NL DIVISION SERIES: PHILLIES VS BRAVES

October 12, 2022

Kyle Wright

Dansby Swanson

Truist Park

Atlanta Braves

Postgame 2 Press Conference

Braves - 3, Phillies - 0

Q. Dansby, how proud are you of what Kyle has done all year and especially tonight?

DANSBY SWANSON: I keep talking about it so much it's like I'm his second dad now. Just the maturation that I've seen over the last seven years is pretty remarkable. Obviously had a good head on his shoulders, and always had the ability. And it's just so amazing to watch someone go through obstacles and struggles and come out on top.

He's the epitome it's not necessarily becoming something you aren't; it's always getting back to who you truly are. And he has done that exceptionally well as a pitcher. I'm extremely proud of him. And I always said when we drafted him I'm glad that we drafted him so I never have to face him again.

Q. Kyle, this was a big enough moment obviously. Everybody knew how big this game was. What were you doing in the clubhouse during the rain delay? And how did you kind of keep it from getting to you?

KYLE WRIGHT: I like to keep it pretty loose anyways. For me I just kind of checked out a little bit. Enjoy the time with the teammates. Watched some TV. Played on my phone a little bit. Just tried to keep it light and loose.

Once it was time for me -- once I had enough time, I knew roughly when we were going to start, then I was able to get into my normal pregame routine. But I think for me it was just keeping it chill and hanging out with the guys.

Q. (Indiscernible) said you were on the bike a lot. Did you put in more miles than you normally would?

KYLE WRIGHT: I was probably sitting there because I was bored. No, short answer.

Q. Dansby, you guys had the fewest wins in the majors in games you didn't homer. No homers tonight, how did you guys find a way come through with this one?

DANSBY SWANSON: I think it's the beauty of playoff baseball. Everything goes out the window this time of year. You've just got to find ways to make things happen.

And it was them yesterday with the two outs, and it was today -- Ronnie with the hit-by-pitch, a walk and then Oly putting together a great at-bat. And the same thing with Riles and Travis. An inning is never over.

Tonight is an example of that. Obviously our pitching was spectacular. You can't say enough about that and I felt like we made all the plays that we needed to make on defense. It was just an all-around great baseball performance. And come postseason, man, it's all about pitching, defense and timely hitting. I felt we checked all those boxes tonight.

Q. Dansby, the catch, walk us through the moment and how do you practice for something like that?

DANSBY SWANSON: Well, I was trying to throw a flag on myself because I feel like I made it look way harder than it needed to be.

I was running out there, and I felt like, maybe because it was it was a breaking ball, but it kind of like kept spinning away from me. And I slowed down just enough to check Rosario to see where he was so that we didn't have a collision.

And once he just kind of looked at me, like, hey, brother, it's yours or nobody's, I just went for it.

And practice, should get my parents in here because they threw me a gagillion balls just like that all the time growing up over my head. I was the epitome of the kid that would throw a tennis ball off a wall and ricochet it and run try to catch it over my shoulder. Probably threw a lot of tennis balls on to the field, too, to disrupt my brother's baseball games. But I feel like I've been doing that since I was 5 years old.

Q. Kyle, you've obviously used your curve a lot more this year and looked like it was really something you felt super comfortable with tonight. I was wondering if you could talk about that generally. And also specifically with that three-pitch strikeout of Segura.

KYLE WRIGHT: For me last year it started -- I went and looked at my numbers and found out this was my best pitch. I knew it was my best pitch, but I just got away from it. I started to buy back into it last year that this is my best pitch, I need to use it more.

Coming into this season I started to do that. Had a lot of success with it. My last couple of outings it's been a little off. We spent a little extra time this week trying to get it back to where it was early in the year. And for the most part I was able to do that. Got a little more sweep to it.

And to that at-bat, Segura, I was able to throw some really good ones to get him to chase off the plate. I have a lot of trust in it. I can throw it for a strike. I can try to put guys away with it. Sometimes I try to do a little too much with it at times.

But, for me, it's almost like throwing a fastball. I have just as much confidence throwing that first strike as any other pitch. So, yeah, just lots of repetition, I think.

Q. We've talked a lot about confidence. How much different did you feel entering this start as opposed to the NLCS against the Dodgers two years ago? How much did just this year and last year also help you?

KYLE WRIGHT: Night and day. Before I came in here I joked. I said my last postseason start I think I went .2 innings and seven runs. This was a good one for me. It's a small thing but just kind of checking off another box.

I had success in the postseason last year, but to do it as a start, that was pretty cool to me. I think I've worked on a lot of things this year. Really just goes back to confidence.

I feel I had the confidence to pitch at this stage. They're a really good lineup and I knew that. But I knew if I executed then I was going to give myself a chance. And I really believe that.

Again, I go back to Travis, too. Travis called a great game. I have a lot of confidence in him, which allows me to be free and just pitch. I give him a lot of credit as well. But it's crazy what confidence can do for you.

Q. Dansby, we had two people just ask Snit who is going to start Game 3. He wouldn't tell us. Could you share some light on that subject possibly who you would like to see?

DANSBY SWANSON: I don't make those decisions. They don't pay me those bucks to make those decisions.

All I know is we have a tremendous pitching staff and whoever they decide is going to pitch is going to go out there and take the ball and do their job.

We've got faith in each and every one of the guys that's in that locker room. And I think that that's just something that we thrive on here, is just the confidence we have in one another, the confidence in Travis.

I consistently say over and over again, I think he's the most under appreciated player in all of baseball, what he's able to do with the pitching staff. The guy's remarkable. I've learned so much from him. But, yeah, whoever takes the ball, we have a lot of confidence in them. At the end of the day we've just got to go out and play our brand of baseball.

Q. Dansby, with Matt Olson, he homers in the Mets games, homers yesterday, has the hit off Hoskins' glove today. What do you think of the way he's coming through when you all need him?

DANSBY SWANSON: I think we all had -- especially him just had the moment where it was like, man, whatever's happened has happened. Like, it's just time to go out and compete and win ballgames. You feel he's just kind of really turned it into another gear.

I feel his at-bats are all competitive. He's laid off some tough pitches. You feel like when he's up there he's going to come through in those moments. That's just a testament to him and his work ethic, his confidence staying high throughout this season no matter what's going on.

He's obviously a huge piece for us and a key component of this team. So glad he's on our team. And he's one of a kind. And he's an awesome teammate and a guy that we know is going to thrive in moments like these.

Q. Dansby, what did you think of Riley's play? And which one was better, yours or his?

DANSBY SWANSON: I'll say his was better. I didn't have to dodge a tarp. But I mean, the guy -- once again, very under appreciated defender, a lot more athletic than people give him credit for. The guy's a gamer. He goes up there and competes.

Like I said, I'm glad he's to my right and I'm glad this guy's on the mound. I'm glad I have a lot of good teammates. So yeah.

Q. Kyle, back to the Dansby catch and Riley's good defense for the team all year, how important is it for the -- pitcher knowing you have those players that can make those plays behind you?

KYLE WRIGHT: For me, defense is everything. I get a lot of ground balls. For me that's my best friend is a good defense. I try to get guys to put it on the ground. When they make catches like that, that's good too. That's been one of my biggest weapons this year, I believe, is the defense.

Like I said, sinkers, I'm going to get a lot of ground balls, I'm going to get more contact. I don't have a truly good swing-and-miss, four-seam fastball. I try to rely on these guys a lot. They've been a huge piece of my success. And again, like I said, it's one of my best weapons all year is their ability to defend.