AL DIVISION SERIES: TWINS VS ASTROS

October 10, 2023

Ryan Pressly

Target Field

Houston Astros

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. You've got 12 saves in the postseason, which I just looked up is fifth most all time. Saving games in the playoffs, is there a different mentality or a different psyche or focus that you have to have? Or is it just another game at that point?

RYAN PRESSLY: I think it's just another game. You try to keep things simple as you possibly can when you're out there. You don't want to try to do too much or overthink things. It's just the same game, like I said earlier this year. It's just a lot more people watching.

Q. Ryan, you've seen Bryan Abreu from the beginning, from when he first came up as a rookie until now. How much has he evolved? And what can you say about the pitcher and reliever he's turned into?

RYAN PRESSLY: I think he's one of the best relievers in the game. I don't think people talk about him enough. When he first got to the Big Leagues, he was -- we always knew that he had the physical capability of doing everything, but the mental part was -- it's the hardest part that you have to overcome when you get up here.

I think, once he started figuring that out, he's turned into the player that he is right now. It's pretty impressive what he's done.

Q. Obviously something you've dealt with, but what changes coming out, elements a little colder out here than in Houston, both preparing and out on the mound?

RYAN PRESSLY: It's not too bad outside. I think, once you get moving around, everything starts to warm up a little bit. I've pitched in this weather quite a bit in the past. I know how to get going and get loose, but I think, if it was down in the 20s and 30s like it is in April in here, I think it would be a little bit different scenario. But I think with the sun out and it only being 55 degrees outside, I think everything is going to be okay.

Q. You pitched in that 2020 Wild Card series, but obviously that was under different circumstances. Is there any significance to you being back here for a playoff series given this is where you started your career?

RYAN PRESSLY: Yeah, I'm excited to see the stadium packed. It wasn't really packed the whole time when I was here. We weren't very good.

But they've got a great team over there. The fans are fantastic up here. They finally have something to come out and cheer for. Good group of fans. I'm really excited to see it. It's exciting to be here kind of full circle and be up here for a postseason game.

Q. Does it give you more confidence just pitching here where you've pitched so many times and especially had success in a playoff game?

RYAN PRESSLY: It's still the same game, same field that I've played on. It's just a lot more intense, but I think the mound -- when you get to a new field or you haven't been out there in a while, you kind of want to go out there and see what the backdrop is like, if the plate seems far or close up to you. I think I've pitched in 300 games here. I kind of know what it looks like. So it doesn't really bother me.

Q. All those games, is there nostalgia for this place and this team? You mentioned the team is good, but it's almost none of them were here when you were. I think just Max, Byron, and Jorge. Is there much nostalgia about it?

RYAN PRESSLY: Those guys have turned into some really good baseball players, Polanco and Kepler and Buck. I've watched them all the way up. I don't know really how to answer your question other than just I like watching them play and going out there playing against them. I wish they were on our side, but you kind of just go out there and put up the best stuff that you can.

Q. Are you the same pitcher? You were much younger, but are you the same pitcher now that you were then? How have you changed?

RYAN PRESSLY: I don't think I'm necessarily the same pitcher I was when I was here. Obviously when I came to Houston, they showed me some things, what I could work on to be better and how I could grow as a pitcher. I think that's what you want to do as a Big Leaguer anyways. You don't want to be the same guy every single year. You want to put up some numbers if they're good numbers obviously. You try to get better on the field every single time you take the ball.

When I came over to Houston, like I said, they showed me some things that I could work on. I feel like I've kind of mastered it. But I'm always trying to get better and trying to improve.

Q. You played with Max Kepler, obviously, and now teammates with Kyle Tucker, left-handed swinging right fielders. What similarities do you see in their game?

RYAN PRESSLY: They're both dangerous hitters. You can't miss over the middle part of the plate with them. Kepler's got amazing pop. He's a good hitter with he can control the strike zone pretty well. Same with Tuck. He's becoming a superstar right in front of our eyes.

It's fun to watch both of them play. But just see what happens in this series and see how they all play.

Q. You never know when you're coming in or who you're going to face, but is there something unique about their batting order and their lineup?

RYAN PRESSLY: Yeah, I think they've got a little bit of everything. They've got a little bit of speed, a little bit of power, guys that can control the zone, guys who are snappy who can foul off a lot of stuff.

Correa was with the Astros for six years and he knows how we like to pitch, same with Vazquez, who caught in the World Series last year. These guys are familiar with us, and with that lineup over there, I think that you do have to make adjustments throughout the game. You can't particularly do the same thing over and over again.

Yeah, I think they have a little bit of everything, which kind of makes them really good.