WEBVTT - Zack Britton on Birdland Territory 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:11.320 Heyo's fans, welcome in to the latest edition of Birdland 0:00:11.400 --> 0:00:15.680 Territory with Steve tim Brad and today Zach Zach Britton 0:00:15.800 --> 0:00:19.960 joining us great Oriole Pitcher, and he hasn't been going 0:00:19.960 --> 0:00:23.240 too long, so we remember him fondly here in Birdland. 0:00:23.280 --> 0:00:25.759 And of course, Ach, great to have you on the 0:00:25.760 --> 0:00:29.360 show today. You started a new venture publishing a newsletter, 0:00:29.440 --> 0:00:31.840 and we'll talk more about that when fans can find 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:35.760 you at thesavenewsletter dot com and find your new newsletter. 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:38.520 But how is life in Zach's world these days? Great 0:00:38.560 --> 0:00:39.680 to have you on the show today. 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:41.239 Yeah, happy to be on. 0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:44.920 Life's pretty good, you know, just falling around my four kids, 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:49.000 so I think busier than ever. You know, there's a 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:51.000 few moments where I'm wishing I'm pitching because it's a 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:53.800 little bit easier than you know, traveling around town and 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:56.360 dropping them all off at sports in school, and you 0:00:56.360 --> 0:00:59.360 know now that summers here, it'll be a lot of fun. 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:02.040 But yeah, just staying busy. 0:01:01.760 --> 0:01:03.400 With that awesome man. 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:04.880 Great to have you on the show today, And of 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:08.679 course fans remember you for so many things, but top 0:01:08.720 --> 0:01:12.280 of mine obviously is twenty sixteen years a year or 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:15.679 two after you were converted to relief. And that was 0:01:16.000 --> 0:01:18.639 the best relief season I've ever seen by a picture, 0:01:18.760 --> 0:01:22.039 and maybe the best anybody's ever seen by a picture 0:01:22.080 --> 0:01:23.120 with a fifty. 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:24.440 Four era a low whip. 0:01:24.720 --> 0:01:26.479 And by the way, he gave up four and runs 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:28.320 and that was not in one bad outing or one 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:32.560 in bad homestand that was for the season. Forn runs 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:36.880 for an entire season of baseball. Incredible groundball rate. I mean, 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.600 so many things happened. Fourth in the say Young should 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:43.720 have been first eleventh for the MVP Award, Zach. When 0:01:43.720 --> 0:01:47.280 you think back to that, what memories come back to you? 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:50.640 I mean, what does it almost mind boggling now when 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:52.200 you look at the stats on the page. 0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:57.080 Yeah, I mean it's yeah, when every now and then 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:00.840 somebody will bring it up to me or you know 0:02:01.040 --> 0:02:02.840 now that I'm like back in the little video game 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:05.680 my son's friends, like, we'll play with like my card, 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:08.320 and you know, they'll bring up the stats and I'll 0:02:08.360 --> 0:02:12.160 kind of laugh. But for me and even the prior year, 0:02:12.280 --> 0:02:14.160 I think, you know, with Brad, like going to the 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:17.760 All Star Game with two relievers is such a rare thing, 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:21.520 especially in the mid market, like Baltimore, like New York 0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:23.160 gets it all the time. When I was with the Yankees, 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:26.160 it's you know, there's guys making the All Star team 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:28.799 there that you're like, man, you know, like I played 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:30.760 with some guys in Baltimore that it's really good years 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:33.200 and never got the opportunity. So I always think going 0:02:33.200 --> 0:02:35.560 to the All Star Game that year with Brad, the 0:02:35.639 --> 0:02:38.120 year before with Oday, those were the things that I 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:41.799 really remember, and I think we're special more so than 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:45.920 the the stats. The stats are really cool in hindsight, 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:48.560 but I think in the moment, it's just it's really 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:52.440 cool to share that. And you know, having we had 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:55.080 a really good bullpen. You can't, you know, being a 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:58.680 setup guy, being a closer, you can't have success in 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:01.280 the ninth inning if you don't have anybody getting you 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:05.320 to that spot or probably navigating the heart of the lineup. 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:07.519 So I don't have to you know a lot of 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:11.440 the time. So it's it was kind of just the 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:12.480 perfect storm for me. 0:03:14.800 --> 0:03:16.760 Yeah, I think I look at that season two and 0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:18.079 it was it was a lot of fun. But I 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:21.320 really I think back to like fourteen, when you got 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:24.840 converted to a reliever. I remember kind of going over 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:26.720 the roster and I'm trying to figure out where I'm 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:28.760 going to fit in, and I'm like, I remember now, 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:30.240 and you had against the Phillies. 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:31.520 I think it was Utlely. 0:03:31.360 --> 0:03:34.680 Howard and somebody else, but it was like eleven pitches, 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:37.200 three strikeouts, and I'm like, all right, there goes my spot. 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:42.160 When when did it finally? Like, because you're was it 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:44.200 Dave and Dom because I've talked about them on the show, 0:03:44.280 --> 0:03:46.839 Dom che d Dave Wallace, Like, were they just like, hey, 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:47.680 just throw your sinker? 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:47.720 What? 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:50.240 Like, how did that kind of evolution go. 0:03:50.240 --> 0:03:52.560 From being a starter to finally knowing you're going to 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:54.960 be a full time reliever? Like did you when did that? 0:03:55.240 --> 0:03:56.800 Can you just like go through that process a little 0:03:56.800 --> 0:03:58.640 bit of what you were thinking. I'm sure it was 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:01.240 a lot of emotions and thoughts and everything while that 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:01.800 was happening. 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:05.920 So it really started in that off season going into fourteen, 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:10.680 I was out in California working out with Brady, Miguel Gonzalez, Tillman, 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:17.520 you know, Brian mattis Way and Chen and Dave and 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:20.720 Dom were they were you know, they were hired already, 0:04:20.720 --> 0:04:22.120 but they were making the rounds out to meet some 0:04:22.160 --> 0:04:24.960 people and they flew out there and I was throwing 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:27.880 a bullpen and I threw this bullpen. I actually thought 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:29.680 it was really good. I actually thought I threw a 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:30.200 good bullpen. 0:04:30.279 --> 0:04:30.359 Like. 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:31.919 I was like, man, this is a good first impression. 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:32.760 And you know, Dave. 0:04:33.400 --> 0:04:36.320 Dave was like, yeah, that was all right like that, 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:37.920 and I was like, wow, I thought like I knocked 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:41.400 their socks off and he was just like yeah, and 0:04:41.440 --> 0:04:44.240 he really dove into me about like, you know, because 0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:45.400 I was throwing a bunch of like I was not 0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:46.839 my change up in this bullpen. I thought it was 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:49.400 good and he was like that's that's kind of trash, 0:04:49.720 --> 0:04:52.839 Like that's not gonna work man. And he was like, so, 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:56.840 you know, why, why do you think you've struggled? You know, 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:59.560 as a starter, you know, what do you view yourself 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:00.800 as going forward? 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:02.559 I was like, man, I'm a starter. 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:04.880 I'm gonna be you know, Col Handles and Greg Maddox 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:08.640 or excuse me, Tom Glavin and they were like yeah, like 0:05:08.960 --> 0:05:10.960 we really think like you need to improve like your 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:14.479 command and just really focus on that sinker and like 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:17.719 we envision being probably hopefully part of this team and 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:21.520 probably looks like a bullpen roll for you, like that's 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:23.760 just being around the game, that's what we think. And 0:05:24.400 --> 0:05:27.680 I didn't really like that first impression, but I also 0:05:27.839 --> 0:05:31.520 appreciated the honesty. I remember going home and and kind 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:33.280 of just being like, I'm out of options, Like this 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:36.000 is their plan obviously for me, and I'm just gonna 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:37.680 try to have like the best spring training I can 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:39.720 make the team, and then maybe if I. 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:41.160 Make the team as a reliever, I can go back 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:41.719 to starting. 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:44.560 Right That was that was the mindset, But it really 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:46.760 started in the off season when I met David Dom 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:49.480 and you know, it wasn't all you know, being critical. 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.880 They were like your ability, your talent. 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:57.119 Obviously it's like through the roof, but knowing guys like you, 0:05:57.120 --> 0:05:58.800 you just seem more of a guy that's going to 0:05:58.839 --> 0:06:01.120 be you know, late in and really or power sinker. 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:03.360 Here it is if you can improve your command enough, 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:05.400 like you're going to have a good career, and either 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:09.120 you buy into that or you know, you go to 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:10.800 another team and you try to be a starter, but 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:13.560 we just don't see that being your path to a 0:06:13.600 --> 0:06:17.159 long career. And so it was a lot of honesty 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:19.520 on their part, especially since they didn't know me very well, 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:22.479 and so I always think about that and it could 0:06:22.520 --> 0:06:23.080 be why I have. 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:25.560 Such a good relationship even to this day. But that's 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:26.400 how it all started. 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:34.680 Well back looking at the beginning part of that twenty 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:38.240 fourteen season, So you convert to becoming a reliever, and 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:41.960 then Tommy Hunter was experiencing some early season struggles and 0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:45.200 then boom you're in the closer role, you know in May, Like, 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:47.920 what was it like going just from not only reliever 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:50.200 to closer closing out games? 0:06:50.240 --> 0:06:50.760 Initially? 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:51.800 What was that like? 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:55.200 It was interesting because in spring training, like they didn't 0:06:55.200 --> 0:06:56.839 even throw me a bone and give me a start. 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:57.600 I went straight to. 0:06:57.720 --> 0:06:59.880 Like I was relieving right out of the gate, and 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:03.280 Don Cheaty told me that he wanted me to understand 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:05.680 how to I think Brad knows the story. I think 0:07:05.680 --> 0:07:07.680 I ran into a game in spring training and not 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:10.480 getting put in the game, like I was learning, like 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:11.360 the whole thing. 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:12.960 I think oday was there. He just he like never 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:14.000 lets me live it down. 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:17.680 But they basically were like, you need to follow like 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:19.360 Darren a day around and learn how to be a reliever. 0:07:19.760 --> 0:07:22.320 And so I just was relieving out of the gate 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:24.840 and I got comfortable. I had a really good spring, 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:27.520 velocity was up, you know, because I was only throwing 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:30.160 one or maybe two innings in spring, you know, every 0:07:30.200 --> 0:07:30.760 now and then. 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:34.640 I didn't have a ton of expectation. 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:36.800 Honestly, I went into the season. I was so happy 0:07:36.840 --> 0:07:40.280 to finally like make the team. I had had an 0:07:40.280 --> 0:07:43.440 opening day in twenty eleven when you know, Mattis got 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:45.160 hurt and I took his place in the rotation to 0:07:45.200 --> 0:07:48.080 make my debut. So I had experienced opening Day, but 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.480 this was different. This was like, hey, like, I feel 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:53.640 like I earned, you know, my spot by having a 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:55.800 good spring, and I'm part of the team. I'm out 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:58.200 of options, So I wasn't worried about getting set down 0:07:58.200 --> 0:07:59.040 if I performed. 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:01.320 It was just it was a weird feeling. 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:04.840 I was really excited, and I was like, like I said, 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:07.040 my goal was to continue to have like really good 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:09.360 outings and hopefully get a chance back into the rotation. 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:13.320 There were some conversations I had with Buck Showalter in 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:17.000 spring about relieving and he had mentioned, you know, his 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:20.600 experience with Mariano in New York, where he was like, 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:23.160 I think when people look back at you, they're gonna 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:27.080 thank Sinker. Like, you know, when I look at dominant relievers. 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:29.200 They normally have one dominant pitch, and I think you 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:34.440 can do that, and I appreciated that, but at the 0:08:34.440 --> 0:08:36.599 same time, I was like, you know, I want to 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:38.360 I've always been a starter. I feel like I can 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:40.880 still do that. And obviously they were right. I was wrong, 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:43.640 but that was my mindset. I didn't think too much 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:46.800 into it. Tommy got hurt. He had some struggles, but 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:48.280 he got hurt. Like if he didn't get hurt, he 0:08:48.360 --> 0:08:52.920 probably still stays closing. And Buck, we were in Kansas City. 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:57.480 Buck brought me and Darren into the manager's office and said, Hey, 0:08:57.520 --> 0:08:58.839 if there's a saving the night, that's going to be 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:00.199 one of you two, to just be ready for it. 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:01.000 And it was. 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:02.719 It was that, and then it was my name that 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:04.439 got called. I think I got like three grand ball 0:09:04.440 --> 0:09:06.800 outs and I didn't think any of that. 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:08.160 I didn't think like, hey, this is my role. 0:09:08.200 --> 0:09:10.439 I was just like, you know, we're the One thing 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:14.160 that I learned from Darren was that the bullpen is, 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:16.960 you know, its own unit, and it really is like 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:20.040 your own little team. And the more that you can 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:23.800 kind of compete against each other and support each other, 0:09:23.840 --> 0:09:26.360 the better it is for everybody, and so I didn't 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:28.040 really think anything of it. Even if Darren would have 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:29.560 got the call the next day, I wouldn't I wouldn't 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:31.719 have cared because, like I said, my. 0:09:31.760 --> 0:09:33.720 Mind was still like, man, maybe I'll get a chance 0:09:33.720 --> 0:09:34.079 to start. 0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:37.240 It wasn't until the end of the year where I 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:38.920 was like, man, this is actually pretty fun, like I 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:40.679 actually want to start. 0:09:44.000 --> 0:09:44.360 My friend. 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:46.840 You were a top one hundred prospect coming up as 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:47.680 the starting pitcher. 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:49.360 So there were some good days there. 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:52.560 Till for sure, the miners is a whole lot different 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:53.240 than the big leader. 0:09:55.240 --> 0:09:58.080 You're right about that. There's no question. Do you're write 0:09:58.120 --> 0:10:01.880 about that? Zach Britton with us today on Birdland Territory. 0:10:01.880 --> 0:10:04.400 We're gonna fire a few more questions his way in 0:10:04.679 --> 0:10:06.400 a moment. So I got a. 0:10:06.320 --> 0:10:10.000 Great promotion for the Orioles. Free advice here Birdland and OS. 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:15.880 I need a bob bobblehead brock O'Day Britain on one bobblehead, 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:20.120 bring these three gents back Saturday night. We're gonna pack 0:10:20.200 --> 0:10:22.600 this ballpark and honor these guys who are what they 0:10:22.640 --> 0:10:25.199 and their group did for the Orioles. 0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:27.520 And so again, no charge. I don't want to cut 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:30.440 or anything. Just throw me a few extra bobbleheads I 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:31.920 can give the family and friends. 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:33.640 We get some T shirts. Man, I feel like there 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:35.080 was something right and once there. 0:10:34.960 --> 0:10:36.080 Gotta be some T shirts. 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:38.559 I mean, come on, this is a slam dunk promotion 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:41.240 and you guys said do it plate so recently it's 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:44.959 still gonna be big. So Zach, we're talking about your 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:45.920 incredible sinker. 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:47.480 Why was it so good? 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:50.000 Why is your sinker better than the next guy and 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:51.400 the next guy and the next guy. 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:56.280 Well, if you would have before I really got a 0:10:56.280 --> 0:10:58.400 good breakdown with the Yankees on a lot of the 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:01.040 things that I did know that were unique to me, 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:03.840 I would have just said, like, all the grip and 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:06.600 you know I don't have well, I guess some of 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:09.600 the things that I felt that I did are true, 0:11:10.120 --> 0:11:11.240 but I would say, you know, I don't have a 0:11:11.240 --> 0:11:15.360 long stride. I got a really short arm action. But 0:11:15.520 --> 0:11:17.240 I couldn't have, you know, really put together. I just 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:19.960 thought it was Calvin Maduro showed me a grip of 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:20.920 a cutter and. 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:23.800 It did what it did kind of thing. 0:11:25.600 --> 0:11:27.560 But then I went to the New York and I've 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:30.440 really found out what I do that really stands out, 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:32.720 and actually a lot of it was how high my 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:35.640 release point was compared to the average in the big leagues. 0:11:35.679 --> 0:11:38.040 I think it was one of the highest release points 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:41.280 and at a short stride. So it's just really that 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:44.240 angle of approach of the sinker was you know, it 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:47.520 basically acted like a splitter. Most guys like a right 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:51.520 handed splitter, and I think there was that little bit 0:11:51.559 --> 0:11:52.680 combination the velocity. 0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:54.440 If you look at that time. 0:11:54.240 --> 0:11:57.320 There wasn't a ton of left handed guys throwing you know, 0:11:57.840 --> 0:12:01.000 really power sinkers or really at that velocity, so I 0:12:01.000 --> 0:12:05.120 think it was just it was unique. And then having 0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:05.920 that combination in. 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:06.600 The ninth inning. 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:09.040 I mean our division we had some you know, big 0:12:09.120 --> 0:12:11.160 left handed hitters, so you can kind of neutralize them. 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:12.079 I had always done. 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:15.080 I had success against righty's even as a starter, so 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:19.080 I think, you know, used to facing righty's with the sinker. 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:20.840 It really just put me in a really good spot, 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:23.320 that sinker against riety's against lefties. 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:24.079 And. 0:12:25.520 --> 0:12:28.400 You know, I don't know, like I wish I knew. 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:32.920 Exactly why it worked well, but the one thing I 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:37.200 learned from Dave and Dom was if it's working, you know, 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:39.360 stick with it until they tell you that it's not 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:41.840 as in the hitters. If the hitters, you know, eventually 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:43.560 tell you that it's not working, then you adjust, but 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:47.360 until then don't. And you know, maybe there was one 0:12:47.400 --> 0:12:49.080 year when I was dealing with the elbow stuff in 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:51.480 New York where I wasn't able to get on top 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:53.120 of the ball before I had Tommy John and I 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:55.840 went to my slider more but other than that, I 0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:58.040 just I kind of was like, man, just beat me 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:00.959 with my with the sinker. I really I believed in it, 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:04.120 and I you know, I was just surrounded by a 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:05.439 bunch of good guys that gave me a lot of 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:08.320 confidence when I didn't have confidence when I had been struggling. 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:11.439 And there's something to that, you know, when you get 0:13:11.440 --> 0:13:14.079 around people that believe in you. And Brady was the 0:13:14.120 --> 0:13:17.760 first one. He was the very first person that I 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:20.520 felt like believed in me more than you know, I 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:22.800 believed in myself at the time. And then it just 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:24.640 kind of snowballed. I really just got a lot of 0:13:24.640 --> 0:13:27.240 confidence and believed in myself. 0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:30.200 Yeah, I think that, like, uh, I just think about 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:32.960 David Dom, like those two guys I feel like made 0:13:32.960 --> 0:13:35.480 the bullpen as good as it was like we got 0:13:35.480 --> 0:13:36.920 a lot of the credit because we were the ones 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:39.720 out there, you know, doing the job. But without those guys, 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:41.760 I mean when I got over there, speaking of like 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:43.840 Zach story with, they were like, yeah, that bullpen kind 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:44.280 of stunk. 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:45.240 I went to day. 0:13:45.320 --> 0:13:47.360 I went to don one morning, I'm like, hey, I'm. 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:49.640 Struggling against lefties. Do you think you know? 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:52.040 Starting on the lit the first base side and then 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:54.320 going to the third bay side. When I'm facing the things, 0:13:54.520 --> 0:13:56.360 he turns me and gives me this look and he's like, 0:13:56.480 --> 0:13:58.640 your line is crap, and he just kind of walks 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:01.240 away and he comes back to me, and its just 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:04.240 like like Zach said, without like having guys like that 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:06.880 around us that were just honest, and that's at some 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:09.040 point you just have to have somebody honest with you. 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:11.920 It just it made everything so much easier for us 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.400 because then it's like, okay, you you have three pitches 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:16.760 for my For myself, it was you have three pitches, 0:14:16.960 --> 0:14:19.440 go use them. But with Zachy was like, hey, throw 0:14:19.480 --> 0:14:22.440 your sinker until somebody tells you otherwise. But Zach, I 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:24.600 always think of It always makes me laugh because we 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:27.000 have all these big hitters in the division and Peter 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:31.520 Borgis on the rays. It was he was in Zach's head. 0:14:31.680 --> 0:14:33.640 He couldn't get out of his head. Like of all 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:37.040 the hitters in the division, Peter Borgis was just why 0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:38.600 do you think it was certain guys like that that 0:14:38.640 --> 0:14:41.120 were just able to see you better? And you have 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:42.880 these other big guys that come up there that we 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:44.440 face in the division and they just swing and miss 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:46.280 at these pitches in front of the plate. Was there 0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:48.720 you think just certain guys had better approaches or was 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:51.080 it just I don't know. I just always think of 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:52.560 back to that story. I think it's just funny with 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:54.720 it was like I remember. 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:59.240 That name, struggled against them, and then Darren just you know, 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:00.200 told everybody. 0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:02.640 I think he actually told Borges. 0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:06.160 Like you know, and I don't know, he hit a 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:07.840 home run off me this one time, and I'm like, 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:08.320 how the heck? 0:15:08.360 --> 0:15:09.640 Like I haven't given up a home run long. 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:11.400 He might have hit two off me in my career, 0:15:11.400 --> 0:15:13.240 which is wild. I don't know, I would have to 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:14.880 do a deep dive. It just seemed like he hit 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:15.760 a thousand off me. 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:17.400 I don't know. 0:15:17.400 --> 0:15:19.120 I think it became a mental thing where I'm like, 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:22.040 I feel like, this guy sees me so well. And 0:15:22.080 --> 0:15:24.240 he took good at bats. He was a more of 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:25.320 a contact guy, and. 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:26.920 I felt like he put like he would put the 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:29.240 ball and play. He was fast, so he would hit. 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:31.320 He could hit a chopper right and beat it out, 0:15:31.640 --> 0:15:33.240 and it just seemed like he found a way to 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:35.640 get on base against me. And there was a couple 0:15:35.720 --> 0:15:38.040 other guys. I think Jonathan Sanchez is the name. He 0:15:38.080 --> 0:15:39.720 was with the Blue This guy didn't play. 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:42.840 He was actually random random. 0:15:43.760 --> 0:15:44.160 I told him. 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:45.600 I was like, dude, I don't want to face you ever. 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:48.600 And people were like, he's like with the Yankees, and 0:15:48.640 --> 0:15:50.240 they I think he was a coach in their system. 0:15:50.280 --> 0:15:51.920 He's like, dude, he's a coach in our system. And 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:53.560 I'm like, look up this guy's numbers against me. 0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:55.720 Like I think I ended up hitting him twice, like 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:57.200 unintentionally with breaking. 0:15:56.880 --> 0:15:59.880 Balls, and uh, I'm like, why am I throwing breaking balls? 0:15:59.880 --> 0:16:02.400 Is guy like I am? I am so rattled and. 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:06.240 Gibbons with the Blue Jays, he would pinch like he 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:08.760 knew he'd like take somebody out, pinch hit him and 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:09.480 I couldn't get him. 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:11.560 Out, and I was like, this is ridiculous. 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:15.120 Yeah, so I put those guys in the same uh, 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:17.560 at the same level as Dustin Pedroia, who I also 0:16:17.600 --> 0:16:19.840 struggled with. Like, so when people give me my top three, 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.920 I lead with Pedroia obviously, and then I you know, 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:27.680 I'll throw it. I'll board this Sanchez and then through 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:29.080 those guys and I'm like, it doesn't matter. 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:31.640 But uh, I couldn't get him out. 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:34.080 And then, like I said, Darren just made it to 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:37.640 be a huge thing, and so mentally I was just 0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:38.480 I was, I was. 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:41.520 I couldn't face him. But I have a funny story. 0:16:41.560 --> 0:16:44.440 Actually I was really dumbed out facing Mark de Cher 0:16:44.480 --> 0:16:50.520 even as a starter, and we happened to I think 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:53.400 it was in fifteen the All Star Game in Cincinnati. 0:16:53.440 --> 0:16:56.080 He was there and we just had this conversation in 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:59.000 the clubhouse and I laughed, I'm like, man, I just 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:00.960 have a hard time, like I feel like you see 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:01.560 me so well. 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:03.960