WEBVTT - One Win Away From a Pennant 0:00:12.990 --> 0:00:17.799 It's time to raise the roof for our latest playoff episode, 0:00:18.239 --> 0:00:22.500 and this episode is being recorded right before Game 6 0:00:22.500 --> 0:00:25.460 of the American League Championship Series between your Tampa Bay 0:00:25.520 --> 0:00:28.870 Rays and the Cleveland Guardians. Welcome back to the pod, everyone. 0:00:29.490 --> 0:00:33.610 I'm your host, Alex Murphy. This podcast includes a couple 0:00:33.650 --> 0:00:37.449 of pregame interviews from Game 6, plus some analysis on 0:00:37.510 --> 0:00:39.770 my end from Games 3, 4, and 5 in Cleveland. 0:00:41.909 --> 0:00:44.370 as the Rays take a 3-2 lead or took a 0:00:44.390 --> 0:00:47.670 3-2 lead after game five and take that 3-2 lead 0:00:47.810 --> 0:00:53.160 into game six, one win away from their third ever 0:00:53.260 --> 0:00:57.340 trip to the World Series. So let's look back at 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:00.840 the last three games in Cleveland and then I'll let 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:03.080 you guys know what's going on with the interviews for this. 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:06.620 So game three, day game because of the weather, a 0:01:06.940 --> 0:01:10.720 lot of weather that was potentially impacting and or actually 0:01:10.780 --> 0:01:14.900 impacting progressive field and everything going on in Cleveland. Rays 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:17.539 are unable to get anything going in the afternoon. The 0:01:17.580 --> 0:01:20.160 Rays bats went cold towards the end of the game. 0:01:20.220 --> 0:01:22.890 Cleveland was able to muster up just enough offense in 0:01:22.950 --> 0:01:25.150 order to defeat the Rays to go up 2-1 in 0:01:25.190 --> 0:01:28.830 that series. A rather forgettable game if you were the Rays, 0:01:29.310 --> 0:01:33.000 but the Rays were able to recover after that point. 0:01:33.030 --> 0:01:35.180 They were able to recover in game four. So it 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:38.170 was only a 3-2 game. But, you know, both of 0:01:38.209 --> 0:01:40.649 those runs coming off of a Chandler Simpson two out. 0:01:41.510 --> 0:01:45.869 It was a two-run triple that was off of Gavin Williams, 0:01:45.930 --> 0:01:50.580 who went five innings, struck out nine. The Rays, Griffin 0:01:50.660 --> 0:01:53.720 Jacks was on the mound, gave up three runs, ended 0:01:53.780 --> 0:01:57.040 up giving up a home run to Petey Halpin, which 0:01:57.100 --> 0:01:59.920 ended up becoming the game-winning hit in that game in 0:01:59.960 --> 0:02:03.750 the fifth inning. We go to game four. The Rays 0:02:03.910 --> 0:02:07.550 end up winning 7-3. Guardians take a 1-0 lead. Rays 0:02:07.630 --> 0:02:11.520 come back to go up or to tie things up 0:02:11.580 --> 0:02:15.160 at 1-1, then take a 2-1 lead, then score three 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:17.600 in the seventh inning, are really able to manufacture a 0:02:17.620 --> 0:02:21.300 bunch of runs, play some Rays baseball. We started seeing 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:25.799 the real emergence and the real waking up, quote-unquote, of 0:02:25.980 --> 0:02:29.290 Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda. Both of those guys over 0:02:29.310 --> 0:02:31.830 their last two games, I believe, have reached base in 0:02:31.830 --> 0:02:35.900 11 of 20 combined at-bats. They have really woken up 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:40.010 for this team and have made some big strides for 0:02:40.030 --> 0:02:43.790 the Rays to put this team now in a spot 0:02:43.810 --> 0:02:46.810 to potentially go to the World Series. So, Rays end 0:02:46.870 --> 0:02:49.970 up winning 7-3. Yandy hits a two-run bomb in the 0:02:50.050 --> 0:02:53.850 ninth inning to make it 7-3. Earlier in that game, 0:02:53.950 --> 0:02:56.960 Junior Caminero hit a ball 1-11 off the bat with 0:02:57.000 --> 0:03:01.560 a 29-degree launch angle. in every other scenario in the 0:03:01.620 --> 0:03:06.970 regular season, 180 times out of 180 times, that ball 0:03:07.190 --> 0:03:11.209 has been a home run and a no doubter of 0:03:11.270 --> 0:03:15.930 a home run at that. However, in the cold and 0:03:15.990 --> 0:03:18.910 windy temperatures of game four, which game four was postponed 0:03:19.310 --> 0:03:23.760 from Friday to Saturday due to weather that ended up 0:03:24.419 --> 0:03:28.440 transpiring on Friday night. Really embarrassing from the Guardians and 0:03:28.480 --> 0:03:31.019 from Major League Baseball to allow fans into that game 0:03:31.380 --> 0:03:33.000 for more than three and a half hours and then 0:03:33.020 --> 0:03:35.100 have to change up everything as they did. Just embarrassing. 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:38.180 But somehow Junior's ball did not go out. He ended 0:03:38.220 --> 0:03:40.840 up hitting an RBI double later in that game. So 0:03:41.500 --> 0:03:45.010 things ended up working out for him, but certainly quite 0:03:45.090 --> 0:03:47.610 wild with that fly out that wasn't a fly out. 0:03:47.670 --> 0:03:50.610 Then we go to game five. Ray's score in each 0:03:50.670 --> 0:03:55.060 of the first three innings of that game Another key 0:03:56.010 --> 0:03:58.350 RBI from Jonathan Aranda. As I mentioned, he has just 0:03:58.370 --> 0:04:02.110 been going off recently. Yandy went three for five, an 0:04:02.190 --> 0:04:05.270 absolutely great day from him. Both guys combined went five 0:04:05.290 --> 0:04:08.550 for 10 in that game alone at the plate with 0:04:08.590 --> 0:04:12.810 a run in an RBI. Drew Rasmussen doing Drew Rasmussen things. 0:04:13.410 --> 0:04:15.730 Seven innings strong, gets a double play in the seventh 0:04:15.750 --> 0:04:19.730 inning in order to keep the Guardians at bay. Six strikeouts, 0:04:19.870 --> 0:04:24.440 one walk, one run, four hits. Then you have Cam 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:27.820 Boozer kind of getting into a little bit of chaos 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:30.400 in the eighth inning. Tyler Wells comes in for the 0:04:30.500 --> 0:04:34.340 final out of the eighth, strikes out Jose Ramirez in 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:44.450 probably the biggest situation of his career, a massive moment 0:04:44.470 --> 0:04:47.589 for him, and he was able to convert at the time. 0:04:47.630 --> 0:04:50.049 And then Brian Baker gets what is now his fifth 0:04:50.150 --> 0:04:54.490 save of the playoffs in five opportunities so far, which 0:04:54.550 --> 0:04:58.570 is really impressive. Little bit concerned, I will say. Little 0:04:58.589 --> 0:05:02.590 bit concerned with the velocity. Velocity has been going down 0:05:02.690 --> 0:05:06.090 as of recently, so something to monitor. Really don't want 0:05:06.110 --> 0:05:09.550 this to turn into a 2020 Nick Anderson situation because 0:05:09.570 --> 0:05:12.250 we know what happens there, or we know what happened there. 0:05:12.270 --> 0:05:15.969 The Rays overused him. Hopefully that is not the case 0:05:16.770 --> 0:05:21.360 in this scenario. So that leads to Game 6. Game 0:05:21.420 --> 0:05:24.680 six happening tonight at the Trop, expected to be as 0:05:24.740 --> 0:05:28.940 close to a sellout, if not a sellout, for the Rays. Also, 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:32.230 I want to shout out Nick Martinez, five and a third, 0:05:32.550 --> 0:05:36.230 one run, three strikeouts, two hits for him. Just an 0:05:36.250 --> 0:05:40.190 absolutely incredible outing. And then Freddy Peralta, who is tonight's starter, 0:05:40.290 --> 0:05:43.330 game six starter for the Rays, came in and threw 0:05:43.370 --> 0:05:45.229 two-thirds of an inning in order to be able to 0:05:45.950 --> 0:05:48.280 get out of that frame. Essentially a side session for 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:52.290 him ahead of tonight's start. But He will be starting tonight, 0:05:52.330 --> 0:05:54.229 has been lights out in the playoffs so far for 0:05:54.250 --> 0:05:58.599 the Rays. Expect a really, really interesting and intriguing matchup 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:02.380 for him. I think, I mean, he knows how to 0:06:02.420 --> 0:06:05.020 pitch against the Guardians. He's already done it before. It's 0:06:05.080 --> 0:06:08.420 not like this is something, you know, new. He's already 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:11.320 done it earlier this series, and he went six, looked really, 0:06:11.339 --> 0:06:14.700 really good. He is facing Sean Armstrong tonight in what 0:06:14.750 --> 0:06:16.770 is a bullpen game. I don't know who's going to 0:06:16.790 --> 0:06:19.830 be pitching after Armstrong, but certainly something to monitor, especially 0:06:19.870 --> 0:06:22.810 because Gavin Williams, who I already mentioned, will not be 0:06:23.890 --> 0:06:26.030 pitching in Game 6. They'll be holding him for Game 0:06:26.029 --> 0:06:32.289 7 per Guardians manager and former Ray Steven Vogt. So, 0:06:32.690 --> 0:06:36.900 as I mentioned, Game 6. We have pregame interviews from 0:06:36.960 --> 0:06:42.060 both Kevin Cash and Brian Baker. Both interviews with them. 0:06:42.900 --> 0:06:46.020 Roughly about 20 minutes or so of interviews. That is 0:06:46.060 --> 0:06:47.820 going to take up the majority of this episode. 0:06:47.820 --> 0:06:48.560 27 outs. 0:06:50.310 --> 0:06:53.050 Separate the Rays from their third ever trip to the 0:06:53.089 --> 0:06:57.370 World Series, 27 outs to glory. And then for the 0:06:57.430 --> 0:07:00.630 first time in quite a long time, to my knowledge, 0:07:01.770 --> 0:07:04.200 a World Series will be contested between two teams that 0:07:04.220 --> 0:07:06.620 have never won a World Series title before in the 0:07:06.640 --> 0:07:10.180 Brewers and the Rays. So that would be quite literally 0:07:10.220 --> 0:07:14.200 history making. But it won't be history making if the 0:07:14.220 --> 0:07:17.700 Rays don't win tonight. So 27 outs from glory. We'll 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:20.080 see what happens. But We're going to take a quick 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:22.700 break and we'll be right back with these interviews and 0:07:22.740 --> 0:07:24.900 everything else for you in this latest episode of raise 0:07:24.920 --> 0:07:25.180 the roof. 0:07:33.230 --> 0:07:35.790 Kevin, obviously getting to come home. We know the record 0:07:35.830 --> 0:07:37.850 for you guys this year. How did you feel about 0:07:37.890 --> 0:07:40.130 Yandy setting the tone last night with his comments? 0:07:40.810 --> 0:07:41.510 What were his comments? 0:07:42.230 --> 0:07:44.150 It's over today. You're going to win it today. 0:07:44.170 --> 0:07:45.620 Well, I hope he's right. 0:07:46.150 --> 0:07:50.470 Uh, Saying that, I mean, I know Yandy and all 0:07:50.490 --> 0:07:53.710 of us have so much respect for the Guardians team, 0:07:54.170 --> 0:07:56.250 the challenges they've presented. Want to see us just go 0:07:56.310 --> 0:07:57.870 out and kind of feed off that momentum that we've 0:07:57.890 --> 0:08:00.910 kind of created the last two games and do everything 0:08:00.950 --> 0:08:02.910 we can to put ourselves in position today. 0:08:05.550 --> 0:08:08.050 Coach, right here. One second. 0:08:09.870 --> 0:08:12.910 So the Guardians' bullpen has been struggling, and it's coming 0:08:13.270 --> 0:08:14.230 into the game worn down. 0:08:15.270 --> 0:08:17.880 How do you plan? to take advantage of that. 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:21.190 I haven't felt they've been struggling. I mean, I look 0:08:21.210 --> 0:08:26.450 at their back end bullpen guys. Well, Army's opening today. 0:08:26.530 --> 0:08:30.290 He's been outstanding. And then you've got Saborski, Gattis, and 0:08:30.430 --> 0:08:33.189 obviously Cade Smith. So I'm not sure who you're referencing. 0:08:33.230 --> 0:08:36.240 I know we've seen them. They've seen us. I mean, 0:08:36.250 --> 0:08:37.980 there's no secrets at this point. You just want to 0:08:38.020 --> 0:08:39.000 go in and have good at-bats. 0:08:45.700 --> 0:08:49.140 Kevin, Drew mentioned yesterday about the poison of the countdown 0:08:49.220 --> 0:08:51.420 and thinking about what's going to lie ahead. Just how 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:54.719 do you address today with your team, knowing what's in 0:08:54.780 --> 0:08:57.260 front of you, knowing that it only takes one to 0:08:57.460 --> 0:08:58.260 get to where you want to go? 0:08:58.540 --> 0:09:01.189 Yeah, I mean, I really don't address anything. You just 0:09:01.250 --> 0:09:03.710 trust the group that they're going to go out and 0:09:03.730 --> 0:09:05.970 be really motivated to do everything they can to start 0:09:06.010 --> 0:09:08.570 this game off the right way. I'm guessing we're going 0:09:08.590 --> 0:09:10.689 to have a pretty pumped up crowd behind us, which 0:09:10.770 --> 0:09:13.329 is going to be exciting. and appreciative of all these 0:09:13.350 --> 0:09:14.710 fans that are going to show up and get this 0:09:14.750 --> 0:09:16.890 place rocking really loud and get the guys going. 0:09:16.910 --> 0:09:20.790 You know, they didn't plan it as a bullpen day yesterday, 0:09:20.860 --> 0:09:22.220 but it kind of turned out that way. But what 0:09:22.280 --> 0:09:25.560 are the challenges from your point, roster construction and kind 0:09:25.580 --> 0:09:27.760 of anticipating how the game plays out of essentially three 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:28.720 bullpen days in a row? 0:09:28.860 --> 0:09:30.880 Yeah, I mean, look, bullpen days throughout the regular season 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:32.800 are very challenging to navigate. 0:09:32.460 --> 0:09:36.400 On both sides. Today, I really have no idea. 0:09:36.420 --> 0:09:38.989 I mean, we went into yesterday's game assuming Parker Messick 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:41.590 was going to take a start and be very close 0:09:41.630 --> 0:09:46.120 to a regular start. Then it shifted quickly. So for tonight, 0:09:46.620 --> 0:09:48.460 I think you just kind of have to be more reactive. 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:50.200 We're going to be mindful of who's up in the bullpen, 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:54.880 who's moving around, and adjust as kind of as needed. 0:09:56.610 --> 0:09:59.410 And Kevin, if you could talk about Cam Boozer. Obviously, 0:09:59.429 --> 0:10:01.870 the guy's been a He's having the time of his 0:10:01.910 --> 0:10:04.340 baseball life, if not the time of his life. And 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:06.739 you could talk about what he's done, not only in 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:09.820 terms of how he's really dominated, but even added to 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:12.020 the flexibility of an already strong bullpen. 0:10:12.370 --> 0:10:15.670 Yeah, I mean, I'm so appreciative of Cam's efforts all 0:10:15.710 --> 0:10:19.240 season long. And, you know, we were talking yesterday about 0:10:19.270 --> 0:10:21.740 the decision to bring him in the game. There were 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:25.220 some other guys, and, you know, Kyle was pretty bullish on, like, 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:27.880 I'll take the power right here with Booz's power and 0:10:27.900 --> 0:10:30.920 the ability that he's shown all season long to throw strikes. 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:34.420 You know, the type of work that he does in 0:10:34.460 --> 0:10:37.360 between his outings, leading into a game, he keeps his 0:10:37.420 --> 0:10:39.780 body in great shape, his arm in great shape. He's 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:42.760 prepared and ready to go. whenever he's called upon, but 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:46.620 I hope he's cherishing these moments because it's been a long, 0:10:46.700 --> 0:10:48.700 windy road to get to this point, and he's making 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:49.300 the most of it. 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:52.760 Kevin, I was going to ask, excuse me, it's been 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:56.450 a very rewarding season to this point for you. Take 0:10:56.500 --> 0:10:59.270 us through the journey of the season, the mindset. When 0:10:59.309 --> 0:11:02.390 did this team begin to believe in the current mood 0:11:02.530 --> 0:11:03.630 and character of this club? 0:11:04.340 --> 0:11:06.900 I thought this team really came together about as well 0:11:06.940 --> 0:11:10.860 as you could in the spring training setting, given the 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:13.589 roster turnover that took place. I mean, there were a 0:11:13.590 --> 0:11:17.550 lot of new faces, and you could sense that there 0:11:17.570 --> 0:11:19.730 was a pretty close-knit group. We go off on the 0:11:20.290 --> 0:11:23.230 road trip to start. Things didn't necessarily go our way. 0:11:23.270 --> 0:11:25.979 We had some opportunities to win games, and we came 0:11:26.020 --> 0:11:27.660 up a little short at the end of ball games. 0:11:28.220 --> 0:11:31.380 But that never changed the mindset of how they went 0:11:31.420 --> 0:11:34.199 about the next day. And then we went on a 0:11:34.220 --> 0:11:36.459 pretty good run. We got back home, created a little 0:11:36.500 --> 0:11:38.380 bit of a home field advantage here where we won 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:41.740 a bunch of games. And they continued to be really 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:45.280 close throughout the entire season, definitely throughout the summer. And 0:11:45.360 --> 0:11:49.199 any challenges along the way, I think they were handled 0:11:49.580 --> 0:11:52.959 incredibly well coming out of the All-Star break. getting swept 0:11:53.059 --> 0:11:56.579 by Boston, did not derail this group at all. You know, 0:11:56.620 --> 0:11:59.209 you're looking at a divisional opponent that's getting hot, and 0:11:59.230 --> 0:12:01.569 they were as hot as any team in baseball. And 0:12:02.110 --> 0:12:03.689 we got beat. 0:12:03.710 --> 0:12:05.210 We weren't beating ourselves. 0:12:05.250 --> 0:12:07.350 We got beat. But that didn't change the mindset. There 0:12:07.390 --> 0:12:07.949 was no panic. 0:12:07.990 --> 0:12:08.829 They just stayed at it. 0:12:14.050 --> 0:12:14.439 I'm sorry. 0:12:14.820 --> 0:12:17.640 When Liam came in early August, we talked to him. 0:12:18.040 --> 0:12:20.720 He talked about the culture that was created in the clubhouse. 0:12:21.540 --> 0:12:24.280 Is that the culture that started in spring training? It 0:12:24.330 --> 0:12:29.790 came with, even with Nick, the infielder that came in September, 0:12:29.910 --> 0:12:32.410 talked about the culture of the clubhouse, talked about the 0:12:32.490 --> 0:12:36.150 character of the club. Was that created solely really in 0:12:36.170 --> 0:12:38.190 spring training? Did it evolve over a period of time? 0:12:38.429 --> 0:12:41.550 Because these guys talked about how comforting and how rewarding 0:12:41.590 --> 0:12:42.630 this clubhouse really is. 0:12:42.650 --> 0:12:45.290 Well, I'm glad they feel that way. I think ultimately 0:12:45.330 --> 0:12:48.570 that's created throughout different parts of the season and it's, 0:12:49.190 --> 0:12:52.730 created by the guys that are in the clubhouse. I mean, 0:12:52.750 --> 0:12:55.089 I'm glad that Liam felt that way when he came over. 0:12:55.110 --> 0:12:59.150 You know, between Liam and Freddie and Tyler Wells, I 0:12:59.210 --> 0:13:01.510 know they were welcomed right away, right when we were 0:13:01.550 --> 0:13:03.580 on that West Coast road trip and the deadline had 0:13:03.620 --> 0:13:06.560 just ended. We got some reinforcements to come in and help, 0:13:06.620 --> 0:13:08.140 and they contributed in big ways. 0:13:08.860 --> 0:13:09.000 Yep. 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:11.140 Thanks. 0:13:11.679 --> 0:13:13.980 Freddie Peralta's obviously been amped up when he started these 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:15.720 games in the postseason, and you've seen him in his 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:17.710 last start throw the fastest pitch of his career. So 0:13:17.750 --> 0:13:19.569 now that he's starting this game that could potentially send 0:13:19.590 --> 0:13:21.550 you guys to the World Series, what do you expect 0:13:21.590 --> 0:13:22.429 to see from him tonight? 0:13:22.670 --> 0:13:24.570 Hopefully more of what he's done. He's been as good 0:13:24.610 --> 0:13:26.630 as any pitcher in baseball in the month of September, 0:13:26.710 --> 0:13:28.780 backed up by the awards he got. And then in 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:33.050 this postseason, it's been pretty dominating. the fastball changeup combination, 0:13:33.290 --> 0:13:35.890 commanding the fastball where it needs to be, and then 0:13:35.929 --> 0:13:38.880 the occasional dropping in some spin early on in counts 0:13:38.980 --> 0:13:42.080 or when bats at bats lengthen out. But Freddie's pitching 0:13:42.100 --> 0:13:44.160 with a lot of confidence, rightfully so, because he's been 0:13:44.179 --> 0:13:44.500 so good. 0:13:45.880 --> 0:13:47.339 Kevin, just following up on that, how much do you 0:13:47.380 --> 0:13:50.520 appreciate his flexibility and the rest of the rotation's flexibility 0:13:50.610 --> 0:13:52.290 and being willing to go out of the bullpen the 0:13:52.309 --> 0:13:53.729 other day, turn back around and start? 0:13:53.990 --> 0:13:56.350 Yeah, I'm very appreciative of it. I mean, we had 0:13:56.410 --> 0:14:01.490 talked once we knew that we were in, clinched a 0:14:02.290 --> 0:14:05.170 postseason spot and in the division, you know, we sat 0:14:05.220 --> 0:14:08.860 down with all of our starters and just reinforced the message. 0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:12.060 We know how important they are as to why we're 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:15.920 getting this opportunity. And we also know, given the schedule 0:14:16.100 --> 0:14:18.780 and how some of these postseason games shake out, that 0:14:19.220 --> 0:14:22.260 there might not be starts for everybody. they could have 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:25.640 cared less. They just want to help. They wanted to contribute. 0:14:25.860 --> 0:14:29.420 Not that we had this planned out by any stretch, 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:31.520 but we knew that we were going to need to 0:14:31.570 --> 0:14:35.230 lean heavily on all five of our healthy starters at 0:14:35.270 --> 0:14:37.670 the end of the season to get where we were 0:14:37.710 --> 0:14:38.230 hoping to get. 0:14:39.670 --> 0:14:40.650 Baker's coming in here. 0:14:41.910 --> 0:14:44.090 The way he stepped up at the start of the 0:14:44.130 --> 0:14:47.410 year and maintained that level of consistency through the regular 0:14:47.450 --> 0:14:50.460 season and now into the postseason and as things have 0:14:50.500 --> 0:14:52.620 evolved and how he's gotten hitters out different ways, but 0:14:52.660 --> 0:14:53.540 what can you say about that? 0:14:53.560 --> 0:14:57.870 I mean, he's just taken his game to another level. 0:14:57.890 --> 0:15:00.250 I mean, we thought he was good when we acquired 0:15:00.290 --> 0:15:03.210 him and facing him for a couple seasons, and Baltimore 0:15:03.610 --> 0:15:05.780 knew that he was tough and he was pretty neutral 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:08.400 with the righty-lefty because of the changeup and the cutter, 0:15:08.780 --> 0:15:11.950 but he's just, I mean... He's just better now. I mean, 0:15:12.370 --> 0:15:14.830 he had an all-star season. He's been the best closer 0:15:14.870 --> 0:15:18.770 in baseball. You know, wire to wire, what he's done 0:15:18.810 --> 0:15:20.750 and the run that he's been on here in this postseason, 0:15:20.810 --> 0:15:24.370 how efficient he's going in and using his pitches and attacking, 0:15:24.430 --> 0:15:26.250 getting swing and miss and getting soft contact. 0:15:27.430 --> 0:15:27.630 Okay. 0:15:29.390 --> 0:15:32.370 Hey, Brian, can you please talk about Kyle Snyder and 0:15:32.430 --> 0:15:37.590 how he's impacted your career since you arrived 15 months ago? Yeah, 0:15:37.750 --> 0:15:38.250 I think.... 0:15:41.450 --> 0:15:45.330 You know coming over here midseason last year It's kind 0:15:45.370 --> 0:15:48.070 of hectic with getting traded mid-year and then trying to 0:15:48.090 --> 0:15:52.430 get acclimated to a new spot Something that's not easy 0:15:52.450 --> 0:15:55.510 to do for sure and He along with everybody else 0:15:55.530 --> 0:15:57.490 here made it as easy as possible. So I'm super 0:15:57.530 --> 0:16:00.910 grateful for that and You know since since that time 0:16:01.050 --> 0:16:04.790 just being able to to work with him For a 0:16:04.790 --> 0:16:07.820 little bit over a year now. It's it's been It's 0:16:07.860 --> 0:16:10.140 been awesome to get to work with such a good 0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:13.200 baseball mind and somebody who's got a lot of feel 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:17.110 for the game, especially pitching side that you don't see 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:19.180 too often. So I've enjoyed every second of it. 0:16:21.730 --> 0:16:23.210 Brian, it's been a minute since we've seen you go 0:16:23.250 --> 0:16:26.950 three consecutive games. What's your mentality going into tonight if 0:16:27.010 --> 0:16:29.230 that situation arises with you guys? 0:16:30.890 --> 0:16:35.620 Same as always, really. Just make sure the body is 0:16:35.650 --> 0:16:39.180 as loose as possible and You know, if my name 0:16:39.240 --> 0:16:41.410 is called, just go out there and throw strikes. And, 0:16:41.950 --> 0:16:44.690 you know, if it's more efficient, that's probably better. On 0:16:44.710 --> 0:16:47.970 the third day, you don't want to throw too many pitches. But, no, 0:16:48.210 --> 0:16:50.560 I think having a little bit of exposure to it, 0:16:51.290 --> 0:16:52.859 going three times in a row a couple times in 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:57.200 my career is definitely really helpful, just at least having 0:16:57.220 --> 0:16:59.600 done it before a couple times and kind of knowing 0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:01.720 what to expect. So I think we're in a good spot. 0:17:04.190 --> 0:17:06.730 Brian, if the opportunity presents itself, what would it mean 0:17:06.760 --> 0:17:08.409 to you to be on the mound to throw the 0:17:08.450 --> 0:17:10.100 pitch that sends this team to the World Series? 0:17:10.210 --> 0:17:10.980 And have you ever. 0:17:11.140 --> 0:17:11.780 Thought about that? 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:16.899 Man, that would be an honor. You know, it's been 0:17:16.940 --> 0:17:20.480 an honor all year. I think, you know, I don't 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:24.219 take it for granted. I think anytime you're, you know, 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:26.840 given the opportunity to close out a big league game 0:17:26.940 --> 0:17:29.580 at any capacity, I think it's a big deal. So, 0:17:30.270 --> 0:17:32.129 I clearly get pretty fired up about it, and I 0:17:32.170 --> 0:17:34.650 think it would be no different in this scenario. 0:17:36.540 --> 0:17:38.540 Brian, Kevin was up here a minute ago just saying, 0:17:38.780 --> 0:17:41.440 compared to when you were with Baltimore, your good pitcher 0:17:41.480 --> 0:17:43.580 back then, he goes, he's just better. I'm curious, in 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:46.159 your mind, how are you a better pitcher than when 0:17:46.180 --> 0:17:46.859 you were with the Orioles? 0:17:48.570 --> 0:17:54.429 I think consistency is everything at this level. So I 0:17:54.450 --> 0:17:56.690 think just about everybody who gets an opportunity to be 0:17:56.850 --> 0:18:00.180 a big leaguer and play in this league– has got 0:18:00.220 --> 0:18:03.940 the talent obviously. And I think just being able to 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:06.960 do it night in night out and be consistent and 0:18:06.980 --> 0:18:10.400 you know, on the pitching side of things that, that 0:18:10.420 --> 0:18:13.639 really comes down to, you know, I mean, number one, 0:18:13.680 --> 0:18:18.010 staying healthy, but number two, filling up the zone. I 0:18:18.050 --> 0:18:23.990 think my whole career was, you know, I had flashes of, of, 0:18:24.460 --> 0:18:26.120 of being a good pitcher. I don't think I really 0:18:26.180 --> 0:18:28.230 was until the last couple of years where I've kind of, 0:18:28.510 --> 0:18:31.389 I've kind of reached that point of feeling a lot 0:18:31.430 --> 0:18:34.590 more consistent night in, night out. And a lot of that, 0:18:34.630 --> 0:18:36.129 it has to do with the change up obviously. And 0:18:37.270 --> 0:18:38.750 being able to throw the change up in the zone 0:18:40.330 --> 0:18:42.840 is probably the biggest factor that has, has led to, 0:18:42.859 --> 0:18:46.939 has led to that. So yeah, I think, you know, obviously, 0:18:47.650 --> 0:18:49.359 Getting traded to this organization, you're going to have a 0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:52.720 lot of opportunity to improve, especially on the pitching side 0:18:53.020 --> 0:18:54.719 with all the great minds we have over here. And 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:57.220 like we said, we're talking about Kyle Snyder, and I 0:18:57.240 --> 0:18:59.300 could go down a list of everybody over there that's 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:01.940 helped me out. So just using everybody around me and 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:04.459 trying to be as consistent as possible, I think, has 0:19:04.480 --> 0:19:05.360 allowed me to take that step. 0:19:07.460 --> 0:19:10.810 Brian, obviously the weather threw this ALCS into a little 0:19:10.830 --> 0:19:13.270 bit of chaos. You guys were on a diamond in 0:19:13.310 --> 0:19:15.830 Cleveland less than 24 hours ago. There's no rest day now. 0:19:15.869 --> 0:19:18.419 So with this being a clinching scenario or a possible 0:19:18.460 --> 0:19:20.899 clinching scenario, just what are the nerves like? What's the 0:19:20.940 --> 0:19:23.240 anticipation like for a game six back here? 0:19:24.240 --> 0:19:27.000 Oh man, I think, I think, I think we're all 0:19:27.040 --> 0:19:31.360 really excited to, to be in a climate controlled environment again, 0:19:31.420 --> 0:19:35.619 for sure. And get, get to, get to play in 0:19:35.660 --> 0:19:39.270 front of these fans again. I think, you know, obviously 0:19:39.290 --> 0:19:41.130 we put, we put ourselves in a really good spot 0:19:41.170 --> 0:19:44.070 after these, after those last two games and, to be 0:19:44.090 --> 0:19:48.240 able to go there and persevere and put ourselves in 0:19:48.270 --> 0:19:51.169 a good spot coming back here. and hopefully finishing out 0:19:51.190 --> 0:19:54.040 this series. I think we're really excited to get back 0:19:54.080 --> 0:19:56.300 in front of these fans and not have to worry 0:19:56.320 --> 0:19:58.660 about getting too chilly or windy. It'll be fun. 0:20:01.260 --> 0:20:04.119 Brian, we know how much you've appreciated the larger crowds 0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:07.620 here in the postseason. How much can the extra adrenaline 0:20:08.369 --> 0:20:10.290 be provided from a crowd if you're asked to pitch 0:20:10.390 --> 0:20:13.370 three days in a row? A lot, yeah. 0:20:13.609 --> 0:20:17.810 I'm probably more so for myself than other people sometimes. 0:20:17.869 --> 0:20:22.830 I think I draw off the energy. Honestly, Cleveland was 0:20:22.850 --> 0:20:25.730 nice getting yelled at and all sort of stuff in 0:20:25.750 --> 0:20:27.410 the bullpen. That kind of fires me up too. So, 0:20:27.430 --> 0:20:32.320 you know, I'm always looking to, you know, take advantage 0:20:32.359 --> 0:20:35.869 of any opportunity that's presented. So, I think it'll be 0:20:35.890 --> 0:20:37.910 a little bit friendlier, but it'd also be really loud 0:20:37.950 --> 0:20:40.479 in here tonight. So I think, I think we, um, 0:20:41.600 --> 0:20:43.560 I think we, we love, we love that electricity in 0:20:43.580 --> 0:20:46.080 this building and I think we feed off of it. So, um, 0:20:46.160 --> 0:20:48.219 hopefully we, we treat the, uh, the home fans to 0:20:48.240 --> 0:20:48.900 a good game tonight. 0:20:49.820 --> 0:20:52.840 So touch on Cam Boozer and what he's meant to 0:20:52.880 --> 0:20:55.600 this group and why you think he's evolved so well 0:20:55.619 --> 0:20:56.540 during the course of this year. 0:20:57.340 --> 0:20:57.720 Oh man. 0:20:58.180 --> 0:21:01.389 Um, thanks for asking about him. I think he, I 0:21:01.410 --> 0:21:04.480