AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GUARDIANS VS RAYS

October 15, 2026

Shawn Armstrong

Progessive Field

Cleveland Guardians

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. How are you guys feeling coming back here after splitting the first two in Tampa?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: Like I told you guys, I think I spoke with you after the game the other night, going into Tampa and playing the best team in the AL and having a split, and coming back to our home crowd here it's all we could ask for.

Obviously we'd love to be 2-0 coming back, but anytime you can go on the road and go 1-1, especially going to a five-game set and having limited time off, two high-quality ball games. I mean we've made one mistake, cost us, move on.

But we come back here in front of our home crowd and we're super excited to be back here in Cleveland for Game 3.

Q. When you got injured in July, June, did you think your season was over, and could you have imagined still being pitching in mid-October?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: I think you guys could probably read the room with the look on my face after that that I thought it was over. I mean, for sure. Especially the unknowns in regards to what the injury truly was going to entail and what it was going to be.

But, I mean, again, I've said it time and time again, hats off to the medical staff for what they did behind the scenes and from the doctors in Qatar, it's doctors overseas in different areas to all different aspects to getting all the knowledge that we could. And then Dr. Jin at Cleveland Clinic, he's been phenomenal with me working on that situation.

And, again, hats off to the medical staff for setting a plan, sticking to it and exceeding expectations.

Q. Stephen is fond of saying there are no roles in the bullpen except for maybe Cade at the back end. But how do you just see the way that you've been used sort of develop throughout the season, and now that you've gotten to this point in the postseason where you're sort of the first guy up, fireman-type role?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: Yeah, I think I said it to Sabrowski whenever we were standing the outfield in Game 2 in Tampa -- obviously I played here, I got drafted here, coming back here and being able to be in this situation is -- words can't describe it.

But like I told him I was like with this group, I feel like I've been here for five years, like, we're so close in that bullpen. And I think that's the testament to us all, including Cade.

No one cares where we throw. I don't care if it's second. I don't care if it's ninth. I don't care. And neither does anybody else in that bullpen.

The workload that Cade's put on in this postseason is just mindblowing. And the way he's the same guy every day -- comes in and it's like people joked around, whenever he closed out Game 5 and struck out the side, and he's just like, yes, you know what I mean?

It's, like, that's Cade, but that's what we want and he sets the tone for all of us. And the rest of us down there, we don't care. When we throw all we want to do is win and that's what matters.

Q. How hard is it to not ride the emotional roller coaster that kind of comes with the tension of big moments in the playoffs, some of those games you win, coming off of a frustrating tough loss? How hard is it to try to keep the ship steady?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: It's like I said coming back here, I've told people this, I think that's a testament to Cleveland's front office, the culture that they build. Everybody in that locker room, nobody gets too high, nobody gets too low.

We went into Chicago after losing two, no one blinked. It wasn't like, oh, man -- we knew we had to win. We know what's at stake. We know what's there.

But I think cumulative as a group, we rely on one another to pick each other up to also pull each other down. We don't get too high. We don't really have that a lot in that locker room. Everyone's kind of even keeled everyone relies on one another and it's a brotherhood in there.

For Cleveland to be able to put 26 bodies in that room and all have one plan, it's a true testament to them. And, again, it's a super pleasure to be around. You don't find that everywhere you go. It's a really good group to be a part of here. And I think that speaks for itself whenever we get on the field together.

Q. The willingness to be so flexible in your role when you pitch, but just for you specifically, is there a difference for you if you are asked to come on in the second inning versus those middle innings being one of the first guys out of the pen? How do you mentally and physically prepare yourself for the difference in those situations?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: I think that's just like your routine, being routine-oriented, being the same guy every day. And it's like B.G. says in our pitching meetings, every out there's -- no out is not a big out, or however he puts it -- every out's a big out.

You get to the playoffs. I've never been this far in my career playing on the field to the ALCS. But, again, we've seen it. We've been down -- I think we were down two out of the last three games in the ALDS. And it's, like, you go out there and you hold the fort, get every out that you can, and let our offense get back up to the plate. Those guys are swinging the bat really well right now.

Every out's a big out for us. So regardless for the second, or Cade's going out for a three-inning save, whatever it may be, every out means something. I think that group down there in the bullpen, we got two starters down there with us. They don't care. They just want to pitch. They just want to get outs and they just want to win.

And, again, that's kind of our whole mindset as a team, take it out by out, game by game, don't look ahead, don't get too high, don't get too low and just try and complete the task that you're asked that day.

Q. With that, though, how difficult is it to be mentally sharp for a nine-inning game knowing that you could go in at any point?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: To answer your question, I think it's more of once the game's over, you just kind of go home, do what you do, whatever your routine is, video games, whatever. Mine's my kids, that's all that matters. I go home, I focus on them.

Whenever you come to the ballpark, you try and be the same guy. I like sports cards. We talk about sports cards. Guys play cards in the clubhouse. Guys are doing different things, playing video games in the game room, whatever it may be.

But when the lights turn on and it's the first out of the game, you lock in for nine innings.

Is it mentally exhausting? Absolutely. But this is what we played 162 games to get to. I think it's pretty easy as a group and as a player to lock in. I think the fans are pretty locked in, too, when it comes to these games. Every out matters.

As a player, when you're down there, the bullpen we're locked in the cage, we goof around a little bit. But at the same time we're reading the game. We're still playing trivia. We're still doing those things.

It's the same team that it was on day one. But yes, staying locked in for nine innings during the ALCS, it's pretty easy whenever you're on the field.

Q. Did you (indiscernible) good cards lately?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: Quite a few.

Q. How sick would it be to have one of yours from one of these games, I've seen some of the companies posting --

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: I texted my wife after Game 4 in Chicago, whenever Hosey was jumping up and I was in the background, I was like, I have to find that card. So, Topps, if you see that, please send me a version of that card.

But I mean sports cards are something I really enjoy. It's like, baseball players, I try and collect all my teammates. And other than that it's pretty much football and marvel for me.

Q. What's your best one?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: I can't really say that. Cleveland fans don't hate me. But Josh Allen is by far my biggest collection. So, go, Bills.

Q. What you know of José Ramírez, how do you think he's going to react to what happened in Game 2?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: I think the same way that he reacted with people doubting him in September. You see it, you read the media, it's, like, José's scuffling, blah, blah, blah. We all know he's going to come out of it.

But the thing is I think at the same time, did he make an error? Sure. What did he do the next AB? Came in and hit a double.

It's baseball. Errors are going to happen, homers are going to happen. You're going to give up runs. That's baseball. But it's our job for the 25 other guys to have his back. I think he did a pretty good job in the ALDS to carry us to get us where we needed to be. So he makes one mistake Game 2, oh well. He'll be the same guy when he steps to the plate today.

Q. What do you remember about him 10 years ago? He was first coming up with you guys were teammates?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: Same guy. I remember we had an off day in Akron, and I went down to watch Cody Anderson pitch in Lake County because we were super good friends and I was, like, who the hell is this José guy. Let's go check him out.

The guy goes 4-for-4 I think three homers. I'm like okay and then he skips High and goes to Double-A next year and gets called up whenever I'm on the bus with him.

The guy just loves ball, man. But at the same time, do you see the quotes going around. He's, like, I'll take 150 over 200 million somewhere. He loves Cleveland. That's all he wants to do is bring a championship here. That's.

What I told you Chris and those guys whenever I signed here in December. To be able to come home to where I debuted, I don't care about anything. I just want to win.

That's all that matters and that's all he cares about is winning. I think you can see it on his face when he made the error in Game 2. He steps up to the plate, he barrels the ball, he gets on base, gives us a chance to score a run. Scored a run.

And, so, it's baseball. It's a team effort. It's not a one-man show. Just so happens we have a guy in our lineup that can carry us a lot throughout the season. So, special to have him.

Q. As one of the few guys who's played for both franchises can you speak to where you think they're most similar and maybe how difficult it is facing a team that is fairly similar to yours?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: I mean, I can say it one word -- culture. Like, you come to the ballpark every day and you expect -- there's no, are we going to win today. You expect to win when you take on the field.

As far as front office to coaching staff, the individualization they give to each player and the attention to detail they do to each player, it's hats off to both orgs.

I've been very fortunate to spend quite a bit of time with both organizations. It's like I said, coming into the series, it's going to be a bloodbath.

Both teams can pitch. Both teams know how to play the small ball. Both teams know how to steal bases. And both teams are going to play defense. You've seen it in both games.

Unfortunately, Game 2 defense was what cost us the game. But that's baseball.

I think you compare both orgs on paper and what they've done and the history they've done, it's a really good battle to have in the ALCS. We're thankful to be here. So are they. And at the end of the day I hope we come out on top.

Q. On a personal level, just facing a team that's -- those hitters that are similar in approach, is it harder?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: I wouldn't say it's harder. It's like my wife asked on the field the other day, she's, like, did you get a chance to talk to all of them. I was, like, we're not friends right now. I was, like, obviously I hope the world for those guys. DeLauter falling in the bullpen I'm picking him up off the ground. We'll always be brothers. We'll always be friends.

But they'd say the same thing about me. Once we get between the lines, you're trying to put food on your table. At the end of the day, what matters is the 25 guys behind me.

But, yeah, both organizations, hats off, top-notch orgs. And thankful to play for both of them. But at the end of the day, it's going to be a really good series. And we've seen that in the first two games.

Q. You've talked a little bit about that experience and how it let you lock in, but when it comes to some of these youngsters who might be playing in their first postseason, what have you seen from them on that level?

SHAWN ARMSTRONG: I actually got asked that from a coach from another organization a couple of days ago about how Cleveland is different. I won't speak on which organization that was. But the best way that I could put him is, put this team and the young guys, is home-grown.

And I think what I mean by that is what brought me back here from a front-office standpoint, a medical standpoint, a coaching standpoint, it's one vision. And that whole vision is from whether you're in rookie ball or the big leagues, it's what they can do to make the best version of you.

When these guys come to the big leagues, like Angel, he comes up, it's game 2 or 3, it's a homer. It's, like, the preparation and the attention to detail to built them up to come to the big leagues, our bullpen, super young bullpen.

Every guy has their routine down there, their modalities, their medical standpoint, their lifting, their Yoga. To every single thing, there's no question, there's no lapse. You look around everyone knows what they're doing.

And I think, again, that's a testament to the organization that has groomed them to where whenever they get to the big leagues, their preparation and their willingness to win, they're ready.

I think when guys come up -- Bazzana comes up here, he takes instant effect. We don't question it. It's, like, we know they're going to come up here, they're going to help us win. And we know that the front office and the organization is bringing them up here at the right place, right time to help us get the win that day and then help us get the win in October.

Again, I don't think anyone second-guesses anybody that comes in this clubhouse or this room, that when they get here, they're ready.

And the if they need guidance, that's what us older guys are here for, for them to ask questions, to lean on us and us to help them in any shape or form we can to get the win.