AL DIVISION SERIES: WHITE SOX VS GUARDIANS

October 3, 2026

Randal Grichuk

Progressive Field

Chicago White Sox

Pregame 1 Press Conference

Q. Randall, we were just talking to Will yesterday and he was like hammering out the concept of not giving up extra bases to this team, mistakes are kind of what they capitalize on. How do you kind of take that into playing the outfield what kind of priorities that creates for the defense.

RANDAL GRICHUK: Yeah. I mean, I think taking care of the ball, hitting the cut off, I think charging the ball hard, you know, just preplaying the play in your head before it happens, understanding when guys are on base and what you need to do with the ball, to just be prepared to be able to make the play when it happens.

Q. When you first came over here, what stood out to you about the culture of the White Sox and how has that evolved since then?

RANDAL GRICHUK: I would say that they're a tight knit group or they were when I got here. They like to have fun. They kept things light, but still play the game hard.

It's a talented group, but I feel with them being so tight and they're comfortable being themselves. It allowed them to be who they are on the field and play the best baseball, and I think that's just shown and grown throughout the season, and allowed us to be honestly.

Q. You've had pretty good numbers against Messick. What kind of challenges does he bring in as a pitcher?

RANDAL GRICHUK: He's got some deception in his delivery. Obviously his heater plays up. He's got a good change up, good curveball, good slider. He's able to locate up, down, in, out, keeps you off balance. He's kind of unpredictable.

Obviously I like hitting lefties but he's a good one.

Q. You mentioned a partner. Obviously there's more than just him as a rookie being on the mound for Game 1, but you guys have Hagen as well. Looking across both lineups, the amount of youth and the amount of experience, how do you look into that and say the playoff environment can kind of show you who everybody truly is?

RANDAL GRICHUK: Yeah. I mean, first speaking on Hagen, I think he's built for this kind of moment. I don't think he ever gets too high or too low. He's kind of even keel the whole time. There's no moment that's too big for him as we saw in Houston.

A rookie getting the ballgame one, it's a big spot. He can get the best of you, and I think he handled it really well, and we have full confidence in him.

But yeah, both teams are young. They play the game hard. They play fundamental baseball. It's just showing that the game is growing and getting better and better and getting younger and younger.

Q. You've been playing left field a lot more. Even Will said he didn't realize what a quality defender you are. Was anything different this season about that or was it just a matter of showing that, yeah, I'm capable of playing the outfield more?

RANDAL GRICHUK: You know, I think I've been healthy, and I think it's one of those things I take pride in. Being in Arizona last couple of years really focusing on defense, you know, getting my numbers on jumps, throws, route efficiencies, bursts, those kind of things obviously makes you learn about what it takes to be a good outfielder, but then also what you need to work on.

I felt like we really dove into that in Arizona and then coming over here just staying with preparation, you know, making sure I get out there, making sure I work at it, not taking days off has played into being able to be serviceable out there to be put out there, honestly.

Q. Randal, so many of the games between the White Sox and Guardians have been really close games, especially late. How much have you guys talked about that coming into this series? Is it a positive that you in a way know what you're going to get in these games with so much pressure attached to it?

RANDAL GRICHUK: Yeah. Most definitely. I think there's been four walk offs, I think. And every game I feel like has been tight. I don't really know if there's been a blowout either way.

But it's one of those things we know every pitch at-bat is going to matter. Every base run is going to matter. So taking care of the baseball on defense and playing next man up mentality offensively is going to be huge for us. We know it's going to be a dog fight late in the game, and they're going to be exciting games and exciting series.

Q. You've seen this team for as long as you've been here and the growth they've had and what you guys have done. Did you learn anything new about what you guys were about for those two dominant performances in Houston this week?

RANDAL GRICHUK: You know, I think a lot of people wanted to be able to get the two seed, skip the Wild Card series, right? Naturally you're advancing.

But I think that was huge for us as a team. Just getting the playoff out, being such a young roster, being able to show that we can win on the road in big games, I think it's good not to have that long layoff, too.

I think we've seen in previous playoffs that a lot of those teams that get that first round bye come out a little rusty. So I think that was huge for us from a mental standpoint and from a performance standpoint.

Q. Going back to the analytics that you talked about there a little bit, obviously playing at Progressive a couple times, how could that potentially help being able to learn the (indiscernible) and other things, but also what area of your game did you want to improve the most defensively?

RANDAL GRICHUK: Yeah. I'm excited to play here. I think it's going to be loud. I've seen some playoff games on TV here, and it looks electric. So that's one of the things I'm looking forward to the most.

When it comes to defense, I think just working on jumps, working on bursts, I've always had good route efficiency. It's more so of like getting your first step in, being good and being efficient there.

That's one thing I've worked on this year, and I'm trying to get better and better at it. It's one of those things that I feel if you take off a pitch for whatever reason, if you're exhausted, if you're late getting to your spot after a foul ball, you're thinking about your at-bat, those are all things that you can't really do and take to the field. You gotta be present and be ready to go each pitch, and that's what I feel like I try to do and make sure I'm doing consistently.

Q. Hagen Smith is not a man of many words, but he's about his business. What kind of a teammate has he been in his short time with the ball club? What's impressed you as a defender behind him with the work he's done here lately?

RANDAL GRICHUK: Yeah. I feel like he's fearless. He works quick. He does his thing.

The jitters are not there. The nerves aren't there. And like you said, he's a man of few words. I feel like I try to get some words out of him just to get him talking because I feel like I want to make him feel like he's a part of the team and well liked.

But yeah, he's a man of few words, and he just is about pitching and playing baseball. He's mentally focused and ready to go, and I feel like he's the guy that you're confident when he gets the ball.