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Live Chat With Mariners Reliever Paul Sewald
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Tim Dierkes
9:47
MLBTR is thrilled to host a live chat today with Mariners reliever Paul Sewald!
Paul Sewald
9:58
Hey everybody, thanks to MLBTR for having me on the chat today and I'm excited to get to as many of your questions as I can. Lets do it!
Bruce
9:58
Do you believe it is important to relievers to have a defined role rather than being used in a more random manner?  Do you think it is true that certain relievers are better equipped to handle closing?
Paul Sewald
10:00
I do believe its important for relievers to have a specific defined role to perform their best. Thats not necessarily set up closer long man etc but a well communicated role as to who you are matched up against in a series is vital.
Gorilla Mode
10:00
What was it like having a guy like Kyle Seager in the clubhouse?
Paul Sewald
10:01
Kyle was great to have especially in a clubhouse with so many young guys or new to the Mariners. He had been the face of the organization and were going to miss him.
Go M's
10:01
Hi Paul, congrats on a great season, wanted to ask if you knew you got a Finest card in MLB The Show (reserved for the best players this year).
Paul Sewald
10:02
I did see that on Twitter, but I dont play video games or have any idea what that was or what that meant. But I like that best player deal.
Duffy
10:02
Thanks for doing this Paul! You’re a Vegas guy, and there’s been no shortage of great players coming out of that city lately. How exciting to you is the idea of an MLB team possibly making their home there in the not too distant future?
Paul Sewald
10:03
Las Vegas is such an underrated city and especially when it comes to the baseball talent coming from here. The Golden Knights have excelled and the Raiders look good too, it'll be interesting to see if a team relocates here.
Hugh Murris
10:03
So you feel that being overworked in the Mets bullpen led to a delay in your career breakout?
Paul Sewald
10:04
I wouldnt necessarily say I was overworked in New York. I would say I was just inconsistent and didnt really tap into what I do best until this season, but better late than never.
Nick
10:05
My taste in music is pretty eclectic, so I was wondering how much time/effort is put into walk-up song choices for batters/closers. Are you/your teammates cycling through tracks like crazy, or are you told "pick a song for the year." How does that work?
Paul Sewald
10:06
Walk out songs are such a great way for players to show who they are off the field. Unfortunately for relievers, we dont really get a ton of walk out exposure because typically we come in in the middle of innings when stadiums like to use that time for fan interaction and advertising, but I know the hitters really enjoy it.
Jared
10:06
What changed with the Mariners that you weren't able to tap into with
> the Mets? In 4 years with NY, you were never as effective as 2021 with
> SEA
Paul Sewald
10:07
I made 2 major adjustments with Seattle from my time with NYM. First, being utilizing the upper 1/3 of the zone with my fastball, and secondly looking for more sweep on my slider rather than depth.
JB
10:07
What makes your fastball so good despite its lower-than-average velocity?
Paul Sewald
10:08
There are a lot of factors that go into the quality of anybody's pitches, but the most important ones that make my fastball good are the high spin rate and what we call Vertical Approach Angle, meaning I throw more uphill than downhill.
Seattle
10:09
congrats on the great year, I sure hope ur enjoying our state
Paul Sewald
10:09
Love Seattle and love Washington. Although, it helps when I get to skip the cold and wet winters and strictly enjoy the beautiful summers.
John
10:09
Love the owner chirps
Paul Sewald
10:10
Whoops!
Marinerslover
10:10
Favorite moment last season?
Paul Sewald
10:11
Very tough question since there were so many, but I'd probably say the 2nd to last game of the season, where I didnt perform and the team came back to pick me up to win and give us a chance to go to the playoffs in game 162.
Phillies to WS
10:11
What’s your favorite city to play in?
Paul Sewald
10:12
I really enjoy the chance to get out and see so much of the country that I may have never gotten to see otherwise. Hard to choose just one city, but I'll say anywhere on the west coast is great because I get to have family in the stands.
Jake
10:13
Hi Paul - I can't recall if I read about this before, but I noticed you making a heart symbol with your hands after each save / inning ... is there someone in particular whom you dedicate that to?
Paul Sewald
10:14
That was something I started after my daughter was born. With the timing of the season, I was away from her and my wife for the last 7 weeks, and I wanted to do something to show them I was thinking of them while they watched on tv.
Peter
10:14
What did you feel like after leaving the Mets? Personally I like them so it made me sad when you left. Even though you were a somw
Paul Sewald
10:15
I was disappointed leaving the Mets. They drafted me, gave me a chance in the big leagues and i grew up a lot in my 9 years in the organization. Thankfully, it worked out pretty well for me.
Samuel
10:15
Hi Paul, on the last day of the 2021 season, were you more proud of what the Mariners accomplished or more disappointed to not make the postseason?
Paul Sewald
10:16
Little of both. Winning 90 games when we were projected to win 72ish was an incredible accomplishment. But this game is about getting to the playoffs and trying to win the WS and coming up short was really hard.
Nsmith
10:16
Who are your favorite bands/musicians
Paul Sewald
10:17
I'm a pretty big Drake fan, but I'll get hyped listening to anything JP Crawford puts on in the clubhouse before the games.
Guest
10:17
Do you see the American League west getting tighter if Oakland starts a fire sale, and how will Trevor Story do in the American League if he signed.
Paul Sewald
10:18
I think the ALWest is a really tough, competitive, and even division. There are a lot of great players and lineups to face and it should be interesting. Story is an incredible player, and hoping if hes in our division hes in Seattle.
Stephen
10:19
Hi, Paul, thanks for being here! How did you find the transition to high leverage situations this year, especially in September?
Paul Sewald
10:19
It's every relievers goal to pitch in the highest leverage situations to help your team win as many games as possible so it was really exciting Scott put me in those big moments.
Tstats
10:20
WOAH! WHOAH WHOAH!! First it’s an honor! Secondly, how do you feel about modern pitching metrics that don’t like certain guys because of low spin?
Paul Sewald
10:21
Thats not true unfortunately. Modern pitching metrics like any pitches that are unusual in shape and velocity. The evolution of launch angle swinging has deterred pitchers from throwing down in the zone as an adjustment to that.
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