MLB WORLD SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS RANGERS

October 29, 2023

Max Scherzer

Chase Field

Texas Rangers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Wondering what needs to happen specifically from a pitching standpoint in tomorrow's game compared to what didn't happen in yesterday's game?

MAX SCHERZER: Execute pitches. That's what it's about -- locate the baseball, change the speeds, the stuff that's been going on for 100 years. And that's the formula to have success. It doesn't really change. Even though the magnitude of the game is bigger, the formula is the exact same.

Q. How is your finger doing?

MAX SCHERZER: It's good. It's healing. Whatever reason, however, coming back, somehow it generated a little cut on the thumb. But we'll be able to address it. Found a way to use cotton and Super Glue in a way that provides a layer for that not to get cut as well. A little arts and crafts in the training room at times, but that's what you've got to do.

Q. What do you enjoy most about pitching on this unique stage in a game like this?

MAX SCHERZER: This is what you dream of when you're a kid. When you're a kid you dream of hitting in the World Series, pitching in the World Series. You watched your idols do this in all the big games, and to be able to live out your dreams.

So for me, my third World Series, this is crazy to say it's my third World Series, but here I have such another opportunity to live out my dream.

Q. I think at the time when you had the shoulder strain, that it was kind of unlikely, I think Chris Young said, that you would be back this year. What was it about, with you, you've pitched in the postseason a ton, been successful, won a World Series, but obviously made it an important thing to you to get back and pitch in this?

MAX SCHERZER: We knew it was a shoulder strain, but we also knew that, based on how the MRI looked, that this could be on the better side. It could be on the four-week side. Do the math from when that happened you're looking the middle of October. That's smack dab in the middle of playoffs.

For me, that's good enough motivation to keep everything going. I kept firing. I kept training to keep my body in the best position, so when my arm came back around I was good to go.

And so for me I've gotten a couple of starts back up out there. And so obviously need to go back out there and pitch well tomorrow.

Q. You mentioned two starts you have under your belt. Curious about your comfort level after that. And then the second question is about the chemistry of that room that you guys have created and what it's like?

MAX SCHERZER: I feel like I'm getting past the shoulder hiccup or the strain and just getting back in the swing of things. Getting in the bullpens, getting in the routines, getting the feel for it. And go out there and try to catch a rhythm.

They're a good team. I understand, see the challenges they present. It's going to be a grind to be able to go against them. Absolutely respect them. They're playing great baseball. That's what happens when you get to this time of year. You have to execute at such a high level. I understand the challenge at hand.

As for our clubhouse, we've got a great clubhouse going. We've got a great -- just guys come together, playing at the right time, good personalities all fitting together at the right time. So that's what it takes to win baseball sometimes. It's not the kind of the nerd data that's out there. It's kind of how everybody plays as a human.

Q. How do you look back on your time playing at Arizona?

MAX SCHERZER: This is where I debuted and broke into the league and really got to establish. Got to play with some great players at the time. Got to learn from those guys at the beginning of my career.

And, so, it was short. Just basically that year, year and a half. But fortunate for the opportunity that I did get here.

Q. You've been on the stage before. What did pitching for the Nationals in 2019 teach you about what you need to do to be successful in the World Series?

MAX SCHERZER: You've got to match the moment. A lot of times the notion will be out there is kind of like, kind of be subdued because the moment is so big. That's kind of the opposite how I need to think.

For me I look at it the opposite way. You have to match the moment. This is a big game. Obviously you're playing for the World Series. You've got to match that. You've got to be aggressive and go out there and attack from the 19-run -- we found out, hey, you can win every game on the road. That is possible. And I've done it twice. So that's pretty cool.

Just you are never out of it. You can be the whole Game 4, Game 5 situation, when I had Game 5 with the neck. Here's Game 5, and we still found a way to come back and win.

You're never out of these things. You've got to grind all the way to the end. Very fortunate of the 2019 run.

Q. How do you approach a team like the Diamondbacks that are going to take their singles, small ball, sacrifice bunts -- what challenges does that present to you as a pitcher?

MAX SCHERZER: There's multiple ways that hitters attack pitchers, and this is the kind of the speed aspect, more so than the power. I think with Houston we saw that's the power you've got to be able to handle that. This is much more the speed game.

And so it's just like you've got to be able to adapt to everything that's going on. We understand what they can do. We know who can steal the bases, who can't. And you've got to be very cognizant of that.

It's another baseball game. It's just the factors in which you have to think about are just a little different.

Q. When you talk about the group you were with here -- from Webb to Haren to Johnson, other guys -- what did you take from them? And, looking back, what's it like being a young kid with a bunch of veterans like that?

MAX SCHERZER: It was great to be able to pitch -- I've been so lucky throughout my whole career; I've been able to pitch with great pitchers. And immediately when I walk into my debut with the Diamondbacks, there's two of the best in the time Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. And obviously Randy, his whole career, what he was able to do.

To be able to learn from and watch these guys go about their business, I'm as lucky as there could be to have that be your teammates when you first break into the league.

A lot of it was kind of the little nuances of the game that you kind of take from -- I still remember to this day from Dan and obviously Randy, and how Webby pitched with his sinker/change-up, how that was really effective for him.

I actually wish I could go back and circle back with those guys and actually compare notes now. When you're a rookie you don't understand everything you can do. But once you get some years under your belt, I feel like the conversations would be way different today than they were back then.

Q. Since you mentioned it, and you are the guy with the context of having been on the teams that win all the road games in the playoffs, what is it about this team? What have you noticed about why you guys performed so well on the road?

MAX SCHERZER: It's not just necessarily perform well -- we can still play good baseball at home. But just that nothing's going to phase us. We've seen it -- I feel like I've seen it over my time since I've been here on the Rangers, that there's been moments where you think the team is going to fold over, and it absolutely snaps back the other way and punches the other guy in the face and finds a way to go out there and win a bunch of ball games in a row, that the losing streaks don't stay along for long.

That's just been the team's MO, the way they've played, the way they go out there and handle their business. And everybody feeds off of that.

And we know how to handle the situations. We've been there. We've done that. And now we're here at the biggest stage, and it's fun to be at this stage with these guys because of so many different ways that we can win a ball game.

Q. You've been traded a few times now. What do you remember about your first trade from Arizona to Detroit and the emotions you were feeling from that?

MAX SCHERZER: I don't think we need to get into emotions of something that happened 15 years ago. But it's your first -- it's kind of the second wake-up call. But it's the business of the game.

At any point in time, you can be traded. Especially when you don't have any no-trade clause protection. And so I get it: GMs and front offices, they're under tremendous amount of pressures to win and how they're going to do it and how to construct the rosters and good players get traded all the time.

So you don't necessarily take the emotion of the team that traded you away, you look at the next team and you say, this team's trading for me and this is a team that wants me.

When you start getting caught up and try to play, oh, they didn't -- you know, they traded me away, that's just the business of the game. It's more that this other team wanted you.

Q. Now that you had a couple of postseason starts, can you give a percentage of how you're feeling?

MAX SCHERZER: In terms of what?

Q. 100 percent since you came back.

MAX SCHERZER: I can throw a fastball 100 percent. Like, it's how many pitches I can make in a start. That's the number we don't have nailed down to 100 percent.

I don't know what my finishing pitch count number is actually going to be. I'm still trying to build back up in that regard. But in terms of throwing a hundred percent effort on a pitch, yeah, I can do that.

Q. Last start, it seemed like you favored the curveball more than the slider. Was that more matchup-based? Is it a comfort thing with where you are with those pitches coming back?

MAX SCHERZER: I think it's more matchup-based. Houston, they've got a lot of hitters that can do a lot of good things against a slider. You've got to be careful how you use your slider. Just felt like there was just opportunities for me to use a curveball.