NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS PHILLIES

October 17, 2023

Kevin Ginkel

Citizens Bank Park

Arizona Diamondbacks

Pregame 2 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for Kevin Ginkel.

Q. Knowing the score last night and you're here for Game 2 before it goes back to Arizona, is there a concern about getting a win here or getting a split, or is that just not even entering your guys' minds?

KEVIN GINKEL: You know, I think we're coming into this with momentum. I think going down the way we did yesterday, it is what it is, but it's a new game today. We're a young team. We're excited. I think we feed off the energy from the fans, too.

No one expected us to be here too, so it's, like, I think there's a lot to be excited about. However this game goes, it goes.

Q. You guys have used that us against the world mentality coming in because, as you said, no one expected you to be here. Are you still riding that wave at all?

KEVIN GINKEL: Yeah, I think so. I think there is some newness to it. We know what their ball club is like. They're a really good team. They're riding a lot of energy right now, and they love playing here at home.

So however this game goes tonight, we'll be ready.

Q. For you personally, do you feel like the extra time off you've been getting is more beneficial for you to recharge, or do you have concern about getting rusty with the command and all that?

KEVIN GINKEL: For me, no, personally. I have a lot of downtime with my job. I sit in the bullpen. I watch the game kind of go on. I have to mentally stay locked in and ready to go.

But, you know, other guys are different and stuff. I think the way we played yesterday was good in how we responded. Going down 4 or 5-0 and then chipping away, getting back into that game was a good thing for this team. It kind of builds up some confidence knowing that we can play against anybody, and we can play against this team.

So I think for me personally I'm ready whenever the phone rings.

Q. Just playing off of that, when you said coming in with momentum, did you mean just kind of the way you've been playing in the previous series, or just the latter half of yesterday's game kind of?

KEVIN GINKEL: I think it's both. I think we've kind of been proving to ourselves that we can beat good teams. I think there's just a level of excitement to this.

I think this club and how we've gotten to this point is pretty wild. You know, we lost 110 games two years ago, and Mike and the front office and Torey, everyone in our organization, has gotten us to this spot now. And so I think however this series goes, it goes, but for me, I'm looking forward to the opportunity whenever I get out there and just try and make the most of it.

Q. Following up to that, did you have any October plans months ago that you had to change, just because this is a little bit of a surprise?

KEVIN GINKEL: You kind of have an idea to plan for the offseason. I mean, we made it in on Game 161, so things kind of had to change.

This is something you look forward to, I think, once you get into Spring Training. We've been playing huge games pretty much from the middle of August on, so offseason plans can wait.

Q. When you think about Geraldo Perdomo as a teammate, what's your favorite story that encapsulates his energy either in the clubhouse or on the field?

KEVIN GINKEL: Man, he is such a good kid. He is a good player. It's infectious the way he plays the game, and I think as teammates we kind of feed off of it as well. He makes solid plays in the infield. He brings some level of leadership, I guess, for how young he is. It's really cool to see.

I know when he's out there, he's going to make the plays, so...

Q. Just quickly for you, Kevin, in your journey, you were drafted multiple times. Can you just take me through those decisions about you were drafted, then you went back to school, eventually you went to U of A. What was that decision process like each time?

KEVIN GINKEL: I had no scholarship offers out of high school. I had to go to junior college for a couple of years. The path to get to this spot has been wild. But my goal out of high school was to play college baseball somewhere and get an opportunity to play Division I baseball. I got that chance at University of Arizona, and we played all the way into the College World Series, and that was just an incredible ride playing on that team.

I think now kind of going through pro ball, getting adjusted and getting acclimated to the day-in-day-out grind has kind of put me in this spot now. It's just the will to keep going and never quit that's kind of gotten me into this position.

Q. Your slider has really become just an incredible pitch for you here over the last couple of years. Can you just talk about the evolution of that pitch from when you were drafted to up until now?

KEVIN GINKEL: Yeah. My slider, I kind of found it probably like my second year of pro ball. I've had a lot of pitching coaches kind of help me kind of tinker with it and get that feel for it.

Now what you're seeing, I think, is just a level of consistency where I feel like I can use it in certain spots, throw for strikes, throw it as a put-away pitch, and it's just kind of helped me give the hitter something to think about now.

I know that's my bread and butter, but I think there has been just a level of growth, I feel like, with that pitch. I don't know. It's been my bread and butter, I guess.

Q. Just a follow-up, real quick. When you were drafted, so the slider was not a part of your arsenal then at that point?

KEVIN GINKEL: I threw like a fastball and slurve, like, curve ball/slider. I don't know whatever you want to call it.

One of the things when I got into pro ball was to get my slider to have it be a little bit harder, and it took a lot of time and effort to kind of get to where I needed it to be. So, yeah, I think coming out of college and getting acclimated into pro ball, there's a difference. There's a jump. Sometimes things take time.

Q. What was that experience like yesterday being in the bullpen with the fans right on top of you in that atmosphere?

KEVIN GINKEL: So cool. You know, it feels like October baseball. You watch these games on TV over the years, and in the Northeast especially, like Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, like all those teams that get into this position, they bring it. They bring it every single pitch.

It's a cool environment for sure. You know, they get on you if you're not performing, but then they're your best friend when you are performing. Warming up in the bullpen, you hear the jeers, you hear the crowd and stuff, so it's just special. I'm just trying to take it all in.

Q. Mine is a follow-up to that, Kevin. What you guys expected versus what you saw yesterday with this crowd and how they are.

KEVIN GINKEL: From pitch one, right, Schwarber hit the homer, and you're, like, okay, it's game on. Credit to them for going in with a good game plan. But today is a new day. I like where we're at, and yeah, we'll see how this game goes.