AL WILD CARD SERIES: ROYALS VS ORIOLES

October 1, 2024

Jordan Westburg

Camden Yards

Baltimore Orioles

Pregame Press Conference

Q. You've what's it been like to watch Corbin Burnes do what he's done from your perspective?

JORDAN WESTBURG: It's been awesome. He's one of the greatest in the game for a reason and I think he showed that all season, even when he had the tough month, I think it was August. Like he bounces back in September and wins Pitcher of the Month. So he's very capable. He's, like I said, one of the greatest in the game. It's been that way for a while it's just fun to play behind him.

Q. You got limited at-bats in September. Do you feel that you're physically where you need to be and that everything is just fine for you?

JORDAN WESTBURG: Yeah, I mean, I feel good. I don't think that I'm like 100 percent, right. Kind of didn't have the buildup that a normal injury would but I'm good enough. I'm excited to be back. I'm ready to be back. Adrenaline does a lot of wonders for the body and I'm sure it's going to kick in even more in this series.

So I'm happy to be back. I'm excited to be back. I'm going to play as hard as I can, knowing that, you know, there might not be a tomorrow, and my hand can put up with that. Just going to take one day at a time. Not really -- it's not something that I think about on the feel. So it's not going to affect my performance, I don't think.

Q. Just how much more prepared do you guys feel for the postseason this year as opposed to last year whenever you guys have been on this stage before?

JORDAN WESTBURG: I think it helps that a lot of us were a part of that team last year definitely. It's a different situation, though. Last year we had four days to prepare for the Rangers coming to town. This year, it's one day off and hop right into it.

Preparation standpoint, it's just a little bit different. Personnel, I think is helps having that experience. I think it helps having some older guys, too, some veteran guys that have been on postseason teams that weren't here last year that have been on World Series teams; that have won in the postseason.

I don't know that I can speak to, like, exactly how prepared everybody is. You know, we know our opponent. We know how good they are. I think we are all ready to play postseason baseball. A few of us have some experience on this team last year and other guys are going to bring their experience from other clubs into this clubhouse and are just going to take one day at a time.

Q. I know you were obviously pretty familiar with Santander coming up in the system and stuff, but curious what you learned about him being in close proximity now for a full season, and especially a season that's been so good for him?

JORDAN WESTBURG: I was lucky enough to have my locker right next to his in spring training. Being around him a little bit last year, I didn't grow super close to him. Like as a rookie, I want to keep my space and not get in anybody's way, you know. This string training was a little bit different though, being so close to him. I got to pick his brain a little bit on what his process is like, hitting, or why he thinks that he has the success that he does. It was really interesting. He's a very cerebral hitter. He thinks a lot. Does a lot of research. Watches a lot of video. Doesn't get as much credit as I think he should at times with how well he prepares. I think there's no surprise why he's so successful. I'll just leave it at that. He left some crumbs for me to kind of follow. I think it really helped me this year. He talked a lot about mindset, a lot about preparation. I think he -- for the young guys that are in this club, like if they are comfortable enough to approach him, like he's a guy who has some real knowledge to impart on those young guys. He definitely did for me.

Q. Since the postseason last year, obviously you were an All-Star, even when you were out, guys were talking about how much you were missed on the team and in the left-handed pitcher, on the field. Does it feel different coming into the postseason this year, just knowing how integral your presence is to this team and that your performance is really counted on?

JORDAN WESTBURG: No. I don't think it feels different. I try not to focus on myself. I focus more on the team. And yeah, we didn't play great baseball when I was out. I think there's a lot of factors. I don't think it was just me. I think, I mean, we were banged up as a whole. And baseball is a tough sport and you're going to go through ups and downs, and I think that was just a down for the whole clubhouse.

When I'm back on the field, my focus is, how can I help the team win today. And sometimes I don't do a good job of helping the team and sometimes I do. You know, and so that's just part of being a baseball player, I think.

I'm happy to be back. I think and trust that guys are happy to have me back. I'd like to think that I'm a part of this clubhouse, like a key part. But that's not for me to decide, essentially. So that's the best I could answer that one right there.

Q. Obviously you guys dealt with a lot of injuries in the second half. Turned out to be a lot of sporadic play on the field. Brandon Hyde said he thought you guys finished the season well on that road trip. What do you feel like the team's confidence is going into the series?

JORDAN WESTBURG: I thought we built some momentum. I thought the last series, or last two series, taking two from New York in New York and sweeping in Minnesota was a huge momentum builder for us, or a huge way to build momentum for us.

We played some really good baseball. We played some tough games there in New York. Kind of took care of business in Minnesota. I think guys in the clubhouse are starting to feel that energy come back. I know Elias has talked about that MoJo we kind of lost. I think there was a feeling that it was back in that clubhouse. I think we are all excited. We're ready. We want to compete at this stage. We want to play postseason baseball for a long time.

So we're just going to go out there and try to put a good product on the field, win today's game and then worry about tomorrow when that time comes.

Q. I'm sure you guys would prefer winning 101 games again but at the same time, was there any upside in kind of going through it during this regular season, and does that in any way kind of alleviate any of the pressure going into the postseason?

JORDAN WESTBURG: Sure. I think there's always up sides to any scuffle, right. It's important when you're struggling to remember who you are as a club, what you're built on. You know, kind of that core culture, cultural beliefs inside the clubhouse. I think we had to draw back on that. We had a lot of tough injuries. We had a lot of guys go down. We had a lot of bad things happen.

I think when everybody started to come back, and we started to feel a little bit more energy in the clubhouse, it's easier to draw on some of those past kind of like mantras, I guess, that we had in the first half.

But I think you see in the entire MLB this is probably one of the more competitive years I had. I don't think there was a 100-win team. A lot of the divisions were really tight. You saw yesterday's games, there's three teams waiting to decide who goes two games, on an off-day. I don't think that happens a lot.

So yeah, I think struggling is good for anybody. I think it breeds like a toughness, a mental toughness. You can kind of -- when you get out on the other side like we did, I think you have a new perspective. Maybe a new hunger. And then I also think that just as part of kind of the MLB this year it was a lot of competitive baseball. Nobody really ran away with anything. There's going to be less wins and more losses on the boards.

Q. Your teammates describe you as steady, consistent, attributes of that nature. Who taught you that those are the attributes that maybe define who Jordan Westburg is?

JORDAN WESTBURG: It's definitely a lot of trial and error. I think growing up, my dad was a huge role model and figure of hard work for me.

I've always wanted to be that. That's just who he was, blue-collar, gritty guy. I wanted to be like my dad. So that's where I get the -- I think my work ethic from. But the more like even-keeled or like steady guy, like a lot of trial and error. I wore my emotions on my sleeve a lot when I was a younger player, especially in college. I would ride the ups and ride the downs, and realized that didn't work out for me.

I think COVID year, like having that shortened season helped me. Honestly I was like in the middle of a slump when the season kind of got cut. Probably helped that teams didn't see the full thing of that slump because then I got drafted later that year. But gave me some time to reflect and decide who I wanted to be as a professional baseball player and who I looked up to, Derek Jeter, Michael Young, third baseman for the Rangers, how do they carry themselves.

I had to learn how to be more steady, I guess, is how I can put that.

Q. Hyde said that the Rangers last year kind of got angry and then went on a run. O'Hearn told us the other day that you guys were hit by a truck a little bit in the postseason. Do you think you guys are capable of doing that this year to other teams of getting angry and going on a run or being that truck that other teams sort of get run over by in the postseason?

JORDAN WESTBURG: Sure. I think we are capable. I think we are a talented club. Like I said, there's like a renewed energy in the clubhouse with everybody coming back and the winning baseball we had in these last two series. I think momentum is a real thing in baseball. You saw that with the Rangers. They just carried momentum. I don't think it mattered who you put in front of them; they were just going to steamroll them. That's what it felt like in our series. Didn't matter who we had on the mound or how many runs they were going to score. They were going to beat us that day.

So I think with the energy we have, the momentum that we have, it could be a real factor. We'll see. And I think what the clubhouse is thinking right now is let's just focus on today. Let's win today and then when tomorrow comes and the sun comes up, we'll win today again.

So yeah, I think we're capable of it. We'll see what happens. We're going to focus on today though.

Q. While you were out, you were around the team a lot more. Maybe more often than a player who was out multiple months. Why was that so important to you to be on the road with the guys and be around the team so much, and what did you learn about the team over that time?

JORDAN WESTBURG: It was important for me when I first went on the IL because I wasn't doing a whole lot. If I would have -- I think if I would have gone away from the team, like sent down to Sarasota, I would have been kind of lost. Like you don't feel like a part of the team. You're not doing a whole lot physically. Probably be bored out of my mind. So it was good for me to be around the team and just feel like I was still a part of it.

Later on, as activities started to progress and I was getting a little bit more healthy, again, it's good to feel like a part of a team but I was also able to like take a step back and watch guys because I'm trying to stay out of the way right, of everybody's routine; I'm the injured guys. See how guys are working, see what they are working through, see what they are feeling, thinking. When you are focused on getting ready to play that day, you don't always get that experience.

So I got to see kind of what guys were going through. And I think that lent like a whole new perspective for me, right, like about I would say I have always been team oriented but even more so team oriented, like I know I've talked about like -- I try to come out of my shell a little bit and be more of a talkative guy in the clubhouse or bring a little bit more energy in the dugout to help guys out. Maybe that's what they need that day. Maybe it's not.

But I wanted to try and be some sort of a difference where I could be. So that was important for me. That's kind of what I learned in -- I just learned how resilient the team was. I got to witness firsthand the struggles we went through and I had to sit back and couldn't do anything about it, which sucked. But you started to see like things turn, right, and started to see guys like really grind through some games and pull out some Ws, and I know the win/loss column might not have reflected it but there was a lot of gritty baseball being played. Guys really, really trying. That was cool to see.

Certainly glad I'm back and off the IL because that was miserable but it did kind of help me find a new perspective.

Q. Yesterday Brandon said he hoped the team remembered the disappointment of last October now. I know most of this year, it's been about moving past that. But does some of that come back now and can it help you guys?

JORDAN WESTBURG: Sure. I think it can build off of the early question about can we play angry, can we -- I think a lot of us, as much as you want to forget, remember that series last year. I mean, I certainly remember being the last out of it. So I don't want to do that again.

So I'm going to carry that kind of as a little bit of fire in me, a little sense of urgency maybe. I hope a lot of guys do that. I think this team has a lot of tough guys and has a lot of gritty guys and has a lot of guys who play with maybe a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, even if it's unnecessary. I think it's good. I think it's good to play with passion and fire. So hopefully, yeah, hopefully we remember that. Hopefully we can kind of draw back on what that feels like and try to avoid that as best as we can. You know, some things are out of our control. A lot of things in baseball are out of our control. But I think if we just focus on winning today, remembering kind of like what it feels like to lose at this stage, that could be a powerful thing, sure.