AL WILD CARD SERIES: WHITE SOX VS ASTROS

September 30, 2026

Will Venable

Daikin Park

Chicago White Sox

Pregame Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions for Will Venable.

Q. In your first postseason as manager -- obviously, you've been doing it -- you've done it before, but how does it feel as the man in charge of a postseason operation now? Is there ever a moment of being overwhelmed or are you feeling comfortable? What's it been like for you as a first-time manager?

WILL VENABLE: Yeah, I think really through this whole season and as we send it into the playoffs, I feel really well supported, and so I'm always very confident that we're going out there and doing our best and putting our best foot forward to support putting our players in the best position to succeed. That comes with a lot of work from a lot of different people, and that's above me with the executive team and Chris Getz and the guys that we have there, and then my coaching staff as well.

So I feel good. I feel great. I feel like we're ready for this, whatever that means. If that means we're able to continue on playing, whatever. I thought we were prepared yesterday, we're going to be prepared today, and that's really a credit to my staff.

Q. What has stood out to you about Sean Burke particularly down the stretch?

WILL VENABLE: Yeah, Sean really for the last -- I don't know how many months, you kind of feel like he's been our guy in the middle of the rotation that maybe hasn't always been perfect, but that there's been progress, there's been stability, and there's been effectiveness in how he goes about it. The way that he carries himself on the mound, he's an extremely confident guy, he's a big physical guy, he's got good stuff, so you kind of feel like he's our ace, I think that's fair to say.

So I think that we have seen him continue to progress and grow throughout the year. This is a guy that was -- started last year as our opening-day starter and ended up in the minor leagues figuring it out. So it's really cool to see his journey to this point where he's really solidified himself as the big piece in our rotation. So couldn't be happier about the fact he's getting the ball today.

Q. How much of learning the ABS system this year has been about using challenges at moments of greatest impact, like when it's a full count or in later innings?

WILL VENABLE: Yeah, there's been a couple different ways that we've gone about it. I think that this being new and it being, yeah, just really challenging to get the right kind of messaging to go along with this. I think you want to be clear about leverage and at-bat changing pitches. At the same time, that doesn't mean that challenging a pitch in the middle of an at-bat isn't the right thing to do either. And I think ultimately, and like we mentioned yesterday or the day before, I forget, but the worst thing that you can do is leave a game with two challenges and having missed opportunities to challenge.

So it's very fluid and nuanced in how we message it, and there's the one thing that is the understanding of the leverage and the game situation. The other thing is just getting it right. So kind of figuring out how to support guys to do both of those has been challenging. I think that more than anything we've been wanting to support our guys to go ahead and challenge and gain confidence with it, which is something that we think is important, and then on an individual basis, you know, have conversations about leverage and stuff like that.

Q. This team has been different in a good way all season long. We just saw three of your guys coming back from visiting the train out in left field and they seem to have so much fun playing together. How do you balance -- we've asked you this before, but how do you balance that fun with keeping the competitive streak going and finding the good mix of the two?

WILL VENABLE: Yeah, I think you let them be themselves, number one. That's something that I think we have done a really good job at, starting with Chris Getz and him just helping create an environment where we're trying to take stress and pressure away from the environment and for everybody, including myself, including the front office, and then going out and supporting people to be who they are with very clear expectations.

I think that's the second part, and that's where we come in as a staff, as a manager, setting these expectations. The leaders in our clubhouse also are setting those expectations. So it's really the balance of the two. We want to create an environment where people can be themselves. We have some of the best personalities in the league in that room, and at the same time, having real clarity on what our vision for winning looks like and the expectations that help us get there.

Q. As specific as you can be, what are the challenges Hunter Brown brings to the table?

WILL VENABLE: Yeah, really good fastball, number one. When you talk about an ace, I mean, he's one of those dudes. He's a big dog in this league. He's got really big stuff. The fastball's going to be what we're going to start with, and we'll go and talk about it from a game-planning standpoint and how we want to attack that. We have seen him a couple times this year. We know how difficult he is and we've been challenged by him. So, yeah, he's just got really good stuff and it's going to start with the fastball for us.

Q. What are you able to share about Grant Taylor after a career high in pitches yesterday? How is he checking in today?

WILL VENABLE: Yeah, well, he's going to go out here in a little bit and go out and throw, and so we'll see how he's doing. We'll take some inventory on him and Hagen and the rest of the guys to see where we're at.

I think the special thing about Grant is that he's often bounced back really well from these types of outings. It hasn't been 50 some pitches. Like you mentioned, this is the most that we have seen from him. But there was one the other day where he was up around 30, 40 pitches, threw two innings and was asking to go out for a third inning and also made himself available the next day. So I'm not speculating on his availability today because he did carry a heavy load yesterday, but he is a guy that bounces back and he wants to be out there, so we'll see.

Q. Building off that, something Grant said at the end of the season is he felt like you were taking care of him, managing him in the first couple months, preparing him for the idea that maybe he would be a little overextended in September from what the norms are. How much have you talked to him and your other relievers about going beyond what you would be willing to do in the regular season during this time of year and how much do you feel like they're prepared for that?

WILL VENABLE: I think they're well prepared. There's little messaging that comes from me, but I think a lot of that is Zach Bove and Matt Wise, and Bobby Hearn and our pitching staff who do a great job of really helping manage work loads, helping manage the guys, and communicating with them and drawing out the truth. Because a lot of these guys, they just want to pitch. There's some times that maybe they don't feel as good as they should to do it, but they are guys that want to be in there, and will -- I don't want to say they will lie to you, but they will say what they need to say to get in the game because they want to go out there and compete.

So credit to our pitching staff -- our pitching coaches, I should say, just for building really good relationships and doing a really good job of really understanding our guys, communicating well, and making sure that everyone's on the same page so we can kind of get through a year and have different types of workloads and ask different things of them.

Q. We saw how pumped Sam was after drawing the eight-pitch walk, just really setting the tone at the top of the lineup. We know he's been so good for this lineup, but just how would you describe the importance in the postseason just having a guy like that?

WILL VENABLE: Yeah, I think it's huge. Similarly why we wanted Hagen to start that game, you want Sammy to lead things off for you there and set the tone for us offensively, and he's been doing that for us all year ever since he's been up. You just love the way that he embodies really the whole team and our competitive spirit and the way we go out there and that you know we're going to fight, and you see that with Sammy from pitch one. He's not giving you anything easy. It might not always look pretty, but he's going to find a way to get the bat to the ball or get a body part to the ball and get on base, and just love how he goes out and competes and sets the tone. Great example of that yesterday.

Q. I had a Sam question too. How do you describe him to other people in baseball? Is there a player that you played with, maybe, or you watched that he kind of reminds you of? Because he kind of fits that classic, like, baseball grinder-type personality.

WILL VENABLE: Yeah, you know, I don't think that there's anybody that I've been around quite like Sam. I think the one person that does come to mind is David Eckstein, and the reason that I think he reminds me of Eckstein is that similar to Eckstein, Sammy raises the level of everybody around him, you know, when you watch a guy go out and handle his business like he does. And it's not just on the field, but it's pregame too. And this guy is so prepared, and he works so hard in everything that he does. You can't help but raise your own expectation of yourself when you're around someone like that.

That's what David Eckstein did for his teammates, and that's what I see from Sammy, which is really cool. He's a guy that has grinded through JUCO and Coastal Carolina, wasn't a high draft pick and grinded through the minor leagues and he brings that kind of work ethic with him everywhere he goes. Really not just setting the tone for the guys, but behind the scenes really elevates the expectations of what work means for the whole group.

Q. What do you take from your time with the Rangers and under Bruce Bochy that you can apply here? Like, what did he teach or at least what did you learn that you've been able to help you with managing in the playoffs?

WILL VENABLE: Yeah, I think there's some strategic things as you're sitting there and you're talking through some moves with Boch during crunch time in the postseason that you learn from. I think more it's, for me, it's about the environmental impact that you can have on just the way that the guys go out and handle their business, and understanding the immense stress and pressure that these guys are under, and finding ways to help create an environment that helps manage that and helps alleviate some of that the best you can. I think Boch was as good as anybody about that and really it starts with just his demeanor and how he's presenting himself and his presence in the clubhouse and the way he's kind of bounced around talking to players, checking in, those types of things. So I'm not going to be able to replicate everything that Bochy does, he's really one of one, and a guy that's obviously one of the best managers to ever do this. But certainly it's a couple strategic things, and then just how he supports the environment that really stick out for me.

Q. No matter what happens, the Sox already are doing history from coming from to establish a record of losing many losses in the major league, to be in this position with a new coach. What have been the ingredients with the coaches, the players, because this is a different White Sox team than in the last four years, and this is a different version, and you are in the playoffs and very close to go to the second series.

WILL VENABLE: Yeah, I think really it starts with Chris Getz getting a lot of really quality human beings in the organization, starting with the players, having really good players. And then creating a staff that can really support them, and supporting us to support the guys with a really good environment. The things that the front office and Getzy have done to support our environment, to get the best out of the players has been amazing. And then you have really good players that you're just trying to help get the best out of and so as we have seen that happen, along with our fans showing up and giving us support and watching that relationship grow, it has turned into a really special thing. And it really takes special people to do those types of things, which has been cool to be a part of and watch.

Q. Any chance you know your Game 3 starter or at least can handicap the odds that it's some sort of bullpen game of some stripe?

WILL VENABLE: I have no answer for you. I have no, I have no idea. No idea. We're focused on today. Yeah, like yeah, I really have no idea. No idea.

Q. This may be nothing, just something I just observed, the tarps in the outfield, is there anything to that or are the conditions of the outfield we were just talking about it.

WILL VENABLE: Like in BP?

Q. Yeah.

WILL VENABLE: I think that they do that just so guys that are throwing aren't, yeah, eating up the grass out there. Yeah.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Thanks, Will.

WILL VENABLE: All right. Thanks, guys.