NL WILD CARD SERIES: MARLINS VS PHILLIES

October 3, 2023

Braxton Garrett

Citizens Bank Park

Miami Marlins

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Just curious for you to take me through. This year your sinker has been more and more featured as you've gone on. Your slider was kind of your breakout pitch last year. You were a curveball guy coming out of school first. Take me through the evolution there.

BRAXTON GARRETT: Coming out of high school, I had a little higher slot. Like you said, I loved to throw that curveball. I had Tommy John surgery basically the first full season, and I came back. My first couple of seasons after coming back healthy, my arm slot just kept getting higher and higher, and it just kind of took away from everything else other than my curveball.

So it kind of turned into more of a slider league at that point, and dropped my arm a little bit. The slider kind of broke out for me. I feel like I can spin the ball pretty well since I've been young, so the slider wasn't too hard. It was just kind of figuring out how to command it at first.

Yeah, that was kind of it. Kind of just dropping the arm to a more natural slot.

Q. And just related to that, it seems like that corresponds to when Tommy Phelps and Scott Aldred got involved in the organization. How responsible are they for molding you into the pitcher you are now?

BRAXTON GARRETT: They do an awesome job. I love working with Scott and Tommy. They worked with me a lot on my change-up and a lot on just how to pitch really and good spots for my fastball. Yeah, they've done a good job.

Q. Coming from where you started the season in the bullpen and moving into a starter's role, how much has it meant to you that the organization has put so much trust in you that you're starting Game 2 of a playoff series?

BRAXTON GARRETT: Yeah, it's awesome. This is what I've dreamed of since I was a kid. It's crazy being here, no doubt. I've just worked incredibly hard, and as I mentioned, I made that arm slot change a couple years ago, and I feel like I really took off from there and kind of just built more and more confidence as each season went on.

Yeah, of course it means a lot. I had one of my best years this year, and I plan to continue to refine and make everything better and keep getting better.

Q. Also, is there anybody that you went to for advice before this series? And are you going to have any family here for the game tomorrow?

BRAXTON GARRETT: I'm going to have my parents and my little sisters. Yeah, I've gone to a few of the older guys, Matt Barnes, David Robertson, guys like that who have been here. The PitchCom is new. There's been a few questions about that and how loud it's going to be. We're just not quite used to that, but I'm sure it won't be a problem.

Q. Braxton, I guess first off, how happy are you to get this opportunity, especially after the way with the Wednesday, the double header with the Mets?

BRAXTON GARRETT: Yeah, I'm ecstatic. Really happy to get the start. I think it was kind of just a culmination of the whole year. I think one start would be hard to kind of make that decision, but no, obviously I feel great about it.

Q. What's going to be the key for you to stay calm, be in this atmosphere, a team that's familiar with how you pitch?

BRAXTON GARRETT: Yeah, just trusting my stuff and trusting all the routine that I've done throughout the year. It is a big playoff game, but it's still baseball. It's the same game we've been playing all year. It's the same guys.

I respect that team a lot. I respect that lineup a lot. The ways to get them out aren't going to change. So I'm going to do my best, try to make every pitch I can.

Q. Was there a moment or a game this season where you've really started to feel things clicking and started to see that turn?

BRAXTON GARRETT: I'm not sure if there's a specific game. I had a lot of confidence going into the year, and I had good starts going into that one bad Braves start there, and I kind of had to get my mind right after that. I think I faced Arizona after the Braves, and then maybe the start after that, things started to click.

I struck out 13 against the Pirates, which was a big outing for me and kind of where everything was working. But, yeah, sometime after that Arizona start.

Q. And from your perspective with Zeus going Game 1, what's it been like watching him do what he's done this year, and especially this last month the two of you having to step up once Sandy went down, Eury went down, for you guys to sort of handle the bulk of the load for the rotation?

BRAXTON GARRETT: Zeus has been awesome. I tell everybody all the time he's one of my favorite guys to watch pitch in the Big Leagues. He's a bulldog. He pitches with a chip on his shoulder, and I just love how he goes at guys.

We've talked about it too. We're both over our inning maxes, and we feel confident that we've continued to push and still feel good.

Yeah, I'm real proud of Zeus. He's become a good friend of mine. So I'm happy to see his success.

Q. Braxton, how will tonight's result affect you tomorrow?

BRAXTON GARRETT: I don't think really at all. I'm still going to do my same game plan and same things I do prestart anyways. So no matter what, I'm going to go in confident and pitch the best I can.

Q. What's it been like to watch Tanner at the end of games lately?

BRAXTON GARRETT: A lot of fun. I can't watch Tanner and be like, hey, I need to do that. We're just so different. But it's fun to watch him pitch and just pound the zone with two pitches and just seem unhittable sometimes.

He's another guy, we just have so many guys who work so hard. He's made such a big jump to this year from last year as well. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun.

Q. What's been the biggest jump for him from last year, in your mind?

BRAXTON GARRETT: For me, I think it's command overall. It seems like every hitter's 0-1, and I actually mentioned a couple of weeks ago, man, I feel like Tanner is throwing too many strikes. Someone told me, dude, with that stuff, there's never too many strikes. So, yeah, I'd say command just overall.

Q. You talked a little bit about this, but Jesus, his four seamer is the pitch of choice. Sandy, before he went down, the change-up is obviously the difference maker. It doesn't seem like there's a core philosophy within the organization about doing one thing or another. What is sort of the underlying similarity? What makes a Marlins pitcher a Marlins pitcher?

BRAXTON GARRETT: I'm not sure. I know we talk a lot about count management, and we talk a lot about pitching confidently and taking chances. I think a lot of us starters in particular are really confident in the zone with our stuff.

Obviously, all of us are different. I'm obviously drastically different from sandy and Jesus, but we all are really confident with our stuff in the zone.

Q. Just related to it, not just seeing Sandy go down, but even Sixto being down, a number of key pitchers in this organization. You guys are here anyway. What does it say about the pitching depth that you guys are here in the postseason tonight?

BRAXTON GARRETT: It says a lot. Our hitters' motto is pass the baton. With us pitchers, we do a lot of the same thing. We've had a lot of guys go down, and guys have had to come up and make starts. You mentioned that guys have stepped up. Me and Jesus have been fortunate to be healthy and continue to pitch really well.

Yeah, it's just next man up always. Everyone who's on the mound, we believe in them. I think that's just an organization-wide thing.

Q. You mentioned the innings max or limit obviously. You, Jesus, Eury, all of the guys. Is that something that's on your mind and in the game with the pitch count management? Is that something that bothers you or you just go through it?

BRAXTON GARRETT: No, not at all. To be honest, I don't even know how many innings I have right now or what my max was previous. So, no, not really.

Q. You've been in this organization since you were 18 years old. I'm just curious if you could touch on the culture change implemented by Skip and his staff this season.

BRAXTON GARRETT: It's hard to put my finger on one thing, but what I tell people that Skip does really well is he communicates really well, and that translates as well with his staff and everyone. There's never a wonder, really in my mind, why he pulled me or why he did this or that.

He's going to be honest with you, and he's also a young guy. He played a long time. So he really balances the player coach and the manager who needs to get on you and tell you what you need to do.

Q. Kind of playing off of that, being drafted in the organization and getting to reach this point, because there are a lot of guys that were brought in via trade or free agency, speak to that, that you are a home grown player.

BRAXTON GARRETT: Yeah, that's awesome. That's really not something I think about much either. I kind of just think of every single season in its own, but I am proud to be home grown with this organization. It's been a long journey. Look at us now, here we are. It's pretty awesome.

Q. Part of the stat line will say how many pitches you threw, how many strikes you threw, getting back to what you said earlier. Do you think about that much? Obviously, you don't want to throw too many balls, but it could be too many strikes maybe would be hittable versus effectively wild, as they say. What do you think about those stats, and how much do you take those into account for you personally?

BRAXTON GARRETT: Again, for me, it's kind of like start to start. There are times where I can throw too many strikes for sure. Yeah, there's just times I throw too many strikes. It's just the fact of me trusting whatever it is, the sinker, the four seamer, the cut that I can get out of that at-bat, and it's something that I've worked with Mel too. He's given me ideas of zones to go to where I can still get a chase because I throw so many strikes.

So, yeah, I don't think it's something I think about during the game, but maybe afterwards and then going into the next one.