MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS VS BRAVES

November 1, 2021

Max Fried

Minute Maid Park

Atlanta Braves

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Max, this may be a bit of a cliche, but is this pitching in a potential World Series clincher something you dreamed about long ago as a kid?

MAX FRIED: Well, yeah. I think as a kid you just look forward to winning the World Series and contributing in any way. To be able to be here in this moment, I'm just extremely thankful and honestly ready to go.

Q. Brian said that he has felt like, just in whatever interactions you've had with him the past couple days, that you're really excited and motivated about this start. Does that describe it well?

MAX FRIED: Yeah. Any time that you go out there and you don't perform the way that you want, you don't win, you want to go back out there and redeem yourself. I'm ready to go out there and leave it all on the field. It's probably going to be my last outing of the year, so there's nothing to hold back.

Q. Whether it's the right approach or the wrong approach, I'm curious how much of the onus you sort of put on yourself to sort of be that guy for this rotation, especially after Charlie went down and also seeing the fact that the bullpen's been taxed these last couple of games.

MAX FRIED: It's just more of, the way I see it, is I'm going to go out there and do what I do. I'm going to be myself and just try to pitch my game and help us win this ballgame. Whatever capacity that is, I'm going to go out there and leave it all out there. When Snit takes the ball from me, my job's done.

Q. With what you just said about maybe not pitching your best and being really motivated this time around, especially with it being your last start, do you feel like there's anything you figured out maybe in the last start or that has you trending in a direction of feeling like you're back to yourself?

MAX FRIED: Not really. It's just sticking with your strengths, pitching my game, and really just trusting what we see with our eyes. We're going to make adjustments. At this time of year, it's about just getting outs. So whatever we can do to get outs is what the plan of attack is going to be.

Q. Anything about having been now in this environment in Houston, knowing what's coming, that helps you in any sort of way?

MAX FRIED: Yeah, it's going to be really energetic. Their fans are going to bring it. It's going to be a really, really exciting game. They're a really good team. They've been here before, and they're not going to let up. So you know that you've got to bring your A game and you've got to bring it. I'm ready for the challenge.