For someone who has the Rangers logo plastered on her wall and a “Charge” ringtone, it’s surprising that it took me 5 days to make a Rangers post. If you know me, you know I live and die with them.
Scott Feldman was a go-to guy for the Rangers last season with 17 victories. Brandon McCarthy had 7 wins while struggling with injuries, but he hopes to be fully healthy next season. The pair signed autographs at the Rangers’ Dallas Team Shop on Wednesday afternoon. Big Thanks!
Q&A With Rangers Starters Scott Feldman & Brandon McCarthy
What was the key to your 17 wins last season?
Feldman: “We had a really good team. A lot of times, if I pitched good, we hit good. Also, we had a new pitching coach (Mike Maddux) that helped me a lot. Elvis (Andrus) helped me a lot at shortstop. Elvis is really good. Our whole defense is just really good.”
What is your offseason routine?
McCarthy: “Everybody has their own little different things. But most of us that are in Dallas are pretty similar. We all go to the field, and we workout for a couple of hours. It’s a lot of strength training, and just recently we started throwing. As we start throwing and to kind of build up, we get on a mound and start pitching again. It’s just kind of feeds into the season. It’s kind of a slow process, but it’s just a lot of working out and running.”
Has that been any different for you (McCarthy) since you’re coming back from an injury?
“It’s actually been a lot different. I’m working on changing my mechanics to kind of save myself from being hurt again. So I’ve had to change the way I throw. I actually got on Scott’s (Feldman’s) program. He’s been healthy for quite a while now, so I got on that program. It’s less throwing now in the hopes that I can throw more during the season.”
What are your pregame rituals?
Feldman: “I try to mix it up because if I start getting superstitious, I drive myself crazy. I sit at my locker and listen to my iPod like 45 minutes before the game and just kind of hang out and try to focus a little bit to get ready for the game.”
McCarthy: “It’s kind of always changing. What’s weird is that I used to be really, really superstitious, really, really bad with it to the point where the entire team knew what I was thinking and started making fun of me over and over and over again. At the start of last season, I tried to change everything to where I was more someone who tried to change it up each time so you don’t drive yourself crazy. I think this year I’m going to have to keep doing that”
Are there any teammates that you know of that have funny superstitions?
McCarthy: “Ian (Kinsler) puts on 5 pairs of socks, but outside of that nobody does anything too weird, and if it is weird, that’s probably why we don’t know about it because they don’t let us know.
Which ballparks are your favorite ones to pitch in?
Feldman: “I like pitching in Yankee Stadium, but I don’t really like facing the lineup that much.”
The new one or the old one?
Feldman: “Either one. I think it’s just fun to pitch in New York.”
McCarthy: “I like the old (Yankee Stadium) better than the new one. It’s more fair to pitchers at least, or it was.” McCarthy also said he liked Comerica Park in Detroit and Safeco Field in Seattle.
How did you pick your uniform numbers?
Feldman: “I didn’t even get to pick mine. When I got called up, that’s just what they had in my locker. I did good when I got called up the first time, so I just stuck with it.”
McCarthy: “I was #20 in high school for a year. When I came over here (from the White Sox), I just decided I’d go back to that number. I just kind of randomly got there.”
Look for Nolan Ryan tomorrow. This is a big week for Rangers fans!
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