AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS VS GUARDIANS

October 9, 2024

Riley Greene

Comerica Park

Detroit Tigers

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. Just from your perspective, what was it like coming to the ballpark today? Looks a little different, feels a little different. We're in a different room. Physically, what's it like coming back for a home playoff game?

RILEY GREENE: I left my apartment pretty early today, and I hit a lot of traffic, which is kind of weird. But I was like, oh, playoff game in Detroit, first time in ten years? So I figured that was part of it.

But, no, it's exciting. We're all super excited to be back home, and we're hearing all this stuff about it's going to be a packed house tonight. So we're super excited to get going.

Q. Riley, just wondered how have you kind of felt about the experience of this? I mean, you've played a lot of baseball. We lean on you like you're a veteran, but you're 24, and this is your first experience getting a different pitcher every at-bat it seems like, and teams targeting you. How have you dealt with that and how are your like emotions with that?

RILEY GREENE: Yeah, no. It's a team game. So, you know, I trust in the guys in that lineup, on the bench. I trust in this whole team. I would say it's part of it when a lefty comes in or whatever and I just gotta try to do my best, get to the next guy, have a good at-bat for that next guy so he sees a bunch of pitches and really just grind in the box for them.

Q. Matt Vierling talked yesterday just about how much better how good the pitching is in the playoffs, and I'm wondering, from your perspective, how have you seen that and has it changed anything for you in the way you're approaching each game?

RILEY GREENE: I'll start with my approach really hasn't changed. I would say the pitching is better, because, you know, you've got adrenaline like guys have never had. You've got guys throwing their best stuff at you. Their velos are up.

And with the guys coming in early out of the bullpen, you see the starter once or twice maybe and then you're facing bullpen guys the rest of the game. So it's a little tough because you're used to facing a starter three, maybe four times. So it's a little tough, but it's all part of it.

Q. Riley, just going to sleep last night, waking up today knowing that a playoff game awaits you, what was that like for you psychologically, emotionally? Was there an extra level of nervous energy or excitement that goes with it? What's this like in the lead-up to your first playoff game?

RILEY GREENE: Not going to lie, I slept pretty good last night. Yeah, I mean, waking up, I would say is the one where it's like, okay, like it's time to go. You wake up with a little more energy. You're not tired. You're really excited to get to the ballpark and just get moving around and get things going.

Q. After Kerry's home run in Cleveland, you and Spencer were pretty jacked up celebrating coming out of the dugout. Can you explain that moment and what was it like to celebrate that with Spencer?

RILEY GREENE: Yeah, I was telling someone. I'm like my body is not going to be able to take screaming so much because I feel like I've screamed a lot in the past couple weeks.

But, no, it was awesome. We all like vacated the dugout once he hit it, and once we saw it go over the fence, we were just going crazy. And I see Tork's screaming at me. Then he pushes me. So I pushed him back. But that was an unreal moment, and for Carp and for our team.

Q. Off the game for a minute, how much are you calling back home? I know prayers out for everybody down there, Orlando, Tampa. Have you talked to Alex Faedo, for example? How are things and how much is that kind of pulling you away just a little bit?

RILEY GREENE: Yeah, no. It's definitely scary, back-to-back hurricanes is never fun. Like you said, prayers out to the people on the coast, in Tampa and things like that. But we should be good in central Florida. Knock on wood. But I hope everything is going good.

Q. We've talked over the years about how Comerica Park plays for hitters, the big outfield and everything. Is there a home field advantage for you guys even in terms of like base running, just knowing how the angles play here, knowing how much space there is out there and how has the field played into the way you guys have run the bases for the last couple months?

RILEY GREENE: Yeah. I mean, like you said, base running, it's definitely going to play a big role in it. We know that we have a deep outfield, and we know that we can take that extra bag 99 percent of the time just because they're playing so deep because they have to, and we have to play deep, too. But we know with that deep outfield we can take that extra bag and take some chances out there.

Q. I'm wondering how long you've been looking forward to this specific day? When you think back to being drafted five years ago and how much has changed with this organization, when you reflect back on everything it took for you personally and for the team to get to the first playoff game in a long time, what do you think about it?

RILEY GREENE: Yeah. This is a dream since I've been a kid. The first dream was making it to the Big Leagues, and you make it here and, you know, all you want to do is win and make it to the playoffs. Then you make it to the playoffs and you're like, oh, my gosh. Like this is real.

So it's awesome. This is definitely a dream come true, but we definitely got a lot of work to do and some business to take care of.

Q. Riley, I know you've played with Kerry for kind of a long time now. When did you first realize the type of hitter he was and what has it been like to watch his journey to what he's doing now?

RILEY GREENE: Yeah. Me and Carp were in rookie ball together, and just from the start of rookie ball, he's been a great hitter. I know he had some swing changes a couple years after that, and I saw he hit 30, 40 whatever home runs in the Minor Leagues, and we were all like, where did that come from?

And he goes to Triple-A and he comes to the Big Leagues and he's still doing it. It's pretty impressive. It's awesome to see just because of the person he is and how hard he works and all the things that come with it. But, yeah, I mean I like having that guy on my team.