AL WILD CARD SERIES: WHITE SOX VS ASTROS

September 30, 2026

Yainer Diaz

Daikin Park

Houston Astros

Pregame Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll get started with Yainer Diaz. Who wants to lead off?

Q. As you guys got prepared for the playoffs, what were the conversations regarding ABS and just the way you were going to handle it and how do you think you approached it yesterday?

YAINER DIAZ: We don't have a specific way of preparing for ABS challenges. It's more of anticipating what's to come in the game, how the pitch comes in the zone, and how I set up. So it's more about anticipating.

Q. Can you tell us about your relationship with Hunter Brown and how it's been built throughout the last two years?

YAINER DIAZ: I think it's a beautiful relationship. I think it's a relationship based on trust and good communication. We both trust in each other's plans. I trust in his plan and he trusts in my plan. So it's based on communication and I think it's grown a lot over our short two-year career.

Q. When you go out and catch Hunter today in the bullpen and then early in the game, what's going to be indicators to you that he's where he needs to be, especially with the four-seam fastball and if he's in the strike zone and he's setting himself up to be effective?

YAINER DIAZ: I think it all starts in the bullpen before the game. He has different pitches that if his fastball's not there, I'm able to use his different pitches until the four-seam fastball is back, and then we can get to a point where if I feel like the four-seam is back, we can start using that pitch again.

Q. Hunter has really increased his sinker usage in the second half. In general, how have you seen that pitch evolve since he started to use it two years ago?

YAINER DIAZ: I think that pitch has helped him a lot. I think that pitch has elevated in a way his game and given him a plus pitch. It's a very good pitch that he can use against righties because it's in. And I feel like it's also a good pitch that he's able to control. So it's a pitch that has given a plus to his career.

Q. Wanted to go back to last night, that curveball by Grant Taylor. Was that a really good one? Were you expecting it? Not expecting it? Just take us through that pitch.

YAINER DIAZ: I think that's a great pitch. Sometimes I feel like he deserves his credit for that pitch. I went up with a plan and that was to get a good ball that I could do some damage with. But, yeah, I think it was a very good pitch from his part.

Q. What's clicked for you offensively the last two months? What has been so good offensively for you the last two months?

YAINER DIAZ: I think I've been doing the same thing. I think my confidence has grown a lot. I would say just trying my best and just making things happen, and I think the confidence is a big part of it.

Q. (Question in Spanish.)

YAINER DIAZ: I know today's result out there is going to be good. Like always, we've been in this situation before and like always, we feel like we're going to control what we can control. I feel like we always give the support that each of us need to give to each other.

Q. (Question in Spanish.)

YAINER DIAZ: I feel like we're going to control what we can control. We're going to focus on the stuff that we can control. I think the positive stuff is something that we're going to look at, and then the negatives we're just going to leave that aside. But we're just going to go out there and give a hundred percent and just control what we can control.

THE MODERATOR: Yainer, thanks for coming in.