NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: PHILLIES VS PADRES

October 23, 2022

Bryson Stott

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Pregame 5 Press Conference

Q. I'm wondering, do you sleep better after a game like last night or a game like Game 2? And with the quick turnaround, are you just running on adrenaline right now?

BRYSON STOTT: Yeah, I think you could get up for games like these no matter if it's 12:00 in the afternoon or 7:00 at night. I mean, we slept quick, so just happy to be back out here.

Q. Kyle Schwarber has obviously had some big hits this postseason, and a lot has been talked about his leadership. Can you just give an example of him being a leader in the clubhouse or a conversation or something he does that kind of resonated with the players.

BRYSON STOTT: I think he's more of -- he's a vocal leader in a sense, but he's more lead by example. You never see him get mad. If he makes an out in a big spot, he's the first one up on the rail again. You can just look at him and know that he's a leader.

I think he's always just got the right thing to say. Can't really tell you what it is, but it's always the right thing. Kind of to have him in our clubhouse is huge.

Q. The guys seem to really kind of gravitate towards him. Is he just an easy guy to talk to? How would you describe that? You guys do seem to gravitate towards him post-game, big win, bad loss, whatever.

BRYSON STOTT: He's always having a good time, always enjoying it. He's been here before, won a World Series and kind of seen everything that you could see in a postseason. To have that experience and, like I said, just to say the right things and get guys on their feet when they're down or celebrate guys who had good games.

Q. Bryson, you've known Bryce longer than I think anyone in the room. What is it like to be around him at this time of year when he is as locked in as he is? And what does that look like to you as someone who's seen him probably since he was a teenager?

BRYSON STOTT: Yeah, like you said, he's locked in. When we're at home and just hanging out with Kayla and his kids and stuff, he's, I mean, being a dad. But then he'll just drop, I can't wait to play tomorrow. He can't wait to get back out there each day.

Seeing him locked in as he is, it's fun to watch as a hitter and as a teammate.

Q. It's been a while since he's been on this stage, since 2018 or 2017. Could you sense how much he was looking forward to having this opportunity again and how much he'd missed it?

BRYSON STOTT: Yeah, he lives for this. Any time you have a superstar that has missed out on the postseason a few years in a row, they just want to get back and want to be on that big stage.

He's stepping up to the big stage for us, and to kind of follow his lead is huge. I mean, it's not just him, it's Rhys and Kyle and J.T. and Casty with some of the big hits, and those are the veterans that we look up to and follow their lead, and everyone kind of follows them.

Q. Blake Snell said a little while ago that all the pressure is on you guys now. You don't want to go back to San Diego. Do you feel any pressure at all?

BRYSON STOTT: No. Just go out and keep playing the games that we're playing. I think good things are going to happen.

There's no panic in the clubhouse. There's no pressure, I would say. I mean, we're just having fun and playing together. It feels like each day someone else with a big hit or a big pitch, and we're just enjoying it and enjoying each other's company.

Q. Bryson, so much has been made about the atmosphere here in home games. You guys came home tied 1-1 against Atlanta and didn't let it go back. 1-1 against San Diego, and you've won two straight.

Is it nice that you're playing home games in such a pivotal part of the series, and what has the atmosphere been like for you?

BRYSON STOTT: It's been crazy. The fans said they were going to show up and show out, and they have. We really feed off that. They've been a factor for sure.

Just kind of hearing how loud they get in the big spots and the part of the game that we need them to be loud has been huge. I mean, we talk about it after the games and just how rowdy they are and how much we love playing here.

Q. You had a tough start to the year here in April and got sent down to AAA. When you were down there, where did you go to, like, during that stretch? How did you kind of push past that and get back to a spot now where you're a vital part of the team that has a chance to go to the World Series?

BRYSON STOTT: I was talking to A.C. and Thurston, who are the coaches down there. I had them in the fall league, so it was a comfortable setting to be in. I played with most of those guys who were down there at the time.

Just to get back playing every day and feel my swing again. Just the everyday kind of rhythm I got back into. I didn't play for 10, 11 days before I got sent down. I'd never done that before, and it was just kind of a different setting for me to not be in that rhythm. And you can take as much BP and grounders that you want, but it was just that game rhythm that was missing.

So those eight or nine days that I was back down and getting into that rhythm and feeling my swing again was huge.