Phillies' Segura: Life in Dominican Republic prepared me for MLB pressure

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Jean Segura believes growing up in the Dominican Republic prepared him to handle the pressure he's now facing in the first postseason experience of his 11-year major-league career.

"The way I handle pressure since I was a little kid, I love it," Segura said following Friday's win over the San Diego Padres, according to Yahoo Sports' Hannah Keyser. "I'm from the Dominican, play a lot of baseball in the backyard. It's like where I'm from, we play way too much baseball, and there was people around like with (a) machete, we bat and then the games."

The 32-year-old grew up in San Juan, Dominican Republic, and says baseball players in the country receive intense scrutiny and occasional death threats during games.

"It's just the way we handle the pressure in Dominican Republic," Segura said. "Even when we play winter ball, we've got guys in the stands (that say), 'hey, when you get out, we're going to kill you. We're going to do something bad to you.' It's just the way we play the game out there."

Segura had a roller-coaster performance in the Phillies' NLCS Game 3 victory. He became the first player in postseason history to commit an error, record an RBI, and get picked off a base in the same inning.

The veteran infielder attributes his upbringing in the Dominican Republic as the biggest reason for his resiliency and ability to deliver in the face of adversity.

"Compared to here, when you come here, dude, it's a completely different type of game," Segura said. "I think the pressure, when you come from (the) DR, it's nothing."

The Phillies will look to take a 3-1 stranglehold in the NLCS when they take on the Padres in Game 4 on Saturday.