AL DIVISION SERIES: MARINERS VS ASTROS

October 15, 2022

Scott Servais

T-Mobile Park

Seattle Mariners

Postgame 3 Press Conference

Houston Astros - 1, Seattle Mariners - 0

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with questions for Scott Servais.

Q. Six and a half hours later, can you describe just all the emotions of that marathon and how close it all felt. For three great games it all felt so close.

SCOTT SERVAIS: Yeah, a lot to unpack over the last six, seven hours, whatever it's been when this game started. But really for me I cannot talk about anything unless I talk about the fans that were in the ballpark tonight. Wow. Some kind of impressive. It's been a long time since postseason baseball has been here, and all of you that showed up to support our club, all year long but especially tonight, the excitement, the energy you brought every inning.

As I looked out there in about the 14th, 15th inning, I didn't know if the team was more tired or the fans in the stands were more tired. And we really appreciate that. Can't ask for anything more. But we were right there. You look at the whole series, it really comes down to three swings of the bat. Certainly Yordan got us a couple times in Houston and Peña with a big one tonight.

But some kind of pitching performance on both sides. Really, offense was hard to come by, obviously, hits, base runners, anything. I thought our pitching was just off the chart, starting with George Kirby. To fire him out in a must-win game and you get seven shutout innings out of a rookie against that club, you can't ask for any more. I thought he was outstanding, commanded, was in total control.

Great experience. The number of young players that played huge roles for us in this series it is going to benefit us just immensely going forward. I talked to the team a little bit after the game, and one thing about this team and I've said it all year long, it is the epitome of team. These guys really do, they care for each other. It's a brotherhood in that clubhouse, and it is something that's going to serve us well and certainly serve our core, all the players well going forward as we took a huge step as an organization this season.

But I go on and on. That was a long game. There's a lot to unpack. But, again, thank you to the fans that were there tonight and just leaving it all out there in support of us.

Q. You guys have certainly had your fill of the Astros this season, regular season and of course these three games, and know what their lineup's capable of. You guys threw up 17 shutout innings there. Maybe, I think, one walk, and a lot of strikeouts there.

SCOTT SERVAIS: 20 punchouts.

Q. Yeah. What can you say, you talked about George, but about the guys that followed him?

SCOTT SERVAIS: I mean, unbelievable. These guys, we have leaned on them heavily, from Muñoz to a couple innings out of Sewald. How about what Matt Brash has done this season? From a guy who started in our rotation to switching to the bullpen to pitching in that environment tonight and doing what he did. All the way down the list. Festa. Penn Murfee has thrown the ball great all year. He got behind, he left a ball in the middle and the guy put a good swing on it.

But everybody has chipped in. Erik Swanson has had a great year, and they all showed up today in a most critical game. So I can't ask any more of our guys and the heart that they showed throughout the entire year, but certainly here in the last couple weeks in this playoff run. So proud of our group. I really am.

Q. When you got to the bottom of the 9th, obviously you're just trying to find way to win it, but how difficult was it thinking that we've held 'em down for so long in those, the potent bats you spoke of just kept having opportunities. I imagine that was kind of, I wouldn't say frustrating, but that's always in the back of your mind that they're going to get another opportunity, not winning it after all those scoreless frames.

SCOTT SERVAIS: When you start working through that meat of the lineup that they have over there, and certainly what, Álvarez and Bregman has had a very good series against us. When you get through it, you think, okay, now is our shot. We got to take advantage of it. And we weren't able to get anything going offensively.

Their pitching was phenomenal today as well. We kept putting the zero up there and kept putting the zero up there and you think we're going to be able to break through because we have so many times. It's kind of what we're accustomed to, playing those tight games and finding a way. But there was no errors made in that game today. I mean, that is a big league game, with the pitching and defense that was fired out there. We just weren't able to put anything together.

And, again, nothing for lack of effort. You got give the other team a lot of credit. They pitched great. They played a great series. They beat us. In my mind and I think our players' mind is a break here or there goes our way in this series, it could have been a lot different. But end of the day, they got the big hits in each of the games and they end up winning 'em.

Q. Moving forward, how a addicting and like motivating is what've you experienced in this postseason for everybody involved, not just the players, but the front office and everything, to kind of take the next step forward for you guys?

SCOTT SERVAIS: I think it's very addicting. I know it is for me. This is what we, you work so hard for throughout the course of seven years I've been here now and when you get everybody together in spring training. But as we pack up our lockers and take some time off now you get into the off-season and you really got to go to work again, from Jerry and Justin in the front office to ownership, and I hope everybody is, we were starved to get playoff baseball here. We got it here. Now we need to take the next step and look to improve our club in any way we can.

We're still behind the Astros. They won the division, and I'll keep saying it, the World Series is going to go through Houston, and you have to beat them. So we got to get better in certain areas and I'm certain we will address that this off-season.

But from the fan base to ownership to front office to players, coaches, manager, everybody, we want to get back here, we will be back here. There's no question in my mind we've started something that we believe very strongly. I've got a great core of young players. We've got an ownership group that's committed to bringing playoff baseball back here year in and year out. And ultimately, to win a World Series.

We're learning a lot. The last week and a half was a very valuable learning lesson for all of us.

Q. Kind of lost in all this, obviously it was a great pitching performance beginning to end. But George Kirby really having this coming out party on a big stage holding that lineup down, gave up six hits, a lot of it was really weak contact. What can you say about the step forward you saw him take tonight?

SCOTT SERVAIS: George has been great the whole second half. But no bigger stage than tonight. There's 47,000 people here against a team that's really good, really deep lineup. He just kept pounding the strike zone. He was really effective at the top of the strike zone, got a lot of swings and misses, a lot of soft contact, pop-ups, fly balls. He was awesome.

The job that our catcher did, I can't say enough. The game calling, the game management, working through it with George and all those relievers and not backing off. You couldn't have executed a game plan any better than we did tonight.

And I say all that and Cal Raleigh is playing out there with a thumb that's barely hanging on. He's really banged up, and he would not pull himself out of the lineup. He was going to hang in there. Obviously it starts with the guy on the hill, but the guy behind the plate deserves a ton of credit with what we saw tonight.