Jerry Blevins Q&A
Mets reliever Jerry Blevins took a timeout for some Q& A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: Who was your boyhood idol? A: My mom, raising my brother and I by herself. ... Neil Armstrong. I don’t know what it is about Ohio, but astronauts come from there ... and then Ken Griffey Jr., my baseball idol.
Q: Why was he your baseball idol? A: The combination of his left-handed swing, his youthful exuberance and ... I just liked his style, the way he played. There’s something poetic and pretty about his swing, and he posed with his dad, I always thought that was cool. Just a fun player to watch.
Q: What was it like facing him? A: Surreal. It was in Oakland, he was with the White Sox at the time, and it was 2008, and I struck him out for the third out of the [fifth] inning, and I sit down in the dugout, kind of get choked up a little bit, and I’m like, “Oh, crap!” All the emotions hit me, so I go up to the clubhouse and I called my older brother. I’m like, “Rob, did you see that?” I hear him crying already. It’s something that I’ve done a million times before in my head as a kid. I always pretended when I was facing him, like when you’re using your imagination, that I was facing Ken Griffey Jr. with two outs in the ninth, bases loaded.
Q: What did you strike him out on? A: A curveball.
Q: What is your best single baseball moment? A: As an individual player, in 2012 in Oakland, we were chasing the division, we were in Anaheim, Grant Balfour was our closer and we were up three runs, he gave up two runs really quick, didn’t get an out. Runners on first and third and they brought me in. It was bottom of the ninth, nobody out, so I ended up getting Kendrys Morales to strike out, and then I got Howie Kendrick to hit into a double play. We ended up winning the division that year by one game. It just happened to be my girlfriend at the time’s birthday, who’s now my wife. I’ll remember that forever (chuckle).
Q: Worst baseball moment? A: Not being part of the [Mets’] World Series in ’15. Breaking my arm early in the season and then refracturing it. It was a weird emotion for me because I’m so happy for all my teammates and the organization and the great fans, and at the same time, there’s this pit in your stomach where you’re like, “Man, this is what I dreamed about my [whole] life,” and I had the opportunity, it’s so hard to get up and so hard to repeat. It’s one of those moments that’s still like super bittersweet for me.
Q: What was the worst minor league bus ride? A: It’s a combination of the worst and the best. I’d just gotten drafted [by the Cubs in 2004], Boise Hawks, Northwest League, we’re in the championship game, we ended up winning it. We’re in Vancouver, we split it up in two buses. On the way back, three hours into the 15-hour bus ride, the bus in front of us blows a tire. The tire comes back and hits the back of our bus and knocks out the air conditioning on the second bus. So then all these people that were on the first bus pile onto the second bus with no air conditioning. So we ended up the last 10-12 hours packed shoulder to shoulder in a sweaty mess of a bus with no air conditioning. And then there might have been a few beverages consumed, so there were some really extra smelly people.
Q: What is your mentality on the mound? A: I try to be clear-headed, clear thought, and very cerebral in my approach. I don’t have stuff that overpowers guys, I try to play chess and take advantage of weaknesses or see what tendencies or if guys are guessing, I try to take advantage of that. With age comes a little bit of knowledge, and I think I’m able to process from pitch to pitch what I think guys are trying to do. I see subtleties, where they’re stepping, that kind of stuff.
Q: Are you recognized in Manhattan? A: Very rarely. When I ride the 7 train, people will be like, “Hey good luck today.” That’s the best part about my job is I have a lot of perks but none of the downfall. ... [I] can’t imagine being David Wright or Noah [Syndergaard] trying to walk around the city. I imagine that being tough.
Q: Why haven’t you had your own bobblehead? A: That’s a question for higher powers than me. No, I don’t know. That’s one of the things that when you’re a kid or when you’re first starting out that you want. You want to get a baseball card, which is amazing. I’ve had the luxury and the opportunity to have a baseball card, it’s so cool. I can play myself in a video game or ... my nephew plays video games and he’s like, “I pitched with you last night and struck out the side!” Unbelievable. And then, a bobblehead. That was the hot thing coming up when I was young.
Q: It must hurt you terribly ... A: It doesn’t hurt my feelings terribly. But there’ll be a guy, like I’ll be like, “Aw man, he’s getting a bobblehead? What’s it take for me to get a bobblehead around here?” It doesn’t hurt my feelings. I’m not bitter about it or anything, but I think it would be a pretty cool addition.
Q: This Q&A is going to get you a bobblehead. A: Now it’s gonna be a pity bobblehead. There’s gonna be a bobble tear coming out of my eye (laugh).
Q: You’ll take it though, right? A: Uhhh, there’s a fine line between self-deprecating humor and getting made fun of. No, that’s OK. I would take it gladly (smile).
Q: You’ve tabbed Kevin Durant as basketball captain of #teamskinnyguy. How come you’re not on #teamskinnyguy? Q: I am on #teamskinnyguy, I’m just on the baseball side. [Jacob] deGrom’s on there, Chris Sale, yeah. We’re few and far between, our body type to be in professional sports. It’s like being left-handed, I love a left-handed jump shot, or a Ken Griffey Jr. left-handed swing. A Phil Mickelson left-handed golf shot. As a skinny guy, you’re like, “He’s dealt with the same kind of childhood things that I’ve dealt with.”
Q: You once said: “Pitching in New York is not easy — especially in the bullpen.” A: New York’s a tough place to play. The fans are very passionate, very into the moment. They’re quick to cheer, but they’re also quick to make you realize that you’re not doing your job. No matter what you do in the bullpen, you’re gonna have a bad outing, and usually like in a role like mine, it’s gonna cost a game, or it has a chance to be a loss, and the fans let you know about it. And that’s fair, that’s not a complaint, but it’s a unique process. I actually really do appreciate the fans here because of the instant feedback you get, because it’s very positive and it can be understandably negative if you give it up. But they also understand that it’s a long season.
Q: Some guys can’t deal with it. How come you have no problem? A: I don’t know, I think it’s because I understand what type of player I am, and being in the bullpen I’m not expected to throw 200 innings of shutout baseball as a starter, or I’m not expected to hit .300 and have as many home runs. So there’s not as much expectations from fans — probably for the same reason why I don’t have a bobblehead or for the same reason I don’t get recognized on the street as often as other guys. There’s just less expectations for me as a whole ... less pressure.