NL DIVISION SERIES: METS VS PHILLIES

October 6, 2024

Rob Thomson

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Postgame 2 Press Conference

Q. Nick's had a tough go of it. What's he been like? What have you done with him, the last playoffs and this? And how good do you feel for him right now?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, I feel great for him. I mean, he's been working every day. Comes in early, hits one-on-one on the field. I don't know how he's done it and played 162 games because he's just a workhorse.

I'm so happy for him because I know that there's been a lot of talk about chase and this and that. But he can hit. He can hit. That was a big night for him tonight, the home run to tie it up and then the base hit to win it. He's just been grinding all year.

Q. Bryce has hit a lot of big home runs here, but in that sixth inning Severino looked like he was cruising, you're down 3-0, the stadium was quiet. How big was his shot?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, that got everybody going. It was huge. Sevey was really good. Sevey is a big game pitcher, he's been in a lot of these types of games.

To get on the board and get the crowd back in it, I thought our at-bats were similar to last night up until that point, and then I thought our bats got a lot better. We started getting guys back into the zone and attacking and using the field. Yeah, it was just a really good ball game. Both sides. Really exciting back and forth.

Q. You guys had a lot of near misses or misses but near hits with the foul ball straight back a lot. If it doesn't turn around, if you guys don't win, there are no moral victories, but in the dugout does that keep them going, keep them all talking, hey, we're right there?

ROB THOMSON: You're talking about foul balls straight back? Yeah, I think those are indications of being on pitches. Just mishit it a little bit. But I thought, as I said, from about the fifth, sixth inning on I thought our bats were really good.

Q. And that contact, there's maybe less pressure there.

ROB THOMSON: Sure. Sure.

Q. Castellanos has those first two at-bats, expands a little bit, and there's some boos from the crowd, and then has those next three. What enables him to lock in? Is that the way he is?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, he doesn't let anything bother him, really. If he's struggling, it doesn't really bother him, he just keeps working. He's an experienced guy. He knows he's going to come out of it at some point. And that stays with that end game, as well. He just keeps fighting.

Q. The way you use your bullpen there late in the game, did you want to get Hoffman and Strahm back there in high- leverage situations? Is that just kind of the way the matchups played out?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, I mean, it's just the way it kind of worked out. Those were the pockets that we set up prior to the game for all of those guys. The Mets right now, they're putting some slug on the bullpen, so we have to take a look at that. But I thought Sánchez was fantastic tonight. Great poise. His stuff was outstanding. Changeup was outstanding, gave us five really good innings.

Q. Can you address Harper's walks both last night and tonight? It seems like he's as locked in as we've seen him in the last two postseasons, he's been a historic postseason hitter, No. 1. No. 2, what's going on with your bullpen?

ROB THOMSON: I think it's just execution. They're putting good at-bats on them, you have to give them a little bit of the credit, too.

Harper is really locked in right now. The ninth inning there it's a two-out rally, Turner walks, Harper walks, Casty with a base hit. But it looks like they're sort of pitching around Harp a little bit, and Casty is coming through. Pick your poison at this point.

Q. Once the offense did start to get it going in the sixth inning, do you think it's due to the guys making some changes, changing their approach, anything like that?

ROB THOMSON: Well, absolutely. And I think that there's been a lot of talk, not only publicly but in our clubhouse, about getting back in the strike zone, controlling the strike zone on both sides of the ball. If you do that you're going to win games. And I think they're making a conscious effort, for sure.

Q. You said moving Stott up to the five hole with the lineup change today, you said that if he stays in his approach you think he'll be fine. And he came through with a big extra base hit. What did you see him in the five hole today and what's it like to see him reward you and come through in that moment?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, especially on his birthday, that's big for him. I thought his at-bats were good today. He actually swung on a first pitch fastball, which I like to see every once in a while. He worked counts and didn't chase hardly at all. And then he comes through with a great at-bat on the triple, line drive down the line. I was really happy with him.

Q. This game has a chance to change the complexion of the series. The difference between going to New York with a split as opposed to 0-2?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, 0-2 is tough. But still it's one game at a time. It doesn't matter what the score in the series is. We've seen it before where teams come back from a deficit.

So just one pitch at a time. One game at a time. And just keep battling, because those guys over there, as you can see, they're not going to quit.

Q. I was going to ask you, does it ever cease to amaze you to see your team get knocked down and then they just get right back up again, and especially in that ninth inning when they tied it and you guys came back to win it?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, it's a bunch of experienced guys. They've been through it before. They have a slow heartbeat and they understand situations and they just keep battling. It's a very resilient club. And you can see the same thing with the Mets, they're not going to quit either. This is shaping up to be a classic battle.