Mariners 10, Blue Jays 3
Q. I was curious, coming in here winning the first two games and getting that home run today in front of your own home crowd, what was that feeling like?
JOSH NAYLOR: It was great. We just want to win at the end of the day. I went 0 for 4 yesterday, and we won, so if I did it again today, maybe I was the good luck to go 0 for 4, and we would win again.
But I was very thankful to get some hits, help the team out. Super cool to do it in front of my family, too. Very blessed to have them all here, all my friends, and it was a really cool moment for them.
Q. I'm curious, the last three games, everything has gone you guys' way, but obviously, Game 4 in Detroit you guys lose that lead, but afterwards being in the clubhouse there, there was a confidence that you were going to go back to Seattle and get it done. Obviously, you win there, you win two more games. I'm curious about the belief in the clubhouse, even after suffering a loss, that you're going to be able to turn it around and put something together and be where you are right now.
JOSH NAYLOR: I mean, every day you wake up ready to win or at least try to be ready to win. Things may go your way, things may not. As long as you give your best effort, you can go to bed happy at night. Whether you lose, win or draw, if you work hard, play smart, and have fun during it, I feel like you can go to bed content.
We have full belief in each other as teammates, as a full locker room, coaching staff included. We want to play hard. If you play hard, good things will happen.
Q. Cal was wearing a shirt that said "Job's not finished," and he was talking about the message. He said you can't allow yourself to think about you guys being two wins away from the World Series. How do you maintain that singular focus that it's every day instead of looking at the overall big picture of where you could get to?
JOSH NAYLOR: I feel like he just watched what happened the day before. Whether you win or lose, it's in the past, and now you've got to take care of the present.
Any moment you get in that next game or any opportunity you get in the next few games, you just want to make sure you capture it, make sure you take advantage of it fully.
I don't really like looking too ahead. I like taking care of the day, and if we win, awesome; if we lose, take those lessons and learn from it and then move forward to the next game.
Q. When you clinched to advance to the ALCS, you spoke about how excited you were to see some of your friends from the Guardians organization on the Jays. What's it been like reconnecting with those guys?
JOSH NAYLOR: Awesome. I gave Gimi a big hug today. I saw Straw before the game. Yesterday, when he was hitting, he texted me to come out, so I gave him a big hug. We just talked about how our families were, how we're doing as individuals. We were all really super, super close when we were there, and those memories last forever, those friendships last forever, and I'm super grateful for the moments we all had together, whether they were on the field, in the hotel, at dinner, on the bus. Wherever they were, I'm super, super grateful for those moments.
They'll go down as some of my favorite teammates I've ever had. Unfortunately, I didn't really get to see Sandlin. I got to see Bieber. I think he's throwing Game 3, maybe. I'm not sure.
We had so many awesome memories on that team, and we'll carry those memories forever. And it's kind of shocking that we all got broken up and now we're all almost to the World Series. One of us is going to go to the World Series, which is super cool.
You never know where your journey is going to take you. You never know who you're going to play for, who you're going to play with. Baseball is such a small world and such an awesome game that it'll take you around and you've just got to keep rolling with the punches.
Q. You had that uncomfortable at-bat. Did you have to say anything to Dan Wilson to stay in the game?
JOSH NAYLOR: I just told him I'd let him know, and that's really it. Yeah, maybe a lot of us are sore, a lot of us are hurt, probably on both sides. But these are important games, and I don't really want to get taken out if I can still stand.
Q. As you're rounding the bases, did you think of anything specific hitting a postseason home run here in Canada?
JOSH NAYLOR: Not really. I just wanted to, honestly, get a hit. I try to work at good at-bat. I think I got it to like 3-2, tried to see a pitch elevated 3-2 and, honestly, just do what Polo did and get on base.
Q. As you look ahead, what worries you about what the Blue Jays might bring to the series in the games in Seattle? What are you worried about them doing to turn the tide here?
JOSH NAYLOR: I mean, if we play our game, I think we'll be in a good position. We just need to come to the ballpark every day prepared for every obstacle we can possibly face and go from there. Some innings are going to be good, some innings are going to be bad. Sometimes you're going to get an opportunity, and you may fail in it, and that's okay. You've just got to learn from it and when the next opportunity arises, try to be better.
That's a great ballclub we're facing, and it's really cool -- I tell a lot of people this. It's really cool to face great teams and great individuals on the other team because I feel like you get better as a player, as an individual. Having the opportunity to watch this young guy who threw today and see how unique he is in what he does and how he throws and the reason he's had so much success in his life, and then you get to see a hitter like Springer and Vlady, who are such elite hitters in their careers, and maybe you pick out little things from their swing that maybe you can add to yours.
I love facing great pitchers and great opponents on the hitting side and then, honestly, watching Gimi on defense is poetic. It is unbelievable how smooth that guy is and how confident he is getting certain baseballs. I know he threw a ball away today, but I've seen him make that play nine out of ten times. When he got it, I'm like, oh, God, because I knew that he could make those plays. I love facing good competition, as we all should as players, which we do.
So it's been super great facing them here and facing them in this ballpark. Great fan base. Yeah.
Q. I think a lot of people thought you guys might be a little fatigued after what you went through out in Seattle, but you guys come here and look really fresh. What was the key to coming in here and being as good as you've been and not letting that fatigue be a factor whatsoever?
JOSH NAYLOR: I mean, I think in these moments, these playoff moments, you can't be fatigued. Every game matters. Every pitch matters. Every opportunity matters.
You've got to be able to turn the page quick. You've got to be able to find a way to get energy because you need to win.
In the regular season, yeah, you have an extra inning game, late-night travel, get to another place, could be cross country, time zone change, maybe fatigue can set in. But I think in the playoffs -- and this probably goes for both sides and all teams that are in the playoffs, it's like, you've got to be willing to find energy any way, any how, or that's an excuse. You don't want to have an excuse kind of in these situations. These games are too important.
Q. Just having played a bunch of playoff games, how much can a home-field advantage tangibly help? And having played a couple in Seattle, what are you expecting it to be like in a couple days?
JOSH NAYLOR: Just full of energy, full of just an awesome fan base who loves baseball, loves to watch their hometown team win, and I think we really feed off that as a group. I sure do. And I 100 percent can say everyone else does. We have such a lot of fans. They do a great job of keeping the fans entertained in between innings, in between pitches. I love playing there. It's been super awesome.
I've gotten so many compliments from friends who have watched me play or ex-teammates I've played with or even just opponents who I'm playing against, like, how awesome it is in Seattle and how cool the fan base is and how they just ride-or-die Seattle, and it's super awesome to be a part of.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports