AL DIVISION SERIES: WHITE SOX VS GUARDIANS

October 2, 2026

Hagen Smith

Progressive Field

Chicago White Sox

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Curious about kind of your journey over the last two months or whatever kind of getting into some shorter outings, whether or not that's affected the way that you want to use your arsenal against hitters? Will you be emptying the tank a little bit more knowing that you have some less and who has kind of helped you manage that along the way here?

HAGEN SMITH: Yeah. I think I just try to do the same thing I was doing when I started like attacking wise, arsenal wise like I said.

I think just coming up here, once I got in the bullpen, like all the coaches up here, pitching coach just kind of help me figure out a good routine and whatnot for the bullpen.

Q. Do you have the assignment for tomorrow and what do you do when you're starting game one that can be helpful as well?

HAGEN SMITH: It's cool, obviously. I want to go out there and do the best I can for the team and realizing it's just baseball at the end of the day. Like go to the Houston outing, after that first pitch, I was pretty anxious to get out there and just kind of throw the pitch. And after that, it's like, oh, it's just baseball.

Q. It's amazing that you were the starter during the season. You'll be a starter again next year and you're starting your second playoff game. What are you? Are you a starter or a reliever or does it not even make a difference?

HAGEN SMITH: I'm just a pitcher. Kind of at the point where I just whatever I need to do, I'll do, and whatever will help the team win, I'll do.

Q. You knew these guys from the minor leagues, a number of these guys. You worked with them in spring training. I guess winning helps anywhere, but what has made this group such a tight-knit circle, the great camaraderie you guys have had?

HAGEN SMITH: I think it's just a combination of everybody in the clubhouse. Everybody is super close, just kind of making jokes every day. And everybody is just kind of open to each other and just kind of open with everybody with open arms. When I got up here, it just kind of felt like I was with the team the whole year. So it was a really cool experience.

Q. It kind of developed even before this year, right? It was starting like in the off season and before that?

HAGEN SMITH: Yeah. I saw guys in the off season before. I think Davis had guys come out to his ranch or whatever. So just kind of speaks to the volume of the guys on the team and just want to get to know each other better.

Q. You've seen a good deal of this match up against the guardians all season, but kind of what are your guys' expectations for what this year is going to look like knowing how closely these two teams have played one another throughout the whole year?

HAGEN SMITH: Yeah. They're a really good team. This will be my third time playing since I got up here. So just kind of familiar with the guys and their lineup and familiar with the scouting reports against them. We are both good teams. We play hard. They play hard. So it's going to be a good series