AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS VS GUARDIANS

October 11, 2024

Hunter Gaddis

Cade Smith

Progressive Field

Cleveland Guardians

Workout Day Press Conference

HUNTER GADDIS: Just lay it all out on the line

CADE SMITH: Absolutely. I mean, great environments everywhere we've been. Looking forward to another good one tomorrow.

Q. I know you guys play when they tell you to, but they moved the starting time up seven hours. Does that have any effect at all?

CADE SMITH: No. I don't think so. We've had plenty of day games this year.

HUNTER GADDIS: Yeah. Plenty of them.

Q. Are either of you two starting tomorrow?

HUNTER GADDIS: I haven't heard anything.

CADE SMITH: Same.

HUNTER GADDIS: No telling.

Q. Is it almost fitting that you guys went back and forth with the Tigers all year, and this series has had big swings back and forth? Is it almost fitting that this Game 5 goes down to a winner take all with them?

HUNTER GADDIS: We've always had close games with them. They've always been good games. I think it just comes down to who gets the hit, who gets the shut-down inning, and it's shown in these four games, it's kind of been flip-flopped, just like you said.

Q. What is the biggest game that you've pitched in?

CADE SMITH: I think it's going to be tomorrow. Yeah. I guess last night or the ones before. These are the most significant games I think of either of our careers, I'm sure mine. So, yeah.

HUNTER GADDIS: I'd say all of them. I mean, this whole season feels like every game has been really important, obviously. So I think it's just continuing on.

Q. Should either of you be asked to start tomorrow, how might that change the way you prepare for the game? Hunter, obviously, you have a background in the organization as a starter. Do you try to lengthen your prep time? Do you just say, hey, 20 minutes beforehand I'm going to start to get hot? How does that work for you?

HUNTER GADDIS: I think I just get ready before the game instead of during the game. I think that would be the only difference.

CADE SMITH: Yeah, I would do whatever I could to keep it as close to what we've been doing this year up to this point.

Q. Hunter, you and Brant Hurter, I think, are both from Canton, Georgia. Is that correct?

HUNTER GADDIS: I'm not sure if he's from Canton. I've seen his name a lot. I'm sure I've played against him growing up.

Q. Have you faced him before?

HUNTER GADDIS: No. I know he was at Georgia Tech when we faced him when I was at Georgia State during our midweek games. But I can't recall. There's so many players down in Georgia, it's hard to remember everybody's names. But I definitely know the name, I know he's from Georgia. Seen him around.

Q. How have both of you guys held up to the workload that you've had this year? What have you learned to get through so many innings, so many appearances?

CADE SMITH: I think it's definitely a balance of like learning how to manage the workload and especially with a different schedule, having rest days off, longer stretches, like 10, 15 games in a row.

But you learn by just watching the guys who have been here before and take what they do and understand kind of their mentality and how to approach things, and you implement it into your routine, however it fits best.

HUNTER GADDIS: Yeah, I think you just take it day by day. It's the only way you can do it.

Q. I mean, you were a starter. Do you feel like you've completely adjusted to this role now?

HUNTER GADDIS: I don't think you ever really completely adjust. I think you're always making changes, finding whatever works best for you on a day-to-day basis. That could be you need a lot one day and you may need very little.

Q. When you guys get back to your locker or on the team bus and you're looking at your phone for the first time, what are the reactions like from family and friends? Is it a lot more than maybe after a game in regular season?

HUNTER GADDIS: It's definitely a lot more. It's nice seeing texts of encouragement, especially when you see the ones that are like, Hey, proud of you, and all that stuff. It hits hard.

CADE SMITH: Yeah. My family is definitely pumped. They've been watching every game. They're loving it.

Q. What's it like hearing from your family?

HUNTER GADDIS: I don't know. I think my dad's buddies have asked him, like, Are you nervous? Are you nervous? He's always like, No, I'm not nervous. But I know deep down he is.

Q. A lot's been made about the fact that Cleveland and Detroit have played so many times, literally 2,000-plus games, but have never played in the postseason until this year. Given that the rosters on both teams are so young, do you feel like maybe there's a different part of a rivalry between these two teams kind of starting with having to play each other with such big stakes?

HUNTER GADDIS: That's a hard question. I think it's always been there. I think it just means more, especially at this time.