 Well, the Yankees got with it. They made a trade right away. They came into the office and said, we need two elite starting pitchers. And the first move, they got one of the elite left-handers in all of the game, and that is James Paxton formally of the Seattle Mariners, and now a New York Yankee. And he's nice to have to join us here on the K Show. James, it's Michael, Don, and Peter. How are you doing? Doing well, how are you guys? We're doing great. So tell me, when did you get the phone call and your absolute first reaction? I got the phone call yesterday. I think it was about 3 o'clock. It was Jerry DePoto, GM for the Seattle Mariners, gave me a call and told me what was going to be going on. And honestly, I was excited. I think I'm very honored to have been chosen by the Yankees to help them go for number 28. It's going to be a great experience. Obviously, I'm going to miss Seattle, but I'm very excited for the opportunity. Now, James, did you have a sense that you're on the block because we keep hearing rumors that the Mariners are just going to break it down and start all over again? So did you sense that this was coming? I saw all the rumors on Twitter and stuff like that and different things. I never heard anything official from the team or anything like that, but it sure seemed like something was going to happen. You know, it's a strange situation, James. You come into a team that just won 100 games and the fan base looks at it as a disappointment because it's about winning championships with the Yankees. So do you fully grasp coming to a team where it's basically all or nothing? Yeah, I mean, it's just the way the Yankees are. They've got a great history, tradition, commitment to winning, but it's basically championship or bust in New York. And I'm excited to be a part of it. Now, people will say, I mean, it's unfair to you, but the last big time starting pitcher, well, the Jay Hap worked out. But before that, Sonny Gray and a similar gray had all the intangibles that you'd want in a player, but he just didn't make it work in New York. So people are saying, well, James Paxton really hasn't pitched in very big games, not a lot of pressure in Seattle. What do you answer to those people that have their doubts? Everyone's different, you know, just wait and see. I'm gonna bring everything I've got and, you know, I put everything I've got into this game and you're gonna get everything I have. Innings, are you someone that you feel that can consistently pitch 200 innings a season? I think I'm getting there. You know, I've had my fair share of injuries, that's for sure. Luckily, knock on wood, none of them have been to my shoulder or elbow, nothing structural. And none of the injuries that I've had have returned, you know, so I've learned how to not have those come back. So hopefully I'm running out of things here to have to remedy and I can, you know, stay healthy for entire season. You know, I work very hard and I put a lot into this and hold a lot of pride in myself and, you know, my game and I'm just gonna, I'm gonna give everything I've got to go out there and give it, you know, that 200 innings effort. Now, have you spoken, I assume you've spoken with the manager, Aaron Boone, and if so, what did Aaron tell you and how long was the conversation? It was a pretty short conversation. You know, we talked for about three to five minutes. He was just welcoming me to the Yankees, telling me how excited he was, and I was expressing my excitement as well, and he was letting me know to get in touch with any questions. He also said he'd be reaching out again after Thanksgiving just to have a further conversation. When you'd come here as an opponent, did you get a chance to experience New York? Did you like New York? Yeah, I've been a few times, have a few friends in New York actually, great city, love the city. You know, super cool stadium, loved everything about it. It's gonna be a great place for me. Now, you know, I'm reading up on you after the Yankees made the acquisition and I want to ask you this question. So I look on baseball reference and you initially, you're from Canada. You got drafted in the first round by the Blue Jays and you decided not to sign with them. You went to Kentucky and the next year you got drafted in the fourth round and you did sign. Why did you not go with the hometown team? We couldn't come to an agreement. I didn't feel like I was treated fairly and I wasn't gonna stand for that. So I made a decision to go a different route and you know, it's worked out for me. I'm glad, no regrets. I'm glad that I made the decisions that I did at that time and it's led me here to be at the Yankee so it couldn't have gone any better. James, that probably was disappointing for a kid from Canada that you couldn't come into an agreement with that. Probably was a dream come true to get drafted by them. Yeah, you know, at that time it was very exciting. I just felt like I had to stand up for myself in that moment and it was just part of my principles and how I expect to be treated and yeah, it was definitely an interesting time. Now James, you'll get to know me, I'm very vindictive so it must have been great for you to pitch a no hitter against the Blue Jays then. Let's be honest. Yeah, that was awesome. That was, it couldn't have gone any better, you know, honestly to have a B in Canada, share that with Canadian fans and also have a B on TV across Canada so all my friends and family in Vancouver could watch. It was pretty special. Now growing up in the Vancouver area, was Seattle kind of the facto local team for you or did you still follow Montreal and Toronto when you're growing up? I'd say I was more American. I didn't watch a whole lot of baseball when I was growing up. Really? I was outside playing the game, you know. I didn't watch a whole lot of sports on TV. I was just too busy playing them myself. But I think we would go down and watch some Mariners games every year and I think that's what made me, you know, more of a Mariners fan growing up as a kid. Now James, you know, this radio show is also simulcasted around the country on the Yes Network and so they have a picture of you in a Yankee uniform where they superimpose the hat and you have a New Jersey on but in the picture you have a beard. Is that gonna be a tough thing for you to get rid of? No, it won't be a tough thing. I'm sure that I'll be able to shave and be a clean shave and I've heard that there is, you might, I might be allowed to have a mustache if I find out for sure. Yes, you can. It just can't drop below your lip. Do you really want one? Okay. I don't know, I've watched it before and it's okay. My wife likes it. All right, well, how quickly does, like, do they mention anything about that in the initial conversation? Like, hey, just so you know, you gotta shave. Not yet. No, we haven't had those conversations yet. I'm sure that Aaron Boone will cover some of those things in our next conversation, just the expectations and what is required of me. Well, they will. That will definitely come up in conversation too. You said you played a lot of sports up in Canada. Did you play hockey? I never did. I was a baseball guy pretty much from the start. My dad never played hockey growing up other than, you know, pond hockey or, you know, it's recreational stuff. Nothing, no organized sport. He was more of a baseball guy, so that's what he got me into. All right, so total curiosity, James. So you, every time I've announced games with you and the mariner announces it's James Paxton. Very formal, why not, Jimmy? When did it become James? It's always been James. I've had some friends that have called me Jimmy in the past, but, you know, I've been called Pax, you know, or anything like that, but just not a lot of people have called me Jimmy. But now a lot of people call you the Big Maple. Do you like the nickname? It works. Yeah, the fans in Seattle seem to like it. The media kind of ran with it. It wasn't something that I dubbed myself, that's for sure. It was one of our coaches, I think a couple of years ago, came up with that name and it stuck. I'll take us back to the no-hitter. What was it you just liked to experience that? It was amazing, you know, I didn't really know that it was happening until probably the fifth inning. I was too focused on trying to get myself right, you know, because early on I was walking a few guys and didn't even really feel like great. And then it all just kind of clicked in the fifth inning and everything started feeling better. I looked up, there was no hits and there were some amazing plays being made behind me as well. How about the 16 strikeouts and seven innings? How about that game? Yeah, that was a special game. It was one of those where I came out of the gates and I knew that I had a special fastball that day. And they just couldn't catch it. You know, no matter what they did, they just could not catch up to it. I felt like I could just throw a fastball at the top of the zone and I was gonna put it by him every single time. You know, and I mixed in a few cutters and curveballs but it was a lot of fastballs and it was just explosive that day. They had no chance. Now you said you didn't watch a lot of sports because you were out there playing, but was there a mentor? Was there somebody you tried to pattern yourself off of as you were growing up as a pitcher? My two favorite guys growing up were Randy Johnson and Andy Pettit. Those were my guys. I really enjoyed watching Randy's stuff, you know. Man, that explosive fastball on the slider and then Andy Pettit, I just enjoyed watching everything about him, how he carried himself, how he competed. He was just, he was the best. Now, this previous season, the numbers were good. You threw 160 innings, but you probably gave up more home runs than you wanted to. What do you think happened there and how do you correct that? Because you're pitching at a ballpark, now half your games, that does yield home runs. Right, yeah. You know, I did give up more home runs last year than in previous years. I think leaving a few things at the top of the zone made a few more mistakes than I would have liked to. Got, I think, a little distracted at times when I shouldn't have, and that's things that I'm, you know, working on remedying for next year and I'll be ready to go. Do you have to make adjustments ballpark to ballpark? Like you said, the short porch at Yankee Stadium obviously doesn't affect you as much being a lefty, but are you conscious of the size of the ballparks? Fenway, you know, if the occasional time you pitched in Philadelphia, the places that do give up a lot of home runs? Not really, you know, I'm going to go out there and do my thing. I'm going to do what I have to do at certain times or maybe times where I'm going to pitch guys more away or more inside if they're looking to go that way. That's more just kind of reading swings and all what God's trying to do against me. What are we looking for, number wise, with the Yankees? I'm looking to stay healthy and I'm looking to help the team make the postseason and win a championship. You know, I can't promise any results, but I can promise you you're going to get everything I've got. Well, I actually, because I'm a jerk, I actually made the number on your back. What kind of number do you want? Because there's not a lot of numbers available. Yeah, no threes, no fives, no fours. Yeah. Number 65 in Seattle and I feel like that's a pretty rare number. Yeah. I think that might still be available. Yeah, Phil Hughes used it and they have not retired it, so I think you can get it. All right, that sounds good. Now you went to the University of Kentucky. Any interaction at all with Coach Cal? No, I never did have any interaction there. I have heard that he is a Yankee guy though, so I'm sure I'll get a chance to meet him. Did you go to Roperino Law or you just locked in on the baseball part? I was pretty focused, locked in on the baseball part, tried to be good in school too in my classes and stuff like that. I did make it to a few games, for sure. It was a great place to watch basketball, great basketball program there, but I wasn't a regular, that's for sure. They seem so committed to the art of baseball. As you said, you didn't watch a lot of games, you're out playing. So how does James Paxton just kind of relax? What are things you're into other than baseball? Well, I'm married, hang out with my wife. I'm off the time with her. I like fishing, I've gone into that. I've done a few fishing trips this off season. That's kind of what I do to relax. And, you know, like movies, yeah, just enjoying time with friends and family as well. Might be a good idea not to fish in the East River. That's probably our... Depends on what you're fishing for. Yeah. It's a very good point though. Very good point. So it sounds like you're excited, it sounds like you're pumped up, you're probably sick of answering all these questions, but we thank you for taking some time. Look forward to meeting you and hope you and your wife and your extended family have a happy Thanksgiving and welcome to New York. You bet, thanks for having me guys. Happy Thanksgiving to you too. I thank you. That's James Paxton, the newest Yankee pitcher, 30 years old, and he'll be wearing number 65 and the big maple, part of the big apple.