AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS VS GUARDIANS

October 4, 2024

Parker Meadows

Progressive Field

Detroit Tigers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. After Houston, you're in a new park that has a complicated outfield. Is it more comfortable to be at a place you've played at before?

PARKER MEADOWS: Yeah, for sure. Being in Houston in a dome, you know, the echo was -- it was loud in there. So, you know, just communication is big in the outfield, and coming here, obviously it's going to be loud. So, yeah, just communication is big.

Q. Parker, obviously you were sent down to AAA when you were at this ballpark earlier in the year. What does it mean to be back now in the playoffs?

PARKER MEADOWS: Yeah, it's kind of a full-circle moment for me. But pretty surreal feeling being here. This year has been a roller coaster. I've gone through some tough times, but in the end it's all kind of paid off and it's been a fun ride.

Q. The last few times you've made highlight catches, it seems like guys are doing a gesture with their hands on the way back off the field. How did that get started, and how do you guys feed off of that?

PARKER MEADOWS: I don't know. I think Matt Vierling started it. But every time we see a nice play, we give it one of these and get everybody going with it.

Q. Parker, it also seems like when you do make those catches, the offense really seizes the momentum in those situations. How much have you noticed that when you get back to the dugout, just capitalizing on some of those big catches?

PARKER MEADOWS: Yeah, it definitely helps the momentum for sure. I've been trying to make plays the whole year for the team, and you see everybody else making plays, and it's big for the team. And to be able to come in the dugout celebrate with the boys and carry it into us hitting, it definitely helps.

Q. Dating all the way back to West Michigan, you've been known as MLB ready in center for a long time. But I just wondered how do you think you've improved under George?

PARKER MEADOWS: I've improved a lot under George. He's a guy who's really passionate about getting us better. And we show up every day, and he's wanting to do stuff with us or maybe he sees something or hears something new and wants to introduce it to us.

So, yeah, he's always throwing ideas out, and he's been very helpful since the beginning, even with my jumps in the outfield when I first got here. Yeah, can't thank him enough.

Q. Do you practice jumps, or how have you learned how to do that?

PARKER MEADOWS: Yeah, I think practice is the main thing, and, you know, carrying it over into BP, taking BP serious, working on my jumps in those situations. The most game-like situations you can get is batting practice. So, yeah, just been doing that all year, and I feel that I've gotten better at it.

Q. You were talking jumps on the ball. I was thinking jumps up climbing the wall. Do you actually practice?

PARKER MEADOWS: Jumps on the ball.

Q. Do you actually practice going up over a wall?

PARKER MEADOWS: Yeah. Coming to all these stadiums, the height of the wall is different or the dimensions are different, the warning tracks are smaller or bigger. So, yeah, like I said earlier, in BP you go out and sometimes I'll act like I'm robbing a home run just to see how high or if I can even cover the wall. So, yeah, BP for sure.

Q. What are some of the nuances of this ballpark that you have to be conscious of, whether it's the high wall in the left, having to back up Riley, or just the higher wall maybe than usual from what you might see at other parks?

PARKER MEADOWS: Yeah, it's definitely a weirder wall in left field. You know, there's some angles where we gotta back each other up, and especially coming from Houston, you know, that outfield is a little crazy.

So we've been doing it all year, and George has been big on that, just backing each other up and being smart in certain situations.

But, yeah, it's a bouncier wall, too. So, yeah, just keep backing each other up.

Q. I know the catch in Houston wasn't at the wall, but the one in the ninth inning at Game 2, what was the trickiest part for you there, whether it was going back on the ball or trying to sense where the wall was?

PARKER MEADOWS: Yeah, that one hurt, first of all. Just having the half wall and then the chain link, my head crashed right into the wall.

But, yeah, I mean, all year it's been weird walls, but that goes back to just getting at BP and knowing where it's at and the dimensions and all that stuff.

But, yeah, just trying to make a play and was able to do it, and, yeah, it's fun.

Q. Parker, how much do you think defense could have an impact on this series, especially between two teams that put the ball in play quite a bit?

PARKER MEADOWS: Yeah. I mean, defense is huge. I think as a team we've been really good defensively, and it has us in the spot we're in right now. So we go out for ground balls or we take BP serious, you know, all that stuff plays a factor in going out for the game and making the play -- trying to make it easier for us to make plays. And the staff has really done a good job having us bought into defense.