Q. Tanner, you have some good postseason experience last year, and you guys go to the ALCS. How excited are you for another shot and the crazy comeback you had. How high are the vibes right now? How excited are you for the opportunity for game 2?
TANNER BIBEE: Anytime you make the postseason, no matter what, the team is going to be excited and ready to go, the energy is going to be there. The crowd is going to bring the energy as well. These are some of the easier games to play for just because there's so much energy, so much adrenaline, and just turns into playing the game.
Q. Just on that, Tanner, do you have to guard against being extra pumped up when you're on the mound in a playoff game?
TANNER BIBEE: Definitely sometimes. I think with all the adrenaline comes -- there's a degree of self-control. I feel like getting too fired up can be your enemy, but there's obviously always a happy medium of your stuff's a little better, a little harder. But if you can find the happy medium, it's a good little things.
Q. Tanner, we've talked about the ups and downs of the emotional roller coaster for this season. For you, obviously you've had fiery moments, you've had chill moments. Obviously, you've had to learn yourself this season. How do you feel like coming into game 2 of a playoff series you've learned the most about yourself?
TANNER BIBEE: In the postseason, obviously, you're trying to win every single game. That's my job when I'm going out there. I think when I'm going out there, whether it be win or lose today, it is my job is to prevent runs from being scored or minimizing damage. My job doesn't change too much. So I'd say, yeah, I think that's one thing I learned about myself is knowing the situation and knowing what I need to do.
Q. What is the challenge from your perspective of facing this lineup? They don't steal a lot but they go first to third a lot. Tork, Greene, Carp. What is the challenge in your mind?
TANNER BIBEE: They obviously have a lot of threats. They're a really good baseball team. There's a lot of familiarity between the two of us.
They're pretty similar to us, I'd say. They play the match-ups. I'm guessing I'm getting six lefties tomorrow, seven lefties. I think that's just the challenge that you play them. You play a team that plays a lot of match-ups.
I feel like, like I said, a lot of familiarity. This will be the third start against them just like Gavin, just like Skubal and the other guys. It's going to be fun. It's like a little chess game.
Q. Tanner, what do you think is the biggest key on the mound for you to dominate and put your team in the position to win?
TANNER BIBEE: I feel good right now. For me, when I'm in the best head space, getting my pitches in the zone where I want them. I think it's kind of the key at all times, whether it's starting with, like, movement and then pitch (indiscernible) and stuff like that.
I think tomorrow turns into competing, and the competitive fire will be there. It will be -- got to fill out the zone and attack them.
Q. Yesterday, Gavin was saying they know what I throw. I know what they do. Do you feel the same? Do you have some tricks up your sleeve about when you're facing a team for the third day in about 14, 15 days?
TANNER BIBEE: I feel like there's always going to be tricks up your sleeve. I feel like now in today's age, it's hard to keep tricks unless you come up with a new pitch for the last week. But I think obviously, there's different -- we're going to attack them different. We're going to attack some guys different, some guys the same, and they're probably going to -- like I said, it's a chess game. Are they going to change their approach? Are they going to keep it? Are they going to switch pitch to pitch, batter to batter?
It's a thing to navigate and that's what we'll figure out.
Q. Tanner, we talked about the six-man rotation. How much have you enjoyed watching the steps that Slade, Joey, Parker, those guys have made over the last couple months?
TANNER BIBEE: It's been awesome. Those guys have been thrust into roles that -- is Joey still considered a rookie? Yeah? Okay.
Q. He just won rookie of the week. Month.
TANNER BIBEE: Parker and Joey, I mean, they're thrust into roles -- Joey started the year in the pen, got sent down. Had a very up and down year from his perspective. With Parker being thrust into this in a playoff push, he came along with it. And Slade has come along ever since he came back from his injury in spring training. I think seeing all three of them do that, pretty cool to see.
Q. Does it remind you at all of you, Gavin, and Logan from a couple years ago?
TANNER BIBEE: Yeah, a little. Now that you say that. I never thought of it like that, but very similar. I think me and Logan came on pretty early and then Gavin came on in, like, June. So, I mean, different paths but same destination kind of. And they made the playoffs their year; we didn't.
Q. Tanner, after getting playoff experience under your belt last year, is there a main lesson or takeaway to carry into the playoffs?
TANNER BIBEE: Absolutely. I think one thing that was being said to me last year before the start, don't give them too much credit because you earned your way here as well. I think that's one thing. Obviously, there's a lot of nerves going into your first postseason game.
I'd say it's different, but it's not. We faced these guys for the past two weeks, and we played some good baseball. It's one thing, like, we earned our way here just as much as they did. So don't give them too much credit is pretty much the thing that he told me.
Q. How much jolt can a guy like DeLauter walking in provide to you? You know the potential there, given everything he's gone through getting here?
TANNER BIBEE: It's awesome. Obviously, we know each other a good bit. He was the draft class after me. You know how much stuff he's gone through to get here. Obviously, he's one of the more talented players I've ever seen. He's had a lot of bumps in the road. For him to still get here shows his determination, grit, however you want to say it.
It's pretty unbelievable and really cool to see. He goes up to the first at-bat, guarantee all 36,000 and all however many people in the dugout are going to be there watching.
Q. You've got a couple of guys, like George and Johnathan, who have gone through stuff like that. What's it say about your clubhouse and the ability to just sort of on the run bring these guys in and have everybody contribute?
TANNER BIBEE: Yeah. I feel like our mantra the last two years has been, like, next man up. I feel like a lot of the time, like last year and this year, it wasn't one or two guys carrying the load.
Obviously, like José. But the rest of the guys was like you have Kayfus had a good two-run homer against the Royals. You have George hit a two-run homer against the Tigers last week to put us ahead. It's never the same guy. It's always some guy stepping up and doing it. Rocchio two days ago, and it's always been like that. And I feel like when we're at our best, it's not one or two or three guys carrying the load. It's all nine contributing and finding a way to win.
Q. What does José mean to you guys in the clubhouse? How cool is it to see a street named after him right here? No other active player has that.
TANNER BIBEE: It's really cool. I think the street is a cool thing, outside of this field. I was at the field thing last year and it was a really cool experience to see. He's given back to the community and stuff.
With him being in the locker room, he is the same guy every day. When I came up in '23, when we had a rough stretch of it, he was the same guy down the stretch in September of '23 that he was when we were losing ten in a row this year or when we were on our stretch in September here.
He's the same guy every day. He plays as hard as he can. He's one of the smartest guys on the baseball field. It's unbelievable to see what he does on a day-to-day stretch.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports