NL WILD CARD SERIES: MARLINS VS PHILLIES

October 4, 2023

Rob Thomson

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Postgame Press Conference

Phillies - 7, Marlins - 1

ROB THOMSON: First of all, before we get started, I just want to congratulate Miami, because they're a really good club, and they did a lot of great things to get into this spot. They've got a great future. Skip does a great job. He does it the right way. Kim Ng has done remarkable work over there. They're going to be a force to be reckoned with for a long time. That's a really good club we beat today.

Q. I think in your post-game address when you guys clinched, you used the words 'we're built for this'. Your starters gave up a combined one run in 13 2/3 innings. You got hits and production all over the lineup. Can you just expand upon that and how it presented itself in this Wild Card?

ROB THOMSON: We have more than two really, but the two guys that pitched in this series were as expected. I mean, that's what they do. They shut people down, and they're big game pitchers. Our offense, we can do a lot of things with our offense. They can hit home runs. We can score without hitting home runs. We can run. We can do some things, play some small ball. And our bullpen is really good.

So I think it doesn't guarantee anything, but I think, yeah, I think we've got a really good club, and I think we're built for series type baseball.

Q. Looking at this series, you guys hit the ball well. You got about, what, seven guys in your lineup with 20 home runs. For all the talk that the Atlanta Braves have with Olsen and including all those guys, how well do you feel like you guys match up to this team coming into this series?

ROB THOMSON: I think pretty well. They have a great club, don't sell them short at all. But I think we do match up. I think our offense can go against anybody's. Our two starters, our two guys that threw in this series, they're really pitching well right now. They're on a roll, and hopefully they stay on a roll.

But Atlanta's a good ball club. Don't think that I don't think they're a good ball club. They're a really good ball club. So we're a tough test, but I think it will be a good series.

Q. What do you think it meant for Bryson to have that kind of moment on this stage?

ROB THOMSON: Probably a lot. He'd been struggling coming up to the last day in New York, the last game of the regular season. He'd been struggling a little bit. But to get the ball in the air, because he hadn't hit a home run in a while, I think it was big for him. The ovation he got, his next at-bat was spectacular.

Q. Does it mean anything extra to turn on a fastball like that after he saw so many of those last October?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, he was a little bit tired last October. I don't think he's tired right now. I think the year before that, he'd gone to the Arizona fall league and then he went to early Spring Training and then all of Spring Training and then all the season. So he'd played a lot of baseball. I think he's pretty fresh right now.

Q. You ended up with a lot of offense, so maybe it didn't make a difference in the end, but that pickoff of Berti, like early on in the game.

ROB THOMSON: It was huge.

Q. Talk about sort of what that meant for the momentum and also just what you saw and how Nola pulled that off.

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, I think he just saw that he was getting a bigger lead and he was kind of -- there was some movement there. There was some body language that told him that there's a chance to run. He just inside moved on his own and caught him off balance.

But I thought that that really stopped some momentum right there in its tracks, and that was a big play.

Q. When O'Ryan made his debut a week and a bit ago, you said he looked like he wasn't even sweating out there. What did you think of his demeanor tonight? Was it kind of the same?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah. It looked like he was in his backyard playing Wiffle ball because he was just normal. We tried to get him a spot like that, just to see what -- how he would respond to it, and he responded great. I think we just keep moving forward with him. So far, so good. The poise, the calmness is there.

Q. Rob, your team finished 14 games behind the Braves. What does that not tell us about your group and the season that you had?

ROB THOMSON: The one thing the Braves did is they played consistent baseball all year long. I mean, from day one, they really didn't go into any large losing streak that I know of, and we struggled getting out of the gate, so it's something we've got to work on in Spring Training.

But I think we're playing very good baseball right now, and I think it's going to be a really good series.

Q. Rob, can you share who your starting pitcher will be on Saturday?

ROB THOMSON: I can't because I haven't talked to anybody yet, and I haven't talked to the guys that wouldn't be starting. So I'll talk to them tonight, and we'll have something either tomorrow or the next day.

Q. Or I can just come over later.

ROB THOMSON: Sure, call me at home.

Q. Rob, you've been here a long time with Aaron Nola. I think he's your longest tenured player, and you know all the criticisms he has faced. There was a scenario where this was his last start in a Phillies uniform. How good do you feel for him considering how professional he is for you in this ball club?

ROB THOMSON: I feel so proud of him because of -- he went through a lot this year because he struggled at times and there were the home runs and the big innings and things like that, but he just kept grinding and he kept fighting, kept working. Finally he found some stuff at the end of the year, and he's been lights out.

I expected this. I really did because I know who he is. I've seen him do this before, and he just came through. But I'm so proud of him. He's a warrior. He really is. He just keeps fighting and keeps trying to get better.