I had great teammates. Adam Jones took great care of me. Mike Gonzalez took good care of me.
— Jake Arrieta
I'm probably throwing down close to 10,000 calories. And then I don't eat for three or four days.
The numbers are hard to control.
Guys want to be compensated fairly.
I'd like to stay in Chicago, but if they don't want me, somebody will.
Typically, being under the strike zone with the sinker isn't a big issue. I need to be a little bit higher with the strike zone earlier in the count. If you miss under with one here and there when you're ahead, it's really not an issue.
I was giving some of my teammates a hard time, saying I've got more pop than they do.
At the end of the day, all we're trying to do is get the hitter off balance. Get him in a position where he's not strong in the strike zone.
You rarely see any blowout games.
I care about the integrity of the game.
I don't think I've ever been as humbled as I have been in Pilates. It's incredible how much body control and how much isolated strength you have to have to complete these movements successfully.
I'm not saying I won't make a mistake throughout the game.
Once I get completely right mechanically and with command, maybe I only use two or three pitches to get through seven innings.
I don't like to see any sucker punches. I do think, in the heat of battle, if you're getting hit on the hip with 98, then you should be able to go out and see somebody.
I was in Baltimore in 2012 and 2013.
There's food and supplements that you can take legally that will better your body and help you stay healthy. Shortcuts are something that's always been around all sports, but as a union, we're trying to do the best we can to weed those guys out of the game.
What I did before in my career you can pretty much throw out the window. Out of sight, out of mind.
It's just a continuous process, trying to work through it, trying find that comfort zone and go from there. That's kind of where I'm at. I feel pretty good about where I'm at.
There's not many guys that can pitch at the top of the rotation floating around the league.
Dry deliveries. That helps when I get the ball back in my hand - like I never really stopped throwing. The goal for me is to increase arm strength.
The contract stuff will work itself out. If we keep winning, those kinds of things all work themselves out in time.
I've made it clear I like Chicago.
We're tested eight, nine times a year - blood tested, urine tested, so I mean, if people think I'm doing something, tell them to increase the testing.
I'm not really into the statements kind of thing.
On the road, we're hitting in the cages during our normal batting practice for our position players.
As a kid, you put yourself in those positions. Bases loaded, two outs, you're at the plate. That's kind of the way I envision it as a kid playing whiffle ball or whatever the case was.
I think flexibility in general is something that needs to be reinforced, and not only baseball players but all sports.
That's one the main reasons we live in Austin. The weather is so nice for the majority of the offseason, and it's easy for us to get out and ride bikes and get on some trails, to walk together as a family. Sometimes I'll go out for a trail run. We just like to do things outdoors.
There are so many things on Twitter, so many mentions, it's hard to get through all of them.
I like my chances toe to toe with just about anybody.
If two guys want to go see each other, let them be in the middle, let them throw some punches, then break it up.
There were so many things in Baltimore not many people know about. I had struggles with my pitching coach. A lot of guys did.
I could be 30 pounds heavier if I played football. But I play baseball, and I do Pilates.
You play your surroundings. You pitch accordingly. Not that I drastically try to change my game plan based on the score or the team or stadium, but you have to take everything into consideration.
Sometimes, when I break my hands, I kind of go too far behind my body, and what that will do, wherever my right arm's going to go, my left arm's going to go.
Immersing myself in the Wrigleyville area was special to me and my family.
If I have to leave, I don't want to leave without another ring.
You want to be paid in respect to how your peers are paid.
That's why it's so important to have that gap between your fastball and off-speed pitches: then, when you effectively locate your fastball, it plays at a higher velocity.
People asking my teammates, 'Is Arrieta a guy who'd try to cheat the system?' Honestly, hearing that kind of stuff come from some of the best players in baseball is honestly a compliment. I view it that way.
With a runner at second base with nobody out, you're trying to punch somebody out. You understand when there are guys in scoring position; hitters like to be aggressive early.
There's plenty of situations where we'll come up with guys on base, less than two outs, and those are opportunities for us to help ourselves out.
I wouldn't want to disappoint my family, my friends, my fans.
That's one of my focuses, is to increase my flexibility and strength and have greater range of motion.
You feel everybody has your best interests in mind, but you come to find out that's not necessarily the case.
At this point, I'm just grinding through it, trying to establish strikes in the zone with my pitches, using some information the opposition gives me, and kind of moving forward in that regard.
What I don't like to see is a lot of chirping and guys just talking crap to each other. If you got something wrong with a guy, go see him.
I enjoyed my time in Baltimore. I really did. I learned so much.
I repeat my delivery consistently. My balance is much improved. And the mental and physical toughness Pilates requires to complete movements the correct way have directly helped me on the mound.
I watch what I eat, and I train properly.
