NL DIVISION SERIES: METS VS PHILLIES

October 6, 2024

Bryson Stott

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Postgame 2 Press Conference

Q. Where does this birthday rank for you?

BRYSON STOTT: Pretty close to the top. Probably the top. That was fun.

Q. What was that feeling like knowing you guys had just got the inning before, you got the crowd going, and they took the momentum right back. What was going through your head?

BRYSON STOTT: Yeah, just felt like a seesaw kind of all game. I thought we did a good job kind of shrinking the strike zone and getting our swings off. And after I got to third, kind of settled down for a second, and just tried to keep myself calm so I didn't do anything dumb on third. And then they had the pitching change and was able to go in the dugout and relax for a second. And J.T. had a huge hit right there.

Q. Just how crazy of a game was this to be a part of?

BRYSON STOTT: Yeah, like I said, it was back and forth there towards the end. Bryce and Nick getting us going like that, and hitting those balls a long way jolted the team, I think, and it obviously jolted the crowd. They got loud. It was electric out there.

Q. Nick has had ups and downs last postseason and then this season. For him to come through three different times late in the game, what did you think?

BRYSON STOTT: He's Nick Castellanos, he's a professional hitter, and he's hit his whole career. He came up big for us a lot this year. It feels like every walk-off hit is Nick, and that's who he is. And his heart rate doesn't get up, stays the same. And gets the swing off.

Q. Were you looking to try to pull there, just getting the pitch to hit? How did that look for you trying to pull that pitch?

BRYSON STOTT: Yeah, I mean, Díaz, he's one of the best closers in the game for a reason, and his stuff is electric. His fastball was running more than it has, it felt like, in the past. And was trying to beat one of those heaters to the outside part of the plate. And he threw a slider that I thought I could finally hit, and was able to pull it down the line.

Q. On that slider, when you're facing Díaz, do you have to look slider in that spot? Do you have to protect first against the slider in that spot?

BRYSON STOTT: No, for me it's not 100, you have to be ready for 100. And faced him in the past and with two strikes he's throwing me heaters. Early in the year it was a heater, then two strikes it was a slider again. So you're kind of on time. If you're on time for the heater, you can adjust on the slider.

He needs to leave it up obviously when he throws it down then it's hard. Looks like a fastball for a long time. That one stayed up. That was good.

Q. Those two sliders he's throwing, the one at your feet and then the one only has a little bit of break, was that the pitch you were looking for in that spot?

BRYSON STOTT: I would have liked it. Hitting a hundred is not fun. But just gearing up for a hundred, like I said, you have more time to adjust. His slider is still hard, it's 92 miles an hour. When you're on time for a hundred, it gives you that ability to adjust to that slider and hopefully it leaves it up.

Q. As you mentioned you faced Díaz before, you homered off him earlier. In the season what's kind of like the mindset facing a shutdown closer like that and then when you're able to come through for your team against one of the big name relievers, how rewarding is it to be able to come through for your team in that situation?

BRYSON STOTT: Yeah, it's awesome. Like I said, he's one of the best in the game and you know you have to be giving your best at-bat or he's going to win. Just trying to hone in on a certain spot when you're not with two strikes. And then when you've got two strikes, it's kind of a battle mode. And like I said, when he's throwing a hundred and it's running like it was tonight, it's not fun facing that guy. You hope he leaves some out over or tries to come in with a fastball, and he left that one up.

Q. Triple came at a key plan. Early in the game, the play on Martinez, as a player, do you take more pride in defense sometimes?

BRYSON STOTT: Yeah, you always want to get hits, right? But I think on defense you control it. You're controlling everything that goes on when the ball is hit to you, outside of a bad hop it's on you. And just focusing and trying to make plays for our pitchers who are giving us a big chance to win and keeping us in games is fun for me.

Yeah, I like playing defense and taking away hits, it's cool.