AL DIVISION SERIES: ASTROS VS WHITE SOX

October 9, 2021

Dylan Cease

Guaranteed Rate Field

Chicago White Sox

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Hey, Dylan. You have talked about how excited you were to pitch in the playoffs to start a game in the playoffs now that you are facing potential elimination and all that comes with that. How are you feeling going tomorrow?

DYLAN CEASE: I'm still very excited. The stakes are high, but, obviously. I mean, I'm just grateful that we have the opportunity, honestly.

Q. How does the team feel going into Game 3 after the way that maybe some of the stuff that they showed yesterday?

DYLAN CEASE: I think we're excited. You know, we are learning ourselves. I think we're going in with the mindset that we're just going to take it pitch by pitch and bring our best.

Q. Dylan, how do you navigate that lineup? Do you look at it any differently than you did in the regular season, and are there guys that, you know, you prefer to stay away from in certain situations? Is it any different at all in the playoffs?

DYLAN CEASE: I mean, I don't want to give too much away about anything, but you got to be aggressive. You know, you got -- I got to get count leverage, so I will be attacking. It's a matter of how, obviously. I'm not going to -- I'm not going to put any more -- any extra pressure on anything just because it's the playoffs. I'm going to follow the process and, you know, do what I've been doing.

Q. Dylan, when did you get the news that you were making this start, and walk us through that conversation?

DYLAN CEASE: Yeah, Tony talked to me, and it was pretty much just to let me know, you know, I have the ball for Game 3. So he let me know yesterday, but, yeah, just give me a little bit of time to, you know, mentally prepare and, yeah.

Q. What were the emotions in that moment, and then preparing to go out on the mound tomorrow with fans in the stands, who have you talked to about managing emotions then?

DYLAN CEASE: Yeah. It was mostly just excitement. You know, I mean, I physically feel really fresh, so it was mostly excitement just that I get to go out and do it. And then I talked to Lance a little bit. I mean, he has obviously been around and has pitched in the World Series, so I kind of just asked him about what are some of the things that you might feel -- or I might feel that are unexpected, so, yeah, I mean, I'm very excited for it.

Q. Hi, Dylan. Kind of picking up on what you were just talking about, but a couple of years ago, Lucas told me all about the neurofeedback training he had done is and said he turned you on to it. He described it in terms of managing fear and anxiety, pressure. A question for you is did you do a lot of work in that area? Are you good in that area? Do you feel comfortable that you go into a game that it will have more of all of that than you have faced?

DYLAN CEASE: Yeah, I did that back in 2019. Was it 2019, I think? I haven't really messed with it since, but, yeah, I mean, for me, it's just I'm not going to put any added pressure on myself. You know, obviously, I know what the stakes are, but my sole focus is just going to be on executing pitches.

Q. Dylan, just in general what's the team's surprise level that you are down 0-2 now and you have your backs against the wall after running --

DYLAN CEASE: I mean, surprised? Obviously, it's baseball. Anything can happen. I think for the most part it's just you have to let go of what's happened. We can't change what's happened, and now we're just focused on doing everything we can to put ourselves in a position to basically execute at a high level and bring out our best the next couple of games.

Q. Hey, Dylan. I think you were about 12 when they last did the black-out game here in 2008, but what do you -- I don't know if you have heard anything about it, but what do you expect from the home crowd with the first playoff game here in Chicago on the south side for 13 years?

DYLAN CEASE: Yeah. I mean, there's no doubt it's going to be electric. What to expect, it's going to be intense for sure. I mean, I think -- I think it's going to be pretty rowdy, and hopefully we give them something to get even louder about.

Q. Obviously, it drives you. Players all talked about how much different it is having fans. Can it be not a detriment, but can you get over, you know -- overexerted too by just the intensity that the crowd brings on that?

DYLAN CEASE: I don't think so. For me personally, I feel like I feed off that. The louder and the more -- the more energy there is, the better for sure.

Q. Dylan, you're a pitcher who racks up a lot of strike-outs. We always talk about strike to be efficient. There are teams that avoid strike-outs a lot and force the pitchers to run their counts. What kind of challenge does that pose for you, and I guess how do you approach it?

DYLAN CEASE: Yeah, I mean, obviously, they've got a great lineup. To me, it just comes down to if I execute pitches, more times than not, good things happen. I'm not going to go in there trying to get a swing and miss every pitch. I'm going to try to execute pitches and be aggressive and really just control everything that I can control, and not worry about anything else.

Q. Is there anything approach-wise change in terms of knowing how contact-heavy they are or trying to get quick outs, or do you have to just do what you do?

DYLAN CEASE: I'm not going to pitch -- I'm not going to pitch, like -- I'm not going to pitch around contact, if that makes sense. That's a recipe for disaster. You know? I'm going to be aggressive, and, yeah, I mean, I'm going to attack.

Q. And you have spoken to it before, but a year ago in Game 3, you were kind of -- weren't positioned to really look at this kind of start. You are in a position now with the team trying to extend their season, how kind of rewarding has that process been?

DYLAN CEASE: Yeah. You know, first off, I'm very grateful for the opportunity. There's been huge strides this year for me personally in my development. Yeah, I mean, what was the last part of the question?

Q. Just to be in this position now a year later where you are trusted for this Game 3, possibly to stave off elimination.

DYLAN CEASE: The biggest thing is I feel grateful for the opportunity.

Q. What was the conversation like on the plane, and what is the mood of the team today as you guys come in knowing it's win or go home tomorrow?

DYLAN CEASE: I mean, I think if that doesn't bring out the best in you, I don't know what will, so I think, you know, we're not sitting here mopey or anything. We have to do everything we can to perform and execute at a high level, and obviously, the pressure is going to be high, but that's the playoffs, and that's everything we've been preparing for. So I think we're more excited than anything else.

Q. Dylan, you mentioned those huge developmental strides for you. If you had to pick one thing in that development, what are you most proud of this year?

DYLAN CEASE: I think just how better I've gotten at -- how much better I've gotten at throwing just quality strikes and not just with my fastball, with really every pitch. I mean, there's been a lot of strides, so it is hard to pick just one, but being able to have stretches where I'm really commanding multiple pitches has been really satisfying.

Q. And when you look back to your two starts against Houston, regular season, what was the key adjustment in between those two?

DYLAN CEASE: Yeah. The first one -- the first one didn't go well, but I felt good with the second one. I think honestly, as boring as -- or as boring of an answer as it is, it's execution. I've got the stuff. It's just a matter of getting count leverage and utilizing it and being able to do the little things like that. The second game was much better, and I executed pitches better. It was that simple.