AL WILDCARD GAME: RED SOX VS YANKEES

October 4, 2021

Kyle Schwarber

Fenway Park

Boston Red Sox

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Kyle, just what's the excitement level like for this game, one game to decide if your season goes on, especially against the Yankees?

KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, I mean, it's a very exciting game in general. I think it's great for baseball. It's a game that it says it all in its word, wild-card, anything can happen. It's very exciting, and obviously with the Yankees, too, with the history with the Red Sox/Yankees, it's going to be a dogfight and it's going to be all hands on deck, and you're just trying to find a way to win it any way possible.

Q. You obviously were this year on a losing club and you get traded and you're in this position. What's this moment like for you?

KYLE SCHWARBER: It's great. I was spoiled when I was in Chicago, making five out of six, playing two wild-card games, being able to win a World Series. You know, I love the playoffs. This is something that I want to keep doing every year. I want to be known as a player that is -- when you go out there and win and help the team reach the playoffs and reach the ultimate goal of a World Series, but obviously it's a step at a time.

To be here in this position, you have to make the playoffs any way possible. Look at the 2019 Washington Nationals, they make the wild-card and go all the way to win the World Series. Obviously division is the No. 1 goal, but just to make the playoffs in general, it's always a good thing.

Q. You had that moment with your former teammate, Anthony Rizzo, on the field during the last Fenway Park series. And you guys talked about how it was weird to be on both sides of this rivalry now. How will it be to face your old friend?

KYLE SCHWARBER: Obviously a great friend, a lot of history, a lot of time in clubhouses, hotels. Talk about a great human being; and I couldn't be more happy for him to be in a position like this where he's in a postseason and all the other guys that were -- I think Chris made the playoffs, too, so congratulations to him.

But, you know, as players, this is all that we can ask for is to go out there and win and be in the postseason and anything can happen. So it's just trying to get here, and once you get here, run with it, and see where it takes you.

Q. You referenced already going through this before. I think you were also in a play-in game, too. What's that sense of urgency like when you're in the middle of it on the field when it is win-or-go-home? How different is that than maybe in a regular postseason game and how does it impact you as the game is going along?

KYLE SCHWARBER: It's definitely good for the sport, but it's not ideal to be in sometimes in terms of it's one-and-done.

I think it's more of excitement when you come into the park. That's the biggest thing is that you're excited when you're rolling into the park knowing that, you know what, it's today and this is all we can do. But you know, as that game can keep rolling on and rolling on, I think the battle is to keep the voices out of the head and take it inning by inning, pitch by pitch. That's the biggest thing. You can't look too far ahead.

As a player, you can't start planning innings and innings ahead. You have to be able to focus on what's in front of you because the little things are going to matter in this game; the nasty one-hop double play, if that gets turned, that's a big thing, something like that, or the baserunning, taking advantage of an error or a missed play or anything like that. That's going to be the difference in these types of games.

Q. You were pretty young when this rivalry was in its big heyday back in the 2000s. Do you have any earliest memories of it at all, or how did you experience the Pedro Martinez and Ortiz and Clemens era as a young guy and maybe learning about it as you've started to appreciate baseball history more?

KYLE SCHWARBER: I always felt like when you flipped on ESPN on Sunday night, it was Yankees/Red Sox. Being able to grow up watching games like this and see the hard-fought battles that they had. You know, I think the most memorable one for guys kind of my age is the Varitek/A-Rod shoving match. That's the memorable one for us.

It's going to be a hard-fought battle. I think that's kind of the biggest thing. The history I think is great. It's going to be great entertainment for the fans, but for us it's more about going out there and executing our own game. And if we can do what we want to do at the end of the day, we're going to be happy if it's a win or a lose.

Q. How was it getting a half-season exposure to the rivalry? Was there anything that surprised you about it getting your first taste of it?

KYLE SCHWARBER: You know, I just think the -- don't get me wrong. Like for me, being the new guy, it's more about going out there and winning, you know. I think for guys that have been here a little bit longer, they got more experience in that than what I do. So for me and the young stuff, I'm just here trying to help the team win and go from there.

Q. How strange has this roster been to see, given all of the changes that have occurred over these couple months since you've come over, and what's been your -- what have been your impressions of Alex Cora as you have gotten to know him?

KYLE SCHWARBER: Restate the first part.

Q. How strange has it been to see how much roster change there's been, whether because of COVID or because of just roles, etc., over this time.

KYLE SCHWARBER: I feel like the big thing is we've done a really good job of the next-man-up mentality. That's been huge for us, being able to stay with that and not being affected by, you know, either the COVID bug or injuries or anything like that. Not being affected by the injury bug or anything like that has been big for us.

But obviously it's not ideal circumstances that we had to face early on there, especially when I came over and that kind of all hit at once. But I felt like we did a really good job of just staying focused on what we need to stay focused on and that was winning baseball games.

And, you know, my impressions of AC have been unbelievable. Talk about a manager that really cares about his players and cares about the way that the game is being played; you know, he's very honest and up front with you, which I can appreciate, and that's something that goes a long way with players and the way that a team is going to perform.

He's been unbelievable with me and, you know, I've heard from other guys around the league, like Jon Lester was a former teammate, and he's been unbelievable and very happy to be playing for him.

Q. How do you feel about J.D. Martinez (inaudible)?

KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, that is -- that just plain-up sucks, you know, freak injury there. And hoping the best that he's able to go out there and play. He's been a staple here for how long now and been a staple in this game, a huge bat in this game.

Really hoping that it turns out well for him and that he can strap it up tomorrow, and if he can't, you know, we've been in a spot like this before where we've just got to, next man up. But really hoping that it works out for him.

Q. You haven't been in these types of moments before. From a hitter's perspective, how do you go about trying to maximize and getting clutch hits?

KYLE SCHWARBER: I think the big thing is just being able to stay in the moment. Obviously it's going to be an electric atmosphere tomorrow, and you can't let that really play with your heartbeat. You have to kind of keep that -- that same heartbeat at the same level as it would be if you're playing the field.

So it's going to be a challenge, don't get me wrong. We're all human. We all want the big hit. We all want to come up huge, and I think the bug thing is, just being able to trust the guy in front of you and behind you to get the job done, and if you don't get it done, that guy behind you will, so that's the big thing.