AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS VS GUARDIANS

October 4, 2024

Stephen Vogt

Progressive Field

Cleveland Guardians

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Stephen, right now it doesn't look like they've named a starter for Saturday. How does that -- what's that do to your preparation?

STEPHEN VOGT: I think just the normal preparation that we always do. We're always prepared for anything that may come our way, and obviously we're familiar with the Tigers and the bullpen strategies that they've deployed. So we'll be ready for kind of anything that gets thrown our way. Yeah, we prepare for everything.

Q. What's the anticipation been like this week? Does this feel like it's been the longest week ever just trying to build up to what you guys have been working towards all season?

STEPHEN VOGT: Yeah. Obviously it's been great for our guys. It's been great for them to get the rest, the preparation. We've been able to really go over some little things and get everybody excited.

And it was kind of interesting the first three days not knowing who we're playing. So there was no direction, especially for me. It felt like the first few days of Spring Training where I don't know what to do with my hands.

But once we found out we were going to be playing Detroit, it was time to start bearing down and preparing. The guys have put in a great week of work. They've worked really hard to make it as game-like as possible. So we feel really good going into tomorrow.

Q. Stephen, how have you seen Tanner Bibee grow this season to give him the ball in Game 1?

STEPHEN VOGT: I think Tanner from the beginning, had a great year last year. Put himself on the map and went through some early season -- not going to call them struggles, but had a few hiccups for the first time in his Major League career.

Really since then he's beared down. He's competitive. This kid wants the ball in big moments. And Tanner wants to be the guy. He believes that he's number one. And we do, too. And really excited to see him showcase that in the playoffs.

Q. Stephen, you mentioned how weird it is not knowing who you're playing. How quickly does that start? As soon as Detroit gets that last out, are we on the phone immediately starting those meetings, or do you take at least a couple of hours to digest before you dive in?

STEPHEN VOGT: I don't know if you've had any time to digest anything over the last seven months. It's just continual. But like I said, we were prepping for both teams, going in a hundred different directions. But once that final out happened in Houston, we were able to really put the focus into that.

And our team, our group, our coaching staff, our front office analysts have done a phenomenal job preparing for our games all season long. Our cadence doesn't change. Everything stays the same of how we've done it all year long, and we know the Tigers really well. So this is going to be a really fun series to watch.

Q. Stephen, your predecessor, his name escapes me, is back in baseball. I just wanted to get your thoughts on Tito being hired by the Reds.

STEPHEN VOGT: I think it's great. Tito is obviously somebody I've looked up to. He's helped me tremendously this year, and to see him back in baseball -- and we want the best people working in baseball, and Tito is definitely one of them. Sure-fire Hall-of-Famer. The Ohio Cubs can be a much bigger deal now.

But I couldn't be more thrilled for Tito and for the Reds. They're getting a good one. Obviously you all know that better than I do. But like I said, when the best people are in the game, the game is a better place, so I'm really excited for Tito.

Q. You mentioned locking in after you found it was going to be Detroit and the hard work and the preparation and everything that's going in. We just spent a couple minutes in the clubhouse there, and it's as loose as we've seen it in a while. The guys are active and vocal and talking. Just how happy does that make you feel just to know that they're working hard but also feeling good about themselves right now?

STEPHEN VOGT: Yeah. That's who this group is. They've been that way all year. They hold themselves to that. It's have fun. You know, we've treated every game like a playoff game. You heard Hedgey say, you hear David say, you hear the whole team say, we've treated every game like a postseason game. That's how we've managed it and that's how we've coached it. It's one day at a time.

We just need to keep our same cadence, and we'll go for it. And our guys are going to have fun. This is an opportunity. We talked about the hard part's over, navigating 162 games and finishing winning your division. The hard part is over. Now let's go have fun. Let's go compete and be who we are and show the world who we are.

Q. How do you know when you're done preparing? Will you say at 7 p.m. tonight you're closing the textbook, or will you fall asleep at 3:00 in the morning watching video of Tyler Holton?

STEPHEN VOGT: No. Our coaching staff might be doing that. For me, until I see their lineup and who they're pitching and their roster, my work is not done. So you gotta see, and then you're always learning and you're always watching. So I don't think the work ever stops.

But I should be able to go to sleep tonight, and I'm excited. It's like Christmas Eve. Tomorrow is the day we get to go.

Q. With the lineup, when you don't know who's going to pitch against you, how many different lineups are going through your head right now?

STEPHEN VOGT: Quite a few. Obviously we're still finalizing roster stuff, too. So we have a lot of decisions to make still. But got four or five lineups written down, and we'll just read and react to what they do.

Q. How did Cobb come in feeling today after throwing yesterday?

STEPHEN VOGT: Yeah, he's feeling well. He feels really good. We were really happy with the way he threw the ball. So we have some decisions to make over the next however long we have, until 10:00 tomorrow. But it was good to see Alex coming in and feeling good.