ARLINGTON, Texas — He's one of the most successful postseason pitchers in the history of the game, and has the nickname to match – Charlie Freaking Morton (that's the family friendly version).
He's going to start Friday night's pivotal World Series Game 3 with the chance to pitch his Rays to a two-one advantage amid overwhelming confidence from his teammates that he is absolutely the right man to be on the mound.
And he's heading into the assignment feeling ... anxious, actually. Humbled. And a bit concerned.
In other words, just like he always does in these situations.
"I do not wake up in the morning and say, 'It's my time to shine,'" Morton explained. "I would say that I wake up in the morning and I question if I've done what I was supposed to do to get ready for what I've been asked to do."
He has, of course. There really is no doubt.
But that's how Morton, who turns 37 next month, looks at these postseason opportunities, as much as a responsibility as anything else, with the onus on him to be prepared and represent.
"You want to do well for yourself because you're constantly judging yourself," he said. "These are moments that you're going to look back and you're going to remember for the rest of your life."
But beyond a personal stake, Morton feels a much broader obligation.
To his teammates. To the organization and staff. And, certainly, to fans.
And, because he's Morton, to many others.
He notes, for example, the massive effort it took for baseball to get through the season, and then stage a postseason, given the extensive coronavirus protocols.
He cites the sacrifice of people with no vested interest in the outcome, such as the security guards working the resort hotel where the teams are in a bubble-like quarantine. Or the clubhouse staff in San Diego and Texas that had to isolate from their families to keep the teams playing in those spaces comfortable and safe.
"It's things like that that you start to realize and you see what's going on around you, it makes those moments all the more special," Morton said. "So I would say I wake up with a humble recognition that what I'm about to do is an opportunity that not many people get to experience and I try to prepare for it just like that."
What Morton has done has worked, obviously.
His overall 7-2, 2.84 ERA record in 12 career postseason appearances is impressive, but he has been even better of late. Over his last nine, going back to the 2017 season with Houston, he is 7-0, with a 1.45 ERA.
Since joining the Rays last season, he is 5-0, 0.70 ERA, including his dazzling work in Saturday's decisive seventh game of the American League Championship Series against the Astros, taking a two-hit shutout in the sixth.
That was the fourth time Morton was entrusted in a "winner take all" situation (three starts, and a planned long relief outing, against, of all teams, the Dodgers in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series). He won all four. No other pitcher in history has more than two W's in those kinds of games.
What sets Morton apart, his Rays teammates say, is as much how he handles the big moments as what he throws from the mound.
"Just his overall demeanor," manager Kevin Cash said during Thursday's off-day. "He's the same guy, whether it's Game 7, or game 30 (of the regular season). And that's pretty comforting.
"It's not just what Charlie does for himself, it's what he does for our club. It's pretty settling. We've seen it every outing we've given him the ball in the postseason for the last two years, he's been pretty outstanding. And when you build that type of a track record, (we) just continue to have so much confidence in the person."
Morton steels himself for the situation, but not to the point of blocking out his surroundings. He feels the additional energy in the clubhouse during the postseason, acknowledges the extra adrenaline. He suggests that may be a reason for the extra velocity on his fastball, the sharper break on his dastardly curve.
Morton offers the analogy of viewing the postseason games similar to a school exam.
"It's like a test," he said. "You study for a test, and you go into the classroom to take the test and nobody knows, even yourself, how you're going to perform in that test. Your teacher doesn't know, your classmates don't know, you don't know how you're going to perform in that test. And it's not until you take the test that everybody's figured it out.
"But you can go into that room, and actually be ready for the test and be in the best position possible to perform on the test. I think that's what sports and performance in general is all about. It's about exposing your strengths and weaknesses, and your ability, your preparedness.
"So I would say that now over the course of a few years, I've been able to demonstrate that I can go out there and do it."
The next test is Friday, first pitch 8:08.
