Joe Biagini may be a Rule 5 draft pick and an MLB rookie, but rest assured, the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander has plenty of big game playoff experience. Well, sort of.
Sportsnet caught up with the 26-year-old set-up man on the eve of Tuesday’s wild-card matchup against Baltimore to talk about the post-season, salsa dancing, and how he handles his nerves in big situations. He was partly serious for part of this interview.
If someone told you at the start of this season that you’d be called upon in pressure-packed situations down the stretch for the Blue Jays, what would you have thought?
I probably would have been nervous all year. Good thing nobody can predict the future.
No kidding. How much playoff experience do you have?
I’ve only done playoffs in little league—that was pretty pressure packed. And MLB, the video game.
How did you do?
I was on the little league all-star team, but the only reason I was on the team was because my dad promised to help coach. So, yeah, I was not the main component of that team at all. In video games I have a lot more playoff experience. I know what buttons to push.
You’re ready for the MLB post-season, then.
Yes. I think the biggest thing playoff experience helps teach you is that it’s not any different than any other situation. A lot of times you’re unsure, is that really true? The experience helps you test that theory. Once you’re there you’re like, “Oh it really is the same as everything else.” Does success come from manufactured confidence or does it come from experience? I think it’s both. You have to put yourself in that mindset and use it to give yourself as many opportunities as you can. Obviously a little success doesn’t hurt to help you pound that in. I think that’s the best way I know how to deal with it at this point just from what I’ve been working with.
Is this team the most exciting thing you’ve ever been a part of?
Yeah, besides the salsa classes that I took in the off-season.
You did?
Possibly. Yeah. I got a little bit. [Biagini starts dancing in the tunnel.] So besides the salsa classes, this is probably one of the most exciting things. When it comes down to it you’re out there on the field and you’re playing with so much talent. You see [Russell] Martin and [Dioner] Navarro and [Josh] Thole out there in front of you. You see the defence behind you, you see the guys hit. I know this team can handle it. I know they’re experienced. I use their skills, their talent, their ability, and allow that to make it easier for me. I know they’re gonna be there. That’s all you can do, right?
Did you expect this season to go as well as it has for you?
Getting the opportunity at first to help this team is beyond anything that I would have hoped for. But then once you get in it you’re like, well, there’s some things I can actually do to be a part of this. So yes and no. It’s a miracle that this happened for me. But when you take a step back and think, I’m in this position for a reason, then it helps you to say well, yeah, I should be here. As crazy as it is, it’s still true.
Are you more nervous watching from the dugout than when you’re actually on the mound?
Yeah, when you’re pitching it’s probably when you’re the least nervous. You don’t really have the capacity to worry about stuff, especially with experience and your ability to focus. When you’re not pitching you get nervous for other guys, how the game’s gonna go. If you want to get a mental break from the nervousness, then go pitch. Go in the game. I should call the clubhouse: “This is wearin’ on me, it’s hard to deal with, put me in!”
That probably won’t work—your dad isn’t your coach anymore.
That’s true. Maybe I’ll have my dad call the clubhouse. But I think when I’m pitching the best way to attempt to handle any nerves is just looking at it from the perspective of, I’m not gonna get killed if I do bad—like, literally. I’m not gonna be shot or be tortured. It’s a game. So when you think about how it’s a game and yes, you want to help the team and the organization win, but I also know that the rest of my life is so blessed. It allows you to relax. They say the best players raise their game in those moments. I feel like the best players are the best because they just are who they are in those moments and they’re not gonna be distracted by anything else in a big situation. I challenge myself to work on that perspective of, this is the same as any other game and any other day.
Sounds like a piece of cake.
Oh yeah, super easy.
Do you have a message for the fans ahead of the playoffs?
Don’t streak on the field. That’d be bad. Yeah, just for me, personally. This team all year has talked about the support we’ve gotten from fans. It’s been really fun and kind of inspiring. It’s definitely motivating, as much as you think that’s cliché. Is the crowd gonna really help? It really does. That’s something we’ve had all season and it’s really pushed us along. I have no doubts that they’re gonna be just as enthusiastic in the playoffs. Maybe even more. And after this interview comes out? It’s gonna be huge.
