NL WILD CARD SERIES: BRAVES VS PADRES

October 2, 2024

Dylan Cease

Petco Park

San Diego Padres

Pregame Press Conference

Q. How do you go about the challenges of not knowing whether you're going to pitch tomorrow, but if you do it's obviously a massive game and understanding what would go into that?

DYLAN CEASE: I'm pretty much just preparing every day like I would prepare for a start. I feel like if I'm mechanically in a good spot and immensely prepared and kind of know what pitches I need to execute and where, then it doesn't really matter when I pitch.

Q. Can you go into the impact that Joe Musgrove has had on you and kind of just welcoming you here and what he's meant, maybe not in terms of what he's done on the mound, but what he does for you guys in the clubhouse?

DYLAN CEASE: He's been huge. He's the definition of a leader. As soon as I got here, he showed me around. He's helped, I guess, assimilate me into the ballclub and how things are done. Even just beyond that, just he's been a great friend.

Q. Different pitchers throughout the year praise Ruben Niebla and the impact he's had on them. In your first year here has he done anything different from other pitching coaches you've had in the past? If so, how has that helped?

DYLAN CEASE: Yeah, for me, I think the biggest thing he's really showed me a couple different pitches and pitch grips. He's kind of tinkered on my repertoire a little bit.

Other than that, I think he's good on the psychological aspect of the game and then he's also good on the mechanical. That's a big part of pitching.

And I think as our relationship and as he's gotten to know me more, that's been built and he's figured out different ways to help me as the season's gone on.

Q. Couple lighter ones. Were there any pitchers when you were growing up who you loved watching and tried to model your game after, as a kid?

DYLAN CEASE: I always liked the power guys. I liked Randy Johnson, Pedro, John Smoltz. But I always wanted to be a power-hitting shortstop. So, I was more focused on that.

Q. I know it's going back a while but do you remember the first thing you did with the team when you got to Korea after flying over by yourself? Was it the hotel, the bus?

DYLAN CEASE: It was the hotel. Just the team breakfast. And other than that, I think it was manly just being at the field.

Q. Going back to when you first arrived in Korea, I remember sitting on the bus with a bunch of you guys, and there was a sense of relief it seemed like flowing off of you. Going from the organization in which you came to this one, just talk about that transition and how it's affected you this year.

DYLAN CEASE: Last offseason there were trade rumors every day. So I guess just being placed somewhere and having those be behind me was nice.

And then coming into an organization that has such a high commitment to winning and trying to get to the World Series and win the World Series, it was very refreshing. And just happy to be here.

Q. What happened to the power-hitting shortstop part?

DYLAN CEASE: They didn't give me a chance. I'm a career .375, but they didn't give me a chance to let the power blossom.

Q. If you don't start tomorrow it's likely on Saturday. It's a pretty long break. You kind of had something similar in August with the one-inning outing in Pittsburgh. Did you learn anything from that experience that can maybe help you here with the long break potentially between starts?

DYLAN CEASE: I'm not looking at it as a negative. If anything, it's just giving my body more time to rest and recover and in the meantime I'm working on my mechanics and doing other things like that to stay locked in. Either way, I'm going to be ready to go.

Q. I know you were throwing to Campusano for a lot of the season. But as you've gotten to work with Higashioka more, what about his temperament makes him effective as a catcher, in your opinion?

DYLAN CEASE: Higgy is a great catcher. He's very stoic. I actually haven't got to work with him a whole lot this year. Like I said, he's stoic. You know what you're going to get from him. On the offensive side, too, he's the best nine-hole hitter in the game, I think.

Q. Have you ever seen him outwardly excited?

DYLAN CEASE: Yeah, definitely. I was just talking to him a little bit earlier that we need to see it on his next home run. But off the field, for sure, yeah.

Q. Any examples you can share?

DYLAN CEASE: Gosh, I mean, specific ones, I'll just say on the bus or different things, different times when we're all kind of just letting loose and messing around.

Q. You've had quite a season between the trade, the Korea trip, you're wearing your no-hitter shirt, celebrating the playoff berth, what's been the most memorable part of the season for you?

DYLAN CEASE: Memorable. That would probably be easier for me to answer when the season's over. But obviously the no-hitter is very special. I would probably put that as number one. But team-wise, the triple play to clinch the playoffs is just about probably the craziest thing I've ever seen. So that might be actually my favorite.

Q. What was your takeaway from your last playoff start and how eager are you to kind of maybe put that one behind you and write a new chapter?

DYLAN CEASE: Last playoff start I remember just getting a big adrenaline dump, kind of not feeling very in control of my body. So it definitely wasn't the best, but definitely learned from it and I think it will probably make me better in the long run, for sure.

Q. How much were you able to go ahead and soak in and appreciate just the vibe from yesterday from starting intros to the end of the game? In the time you've been here what stood out to you about the relationship that the city seems to have with the Padres?

DYLAN CEASE: Yeah, the atmosphere yesterday was amazing. We're all expecting to be that way just because it feels like every game it's that way. But there was definitely a next level of intensity and energy there. I'm blown away by how much of a baseball city San Diego is. I had no idea before I came here, but it really feels like, I mean, everybody's behind us. It's a great feeling. We want nothing than more than to deliver winning to this city and fan base. So we've all really enjoyed it.