AL DIVISION SERIES: RAYS VS RED SOX

October 6, 2021

Shane McClanahan

Tropicana Field

Tampa Bay Rays

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. How excited are you? Is there a way to know if you are ready for this?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: I'm really excited. This is what we've been working for, to be honest with you, so this is where baseball gets fun, and I know we're all ready. Even myself.

Q. Do you have recollections of watching the Rays in the playoffs as a kid growing up here in Florida?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: This is a loaded question. To be honest with you, I was an Orioles fan growing up. So I remember 2008 that was an incredible season for the Rays. I remember Akinori, I believe his name was, I believe. The final out at second base and jumping around him, and that stuck with me. I was, like, man, baseball is pretty cool.

Q. Just to be a Game 1 starter, there is a certain cache that comes with that. What does that honor mean to you?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: I think it's pretty cool, to be honest with you. Considering I didn't break with the team out of camp, so I think it's -- I think it's pretty cool. I think it's a testament to the hard work and the effort, you know, that I've put and the entire team has put in this year.

Q. Hey, Shane, what have you learned in the first three starts that you have had against Boston, and how much does that experience help you going into the ALDS tomorrow?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: I've learned they're a very good team. Obviously, they're in the situation that they're in because they're a good team. They're a selective team, but they're aggressive when they need to be. You know, you definitely learn a lot about a team and where you face them. At the end of the day they learn more about you.

So, you know, I'm excited to go out there tomorrow and honestly, like, kind of work on everything I've learned from my first three against them.

Q. Thanks. Shane, can you speak to the experience of going to college, playing college baseball, and, of course, missing that time due to injury. How did you bounce back, and what did that year teach you about yourself?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: Yeah, it was hard. I'll be honest with you. You know, I take pride in being healthy and, you know, doing -- putting in the work to prevent injuries and, you know, that year was a step back for me, I feel like.

I've learned a lot that I really like baseball. I love competing. I love winning, and it was hard to be a spectator for an entire year, watching the guys you go to work with every day and go out there, and you can't do anything about it, so that stuck with me. It made me want to work harder, and, ultimately, become a better player. When I can do my job, you know, I can help put this team in the best position to win.

Q. Shane, a couple of years ago before your time here, the playoffs are here, and it was an electric atmosphere.

SHANE McCLANAHAN: I was here. I was in the stands.

Q. Okay. Well, there you go. What do you expect on Thursday coming out before that kind of a crowd and doing your thing?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: I want it to be loud. You know, we call it Choptober. It's a different breed. It's awesome. It's so cool. As a fan, it was awesome. To look around and see the entire stadium packed with yellow flags waving everywhere, it was awesome. And so I know everybody, including myself is really excited for tomorrow to see that atmosphere.

Q. Shane, when you find yourself in big moments over your baseball career, how do you keep yourself from getting too amped up? Do you have specific routines? How do you kind of slow the heart beat down?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: I think in big situations, you know, it goes back to whether or not you're prepared for it. Have you put in the effort? Have you put in the work? I feel like there's a sense of calmness when you know you've done all you can to prepare for that situation. I find a little bit of comfort and relaxation knowing that I'm prepared for this moment.

So I think, you know, a lot of the work we put in before really determines what happens on the field.

Q. Shane, just to kind of look back again to where you were last year when you were called up. I mean, you probably would have been called up in September if you hadn't tweaked your knee. But you made your debut in the postseason and now to be back as a starter. How proud are you of what you did and maybe how that prepares?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: You know, it's -- I'm trying to really put this in words. You know, last year there was so much uncertainty in the entire world. Not just in baseball. To have that opportunity last year to be a part of the team and when honestly, that many had doubts that we wouldn't play the season, and to be part of that was special and to be here now as a starter and, you know, to have been a part of this team from the very beginning essentially, you know, it means a lot. It's exciting.

Q. Shane, you talked about the preparation. Your last start was shortened to get you ready for the postseason. How much do you think that shortened start will help you to have gas in the tank for what tomorrow will bring?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: They conveyed to me even before the start that it was going to be a shortened start, and, you know, obviously I have to listen to them, but I want the ball, man. Yankees Stadium was rocking. 41,000 people there. You're crazy if you don't want the ball. So even when they took me out, I was a little upset. I understood it. You know, a lot bigger games in the future.

But I think, you know, with a little rest at the end of the year, especially in October, it's not a bad thing. I feel pretty prepared for tomorrow, and I'm ready to go.

Q. Shane, could you share the most powerful ways in which your parents have impacted your baseball career and certainly your life overall?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: Yeah. So my father is disabled. He has been disabled my entire life, and my mom was a special needs schoolteacher. So, you know, there's always been that work ethic in my house of never give up and keep going even when things seem bad. That's always stuck with me. Obviously, you know, I should have done a better job in telling them that, so it feels good to get that off my chest now.

The hard work has virtually been instilled in me from the very beginning to watch my dad, when I know he is not feeling well, trying to play catch with me in the backyard. My mom gets off work from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and she's making dinner for us and asking us about our day when we should be asking her about hers. I think, you know, you take -- you don't take things for granted. I enjoy the moment and work hard.

Q. Shane, how do you handle the next 24 hours? Do you go over video and scouting reports? Do you try to unplug from that tonight? How do you get ready for tomorrow?

SHANE McCLANAHAN: Just enjoy the day, man. Have a good catch play. Have a good conditioning session. You know, make sure I'm in a good spot. Makes sure I'm in a good spot today because if I'm in a good spot today, I know tomorrow I'll be okay.