AL WILD CARD SERIES: BLUE JAYS VS TWINS

October 4, 2023

Cavan Biggio

Target Field

Toronto Blue Jays

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Couple guys yesterday were talking about how they felt the at-bats were better than the results yesterday. Just wondering about if you feel sort of you guys maybe didn't get rewarded for the quality of at-bat. How do you approach not wanting to try to do more, trying to stick with something that produced maybe a good process but maybe not a good result?

CAVAN BIGGIO: Right, yeah, I did think we had some decent at-bats yesterday. We put ourselves in positions to hit with runners in scoring position, and that's all you can really ask for in the postseason.

I think moving forward, getting in those positions, just trying to slow things down. It's a great environment here. Yesterday was awesome to see the fans. But I think it's all about slowing the game down, taking what the pitcher gives you.

Q. For yourself, emotionally, you've done it a couple times, what are some of the things you feel going into an elimination game? And what are some things that you want to sort of maybe focus on, some things you want to avoid?

CAVAN BIGGIO: I think playoffs puts a big importance on every single pitch matters, no matter what. You can feel the weight of it. The fans, they're into every single pitch. I think just worrying about what you can control as an individual player and taking what the game gives you, let it come to you and I think it will be all right.

Q. What's the reset process like for you after obviously a disappointing loss and the result yesterday coming into today and trying to start fresh?

CAVAN BIGGIO: We played 162 games. Not a whole lot changes based off my whole routine for me personally. For me, I took a couple of swings after the game, talked to my hitting coach I like to go to, Hunter Mense. And just kind of talk things through, what I was feeling and whatnot.

So, moving forward with today, I'm excited to put that to the test in my routine and whatnot. And just going out there and competing and having fun.

Q. You mentioned the crowd here yesterday. Curious about that, the postseason a bit different they're not just cheering for the Twins; they're very actively cheering against you. What's that feel like on field level? And what effect does that have during a game?

CAVAN BIGGIO: I love the feeling of it, especially when I was first getting called up to the big leagues in '19 playing in New York and Boston. I loved the feeling of those fans being into every single pitch. It brings the most out of you.

Yesterday was no different. That whole stadium was buzzing, it was vibrating after those two home runs that Lewis hit. It's a great environment. The fans here have always been good. We've always had some fans travel with us, too. And it looked to be that way yesterday, too, so that's always nice to see.

But, yeah, this is the environment you always dreamed of playing in, home or away. It's always fun and exciting.

Q. More broadly on the team, you spoke this year about the closeness of this group and your teammates have expressed that. Are these the moments where that becomes most valuable? And how does that translate on to the field in terms of play?

CAVAN BIGGIO: Definitely, this is probably the biggest time of year for that. I think times throughout the year we've always spoken to how close we are as teammates. We've got a lot of guys that have been to the postseason before, have had a lot of success in the postseason. And now's the time to really lean on those guys and listen to what they have to say.

Like I said earlier, it's all about slowing it down and, teammates-wise, just leaning on each other and playing our game.

Q. On Jose, he's had a really great bounce-back season. How excited is everyone to see him pitch today? And what confidence do you take going into this game knowing he's on the mound?

CAVAN BIGGIO: I have all the confidence in the world in Jose, and really all of our starters. But really playing with Jose the past two and a half years or so he's got electric stuff. I've seen him at his best. I've seen him at his worst. But in all those times he's always gone out there and given us everything he has.

It's the competitiveness in him. It's the care that he has in not only the game but in his team and his teammates want him to succeed for us. His stuff is elite and when he's on, he's really on. So I'll take his competitiveness every single day that he goes out there.

Q. You were talking about kind of leaning on the guys who have gone on deep runs have been here before. What are guys like George and Brandon saying to the rest of the team right now?

CAVAN BIGGIO: It's more just put yesterday behind us and let's just move forward. There's no need to really harp on what happened yesterday and the game not really going our way. But we have another day, another opportunity, that's what we're looking forward to.

Q. You talked a few times about slowing the game down, especially in the postseason. What is your mental self-dialogue about slowing things down?

CAVAN BIGGIO: For me, personally, it's when I'm hitting or fielding or whatever it is and I feel the moment getting big or whatever, just taking a deep breath and just kind of concentrating on what I'm trying to do up there, what I'm looking for, what he has and whatnot.

You know, with the pitch clock it takes a little bit quicker, but for me it's always been something I've leaned on throughout the course of my career, where I feel things are speeding up on me, I just kind of step out, take a breath and really think about what I'm trying to do up there.

It's really important in times like this with atmospheres and situations like this. Just slowing the game down for me and for us as a team is probably the biggest thing right now.

Q. With a pitcher like Sonny Gray, who can do so many different things, and it's not necessarily one pitch you're guaranteed to see, how do you approach a pitcher with such a varied repertoire?

CAVAN BIGGIO: I think Sonny, I've faced him a handful of times this year, last year, and he always has a different way to attack me. And for me, it's just kind of being patient with what I'm looking for and just trying to stay in the heart of the plate, because if I find myself swinging on pitches that are on the corner or a little bit off, I'm just buying into what he wants me to do.

He's a great pitcher, has a lot of pitches to attack you with, like you said. It's just minimizing the zone a little bit and trying to not do too much.