NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS PHILLIES

October 21, 2023

Zack Wheeler

Chase Field

Philadelphia Phillies

Postgame 5 Press Conference

Phillies 6, Diamondbacks 1

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with Zack Wheeler.

Q. How much do you allow circumstances to kind of enter your mind when you are heading into a start like this? I mean, you guys had lost two straight games. I mean, this is historically -- you know, it's a huge swing game for you.

ZACK WHEELER: It's definitely a thought. As a pitcher it's kind of on you, a lot of it. So, you know, you're definitely thinking about it coming into the game. I don't know.

I know the bullpen was taxed a little bit, so I needed to go deep, and obviously I wanted that to be quality innings. So I was able to do that, go deep into the game, save the bullpen a little bit, and get out of there with a lead.

Q. Knowing that, to what extent do you at all change what you're doing knowing that they need you to go at least six, maybe seven?

ZACK WHEELER: I mean, you don't try to change it up too much just because I always try to do that. I always try to go deep. But in a game like this, you kind of get the feel for it early on. And then they're aggressive, so I tried to use that to my advantage after the first few innings to get quick outs.

And then my pitch count was up a little bit early on, so I was just trying to limit that the rest of the game and get quick outs and make pitches where I needed to to be able to do that.

Q. When people take a step back and look at your body of postseason work over the past two years, your name starts to get tossed around with some of the all-time greats. What do you make of that?

ZACK WHEELER: It's cool. It's special. I take pride in it. There's been a lot of great pitchers that pitched in the postseason. A bunch of them probably have more innings and body of work than I do, but I try to do the best I can with what I have.

It's special to be named with a lot of those guys. I don't know. It's cool. It's special.

Q. Zack, when a runner was on, just how did you feel like you contained those situations well in limiting any damage getting done?

ZACK WHEELER: Yeah, coming into the game, coming into the series, we all know they're fast, they're speedy, and they like to take bases. So we all talked about it before the series. When a guy gets on, you have to be careful with him. You have to change up your looks. You have to change up your time to home. Maybe do something a little different here and there.

But don't get outside of yourself at the same time. Don't try to slide step maybe when you normally don't or something like that, because you want to make your good, quality pitches at the same time.

Q. To follow up on what you are saying, as a pitcher of your caliber, is there a special level of focus that you unlock in those kinds of situations?

ZACK WHEELER: Certain guys, you know, Corbin on first, obviously going to pay more attention to him than maybe somebody else. But that's learning over the years what you have to do to limit base runners getting to second. Once they're to second, they're usually in scoring position, right? Especially somebody with his speed or other guys on that team.

So you just try to limit them getting to second base by changing up your looks, like I said.

Q. What made the four-seam such a good pitch for you tonight?

ZACK WHEELER: I was able to locate it. The shape of it wasn't always the same. I was pulling some, which worked to my advantage a couple of times. Then some were kind of running arm side.

I think people kind of go to effectively wild. I wasn't really wild, but it wasn't always doing the same thing. I think that played to my advantage.

Q. You had a couple of stretches where two outs on two pitches, two outs on six pitches. How big were those to keep -- obviously you can't really plan on that, I don't think, but to keep your pitch count down and give you a chance at the seventh?

ZACK WHEELER: That's kind of going back to what we talked about was trying to -- after those first couple of innings of getting it figured out, what their game plan is, that type of stuff, to just go right after them.

I know they're going to be aggressive. I know they're going to be swinging. They're probably looking for a fastball, but I'm also going to throw the fastball and the strike, command it the best I can. When you get ahead of guys, put them away quick.

But the defense, it's probably the best they played behind me all year. It was really cool to watch them do their thing out there. Stott. Harp made a good play. Castellanos cutting the ball off and didn't let it get to the wall.

Little stuff sometimes makes a difference for us. It makes our job a lot easier keeping a guy on first instead of letting him get to second. I appreciate that, and they made my job a lot easier tonight.

Q. What was the conversation, if any, before that seventh inning? You were warming up. You were at 92, 93 pitchers.

ZACK WHEELER: Topper just asked if I was good, and I said, yeah, I felt great. I was going right back out there.

Q. One last one. Every time you kind of ran into a little bit of adversity, you responded. Even great in that seventh inning. Was that something you pride yourself on?

ZACK WHEELER: For sure. Just don't try to let them get to second. Don't let it be easy for them. The first inning they were on, what, first and third, and that's really when you have to bear down. You can't let them get momentum at home. The crowd will get back into it. Try to shut that down the best you can and let your guys get the momentum.

Q. Zack, considering last year going into the World Series, you could have a rematch against the Astros again. It would be the first time that's happened with two teams playing each other since, like, the '70s. What do you take out of that? I don't want to go too far ahead, but how much better do you think this team is and how better prepared it is to go to the next round than it was last year?

ZACK WHEELER: Yeah, like you said, we can't think ahead too much. If we were to make it there and they make it there, it's pretty cool.

It's really hard to do, making it to the World Series, so two teams to make it there back-to-back would be with pretty awesome. But I think we have a better team than last year. We added some guys in the bullpen, added some bats, some gloves.

Yeah, I think we'll be in a good position. But we can't think ahead too much. We have to play the game on Monday and get back to Philly where we like to play. I know they're going to be very excited for it.