NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: PHILLIES VS PADRES

October 18, 2022

Kyle Schwarber

Petco Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Postgame 1 Press Conference

Phillies 2, Padres 0

Q. Can you describe for us what it feels like to hit a ball 488 feet?

KYLE SCHWARBER: Well, first off, I would have took it if it went in the first row. I really don't care, a point is a point.

Yeah, I mean, it doesn't feel like anything, I guess. That's probably the good thing is that your hands don't hurt at the end of it. But yeah, to be able to put up a run there and extend the lead, it was nice.

Q. What was the reaction like when you got back to the dugout? I don't know if you saw Bryce's face or whatever it was, but did he say anything funny?

KYLE SCHWARBER: A lot of people just looked at me weird. But yeah, it was cool. Cool moment. Happy that we got the win overall.

The biggest thing here is trying to get a win at the end of the day. It doesn't matter who it is or whatever. If we can get a win at the end of the day, that's what it's about.

Q. Were you sitting off speed in that spot?

KYLE SCHWARBER: No, I was on fastball and saw it spinning in the middle.

Q. Thomson has been talking about how he thought Rhys was close and you were a little bit further behind him. Did today feel like you turned a corner? Was there anything before the game that was different to you?

KYLE SCHWARBER: I think the biggest thing was just feeling better overall, body-wise, things like that. Feeling better in the cage. You know, hell, I'll roll over seven times if we win. I don't really care. As long as we win, I really don't care. I just want to win at the end of the day.

Q. I guess they said it was the hardest ball you've ever hit. Did you feel it was the hardest ball you've ever hit?

KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, sure, by the way it went out. Yeah, sure, that one was definitely a hard-hit baseball. Like I said, it's good to be able to help contribute there and start feeling a little bit better.

Q. Obviously being up 1-0 is big in any context, but you've got Aaron Nola going on the mound tomorrow. He's allowed one unearned run in his last 19 and a third innings. What does that do for a team in this situation to kind of have that coming back on deck?

KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, it's nice. Wheels was the big tone setter tonight, and to be able to have Nols backing him up, it's not an easy task, just from facing him -- playing these guys as a visiting player. I've always known that he's been a tough pitcher, and the way that he's gone out, taken care of his business this year, he's not fazed by the moment. He's low heartbeat when it's the craziest moment in the game. I don't think that he really is bothered by if he does get into a situation or he's not.

Yeah, it's huge. Looking forward to getting out here tomorrow and playing behind him and trying to score some runs for him.

Q. You've made deep postseason runs, obviously, with the Cubs and Red Sox. When you decided to come here, what made you think this organization could turn the corner and get to this spot?

KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, I mean, you just look at the roster, and it's super talented, uber talented. You look at a fan base who's hungry to win, and that was kind of my biggest thing was in the offseason I just wanted to go to a place where I thought that we had a really good chance of winning and trying to make deep runs.

So yeah, it was kind of a pretty easy choice when you're looking at it from my perspective in the offseason where you have the MVP on a team, you have the second guy in the Cy Young voting, you've got Aaron, you've got Rhys, you've got tons of talent on the team, and then you go out and you pick up more talent, too, and you look at the way that the bullpen has been, it was pretty easy choice.

Q. You talk about the composition of the team; Aaron and Rhys aside, the big hitters, the most important people were paid a lot of money to come here, yourself included. That money kind of paid off tonight and has been paying off pretty consistently. Can you talk about the moves that John Middleton has okayed and that Dave Dombrowski has made? And this year you were the first domino that fell.

KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah. I mean, first off, you tip your cap to John, who he went out there and he said he wants to win. He put it out there for Dave to go out there and put together a roster that he felt like was going to win.

To be sitting here, be in the organization, can't be more happy, more proud, not just of just because we're here, just seeing how we've formed together throughout this whole year, and you see how -- going out and getting Nick, you go and get a lot of bullpen pieces, you go out and you made the trade for Kyle Gibson last year and getting the trade for José Alvarado.

You make I think one of the most underrated trades of the year when you go get Brandon Marsh, you get Noah Syndergaard and Dave Robertson. He's winning the win. Especially when we were in that position, where we were at at the trade deadline, it was the message that, hey, we're here and we want to win.

You just tip your cap to those guys because they're making it -- for us to see that, it's definitely very pleasing for us, but also we know that we want to get the job done, as well.

Q. Zack had never been in the postseason before this year, so what's impressed you most about how he's handled himself, performed? He's pitched pretty well, obviously.

KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, like I said, the demeanor. He's kind of like Nols with the low heartbeat and he's very in tune, locked in, but you can also have a conversation with him, as well.

Yeah, I mean, obviously I think the biggest thing is looking at his command, and the way that he's commanding the baseball, and he's putting 97 to 99 where he wants it and commanding all two, three of his off-speed pitches, as well.

Yeah, I mean, I'm glad he's on my team.

Q. Did you talk to him at all today? I know he does seem to be one of those guys that doesn't -- don't talk to me.

KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, I played him in Golden Tee today. I played him in Golden Tee before his start. I was a little nervous. I won.

No, we had to stop after nine because we had to go out and take batting practice. So we said we're going to play tomorrow.

Q. Can you explain how unusual that is maybe? Because I know some starters are locked in, don't talk to me, don't look at me --

KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, the best way is what works for a certain individual, right, and it works for him what he does. For him, it might be a way to be normal, calmed down, whatever it is. And some guys, I've played with guys who are very -- want to get locked in in their own way where they're quiet, they've got music on, they don't really say much to people.

But that doesn't bother me. I want them to go out there and feel like they're comfortable in whatever they want to do and go out there and be the best for them to feel that they're out there ready to compete. And that works for Wheels, and I'm completely okay with that. I like playing Golden Tee.

Q. Could you talk a bit about what Rob brought to the team. Obviously you weren't in the situation you wanted to be in as a team when it happened. What did he bring and what did he not try to do that maybe was best at that point?

KYLE SCHWARBER: You know, I tip my cap to him because it was -- no one can script out the year. I've said this to a lot of people, that no one can really -- if someone were to look at anyone's season and say that you're going to go through a manager change, you're going to go through Bryce being down, you're going to go through Segy being down, Wheels being down, you're going to go through some bullpen guys going down, and no one can really write that out.

The way that he handled it and the way that he was able to get the best out of each and every single player and the way that he did it where he was just the same guy every single day, he didn't ride a roller coaster. He's going to be your -- yeah, he's going to make you laugh. That's who he is. But he's also going to let you know when he feels like something might need to be tightened up a little bit or whatever it is.

He's seen a lot of baseball, and I always say -- I hate saying pay the dues, but he's been in baseball for a long time, and it's really cool to see him get this opportunity because it's well deserved.

It probably should have happened many years ago. But I'm happy that it's here with us because you couldn't ask for a better guy to kind of take this over, especially the way that everything was going this year where, like I said, unscripted, and he was able to make sure that he weathered the storm and made sure that he got the best out of every single person.

Q. You say he makes you laugh. Is that a bit of an MO? Does he know what he's doing? Is he doing that intentionally for a reason?

KYLE SCHWARBER: I just think it's who he is. He's got some really good one-liners, and you're able to go in there and mess around with him in his office. I joked around with him today. I go, Hey, am I going to play a hard eight today? He goes, Maybe. Things like that.

He's a good dude. But then when it comes down to baseball, right, you saw it. When there's big moments happening, he's the same guy. He's thinking about the next moves.

He's that guy who's not going to be surprised by anything.

Q. When he came to the team, did he have anything to say to the group that sort of relaxed you, to make you laugh? It wasn't a great moment when he came over.

KYLE SCHWARBER: Yeah, you know, I think the biggest thing that he said is it's going to be business as usual. Just because he's now taking the manager's job, that he's not going to change who he is to us, and that was kind of the biggest thing.

Yeah, are we not going to see him here and there sometimes because he's going to be doing things that managers need to be doing? Sure. But the way that he was able to still make sure he came and checked on every single person, walked around out in the outfield, checking on pitchers in BP, seeing how people are and also getting his work in, it's really impressive.