NL WILD CARD SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS BREWERS

October 3, 2023

Evan Longoria

Tommy Pham

American Family Field

Arizona Diamondbacks

Pregame Press Conference

Q. To both of you guys, you guys both have postseason playing experience. Have you shared anything with some of your younger teammates that haven't participated in the postseason before as to what it's like?

TOMMY PHAM: We had a team meeting earlier, and we went over some things as a team. Pretty much the postseason, it's a game where usually the team that executes that one time and plays clean baseball is the winner. That's really what we're focusing on is just making the plays for the team and trying to get that big hit.

That's why last series against Houston, it was an important series for us because, as you saw, that was kind of playoff baseball the first two games. I came up in two clutch moments, and Peña robbed me once, and then the other time Neris made good pitches on me and Marte.

It's going to be similar to that. Just who can execute. It will be a sack, fly, hit and play clean baseball.

EVAN LONGORIA: I would say the same thing if I was going to say something right now. It's just we understand we're going to be -- there's going to be opportunities in big spots. Yeah, just doing our best to slow the game down.

And I think as veteran guys, that's what's important is just reiterating those points to the guys who haven't been in those spots. And if it comes up in the first couple of innings in the game and guys don't come through, just kind of repeating that same message. You're going to get another opportunity.

A lot of these games are going to come down to one or two big moments. We have to be ready and be prepared for those.

Q. I was going to ask something similar. I guess I'm wondering if you have memories from your first postseason experience and if you feel like having gone through it if it ended up benefitting you beyond that?

EVAN LONGORIA: For me personally, I was obviously so excited to be playing in the postseason in my first year, but a lot of it goes so fast. The games happen fast.

If you quizzed me on moments that happened in my first year, I probably wouldn't remember three-quarters of them, to be honest with you. I think that's the kind of mentality that you have to have is just being so in the moment that you don't -- you don't really remember it.

It's like the focus is so narrowed that later on down the road, I'll have time to reflect on those, but I mean, I couldn't tell you what happened. Let's just try and be that focused to where you're in the moment. If you don't remember it, you don't remember it.

TOMMY PHAM: I was ready. I wanted the moment just because me and Longo had different circumstances. I was trying to prove I belonged in the Big Leagues are.

The Cardinals put me on the roster, and I remember my first at-bat. It was a pinch-hit at-bat off Lester, a big moment. And I felt like if I could help the team win, I would just prove that I belong up here to stay. So I loved it.

Q. For either of you guys, you had the stretch in early August where bats were struggling. Do you draw on something like that when the last couple of games the hits haven't been coming that you can just -- is the belief that you can just kind of start fresh with the playoffs here?

EVAN LONGORIA: Yeah. I mean, the playoffs for me is just a completely different thing, right?

We're going to have -- like we both have talked about, it's going to come down to one or two big swings. Hopefully the whole offense is clicking, but again, there's going to be a couple of guys who are put in big situations. Usually series are going to come down to that.

I can promise you from my view, and I'm pretty sure Tommy feels the same, nobody is thinking about that last series against Houston. Nobody is thinking about the bad stretch we had in August. Everybody is focused on what they can do and how they can prepare themselves to help us win one game at a time here in the postseason.

TOMMY PHAM: I look at it different. You have to look at the process. Sometimes the numbers might not reflect on what's really going on.

Me personally, my last couple of weeks in the Big Leagues have been terrible offensively, but I've been playing through some turf toe, which today I'll probably get an injection to help that out.

But you can hit a ball hard and get out in baseball. I hit a ball against the White Sox 110, pulled side in the air, and I got out.

You have to look at, are you swinging at strikes, controlling the strike zone, are you hitting the ball hard? If you are doing those things, and you are getting out, then it's just a matter of time before some luck comes through.

For the most part, as a group, we look at offensively our quality at-bats, whether there's a certain percentage of at-bats are at that percent we want or not, and we've been, I want to say close to it, to the marker. There's been some hard hit outs.

Over the course of time, it will start evening out better. It just hasn't quite been there recently.

Q. I'm curious for both of you, how would you describe your appreciation for this moment knowing how difficult it is to even make it to the postseason and here you are to have an opportunity to create some noise?

EVAN LONGORIA: I mean, for me, I think we're going to have a different view just because he came from -- he came with us halfway point coming in knowing or expecting to make the playoffs. For me when I signed here, my goal and my belief was always that we can and this group could.

So to be here, I have a serious appreciation for the group in there and the work that they've put in and everything we accomplished, and Tommy was a big part of it.

Bringing him, Jace at the deadline, Paul at the deadline and them helping us get to the end, those moves -- obviously they don't go unnoticed by the guys in the clubhouse.

So, yeah, before '21, making the playoffs in '21 with the Giants, it had been quite a while. And every year that I have the opportunity to do it, it just gets more and more special the further along you get.

TOMMY PHAM: When I was on the Cardinals, I was called up in '14 in September, and the team clinched. I remember one of the veterans saying, you know, don't take this for granted because you never know when is the next time you're going to be back in the postseason. That's something I always remember.

I haven't been back in the postseason since 2020, the COVID year. You can't take it for granted.

I believe this is my fifth time in the postseason, fourth time being active on a roster, and I'm at year eight, so it just shows you how hard it can be.

Q. Tommy, just to follow up on an earlier answer. When did you suffer the injury and was playing through it, and have you dealt with it before?

TOMMY PHAM: This is the first time I've ever had turf toe. Quite honestly, I didn't even know what was going on. I thought it was my cleats, so I've been switching out cleats. Then it just gradually got worse and worse, so here I am.

I've never had turf toe. I can only tell you it's painful. It's something -- I don't know how football players are doing it. Granted, we play every day and they don't, but I was making my fantasy lineup, like, I can't start him. He got turf toe. I know what it feels like. He goes out and puts up 20 points, and I'm, like, damn, how is he doing it? I've been relegated to DH duties because of it.

But there's all kinds of things that we can do now to help out the pain or inflammation.

Q. Longo, that just reminded me, how is your back doing, and how is that kind of recovery gone since you returned?

EVAN LONGORIA: Good, yeah. Good. I'm ready to go. I haven't played a whole lot down the stretch, so I'm about as fresh as I've been.