NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS DODGERS

October 10, 2022

Julio Urias

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Julio, you've been named Game 1 starter. Just what does that mean to you personally and considering the success that you've had this season?

JULIO URÍAS: We're prepared. We're ready. It's another game. Everybody is ready and excited for this game, excited for the series, and we'll be ready to pitch tomorrow.

Q. Considering the success they've had over the last few games and just kind of things like -- seems like things are hot right now for them. Do you approach them differently, or does it feel kind of like a different team that you are facing compared to the regular season?

JULIO URÍAS: No, you go out there and do the same thing. They know my strengths. They know my weaknesses. I know theirs. You just go out there and focus and you do your best you can.

Q. How did Dave tell you you're starting tomorrow?

JULIO URÍAS: It's just another game. He told me like any other day.

Obviously, I knew from the first practice that I was going to start Game 1, and then just the preparation and the work to get ready for this Game 1. That's all we did.

Q. Julio, you said it's just another game, but does the honor of being a Game 1 starter mean anything special to you?

JULIO URÍAS: Yeah, it's another opportunity for me to go out there and do what I do or prepare for what I do.

Obviously, a lot has gone into this. A lot of things from my teammates, from my coaches, from the training staff. Everybody that has put in this work for me. It's another opportunity for me to go out there and pitch in a moment like this.

Q. How much do you feel like this shows the trust that they have in you in the postseason maybe compared to years past?

JULIO URÍAS: I think being on the roster shows they show a lot of confidence in you at any point, at any part of the roster. That's what they've done the last -- over the years. Just making the roster means so much.

Then you're just putting your piece in the puzzle. That's what I'm trying to go out there and do, trying to go out there and pitch and not take too much into it and do the pitching and pitch as best I can.

Q. Making your big league debut as a 19-year-old, lots happened since then. Does it feel like a long road to get to this point as a Game 1 starter?

JULIO URÍAS: Yeah, that's the beautiful thing about all of this. There's been a lot of ups, there's been a lot of downs. There's been a lot of good games, bad games, and a lot of things in between.

To be able to be a part of it and pitch in this game and all the preparation that went into it and all the work that went into it means a whole lot.

Q. Julio, have you had an opportunity to talk to Clayton about you starting and him being No. 2, and has he given you any words of encouragement along the way?

JULIO URÍAS: No, no, I don't think we've ever had any conversations like that. It's just learn from him. I don't think we've ever had any of those conversations along the way. You just learn from them, you know, how they go about the game.

I've been so blessed throughout my career to learn from someone as great as him and great pitchers around me. So just learn, learn how much effort they put into everything they're doing, and then how the preparation to pitch in any game. That's how we communicate, or that's how we talk.

Q. You've seen a lot of the Padres, especially this year. When you have seen a team that much, what are the biggest challenges and difficulties?

JULIO URÍAS: Yeah, there's so many tendencies. They know you. They know what pitches you're going to throw in certain situations, but then also you know them. You know what they're trying to do, how they're trying to attack you, how they're trying to approach you.

You take in a little bit of that and all that information, and you know that it's going to be a battle. And that's kind of the beautiful thing about tomorrow is that it's going to be a clash of titans, and we're going to be ready to do the best we can.