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NL DIVISION SERIES: CARDINALS VS BRAVES

October 6, 2019

Dakota Hudson

St. Louis, Missouri - pregame 3

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Dakota Hudson.

Q. Not that it's apples-to-apples, but the fact that you were already up warming up, throwing in the bullpen in a playoff atmosphere, how much does that help or what can you take away as you get ready for tomorrow, that maybe those first-time jitters are out of the way? Is there anything to that?
DAKOTA HUDSON: Definitely got -- kind of used to what the adrenaline is going to be like. I think it's a little bit different starting. You kind of gotta control it, bring it to more of an endurance standpoint and see how far you can go with it.

But definitely could feel how the games were going, some excitement, a little beating of the chest. So it's exciting to be able to knock that out early.

Q. Regardless of how today goes for you all tomorrow is either going to be a game where you're on the brink of elimination or where you can clinch a victory in a playoff round. What does it mean to you to sort of pitch in that high stress, high pressure, high excitement environment in an elimination game?
DAKOTA HUDSON: Regardless of what it is, I'm going to give it all I've got. No matter what happens today, my effort level, my process, my focus was going to be, is going to be the same tomorrow.

Q. Have you seen the billboards?
DAKOTA HUDSON: Yeah, Mississippi State, they've reached out. They did it for Woodruff, and it's kind of exciting to have that support from a program that did a lot for me.

Q. Are they on your way to the ballpark, do you see one?
DAKOTA HUDSON: I didn't see one on the way today but I've been on the lookout, and social media and my family are kind of letting me know about it.

Q. Sometimes sinker ballers talk about if their arm is too live, the pitch gets too firm, the movement isn't there yet. How has that experience for you, do have that same sensation? And how do you get that adrenaline to wear off so you get the sinker ball back?
DAKOTA HUDSON: I think a lot of it comes with your focus. You can have moments where your arm is super live but then again you're also up in the zone. You may lose that focus of throwing wherever you throw and that extra execution may leave balls more middle of the plate.

So I think it's more just about me honing what I do and taking a step back and really having extra focus on my process rather than how my body is that day, because once I get out there I can compete with anything I've got, just about what I do with it.

Q. Being first postseason in Major League Baseball do you have any pitchers or coaches you're really leaning on about preparation, or are you just going about everything the same way you do in the regular season, trying to treat it all the same?
DAKOTA HUDSON: Well, I think the whole season's been leaning on some guys. We have a lot of experience and a lot of veteran players that I've kind of picked their brain. I'll be able to talk to Wieters every day and Waino, talked to him a ton. So I'll be able to watch him today. It's going to be a little bit of a good scouting report day.

So I just kind of pick everyone's brain that's had the experience. We're fortunate enough to have Mad Dog out there, too. So just go about my business and how I focus on getting ready and see what I see today as well as the first two games and kind of just build off what I see and take it and make it my own.

Q. How far is your hometown from Atlanta? And did you guys go down for games at times when you were a kid?
DAKOTA HUDSON: Yeah, it's like an hour and a half, two hours depending on traffic. I think one of the first games I remember -- my first game was a Cardinals game. We've got pictures when I was a kid, like a baby.

But one of the first games I remember we sat in right field and Chipper Jones hit a home run probably two rows in front of me. So my entire eight-year-old travel baseball team was right there trying to get the ball.

So that's one of my earliest baseball memories, and it's been kind of what kept me interested at a young age.

Q. For a couple days, do you enjoy meeting up with some of your pals in the bullpen after being there (indiscernible) season --
DAKOTA HUDSON: Yeah, I just got told, Webb goes, well, I guess you're back to the dark side, back to starting. But, yeah, the bullpen is always an interesting place to be. There's a lot of different conversations, a lot of different guys you really don't get to connect with as much as during the game time.

So I'm pretty close with those guys and consider myself to be pretty close friends with a lot of them. So it was good to get down there and be able to experience that moment with them.

Q. Waino told us yesterday that we maybe don't see as much of the fire he says that he sees in you in the dugout, whether it's during a start or whatnot. Is that part of the preparation for you to keep it internalized as opposed to letting it more out where we might see it more often?
DAKOTA HUDSON: I try and keep everything to me. There's a lot of things you can see and don't see, whether it's frustration, happiness or just pure excitement to be around the game. But I try and keep everything internal so that my external can be what I feel like is my best. So I don't want my emotions to take away from what I prepared to do.

Q. Of all the folks in the stands who will be pulling for Waino today I think his biggest supporters might be the pitchers on this team. Can you just -- what does it mean to see him in this moment, in this game with all the ups and downs he's been through, and what he meant to you all in helping bringing you guys along?
DAKOTA HUDSON: For me personally I'm excited. Everybody sees all these things that he does on the field, whether it's an up or down, which it happens to everyone. But you don't see what he talks about with us younger guys, what he goes through, what his preparation looks like for him to get out there every day. And I've seen him work all year, and I think we've seen him in September build up to be a pretty good month. So I feel like he's gotten better even as late as the season's gone and I'm excited to watch it. So I think we've all got his back out there.

Q. Can you speak to the biggest piece of advice Adam has given to you over the last few years?
DAKOTA HUDSON: Well, year, because, like, last year I was in the bullpen so I didn't get as much of his presence right there. But for me it's just trust your stuff. He's always talking about, you know, what you can do compared to everyone else, and he's just always said if I go about business and do things the way I'm able to do, then that's the only way I'm going to see results my way. So just kind of like a confidence thing and also bring the reins back, focus on one small thing rather than seeing every small detail, which kind of allowed me to kind of find my focus early in the year.

Everyone knows about that skid, but Waino was one of the people that had that extra advice that kind of helped me simplify to get where I could be.

Q. Do you remember the first time you saw him pitch, whether it was live or on TV?
DAKOTA HUDSON: I can't say off the top of my head. I've seen him here and there a lot. I want to say that the first year I thought I was going to play past high school was my sophomore year in college. I was like, oh, maybe two years of JuCo that was my thought process.

So I saw a lot of "Baseball Tonight" and highlights because get back from the field late or watch a game here or there. But I've been watching for a while. It's just fun to actually be a part of it here at this level.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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