AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS VS GUARDIANS

October 4, 2024

Tanner Bibee

Progressive Field

Cleveland Guardians

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Tanner, you faced the Tigers I think July 29th. At that point they were like five games under 500 and 14 games out. I know you have a lot of respect for them, but did you expect to see them here?

TANNER BIBEE: I mean, you always think that throughout one point in the season a team will get hot, whether it's a short stretch or long stretch. I think they were kind of playing baseball trying to find who they were, finding their identity. When they finally found their identity, they really kicked into gear. They've done a great job this past month and a half, two months. They're a really good team.

Q. What kind of problems might that present?

TANNER BIBEE: I think they are similarly built to us. Very grindy. They'll wear you down, wait till they get their pitch. They're not going to punch out a lot and going to put the ball in play.

Q. As you guys kind of sputtered to the finish line last year, how much did you crave like this sort of opportunity?

TANNER BIBEE: I mean, I feel like this is what you dream of when you're a kid. Obviously doing the World Series, playing in the World Series, but, I mean, this is the road to the World Series and it's just as important games because every game now means exponentially more than the last.

I feel like the difference between this year and last year is that last year I was sitting at home watching whatever, football, baseball, whatever and now we're here playing it. So it's way better.

Q. What are your emotions like right now going into tomorrow, just the excitement level? And just like what's this week been like of knowing this was coming and the anticipation building for you? And do you allow yourself to have any expectations for what this atmosphere will be like?

TANNER BIBEE: I feel like it didn't really hit me until I figured out who we were playing, and once Detroit won that series, it was like, oh, this is getting real.

And I've had butterflies ever since, and it's really exciting. I'm excited to see the fans come, pack it out. I'm excited to feel the energy. I mean, Hedgey won't close the yearbook on last year. So we hear from him a lot.

But, yeah, I'm really excited.

Q. You just mentioned butterflies. Will you be more nervous -- do you get nervous before a game in the regular season?

TANNER BIBEE: Yeah. For sure.

Q. So will you be more nervous in this playoff atmosphere?

TANNER BIBEE: Um, I don't know if I'll be more nervous, but I feel like there will definitely be a lot more adrenaline. I feel like the bigger crowds you have, I feel like naturally, wherever you are, I feel like you're going to have more adrenaline, whether you're facing more people or facing people with more people in the crowd, stuff like that. I feel like maybe a little bit.

But hopefully it's a day game; we don't have to sit around all day.

Q. You faced them four times this season. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage?

TANNER BIBEE: I don't think it's really either because I feel like they're a super different team. I mean, they got Sweeney over there who they got in trade. Meadows. I didn't face Meadows this year, but I faced him in the minors. Torkelson has been up and down.

But I feel like they're a very different team. They had Canha, Urshela before. It's a very different team. I've faced them. They've faced me. I feel like it's not really an advantage or disadvantage.

Q. Do you remember how old you were when you first had a dream of like pitching in playoff baseball in the Majors?

TANNER BIBEE: I mean, definitely single-digit age. Probably I feel like everyone in the backyard was like kind of under your breath, like, 3-2, two outs, bases load. I feel like everyone went through that. So I feel like ever since I was like five years old probably did something similar to that.

Q. Tanner, the one game where Vogt came out and left you in, what did that do for your confidence, and have you been a different pitcher since then?

TANNER BIBEE: I mean, I think it only made me get a little more comfortable in I don't want to say my role, but maybe just where I stood that day. I mean, rough start to the year. But I think that outing was definitely the turning point of my season at that point.

And, I mean, you guys have heard the story. I mean, it's just kind of the shock value to the lock back in to getting them. I feel like it was just the validation it can give you in a big moment like that, in a big game against a division rival. I mean, this is going to be roughly the same thing. I feel like we had a pretty good crowd that day, too. Obviously not as much on the line, but it's very similar.