AL DIVISION SERIES: GUARDIANS VS YANKEES

October 11, 2022

Steven Kwan

Yankee Stadium

Cleveland Guardians

Pregame 1 Press Conference

Q. Terry was talking about how you guys are not built to hit the long ball and most teams are in these playoffs. What do you recall about when you realized this is who you are? And is it challenging in the playoffs when you see teams hitting the long ball to advance to fall out of that style you've established from yourselves?

STEVEN KWAN: Yeah, I think that came from Tito early in spring training talking about we are going to have to do the little things right to win ballgames. Kind of what basically exactly what Jose does exactly, like first and third, getting the run over, sac flies. That's just kind of the identity from day one, and luckily we were able to kind of work through that.

In terms of the home runs, we've done a really good job this year of keeping our head down and not listening to any of the noise. I think looking at other teams, seeing their strategies, we would be going against that strategy. So we're just trying to keep our head down and just keep rolling.

Q. When you guys started off the year by re-signing Jose, I know you were just starting your career in the majors, but did you get a sense what that meant and what did it mean in the clubhouse to know that your leader was going to be there for awhile?

STEVEN KWAN: Yeah, it was definitely inspiring. I'm just grateful I got to be a part of like seeing the whole signing thing, seeing all the media coming around, seeing his journey through this whole thing. Having that leader at the top and knowing he's going to be there for awhile gives more credibility to what he does on the field. Like, again, when he's doing that first and third, getting the runner over, this is why the guy is having success, and this is why he's doing it. It easy for the guys to follow in his footsteps and that's the kind of culture we have right now.

Q. Another hallmark of the team is pitching. When did you realize that this pitching staff is as deep as it has turned out to be?

STEVEN KWAN: In the minors they do a really good job of developing pitchers and I knew it would eclipse at the Major League level. Also at live ABs in spring training, you get beat up in these live ABs, and you get to the spring training games, you're like, these guys are not like our guys. You see the difference there. But yeah, I think Cleveland does a really good job of developing pitchers.

Q. What's your approach against Gerrit Cole tonight? Obviously you faced him twice this season and he was very dominant against the team and gave up a couple homers and was able to silence you for the most part. What's the approach in a playoff game? I know you try not to approach it differently in the playoffs from the regular season.

STEVEN KWAN: Yeah, if he's going after the strikeout, it means he's throwing a lot of strikes. I think we do a really good job of attacking strikes in the zone. Yeah, I think we are just going to try to attack strikes, not swing at balls, try to keep it as simple as possible and work from there.

Q. Obviously you had a great start to the season. But as a rookie, how did you deal with the ups and downs of a long season and the adjustments necessary in such a long season?

STEVEN KWAN: From the veteran leadership that we had, I think it's really easy to get down on yourself, second guess yourself and say, like, okay, maybe I got lucky that first month. Maybe things are not going to go as well if more baseball happens.

But I had some really good leaders like Ghost, Hentges. The biggest thing hearing from them is them saying it's going to be okay, this is normal, it's baseball, you're going to be fine, don't try to reinvent the wheel. You're here for a reason; there's a certain skillset that you have that allows you to succeed so keep hammering away at that. No need to restructure your swing or anything. Just keep on going. I think just hearing an older guy say that everything is going to be all right was actually really helpful.

Q. So it's your first time postseason, so how do you feel about it?

STEVEN KWAN: It's an exciting time. I know it's different, but I played in the College World Series with Oregon State and kind of the same thing. Obviously a lot on the line, but I think what I found comfort is relying on my teammates. You don't have to do everything by yourself, you don't have to be the hero. If you just do your job and keep your head down, a lot of times, things will work out well.

Q. How was it to see your family?

STEVEN KWAN: It was special seeing them. My family was there for the Tampa Bay series and they had never been to Cleveland. Along with them seeing Cleveland for the first time and the playoff atmosphere and the stadium being alive that was really special for me.

Q. Did you see anything different with the way Tampa Bay approached you, their pitchers?

STEVEN KWAN: Nothing really jumps out to me I wouldn't say. They have really good pitching over there. Every pitcher kind of has their unique little twist on things. I think they landed some pitches and made some good spots. I don't think it was anything crazy different, but yeah, they got a really good staff over there.