NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS DODGERS

October 9, 2024

Jake Cronenworth

Petco Park

San Diego Padres

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. Coming into yesterday, you had struggled a little bit at the plate with hitting, but you got a couple of hits yesterday. How good did it feel to get back on track?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: It felt great. I said it last night in an interview, it's the playoffs and every day you start 0-for-0. So it takes just one game. It felt good.

Q. When a pitcher like Cease takes the ball on short rest for the first time, just the fact -- obviously he's talented -- but what does it signal to you as a teammate and other teammates when a guy does something that he's not used to doing or comfortable doing, maybe?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: For him to do that is huge for us. Obviously he's one of our big guys. For him to do it on short rest shows what the team means to him and what he wants to do.

Q. Facing Ryan Brasier on the mound, bullpen day for the Dodgers, how does that impact preparation approach when you're facing that kind of situation in a postseason game?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: So Brasier is starting, so obviously more than likely going to be a bullpen day. Taking a look at all the guys, where your spot's at in the lineup, match-ups you might see in certain situations. But we've seen them a lot and familiar with their bullpen. So kind of have a good idea going into tonight.

Q. You guys have put together a lot of innings like you had in the second last night, stringing hits together, couple of guys come up with run-scoring hits. How would you characterize what this offense has been, really all year, that ability to string hits together?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: I think it's just the consistency of the quality at-bats. Some nights you see it more than others. Like last night where it seemed like it was eight in a row. Other nights you see it where you've got four or five in a row and you don't get anything.

But they've been there. The guys compete their butts off. And it seems like the at-bats up and down the lineup, no matter what the situation is, are great.

Q. Looking back at two years ago, that single you had that scored two runs that propelled you guys, probably one of those iconic singles in franchise history, to look at your career two years later and to be in the same position against the same team, can you talk about the growth you've had and potentially slaying the dragon once again?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: I think you go through different experiences throughout your career against different teams. And it just happens to be that we're playing the same guys again.

But it's something I look back on and learn and kind of tap into at certain points throughout the game, just as we do in all of our jobs. We learn from our past experiences and use those to kind of push us forward going forward.

Q. What have you seen from Dylan as a competitor? Seems like a type of guy that wants to be tested, is up for a challenge?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: 100 percent. And I think that's kind of what you see today with him. He's the guy that wants the ball every time he's out there every fifth day. Obviously today is the third day.

But that's who Dylan is, man. He wants to go out there and put himself in the position to help our team win.

Q. Jason Adam just said he's never been around a group that's as sold-out on winning as this one and everybody's celebrating whether or not they're involved with what's going on. You've been around for a while. How have you seen that grow and develop, because it seems like it's at a different level this season?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: It's not something that was started in Spring Training or started those first few weeks. It's something that's kind of grown organically throughout the season. And kind of what I said earlier, it's something that guys are looking back on past experiences from earlier this year.

And it seems like everybody on the roster right now has had a big hit or made a big defensive play or made a big pitch in a big spot for us. And I think that's what's made us so close and made this such a family.

Q. You praised Manny for that base-running play. I'm wondering how long you've worked on that play and what you do to combat it? And from the other side, as a first baseman, how do you work on that?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: It's a very instinctual play. Teams work on it every year in Spring Training. You work on it when you're in the minor leagues. You work on it when you're in college.

It's a baseball play, but when the moment's happening and things are going fast, it's up to the player's instincts to make the decision on whether to do it or not.

Obviously Manny being a very high IQ baseball player and having the instincts to make that play in that spot started that inning for us, basically.

Q. From a first-base standpoint, what do you do to counter that? Can you --

JAKE CRONENWORTH: Try not to throw it in his back (laughter). Try to get it over him. It's tough. It's a tough play especially how fast the game moves.

Q. Joe, during the Wild Card round, talked about how 2022 and this season felt different. There was a lot of success then obviously, and you guys are in position to potentially have that type of success again. But he said the overarching feel was very different to him. What's your sense of things? If you agree, what are those differences?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: Yeah, I think one of the bigger things and kind of the characteristics this team, compared to that team, showed, if you look at '22, we didn't have the greatest second half. I think we were 18-18 or something like right after the trade deadline.

And we really didn't have a good little stretch there until I think we had a Friday night in Arizona where we lost. And we ended up having a good run. I think we went 15-3 in the last 18 games.

But I think this team specifically, this has been kind of the way we play and the at-bats and the pitching and the defense has been brewing the entire season, where it seemed like that year was kind of just that last two weeks it kind of propelled us into the position we were in. Where we're at now has kind of been a culmination of the entire season.

Q. With your friends back home, are they more excited about what you and the Padres are doing or what the Tigers are doing right now?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: They're Padres fans right now, yeah.

Q. Everybody starting to talk about a Tiger-Padres World Series?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: No, they're sold on Padres right now. They were just out here a couple weeks ago. They're pretty pumped.

Q. With them being a bullpen game and you guys have that familiarity with them. How important is that given every time you hit the plate it's going to be a new pitcher?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: It's tough. Like I said earlier, a lot of it comes down to game planning. And it's more specific to each guy because let's say Arraez, hitting lead-off, could face four different guys than Merrill in the 6 spot or in the 5 hole. It's different.

So each guy's got to do a really good job of game planning themselves and looking to see where the match-ups are going to be.

Q. Last week I see you standing around the batting cage with a Tony Gwynn T-shirt on and I talked to Junior about it and he suggested that maybe there was some hits in it. What's the reason for the Tony Gwynn T-shirt?

JAKE CRONENWORTH: We all have them in our lockers. It's just something I break out. It's a pretty good omen if you wear that shirt.