Full Transcript for One Win Away From a Pennant

their third ever trip to the World Series, 27 outs to glory. And then for the first time in quite a long time, to my knowledge, a World Series will be contested between two teams that have never won a World Series title before in the Brewers and the Rays. So that would be quite literally history making. But it won't be history making if the Rays don't win tonight. So 27 outs from glory. We'll see what happens. But We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back with these interviews and everything else for you in this latest episode of raise the roof. 00:07:33 Speaker 3: Kevin, obviously getting to come home. We know the record for you guys this year. How did you feel about Yandy setting the tone last night with his comments? 00:07:40 Speaker 4: What were his comments? 00:07:42 Speaker 3: It's over today. You're going to win it today. 00:07:44 Speaker 5: Well, I hope he's right. 00:07:46 Speaker 4: Uh, Saying that, I mean, I know Yandy and all of us have so much respect for the Guardians team, the challenges they've presented. Want to see us just go out and kind of feed off that momentum that we've kind of created the last two games and do everything we can to put ourselves in position today. 00:08:05 Speaker 5: Coach, right here. One second. 00:08:09 Speaker 6: So the Guardians' bullpen has been struggling, and it's coming into the game worn down. 00:08:15 Speaker 5: How do you plan? to take advantage of that. 00:08:19 Speaker 4: I haven't felt they've been struggling. I mean, I look at their back end bullpen guys. Well, Army's opening today. He's been outstanding. And then you've got Saborski, Gattis, and obviously Cade Smith. So I'm not sure who you're referencing. I know we've seen them. They've seen us. I mean, there's no secrets at this point. You just want to go in and have good at-bats. 00:08:45 Speaker 7: Kevin, Drew mentioned yesterday about the poison of the countdown and thinking about what's going to lie ahead. Just how do you address today with your team, knowing what's in front of you, knowing that it only takes one to get to where you want to go? 00:08:58 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I really don't address anything. You just trust the group that they're going to go out and be really motivated to do everything they can to start this game off the right way. I'm guessing we're going to have a pretty pumped up crowd behind us, which is going to be exciting. and appreciative of all these fans that are going to show up and get this place rocking really loud and get the guys going. 00:09:16 Speaker 6: You know, they didn't plan it as a bullpen day yesterday, but it kind of turned out that way. But what are the challenges from your point, roster construction and kind of anticipating how the game plays out of essentially three bullpen days in a row? 00:09:28 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, look, bullpen days throughout the regular season are very challenging to navigate. 00:09:32 Speaker 5: On both sides. Today, I really have no idea. 00:09:36 Speaker 4: I mean, we went into yesterday's game assuming Parker Messick was going to take a start and be very close to a regular start. Then it shifted quickly. So for tonight, I think you just kind of have to be more reactive. We're going to be mindful of who's up in the bullpen, who's moving around, and adjust as kind of as needed. 00:09:56 Speaker 2: And Kevin, if you could talk about Cam Boozer. Obviously, the guy's been a He's having the time of his baseball life, if not the time of his life. And you could talk about what he's done, not only in terms of how he's really dominated, but even added to the flexibility of an already strong bullpen. 00:10:12 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I'm so appreciative of Cam's efforts all season long. And, you know, we were talking yesterday about the decision to bring him in the game. There were some other guys, and, you know, Kyle was pretty bullish on, like, I'll take the power right here with Booz's power and the ability that he's shown all season long to throw strikes. You know, the type of work that he does in between his outings, leading into a game, he keeps his body in great shape, his arm in great shape. He's prepared and ready to go. whenever he's called upon, but I hope he's cherishing these moments because it's been a long, windy road to get to this point, and he's making the most of it. 00:10:50 Speaker 8: Kevin, I was going to ask, excuse me, it's been a very rewarding season to this point for you. Take us through the journey of the season, the mindset. When did this team begin to believe in the current mood and character of this club? 00:11:04 Speaker 4: I thought this team really came together about as well as you could in the spring training setting, given the roster turnover that took place. I mean, there were a lot of new faces, and you could sense that there was a pretty close-knit group. We go off on the road trip to start. Things didn't necessarily go our way. We had some opportunities to win games, and we came up a little short at the end of ball games. But that never changed the mindset of how they went about the next day. And then we went on a pretty good run. We got back home, created a little bit of a home field advantage here where we won a bunch of games. And they continued to be really close throughout the entire season, definitely throughout the summer. And any challenges along the way, I think they were handled incredibly well coming out of the All-Star break. getting swept by Boston, did not derail this group at all. You know, you're looking at a divisional opponent that's getting hot, and they were as hot as any team in baseball. And we got beat. 00:12:03 Speaker 5: We weren't beating ourselves. 00:12:05 Speaker 4: We got beat. But that didn't change the mindset. There was no panic. 00:12:07 Speaker 5: They just stayed at it. 00:12:14 Speaker 9: I'm sorry. 00:12:14 Speaker 8: When Liam came in early August, we talked to him. He talked about the culture that was created

in the clubhouse. Is that the culture that started in spring training? It came with, even with Nick, the infielder that came in September, talked about the culture of the clubhouse, talked about the character of the club. Was that created solely really in spring training? Did it evolve over a period of time? Because these guys talked about how comforting and how rewarding this clubhouse really is. 00:12:42 Speaker 4: Well, I'm glad they feel that way. I think ultimately that's created throughout different parts of the season and it's, created by the guys that are in the clubhouse. I mean, I'm glad that Liam felt that way when he came over. You know, between Liam and Freddie and Tyler Wells, I know they were welcomed right away, right when we were on that West Coast road trip and the deadline had just ended. We got some reinforcements to come in and help, and they contributed in big ways. 00:13:08 Speaker 5: Yep. 00:13:10 Speaker 8: Thanks. 00:13:11 Speaker 10: Freddie Peralta's obviously been amped up when he started these games in the postseason, and you've seen him in his last start throw the fastest pitch of his career. So now that he's starting this game that could potentially send you guys to the World Series, what do you expect to see from him tonight? 00:13:22 Speaker 4: Hopefully more of what he's done. He's been as good as any pitcher in baseball in the month of September, backed up by the awards he got. And then in this postseason, it's been pretty dominating. the fastball changeup combination, commanding the fastball where it needs to be, and then the occasional dropping in some spin early on in counts or when bats at bats lengthen out. But Freddie's pitching with a lot of confidence, rightfully so, because he's been so good. 00:13:45 Speaker 9: Kevin, just following up on that, how much do you appreciate his flexibility and the rest of the rotation's flexibility and being willing to go out of the bullpen the other day, turn back around and start? 00:13:53 Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm very appreciative of it. I mean, we had talked once we knew that we were in, clinched a postseason spot and in the division, you know, we sat down with all of our starters and just reinforced the message. We know how important they are as to why we're getting this opportunity. And we also know, given the schedule and how some of these postseason games shake out, that there might not be starts for everybody. they could have cared less. They just want to help. They wanted to contribute. Not that we had this planned out by any stretch, but we knew that we were going to need to lean heavily on all five of our healthy starters at the end of the season to get where we were hoping to get. 00:14:39 Speaker 5: Baker's coming in here. 00:14:41 Speaker 6: The way he stepped up at the start of the year and maintained that level of consistency through the regular season and now into the postseason and as things have evolved and how he's gotten hitters out different ways, but

what can you say about that? 00:14:53 Speaker 4: I mean, he's just taken his game to another level. I mean, we thought he was good when we acquired him and facing him for a couple seasons, and Baltimore knew that he was tough and he was pretty neutral with the righty-lefty because of the changeup and the cutter, but he's just, I mean... He's just better now. I mean, he had an all-star season. He's been the best closer in baseball. You know, wire to wire, what he's done and the run that he's been on here in this postseason, how efficient he's going in and using his pitches and attacking, getting swing and miss and getting soft contact. 00:15:27 Speaker 1: Okay. 00:15:29 Speaker 5: Hey, Brian, can you please talk about Kyle Snyder and how he's impacted your career since you arrived 15 months ago? Yeah, I think.... 00:15:41 Speaker 11: You know coming over here midseason last year It's kind of hectic with getting traded mid-year and then trying to get acclimated to a new spot Something that's not easy to do for sure and He along with everybody else here made it as easy as possible. So I'm super grateful for that and You know since since that time just being able to to work with him For a little bit over a year now. It's it's been It's been awesome to get to work with such a good baseball mind and somebody who's got a lot of feel for the game, especially pitching side that you don't see too often. So I've enjoyed every second of it. 00:16:21 Speaker 3: Brian, it's been a minute since we've seen you go three consecutive games. What's your mentality going into tonight if that situation arises with you guys? 00:16:30 Speaker 11: Same as always, really. Just make sure the body is as loose as possible and You know, if my name is called, just go out there and throw strikes. And, you know, if it's more efficient, that's probably better. On the third day, you don't want to throw too many pitches. But, no, I think having a little bit of exposure to it, going three times in a row a couple times in my career is definitely really helpful, just at least having done it before a couple times and kind of knowing what to expect. So I think we're in a good spot. 00:17:04 Speaker 10: Brian, if the opportunity presents itself, what would it mean to you to be on the mound to throw the pitch that sends this team to the World Series? 00:17:10 Speaker 5: And have you ever. 00:17:11 Speaker 12: Thought about that? 00:17:13 Speaker 11: Man, that would be an honor. You know, it's been an honor all year. I think, you know, I don't take it for granted. I think anytime you're, you know, given the opportunity to close out a big league game at any capacity, I think it's a big deal. So, I clearly get pretty fired up about it, and I think it would be no different in this scenario. 00:17:36 Speaker 13: Brian, Kevin was up here a minute ago just saying, compared to when you were with Baltimore, your good pitcher back then, he goes, he's just better. I'm curious, in your mind, how are you a better pitcher than when you were with the Orioles? 00:17:48 Speaker 11: I think consistency is everything at this level. So I think just about everybody who gets an opportunity to be a big leaguer and play in this league– has got the talent obviously. And I think just being able to do it night in night out and be consistent and you know, on the pitching side of things that, that really comes down to, you know, I mean, number one, staying healthy, but number two, filling up the zone. I think my whole career was, you know, I had flashes of, of, of being a good pitcher. I don't think I really was until the last couple of years where I've kind of, I've kind of reached that point of feeling a lot more consistent night in, night out. And a lot of that, it has to do with the change up obviously. And being able to throw the change up in the zone is probably the biggest factor that has, has led to, has led to that. So yeah, I think, you know, obviously, Getting traded to this organization, you're going to have a lot of opportunity to improve, especially on the pitching side with all the great minds we have over here. And like we said, we're talking about Kyle Snyder, and I could go down a list of everybody over there that's helped me out. So just using everybody around me and trying to be as consistent as possible, I think, has allowed me to take that step. 00:19:07 Speaker 12: Brian, obviously the weather threw this ALCS into a little bit of chaos. You guys were on a diamond in Cleveland less than 24 hours ago. There's no rest day now. So with this being a clinching scenario or a possible clinching scenario, just what are the nerves like? What's the anticipation like for a game six back here? 00:19:24 Speaker 11: Oh man, I think, I think, I think we're all really excited to, to be in a climate controlled environment again, for sure. And get, get to, get to play in front of these fans again. I think, you know, obviously we put, we put ourselves in a really good spot after these, after those last two games and, to be able to go there and persevere and put ourselves in a good spot coming back here. and hopefully finishing out this series. I think we're really excited to get back in front of these fans and not have to worry about getting too chilly or windy. It'll be fun. 00:20:01 Speaker 5: Brian, we know how much you've appreciated the larger crowds here in the postseason. How much can the extra adrenaline be provided from a crowd if you're asked to pitch three days in a row? A lot, yeah. 00:20:13 Speaker 11: I'm probably more so for myself than other people sometimes. I think I draw off the energy. Honestly, Cleveland was nice getting yelled at and all sort of stuff in the bullpen. That kind of fires me up too. So, you know, I'm always looking to, you know, take advantage of any opportunity that's presented. So, I think it'll be a little bit friendlier, but it'd also be really loud in here tonight. So I think, I think we, um, I think we, we love,

we love that electricity in this building and I think we feed off of it. So, um, hopefully we, we treat the, uh, the home fans to a good game tonight. 00:20:49 Speaker 5: So touch on Cam Boozer and what he's meant to this group and why you think he's evolved so well during the course of this year. 00:20:57 Speaker 8: Oh man. 00:20:58 Speaker 11: Um, thanks for asking about him. I think he, I think he deserves a little more recognition. Um, Just an incredible story, incredible human being, and he worked really hard. So he's been such a massive part of this bullpen since he got called up here this year. And we even saw it in spring training. I didn't know who he was. I'd never played with him or anything. And even in spring training, I was like, how is this guy not making the team? This guy is unbelievable. So we had to wait a little bit before we got him during the season. He picked right back up where it looked like he belonged the whole time. He's been one of the more consistent arms that we have. And the way he attacks hitters, I mean, you look at the numbers and he's not giving out too many free passes. And as a lefty throwing mid to upper 90s with a good slider, it's been incredible to watch. He's been a huge part of this team and he deserves a lot of credit. 00:21:59 Speaker 6: Vic, you've obviously pitched a lot this year, and you've pitched in extremely high leverage most of the times you've pitched. How have you kind of handled the mental and physical challenges of that, especially with the extended several weeks of play? 00:22:11 Speaker 11: Yeah, I think it's a long year, right? We play a lot of baseball games. you know, as, as a relief pitcher, a lot of, a lot of that is, is survival mode. You know, it's, um, you, you know what you're up against before the season starts. Right. And we do all we can to prepare our bodies in the off season to, to withstand that workload. And, um, you know, I feel like I've done a pretty good job of that, but then, you know, once you get to this point of the year, it's, it's whatever you got. So, um, you know, a lot of that, a lot of that energy and adrenaline from the crowd and the situation of these big games definitely helps, uh, give you a little, little boost of energy when, whenever you might be a little bit tired. Um, so that, so, uh, you know, I've loved, I've loved getting to, to, to throw in these big spots and, um, you know, get a little bit of extra energy where, you know, you might be a little bit rundown at the end of, at the end of seven months of, of throwing constantly. Um, so, you know, it's, it's been, it's been awesome. I think, I think, um, you know, the, the, the crowd is obviously a big part of it, but also the defense behind me is a big part of it. It kind of, um, you know, when you got Taylor walls behind you making plays and, you know, I could, I could go down the list, Mesa out there, Mullins. Um, it also makes it easier just to, to know you can fill up the zone and most likely

someone's going to make a play behind you. So, um, whatever you got going on, right. It's, uh, It's a long year, and I don't think anybody's feeling 100% right now. It's just the way it is. But, you know, the energy and the atmosphere really helps, and hopefully it'll be a good one tonight. 00:23:44 Speaker 5: Right here. 00:23:46 Speaker 9: Brian, how important do you think the bullpen has been in getting. 00:23:49 Speaker 5: To this point? 00:23:52 Speaker 11: Man, it's been one of the most fun groups to be a part of. You know, I've been in a lot of different bullpens in my career at this point. It makes me feel pretty old. But, you know, it's been a really fun group. You know, we've obviously had some injuries and, you know, had to call up guys and guys fill in different roles at different times. And, you know, to be able to, you know, win almost 100 games during the regular season and, you know, win the DS and get us to this point, you know, obviously our starting pitching has been fantastic. It's probably the backbone of this team, I would say. But I think. 00:24:29 Speaker 11: The bullpen is a huge part of that too. You know, the starters usually get us through six or seven and put us in a really good spot to win almost every game. And it can be overlooked sometimes whenever just, you know, one or two innings gets completed and we win the game. But it's a huge role that's– it can get overlooked for sure. But I think this bullpen has just done a fantastic job all year. I mean, we got Kevin Kelly, another guy who probably doesn't get enough enough love for incredible season he's had. And I mean, Boozer, you know, Wells after the deadline. And I mean, you got Brody Hopkins has got the best stuff I've ever seen in my life as well. And he's, he's barely pitched for us. So just kind of speaks to the depth we have and the trust in, you know, so many different, different options down there to come in and get outs in big spots. And that even goes with starters that are down there for some of these, some of these playoff games and in a different role. So, we've, we've welcomed them with open arms and, um, you know, when you got, when you got Freddie coming out of the bullpen, I think that's, uh, we'll always take that as well with that electric stuff. So yeah, I'm just really proud of the group as a, as a whole for, for this whole year. 00:25:39 Speaker 9: Brian, just to go back way back when you got traded from Colorado to the blue Jays, I believe you were the player to be named in that deal. I'm just wondering what do you remember of that period? Did you know you were the player to be named and the limbo, but as you're switching organizations? 00:25:53 Speaker 5: No. 00:25:54 Speaker 11: So, um, I was in high A in Lancaster as a Rocky at that point. And the trade deadline had passed. It seemed like it had passed a long time before. And I hadn't even considered being the player to be named later. So it was a total shock to me at that point. There was only like four or five weeks left in the minor league season at that point. So yeah, that was pretty crazy. you know, being kind of blindsided, but ultimately being a really good opportunity to switch organizations and, you know, get some new scenery and a new, you know, avenue to succeed. I think I picked up on a lot of different things, you know, as soon as I got traded over to the Blue Jays and, you know, they helped develop me even further. So looking back now, I'm very thankful to be traded in that spot and, you know, at least be able to debut with the Blue Jays and Yeah, you never know. I think, you know, I've been on three or four different organizations now. You never know how it's going to go. But, yeah, being the player we named later was definitely kind of a shock. And this is just part of the lifestyle, really. Being a baseball player, you never know where you're going to be. 00:27:16 Speaker 5: All in the Blue Jays system, or did you pick that up once you got to the Orioles? 00:27:19 Speaker 11: I did, yeah. I think it's always been my best off-speed pitch. The consistency of it, I think, is what has taken the biggest step in the last year, and that is predominantly from a grip change that I found going into last spring training, where I think the pitch itself improved the stuff, but more importantly, the ability to throw it over the plate in, in counts that, you know, I, before I wouldn't have been comfortable, you know, early in my career, I think if, if I was behind in the count and I had to throw a strike, I, the changeup wouldn't even enter my mind because I was like, man, this is a coin flip if I can even get it over the zone. Um, and I think that's, that's been the biggest change, you know, going into last year, um, finding that grip change. And it's just been a lot more comfortable since then. Um, but yeah, I think it definitely, I definitely have always had it. My, I always give my dad credit. He was always on top of my case as a youngster, you know, watching pitch counts and, you know, trying to keep me away from throwing too many breaking balls. So that's why, you know, I've always had a feel for a change up, but yeah, like I said, the grip change kind of took it to another level. And then obviously getting to work with this organization and this pitching staff has probably taken it to another level as well. 00:28:51 Speaker 1: And that is going to do things on this latest episode of the podcast. We appreciate you guys always for your support. 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