NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: PHILLIES VS PADRES

October 21, 2022

Jean Segura

Seranthony Dominguez

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Postgame 3 Press Conference

Phillies - 4, Padres - 2

Q. Jean, just take us through your emotions, first the error that led them to tie the game, but then your single to put your team back in the lead. What kind of emotional swing was that for you?

JEAN SEGURA: This game is about the mental part. At the end of the day, we're going to make a mistake. That's the play that I probably made 3,000 times in my life, but for some reason I missed it.

As a player, you learn from your mistake, and you never put your head down. Just keep it up, continue to play the game because you don't know how the game's going to end. Maybe that play can affect you through the game.

So just it's part of the game. When you make a mistake, just keep going forward.

Q. Seranthony, you haven't had a two-inning outing since 2019. So can you kind of just walk us through, like was that your decision? Was that something that Thomson asked you to do? How did that come about?

SERANTHONY DOMINGUEZ: I'm just here to pitch. If they need me for one, two, maybe three innings, I will be there. I try to give my best every day, like every pitch be really focused and make quality pitches.

Q. Did you go in there thinking that you were going to go two innings?

SERANTHONY DOMINGUEZ: I was just thinking about finishing it.

Q. Finishing the game?

SERANTHONY DOMINGUEZ: Yes, finish the game.

Q. I was wondering if you could tell me about the way you guys grinded out runs tonight, especially getting clutch hits with two outs, both you and Alex had big hits to pretty much put this game away for you guys. In fact, three of your runs came via two-out rallies.

JEAN SEGURA: That's playoff baseball. When you have two outs, hit, close, for me it's huge. It's very important when you've got players that can handle the pressure with two outs with the game on the line and be able to come through. I mean, that's the game I really love.

Just pass the baton. Don't try to do too much. You can definitely see at a certain point in the game, I wasn't trying to do too much. I was trying to put the ball in play. Thank God, it went through, and I was called to run.

Same with Alex, such a great swing, stay through the middle of the field, drive the ball, and we score another insurance run. We really needed it down the stretch with Seranthony closing it out.

Q. Jean, you waited a long time to be on this stage. If I'm not mistaken, I think you put them ahead in St. Louis in Game 1 and you put them ahead again tonight. Could it be going any better for you personally in your first playoff run, number one? And, number two, do you think -- some guys are different. Some guys relish those moments like you've come through in more than other guys do. Do you think you're different that way?

JEAN SEGURA: I mean, absolutely. The way I handle pressure since I was a little kid, I love it. I'm from the Dominican, play a lot of baseball in the backyard. It's like where I'm from we play way too much baseball, and there was people around like with machete, we bat and then the games.

It's just the way we handle the pressure in Dominican Republic. Even when we play winter ball, we've got guys in the stands, hey, when you get out, we're going to kill you. We're going to do something bad to you. It's just the way we play the game out there.

Compared to here, when you come here, dude, it's a completely different type of game. I think the pressure, when you come from DR, it's nothing.

Q. Could it be going better for you? Even though you had some miscues tonight.

JEAN SEGURA: I like the pressure. Regardless, I just want to thank God that I would be able to come through in those types of moments. But I love it.

Even when I make a mistake early in the game, it was a lot of things going through my mind. You know, just you know what? It's another game. Maybe I get an opportunity later in the game to win the game or maybe to do something special tonight. I didn't let that error affect my next two, three at-bats.

I'm going to go there and continue enjoying the ride. I wait 11 years for the opportunity. I'm not going to go back. I'm going to do the best I can to continue to grind it, to continue to help the ball club, and bring something positive every single day. I just waited too many years for the opportunity, and I don't want to let it go by.

Q. Jean, it looked like the location of that pitch was similar to the one in St. Louis. What is it about your ability to get a ball that's low and away like that and hook it the way you did to right field?

JEAN SEGURA: I play a lot of vitalla growing up. I don't know if you guys hear about that. I play a lot of vitalla growing up. I don't really know how I hit it. I did it and probably you guys see it millions of times.

Put in play a ball that was almost three or four inches off the plate on the ground. Put it in play and get through those situations. Musgrove is one of those guys that has really good stuff. I think down the stretch you're going to face a guy that has really good stuff. That's postseason baseball.

Q. And also just the emotion that came out of you on the last diving play you made in the seventh inning or eighth inning. Can you kind of describe what's going through your body when you kind of celebrate that way?

JEAN SEGURA: I mean, I'm fired up. I don't know how to explain that, but it's like goku, the little goku, like something, like fire inside my body. Like I just want to get it out, like explosive, like ahhh.

If you don't get emotional with 45,000 people in the stands or 46,000 people in the stands, you're playing the wrong sport.

Q. Jean, as well as you've hit those sliders in the dirt, the way Seranthony is throwing right now, do you think you could hit one of his sliders, chase sliders away?

JEAN SEGURA: He probably not going to throw me a slider. He probably throw me a fastball. He throw a slider to me close to the ground, I probably put it in play. He's got his stuff. It's nasty.

Q. Could you speak to how well he's pitching right now. I don't think he's given up a base runner since the Albert hit his first game in St. Louis.

JEAN SEGURA: The stuff he has, it just through our play. You can see how tough he's been and Alvarado, the bullpen, great stuff. I'm glad we have him on our team.

Q. The Phillies have not had a six-out save in the postseason 42 years in the postseason. How big of a moment is it to get six outs in a save that doesn't happen that often?

SERANTHONY DOMINGUEZ: I didn't know that. Thank you for telling me. It's like I tell the guys before, I'm here just to pitch and to do my job. I'm out of the game when they say you're out. When I'm still in the game, I'm going to try to get people out.

Q. Jean, apologize if this was already asked, but this was kind of a story of redemption. Something goes wrong, a couple guys said you guys actually had a team meeting about that going into the playoffs. Something's going to go wrong. There's going to be bad times, but you eliminate that immediately. Has that really resonated?

JEAN SEGURA: I mean, yes. You have to learn from your mistake, and the way you go about your business when you make a mistake, that's what makes you special. We're all going to make mistakes. We're human. But don't make it again, or after you make it, the way you go about your business.

For example, I feel really bad when I make that mistake, but I don't let that bother me. I keep playing the game the right way. I keep hustling. I keep diving for baseballs. That's the way you want to handle the mistake, not let it get to your head.

Instead of, Coach, I'm here. I'm scared for them to hit it to me. I'm not ready. No, let it go by.