AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS VS MARINERS

October 8, 2025

Riley Greene

Javier Baez

Comerica Park

Detroit Tigers

Postgame 4 Press Conference

Tigers - 9, Mariners - 3

Q. Riley, after what you've been through in the last couple days, after a couple tough ABs early, what did that swing mean to you? What did it feel like?

RILEY GREENE: It felt good. It was really just trying to get on base, you know, as a leadoff hitter, and I was just trying to get on base and get to Tork behind me, and I got a pitch I could handle.

Q. Tork told us yesterday about, you know, trying to get guys on base, make it easier for the guy behind you, not trying to play hero ball. But when you realized how far that ball was going, was there any sense of personal vindication or gratification there?

RILEY GREENE: No. I didn't really care how far the ball went. It was a homer, and we put another run on the board, so that's all that mattered.

Q. I know you say you don't care how far the ball goes, but can you describe what it feels like to connect that cleanly on a ball? That was the farthest you've hit a ball in this ballpark.

RILEY GREENE: Yeah. It feels great. I haven't hit a ball like that in a while. It feels pretty good, and I want to do it more often.

Q. For both players, you guys have been talking about how close you are. You're close, one swing away. Did you know this was coming like this? You couldn't have known for sure, but did you feel like it? And once the floodgates opened, it was no stopping?

RILEY GREENE: Me first?

Q. Either one.

JAVIER BAEZ: Yeah. I think when everything clicks together, the pitching and the hitting and everything we do as a team, you know, we can be really dangerous, and everybody got pretty good talent here, even our bench. So I think when everything mixes together, we're going to be a really good team.

Q. Javi, A.J. talked about it, and we've seen it throughout your career. Moments like this bring out the best version of you. Is it a focus thing? Is it an adrenaline thing? What do you think it is that allows you to rise in these kind of moments?

JAVIER BAEZ: I think it's a little bit of both, you know? And trying to do anything for the team.

A little bit of focus, honestly. I'll focus on my timing and do my homework on the cage, and I'm just trying to do anything to get on base, and I feel good when it's playoff time.

Q. Javi, I assume you signed here when you did for moments like this. How does it feel to finally bring one of these moments to fruition?

JAVIER BAEZ: It feels great. Honestly, I wish I was part of it last year, when the team took off. And, you know, I had to get away for my surgery, but there was a whole plan and a whole reason why I came here, you know?

I think my agency and my team, they did really good homework, and all the prospects together is kind of what we did in '16 when we won. So I think the talent here is huge when we're healthy as a team and we play together.

Q. Javi, what's going through your mind? It's the fifth inning. You guys are down 3-0. Ding gets the double, Jahmai, and then you come up. What's going through your mind at that time?

JAVIER BAEZ: I'm just trying to be patient at the plate. I've been -- during this series, I got my pitch, and I got a little too big, and it went foul. But I kept my plan to keep it simple and, you know, keep our plan and try and see the ball through the sun. And, you know, he challenged me with the fastball, and I was ready for it.

Q. Javi, when that first ball goes foul, how easy or how hard is it to refocus, stick to your plan when you know how close that is? Is it easy to flush that and kind of get back and focus?

JAVIER BAEZ: It's not easy, honestly, when you hit a home run foul that probably you -- 90 percent, you strike out. I got another homer. But I kept my plan and kind of stayed through the middle, and that's exactly what happened and what I was trying to do.

Q. Javi, you've told us that your family is at the center of a lot of what you do. When you have these big moments and then you get to walk off the field to your kids in the other room, how much does that amplify how special this all is?

JAVIER BAEZ: Really special. You know, to have my entire family here, I think my mom and my brothers are here, it feels great. I feel a lot of comfort and I feel great when everything's going good.

And when you have that support with your family, when either you do good or bad, you know, you come here to be the same guy, and I think these guys know that I'm the same guy every day, and everything comes from outside and in the clubhouse to be the same.

Q. Riley, after the fourth inning, you grounded out and there were some boos from the fans. Did you hear that? What was that like? And I guess what was the general team reaction? You guys hadn't scored yet at that point and on the brink of elimination.

RILEY GREENE: I mean, we really didn't think anything of it. You know, we were focused on ourselves, and we knew we had a lot of baseball left, a lot of innings left to play.

And, you know, like we all said, we believe, and we're never out of it until that last out is made.

Q. How have you been able to, you individually, right, and also you guys as a team been able to stick to that, even the way things have been going? And maybe there's been one too many strikeouts and or not a big hit with runners in scoring position, but you guys have seemed to stay grounded in that.

RILEY GREENE: I would say it starts with our team chemistry. It's through the roof, and I feel like it plays a big part in all of our wins.

And, you know, if we all believe and we're all on the same page, then it's pretty hard to stop us.

Q. Javi, you've been through boos and criticism as much as anyone. What do you think of the way Riley's responded to that and the player he's become?

JAVIER BAEZ: Great. You know, that's one thing that we've been doing the most this regular season, you know? We've been through ups and downs, and we've been through shitty games.

And, you know, I told them all the time, if we lose playing good baseball, we're going to be all right. We're going to get something out of the game.

The boos, I don't -- I don't mind that. I mean, I have boos all my career, so I feel like that's the desire of the fans, you know, to see us have success, you know? And you've got to let the fans be fans, you know?

I've got nothing. We win the game. That's what really matters.

Q. For either one of you, just what's it like knowing that you have Tarik Skubal taking the ball for you in Game 5 in a do-or-die game?

RILEY GREENE: I think Tarik's going to go out there and do his thing, you know? I think he -- like I say, he pitched a really good game last time, and, you know, we didn't hit. We didn't respond. And I think when we have games like this, it's a little comfortable to keep his plan and keep attacking the hitters and give us the victory.

Q. Javi, you said you don't mind the boos too much, but what does it mean when they're chanting the "Javi, Javi" chant out there for you?

JAVIER BAEZ: I think that makes me more nervous than the boos, honestly.

You know, I just try to control myself. As you guys know, I've got a big swing, so I just try to do as sure as I can and control my emotions during the moment.