Before every game he starts, Marco Estrada will sit down at his locker, bury his ears in headphones and listen to a two-and-half-minute song. It puts the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander in a “good place,” rids him of any negative vibes, and gets him set to take the mound.
What song is it that transports Estrada to the happy zone?
“Nah, that’s for me,” Estrada said with a laugh on The Jeff Blair Show Wednesday morning.
During his two-plus seasons as a Blue Jay, Estrada has displayed nerves of steel in pressure-packed situations. He succeeded in pivotal games during the club’s two consecutive post-season runs, including elimination game victories in the 2015 American League Division Series and Championship Series. Then in 2016 he dominated Texas in Game 1 of the ALDS and allowed two runs over eight innings in a 2-0 loss to Cleveland in the first game of the ALCS.
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He was rewarded for his recent clutch performances with Monday’s opening day assignment against the Orioles. The 33-year-old was stellar in the no-decision, giving up two runs on five hits over six innings.
Estrada says he wasn’t nervous at all in his first career opening day nod, and offered insight to Blair and co-host Kevin Barker about his unique pre-game routine.
“When I’m on the mound I don’t really feel anything,” Estrada said on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. “I think it’s because I premeditate the night before … The night before I tend to get a little weird.”
An hour or two before Estrada goes to sleep, he makes sure to isolate himself.
“I kind of lock myself in a room. I don’t really want to be bothered. I get all those jitters or whatever you want to call them out of the way,” he said. “I watch a funny show, something that puts me into a good place, so mentally I’m happy and I’m prepared for the next day.
“I basically get all that stuff out of the way the night before so the day of, I show up to the field and I feel like it’s just another day.”
When he arrives at the field on his game day, Estrada says, unlike most pitchers, he enjoys conversing and joking with teammates. The only exception is the two-and-half minutes when those headphones are popped on.
“Once I get the song out of the way, I’m back to normal.”
Listen to the full interview, in which Estrada also shares his thoughts on Toronto having the best rotation in baseball, here.
