NL DIVISION SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS DODGERS

October 10, 2023

Corbin Carroll

Chase Field

Arizona Diamondbacks

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. What have you enjoyed about playing on this stage?

CORBIN CARROLL: It's the feeling of importance of the game up there during the regular season in baseball in general, but it's heightened a step. And I think just every player can kind of feel that.

Q. You've been on the road for a while. What's it like to be back home? And what kind of atmosphere are you expecting tomorrow? I think it's supposed to be sold out.

CORBIN CARROLL: It's awesome here. Couldn't be more excited.

Q. You've been a teammate of Brandon Pfaadt's for pretty much most of last two years. How have you seen him grow as a pitcher from when you first were together in Double-A last year to now?

CORBIN CARROLL: I feel like he's always been the same pitcher. It's really a position player's dream to play behind, just, attacks guys, goes right after them, nasty stuff. Led the minor leagues in strikeouts last year. All around a treat to play behind.

Q. How have you kind of handled the adrenaline from these games? Has it felt different to you? Has it been easier, harder to focus and lock in as a result? What's your kind of process there?

CORBIN CARROLL: I'd say adrenaline-wise, it's probably felt about the same as the regular season, maybe a tiny bit more. For whatever reason I wouldn't say I've gotten too amped up.

Q. Is there anything that's allowed you to feel like that allows you to kind of handle it?

CORBIN CARROLL: I think maintaining my same routines and just same process. Some things in that process that I think lend itself to helping me with that, but just doing the same thing.

Q. Being able to maintain that adrenaline and keep it, like you said, like a regular season game, what does it take, what kind of mindset does it take to be able to do that?

CORBIN CARROLL: For me it starts before the game. I have an all-encompassing approach where I like to make sure that I'm taking care of all the stuff I need to take care of away from the field, whether it's sleep, nutrition, all those things.

If I can check those boxes and say I'm doing those to the best of my ability, then I just feel like I have the freedom to go out there and play freely without any kind of second-guessing or doubt.

Q. As a group, what's your mindset having won two games at Dodger Stadium but know it's going to take one more to get where you want to go?

CORBIN CARROLL: I think those kind of conversations will occur today. But I think my personal take and personal sense of it is we're playing with urgency. I think everyone's going out there tomorrow and treating it like a must-win game. I think that's the burst that we've had all postseason. Just this one's no different.

Q. The team, how's the team handling all this? Are you having fun as a group together in the clubhouse, in the dugout? How do you manage, I guess, the mentality of playing a game but still enjoying the trip?

CORBIN CARROLL: I think putting up nine runs, that one game early, that was probably one of the most fun times I've had playing baseball. Obviously no lead is safe, but just maybe a little bit more feeling of relaxed and that was really fun. I enjoyed that a lot.

Q. Have you had a chance to take a moment and reflect, either by yourself or with family, just what the season has been like, playing a full season, having what you did, the All-Star Game and of course now the postseason?

CORBIN CARROLL: No, not really. It's still going in my mind. It's the most exciting, most important baseball of the year for us. I don't want my mind to be anywhere except for that.

Q. You seem pretty unassuming about all this. It's not like heady stuff to you. It's a little bit of what was asked, but where did that come from and where is that at for you because you're not too impacted by all this, it seems?

CORBIN CARROLL: Gotcha. I'm grateful for it, but I guess my answer is this is where I want to be. This is what I've worked for. This is what this team has worked for. And just trying to enjoy it for what it is and take it a day at a time. Winning in the postseason, what's cooler than that?

Q. You have friends and family in the stands for the series?

CORBIN CARROLL: Yes. Some people came out to LA. I had some friends in LA. And then some people coming down for this part as well.

Q. Obviously July was a tough month, but you guys started a little slow in August, but were able to walk back out of that and then to kind of back into the postseason. But then have the streak you're on. What about this team is able to come back in ways that you guys have done this season?

CORBIN CARROLL: I think just not thinking in terms of the highs and the lows. I think just taking it a day at a time and treating each day like a new day, a new opportunity.

I feel like that approach has lended itself well all year and helped us ride those waves. I feel like this postseason has been the same way.

Obviously we've had a lot of success so far. I'm sure adversity will come as well. And I think just taking it a day at a time. A new opportunity, blank slate, is going to help us get through that.

Q. I was curious about the Wild Card game here six years ago. Do you have any memories while they're watching it live or highlights of all the madness that happened in that game?

CORBIN CARROLL: Didn't watch it live. Definitely have seen some highlights from it. I think a lot of triples, I think Ketel hit one and then Archie.

Q. Ketel had two.

CORBIN CARROLL: Two. And I'd say from when I got drafted in '19, from that year on, like, I've heard multiple times just how loud Chase was and how cool it was to see, just Chase in that way.

And then going to the World Baseball Classic this year, I think it was the U.S.A.-Mexico one I was able to attend, some of our front-office people said this is what it was like in '17. That makes me excited to see Arizona excited about baseball like that.

Q. You've been able to brace for the atmosphere you're expecting tomorrow because of some of the memories people have clued you in on?

CORBIN CARROLL: Yeah, excited for it. There were some great crowds in LA. There were some great crowds in Milwaukee. But doing it in front of home fans is a lot cooler.

Q. Question about preparation. Watching those games in LA and even Milwaukee it seemed like you guys were incredibly prepared for the pitching, for pretty much whatever to expect. It seemed like you guys were more prepared than the Dodgers, possibly. Can you talk about the value of the scouting reports and the preparation you're getting for these games?

CORBIN CARROLL: Huge testament to kind of the work that has gone on behind the scenes, not by the players, by staff, whether it's the hitting staff, whether it's more the behind-the-scenes, analytics people.

I agree with you. I think that there was a very clear plan going into each one of the games. And a huge part of that was the preparation that our staff put into that.

Q. You've been asked about how temperamentally suited you seem to be for this moment. Was there a point in time in high school, Little League, where things sped up and the adrenaline was a lot to handle, and you had to learn how to tamp that down and stay in the moment?

CORBIN CARROLL: If you really want to see my adrenaline flowing, make me do, like, a public speech or something. (Laughter).

But I think I guess just like going back to high school, showcase games, stuff in front of scouts, like, scouts are there for the first time; you want to impress them, stuff like that. Like maybe in the situations like that you have to learn to deal with that a little bit.

And kind of just throughout this baseball journey, just working to improve that.

Q. It's been a whirlwind calendar year for you obviously. Came up last September with a team that was out of contention. And now you're here in a potential situation to clinch the NLDS. What's that experience been like over the last year? What have you learned and how amazing is it for you to be in this scenario now?

CORBIN CARROLL: I don't think I'll be able to answer that one. I think I'd need to sit down and think about that one. Maybe more like offseason kind of a reflection on that piece of it. But just trying to stay in the moment for now.

Q. Ryan Thompson yesterday was talking about how after some of these games a lot of the relievers have been mentally exhausted with how locked they've been in. Curious if you or any of the other offensive players felt something similar?

CORBIN CARROLL: I haven't heard any talk of it in the dugout. But I think that coming out on the winning side of it, it might help a little bit. But I feel good.

Q. You were the underdogs going into Milwaukee, underdogs going into LA. Now you're comfortable at home and favored probably to win another series. Has the energy or mindset changed at all?

CORBIN CARROLL: No. This is a great Dodgers team. Things in baseball can flip in an instant. I think everyone understands the importance of trying to do it tomorrow. Like I said earlier, we're going to treat this like a must-win game just like we will every game after that.