AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS VS ORIOLES

October 6, 2023

Adley Rutschman

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Baltimore Orioles

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. This is obviously the biggest game for you guys, not a lot of playoff experience. Can you describe how everybody approaching this week. Pretty much the same?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: Yeah, I think our guys have the same process going into this weekend. We battled all year long to get to this point, and we're just going to take the same approach and play team baseball.

Q. Everybody talks about the distractions of the postseason. Have you been finding that, lots of ticket requests, having to worry about getting family in, and people bugging you?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: I think my family does a pretty good job of keeping pretty low stress for me. But I think we keep it pretty in house and keep the expectations and things within our clubhouse and just try to focus on playing baseball.

Q. How much buzz have you felt around the city, just the fans and the support you've been getting throughout this week?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: Yeah, it's been exciting, it was cool to have fans out on Wednesday for the sim game, and just feel the energy of people getting excited. But I think we're excited for Saturday and ready to get going.

Q. Do the butterflies you feel right now remind you of the College World Series?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: Absolutely. Playing in a big game like this, I think you try and prepare yourself to put yourself in that mindset throughout the year when we've had big games. And I think our guys are ready to go and are excited to be playing in a high level game like this.

Q. A lot has been said about how the postseason is totally different from the regular season. What have you noticed from watching some of the postseason games already or imagining what these games are going to be like, how it will be different from the regular season?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: I think I've noticed in any game you play going back a couple of years from now, once you step on the field and get the first pitch out of the way, it becomes baseball. There's a lot of things that lead into games, but once you get going, it feels like baseball again.

Q. Bradish had such a great season and especially the second half. What was going so well for him later in the year?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: I mean, just to see his learning curve -- he's always had phenomenal stuff, but to see how his pitches are used most effectively and to kind of just build himself up and his identity as a pitcher. He's become confident in that and really confident in what he's becoming. So I think just to see his confidence day-in and day-out and his plan going into each game is fun to be a part of.

Q. What stands out to you about the Texas Rangers, both as a guy who will be handling their hitters behind the plate and facing their pitchers?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: They're a really good team, played them earlier in the year and they were good then. It's been cool to watch what they've gone through this year. And I think we're excited to play.

Q. So when you made your debut, you took that famous moment to kind of look around, soak it all in. Do you expect to do that kind of thing today, I mean tomorrow or during the series at all?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: I'm really excited to see the crowd. I've heard that baseball here is pretty cool. I was talking to Ryan Klimek about it, said he went to a postseason game in 2014 and said the atmosphere was absolutely electric. I'm really excited to see the fans and just to feel the excitement.

Q. This is going to be probably the biggest crowd you've ever seen, at least here is in Camden Yards. You talked about it being electric. Are there other nerves or how you're going to deal with the loudness of it all?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: I feel like we played in some pretty loud environments. Indoor stadiums seem to be a little louder. But when you get going and start playing, you're just in the moment and playing. It just becomes another baseball game, and you see guys really settle down. I'm excited to get going.

Q. It hasn't been that long since you made your famous debut. And then you've seen Gunnar come up, Grayson and Jordan and all these guys, what has been like for the process watching them come up, and you being an older guy in that process?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: It's -- to see guys go through multiple years of development and experience together, to see them end up at this spot, kind of achieving their dream and their goals is really cool. You feel invested in the process and their journey. I'm just excited for these guys. And to see their character and they're such good guys, you want to see them succeed.

And I think it's what makes our clubhouse so close, is that you have guys that care about each other genuinely, and it makes it that much more exciting going to the ballpark each day.

Q. You talked about the crowd and the atmosphere, how much do you guys truly feed off of that atmosphere and crowd, and how beneficial will that be the first two games?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: I feel like our guys really enjoy playing in big time environments. When the crowds are into it we feed off it. It's something we've noticed throughout the year, when the crowd gets loud, guys get more excited. You know, it just makes everything that much better.

Q. This week of rest, I mean, obviously you guys played to get this week. How beneficial has it been and is any part of you apprehensive about a potential rust factor when you get out there tomorrow?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: I think our guys have made the most of it, really gotten their bodies right. I think we've done a good job practicing throughout this week, sim games and whatnot. I think the guys are well rested and ready to go. And our team is excited. I think there's no apprehension.

Q. What is it about the young guys on this team that allows them to handle those big moments so well?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: Honestly, I think it starts at the top. Just having, I guess, a team chemistry that's very process oriented and guys go out and they just play ball. They have fun doing it. And it becomes less about what's going on around them and more about just focusing on the team and what we've got to do to win.

When you have that mindset, it makes baseball a lot more fun and you have a very clear goal in mind.

Q. A couple of years ago you were in the Minor Leagues and this team was losing a hundred games a season. Would you imagine a couple of years later that you guys could win a hundred games, be the top seed?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: Yeah, I think going into Spring Training this year, we really had an expectation that we were going to -- you know, we had a talented team and we were going to see what we could do. I know a couple of years ago we had a couple of guys down there who were coming up together. We talked about the what-if and what we could do.

But it was -- you never know until you get here and you see the clubhouse. And in Spring Training we saw all that. Guys were excited to get going this year. And the way we battled throughout the year is something special. And I think we're very proud of the way we handled the regular season. The guys are ready for the next step.

Q. You're sitting up there, you've been smiling a lot today, how does it feel to be in the position that you're in right now going into the postseason? The excitement has been felt from a couple of guys on the team, but for your personally, how excited are you to get this going tomorrow?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: I'm super excited. This is a complete blessing to have an opportunity like this to play postseason baseball with a great group of guys in the stadium with an electric atmosphere.

So there's nothing more you can really ask for. The opportunity to do something like this is amazing, you kind of cherish it. That's why I'm smiling and I just crushed a cold brew [coffee], so...

Q. You and the Rays were battling it out for much of the season trying to get first place in AL East. What struck you about the way the Rangers were able to neutralize them in that sweep with only one run scored?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: Yeah, they're a phenomenal team and they've had a great year. So good pitching, good bats. For us it's always been about like trying to keep it on us and what we can control. So we're going to try to come out with a good plan from a hitting, pitching side. And that's what we've done all year. We're going to try to continue to do that.

Q. You've had a really good perspective on the progress of starting pitchers this season with Kyle, Grayson, and Dean. How would you characterize where they started and where they are in the playoffs as a group?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: Yeah, it's been very cool to see their journey. They've gotten a lot better since the beginning of the year. And it's just a testament of who they are as people and as players, continuing to try to get better. They've always had pretty good success. But to see them just continue to want to learn more and just not be satisfied with where they're at says a lot about them as people. And it's cool to see how far they've come.

Q. How have you seen this bullpen come together and stand tall since Batista got injured?

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN: Our team is really close. And guys continue to pick each other up. And Felix, it's tough, it's tough to see a friend go through that and a teammate. But like I said, guys are supportive and they continue to pick each other up. And our team is really close. Our guys will continue to do that.