AL DIVISION SERIES: ASTROS VS WHITE SOX

October 6, 2021

Lance Lynn

Minute Maid Park

Chicago White Sox

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Welcome to Houston. We just barely knew that you were the opening pitcher for tomorrow. How long ago did you know that you were going to be the opening pitcher for tomorrow?

LANCE LYNN: Last week.

Q. The rotation has been so good all year long. Tony obviously had good options for Game 1. What's it mean to you to be the first one out for you guys?

LANCE LYNN: It's exciting. We've got a nice rotation. We've got a tough task here in Houston, and we're looking forward to it.

Q. Just knowing your history with Tony, did it feel like a full circle moment at all with him penciling you in here for Game 1?

LANCE LYNN: Yeah. When I had Tony, I was a rookie, and I was out of the bullpen. So it's been ten years, and for me to have this opportunity with him is pretty special because he's -- I joked the other day, he's the only manager to ever send me down. So we have that going for us.

Q. You're dealing with a bit of a knee issue the last few weeks of the season. How would you kind of characterize that right now? Are you fully healthy or how is it feeling;

LANCE LYNN: Everything feels great. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Lance, which one's harder, putting on the greens at -- where did we play? Or running the two mile at Ole Miss, Shadow Hawk? Putting the greens at Shadow Hawk or running the two mile at Ole Miss?

LANCE LYNN: The two mile at Ole Miss was not enjoyable, I know that, but the three putts on every hole wasn't enjoyable either.

Q. Having experience with this lineup and now in a postseason start, how much prep and work and maybe adjustments to how you've attacked this lineup in the past will you do going into tomorrow?

LANCE LYNN: You kind of take everything into consideration. Yas and I have already been talking things that we can do. You do all the research, and you just know that you go out there and compete and make pitches, make quality pitches, and you can't give them anything because if you give them anything, they have a tendency to run with it and make big innings.

Got to make it pitch by pitch and make it a quality pitch one at a time and keep that simple, and that's what we're going to try to do.

Q. Lance, what kind of relief was there to hear that Jose will be joining you guys tomorrow and there's a chance, if not Game 1, that he'll be in Game 2, and he's feeling better?

LANCE LYNN: You definitely don't want him to be feeling bad, but to know that he's on his way is a huge boost for us. He's kind of the heart and soul of the team. He plays through anything. He's always there day in and day out and gives you everything he's got. So we're looking forward to seeing him for sure.

Q. Since the beginning of the season, there's been a lot of buzz that the White Sox could be built for this moment. How ready is this group, you think, for the grueling part of October that is ahead?

LANCE LYNN: I think they're excited. You're looking at a team that last year made the playoffs, but didn't get to be in the stadium with fans and stuff like that. Some of these guys are young, and it's their first real fan experience in the playoffs. So they're looking forward to it. They're excited. They're a really talented group, and they've come a long way over the last couple years to build the core they have.

We're looking forward to it. Everybody's got to be pulling in the same direction, and we seem to be in a good spot.

Q. Something Tony just said in considering who to be the Game 1 starter was that you need to be prepared to use the Game 1 on short rest in Game 4. Is that something you'd be prepared to do if called upon?

LANCE LYNN: Yeah.

Q. What advice would you give to those guys who haven't been in the playoffs with this type of atmosphere in terms of dealing with a place as, I guess, Yas described it, as rowdy as Minute Maid?

LANCE LYNN: My big thing is take it all in, enjoy the moment, and don't forget to breathe. It's as simple as that. It's as easy to tune it out, but you've got to take it all in so you can learn to tune it out. Take it all in, enjoy the moment, take a deep breath, and go play baseball.

Q. You have someone you like to talk to before a moment this big for you? I mean, you just gave advice to your teammates. Who gives it to you? Do you need it?

LANCE LYNN: I'll go back on my experience and the guys that I've played with a long time ago. They taught me a lot of things on the way and how to do the things I need to do. One of them is starting a Wild Card game tonight. So I'm not going to bug him, but maybe as the playoffs go on.

I've got guys that I can lean on who have had a lot of success in the playoffs, so I do that along the way.

Q. Since you brought up Wainwright, how much similarities do you see between the 2011 Cardinals and some of this year's Cardinals team?

LANCE LYNN: You're looking at the late season push that they had was very similar to what we had to do in '11 to even get in the playoffs. So when you're riding high and late in the season and playing good baseball, it's always a good thing to have going into October. So very similar in that aspect.