AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GUARDIANS VS RAYS

October 15, 2026

Stephen Vogt

Progessive Field

Cleveland Guardians

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. Shawn was just talking about when it comes to the bullpen, like it doesn't matter, they don't care when they pitch, they just know what their role is and want to go out there and win. Just how have you kind of seen that unselfishness throughout this postseason past couple games?

STEPHEN VOGT: These guys all year have been willing to take the ball whenever they can get it. We ask a lot of them. We ask them to do it at different times, and they're such a selfless group out there. They just want to get as many outs as they can to help us win.

And Shawn's been huge for us in this postseason. And we missed him a ton the second half of the regular season. So really glad to have him back.

Q. How have you seen his role sort of developing? I know you're not fond of the word "role" for bullpen guys, but just the way you've used him and you've deployed him, particularly lately in the postseason?

STEPHEN VOGT: Kind of just evolved out of nowhere, to be honest. That's why we try to use everybody in every situation throughout the year because we never know how this is going to come about. And I still don't really ever think about roles for our guys. It's more of putting them into a position for them to succeed. Right now, for Shawn, it's been regardless of when he takes the ball. He's been a really reliable person to go to.

Q. One of the unique things about the playoffs can be slightly longer breaks between innings. How have you watched your starting pitchers handle taking that extra 30 or sometimes even 60 seconds to collect themselves before they get out there?

STEPHEN VOGT: Yeah, I feel like having the clock out there helps them. They know what their usual routine is during the regular season.

It's kind of maybe hanging out in the dugout for 45 seconds longer, go do their last-second routine that they would do normally right as that third out happens. You start that a minute later.

These guys are adaptable. Maybe there's some testing out period the first few games, but by now they've got any breaks down.

Q. Who are you planning for the Game 4 starter?

STEPHEN VOGT: We need to get through today. We need to see what's going on with the weather. There's a lot up in the air. So no, I'm not ready to name the Game 4 starter.

Q. What do you know about the weather after today?

STEPHEN VOGT: I have not heard an update other than it does not look good for tomorrow. I know MLB and weather and everybody's working through that. We're worried about today's game and we'll find out the weather when we do.

Q. More than half of your roster has been through the ALCS before. How much do you think as the series goes on that helps your group and the experience that they've had before coming into this?

STEPHEN VOGT: I think it helps a ton. I think you could probably pick out cases where it doesn't matter. You could pick out cases where it's very helpful.

But I think for the majority of our guys who were here two years ago, they can reflect on that ALCS and know, okay, we've been here before, I know what it feels like, I know the pressure you're about to feel or the pressure that you could put on yourself, and they're able to handle that.

I think particularly with the bullpen guys, just pitching in those games and now they're back, and they're able to really handle it a little bit differently or the same. They've been great.

I think experience helps with everything. But also being naive can help. The unknowns can help. So I think it's how each individual handles it. But I think for the majority of our guys that have been there before, it's a good thing.

Q. There's so many comparisons between you guys and Tampa Bay and just how you guys operate, the way you guys play the game. What's it like playing almost a mirror of what you guys do here in Cleveland, and is there any advantage as you get deeper into this series, the more you get to see them up close on a daily basis?

STEPHEN VOGT: Yeah, I think the more familiar you become with a team, the more you know them, the more you know how they're going to deploy and things of that nature. We just saw that with Chicago, right? I mean, there were no secrets in that series because we had played each other 19 times. It's a little bit different with the Rays. And I do think they're very similar organizations run by very good people, very smart people that have to get creative with resources and have to get creative with coaching and having analysts and different things like that. But these are two very good baseball teams that are very talented. You don't get here by accident. It's really fun to play against a good baseball team like that.

Q. What did the time change due to your routine?

STEPHEN VOGT: Less sleep. That's about it. We're used to game-time changes. We had plenty of heads-up for guys to be able to plan for a day game. If anything, we don't have to wait around until 8:00 p.m. tonight to play, which isn't the worst thing in the world. So it didn't change a whole lot at all.