Steve Serby sits down for some a Q&A chat with Jose Valverde, the Mets mercurial closer:
Q: When you go crazy on the mound after a save, what are you feeling inside?
A: My body’s hot in that moment, it’s like something burning in my body (laugh).
Q: [Former Tigers manager] Jim Leyland once said of you: “My biggest memory, I think, will be the playoffs against the Yankees when he got [Curtis] Granderson, [Robinson] Cano and [Alex] Rodriguez.” It was Game 5 of the 2011 American League Division Series, 3-2 Tigers, Yankee Stadium. Granderson’s up.
A: You have to be careful of Granderson because Granderson is a great hitter, and he has a stadium he can do the home run easy.
Q: So you got Granderson out to fly out to shallow left-center.
A: I said, “One man down.”
Q: Cano grounded to first base on a split-finger. Now here comes Alex Rodriguez.
A: He’s looking for my split-finger. But I have to be careful because Alex has too much talent. I throw three fastballs down the middle, I think.
Q: So you surprised him.
A: I surprised Alex, and I surprised myself, too.
Q: He swung at all three.
A: I think he swung at all three fastballs, yeah.
Q: When he struck out, describe the feeling.
A: It’s a big celebration. Bump, and jump like crazy (laugh).
Q: What’s it like pitching in New York?
A: I think everybody wants to pitch in New York. For myself, I feel great because this is a place you have a lot of support, not only from American people, Latin people, Asian people — everybody likes baseball here in New York.
Q: Some people are scared to pitch in New York.
A: Why?
Q: Because they’re not mentally tough.
A: What’s the difference pitching here and pitching for Pittsburgh? What’s the difference? It’s the same people, same baseball. It’s only a different color uniform, different manager.
Q: There’s more spotlight, more media here.
A: Say I do a blown save, the media have to come and ask me, “What’s going on?”
Q: But there’s more media here.
A: For me it’s the same.
Q: What’s the mentality of a closer?
A: You’re there to save the game. That’s your job, and that’s what you have to do. The moment you have a blown save or lose the game, you have to throw that pitch away in the garbage, and be ready for tomorrow. Mariano [Rivera] and Trevor Hoffman, [John] Franco, [they blew saves]. [So] take that pitch and throw it in the garbage.
Q: Was that always easy to do, or no?
A: Sometimes hard, but you have to do it. You can’t bring bad stuff for your house. You have to leave it in the car, or throw it in the garbage.
Q: But do you like the pressure of having to save the game?
A: I love it. I love it when I pitch in different stadiums, and the guy tells me, ‘Oh, you’re this, you this,’ I like it. I like the pressure.
Q: This is in the bullpen, you mean?
A: The people pay to drink [their] beer and say whatever [they] want in the field. You can’t pay attention about that.
Q: Your first save was against the White Sox.
A: I was so nervous in that moment. And I said, “Thank God because the game’s here in Arizona.”
Q: Was it a one-run game?
A: Two.
Q: You came in with a two-run lead.
A: Yeah, but it was my first time.
Q: So what were you feeling?
A: I see the catcher move too much. And I’m telling my mind, “You have to stop, because I have to pitch,” you know (laugh)?
Q: You were imagining him moving?
A: That’s what I think, because I see the catcher move everywhere — he moved to third base, first base…
Q: But he wasn’t really moving.
A: No!
Q: You just thought he was moving, you were so nervous.
A: (Laugh) Exactly.
Q: Favorite save?
A: My 200th save in Toronto. [Justin] Verlander threw a no-hitter the first day, and Tuesday, I pitch my 200th save.
Q: Do you still have the ball?
A: I think my little boy has it. I don’t have it (smile).
Q: What was your worst blown save, the one that hurt you the most?
A: When I had 49 saves back to back in 2011, when I come back in 2012, my first game for the season, I had a blown save.
Q: Who was that against?
A: I don’t remember. You see? I don’t want to remember that game (smile). That’s tough for me.
Q: That one really bothered you?
A: Yeah.
Q: You wanted to keep going?
A: I want to keep going because I want to take the record of [Eric] Gagne [55 consecutive saves in 2003].
Q: Do you remember how confident you felt during that 49-game streak?
A: I know I had 49 saves when the season’s over. At that moment, I don’t know exactly how many saves I have.
Q: Can you tell me how confident you felt when you were on the mound?
A: This is one of the years everything’s working great. But it’s always high, my confidence, in the game.
Q: Your first All-Star game?
A: It was in ’07. It was great, because I had my daughter over there. It was a great moment.
Q: Did you get any autographs?
A: Trevor Hoffman, Francisco Cordero, Mariano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez.
Q: What pitchers have you liked watching?
A: [Roger] Clemens, Pedro Martinez, [Josh] Beckett. Right now…I think everybody wants to see [Clayton] Kershaw…[Felix] Rodriguez…[Jenrry] Mejia.
Q: Jim Leyland?
A: He takes care of the players. He want everybody to play hard. If you play hard for Leyland, and you enjoy the game, you can play every day, or you’ll be pitching every day.
Q: Terry Collins?
A: It’s almost the same for Leyland. He’s a great manager. The whole staff is great for me.
Q: You’re very superstitious, right?
A: I have a couple. I’ll never the touch the line on the field. I have my water in my bullpen. At that moment I go in the game, I drink the pitcher of water, I put a lot of water in my mouth, throw a little bit on the right, little bit in the left, in the middle.
Q: You spit it out?
A: Yeah, I spit it out.
Q: You’ve been called a hot dog. How do you feel about that?
A: Everybody can say whatever they want. I play for the Mets, if the Mets like it, I like it.
Q: You lost weight?
A: I lose a couple of pounds. I lose like 45 pounds (laughs).
Q: How did you do it?
A: You have to ask my wife (laugh).
Q: What was the heaviest you ever were?
A: 280. Right now, I’m 245 right now.
Q: You feel better?
A: I feel great. I feel like I’m 30 years old (chuckle).
Q: And you’re like 45, right?
A: I look like 50 (laugh) [He’s actually 36].
Q: Do you think this team can be a playoff team?
A: Oh, yeah. Because you know why? Because you have a great manager, great staff, and the fans are great, too. There’s a lot of talent here.
Q: Do you want your 3-year-old son [Jose Miguel] to be a lefty?
A: Lefties make more money than right-handers (laugh).
Q: But he won’t be able to play third base, shortstop or second.
A: If he throws 94, 95 lefty, he’d be perfect.
Q: Starter or reliever?
A: Doesn’t matter for me. I see my father, my wife, and a couple of friends see me when I pitch. It would be nice to see my little boy here play in the big leagues.
Q: Your uncle Jose Mercedes?
A: I see my uncle drive a nice car…
Q: His last name is Mercedes? No wonder he’s driving a nice car.
A: (Laugh) [He drove] a nice car when he played for Milwaukee on the big league and Baltimore. I tell myself, “You have to play baseball.”
Q: You were an outfielder and catcher. When did you become a pitcher?
A: I become a pitcher when I’m like 15, something like that. It’s never late for nobody. If you like something, do it.
Q: You worked for your cousin and one of your uncles in the Dominican.
A: I made cheese.
Q: What did you get paid?
A: Forty bucks in that moment for every two weeks.
Q: How old were you?
A: 16.
Q: How long did you do that for?
A: I did it for a little while, a couple of years.
Q: You have a ranch in the Dominican Republic.
A: Right now I have like 20 horses, and almost 300 cows.
Q: Favorite movies.
A: All the Will Smith movies.
Q: Can you be the same reliever you were in 2011?
A: Yeah I can do it. Hundred percent. But only one reason — see, I have God in my heart, can do it. See, nobody have God, nobody can do anything.
Q: Your velocity is not what it was.
A: I’m not 21 no more.
Q: What adjustments have you made?
A: Throw first pitch for strike. Then locate my fastball in, out, up and down.
Q: So you’re more of a pitcher now than a thrower.
A: Exactly.
Q: Papa Grande means Big Potato. But you’ve lost 35 pounds, so maybe it’s…
A: Small Potato (laugh)?
Q: How would you say that?
A: Papa Pequeña.
Q: If you were giving yourself a nickname, what nickname would you give yourself?
A: Maybe Donkey, I don’t know.
Q: What’s Donkey in Spanish?
A: It’s Burro.
Q: So you would call yourself Burro.
A: Yeah. You know why? Because everybody wants to be on the Burro all the time. You know why? Because donkeys never go down.