SERBY’S SUNDAY Q&A WITH ... David ROBERTSON

Mets reliever, and former Yankee, David Robertson gets the call for some spring training Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: What is the mindset of this 2023 Mets team?

A: I think it’s a team that wants to win. It’s got all the talent. On paper, we look great, and we know that. We just gotta go out there and do it in between the lines. It’s gonna be a long season, a tough grind in a really tough division. But I think that if we do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll come out on top.

Q: How does the loss for the season of Edwin Diaz impact your outlook and role?

A: Moving forward, we have to figure out new ways to get outs later on in the game. We have the talent here. We have to go out and do it.

Q: Do you miss the closer role?

A: I’ve never really cared when I pitched to begin with. Innings are innings. The seventh and eighth inning can be just as important as the ninth.

Q: Does this team remind you in any way of your 2009 champion Yankees?

A: A little bit, it does, it has a little bit of that feeling. If we didn’t have the WBC going right now, I’d definitely be able to tell you if we had that feeling or not.

Q: But you see some signs that are similar?

A: For sure. We definitely have all the makings of being able to win.

Q: When you think back to your 2009 World Series championship with the Yankees, what goes through your mind?

A: I wish I could have remembered more of it. I was in my second year in the league. It was exciting, it was fun. I just can’t remember too much of it. I feel like it flew by so fast, and I thought we were gonna do it every year after that.

Q: How much longer do you want to play?

A: I don’t know, till they tell me I’m not good enough or they stop paying me. Q: Where are you as a pitcher now compared to three, four, five years ago? A: I felt like before I had [Tomto my John] surgery, from 2010 2017, ’18, I had a really good feel for throwing the baseball. I felt like I kind of had a really good mix of what I did well. And then after having surgery coming back, I feel like the game has kind of evolved and changed, the guys are throwing the high fastballs, and everyone’s throwing 100 [mph]. So I’ve kind of had to adapt a lot more and figure out new ways to pitch and get guys out.

Q: You must enjoy pitching on the New York stage.

A: I do. I think that that’s one of the fun, the perks of playing in New York, whether you’re with the Yankees or the Mets. It’s a big city, big crowds, you’re under the spotlight, and I feel like it brings out the best focus that I have on the field. When you set out to play baseball, you want to play in the big markets, that’s where the fun is, that’s where the action is, and that’s what I enjoy about New York.

Q: Do you like pitching in Citi Field?

A: I do. I wish they’d put the fences back, but other than that, I like it. Q: Describe Derek Jeter’s leadership when you were with the Yankees. A: He didn’t speak unless he had to. And when he did speak, everyone listened. He was never an inyour-face kind of guy.

Q: What is the biggest thing you learned from Mariano Rivera?

A: The biggest thing from Mariano was watching his routine. That guy was like clockwork. He had the same warmup routine, the same demeanor when he took the ball every single game, and the fact that if he had a bad game, if God forbid he blew one, he came back the next day and he had no idea about it. He could just put it in the past real quick and turn around and get ready for the next one. Q: Describe being in the 2022 World Series with the Phillies. A: It was a lot of fun, and intense. I just wish we could have actually taken down the Astros. I thought we were in a good spot there. We went from all-time high to all-time low, but I’m glad I got the opportunity to go again, I’m hoping to get another shot at it this year.

Q: You suffered a calf injury celebrating a Bryce Harper home run in the wild-card round and missed the NLDS.

A: Getting old and got too excited, and tried to jump up and give a teammate a hi-five and didn’t get off the ground . ... I definitely felt sick about it. I felt like I let down the team.

Q: What was it like for you when you were out of baseball, missing 2020 and most of 2021 and waiting for a call?

A: I went through a good struggle when I had surgery. The Phillies took my buyout, then I went home, then COVID was going on, didn’t know if I was gonna play or not, and then actually did some showcases in ’21, and had some big league offers but turned them down and decided to go try to win a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team. So I just kind of enjoyed some family time and rehabbed on my own, and figured out how to pitch again. In the back of my mind, I knew I was gonna get back into baseball, I just didn’t know when.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Daniel Day-Lewis, Babe Ruth, my wife.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Last of the Mohicans.”

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Daniel Day-Lewis.

Q: Favorite singer/entertainer?

A: Adele.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Probably Chipotle.

Q: How have you adapted to the pitch clock?

A: I think it’s pretty ridiculous. It’s way too fast, especially when you’re just trying to have a conversation with your catcher and you don’t have any time. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Q: What would be your solution?

A: Get rid of it.

Q: How would you describe your Major League Baseball journey?

A: It feels like it went by in a flash, to be honest. It’s been a long road, though, I would say that. It’s been moving 40-something times in the past 15, 16 years ... six different organizations, a couple of stints in two organizations ... just the stress of the game, it’s been a lot . ... When I look back on it, I’m like, “Man, I wish I could have remembered or soaked in a lot more of it when I had the opportunity.”