Kevin Pillar

I don't think it matters as much right now.

I do believe a lot of that has to do with him being a Washington national, the familiarity of him.

And obviously the Braves hitters, even though Patrick Corbin has somewhat kind of reinvented himself.

There's still, as you know, there's still this confidence when you own a guy.

It doesn't really matter how much he's kind of reinvented himself.

I could probably tell you, and I've been in that clubhouse in Atlanta, I could tell you that there's probably a lot of hitters fighting to get to the bat rack tonight, wanting, knowing their individual success, their team success off Patrick Corbin.

But I do believe...

Even dating back to last year when I played with him in Texas, under much different circumstances, he had to reinvent himself.

He's changed his arsenal of pitching.

But I think the biggest thing is mentally what he's been able to change.

When you're a guy who's...

almost on hole 18 of his career, he doesn't have this big contract to live up to anymore.

He got out of that shadow of the bad contract that he signed in Washington, right?

He's now pitching for... He's not pitching for a contract next year.

He might want to play next year, but...

He's kind of maxed out.

He's a million-dollar pitcher, right?

Not to say it's not a lot of money, but compared to what he's made in the past, he's not thinking about next year and what can I do to get a deal next year.

He's literally pitching because he's either addicted to the competition, loves the competition, doesn't know what else to do in his life, but it's a freeing position when you get to that point in your career where you're really just playing for the love of the competition and wanting to try to go out and win games.

I think you would know more.