AL DIVISION SERIES: WHITE SOX VS GUARDIANS

October 2, 2026

Sam Antonacci

Progressive Field

Chicago White Sox

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. I know you're not much for social media. For celebrations in Kansas City the other night, that really kind of made you and the whole ball club kind of a sensation.

What is it like to know that and know that baseball fans are kind of rooting for you because of that?

How does it make you feel that part of the reason you guys are so appealing is the bond that you've created over the course of the year?

SAM ANTONACCI: Yeah. I mean, it's clearly here, obviously I don't see too much of it on social media. But you know, you kind of hear about those things.

And yeah, I think it just goes to show how a tight-knit group we are. And a lot of things can happen when that bond is so close. So just taking all these days in and not a lot of teams get this much of time. A lot of them are at home right now, and we're just cherishing every minute we can together. So it's truly special.

Q. Sam, I was talking to when of your older teammates, your college teammates, and your coach. And they talked about how much you love team before anything, like even back at Heartland and things like that.

Were you surprised that when you got to the majors that the bonds were there like that, almost like a college team?

SAM ANTONACCI: Yeah. Just from the stories that I've heard. You know, coming up through the minor leagues, you hear how much more of a business it is. And to be honest, I haven't felt like this is a business the whole time I've been up here.

It feels like college all over again. And for those that are on our team that haven't experienced college, I know Vargas was saying he's never felt the college vibe, and here it kind of feels like that.

So when you take the business side out of things and you're just going out there and playing, it's really fun. You're not worrying about anything else other than scoring more runs than the other team. So that's the best part.

Q. I know in spring training you guys were talking about the playoffs and that was the goal. Was there any point in the season where that goal became more of a reality, like, hey, we actually do have a shot of making the playoffs and winning in the playoffs?

SAM ANTONACCI: Yeah. I want to say it was the mindset was a reality in spring training, not just a goal. We knew we had the chance. It was just up to us whether -- you know, a lot of question marks had to be answered, obviously. And then just going out there and competing.

Yeah. It's just you just gotta get to the playoffs and then anything can happen. Our job was to just keep winning, take it day by day. And obviously you can see a lot can change over the course of the year. So we're just happy to keep on going.

Q. Sam, just what stood out to you about the regular season meetings between the guardians and how can that be helpful going forward into this series?

SAM ANTONACCI: Yeah. Definitely prepared us for the series. I think every game against them felt kind of like a playoff game the way that the games were played.

But, yeah, just the overall ball club is just one through nine, just a bunch of good hitters. And then obviously their pitching and bullpen is really good as well.

So I know the fans will be there and support them. So it should be fun. They're always a good team. And no matter how much they're down or up, you know, they're never going to give in. So it should be just some good overall baseball, and that's all you can ask for in the playoffs.

Q. The Astros have been in the playoffs for years and years. You guys took them down. Does that give you as a group any vindication coming into these playoffs? Did you need that at all to get there by any chance?

SAM ANTONACCI: We didn't meet any. But obviously it's good to get some games under your belt, especially with the amount of rookies that we have, just to go out there and realize that it's the same game, just with a little bit more people and some towels that they're holding.

So it's cool to get two wins under your belt, but at the end of the day, those don't really mean anything anymore. And all it was was really just kind of a little bit of a celebration in the locker room after, and then you come to Cleveland and game prep for them.

Q. I was just talking to Chase, and he said one of the things that gets him going is when you kind of hit your helmet after a lead off walk. And he was doing things like that and when you're accepting a bet to trip on that. Do you do that to kind of get guys going, to get your teammates going?

SAM ANTONACCI: I trip to get the guys going, to realize that I could feel like a little tension, nothing crazy, but just to make them realize that everyone is going to wake up tomorrow and eat the same thing they were going to have for breakfast whether win or lose.

And hitting the head is kind of just, I don't know, kind of just happens naturally. It started happening naturally. And now it kind of just has been the norm, I guess. Yeah, just kind of get the guys fired up, a little bit of unorthodox stuff, and just finding anyway I can to help the team out and do some things a lot of people don't.

Q. There could be a language barrier in the clubhouse with different -- with Acuña. But everybody seems to get along great and seems to understand each other.

What do you attribute that to, like the relationship between Miguel in particular is surprising. What makes you guys able to understand each other?

SAM ANTONACCI: Yeah. Just the selfless team that we are, putting we before me is the biggest thing in the clubhouse. And it's just -- especially nowadays, you can get so carried away with, you know, I'm only playing for trying to sign for this amount of money or it's only about money.

And like I said earlier here, it's -- just right now, it's just about putting more wins up than the other team. And the business side of things, we could scare less about that, obviously. Everyone wants money, though, but we're just kind of worried about spending time with each other, and yeah, it's fun.

I think the best part so far about this whole experience is just, you know, we're traveling a bunch of families, and it's just been cool to see my teammates interact with their families and get to know their families and have all these families just experience this. So I think that's been the coolest part for me.

Q. How much pride do you take in kind of being a catalyst for this team and for this offense?

SAM ANTONACCI: Yeah. I mean, I don't take it for granted when I put that White Sox jersey on every day and then for the name on the back as well to represent my family.

And, yeah, no, the Chicago -- the South Side has been waiting for this for awhile. And when we got to Houston, our main motto was just to get playoff baseball back to Chicago. And now that we've done that, our goal is just to win this series and keep taking it game by game and pitch by pitch. And we have a long way to go and a big task ahead of us, but the clubhouse is ready, and we're excited.

Q. Any comparisons between this experience and your experience with Italy and world baseball classic? Any of the teams themselves both predominantly young teams?

SAM ANTONACCI: Yeah. Definitely beneficial to play in that tournament earlier on in the year. Happened to be in Houston as well. So those last two playoff games, on the fan side of things, it didn't really feel anything like the WBC atmosphere. But I can promise you that Cleveland will definitely have that atmosphere here.

But, yeah, just two young teams, I would say. Just not supposed to win. Just put all the stuff aside and just go out there and know what we do well and play the game the right way and just don't take any plays off, really. And good things happen when you just keep going and play as a team.

Q. After being able to kind of gain a perspective after coming to Cleveland, you mentioned the historical context of you guys getting to the ALDS for the first time in several many years.

What does it mean for you guys to get to this point and also understanding what it could mean to go up against a team for the very first time in franchise history?

SAM ANTONACCI: Yeah. I think a lot of people are very proud of us for getting here. And a lot of people want us to say, you know, like, oh, we've made it here. Our goal is finished. We've done a good obviously and now whatever happens happens.

That's not the case here. Our job is to keep winning. And we have a good chance to win. It's just up to us whether we want to advance or not. We're just going to have to play clean baseball and do the little things right. And they're a good ball club on the other side. So it should just be a good overall series, and just excited, yeah.

Q. I know a lot of the JUCO teammates were actually Sox fans. What are those group chats like? How excited are they for you and about what the team is doing?

SAM ANTONACCI: Yeah. A lot of them are Sox fans. So it's pretty crazy. They kind of leave me alone for the most part. I think they're weird about bugging me, which I tell them don't worry about it.

Yeah, just to -- yeah, that was probably the most fun I've had playing baseball other than what I'm doing right now. So just to be able to keep in touch with them, and it's awesome. I still go back there to this day. And anytime I can represent my community college, I'm happy to do it any way I can, and can't thank them enough. So it's cool for them to be supporting me, not only me, but the team as well.