AL Championship : Astros vs Red Sox Wednesday, October 17, 2018 Justin Verlander Astros pregame 4 JUSTIN VERLANDER: It's a good question. You know, THE MODERATOR: Questions for Justin Verlander. honestly, I think something that came up for me in talking about pace of game might also help, which is, Q. This is not something you're unfamiliar with, but like you said, some wireless -- you see in the NFL with what is the difficulty of facing a lineup the second the quarterback, a way to converse between pitcher time in such a quick turnaround? and catcher and honestly between and JUSTIN VERLANDER: Especially these guys, a team catcher. I thought -- I brought this issue to MLB last that's really good at making adjustments, making year and thought that for pace of game that could adjustments quickly. There are definitely unique probably save 20 minutes a game. challenges. They know my strengths. They know my weaknesses. I know theirs. You think of all the signs everybody's going through -- between pitcher/catcher, manager/catcher, especially And the second time going against a lineup, you need when a guy gets on second base, I mean the game to adjust. Or you don't. I don't know. That's kind of comes to a halt when that happens because of all the one of those times when I like to rely on my instincts technology and we know that you need to be aware of when I'm there and just feel my way through a it. game. But I think that can also help. It's not going to help Q. Is there much difference in any way at all if tipping, but I think it will help a lot with the sign you're pitching you're down 3-1 or it's 2-2? stuff. And I think -- I mean, I think this is a lot to do JUSTIN VERLANDER: I don't know. I mean, these are about nothing. I think it's more peace of mind for the all must-win games at this point. Every time you take pitchers. Like I said, especially in the playoffs, you the mound I don't think there's any difference whether don't want there to be any lingering doubt of anything. it's 2-2 or 3-1. You want the only reason you get beat to be because you got beat. You don't want to have to think it's Q. How much is -- there's a lot of talk something else. That's why you're seeing all these about sign stealing in the last 24 hours -- how advanced signs. much has that changed since you've been in the game? And if you're on the mound, how much is it Q. You recently made mention of preparing for the a lingering concern over 162-game season to you? second half of your career. How long do you want JUSTIN VERLANDER: It's changed a lot. The to keep doing this? And are there certain goals in advancement of technology has changed the game of mind whether it's 300 wins or a certain age or baseball a lot. And I was just talking about it in the ? Is that something you think about? locker room. I think what A.J. said is right. I think JUSTIN VERLANDER: Not really. I mean, I'll play as there's a conversation that needs to be had. long as I'm healthy. I think I've worked really hard the last five years to get my body healthy again. I'm not going to get into any specifics about any teams or organizations or whatever, but there's long since, the I think ignorance was bliss early on in my career -- just last few years, been rumblings of places that you need kind of was healthy and didn't have to worry about it. to be aware of stuff. And I think when you see yourself And then all of a sudden, with not paying attention to it, in the playoffs, you're going to protect yourself at all some bad mechanics and ultimately surgery kind of costs. That's why I think you see a lot of mound visits. crept in. And since then I feel like I've dramatically You see a lot of multiple signs. And I mean you're just changed my career path and focused so much on hyper aware of it. health and maintenance before it becomes an issue. And because of that, man, I don't want to set a time. Q. In that vein, given that cameras are everywhere, do you have any ideas how to make the sign I think, I look around and I talk to guys and I recover stealing stuff go away, whether it's wireless great. My body feels good. I feel just as good as I did headsets, the communication -- when I was in my mid-20s. There's no specific time for

Rev #1 by #188 at 2018-10-17 21:37:00 GMT page 1 of 3 me. I've always said I'll play until the wheels fall off. I JUSTIN VERLANDER: A lot. He's worked so hard this love this game. I love the competition. I enjoy every year to be able to go and take the ball every five days. aspect of it. And I don't foresee, like, a specific goal or And he's thrown so many innings and innings that he time for me to step away. The game will tell me that. wasn't used to. And I honestly think this rest is good for him. There's nothing -- I think for his peace of mind Q. You said with the wireless communication, you he knows there's nothing structurally wrong; it's just a said you brought that to MLB? little bit of fatigue. JUSTIN VERLANDER: I mean there was a big discussion about pace of play moving into the season And he's always been a trouper. Ever since I've been with the mound visits and all of that. And I think the here and I've known him, he wants the ball. His first person I heard mention that was Girardi, maybe, a demeanor might not say that, but you know when he's couple of years ago. And I thought it made a lot of out there he's a bulldog, he wants to go out there and sense. give us a chance to win every time.

I don't know how -- I don't know how you would work it. For a long period of time this year he was one of the Obviously the technology is there between top three pitchers in baseball. That's the guy I expect quarterbacks and their team. I don't know whether it to see tonight, and I've really enjoyed being on his would be a one-way thing. I don't know if a lot of team and watching him work. pitchers would want to wear a thing. But honestly, just me being -- for me, somebody who calls my own game, Q. Alex Bregman is getting a lot of attention this for the most part, me being able to tell him what to month. Great plays yesterday and just playing throw -- or what I want to throw, I mean by the time the great. What to you is the most impressive thing batter steps in there's no signals. There's nothing; about his game? we're ready to go. JUSTIN VERLANDER: All of it. I think he does all the little things. He prepares. I mean, his glove at third And also, when guys get on base, you see it from the -- base, for me, is phenomenal. I don't care what some how often do you see a pitcher ready to go, batter metric says. I mean, my eyes -- I've been playing this ready to go, catcher ready to go, but we're still getting game for a long time and he's phenomenal over there. signals from the manager in the whether it's pick-off or throw-over or pitch-out or whatever sign His bat, you know, he's always so focused. He's not could possibly be coming, you've got to give a sign going to let -- at no point in any game, and this includes every single time. 162 of them throughout the whole season, when it can get a little mundane -- he's never going to let himself And probably 95 percent of those are nothing, deke get beat by himself. And as weird as that sounds, it's signs. I think it's something that could look into. Like so easy to take off an at-bat, take off one pitch, or just A.J. said, there's a conversation that could be had not be prepared on one given day. about a lot of things right now. For me it's kind of a win-win personally. I think it speeds up the game quite I've never seen him not prepare. I've never not seen a bit, and hopefully can help alleviate some of this stuff him take an at-bat off or take a play off in the field. It's that we see from pitchers with all these multiple signs. impressive. Lives, sleeps, eats baseball. Loves the game. And I think as a fan, he's somebody that I would Q. You presented it to an MLB official? pay to watch play. It's intense. It's fun to watch, man. I JUSTIN VERLANDER: I brought it to the players enjoy watching him play. association and wanted them to mention it to MLB when this conversation was going on. And they said Q. When you were with the Tigers, the Astros were they would. I don't know what happened at that point. rebuilding. And you obviously joined them last I know that we got limited mound visits out of this. I year. There's always this lingering perception -- don't know what happened after that. (Laughter). players have called the organization out accusing them of cheating or sign stealing, spin rate, all Q. Charlie's in here yesterday just kind of detailing these things. What's been your perception since what he's gone through to get himself ready. As you've been with the organization about what really somebody who has done this, how much do you goes on? And I guess the second part of that is is appreciate the fact that he's willing to go through it a case where everybody's doing something in all this, put himself on the line with so few innings baseball, and it's just a don't-get-caught situation? the last month? And what kind of respect does he JUSTIN VERLANDER: I can't speak about anybody have inside your clubhouse because of that and else, but I think the one thing this organization has everything else? done so well is to show you what makes you great.

Rev #1 by #188 at 2018-10-17 21:37:00 GMT page 2 of 3 Me, for instance, I used to always throw two-seams to arm side and four-seams to the glove side of the plate. I did it for the better part of 13 years.

Then I got here and they basically told me my two- seam was just an ineffective four-seam. It didn't have any extra , or a little extra run, and it didn't have any sink. Basically I was doing batters a favor by throwing it.

Seemed pretty easy to me: Stop throwing the two- seam. And I did, saw a lot of success with it. And just learned to pitch with that. And I think everybody that's come here -- you know, Gerrit and I talked a ton. Same conversation. Very similar conversation was had with him. And first time he had ever heard it, and that obviously led to a lot of conversations in about pitch selection, how to utilize your weapons more efficiently more effectively.

I think that we've just kind of bred this atmosphere of talking pitching and everybody wants to help everybody on the staff. It's pretty unique, I think, with all the information we have here.

But I think to come back around to it, I think the ability for this organization to take the analytics and apply it right to you and help you understand it more as opposed to it being this -- I feel like this is probably the case in some other organizations, I don't know, but where it's very analytic against the player, and it's very separate, closed-door analytic and players do their thing. And it's probably not as easy as it seems to help the player as much as this organization does.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Justin.

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