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.
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.
I never want the ball above my shoulders until I'm really firing. I feel like I can generate more velocity with my arm path. The way my arm works, there's so many benefits to it - from a health standpoint, as well.
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.
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.
When I was 18, graduating high school, I was going to the University of Missouri.
Put as much pressure on me as possible. I have no qualms handling that, because I expect that out of myself.
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.
Who would people rather see, a real hitter hitting home runs or a pitcher swinging a wet newspaper?
Sometimes I have to try to remind myself that I don't try to strike out hitters.
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.
When you give your team five innings, you don't really feel good about five innings.
You're just trying to go out there and give seven innings. Seven innings, 105 pitches, that's a good outing.
The expectations and pressure doesn't mean you change. That's something that's always been instilled in me, and doesn't matter what the situation or what the game means, I'm always going to approach the game the same way.
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.'
That's sometimes the hardest thing to do as a professional athlete, because when you get lit up, you wear it, especially as a starting pitcher.
Everyone wants to criticize my mechanics, but maybe I've got good mechanics that make the ball go up.
There's so much information now, and that even goes down to the college game. You have so much video, you can watch every YouTube video of guys and mechanics, and so I just feel like the younger generation's more educated than ever before.
I'm not throwing a no-hitter Opening Day. It's just not going to happen.
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.
