MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS VS BRAVES

October 29, 2021

Travis D'arnaud

Ian Anderson

Truist Park

Atlanta Braves

Postgame 3 Press Conference

Atlanta - 2, Houston - 0

Q. Snit said, when he told you you were not going to six, you said, "Are you sure? Are you sure?" Did you really think you were going to go out in the sixth, and how bad did you want it?

IAN ANDERSON: Obviously, you want the chance to compete, especially on the biggest stage like this is. Yeah, I knew he wasn't going to budge. It's hard to. You've got guys like Matzek and Minter and Luke and Will at the back end coming in, you can't blame him for going to those guys. Those guys, time in and time out, get it done, and they did it again tonight.

Q. Ian, did you know going after that fifth inning, knowing that the top of their lineup was coming up again, that Snit was going to say that?

IAN ANDERSON: No, I thought that -- I don't know, you get that adrenaline after getting the last out of the inning, and I felt good. You feel good about it coming off the field. Once you sit there for a little bit, maybe reality starts kicking in a little bit more.

Yeah, I thought there was a chance that I could stay in, but I think, when you have a chance to get to those guys at the back end, you can't hesitate.

Q. Ian, everyone's always raving about your maturity. Luke Jackson said you're like a 65-year-old. Where does that come from?

IAN ANDERSON: Yeah, I don't know. I guess you could say my parents. I don't know. I guess they kind of raised me and my three brothers that way. I feel like we're all kind of old souls and just kind of take things in stride. Just kind of go with the flow, pretty easy going. I think that helps kind of slow everything down.

Q. What else can you attribute your rather stunning success in two postseasons now, eight, nine starts, whatever it is, the low 1.00s E.R.A. How have you been able to take your game talent to that level on a consistent basis in the postseason?

IAN ANDERSON: I think you've got to look to my right here. He's caught every single one of my postseason outings. We've had a good game plan going in. I think for the most part we've been able to execute.

I think the biggest thing tonight, why we had some success, was just the -- we never really gave in. There were definitely some counts that were in their favor. I think we just kept making pitches. He stuck with some of the pitches that I was spiking up there or didn't quite have a feel for. We were able to make some big-time pitches when it mattered.

Q. Knowing that this team plans to have back-to-back bullpen games in the next two games of the series, did that put any extra pressure on you to go deep in this game? And then can you comment on how you feel this team is equipped to handle back-to-back bullpen games?

IAN ANDERSON: Yeah, it's definitely something. Me and Max talked about it when Charlie went down. You want to go out there and give the team innings. I think your mindset changes a little bit. Obviously, losing Game 2, we wanted the focus on putting zeros up and however many innings that's for. That's kind of what I was thinking.

Yeah, I think the bullpen, I think the way our offense is, they're not going to stay down for too long. I think we're in a good spot going into Games 4 and 5.

Q. Ian, it's not very often that a starting pitcher goes back in the dugout to watch this bullpen try to finish up a no-hitter. What was your reaction when the hit fell. Then Travis, it's a 1 is-0 game and tying run is now on base. Do you just sort of have to deal with, okay, we don't care about the no-hitter, we have to get through this inning. Is there any sort of cross thoughts in your head about the disappointment of the no-hitter being gone and yet being where the game was?

IAN ANDERSON: I think you kind of nailed it. I think, being such a close game in the postseason, you switch immediately to how can we keep that guy where he is and get out of the inning?

I always love going out and watching those guys do their thing, especially in the postseason.

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: The goal of every game is to get a win. I think a no-hitter would have been a bonus, but when they got that hit, that wasn't our goal when the game started. It was just to go out there, execute pitches, get outs, and end with a win. That's ultimately what we did.

Q. Ian, when was the last time you did pitch a no-hitter?

IAN ANDERSON: I think it was in Double-A. I think I had seven no-hit innings, and then one of my good buddies at the time, Jeremy Walker, came in and finished it off. I want to say it was against Jackson. Yeah, Jackson maybe, the Diamondbacks.

Q. Have you pitched a complete game no-hitter, maybe high school, anywhere?

IAN ANDERSON: I don't think I ever have. I do not think I ever have.

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: I have. I pitched four innings, and my buddy pitched the rest of the three innings. High school, yeah.

(Laughter.)

Q. Ian, you're handling this remarkably well. I'm just wondering, is there no part of you that is: I had five no-hit innings in a World Series game. It would have been nice to see how far I could go with that?

IAN ANDERSON: Yeah, there is. I think I'm still processing it a little bit because, when you're in the moment, you're just focused on getting outs. Getting three outs, heading back in the dugout, coming back out, getting three more outs.

I think I'll look back on it tomorrow maybe or whatever the time may be, but, yeah, we still have some work to do. I think that's kind of where the focus is.

Q. Travis, a bit of a roller coaster day for you maybe, a couple of at-bats with guys left on base, and the double early, the home run lead, and just the throwing error. A lot of action for you. Kind of walk us through the emotions of the day as well as almost catching a no-hitter in the World Series.

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: Well, I woke up and got doughnuts with my family. So I was feeling pretty good from when I woke up. I just tried to stay calm the whole day until the game starts. There's a lot of pressure that could come just thinking that you're in a World Series game. So I just try to stay calm and take it pitch by pitch.

If I get a hit, cool. If I get an out, whatever. It's more about catching a winner.

Q. How about the home run in the eighth?

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: Oh, that's huge to be up 2-0 instead of 1-0 going into the ninth against that team. They won their division. They have an explosive offense. Like Riley said, in one swing of the bat, they can put up two, three, four runs. It was huge to have that extra insurance run.

Q. Travis, you bounced around a fair amount in your career. Do you feel like you've found a home in Atlanta? Secondly, what kind of doughnuts did you get this morning, and what kind's your favorite?

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: Yes, I love this city. They've treated my family and me very well. I'm so thankful that I even had an opportunity to come here with Alex. So, yes, I love it here.

We got 15 doughnuts. We got a bunch of chocolate bars, chocolate twists, cinnamon twists, cinnamon rolls, apple fritter, a lot of doughnut holes. Yeah, it was good too. It was good.

Q. Ian, they call you the 65-year-old old soul, mature beyond your years. So with that in mind and the fact that the result is what you wanted, was it the right move to remove you from the game when it happened?

IAN ANDERSON: Yeah, I think -- like I said, I think kind of the way the playoffs have been played and managed, I think you can't fault Snit for making that move. Like I said, those guys post every time, so you've got to have the utmost trust in them. Ultimately, those are the guys that are going to get this thing done.

Q. You would have made the same move, then?

IAN ANDERSON: Yeah, probably. Maybe I will manage someday. It's something to think about.

Q. Are you using Joc Pederson's bat? Is that like a good luck charm? Did you use that same bat with the homer in Houston?

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: Yeah.

Q. Is it a good luck charm, I guess? Why are you using that bat?

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: I'm going to keep using it, that's for sure. I picked it up, and I said, "Joc, this feels pretty good." He said, "It's yours, big guy." I said, "All right, I'm going to use it." Yeah, I'm going to keep using it.

Q. Further removed from the thumb injury, do you feel stronger as the time goes on at the plate? Do you feel that?

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: With the injury I had earlier?

Q. Yeah.

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: Yeah, as time's been going on, I feel stronger.

Q. With so much -- this is for you, Travis. With so much talk about how often the bullpen is being used, how does that impact how you game plan, just knowing how often the relievers are going to be called upon?

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: Well, it's not just me doing the game planning. We have a team of guys in there -- Sal, Eddie, Adam. There's a lot of us that come in there and come up with situations that could possibly come up with the game, like if Minter has to face a certain string of three guys, four guys, we talk about that. Or if Jacks comes in and faces those three or four guys, we go through different game plans and different situations depending on what time of the game it is. There's a lot of different factors.

We try to go over everything so, when it happens in the game, we've already prepped for it.

Q. Ian, could you recount the entire exchange you had with your manager there from maybe starting with the moment that you saw him coming your way.

IAN ANDERSON: Yeah, we're very fortunate to have him, and the way he treats us is phenomenal. He'll shake your hand after every outing, good or bad, and that goes a long way. So you always look for it.

Yeah, he walked down and said, "That's it. Heck of a job." Yeah, you feel a little bit of I have more to give, but it's something that you understand and move forward.

Q. Ian, the Astros' Dusty called you effectively wild today, and Bregman said it was hard to get a bead when you're working in and out of the zone. Is it a different feeling pitching when you're in a game like that than maybe if you're just throwing strike after strike? Is it a different approach when you're on the mound?

IAN ANDERSON: Yeah, definitely. I think that effectively wild's a pretty good term. I was definitely a little amped up there at the beginning. I think that's kind of what happens when you try to make quality pitches every pitch, not just give in or lay the ball in there. And they have a good offense. So it's kind of something where we kind of went into the game thinking we're going to make pitcher's pitches and see how far that gets us.

Yeah, I think moving the ball around, changing speeds, getting some curveballs in there was big. It was partially part of the game plan going in.

Q. This was only the third time all year that the Astros were shut out on two or fewer hits. Travis, from behind the plate, was there anything in particular you saw that was able to keep them off balance all night from the pitching staff?

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: Yeah, my pitching staff is full of studs. They were just out there executing pitches. We stuck with our game plan, and we were successful with that.

Q. Travis, I remember you well in the 2015 World Series. You had a helluva pitching staff there. Now it's six years later, you're back. What do you take out of that? Is there anything similar? You're also off to a much better start offensively than you had in that series?

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: I don't like comparing teams. Both staffs were great. Both starters were great. Both bullpens were great. From what I learned in 2015 is that it's still baseball. Don't let the lights get too bright. Just go out there and play your game and do what you've been doing all year with the focus of just try to win the series. Can't really control more than that. That's what I learned.

Q. Is it more fun to be back here a second time?

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD: Any time in playoffs is fun, especially in the World Series. I'm just thankful that I had an opportunity to come back.