AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS VS MARINERS

October 9, 2025

Dan Wilson

T-Mobile Park

Seattle Mariners

Workout Day

Q. Dan, you got a Game 5 starter yet?

DAN WILSON: George Kirby will be on the mound for us. As expected, he just certainly threw very well the first game of the series, and he comes back on good rest, and we're ready for tomorrow and excited that George has the ball. And, like I said, he threw well against them last time, and we would expect the same type of outing from George tomorrow.

Q. Luis would be on the normal work rest. Would you be willing to use him in that game? Is it all hands on deck?

DAN WILSON: Yeah. I think that's the phrase, is all hands are on deck tomorrow. It's a Game 5. Obviously everything's on the line, so anybody that's available will be down there and we can use.

Q. Dan, what's the thinking on George over Luis, being that both of them are on normal rest?

DAN WILSON: Yeah. I think certainly in terms of the rest, George had a little bit more, and just -- they both threw very, very well against Detroit. George certainly threw the ball extremely well and was just -- it was kind of by design, and this is kind of the way we had hoped it would work out, so this is the way it went.

Q. This wouldn't be George's first elimination start either. He did start Game 3 here back in '22. How much can that help him out tomorrow?

DAN WILSON: Yeah. No doubt. I think these kinds of games are tremendous. This is what a lot of us as kids did in the backyard. This is what we imagined, and these kinds of games are exciting on a lot of levels.

And having been through it, as you mentioned, for George, and being in this situation before certainly helps you kind of tame the emotion and tame it in the right direction and have it work to your advantage.

And again, I think what we saw in Game 1 of the series was outstanding, George, and again, that's what we're looking for tomorrow.

Q. Dan, you played in a number of elimination games as a player. How have you leaned on that or leaned into that in what you're sharing right now?

DAN WILSON: Again, these take on an excitement of their own. And this is what we play for. This is the excitement of postseason baseball. This is the excitement of any player that's been through it.

And I think there's so much that goes into these games, but I think ultimately when that first pitch is thrown, you've crossed the lines, and it feels very familiar to a game. And you go out and you compete, and you do what you do.

And again, we've talked a lot about identity all season long, and these are the times where it's so important to really rest into that and what you do well, what we do well as a team, and stay with that.

And it feels like that once the game gets started. Prior to, there's a lot of excitement and a lot of talk, but once you get in between the lines, you're back to business.

Q. Dan, yesterday in the clubhouse, despite it being a pretty tough loss, it seemed like your guys had moved on pretty quickly. There was some music playing, an upbeat demeanor. What can that mentality do for you, and where did that come from yesterday?

DAN WILSON: I think this is a group that has -- like we've talked about so often this season, has come back well and understands what they need.

You know, yesterday obviously a tough ballgame for us, but everything's still in front of us, and we have control. And it felt good that the guys were staying positive, because that's where we need to be, and I think they understand what they need. They understand what's at stake here. They understand the moment very well.

And one of the things they have done all season long, especially toward the later part of the year, is play loose, and staying loose and being in that state of mind has worked very, very well for this group, and that's why they're trying to stay right there.

Q. On that same note, today really seemed like just a normal workout for you guys, what we would see in the regular season. No one seemed down in their spirits, just business as usual. How rare is it for -- you've talked so much about this team being able to just bounce back and keep even-keeled, but how hard is that to actually continue to apply in the playoffs, or how rare is that, considering the stakes are higher, the situation's more stressful, things like that?

DAN WILSON: Yeah. I think everybody understands what's at stake. And, you know, when you think about our stretch run towards the end of the year, you're playing in a lot of games that mean a lot, and in some ways you're comfortable there.

And I think that's where these guys are. They know tomorrow means a lot just like a lot of the games in September did. And so they've been through it. They've pushed. They know what needs to happen.

So, again, keeping that sort of loose state of mind, but -- they're relaxed, but they're focused, and I think that's the difference. And these guys know how to focus. They know staying in the moment is a big thing they've talked about all season long, and certainly tomorrow night is one of those moments, and those guys will be ready for those moments, and they'll be loose and ready to play.

Q. Dan, in a perfect world, you'd jack up Skubal's pitch count, try to get him out early, but you also can't sit back and let him dictate things. How do you balance that desire with also being aggressive and swinging at the right pitches?

DAN WILSON: Yeah. That has been a key to our success over the last times we've faced him, is being able to put some pitches on him, especially during the regular season, and that's sometimes controllable and sometimes not. Like you said, if he's attacking the zone and getting pitches into the zone early, you can't be as passive.

But our guys -- you know, that's one of the things they do really well, is they can adjust. And I think tomorrow will be no different. It is a balance, but these guys have seen him now three times and have a pretty good idea of what to expect, and we'll take that game plan out there tomorrow and be ready to go.

Q. What are your top three cereal choices?

DAN WILSON: Cap'n Crunch is at the top of the list for sure. Then you've got Froot Loops. And then I've got to give Tony the Tiger a little bit too. He's -- the Frosted Flakes are up there too.

Q. Are you a teenager?

DAN WILSON: Hey. Sugar's good. I love it.