AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS VS GUARDIANS

October 7, 2024

Trey Sweeney

Progressive Field

Detroit Tigers

Pregame 2 Press Conference

Q. Just always wondering about your calmness. Even in this situation. Have you felt anything different? I mean you come up to the Big Leagues, calm. All those big games down the stretch, calm. First round. I mean, has anything changed for you in terms of your heartbeat, your adrenaline, anything?

TREY SWEENEY: I mean, maybe a little bit. I feel like since I've been up here every game has kind of been important in the stretch of us even trying to get here. So I feel like I played in a lot of big games on the way here and that's kind of helped me out a little bit with that experience.

Q. Trey, the trade you were involved in usually is the type the rebuilding team makes rather than a team that's going to end up in the playoffs. Could you imagine this happening when you got the word you were traded?

TREY SWEENEY: Honestly, I didn't really know what to expect. It kind of all happened pretty fast for me. But I think I quickly realized after we got up here we had a good chance to get here if we kept playing good baseball. So, yeah, last month and a half has kind of felt surreal. So still trying to take it all in.

Q. Trey, what's been the experience for you? I know it hasn't been a long time, but working with Joey Cora. How has he challenged you, and how has he made you a better shortstop?

TREY SWEENEY: Yeah, it's been good. He's got a lot of stuff for us. He kind of has his routine we do every day and that's working on my hands. But he's been kind of on top of me of going to get the ball and not wait back on it. But he knows I have stuff to work on, and he's there with me every day making sure I do that.

Yeah, it's been good. Definitely think he's helped me improve there.

Q. Trey, since making your debut, you've had a lot of success against lefties, including some really tough lefties. Have you always had confidence against southpaws, and do you approach it any differently against right-handers?

TREY SWEENEY: I mean, yeah. I think I have the same amount of confidence going up to the plate no matter who's on the mound. Not much of a different approach. Just kind of sticking to my roots and just try to stay on the fastball and adjust.

Q. Obviously in Detroit we had Tram (Alan Trammell) and Lou (Whitaker) for a long, long time. You've had a gazillion -- a lot of different second basemen. How has that meshed together so well, or just quick repetition or what?

TREY SWEENEY: Yeah. I think a lot of reps in practice and then in the games of I played up the middle with a lot of them. So, yeah, I mean just getting work in and playing a lot of those games at the end of the regular season. That's the biggest part.

Q. Trey, while you're obviously enjoying this postseason, your two former organizations are also involved in the postseason. How much have you found yourself following them and what they're doing, and how much do you talk to some of those guys on those teams to see how they're doing, and I don't know if you even talk about maybe potentially matching up against them?

TREY SWEENEY: Yeah. Honestly, I haven't paid too much attention. I'll talk to a few guys every now and then. But check up, see how they're doing. But, no, just really just trying to focus on us and trying to win games here, but yeah, that would be really cool to be able to run into some old teammates, for sure.