CLAM, COOL, COLLECTED

ST. LOUIS — Mike Soroka’s teammates like to joke about his calmness under pressure, a trait the Calgary-born starting pitcher taps into his Canadian roots to explain.

First, there is his father Gary, a former university hockey player. And secondly his high-stakes experience with Baseball Canada helped prepare

him for moments such as his first taste of post-season ball Sunday at Busch Stadium.

“I do think a lot of it comes from my dad’s calmness around sports in general,” Soroka said. “We never have been the type to get too high or too low.

“It’s maybe one of those things you

learn having thrown high-leverage games for Baseball Canada when you’re 16, 17 and you’re overmatched to know that you can do it.”

In other words, Soroka’s exposure to pitching against older, professional players when he was a junior helped him prepare for moments like Sunday.

“It’s one of those things where I know if I’m not calm I won’t execute,” Soroka said. “These guys are the best of the best. If you understand and you know that if you don’t calm down, it’s not going to go well.

“So to me I just don’t really have a choice but to be calm.”