AL DIVISION SERIES: ROYALS VS YANKEES

October 7, 2024

Cole Ragans

Yankee Stadium

Kansas City Royals

Postgame 2 Press Conference

Royals 4, Yankees 2

Q. Cole, how would you evaluate your start on the mound tonight, and then to see the bullpen come in and pick you up afterwards?

COLE RAGANS: Yeah, I mean, control was a little erratic. Felt like I made pitches when I had to make a pitch. The bullpen, they're doing what they've been doing for the past two months. They're incredible, just shut it down. Like I said, they're incredible.

Q. We saw you were at Central Park yesterday getting your little throw in. How did that come about, and what was that experience like and how unique was that the day before a start?

COLE RAGANS: Yeah, I mean, nobody came into the field, so we had to find a place. A lot of area there, so just found a little grass patch there in the middle of Central Park, and me and Sam Long played a little catch there for a little bit. It was pretty cool.

Q. What did the Salvy homer mean, seeing it from the dugout, and how did that help you find composure or calm you down after?

COLE RAGANS: Yeah, Salvy is incredible. He's built for this. He's been here before. He knows what it takes. He gets us right back into the game. It's fun to watch him do his thing, obviously, throughout the season, but definitely in the postseason. Like I said, he's incredible. This is what he lives for. He's been here before. Like I said, he knows what it takes, and it's a joy to watch him play every day.

Q. How long did you throw for in the park yesterday?

COLE RAGANS: Just normal catch play, 75 feet, probably five, ten minutes.

Q. Did you walk over there from the hotel?

COLE RAGANS: Yeah, we walked. It's not that far. It's a couple blocks.

Q. Did anybody recognize you?

COLE RAGANS: No, nobody recognized us. We just got our stuff done and went back to the hotel.

Q. What time of day was it?

COLE RAGANS: I think it was like 11:00 yesterday morning, something like that.

Q. You knew the middle of this Yankees' lineup would be a little bit of a challenge for you. Can you talk about how you prepared for it and how you think you did as an after fact? You kept Aaron Judge pretty quiet all night.

COLE RAGANS: Yeah, like I said before the series started, that's two of the best hitters in baseball. Just got to execute, can't make mistakes. Sometimes you do execute and they hit it hard. So it's just trusting the guys behind me and trying to execute to the best of my ability and go from there.

Q. When you found yourself walking a couple guys early, what went through your head or what did you go through to make sure you settled down?

COLE RAGANS: Just trust the guys behind me, try to get some weak contact, get ahead early, that kind of thing. I know if I get ahead, I put myself in a better place. So it's just try to execute a pitch early and get some weak contact.

Q. For you guys to be able to get a split here in New York and go back to Kansas City for two games, how important will that be to try to build on that momentum going forward?

COLE RAGANS: Yeah, I mean, looking forward to getting back to the K, seeing the fans there. It's going to be fun to have playoff baseball back in Kansas City. But yeah, a split here is huge. It's basically like a brand-new series when we get to the K. Looking forward to it.

Q. Salvy has mentioned before that he's shared stories with you guys about his experience in the postseason, but what is it like for you young players to see the veterans in practice stepping up in the big moments of the postseason?

COLE RAGANS: Yeah, I mean, Sal is our captain for a reason. He prepares with the best of them. We have our meetings pregame, stuff like that, and usually our notes are pretty close to each other. But I trust him back there. He's been here before. He knows what it takes to win it all. He's the guy we lean on.