NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS VS BREWERS

October 17, 2025

Sal Frelick

Andrew Vaughn

Dodger Stadium

Milwaukee Brewers

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. How do you approach the task ahead? Do you compartmentalize it? Do you think big picture? How do you go into today?

SAL FRELICK: Yeah, just taking it one game at a time, right? It's all you can do. To get back in this thing, it starts with one. Really just stay focused on tonight, don't worry about what's happened the last few games or try to look forward to talking about the future. Just really stay present in the day you're in.

Q. When you look at the way the pitching has had to line up in this series, you guys are going up against the fourth hundred-plus-million dollar ace, and while you guys on the pitching side are kind of having to piece it together. Does that feel indicative of just kind of the way that the two teams have to operate differently?

ANDREW VAUGHN: I mean, yeah, it's obvious their starting pitching has been good so far. Like Sal said, we just have to go out there and play the next game. Don't worry about anything else. Take it one pitch at a time.

Q. Sal, after talking to a lot of you guys last night, it seems like you're still pretty positive. Is that difficult to be in right now, seeing where you guys are at?

SAL FRELICK: I mean, not really, right? Like, pretty positive when we lost to Chicago and had to go back home. Would have been awesome to say the whole postseason we're just going to go through and not lose a game. That would be awesome, I'm sure.

But at the same time it's pretty unrealistic. There's four teams left and we're one of them. I know how much of a blessing it is to be able to play in a series like this against a team like this.

To be able to come to the field every day, whether you're up 3-0 down 3-0 and not be positive is pretty hard. I think most of the guys would agree with that. That's first and foremost. But at the same time, we know the road ahead of us, and it's not going to do anybody any good not being our usual selves.

Q. You guys obviously know what the scenario is here tonight. That said, Murph is obviously a really good motivator, too. Is there a message that you can share that he's been trying to give to you guys? Or how has Murph been in the last X number of hours since last night?

ANDREW VAUGHN: His message has always been the same: Go play free; be ourselves. We can't be anybody else. We are what we've got. Just such a great group. I know we're going to go out there and fight tonight.

Q. We hear good pitching beats good hitting all the time. Obviously you guys are a very good hitting team, scored a lot of runs. How specifically have they been able to shut pickup guys down so much?

SAL FRELICK: Yeah, I mean, I think it's not, like, some secret formula. I think there's truth to that. I think they've done a great job throwing strikes, which is the big thing, especially against us. It's no secret that we're not -- I think we're maybe the most passive team in baseball, and that's part of our identity. To combat that, they've been filling up the zone.

They haven't been walking guys, and all of them have plus-plus stuff. It's all coming together as an offense, and saying we have to bear down. It doesn't have to look pretty.

How are we going to make outs? We're going to make 27 outs. It's just how are we going to make them productively and just kind of bearing down.

Q. Vaughny, you faced Ohtani three times. Sal, you'll be seeing him for the first time. How can you guys, 1 through 9, try to get like a quality at-bat and create something off of him concerning the inexperience?

ANDREW VAUGHN: We have to go in there with a game plan. He's an elite pitcher, probably one of the best players in baseball. I think anybody would say that. But you know he's got to throw it over the plate, and we've got a chance to hit it.

SAL FRELICK: Obviously we know the task at hand. I was fortunate to face him in the World Baseball Classic in the Tokyo Dome, some familiarity will the. Obviously we know how good he is, but this is the Major Leagues. Usually anybody that toes that rubber is going to be really good and has stuff to get you out. We just have to find ways to combat that.

Q. How did that at-bat or at-bats against Shohei in the WBC go for you?

SAL FRELICK: Okay. It was before I had debuted. I was still in the minor leagues with team Italy. We were in Japan, and he started for them. I'm pretty sure it was on a pitch count, but maybe went two or three innings. But the stuff is exactly as advertised with him. He's a competitor as well not just a thrower, so it should be good.

Q. Sal, we know you're not on social media all day. But did anyone show you any of the picture or the image from your catch and whatever the meme? Did anybody show you one that made you laugh?

SAL FRELICK: I show up the next day, and I think a few of the guys had it as their screen saver. So that's I had seen some of it. Sophia was showing me some as well.

But I'm not really on social media so I didn't see it. But some of the guys were showing me.

Q. Has the word "comeback" come up in the clubhouse in the last hours.

SAL FRELICK: Yeah, I don't know if there's any other word to use. It's kind of the only thing we can think about, talk about. But I think the more we convince ourselves we're still in this fight, the more that it can come true.