AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS VS ORIOLES

October 8, 2023

Josh Sborz

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Texas Rangers

Pregame 2 Press Conference

Q. When you've been on this season what feels different when you're pitching well versus otherwise? How do you feel when things are clicking for you?

JOSH SBORZ: It's really just being healthy. Just struggled to stay healthy, I guess, in regards to this year. But when I feel right, it just comes out of my hand right every time. I think when I came off the IL the second time, I never got back to being right. With my hamstring being hurt again, I was able to back, work with some of the front office guys, and just get my pitches moving correctly, where they needed to be.

Q. After you guys clinched it in Tampa, you told Emily on TV it really sucked getting knocked around a little bit. How can you describe how it feels when you're not feeling right and then being able to come back?

JOSH SBORZ: When you pitch late in the games and give up two or three runs, you essentially E blow it. It's hard for a team to come back with 6 outs remaining. I felt like my command has been pretty good this year. The weird thing was I just wasn't able to fix it on my own. And that's beauty of having a really good team is someone else can help you. Help you find it, see it, and eventually make it work.

Q. Yesterday you come out and it's 7 straight balls, and then -- how do you, I guess, rediscover yourself in the middle of a late inning playoff games and flip a switch like that?

JOSH SBORZ: This was unusual. There was good sun coming down through the gaps in the third tier of the stadium, and the first two minutes I could not see a thing. Honestly I was just trying to stall as long as I could. Blue eyes and sun don't really go too good together.

Q. If you were to describe this two-week odyssey to somebody, family, friends, somebody who didn't have much background with this club, how would you describe the last two weeks on the road?

JOSH SBORZ: Fun. When we get in this playoff hunt, we're not necessarily playing our best. And all of a sudden we flip the switch and we're back to a normal team. But it just comes down to the guys we have. We've kind of kept the same tone throughout the entire year. We never panicked, we never stressed. We knew we could do it just as a team and just stayed comfortable the whole time.

Q. I know this isn't college baseball, but did your experience in the College World Series at all prepare you for pitching on a big stage like yesterday?

JOSH SBORZ: It obviously helps to have that experience, but the type of energy, the atmosphere here was different. It's a lot louder. I just try to embrace it and don't take it as a fear thing and just try to use it.

Q. Just kind of curious about your connections to this organization. I know when you were in college you were scouted fairly heavily. Did you grow up as an Orioles fan, as a Nats fan?

JOSH SBORZ: When I was young I came here a lot. And when Washington became a team I started going there, because it was a lot closer, a lot less traffic.

Q. As far as like the Nova contingent here yesterday and today, do you have a lot of people here?

JOSH SBORZ: There was 12 people here yesterday. And I think there's 10 today. So good group.

Q. You mentioned people who helped you throughout this entire year. There are older guys in the bullpen that helped you navigate this season or is it front office?

JOSH SBORZ: Mad Dog, Brett Hayes and Will Smith. Will have been through it all, an elite reliever for a long time. He went through his struggles. I tried to look up to him in how he carries himself when it's going well, going bad, and just try to copy anything he does.

Q. How much confidence are you and the bullpen taking in just how well you've pitched as a unit over the start of this postseason? How do you carry that forward?

JOSH SBORZ: Try to not make any moment too big. We have guys behind everybody to protect each other. And just trying to keep it simple, do your job, get those three outs and move on. I think just trying to, again, keep it simple, don't go too far, don't try to do too much. I think when that happens that's when you give up the three or four run game and you end up losing it.

Q. You spent a little bit of time with some pretty successful Dodger teams. What does it mean to you to get this opportunity at this time of year and what did you ultimately take away from your time with LA?

JOSH SBORZ: Well, I never really got to play on that team so I got to watch a lot. Again, it was just how they carried themselves. I looked up to Kershaw how, he carried himself day to day. On his start days, he was very fiery. But to be a part of a playoff team all years, it's been fun. It's what you grow up trying to do, make it to the World Series, win the World Series and just be part of this atmosphere.