John Schreiber didn't crack the Opening Day roster for the Red Sox, but he's since become a reliable late-inning pitcher called on to get crucial outs.
Schreiber's latest outing came Tuesday night when he went up against his former team, the Detroit Tigers. The 28-year-old replaced Matt Strahm with two outs in the ninth and surrendered a single before getting Miguel Cabrera to ground out to end the game and seal Boston's 5-4 win at Fenway Park.
Schreiber was designated for assignment by the Tigers in 2021 before being claimed by the Red Sox. He began the season in Triple-A Worcester and made his way back to the big leagues when Rich Hill landed on the COVID-19 related injured list.
And he's been in Boston ever since.
So, how did Schreiber go from struggling pitcher to reliable bullpen arm in close games?
"... I just think the transformation is mainly mentally," he told WEEI's Rob Bradford on the "Bradfo Sho" podcast. "You don't think much of it when you come up for the first time, but confidence is such a huge thing. You think you have the confidence when you're up the first time but then you start losing that confidence.
"There was way more to it than I thought. I put so much pressure on myself and that's what hurt me. Everybody tells me not to put too much pressure on yourself and obviously, you don't think too much of it, and you start doing and then you're like, 'Holy crap, what am I doing?'
"I would have a stretch where I would put up some good outings and then the next stretch it would be run after run after run. That's going through my head constantly. 'What do I have to do to get out of this?' All that pressure kept mounting up and I'm just like, 'What am I doing?' ... As soon as you stop forgetting about that stuff and just step on the mound and think, 'Holy crap, I'm having fun' everything changes."
It's clear the right-hander is having fun, especially judging from his reactions after he gets a big out -- much like Tuesday when Cabrera grounded out.
"I just feel like I’m going a little crazy after every outing, trying to maintain my composure," Schreiber told reporters, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. "Sometimes, that adrenaline just comes out."
Going into Tuesday's game Schreiber owned an 0.86 ERA in 21 appearances while leading the Red Sox with 11 holds. He's become a staple in a bullpen that has struggled at times to hold on to leads and he's defined a solid role for himself.
The Red Sox won their series against the Tigers on Tuesday and will go for the sweep Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET and you can catch all the beginning at 6 p.m. on NESN.
