NL DIVISION SERIES: METS VS PHILLIES

October 4, 2024

David Peterson

Citizens Bank Park

New York Mets

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. After the rush of your first professional save, were you able to sleep at all last night?

DAVID PETERSON: Yeah, it was a long night, just with the travel and everything, so I tried to get some sleep today. But yeah, definitely going to try and catch up on some more tonight and be ready to go.

Q. When will you be available?

DAVID PETERSON: I'll be ready tomorrow if they need me. So yeah, at this point, where we're at in the season, all hands on deck. So I'm ready whenever they need me in any capacity.

Q. Senga starting tomorrow, what was your level of surprise?

DAVID PETERSON: I was surprised. We hadn't really talked about it much. It's exciting. I think everybody is glad to have him back, especially kind of the way the first time around this season went with him and only having him for the one start.

So yeah, it's exciting to have him, another elite arm that we have at our disposal, and excited to watch him compete.

Q. Did you know that he would even be an option?

DAVID PETERSON: I didn't. Yeah, I mean, it wasn't -- like I said, it wasn't something we talked about. But, yeah, like I said, a good surprise and exciting to have him back.

Q. For as much as the Phillies and Mets have played against each other over their long rivalry, this will be the first time you guys are going to be squaring off in the postseason. I know your fan base travels well. But these crowds here during the postseason have been known to get extraordinary. How much have you guys talked about that since you advanced last night?

DAVID PETERSON: I think we've seen it just with the rivalry that we have, playing in some tight games and whatnot, this place gets loud. And that's what you want. You want that playoff atmosphere.

I think we're ready for it, it's exciting. And yeah, we're looking forward to the challenge. Hopefully, like the Mets fans always do, they'll travel well and we'll have some support in the building.

Q. Starting pitchers, what you do is routine, being ready, in your mind just from what Senga is doing, how unorthodox is that, to have one start and work yourself to get healthy, but limited competition?

DAVID PETERSON: Yeah, I think it's obviously not ideal the way things happened. And being able to have seen the competitor that he is, I know he's not going to stop as long as we're in the race and try to come back and help us. Yeah, I think anybody in that position that we have on our staff would have been doing the same thing to fight to get back to be a part of this on the field. So like I said, it's exciting to have him back.

Q. He hasn't pitched since the end of July. What's the biggest challenge after a long layoff for a pitcher?

DAVID PETERSON: I think you can get your stuff right in the bullpen you can kind of get all that dialed in. But I think we've been playing a lot of high leverage games for quite a while now and so I think just coming back into an atmosphere like that, getting back up to game speed is something that's going to be a challenge when you're coming back like that.

But I have no doubt of the work he's put in and the way he's gotten himself prepared he's ready for the challenge.

Q. Going back to last night what was your reaction when you saw the playoff pumpkin make its debut?

DAVID PETERSON: I saw it a couple of days ago. And I think it's just, you know, it's something that along our journey we've picked up. We've had stuff throughout the season and just another one of those little things that is part of the group now and is getting attention. And so I think it's all in good fun for us and just continuing to keep up the good spirit that we've had and continue to enjoy the ride.

Q. You mentioned that it brings attention. How were you all able to channel that as a positive thing for motivation versus becoming distracted by a fun little thing?

DAVID PETERSON: Yeah, I don't think, you know, internally it's something that we've joked about a little bit and whatnot, but externally people are going to make what they're going to make of it. They're going to say whatever they want to say. And like for us it's just another one of those little pieces for us to just have fun.