Brendan Marks, Tue, 05 May 2015 15:41:00 GMT
Former Cardinal and current Chicago Cub Jason Motte on Monday pitched in Busch Stadium for the first time since leaving St. Louis.
Motte, who played six years with the Cardinals, joined The Ryan Kelley Morning After to talk about what it was like returning to his old home ballpark and pitching against his former team and in front of the St. Louis fans.
We’ve typed up some of the talking points. Listen to the whole thing below:
What was it like being back in St. Louis playing against the Cardinals for the first time?
“Honestly…once I got to the ballpark, I got to see a lot of the people at the ballpark. Some of the workers, some of the groundscrew guys, people like that you get to know over the course of six-plus years of being somewhere. Once the game started…it was kind of go out there and do my thing…went out there and tried to do my job.”
Was it really like a normal outing for you?
“It really was. When you’re out there, your job is to focus on the task at hand. We did it Opening Day when the Cubs-Cards played on Sunday Night Baseball. I was playing against the Cardinals and got in the game and faced Jon Jay, one of my good buddies. We were all out there and we’re friends..but when it comes to competition, we have a job to do. That’s the fun part of competition.”
Is it hard facing former players?
“It’s one of those things I try to keep my head down. I think one of the tougher things was Opening Night when I faced (Wainwright), I was like ‘Don’t look at him’ because I know he’s going to look at me and do something stupid, I know he’s going to make some stupid little face at me, so I just kind of really…kept my head down and said ‘I’m not going to look at Waino, I’m not going to look at Waino.'”
Did you hear any response from the fans last night?
“I heard a little bit of response. I tried to keep my focus on where it needs to be. I’m not sure what it was or what it wasn’t. I did hear some stuff, but I didn’t hear exactly what it was or how big it was.”
How’s it playing for Joe Maddon? Similar to La Russa and Matheny?
“No, every manager is different. Mike’s not Tony by any means, and Joe’s not Mike or Tony. They all have their individual ways of doing things. But at the end of the day, their goal and their mindset is the same. Joe’s kind of loose, laid back, kind of let’s guys be professional and do their thing. He’s really laid back about stuff…which is pretty cool.”
Jason Motte Talks Return to Busch Stadium