AL DIVISION SERIES: YANKEES VS RAYS

October 4, 2026

Kevin Cash

Tropicana Field

Tampa Bay Rays

Workout Day Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Kevin, thank you. We'll start with questions for Kevin Cash.

Q. Kevin, just what went into the decision first on Freddy for Game 2?

KEVIN CASH: Basically, like we said, before this start we felt like we had five really good options. I think given Freddy, the way he's pitched the last four, five starts, is dominant as anybody in baseball, backed up by winning Pitcher of the Month made that decision.

I mean, we were being very honest when we said that it was all hands on deck. If needed, Freddy would have pitched last night. Fortunately, for us, we didn't need him, and now we can slot him into Game 2.

Q. I know a lot of people have been involved and deserve credit, including Freddy and your staff. Can you speak to how far he's come from when he was pitching and even mentally from when you got him to what he's done recently?

KEVIN CASH: I personally feel that's being a little bit overtalked about. I don't want anybody to lose sight that Freddy Peralta has been an elite pitcher for a long time. I know he had three months that he'd like to have back from his time with the Mets.

I give Freddy all the credit in the world for coming here, being super positive, high energy, open-minded and very, in a way, I think he was vulnerable in the fact the way he's explained to Kyle and Jorge, like, hey, these are the things I was comfortable with. These are some things that I got myself to be uncomfortable with, and I'll trust whatever information you've got and we can talk about it.

I know there's been a lot of back and forth with whatever he's been doing, but it's been really good.

Q. You guys have faced Schlittler quite a bit. It's a question everyone asks every manager, what's the challenge in facing him and how do you overcome the challenges?

KEVIN CASH: We just saw him a week ago. I actually like the at-bats that we had against him. Saying that I think he probably went into the game knowing it was a little bit of a tune-up. They took him out after 70, 75 pitches. We laid off the fastball at the top of the zone. If you're going to swing at that, you're likely not going to hit it or have much success with it. We laid off those pitches, got him into deeper counts.

Now, what he did against Boston, breaking out the curveball a little bit more and the way he was able to execute that speaks to how talented he is. But it is an elite fastball that carries at the top of the zone. He can cut it. He can sink it when he needs to. And then he's got off-speed weapons. A ton of challenge. For a guy that's 6'7", whatever he is, he controls the running game as well as you can ask.

Q. The performance that Ras had yesterday, how does that set up the rest of the pitching for the series?

KEVIN CASH: We only used two guys. We're in a pretty good spot. I'm still thinking about how impressive his outing was, a lot of good conversations. Not surprised by Ras by any stretch. To do it at that stage, in this setting, against this team, Game 1 of a series, pretty awesome. It helps us out. Everybody is fresh, and I think probably that much more as the bullpen now kind of chomping at the bit to get in there and contribute.

Q. With Liam Hicks, what did you think with what he did behind the plate yesterday?

KEVIN CASH: Liam's been awesome. Really has. I'm glad you brought it up. I should have said that yesterday. The work and how they were interacting between innings and discussing the three or four batters that were getting ready to come up, it felt like they were on the same page. And where Liam started from, not knowing any of our pitchers to where he's gotten now, and just the full trust and confidence in him back there guiding and navigating our entire pitching staff.

Q. How impressive is that considering he came from an organization where they were calling the pitches from the dugout and he's behind the plate doing what --

KEVIN CASH: I mean, look. He was pretty -- he was incredibly open minded early on when we acquired him from the deadline. And I think there was some in-game pitch calling from ourselves by Kyle yelling and screaming. He'd look in the dugout saying I would recommend this, suggest this. After, you know, three, four series, I think Liam got a very good understanding real quick on what our pitchers' strengths are and just to work off that.

Q. You mentioned Schlittler's fastball at the top of the zone. Part of the reason the Yankees went with Cole is because the fastball plays better here indoors, the environmental components. Seems like Freddy has benefited from that. How real is that and how does it change your game planning?

KEVIN CASH: I think it's real. I don't think it's a surprise to anybody in the fact that this is -- well, it's the only ballpark that is always in a closed setting, and you can't have any variables of wind or anything affecting anything. So I know there's some other ones, Houston, Milwaukee, retractable -- Toronto, retractable roofs. You know what you're going to get here and it stays pretty consistent.

I understand why we value that and maybe opposing teams do.

Q. Richie is coming here behind you. What he's done, I know you've said kind of things have got kicked up in the last couple months or so offensively. Seems like his overall play has been a big part of this?

KEVIN CASH: Oh, he's been tremendous for us. When Ben went down on that West Coast trip, knew we were going to lean on Richie, and Richie certainly answered the bell. Came up with big hit. He's got a knack for -- he's got a knack for coming up in those moments and really coming through, putting together maybe his best at-bats of the season when we need him to come through for us.

Defensively, I don't think we could have asked much more. I don't think it would have been fair to anticipate that this was coming, given the injuries that he's dealt with. But he's fully healthy. The amount of range and ground coverage that he showed all season long, it's a pretty talented, up the middle combination between him and Taylor.

Q. What's Freddy Peralta brought to this team?

KEVIN CASH: Energy, excitement, a lot of smiles. I mean, I heard from Willy Adames, one of our favorites for a long time, and I know him and Freddy were close in Milwaukee. Just said the type of guy you're getting, and I heard whispers of other people saying he's like Willy. When we heard that, I think our coaches' room lit up because that's about as good as a comp you're going to get to a person.

Q. What were you guys able to unlock with him when he got here to get him back to who he was or looking closer to who he was in Milwaukee?

KEVIN CASH: I think just coming over, being part of a winning, very winning culture that was doing a lot of good things well at the time. We got him and went off on a 9-0 run on the West Coast. That's really tough to do.

I kidded with him. I remember Liam came over the same day, I think it was Game 2 in Colorado. Liam's first at-bat, he hits a Grand Slam, I think. I went down and said it's like this all the time, Freddy, these type of runs. He started laughing and got himself comfortable real quick.

I think the rest of our team, whether it was a guy getting called up from Durham this year or a guy we acquired at any point in the season, it's a very welcoming group.

Q. Talk about a lot of the guys that didn't have postseason experience that now at least have certainly gone through it in that atmosphere. Is there also some messaging, like the idea how every game is so important, being up 1-0, now you'll either be up 2-0 or tied 1-1 and how every game matters?

KEVIN CASH: I don't know that there's messaging. You trust that they sense it. They know the work they've put in over six months to get to this point. It's going to get magnified and should get magnified. These are bigger games and it's what you play for. Watching, observing anybody you're referencing and how they handled Game 1 in that atmosphere, I thought it was incredible.

There was no margin of error on anything that went on in that game for either team, and everybody stepped up and made the plays they were supposed to make.

Q. Kevin, how impressed are you with Freddy's willingness to be receptive to what you've thrown at him? Not all veterans would be as receptive or as open.

KEVIN CASH: He's definitely been receptive. I'm impressed with everything he's done, but he's also -- I've been just as impressed with his ability to tell us this is what makes me comfortable. That is what I feel good doing. This is how I want to allocate pitches. That's the back and forth that is so important to finding that success within an individual pitcher.

Q. Going back to Palacios, he has had some success against the Yankees, and yesterday the double off Cole. What do you think it is about his approach that allows him to be successful?

KEVIN CASH: I don't know. I mean, he's from New York. He's highly motivated. I know he's got a massive fan base that follows him, and I know will be in Yankee stadium. He's excited to play there. The Knicks won the NBA finals and Richie might have been -- that might have been the worst he played during the finals because he was watching Knicks games. Kidding, but he's very tied to New York and I think when he gets the opportunity to play against the Yankees either here or going to the Bronx, he gets pretty pumped.

THE MODERATOR: Kevin, thank you very much. Good luck tomorrow.