AL WILD CARD SERIES: MARINERS VS BLUE JAYS

October 8, 2022

Andres Munoz

Rogers Centre

Seattle Mariners

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Just your first playoff game yesterday. What are the emotions as you get called out of the pen and you're running out to the mound there?

ANDRES MUNOZ: I was nervous. I'm not going to lie. I was nervous. I thanked them a lot for giving me the opportunity to go out there and kind of finish the inning, and thank God that we were able to do our work.

Yeah, nervous.

Q. There was one point where one of your pitches, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. kind of saw it and shook his head, like, Okay, this is what I'm dealing with. Did you notice that kind of stuff? Does it affect you at all?

ANDRES MUNOZ: A lot of times I'm not really paying attention. There are times where I am looking to pay attention to see how they react so that I know, okay, this is how he reacted. Maybe I should not throw the pitch.

At that instance I did see it, and I thought to myself probably don't throw the same pitch because maybe he is going to be expecting it.

Q. I know earlier in the year they were kind of bringing you along slowly, especially after missing basically all of last season except for that last game. Now you've been able to work back-to-back outings a few times. How have you bounced back on the second day from that, and do you feel just as strong on the second day of those?

ANDRES MUNOZ: So usually in the second day when I come in, I'm a little sore, a little tired. Like, the usual. When it's game time and I'm going to come out on the second day, the emotions and everything kind of takes over and I feel okay.

Q. Looking at your season this year, you can almost draw a line down the middle from your previous slider to your newer slider that you're throwing harder. How much of an impact do you think just throwing that pitch harder this year for you has made on your season?

ANDRES MUNOZ: It's given me a lot of confidence. I think that's the one thing. The confidence that I can basically go up against any batter. It's gotten to the point where I feel confident enough that I can kind of -- sorry, I forgot the word -- fight out there, with both having my fastball and the slider and compete while I'm on the mound.

Q. Kind of building off what you just said there, but as you faced Vlad yesterday, Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez in some really epic battles, just how much validation and confidence and conviction are you having in all your stuff when you are beating those types of hitters?

ANDRES MUNOZ: You go up against these batters, and they're in the Major Leagues for a reason. I try to treat all these batters the same. But obviously, when you say those big names, you have to give them the respect they deserve and I have to be a little bit more careful where I place these pitches.

But, like I said, whenever I go up there, it's the same respect. They're in the Major Leagues for a reason. When I go up there, I'm trying to give my best.

Q. What do you think of Cal's nickname, Big Dumper? How do you say it in espanol? Also, how important is he to the pitching staff? (Laughing.)

ANDRES MUNOZ: Oh, I don't know how you say it.

He is so important to our pitching staff. It's gotten to the point where I just completely trust him. I barely say no to him whenever he tells me, you know, what kind of throw to pitch because I know the work he puts in and the study he does and that he has the intelligence to tell me what to throw in that situation.

Q. Just following up on Aaron's question about your slider. What prompted you? What made you to decide to throw that a little bit differently, a little harder? Is it just a matter of trying to add the velocity, or was there something different with the grip or something else that went into that?

ANDRES MUNOZ: It was mainly the coaching staff and also my brothers actually that kept telling me to throw the slider harder.

It wasn't a grip or anything like that. It got to the point where a lot of people were giving me pros and cons of why I should be throwing the slider harder, and that was the main reason of why I did it.

Q. You've talked about wanting it to look like your fastball when you do that. Was that something that was immediate and natural for you, or was there some sort of adjustment when you first started doing that?

ANDRES MUNOZ: I think it was just kind of the way it evolved. I never really had the intention of them kind of both looking very similar. Yeah, it just is the way that evolved. When I go out there and throw it, there's no intention of me having them both look very similar.

Q. You've got one more. A couple of months ago when asked what your favorite pitch was, you said it was your fastball still that you like looking up and seeing the velocity up on the board. Is that still your favorite pitch?

ANDRES MUNOZ: Yes, but it's something special when I go up there and throw my fastball, and I turn around and see the three digits, hitting three digits. That kind of gives me that extra energy and a little bit more confidence to keep throwing as best as I can.

I know my slider is important. It's very important, and it's why I'm here in the situation I am. But, yeah, my fastball is my favorite pitch.