MLB WORLD SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS RANGERS

October 30, 2023

Gabriel Moreno

Chase Field

Arizona Diamondbacks

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. What do you think is your biggest improvement developmentally behind the plate?

GABRIEL MORENO: Mainly the confidence and the trust the team has given to me as well as the starting pitchers and bullpen pitchers.

Q. Torey mentioned a few minutes ago about his ability to stay calm in these pressure situations. In the second half it seemed like you even took a even bigger leap forward. Is there anything in particular that might have been the key for that?

GABRIEL MORENO: Mainly when I was on the IL for about three weeks or so I was able to kind of step back, the mental aspect, and kind of refocus myself as far as what kind of player I am. It was mainly the mental side during that break.

Q. I think you were traded on December 23rd. Where were you? How did you get the news? And what was your reaction, and how did it impact Christmas?

GABRIEL MORENO: I was at home in Venezuela actually playing PlayStation. I thought I was going to receive a phone call wishing me happy holidays, but it was the news of the trade.

Q. Who called?

GABRIEL MORENO: General manager.

Q. We've heard a couple times from some of your pitchers this week, they feel like you're 23 going on 33. Where do you think that comes from on your end, just the maturity you've shown this year? And what does it mean to know that those guys trust you that much, that they may even think you're a little older than you?

GABRIEL MORENO: It was something that I had to really work on, just being able to have that trust with the pitchers. I arrived early in Spring Training. That was one of the main things I focused on, not just for the pitchers but for the entire team to have that trust and confidence in me.

Q. Are you able to remember what game you were playing on PlayStation when you got the call? And was there anything different driving to the ball park today, knowing Chase Field is hosting a World Series game?

GABRIEL MORENO: I was playing FIFA at the time. And it kind of took a week or so to let it sink in knowing that I had been traded. In the offseason I focused on the physical side, developing my physical side.

Q. You played in over 100 games during the regular season, but the postseason is a completely different season. Is there anyone in particular that you kind of reached out to that's helped you to have that type of maturity?

GABRIEL MORENO: I always considered myself a very personable individual, someone who has a lot friends. There's been various people and friends and that have reached out to me throughout the season to kind of congratulate me and give me advice along the way.

Q. There's an old saying that says something good could come out of something that might appear to be a negative. At the time when you're playing PlayStation did you ever play as yourself in the video game?

GABRIEL MORENO: Playing PlayStation is kind of a completely different thing. When I would play early on, I would kind of, on player mode, create myself. And when I would play I would put up amazing stats -- hit .500, 50 home runs, et cetera, but it's a different dynamic.

But now we're here, we're trying to reach that title, and we're not finished yet.

Q. Second season in the big leagues, and now with your second team you're a key piece to this roster. Is there anything you took away from Toronto that might have helped you here?

GABRIEL MORENO: Toronto was a team that signed me. I still have a very close relationship with the players, with the coaches.

My development there was key. I put in the effort. I put in the work. And very grateful for all the coaches and teammates that I'm very close to still that helped me out along the way.

Q. To be able to kind of close it out, you have to win three in a row here at home. What's it going to be like facing Max Scherzer?

GABRIEL MORENO: Going in with the same plan -- do our job, do what we've been doing, pitch by pitch, game by game. And we're just coming out here to do our job.

Q. During the transition, was there much of a philosophical difference in receiving going from Toronto to Arizona?

GABRIEL MORENO: There were some differences. Obviously, perhaps when I was in Toronto I got accustomed to the way things were operated, the way we were treated and so forth.

Once I came over here there was an adjustment. It took me a few minutes to observe how players are treated and so forth.