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MLB WORLD SERIES: CUBS VS INDIANS

October 26, 2016

Kyle Schwarber

Cleveland, Ohio - Postgame 2

Chicago Cubs - 5, Cleveland Indians - 1

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Kyle Schwarber.

Q. This is not meant to be disrespectful to anybody else, but is this game that easy that you can take six months off and do what you're doing?
KYLE SCHWARBER: No, it's not that easy, first off. Baseball's a crazy game. It will do crazy things to you, but this is the moment that we all look for when we were little kids, to play in the World Series and win it. We just took a small step today, but we've still got a long way to go.

Q. Kyle, did you get the 3-0 green light on your RBI single there? What did swinging on 3-0 at that pitch kind of do for you?
KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, I had the green light. I just wanted a good pitch to hit. 3-0, really big advantage count for me, he has to throw a strike. So I thought if he just threw it over the plate and I put a good swing on, a good thing will happen, and there we go.

Q. When you stop and look at this, 3-of-7, you were just the wind away from going yard yesterday, what do you think about your performances so far these two games?
KYLE SCHWARBER: I'm just trying to put in team at-bats right now. I want to help this team get to the ultimate goal. That's why I did all of this was for these guys in the clubhouse and for our organization. It wasn't for me. So, like I said, I just want to put in good team at-bats every time I go to the plate and take that result.

Q. You made your case last week after you got cleared by the doctors to try to play in the World Series. As you go into games 3, 4, and 5, will you make a similar type case to the front office to the doctors about trying to play in the outfield?
KYLE SCHWARBER: We'll see where it goes. Nothing's set in stone. No one's told me anything, so as of right now the story is still the same.

Q. When the Cubs drafted you they were just about ready to kind of make their move into contention and last year they did. What were your impressions of them, and why do you think you and the organization connect as well as you do?
KYLE SCHWARBER: Well, I remember when I was in college I had a meeting with Theo and Jason McLeod when we went to Arizona for a tournament. And they sat down and they interviewed me. It just kind of clicked. It was like we had the same beliefs in baseball terms. It's all about winning. So that's the only thing that matters at the end of the day is making sure that we get a win. Just go from there.

Q. Do you think you're ready physically to play defense?
KYLE SCHWARBER: We'll see. I haven't tried it. So we'll take it day by day, like I said.

Q. Is it your plan to do it tomorrow during the workout?
KYLE SCHWARBER: Oh, I don't know. I don't know yet.

Q. Another one of those questions, not to be disrespectful but when you struck out that time and you look back toward the umpire after tracking all those balls in Arizona and getting your at-bats here and in the games down there, do you feel that locked in and your eye is that good?
KYLE SCHWARBER: I'm not perfect. I went back and looked at it, it was paint. It was just like a centimeter off the plate, but it's a pitcher's pitch. Could have gone any way. But he decided to take the pitcher's side, which is fine.

Q. I think it was after the first hit the cameras caught you saying something to your teammates back in the dugout. What's the excitement level like once you do that and you kind of realize what you're doing?
KYLE SCHWARBER: Obviously a lot of excitement. There was a lot of emotion there. Obviously a thousand things running through my head. Just I really don't remember that moment. It was that crazy for me going in my head. I'm still baffled about it. It was a good moment for me.

Q. When you were headed back here, did you kind of look ahead and envision how your return might go? And if so, what did you envision and how does this compare?
KYLE SCHWARBER: Definitely. You want to visualize what it's going to be like when you come back, so you're not thrown off by what happens when you're there. You want to put yourself in good situations in your head, and hopefully they play out in the field. Visualization is a very powerful tool, and I believe in that. So, like I said, I like it.

Q. Do you envision hits?
KYLE SCHWARBER: I envision striking out (laughter).

Q. Kyle Hendricks said the other day when he was pitching that game at Wrigley, it almost didn't seem real. It felt like someone else was doing it. What you're doing in the World Series, does it feel like it's really happening? Does it feel like an out-of-body experience?
KYLE SCHWARBER: I mean, I'm just going out there and competing, man. I'm going to lay it on the line every day. I'll take that result.

Q. Kyle, your green wristband stands out on TV. Is there a story behind that that you can share?
KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, Campbell Faulkner, he's a kid that I met down in Arizona. He's got a rare genetic disease, and I met him my first Spring Training. Really young, smart kid, and he's just always got a big smile on his face. You know, that draws your attention to him. He's living life to his fullest, even though he's got something to overcome. We've grown a relationship over the last two years, and I actually got to see him when I was in Mesa playing in the AFL, and it was great to see him. We stay in contact through email. He's a smart kid, man. The kid's, I think, got an IQ of like a college kid for being so young. That tells you how smart he is. And that's a person you want to look up to right there.

Q. When you first injured your knee and had the injury, the whole time when you were working out were you thinking, even though everybody's saying a season-ending injury, I want to be back by the postseason?
KYLE SCHWARBER: I don't know. I just took it day by day. I wanted to dominate the day. It was just constant grind. There were days I just wasn't feeling it. Like I said, my teammates picked me up and I had some guys come over and say to me, "World Series, you're going to be back," things like that. I'd just laugh it off. Then when it came to reality, it was a shock.

Q. What's the hardest thing you think about this challenge for you now that you're going through it? And also, just mentally how are you able to not show any doubt it seems like or even anxiety, when a lot of people may feel like in your position would?
KYLE SCHWARBER: Hey, man, I'm living the dream. We're playing in the World Series, what else can you ask for? I'm just going to keep riding the wave till it ends.

Q. Kyle, how did you meet the kid? And what did you guys talk about this Fall League, just the last couple days ago? I've seen his picture in Cubs uniform, and he seems to be a big fan.
KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, I met him. They have a little tent on the side, and he was just sitting there calling over Cubs players. I don't know. We just hit it off. Talked about baseball, talked about him to see how he was doing. And, you know, just was a good kid. How could you not like him? He's smart, he's intelligent, and he lives life to the fullest.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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