SERBY’S SUNDAY Q&A WITH ... Edwin DIAZ
Mets closer Edwin Diaz saved some time for a Q&A session with Post columnist Steve Serby. Q: How do you want to be remembered one day? A: I want to be a Hall of Famer. Q: What is your mentality on the mound? A: I try to be the bad guy for [opponents]. I want to let them know I am the closer for my team, I will get that three outs no matter what. So every time I try to be the bad guy. Q: That’s a good guy for your team. A: Yeah, a good guy for my team, but bad guy for the other team. Q: When did you really know that you were a bad guy on the mound? A: I think from the minor leagues, every time when I was a starter, I tried to do the same thing, tried to attack the hitter, intimidate them and try to show the other team I’m on the mound ... mound presence. So I let them know I’m there, on the mound. Q: Do you enjoy being an intimidator? A: Yeah, I like it because I can show them I’m not afraid of anybody. Q: Describe the pressure on your shoulders to either win the game or maybe lose it. A: I like to play in pressure. I like pitching the ninth because the game’s in my hands. If I lost, nobody’s perfect. Q: Is it easy for you to go to sleep if you lose the game? A: Yeah, yeah, because I try to flush it right away. The next day’s a new day, so I have to do the same thing the next day. Q: It’s all about confidence in your stuff, right? A: I got 100 percent confidence in my stuff. I feel nobody can beat me, that’s why I think I’m so successful. Q: After you blow a save, do you feel bad that you let your teammates down? A: Yeah, I feel bad. I try to say, “I’m sorry,” sometimes. I don’t want to blow any games. If something went wrong, I try to think about it, and the next day try to do better. Q: You’re such a skinny guy though. How are you able to throw 100 mph? A: I don’t know, man ... something God gave me. Q: If you could face any hitter in MLB history, who would you pick? A: Roberto Clemente. He did a lot of good things for baseball and Puerto Rico, so it would be an honor for me to face him. Q: If you could sit down with one pitcher in MLB history, who would it be? A: Mariano Rivera. I think he’s the best closer all-time. So I want to try to be like him. I want to sit down with him and get good advice, to get a good routine to see how I can pitch every night. Q: How do you like New York? A: We’re in the Big Apple, and it’s fun being here. Q: Some guys come here and they’re scared by New York. A: If I got everything positive in my mind, everything will go right. My father and my mother [taught] me that. If something went wrong, stay positive. Q: What went wrong when you were a child that they had to tell you to be positive about? A: As a kid, I did a lot of bad things. That’s what my mom told me. I would bother everybody at home (smile). Q: Describe Mets fans. A: I like the Mets fans. They like to win every time. They like us to do our best every time. I think that’s good for us. Q: What is your best baseball moment? A: My debut in the major leagues [June 6, 2016]. That’s a dream come true. My parents were there, it was a special moment for me and my family. Q: What is your worst baseball moment? A: I think when we were fighting for the playoff spot in Seattle [vs. the A’s on Oct. 1, 2016]. I pitched that game, one game we lost [9-8 in 10 innings]. I threw [2 ¹ /₃ innings], I gave up one run and we lost that game. So if we won that game, we’re still alive to play the wild-card game. I was really mad and sad. Q: Who are your boyhood idols? A: Pedro Martinez and Mariano Rivera. Q: What did you like about Mariano? A: How he pitched, the mound presence ... his confidence ... humble every time. From Pedro, he’s aggressive and how he attacked the hitters. Q: Other boyhood idols? A: My father and my mom both, because they worked hard to take me to the field and tried to do their best to give me that chance to play baseball. They didn’t miss any practice, I didn’t miss any games. Q: Why were you switched from center field to pitcher in Puerto Rico? A: I didn’t hit really well, so they told me, “Hey you have to be a pitcher, you got a good arm, so let’s try you as a pitcher.” Q: When did you become a reliever? A: In Double-A. Q: You weren’t a closer right away. A: I was throwing the sixth, the seventh, they give me the eighth. Q: When was the first time you were a closer? A: It was against the Boston Red Sox in Seattle [Aug. 2, 2016]. ... Easy inning, so I was very blessed and very happy. Q: What was the feeling inside pitching the ninth inning? A: I was a little bit nervous because everybody said the ninth is one of the toughest innings in baseball. I felt relaxed warming up. When I threw the first strike, everything came like normally. Q: Your nickname “Sugar” came from the character Miguel “Sugar” Santos in the movie “Sugar.” A: People say I look like him. Q: What happened to your blond hair? A: We got together in the [2017 World Baseball Classic], everybody said “Hey let’s get the hair blond,” and everybody agreed. Q: Describe Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. A: My grandmother lost her car and a couple of things in her house. Q: Did she ever get her car back? A: I [bought] a car for her after the hurricane. Q: Your mother was diagnosed nine months ago with cancer. A: She’s free cancer, she’s doing good. Q: How long has she been cancer free? A: A couple of weeks. Q: Superstitions? A: Try to use the same [compression] tights every day. Same shirt. Same cleats. Q: Every day you pitch? A: Every day I pitch. Q: How did you learn English? A: In the minor league with my Dominican teammates. I tried to speak with them, and they corrected me. Q: What do you like at IHOP? A: Ham and cheese omelet with three pancakes. Q: You and your wife like walking around Manhattan. A: Every time when I got day off, I try to go to Times Square. Q: Central Park? A: Central Park, we went to the Empire State Building. It was fun. You can see all the city. Q: One dinner guest? A: Jackie Robinson. Q: What would you ask him? A: How was his life in the moments when he was just trying to play baseball? What did he do to be so positive every time? Q: Favorite movie? A: “Avengers: Infinity War.” Q: Favorite singer? A: Daddy Yankee. Q: Favorite meal? A: Rice and beans and chicken. My favorite meal before the game I get a ham and cheese sandwich almost every day before the game. Q: American cheese? A: Yeah, American cheese. Q: Personal goals? A: I got only one: Try to help the team to make the playoffs and try to win a World Series.