AL DIVISION SERIES: ASTROS VS WHITE SOX

October 10, 2021

Tim Anderson

Guaranteed Rate Field

Chicago White Sox

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. I'm just curious, I mean, it's day-of now. Does this day feel any different from the previous game days of this season knowing that the season is literally on the line?

TIM ANDERSON: No, not really. Just feels like a normal day. You know, we come into the ballpark to try to get a win. That's the ultimate goal. We are trying not to put too much pressure on ourselves and take it like any other day.

Q. Tim, Tony was just talking about how impressed he was with the group yesterday just through the workout. What did you see from the workout that makes you excited about today?

TIM ANDERSON: First off, the workout was optional, and everybody showed up. So I think that shows you just how we pulling from the same screen. You know, everybody was loose, and everybody was just enjoying the moment, so we just going to go out tonight and be loose and go with the same energy, and I'm pretty sure this place is going to be rocking, so we can feed off that energy as well.

Q. Tim, go ahead and get it. As far as the way that you deal with nervous energy, how do you handle it? Do you get nervous, and if you do, is it natural that you use towards your energy when you are entering the game?

TIM ANDERSON: Yeah. I mean, I don't really get nervous. You know, these are the moments you want to be in. You know, you work so hard throughout the offseason and throughout the course of the season to get to these moments, so why get nervous when you get here?

Yeah, man, you know, the atmosphere is going to be crazy, so I'm definitely going to feed off that energy tonight and approach it like any other game.

Q. Tim, speaking of those moments, we have seen throughout the season you coming up in clutch situations. Have you always thrived in that, or how did you get to that place where you really embraced this?

TIM ANDERSON: I just feel like I'm different. You know, I want to be in those moments. The camera is on. People are here to watch you. So, I mean, it is a show, so you just try to go out and give people a show.

Q. Tim, in Houston after the game the other day, Lucas said we've won three in a row before. It's such a simple line of thinking, but is there some comfort in kind of thinking of it that way? It's just one three-game winning streak?

TIM ANDERSON: That's the main thing, just keeping it simple. Trying not to overthink the situation. We understand the situation. Everybody understands the situation we know what we're up against, so we're just going to go out and try to get a win.

Q. Tim, you have the most hits in your first five playoff games in history. Do you find yourself tapping into a different level of focus in this environment or is it just you've been hot?

TIM ANDERSON: It's the same. I don't get a ring for that, so it doesn't really do anything for me.

Q. Tim, we just heard Tony talking about the fact that he thought that you guys were perfectly prepared to do this except for he was kind of guarding against trying to do too much. How do you and your teammates, especially being at home for the first time in the playoff game, how do you guard against doing -- trying to do too much?

TIM ANDERSON: It's really just keep it simple. You know, the pitcher is going to pitch. We're going to play defense, and then once we get three outs, we're going to rotate and try to get some hits, and I think that's just as simple as it gets.

Q. Tim, you mentioned playing at home. Just what has this Guaranteed Rate Field crowd meant to you this season?

TIM ANDERSON: Man, they've been great. Showing up from day one. You know, they know the tough stretch that we have been through, you know, since I got here. For them to just continue to show up day in, day out, you know, definitely means a lot to this ballclub. And I'm pretty sure they're going to show up again tonight and cheer us on as well, so that definitely means a lot, and they got a special place in my heart, for sure.

Q. Tim, you have Luis hitting behind you again today. He has kind of turned it on over the last month or so. When he is firing on all cylinders, how good a hitter can he be?

TIM ANDERSON: He is dangerous. He hasn't really -- he has not even figured it all the way out yet. Once he continues to keep growing and continue to be a complete player, you know, the sky is the limit for him for sure.

Q. Tim, going into the series, you and others talked about having had playoff experience now coming in and that was a big deal. I'm sure it was. The Astros are in the playoffs five straight years. Now that you're a couple of games into the series and they've played as well as they have, do you attribute any of that to just the amount of experience they have? Does that seem like a big factor?

TIM ANDERSON: I mean, it's just another game. The only reason it's postseason, because that's what they call it, so I don't really see -- they got a good lineup, and we got a good lineup as well. So they got to compete against us as well, but I don't really see that being a factor. Like I said, it's only postseason because that's what they call it.