NL DIVISION SERIES: BREWERS VS BRAVES

October 8, 2021

Adrian Houser

American Family Field

Milwaukee Brewers

Postgame 1 Press Conference

Brewers - 2, Braves - 1

Q. After starting all year, how surreal was it in that situation, and did you think that is when you would first pitch in the series?

ADRIAN HOUSER: We kind of had that feeling, "be ready for anything" type. We just went in there with could start a game, could come out of the bullpen. So I think being in the past, coming in my first few times throwing out of the bullpen early in my career, I think that really helped.

I've been able to learn and pick the guys' brains out there, how to be ready and prepared. I think that really helped out tonight.

Q. Were you explicitly told, we may got to you tonight or we will go to you tonight?

ADRIAN HOUSER: Yeah, the possibility was there. Could be anytime, just be ready for anything. And that's what I was ready for. Just my name was called. And like we've said all year and in the past, we're all getters, so anytime our name is called, we're ready to go.

Q. You guys have seen Josh do that so much, was it surreal? (Indiscernible) but when he's facing Arcia, a guy you guys played with for five years --

ADRIAN HOUSER: Some guys, after we got out of it and finished the game off, we thought he was going to haunt us there, because he was pretty big for us in the playoffs a few years ago. There was a little of that in the back of the mind. But it was awesome to see Josh be able to put that away right there.

Q. How big is being up one game this season?

ADRIAN HOUSER: Huge. I think that it's a starting point -- get up and trying to take that control and keep grinding with it and it's a big win for us.

Q. Along those lines, does it make an even bigger difference when you're in a short series like this to come out early and kind of get that control right off the bat?

ADRIAN HOUSER: Absolutely. I think it puts you in the driver's seat and gives you that confidence to get that first win out of the way, get the monkey off the back kind of thing. It let everybody kind of relaxing and play the game.

Q. These teams are so evenly matched, it seems. Good pitching on both sides. Do you feel it could be a lot of games like this, these grinders?

ADRIAN HOUSER: Yeah, absolutely. I think it will be a lot of pitcher's duels, a lot of close games. That's a great ballclub over there. They swing the bat really well and throw the ball really well. So it's going to be a good series.

Q. You may have been in that situation Corbin found himself in in the first inning. As a pitcher what do you tell yourself there and are you -- I know you're going to say no -- but are you at all surprised that he got out of that with nothing?

ADRIAN HOUSER: No. (Laughter). Been seeing him do it all year, stuff like that. But just take a deep breath, reset and just make one pitch at a time. That's all you can do in that situation. He was able to do that.

And Rowdy made a heck of a play over there. And Narvy with the pick and the tag. It was all around great stuff right there on that play.

Q. You just touched on this, but how important has Rowdy's defense been behind you? And (indiscernible) Omar, being able to trust him and, pitch in the dirt, pitch (indiscernible), how big has he been for you this year?

ADRIAN HOUSER: It's been huge. Rowdy has been playing some great defense for us. Making some plays. Nice to have a lefty first baseman over there. He has an advantage in some ways. That's been big for us.

And Narvy's been great. Being able to have him here last year, being able to work with him. And now that we're into this year, it's been huge, and being able to communicate a lot better, knowing what we're trying to do in the game and that kind of stuff. And he's been awesome back there. We trust him back there. He can block it all up for us when we need to.

Q. Adrian, it's been a few years since you guys played here with fans in the postseason. How would you describe the noise factor when Rowdy hit that pitch?

ADRIAN HOUSER: Deafening. Deafening. Couldn't hear anything. We all were going nuts in the dugout. And you couldn't hear anything but the crowd roaring; it was awesome.

Q. You were around like maybe 25, 26 pitches, something like that, just what you felt about the idea of maybe going again, say, in Game 3 or Game 4 possibly?

ADRIAN HOUSER: You know that option is there and we're going to do everything we can, we're going to get the recovery right and do everything we can, see how I feel tomorrow and go from there.