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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS VS BREWERS

October 19, 2018

Kenley Jansen

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - pregame 6

Q. Yesterday Dave was talking about the bright lights of the postseason come into play, you ramp it up. Can you tell us if that's the case, and if so, what's that like?
KENLEY JANSEN: I feel like being in the postseason is just a different atmosphere. You feel like things are going much easier compared to the season. The season is basically such a long season, you're playing every day. And sometimes -- you're not taking anything for granted, but it's a little bit more harder compared to -- you're getting close to what you want to accomplish and you're in a situation now that your adrenaline and everything is going to go through the roof, and that's the way I feel about it.

Q. How do you like pitching to Austin? What does it say about him this October and last October he just sort of could drop in and get the bulk of the playing time behind the plate?
KENLEY JANSEN: Well, Austin is doing a pretty good job. I like the way how his season goes. Like, he have a tough time offensively, but he kind of really stayed focused and go out there and know the whole pitching staff and know me well to the situation that day, how we're going to face the hitters, how we're going to go about it. So he had a pretty good idea about that and that's the kind of guy you want back there to kind of separate those things.

He's doing a terrific job about it.

Q. You guys are one win away from the World Series, even though you were ten games under at one point the season. I'm not sure what the precedent is for that, but I imagine there aren't many teams going from ten games below .500 to going to the World Series. What does that say about you guys?
KENLEY JANSEN: We never quit. The whole season, we started very slow. Like you say, ten games under .500 was the worst team in baseball. But one thing that these guys do so well in our clubhouse, we never quit. We never tire of the situation and we just go out there and compete.

And I feel like that's the thing that kind of make us unique and special, we keep grinding and grinding and grinding. Nothing come easy for us this year. And here we are one game away try to go to World Series, and we've got to do the same thing. Nobody is going to quit in there. We're going to play 27 outs and continue to grind like we did the whole year and try to bring this one.

Q. Is there any way to estimate or kind of evaluate how fresh you feel right now compared to this time last year at the end of that LCS?
KENLEY JANSEN: Well, I feel like -- I feel better this year compared to last year because you kind of have an idea now about, you play the whole season out last year and you know how you're going to not try to burn yourself too much, how you're going to pace yourself, what you're working out inside the gym, running outside and all that stuff. So I kind of feel like I had a better idea this year compared to last year, and I feel I'm better this year than last year in this situation to keep myself fresh and ready to go out there and compete.

Q. Knowing that you're going to be most probably the last guy in and you've got to wait and time your routine to get ready, do these games, because of all the extra time they take in the postseason, almost feel like they take too long for you to get going or are you excited about the suspense? Or are you like, Oh, my god, let's get on with it?
KENLEY JANSEN: Well, you've got to control your emotions. That's the one thing I keep telling myself: Just live by the moment. The moment we are, talking to you guys, I live by this moment. And when we go out there, get myself ready, the team is going to hit. You've just got to stay with that moment.

And same thing I have to say because the game is a little bit longer now, you've just got to stay in the moment and try to just look how the hitters are hitting against the other pitchers from our teams and all that stuff, and just live by that moment and don't try to think too much ahead of, Oh, my god, I want the ball already. Because if you're going to do that you're just going to drive yourself nuts.

That's the one thing that I kind of feel, to just stay in the moment. And whenever my time is up, just go out there and compete.

Q. I know you're a big baseball fan, did you see LeBron's debut?
KENLEY JANSEN: Laker Nation, purple and gold. Showtime is back. I'm definitely happy to see that, even that they lost. Pretty good game yesterday.

Q. The medications you're taking, have you found a comfortable level with them now? How are you doing as far as keeping your mind off the surgery that you have coming up?
KENLEY JANSEN: You know, that's a tough thing, tough thing to deal with this year, especially when I came back. I feel like I have two different personalities in me right now; one that wants to do the surgery already and then another one who wants to go out there and compete to help your team.

So on this time right now I feel like I'm so, you know, so numb to it now. It's like I keep telling myself it's maybe one more week of taking this medication.

It's not easy, definitely not, because when you take it sometimes you feel sleepy. But you've just got to go through it. This playoff adrenaline definitely helped a little to get myself into it, too. And like I say, I try to not, you know, think too much about it and keep telling myself this is where we are in right now and we'll be talking about this the whole year, to try to win a championship, and here we are a game away. You can't take anything for granted and keep focusing on this one game, and everything will take care of the rest.

Q. What was the experience last year like pitching through three rounds of the playoffs in terms of I guess the toll it takes on your body and also mentally?
KENLEY JANSEN: The experience was, it was awesome, but same thing, too, like you learn from it. I kind of feel like, like I said this year, I had a better pace, don't burn yourself too much. Instead of last year in the World Series you kind of got a little fatigue because you're going a hundred miles per hour every day.

That was a good learning experience. We know that we fell one game short. And we kind of prepare ourself already for this year. And here we are. We've got to try to beat a pretty good team over there with a really good bullpen. Like I say, we've just got to live by the moment and play all 27 outs. And for me, just pace myself and whenever I have that chance to try to help the team win.

Q. As you look back kind of on the beginning of the season, do you feel like the team was still sort of trying to get over how the year before had ended, dealing with a hangover at all from the World Series?
KENLEY JANSEN: You know, I had that conversation with Ryan Madson in September. We were playing Colorado. And I told him, like, Why is it so much easier pitching in a game -- every game means so much, but that series kind of means so much for us, for us to go into the playoffs or not. And I think it's either them or Arizona, I forgot which one it was, but it was in September early. He told me, Welcome to the hangover. I started laughing. I said, I guess so.

So definitely you felt that. You talk about playing for a month, the adrenaline is so high, through the roof. And then come to the season, the season turns around so quick, and you've got to play some game that means so much and your adrenaline is just not there yet.

Like I say, that's another learning experience. I'm not trying to look too much ahead for myself, probably have a better idea for next year.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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