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I beat the odds, and I beat the odds so many times.
Max Scherzer
Being in the clubhouse, talking to the veterans, talking to guys who have been here, getting to know everybody, getting the personalities, you can actually learn a lot from the other players in the league.
I grew up with dogs. My wife really loves dogs.
When I can buy strikes with that curveball, that just lets everything else play up.
It's my goal every single year. That's the only goal I really set for myself is to make sure I'm better every single year.
There's so many great things I learned at Mizzou. I took a sports psychology class. It was kind of eye-opening on certain different ways to look at things.
If I got hurt or anything, I was going to need a college degree. Nothing was going to stop me from getting that.
Your pitches have to be sharp every time out.
If I can execute pitches and keep the ball out of the middle of the plate, I know I can have success.
I'm not trying to throw six or seven pitches just to be able to strike you out. I'm trying to do it in three or four. It's the homework and the process between starts that I really focus on to help me do that.
For me, I'm always willing to help young guys, because veterans have helped me out.
It's always, 'No matter what the outing is, you can always find a way to be a better pitcher.' No matter what you do.
I'm not throwing a no-hitter Opening Day. It's just not going to happen.
You've got to get better every single year, it doesn't matter.
For me, it's all about winning.
When you look at starting pitchers, once they make it through year four, then - knock on wood - you see a lot of injury risk go down.
Any type of discomfort is going to alter the way I throw the ball. If I alter the way I throw the ball, I run the risk of major injury to my arm.
Pitching is both an art and a science.
You have to be able to analyze yourself and critique yourself from every which way.
I relish pitching underneath pressure.
That's when I'm at my best. When I can throw a fastball over in the count, just throw strikes both in and away, it just sets up all my stuff.
That's why you went to school, because you realize that, being a professional athlete, there's a good chance you're not going to make it. You need an education, that's why for me, it was such an important decision to go to college and further my education to provide me a safety net in case this didn't work out.
Having a pitch clock, if you have ball-strike implications, that's messing with the fabric of the game. There's no clock in baseball, and there's no clock in baseball for a reason.
You have to find a way to improve yourself.
I've said it, I'll keep saying it, I want to be in Detroit. I've really enjoyed my time here. I really enjoy the clubhouse and everyone that's involved.
The advanced stats are great to look at for my long-term goals and what I'm trying to accomplish. It shows me there is an inherent failure in pitching. The luck involved, the factors you can't control. You just have to let go of those and focus on the next batter, the next game.
Sometimes in this game, you get punched in the face. And you've got to be able to take it and learn from it.
There's really no secret to this; that everybody's - they are going to have a game plan against me and I'm going to have a game plan against them. It just comes down to execution.
A lot of times, I've always looked at pitching in the All-Star Game as a prelude to how you pitch in the postseason, sometimes how you might have to pitch on two days' rest out of the pen, only throw one inning and then you have to go face the best hitters. That's what you do in the All-Star Game.
I think every facet of running has its benefits towards a starting pitcher. I mean, you're explosive off the mound and yet you've got to have endurance.
I know when I get to 0-2, 1-2, when I'm ahead in the count, that I hold a distinct advantage over every single hitter. I have so many options because I don't have to work within the strike zone anymore.
Look, the umpires behind the plate? They're human. They're doing the best they can to try to call balls and strikes. I understand that there's a lot of calls that kinda are 50-50. They can go either way. And as a starting pitcher, you try to manage, 'Alright, if you didn't get that call, maybe you'll get it again here a few innings later.'
You're just trying to go out there and give seven innings. Seven innings, 105 pitches, that's a good outing.
When Jim Leyland calls - and I have so much respect for Jim Leyland - when he asked me to play, you don't say no.
You never stay the same - as a pitcher, as an athlete. It doesn't matter what you do, you never stay the same.
Sometimes you have to look at a start and say, 'Nothing is wrong.' Even when you get lit up, you still have to say 'Nothing is wrong.'
You want to create the fans that are following the team year in, year out.
When you can celebrate with your teammates on just a major accomplishment, there's nothing better.
Everyone wants to criticize my mechanics, but maybe I've got good mechanics that make the ball go up.
I understand why there is a push for an automated strike zone. However, I do think there would be some unintended consequences of having it that I think need to be addressed first before we would go down that road.
If you're constantly just trying to go in this win-loss cycle that MLB is pushing, you are creating bandwagon fans, and that's not the type of fans you want to create.
I'm not worried about good numbers or bad numbers. You worry about the process.
All of the off-field stuff, I can promise you, it doesn't even register with me.
I know how to pitch.
Sometimes I have to try to remind myself that I don't try to strike out hitters.
There's more to pitching than just striking guys out, but also it is a big reason why you can have success.
In previous experiences of being in the All-Star Games, you know, seeing the hometown players and how the fans get behind the hometown players, it's always been a special moment just watching that from afar and being on the other side.
I've seen so many of my friends get cut and released and all taken advantage of because at the end of the day, we say it's the business part of the game.
I've had a better 2017 than I've had 2016, just like a better '16 than '15 and '14.
If you look at it long-term, I think eventually there will be a DH in the National League.
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