on me.

They just allowed me to kind of be what I needed to be and let me learn what it really means to be here and to take ownership of what I do. That's exactly what I needed at the time.

Q. Obviously, you didn't get to make your return during the regular season. Have you thought at all about how the crowd might welcome you back tomorrow?

ROBBIE RAY: Honestly, no. I would think that it would be pretty positive, but again, this is a playoff, so there could be a lot of boos for sure (laughing).

Q. When you signed here, you talked about wanting to lead and everything. Scott talked just recently about how you really kind of stepped it up outside of just the rotation over the past few months. What allowed yourself to be comfortable in your skin and really kind of take ownership of that and lead the rest of the clubhouse as well?

ROBBIE RAY: I think it's just developing those relationships with the guys around me in the clubhouse. I think it's walking the walk, not just talking about it.

I think for me it was just getting the guys comfortable around me and then just being able to kind of slide into that position of where guys start to listen and when you start talking, you know, the whole room listens.

I think it just had to develop from a little bit of, you know, comfortability with each other. I mean, it takes time to develop that relationship. I feel like, honestly, that's probably one of the quickest I've ever experienced of guys welcoming you and feeling comfortable around you.

Q. There's a possibility that Kevin Gausman pitches against you tomorrow. Does it add any extra intrigue for you that it may be you against the guy they signed to replace you that same week you left?

ROBBIE RAY: No. (Smiling.)

Q. If I can get a follow-up, maybe a longer answer. I saw in the hallway how your eyes lit up when Hyun Jin was calling you and you went back and hugged him. Did he or anybody else here have an especially large impact with you player-wise when you played here?

ROBBIE RAY: Hyun Jin was great. That relationship has continued even past me leaving. We call each other, text each other.

There was a special group that we had last year. I still stay in touch with some guys over there. Who doesn't love Hyun Jin? He is a great human being. He is awesome.

He took care of me. He always brings a smile to your face when you see him. For me being able to see him today and give him a big hug was awesome.