SERBY’S SUNDAY Q&A WITH ... Mike TAUCHMAN

Yankees outfielder Mike Tauchman takes a swing at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby. Q: How would you describe the New York Yankees Way? A: I think ultimately we’re just great competitors ... combine fiery competitors with intense love of baseball. That’s kind of our team. Q: Before you got here, were you a savage? A: Not like I am now (smile). Isn’t that crazy how that has just taken off ? The fans seem to love it, and we love it, and it’s just taken off. Q: So how are you a savage now? A: It’s just that attitude that this team has and then being around this group of guys ... we all kind of just ... have this sort of like singular focus. ... As a position player group, we’re gonna just keep grinding out at-bats and pounding these guys. If we have eight or nine innings worth of at-bats, it’s just gonna be like relentless. We’re just gonna keep coming and keep coming. You might shut us down at times in the order, but not the second time or not the third time. I think our ability to just wear teams down. Q: That has to be psychologically wearing for teams, right? A: I think so. I think if you look at some of our success this year, even when pitchers throw the ball well versus us, they’re into the 90-something pitch range in the fifth inning. Q: Why do you think you’ve become a fan favorite? A: I don’t know. ... Honestly, I think we got like 25 fan favorites. I think people like this team because we play with a lot of passion, we play extremely hard, and I think we’re relentless. And I think that shows. One of the biggest things that I’ve seen coming over here, obviously the Colorado Rockies have been around for 26, 25 years, whatever it is. And through no fault of their own, a team like this that’s been around for 100-whatever years, has an extremely passionate fan base, and they want to win, and they expect to win. They’re good, smart fans, they can tell when guys are playing hard and enjoying playing baseball. People come out here because they love baseball. We play baseball because we love baseball, and I think when the fans can see that, it’s easier to root for the guys. I think we have a lot of guys that are very easy to root for. Q: Who is one pitcher in MLB history to test your skills against? A: Growing up in the ’90s, Randy Johnson, I would like to see what that looks like. I’d love to see what I would do against like a Greg Maddux two-seamer that starts at my butt and runs back to the inside corner. Generations before that, talk about Bob Gibson and how nasty he was. That’s kind of my dad’s generation, so back when the mound was a little bit higher too, kind of see what that visual looks like. Q: If you could pick the brain of any player in MLB history, who would it be? A: What interests me so much now is guys ... who took what I’d ultimately call a pretty big risk with their career, overhauling their swing or overhauling something. So I would love to talk to a J.D. Martinez, Justin Turner. ... They were really good players, obviously, but they took their game to a next level while they were already in the big leagues, I think that’s so hard to do. ... Barry Bonds ... probably the best hitter of all time, somebody like that. Obviously talking to like a Ted Williams. That’s what I really like is guys that are hitters first, and they hit home runs ’cause they’re really good hitters. ... Babe Ruth, I would want to see what his bat felt like. ’Cause they talk about how he swung like a 50-ounce bat or 48-ounce bat or whatever ... take some swings with that thing (smile). Q: And how does confidence play into that? A: It’s a huge factor. First and foremost, when you come up to the big leagues, all you want to do is contribute, and feel like you’re a part of it. And that can be hard to do if the playing time isn’t there, you don’t have success right away, you just want to feel like part of the team. Anybody that steps in that clubhouse, it’s like, “Hey, you’re part of us, we need you to win, let’s-get-it-going,” sort of a thing. But once you kind of feel like you’re contributing, it’s like, “OK, like I belong, and I’m good, and let’s keep it going.” Q: I’ve seen you described as a throwback and a gamer. A: I don’t know. ... I’ve been fortunate to learn a lot from a lot of different people in this game, and one of the constants between everybody is you have to play the game hard. I just try to play the game hard and play the game instinctually. I’m very fortunate to be able to do this, and I just don’t want to, whenever my career is done, I guess, however long it is — just getting to this point, it’s been amazing. But whenever I’m done, you don’t want to be that guy saying, What if ? Like, What if I did this? What if I did this differently? You don’t want to be that guy at Chili’s ... “I wish I would have done this.” Q: How frustrating was it being so close to the big leagues so often, going back and forth? A: It definitely tests your mental toughness. I think the way that baseball is today, what it takes to really be a successful team in this day and age, you need players who can be optioned, and sent up and down. I think that if you understand that it’s part of the deal, and it’s not really in your control. I always tried to make it a point to, when I would get optioned, get there right away, get back into it, get my at-bats. Because it doesn’t matter where you are, there’s always things you can improve on, there’s always small ways you can get better. I just try to get a little bit better, like all the time. Q: Everyone calls you “Sock Man” now. A: Love it. Q: When you shaved your beard before joining the Yankees, what did you think when you looked in the mirror? A: You definitely look a little bit younger. My hair would get pretty long in the summer and it gets pretty curly, so I kind of had to keep that a little more close-cropped, too, I guess. It’s a clean-cut look. I think I look a little bit younger, definitely. Q: Do you mind being one of the lowest-paid MLB players? A: No. ... I just like playing baseball. That’s something that’s kind of out of my control, and hitting is really, really hard enough without worrying about things that are outside your control. I’m just kind of focused on trying to help us win a World Series. Q: Two dinner guests? A: Eddie Vedder, Ted Williams. Q: Favorite actor? A: Robert Downey Jr. Q: Favorite actress? A: Margot Robbie. Q: Favorite singer/entertainer? A: Eric Church. Q: Favorite meal? A: Pizza. Q: You like Chicago pizza better than New York pizza? A: I like the Chicago-style thin crust, where it’s cut in squares, and it’s very thin and almost a little crispy on the bottom. Q: Career goals? A: Obviously winning a World Series is right at the top of the list. I just want to stay healthy, play as long as I can, win some World Series.