NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS BREWERS

October 7, 2026

Sal Frelick

Petco Park

Milwaukee Brewers

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. I don't know what your expectations were coming into this series, but it's been three incredibly close, entertaining games. Have you ever been part of a stretch of days with this level of intensity?

SAL FRELICK: No, I don't know, we were talking about that in the clubhouse last night, just the level of play, the level of intensity for each pitch and just the quality of baseball. I think there was seven runs scored last night in seven half innings. It just felt like it was a back-and-forth game and respond, respond, respond. It's fun playing that kind of baseball.

I wouldn't say I'm surprised at the level, I think just two really good teams. I knew we were in for a battle.

Q. This is you guys' fourth chance to have a closeout game on the road the last two postseasons. What have you learned by not being able to get it done about what it takes to accomplish that on the road?

SAL FRELICK: It's tough playing on the road. It's also hard to sweep a team. I always asked some older guys that during the season, you win the first two games and it's so hard to win that third game in a series. When you match two teams up together, I think it makes it even harder.

Yeah, it's a fun atmosphere, fun environment, definitely crazy at times. It's just as fun as playing in front of a home crowd.

Q. What do you take away from a night like last night where you're able to put so much pressure on like you guys are used to doing and you come up a hit short but create as many opportunities as you did and how you can continue that into tonight?

SAL FRELICK: I think it's great. I think it's the best -- didn't really get the big hit, but from an offensive standpoint, just creating traffic on the bases each inning and applying pressure on pitches, I think it's the best we've done so far.

We always find a way to get that winning run to the plate or on base in the ninth. Even doing that against King there in the ninth. Yeli smoking a ball just right at a guy, you can live with those, so yeah.

Q. Knowing what your offensive identity is, how do you feel you've executed that as a team through 27 innings?

SAL FRELICK: I think the last nine were our best so far. I think a little uncharacteristic, maybe that first game, where two home runs kind of got us the win. We're definitely more of that ninth inning in the second game, and what it was yesterday, just getting traffic on base, walks, reach on errors, stuff like that. Just having a key hit that will break games open is kind of how it's gone all season.

Like I said, I didn't think we got that massive hit last night, but it's great causing traffic and getting on base.

Q. I know you and Michael King have gotten to know each other the last few years. Just curious your perspective as that was unfolding last night the last couple innings?

SAL FRELICK: First of all, Mike's been a big role model for me. He was at Boston College when I was in high school. I was committed there. He was on some really good teams there. Helped build that culture there, and he's someone I looked up to. He's been great so far since I entered pro ball and helping me and just being a great source in the game.

I didn't even have to wait to come to the field to know he'd be in the pen yesterday. I knew that already. It just speaks to his character, the type of guy he is, the type of competitor he is. Yeah, I was probably the least surprised person in the stadium last night that he was geared up to go.

Q. What is so fun about your style of play as a team? It seems like the way you guys win games, it's always fun to win, but it seems like the way you do it is probably pretty fun. What do you enjoy about it?

SAL FRELICK: I just like the team aspect. It's not like kind of each inning we come in and say I hope someone's going to come in and hit a homer this inning and we'll get on the board. It's really 1 through 9. It's just finding a way to get on base, and that then switches over to how do we move them up to the next base, whether it's a bunt or a steal or a run. It's like how can we get this guy in?

It's just a level of strategy that you look at each inning and how it unfolds. That's just what we practice. It starts in spring, and it's fun playing that way when it's 1 through 9. You're not really up there saying we need everyone to try to hit a home run or three doubles in a row, stuff like that. It's fun like that, especially for a player like me where that's more my game. It's fun to play in those type of lineups.

Q. A lot of you guys have talked about the trust you have in each other. How have you seen that grow throughout the season? Also, how can it help in a situation or how have you seen it help in a situation where you lose a game and come back the next night, how much that trust can help in that situation?

SAL FRELICK: Yeah, like I was saying, the trust isn't just 1 through 9. Everybody's got cleats on for the game. Everyone trusts everyone. I think Murph can pick out of a hat a lineup or a pinch-hit, and whoever they send up there, we're confident.

Like you saw it with Gary, for example, in Game 2, or Hammy last night coming off the bench and getting a base knock there. We really do have the trust in everybody. It's not just to get a hit, to get a guy in from third or to lay down a bunt or to go play great defense or to get an out out of the pen. It really is this feeling of blindfold, pick out of a hat, we don't care. We trust anybody to do the job.

Q. I think it was the fifth or sixth inning last night when you were on third with Matsui on the mound, you got way down the line. It looked like you were going. Were you going to? And if so, why did you hit the brakes?

SAL FRELICK: So he stepped off the pitch before, so then that brought into play, okay, if he steps off -- I think maybe it was his second pitch. If I can get him to step off again and cause some havoc or whatnot. He was looking at second a lot. With the lefty on the mound, they're not able to see the runner on third. Even though he was out of the stretch, he was pretty long to the plate.

There wasn't like a hundred percent intent of I'm going home, but it was like I'm going to brake and kind of just flow into it. If I think I can score, I might try it, but at the same time, Brice had two strikes on him. Even if I slide in there safe and the pitch is down the middle, I'm pretty sure it would have just been the third out. So there wasn't crazy intent there.

Q. I don't know if this comes into your mind at all, but if it does, what does it mean to have Jacob Misiorowski waiting, if there is a Game 5 or a next series? And then more generally, what do you think watching him pitch this season and the step he took?

SAL FRELICK: Yeah, not crazy thinking about a Game 5 or we have Mis ready to go. I don't think anybody's really there yet. Yeah, just seeing him mature, I've been fortunate to see a lot of these homegrown guys come up, even with Chourio, and watch them develop because you see how raw the talent is.

But it's a hard game to transition to from the minors or from college. You can have all the talent in the world, but you're still going to struggle if you don't go about it the right way. There's this gap where you have to learn how to be a pro.

I think Mis did it better than anybody. It was crazy because this year I was like he's our Game 1 starter. I was like did he start last year for a game? It happened so fast, almost overnight, that he transitioned into the player he is that I almost didn't even realize it. Just looking back and seeing the growth he's had is unbelievable.