AL WILD CARD SERIES: MARINERS VS BLUE JAYS

October 8, 2022

John Schneider

Rogers Centre

Toronto Blue Jays

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Can you detail what the plans are for Lourdes and Santiago, kind of what they're going to be able to do and kind of what you're hoping to see from them?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: More of the same of what they did yesterday. Getting out there running the bases. They saw live pitching yesterday, so that was a nice box to check.

For Lourdes especially I think more of the same today. Just from a running standpoint with his injury being the hamstring.

So, seeing how we come out of today, and hopefully it's all good news and make a decision after that.

Q. John, the moment is at hand. What does this feel like for you?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: This is something that I've been looking forward to for my entire adult life. Excited. Can't put one word on it. Humbled.

Happy to do it with a group of players that I'm familiar with, do it with the staff that I'm familiar with and front office is something I do not take lightly.

Just thrilled that we're able to do it in front of our home fans. Just looking forward to a really fun weekend.

Q. We talked a lot about the home field advantage. I think you may remember 2016, 2015.

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Oh, yeah.

Q. Can you define what home field advantage feels like from a player or manager's point of view and not just from a television or fan's perspective?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: I think it adds a layer of comfort. You're staying in your own bed, and you have your own environment and clubhouse and people that you are familiar with. So, you put that on top of a full house of Blue Jay fans, it makes it very exciting.

I think the atmosphere in this building in the postseason speaks for itself. We're excited to be a part of it.

Q. What can you say about the growth of Alek Manoah from the first time you met him to getting this Game 1 start?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: It feels like he has been ready for this moment from when he signed, meeting him when he first got drafted when he came up here.

But this season in general, reaching new highs and workload, innings, all that kind of stuff. You really can't say enough about the season that he has had and the month of September that he has had.

Lives for moments like this and embraces everything that comes with it, but I think still keeps the task at hand in the forefront. We're excited for him to get us going tomorrow night.

Q. John, one of the lasting images that I think the fans have was Vladdy on the final day of 2021 staring with everybody else at Rogers Centre watching the Red Sox and the Nationals and just looking absolutely gutted missing the postseason by a game. What was your lingering feeling, and how long did that take to get over and then move towards the motivation for 2022?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: It took a while last year. We were playing really well, and I think that we were very confident if we did get in.

You get so invested in the prep and the work and the people. It took a while, and one game kind of was the phrase that we brought right into spring training. I mentioned it yesterday to the guys that we were one game better than we were last year in the regular season, which is a good step.

But, I think it just brought attention to the little things that are important that we really tried to harp on, especially in the second half.

So, I think going through those experiences are good and bad. They can serve as tough reminders why you are going through the next season, as it did this year. Hopefully everyone kind of -- you don't want to dwell on it, but I think it is definitely a motivating factor from this point on.

Q. When you guys made the playoffs in 2020, it was entirely different, and it felt to us anyway, maybe to you guys too, that it's almost over in the blink of an eye. What do you think the group takes from that to use now, or is this playoff just so entirely different than that was?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: That year was tough. It was definitely unique. I think this year is different playing here and playing in front of our fans and fans in general.

It did seem to go fast, so I think from that the message is going to be abundantly clear to the guys, as it has been all year. When you are trying to win a series, you don't want to get caught up in one game.

Obviously, every game, every out, every pitch is important, but the goal is to win a series. That's been what we've been trying to accomplish, and nothing changes now in a condensed three-game series.

Q. How much are you looking forward to this group that grew up with you and that you saw then in 2020? Actually, home fans is one thing, but playing in front of fans, period, in the playoffs, which they haven't gotten to do yet?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Thrilled for them. This is why you spend hours on end in the back fields down in Dunedin working on specific things to hopefully bring them to life in situations like this.

For that young group that is here now that have been through our system, that has been here for a couple of years, I'm thrilled for them. They are tremendously excited, tremendously prepared, and tremendously confident going into it.

I'm just excited to be here with them doing the things we've talked about so many times a lot of years ago.

Q. How far along the road are you in deciding a Game 2 starter, and what factors are going into your decisions for Game 2 and a possible Game 3?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: We're getting there. We're about halfway down that road maybe.

I think factors that go in are going to be matchups. The fact that we have a lot of flexibility and depth is a great thing. We've talked through a couple of different scenarios going forward.

We'll continue to work through that today, later tonight, tomorrow and make a decision that we feel is best.

Q. What do you tell your players who are playing in front of 55,000 crazy Jays fans for the first time, and how do you calm their nerves?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Tell them to enjoy it. I think it's great to have veteran guys like George and Chappy, Jackie Bradley Jr., that have been there and done that. You enjoy the moment, but you also remember what you are trying to do.

I mean, everyone is going to have a little bit extra emotion in all these games, and I think if you can focus on playing the type of game that you want to play and not get too high, especially early on in the first game tomorrow, things will fall into place.

It's enjoy the moment, slow it down, and understand they're a really talented group and go play your game.

Q. Speaking of that, kind of how much do you think the group is going to lean on Springer, Chapman, Jackie Bradley Jr.? I think Yimi has some appearances in the postseason during this run.

JOHN SCHNEIDER: They've been talking about it for a while now, and conversation after yesterday's game in Baltimore was great as a group. It's been kind of high-leverage games for a while now, so these guys have been having these conversations for a couple of weeks.

I think it's going to be more of the same. It is invaluable to have guys that have been on the biggest stage, highest stakes in World Series games. I think it's invaluable to have their opinions, their input, their feelings, and guys have been doing that for a couple of weeks, which is awesome.

Q. John, you value chemistry and clubhouse attitude. For Whit Merrifield who came in midseason, it's a tough adjustment for a new guy to come into a new team. How did he adjust, and what impressed you about the way that he fit into the fabric of this team?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: He was great. It took him a couple of days to get his footing with personalities, but track record speaks for itself.

I think guys immediately respected him because of what he has done in his career. Going through a time where he wasn't playing regularly, you can't say enough about the teammate he was, how professional he was with his work, questions that he asked and things like that. Got all the respect in the world for him.

I think good things happen to good people. For him to be on a nice little roll right now I think playing these types of games for the first time in a while for him, it feels pretty good.

Q. He has played the third most games without appearing in a postseason game, but now you've watched him over the last three weeks. What does his skill set mean to you to have to be able to lean on in these types of games?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: He is calm. He is collected. Kind of a quiet leader in the clubhouse.

The versatility that he brings, what he brings on the bases, you saw it in Baltimore. Just kind of creating a run with a bunt, a dirt ball read. You look at him scoring from third on contact. Just some of the things that he is really good at I think rubs off on other guys.

His skill set kind of brings attention to little details that we've been harping on all year when it comes to being focused, being prepared, and kind of anticipating plays.

What he brings I think is a tremendous compliment to what we already had here.

Q. When you look at this postseason, what do you think your team is capable of?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: A lot (laughing). It's a very talented group. It's a really cool mix of young guys and veteran guys both on the position player side and the pitching side.

The expectation for us is to continue to win. This is the goal that we had set out in spring training. Myself, the staff, and every player in the clubhouse have all the confidence in the world in us being the last team standing.

Q. Along the lines of Rob's question with the starting rotation, do you guys need to lock something in for Games 2 and 3, or could you stay flexible and make your plan depending on how Game 1 unfolds?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: We can do either one. Still working through that process. Whether that decision comes after tomorrow's game or whether it comes before tomorrow's game, you know, we could do either one.

Again, it is nice to have a lot of different options. You just try to get to the best choice that you can whenever you have all the information.

Q. Managing 162 is obviously a different challenge than managing three games. Do you anticipate managing differently from a tactical standpoint? And, if so, what would that look like?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: I don't want to give away any secrets, but no, I don't think so. I think our team the overarching theme has been trying to find incremental advantages, right? So whether it's on the offensive or defensive or pitching side, we're going to continue to do that, but at the same time trust the unbelievable amount of talent that we have on our roster too.

I think getting here we've used a lot of different people on our 40-man roster, and that's a credit to our depth, but right now you want to put players in positions to have success, and you count on those guys coming up in big moments. If there is a spot to where we can have a little bit of an advantage, we're going to take it.

You watch the flow of the game, and you kind of see how you may need to do a little bit more or a little bit less of one thing or another. It's going to be kind of the brand we've been playing.

Q. The last time you were in the playoffs, brief as it may have been, Bo had a particularly rough go at shortstop. How much better a shortstop today is he than he was then?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: A lot. I mean, Bo makes strides every day that probably go unnoticed to everybody. I think his growth as a player from since I've met him to where he is now, let alone to 2020 to where he is now, has been amazing.

We have full trust in Bo. I think his game right now is about as tight as it's been since I've known him. We're just looking for him to kind of anchor our team like he has been all year.

Q. You spoke about veteran guys being a good influence and an important one in that clubhouse. Hyun Jin Ryu has been hurt, but he has been around. It's been well-documented that he and Manoah are close. How do you expect that partnership to help Manoah here for Game 1 and beyond in October?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: He has been awesome. Although he has been hurt, being around as much as he can. He came on the road trip with us, which is great.

Him and Alek's relationship, well-documented, like you said. Having guys like him for young guys to lean on has been great, whether it's Ryu or Gaus or Berrios or Strip. It's a great mix for a guy like Alek.

We like having him around. He brings an added sense of humor and confidence and experience, and guys definitely use that to their advantage.

Q. Then the matchup with Luis Castillo is I think intriguing for everyone. Not just fans, but also the team. How do you sort of assess that pitching matchup?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Yeah, he is good. At this point everyone is good, right? Every pitcher is good in the postseason.

I think you look at what we've done against him in the past or what he has done since he has gotten to Seattle, if there's any changes in pitch mix or how he is trying to approach certain types of hitters. A lot of information gets thrown out to the players.

At the same time, you have to play into our strengths too. It's not trying to do anything different than what you've done to get you to this point. You really have to lock in to tendencies to everything when you get to this point of the year when you are facing a guy like him.

Again, all the confidence in the world in our lineup, and it's going to be a fun matchup.

Q. First year for the best of three Wild Card format. Do you have a preference between the one game to three and why?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Definitely the three. You know, baseball is tough, and at this time of year -- over the course of 162 anything can happen on any given night. To have it in a one-game vacuum is a little bit weird.

So I think, again, it kind of goes into what we've been saying all year. You're trying to win a series. You know, I think the overall depth of your team, the talent of your team, it's a lot easier to show that over the course of a three-game series as opposed to a one.

It makes decisions a little bit more consistent. It makes play a little bit more slow, if you will, as opposed to playing with your hair on fire in one game. So, the three-game set is pretty good.

Q. Obviously, things are different now. Luis Castillo wasn't a Mariner the last time you played him. You weren't the manager the last time you played them. Do you look back at those four games in Seattle and take anything from the way they bullpened you and the timely homers that won the games, or do you look more at the couple of flukey things that happened in the losses?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: I think you look at everything. I think you look at where we were as a club. You look at where they were as a club right now, and you can kind of take some things from it and leave some things from it.

I think we're a totally different team than we were then, and I think they're different in their own regard too.

Everything that you've been through you want to learn from, you want to get better from, and the flukey things you talked about were very flukey.

Right now I think everyone is singularly focused on the task at hand and not what happened earlier in the year. We feel good about where we are right now.