Q&A: Suárez on 7-year journey to Orioles

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KANSAS CITY -- Who is Albert Suárez?

Some Orioles fans may have been asking that question while watching the 34-year-old right-hander carve through the Twins’ lineup on Wednesday afternoon, when he tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his return to the big leagues. Six years and 204 days after his previous MLB outing, Suárez delivered a gem while filling in for Tyler Wells (right elbow inflammation).

With Wells on the 15-day injured list, Suárez is expected to get at least one additional start for Baltimore, if not more. He could end up being a surprise standout due to his electric 95-97 mph fastball, so people should get to learn more about the 6-foot-3, 235-pound righty.

Two days after Suárez’s stellar O’s debut, I caught up with him to discuss his path from Venezuela to Baltimore, a journey that featured extended time in the Minors and stops in Japan and Korea.

MLB.com: You signed with the Rays as a 16-year-old in 2006, then spent the next 10 years working up the Minor League ranks. What were the early years of your pro career like?

Albert Suárez: You always have that dream once you sign, because the first step is signing, and then after that, it’s like, “OK, now what do I need to do to get better to get to the big leagues?” And for me, every year was a grind. Obviously, I told myself, “OK, you need to get better every day -- every day.” And not just on the field, but off the field, learning English. I always told myself that was going to be very important. That’s how you go up in baseball. The mentality to be in the big leagues was always there.

MLB.com: Were there any pitchers who you tried to model your game after when you were young?

Suárez: I’ve been playing basically since I was six years old. You always look up to players. ... On the Latin side, I was always looking to Mariano Rivera. I’m a starter, so I was watching Roger Clemens, especially how he managed himself on the mound. Everything was like, “For me, that’s something that I might be able to do.”

MLB.com: After making 40 big league appearances with San Francisco between 2016 and '17 -- and then spending a full year back in Triple-A in '18 -- you opted to play in Japan for three seasons (2019-21). What was that experience like?

Suárez: Facing different hitters, a different type of hitter. Over there, they’re more contact hitters, way different than here. Here, everybody’s swinging for power. That helped me to have a different approach when I got there. I have to mix a little bit more. I know guys are not going to hit for too much power. Then when you come back here, now it’s different, there’s more power. It’s just different baseball.

MLB.com: Were you still thinking about a future return to the big leagues during that time, and then also when you pitched in Korea for two seasons (2022 and '23)?

Suárez: After my last year in Japan, yes. I challenged myself, I wanted to see if I could put up numbers [in Korea] so I can go back to the big leagues. Obviously, my brother [Robert Suárez] signed with the Padres [in 2021], and for me, it was like, “I think I can do it. I probably have to work harder than before. But I think I can do it.” My thinking was, “I’m going to be happy if my mom [Laura] can say that she has two kids in the big leagues.”

MLB.com: You signed a Minor League deal with the Orioles last September and spent some time getting to know the organization before pitching in winter ball in Venezuela. What have been your impressions of the team?

Suárez: Love it. Everybody, since Day One when I got to Sarasota, [Fla.], everybody was nice to me. I see a lot of young talent, and it’s a team that goes out there every day to win, and I love that.

MLB.com: Does an outing like your start on Wednesday give you confidence that you could be in the big leagues to stay this time?

Suárez: It gives me confidence to keep doing my job. Whether I stay here or not, I don’t control that. I only control what I can do on the mound. So that’s basically what I focus on.