MLB WORLD SERIES: YANKEES VS DODGERS

October 26, 2024

Clarke Schmidt

Dodger Stadium

New York Yankees

Pregame 2 Press Conference

Q. Did your dad fly the plane here?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: He did, yeah.

Q. What's that like? I think it happened one other time last year. But to the World Series of all places, how cool is that?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: Yeah, it's a special moment. He's flown us before, and it was a really special moment for him. A lot of the guys, they loved it. Staff members, they had a really great time to be able to see some things they don't really get to see.

My dad was a Marine pilot, so he's like really into aviation and explaining it to everyone. He's not afraid to talk about it. It's good. Everybody feels like the pilot's a little bit more personally invested into the flight, so they feel a little safer. So it was good.

(Laughter).

Q. Will he fly you guys back tonight or tomorrow?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: He's flying the family plane back tomorrow, yes.

Q. Has he ever given you any flying lessons?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: Just growing up, we used to have like the printout of what it was like in a cockpit in my room. So we knew all the buttons and stuff. I didn't really know what it was. We were just messing around.

Then I've flown with him a few times in smaller planes and stuff like that. And he's tried to kind of bestow his knowledge on me, but I was always baseball first. But my brother, who's two years older than me, he used to play baseball as well, and now he's becoming a pilot.

He just got hired by an airline, and he's kind of following in the footsteps as well.

Q. Do you think after baseball you might try to do that?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: No. That's a hard no on that (laughter).

Q. If I remember correctly, the last time he flew you guys, you had some critiques for his landing?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: I've heard a lot of really good things about the landing this time. Everyone said it's the best flight they've ever been on, and they felt no turbulence. So it was all good things that come out of this one.

Q. No critiques from you?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: No, no critiques from me.

Q. You guys have bounced back from a lot of stuff, but what's the process? Is it something Aaron says after the game? Is it something that Judge -- I mean, is it unspoken, or is it spoken kind of how you react after something like that?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: I'd say it's unspoken. I think we understand that these series are potentially seven games. Obviously every game matters, but obviously when a game ending like that happens, it takes a little bit longer to process than some of the other ones.

Once the night ends, it's like we're on to the next game, and we understand that you've got to be able to compartmentalize games and move on. We know that this is going to be a long series. They obviously got the first punch in, but we've got a long series to go.

We understood this was going to be a tall task and not just come in here and expect to win every single game. So we'll be ready to play tonight.

Q. As you get ready for your own first World Series, there's so much talk about shutting out the noise and everything. Are there benefits you can get from the noise? Are there things that you can take from the excitement and the adrenaline and the environment?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: Totally. I think being able to use the adrenaline and kind of like the butterflies and the excitement, it can take you to another level. I think, if you watch throughout the playoffs, obviously this has been a great playoffs for all the teams and a lot of high level games being played. And I think that's credit to hyperfocus. When you're in these situations and you're playing in these atmospheres, it just can take your game to another level if you let it.

It can work on the other side as well if you let it get to you, but I try to use it as a benefit and kind of try to take the adrenaline and everything that comes with it and bring my game to another level.

Q. If I could ask you a pitching question, between last year and this year, you managed to separate your cutter and slider shapes pretty distinctly. Did you make any conscious changes to separate those shapes? Do you have like cues that you're thinking of when you throw those pitches?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: I think last year was the first full year of throwing the cutter. So there was a lot of growing pains with that. I think there was times in the year where it would be really, really good, and then over the course of 32 starts, you would kind of lose feel for that, and maybe you lose feel for your other pitches.

In the off-season, a main focus was kind of cleaning up the shapes and making sure that I can consistently repeat them at a high level. I think we've done that really good this year being able to, like you said, differentiate the slider and the -- when you throw cutters and sinkers, it's such a feel pitch that they're complete opposite.

Obviously the movement profiles are going opposite directions, but to make them move the way that they're moving, you have to -- it might not look like it when you're watching it, but you have to do things different, maybe not with your body, but like you said, the feel of it. Sometimes if you kind of throw -- say you throw a cutter with a sinker feel, then it's not going to have that same cut.

So I'd say over time with repetition and continually throwing it and just obviously focusing in on bullpens in the off-season and lives and stuff like that, we've gotten to a point where we feel very consistent with release points and the feel of being able to differentiate pitch to pitch.

Q. Clarke, you're going to pitch a World Series game at Yankee Stadium. When you hear that, what are your expectations for that atmosphere?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: Yeah, obviously it's a dream come true being able to pitch the first game at home in a pivotal game. And this has kind of been -- I've always dreamed of stuff like this. It's just been better than my dreams so far. Everything has kind of blown it out of the water, expectations and stuff like that.

I'm obviously very excited to get out there, but I know I have a job to do. We're trying to win this World Series. I think for me I'm just trying to go out there and execute and do my job.

Obviously very excited, and I'm trying to do my best to take as much in without trying to -- I'm trying to be as present as I possibly can. There will probably be time for reflection when this is all over, but right now just very focused on my job.

Q. As the Game 3 starter, do you go back ahead of the team, or do you go with them tomorrow?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: Yeah, I'm going to travel with the team, stick with the guys, yes.

Q. And you mentioned your brother. What's his name and age?

CLARKE SCHMIDT: Clate Schmidt, and he's 30 years old. He's two years older than me.