AL DIVISION SERIES: ASTROS VS WHITE SOX

October 10, 2021

Ryan Tepera

Guaranteed Rate Field

Chicago White Sox

Postgame 3 Press Conference

Chicago, 12 - Houston, 6

Q. Ryan, games back and forth in the first four innings there. What's your mindset coming in there in the fifth inning knowing what's on the line in this game?

RYAN TEPERA: Yeah. I mean, first couple of innings were kind of crazy and back and forth kind of thing, and, you know, I think Kopech came in and did his job. He needed to eat some innings. We needed big outs right there, and my kind of mindset was to kind of just throw up some scoreless innings. You know, we just attacked the zone, and it was kind of a momentum switch almost. You know, it was just being confident and throwing pitches, kind of mixing it up and getting the momentum back on our side.

Q. Ryan, there were some big expectations for this bullpen in the preseason. Obviously, you joined in the middle of the year, but what are your guys' expectations now that it's the postseason or even on a nightly basis for what you guys can do?

RYAN TEPERA: Yeah, you know, I traded over here from the Cubs and was brought here to win a championship and be a part of a great bullpen. We have some good arms down there, and give credit to Kopech and Bummer tonight. Man, they really threw the ball well, especially Bummer. You know, he was lights-out. That was a big help, so all I can say really is it was a lot of fun.

It's been a while since I've had that playoff atmosphere, and, you know, the stadium was rocking. Obviously it's a different game here at our field. You play at Minute Maid, and they're doing something over there that's a little different. It shows you how many swings and misses they had tonight compared to at Minute Maid, so that's why you have home field advantage, and, you know, tomorrow we look to tomorrow, and we got another home field advantage, so we're ready to go.

Q. Ryan, it's been since middle of July since you've gone over an inning. Just how did you feel after that first inning and getting back up and down, and how confident were you that you could go two, and Tony said you were ready to go three?

RYAN TEPERA: Yeah. I mean, it's a playoff atmosphere, man. It's adrenaline rush. You know, obviously, the pitch count was down, so, you know, I was able to go out for that second inning and execute pitches and I felt great. You know, just riding kind of the adrenaline and the high, you know? It's a good feeling. It's fun. Man, that's what we live for. We're competitors, and we go out and try to compete. That's the top of the league right there, and that's what we live for.

Q. Ryan, after the game, Liam was excited to tell me about you getting the gaunt. Can you explain what that is, and what it was like when you went back into the clubhouse just now? Did he give it to you right away?

RYAN TEPERA: Well, first of all, I didn't get the gauntlet. Bummer got the gauntlet, so it's when -- it's a little funny joke we have in the bullpen, and basically when you strike out the side, you get three strike-outs in an inning without giving up a run. We have this little Lego set that's a gauntlet, and we pass it around for every guy that gets three strike-outs in an inning, so credit to Bummer. He was lights-out. He is the one that has it right now, so hopefully I'll get it back tomorrow.

Q. Did he give it to him just now, like after?

RYAN TEPERA: Yeah.

Q. Ryan, I was wondering if you could expand upon what you were saying earlier. They struck out 16 times in the previous two games and then 16 times tonight. Do you think something else is going on still, or was that a hunch given the past?

RYAN TEPERA: Yeah, I mean, you know, it is what it is. They've obviously had a reputation of doing some sketchy stuff over there, and, you know, it's just we can say that it's a little bit of a difference. You know? I think you saw the swings and misses tonight compared to the first two games at Minute Maid, but that's not really the story. We come here to play. We're going to compete. We're not going to worry about what they're going to do. All we have to do is execute pitches, and they can't hit them anyway.