NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS PHILLIES

October 24, 2023

Geraldo Perdomo

Citizens Bank Park

Arizona Diamondbacks

Pregame 7 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with Geraldo Perdomo.

Q. Along the season, everybody has their own routines. Is there a particular routine for Game 7?

GERALDO PERDOMO: Either if it's Game 7, 6, or any game, you should treat it is the same way. The difference is at the end of the day, somebody is going to the World Series, and the other team goes home. But before that, it should be the same.

Q. Within the young players that are on the team, is the approach that they are taking in general actually helping manage the pressure?

GERALDO PERDOMO: We're prepared for the situation. Most of us have been exposed in Winter Leagues and in environments where winning is priority over anything. So I believe that we're ready for the challenge. Like I've addressed in previous interviews, not a lot of people were thinking that we were going to be this far along, and here we are. That kind of proves that we're ready for it.

Q. You guys had to fight and claw so much over the last month of the regular season just to get in the playoffs. How much did that allow you to then just relax once you got in and say, this is who we are, we're going to play?

GERALDO PERDOMO: It was basically, like, patience for us to be here. I remember when we went to Milwaukee for that series, I feel it's because -- I don't know about you guys, but a lot of people don't believe in us. I think that's why we play with the patience we play right now, to prove to everyone we can do it. I think that's it, you know.

Q. Because people have not believed in you guys for most of the season, even for most of the postseason, does that make you guys more relaxed because nobody else is putting pressure on you guys, or do you feel more pressure to try to prove everybody wrong?

GERALDO PERDOMO: I feel like we don't have to be pressing, you know. Like I told him, every key play in Dominican, it's a lot of pressure over there. That's a scenario where they prepare you to be in this scenario right now.

For us and for my teammates, I feel like we're relaxed because we know we need to fight. At the end of the day, somebody has to win. Especially for me, it's simple, you know.

Q. What games have you played in that you can kind of compare to this moment either in the Dominican Winter Leagues or in the Minor Leagues or any kind of do-or-die kind of games?

GERALDO PERDOMO: The playoffs in Winter Ball. Like I said the other day, when you play Aguilas against Licey, that's the two most famous teams in Dominican. It's a lot of pressure. If you make an error or a strikeout or any kind of play, everybody boos or things like that. It's more hard because it's our language, you know.

Here sometimes you just, like, forget right away. You know what I mean? But like I said, we don't have to have pressure. I think we're prepared so far for this moment, and we just need to fight. That's all.

Q. How have you performed in those kind of games?

GERALDO PERDOMO: I just try to have fun. You know, try to relax my mind and try to be focused on what I need to do, first of all.

At the plate, try to get on base. When I play defense, just relaxing, you know. That's all. For me just being relaxed.

Q. You were talking last night about taking the crowd out of the game early. You think that's going to be important tonight? How big do you think the first inning could end up being for who wins this game tonight?

GERALDO PERDOMO: It's very important for us. Like I told you last night, like we did against the Dodgers, we just have to put up a couple of runs, and the crowd probably will be down, you know.

Sometimes depending how the situation is going, they would be very, very loud. But for us, like I told you, I don't care about the crowd, honestly. I don't know about my teammates, but me personally, I don't care. We just are going to play no matter what.

But if we put a little more pressure to that guy, to the crowd, we can play more and more and more better. That's what I guess.