Mark Kotsay, Athletics players react to 2-1 win over Cubs

Mark Kotsay, Gage Jump and Nick Kurtz speak to reporters following the Athletics' 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

Mark Kotsay, Athletics players react to 2-1 win over Cubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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Well, the road trip begins with a win here in Chicago, and the biggest hand of all is Gage Jump.

Got his first major league win of his career.

Gage, how special is this moment for you?

You know, it's awesome.

I wanted to get it last game, but happy we got one tonight.

Yeah.

I, I wanna talk to you about the things that you learn from your first start, 'cause as young pitchers, you come up, and you might not have much emotion, or you might not feel much, and then you have to kind of look back and go, "Wow, that really happened."

What about the first start were you able to take away and plug into your second start?

Because tonight, my man, you were absolutely fantastic, filling up the strike zone early and often.

Yeah.

Just going after guys.

I think, the first outing, after I gave up some hits, I think I was a little less aggressive.

so tonight, with all the contact I feel like I gave up, I just still, foot on the pedal and was still going after guys.

Especially with the wind blowing in tonight, I thought, you know, I was in a good spot.

So just going after guys.

Gage, every kid dreams of, playing at Wrigley Field, whether it's as a pitcher or a hitter, even if it's as a visiting player.

Can you walk us through your experience today, just showing up to the ballpark a- and the environment tonight?

Yeah.

I, I didn't really know what to expect.

I haven't been to Chicago before.

but I got out here pretty early, walked around the place.

and it was, yeah, it was awesome.

It was amazing.

I, I tried to take it all in, especially after my bullpen walk into the dugout.

I tried to look around and, and get used to everything, especially before the game.

Walked behind the mound, kind of looked at the, the sights and everything.

but yeah, once the game started, it was, it was compete mode and, and, I was pretty focused.

Well, congratulations on a fantastic effort tonight, my man.

Seven innings, just one run baseball out of you.

And, you go ahead and get ready for a coffee order tomorrow.

I feel like you'll be busy.

Yeah.

But congratulations.

Go clap hands with the boys.

Thanks, Dallas.

I know after your first outing you were happy, but a little frustrated kind of with your performance.

what's kind of the feeling after- Seems great this one tonight and being able to help the team to a win?

Yeah.

I mean, I just looked at the execution and I didn't execute that well tonight.

you know, they were very aggressive with, with early swings and, and the heater.

and I think I just missed the barrel a little bit.

but yeah, I just need to be able to put the breaking balls in better, better spots.

So yeah, just kind of keep moving forward with it.

I guess, obviously last time you had more swing and miss.

This time you just mentioned kind of pitching the contact a little more.

I mean, do you feel like that was kind of a, a difference from the first time out for you overall?

Yeah.

I mean, I'll, I'll always take being able to go deep in games.

and, and getting early outs, early contact, limiting damage.

So yeah, I mean, I'm, I'm happy with that part, but I need to be able to execute, the breaking balls where they, where they need to go, especially in kill counts.

so, so we'll work on that moving forward.

Sorry, sorry.

You, you really weren't happy with your execution tonight?

It's a pretty good line for, you know, not- seems like what we're getting from you, you know?

Yeah.

I mean, the result's the result.

but if you look at the result throughout the season, you're I think personally I wouldn't be in a good spot.

So I look at the execution, afterwards, and if it's not to par, then I work on it.

Result, take the result out of it.

tonight, you know, they just put swings on the ball and, and missed the barrel.

the fastball was good, but you know, I gotta be able to land the breaking balls when I need them, so that'll bring more swing and miss, and that's what I need right now, so.

But I'll take going deep in games, obviously.

What about the thrill of just getting that first one, though?

I mean, what does that mean to you?

Yeah, it's awesome.

you know, I've, I've always wanted to I'm a competitor.

I wanna win.

I wanted to win last time I threw, and it didn't happen, so, doing it tonight, I was stoked about it.

Yeah.

What, what did you, what'd you get from the game?

Are you, are you keeping anything, or, and where is it, where is it?

Like a ball or the, the scorecard?

What did the- Oh, I have no idea.

I'm assuming there's probably gonna be some stuff in my locker.

Okay.

I know my parents have all the stuff from last game, so I'll give the stuff.

Oh.

Definitely the, the win, for sure.

Was there a beer shower?

There was, yeah.

after the, after the game.

That was, that was fun.

Yeah.

They, the guys loved it, too.

Gage.

Yeah, we got 'em right there, so.

Okay.

Yeah.

You're like, "You're all set then."

was there any difference in mindset?

I know it's kind of hectic, you making your MLB debut on, on such short notice.

And now that you're kind of, you know, got to have a couple more days under your belt here with the club, how much did that impact you coming into tonight?

I think having good conversations with the older guys, especially Jeffrey, kind of words of wisdom on, on what to expect.

But it's the same game and, and for me personally, my stuff is good enough, so just don't, don't fear anyone really.

So, you know, when I go out on the mound, I, I, I really compete with a level of, of confidence in myself that I know I can beat these guys and stay in my game.

And, you know, tonight I think there was, there was some pitches that I, I didn't like personally, and so we're gonna clean that up.

But, you know, it worked out, so.

It was a nice cool night.

The wind is blowing in here, which d- it doesn't happen all the time.

Mm-hmm.

Did that, calm you down also?

Yeah.

I, I think in the first, or, or maybe, I think, Armstrong fly ball in the outfit, I thought he put a good swing on it, and it didn't, it didn't really go that far.

So when I saw that, I was like, "Okay, just go after him."

I mean, if they're gonna put one dow- put one deep- Right it's, it's gonna be a They're gonna have to get it.

So, that was kind of the mindset going into whatever inning that was.

After that happened, it was like, okay, I mean, it's gonna be really tough for them.

Yeah.

Your, your first win obviously is significant anywhere.

But what's it like for you to, to be, pitch and perform well in this place, such one of the major league's crown jewels?

Yeah, it's awesome.

I mean, I wanna pitch well in Sac, pitch well everywhere, everywhere I go.

So I, I try not to think about the location too much or the team too much.

it's still my game.

when I'm on the field, it's my field, it's my mound.

but I think the prestigious field that Wrigley is and, and everything that this field, the tradition, it's, it's, it's really cool.

Yeah.

Scott's mentioned, he had a conversation with you a few weeks ago about your changeup.

Mm-hmm.

Kind of maybe developing that more.

how big would that pitch be for your, your- yeah.

It's-I, I really wanna be able to throw it.

you know, it's, it's something that I've, I've worked on tremendously.

Like, every single day I think about it, I learn, I, I look at grips, I look at my position of my hand, how it needs to be released.

So, you know, you look at I'm not comparing myself to Kershaw at all, but you look at Kershaw, he didn't have one.

So it's, we'll see about that.

I know Jeffrey has some things in mind, which is pretty cool, so we'll work on that.

but for me it's, it's the breaking balls and the fastball.

If I can throw those where they need to go and execute them, then I think I'll be okay.

But yeah, I mean, if I could have a good changeup, I would love that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So is that- Thanks, guys.

Awesome.

Thank you.

That was, like, pretty impressive stuff from Gage, especially after that, first inning.

Just how would you kind of evaluate his outing today overall?

Yeah, I, I thought Gage, this was the best I've seen him.

obviously, you know, seven innings, one run, and, you know, for him after the first, like you said, just settled in.

you know, getting out of the first, giving up, you know, two hits right away, you know, a lot of times you could let, let that spiral and, you know, he didn't.

So, that was an outing that we've talked about with Gage, that you don't need to strike everybody out, you just need to get people out, and I think that was, the blueprint for, for success for him going forward.

And you bring it up to, like, last outing he had a lot more swing and miss, but it seemed like tonight just pitching at contact, think that was kind of the, the key for him overall.

Yeah, I mean, the changeup was a po- a plus pitch tonight.

He used it very effectively, which, you know, about three weeks ago I called him personally and talked to him about developing this pitch because of the importance of it at the Major League level.

And, and I think, hopefully this just instills a little bit more confidence in it and the fact that, it can be a plus pitch for him and, and a weapon.

So, really impressed.

Do you find typically the changeup is the hardest pitch for a young pitcher to develop?

I just think it's just, it's, either a natural pitch or it isn't.

you know, and, obviously it's, it's been brought back in the game, probably the last couple years, as, as a real weapon.

you see more and more staffs utilizing the changeup, effectively.

So, you know, we always talk about successful pitchers disrupt timing of hitters and, and that's what that pitch does.

We talked about before the game that this is two different parks.

Tonight, the wind blowing in, Nick, didn't make a difference to him.

I don't think, I don't think the wind matters to Nick when he hits it.

you know, it's pretty impressive that he can hit a ball the opposite field and, and know that when it's, left- leaves the bat, it's a homer.

So like you said, the wind was blowing in.

you know, he hit it low, which helps in this place, you know?

but, yeah, I, I think, you know, Nick hits the ball as hard as, as anyone in the game and, and thus, you know, ballpark factors generally don't play a fact.

Go- going back to Gage real quick.

Mm-hmm.

you talked before the game about how you were, the bullpen was a little worn out.

so how big was it for him to turn in that performance given the rest of the team, and what does that do for a young pitcher knowing that the bullpen's kind of thin and, you know, going out and delivering that type of performance?

Well, it wasn't, it wasn't thin in the sense of, you know, guys not being available tonight.

it, it just helps, you know, for us going forward in, in, in these next, two and, and obviously with the series going into Houston.

you know, anytime we can get starters into the sixth inning, that's, that's gonna help the bullpen.

and, you know, that's obviously the goal when they take the mound to go out and, and give you six innings.

a bonus is the seventh, obviously, and, and he did a great job tonight.

You know, I was obviously pretty impressed myself for Gage there.

Yeah, it was awesome.

From your angle, just like, how was it like just watching him go out there and compete like that, so?

Yeah, I mean, he commanded the zone and he did it for seven innings, and it was kind of exactly what we needed.

you know, fueled us to that win.

that homer you hit, obviously the wind's kind of blowing in here.

when you kind of went off the bat, did you feel like it was, had a chance to go out or?

Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, in BP they were going a little bit more that way.

Yeah.

thought I'd hit it further out than it went, but- I guess it hit it low enough to where the wind didn't affect it too much.

These last couple games for you, are, are you feeling like you're locked in a little bit more in the plate, or is there anything different, last couple games?

Yeah, I think I'm definitely a little bit more locked in.

I feel like the swing is repeatable right now.

as we all know, baseball's hard and it'll come and go as days go on, but I'm just trying to take advantage of the days where it feels good.

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