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AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS v YANKEES

October 1, 2011

Max Scherzer

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game One

Q. What's your evolution been like since you left the Diamondbacks and came to the Tigers?
MAX SCHERZER: For me, it's just becoming a complete pitcher. Utilizing all three of my pitches and trying to pitch with all three of them at any single time. I feel like when I'm able to do that, that's when I pitch my best. So it's been just a progress both years of getting better at that doing that.

Q. Ironic that you guys are in the playoffs at the same time, the Diamondbacks are, with the way that trade worked out?
MAX SCHERZER: I think it's intriguing how everything shaped out from that. But for me, I'm happy here in Detroit. This has been such a great organization for me. I couldn't be prouder to be more of a Detroit Tiger.

Q. Just to expand on that, can you just talk about what your reaction was when you heard about that three-team trade? And do you keep up with the other guys who are in that trade?
MAX SCHERZER: I mean, I don't really keep up probably as much as the media does. For me I'm focused on our team. We were trying to win a pennant. Obviously we're trying to go deep in the playoffs. For me I'm only concerned about what happens with Detroit.

Q. What was your reaction that day? It was a big deal.
MAX SCHERZER: When anybody gets traded, it's a big deal. I just remember the only way I could find out I was getting traded was to read about it online. It wasn't like I was talking to anybody. The only way I was finding out was reports were coming through online. That's how I found out I was traded.

Q. Could you touch on the differences for you this season pitching at home, pitching on the road and now obviously you're thrown into a start on the road here.
MAX SCHERZER: I just think that's a coincidence. I think I've had some home-road splits. My road splits are worse. For me it really doesn't matter. Every start is a new start. For my challenge here to go out in Game 2 and pitch, it's just like any other start. I prepare for it whether it was home or road.
You take the ballpark completely out of it. I'm more worried about their lineup.

Q. You tend to be stoic and to try to take atmospheric things out of the picture, but you felt that crackle last night before that game. That was hyperintense. Projecting yourself, stepping into that situation, what kind of challenges does it pose?
MAX SCHERZER: It does and it doesn't. Obviously when you're on the bench and you see that atmosphere, it's special. I haven't seen anything like that in my life. But at the same time, I also picture myself being in that moment and being relaxed in that moment. That's what you want to pitch in. You want to pitch in the biggest stage. You want to achieve and have success in that stage. For me, I think I'm going to be very calm, even though I'm going to have a ton of adrenaline, I think I'll be calm in that situation.

Q. I remember back in April, your first start of the regular season, this was a little bit of a frustrating place for you, at least on a couple of balls that in a lot of other ballparks would have been flyouts. Do you look back on that start at all at this point when you try to prepare for pitching here or does that really not come into play?
MAX SCHERZER: I'm not focused on, per se, the results. I'm more focused on how I was executing pitches that day. That's 30-something starts ago. For me, I'm not really focused on too much of what happened in that start.
It's just baseball what happened that day, and I'm ready to go here in Game 2.

Q. How do you feel about the way the schedule has kind of accelerated in this series? Is it a good thing you get at it a day earlier?
MAX SCHERZER: It's interesting how it all works out. I was prepared to go Game 3, but all of a sudden, you have rain. You just have to adjust. This is baseball. We didn't even know we were going to be coming here two days ago. That's just the way the season has been going for us right now. To be pitching on Sunday, my normal turn, the fifth day, it doesn't change much what goes in my preparation.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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