AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GUARDIANS VS RAYS

October 17, 2026

Jo Adell

Progressive Field

Cleveland Guardians

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. Can you walk us through what it was like last night waiting around for that result?

JO ADELL: Yeah, obviously we were bummed. We were ready to go. But with the weather and just getting it started kind of wasn't in the cards. We've got to do what we've gotta do. So we're back today, ready to go.

Q. Did that look like getting a little extra cage work in for you guys? Were you able to do stuff underneath here out of the elements just to kind of stay in that mindset?

JO ADELL: Yeah, guys are working. We're getting everything in that we needed and some extra treatment, trying to stay locked in and just be ready, knowing what we're facing, getting prepared for the game.

Like I said, it was kind of a monkey wrench yesterday. Everybody was kind of fired up and ready to go. But today we're ready, and we're looking forward to it.

Q. Losing the off day, what type of effect does that have on you? I know you guys, the regular season you bounce city to city all the time. But in the postseason, getting those off days, they tend to be pretty important.

JO ADELL: Yeah, I think it was good maybe from a recovery standpoint. Either way, we're ready to go if we have to go four, five, six games in a row, everyone in here is prepared to do it. So we have the same attitude every day of coming in and being prepared to do what we do.

Q. Nick Martinez's change-up has been really effective this year. When you've kind of either seen it in person or studying it on tape, what makes it so difficult to pick it up?

JO ADELL: I think definitely what makes a really good change-up is the arm speed behind it. He's able to really maintain that arm speed, and it makes it tough to find of differentiate whether or not you're getting fastballs. And it's a tough pitch to lay off.

Obviously, our approach, we're going to have to get the ball where we want individually and not think along with him, and just stay on top of our best fastball and go to work.

Q. From your perspective, playing with Ohtani and Trout, two superstars, to getting here, what has it been like for you seeing José Ramírez lead in and out of the clubhouse in the regular season and now in the postseason?

JO ADELL: It's been special. Obviously Ohtani and Mike were great leaders and unbelievable players, obviously. And to be in this position and watch José and everything that he's had to go through to kind of stay on the field and be healthy and still be the José Ramírez that we all know, it's pretty cool to share a locker room and see it in person and be out there on the field with him. He's one special type of player.

He kind of gives you the feel of what baseball's supposed to be played like. Every play he's playing as hard as he possibly can. He's running everything out. He's picking up on small things.

When we were in Tampa, on that stolen base to third, when I hit that ground ball, that's an unbelievable baseball play and anticipation by him.

It's who he is. It's how he plays. It's how you should play the game. We are grateful to have him here. I'm grateful to be on the field with him.

Q. I know you've never been traded until a few months ago. At what point did you realize when you got here, hey, this might be a really good fit for me?

JO ADELL: Absolutely. Really, the first day I got here. The way I was treated when I walked through the door, just all the access, the way that this organization promotes high-level baseball and playing the game the right way.

And my attributes coming into this kind of felt like a great puzzle piece to the lineup.

We have a ton of players, a lot of guys, a lot of great players getting on base. Guys moving runners over. And my job of coming in and trying to get those runs in kind of being in the middle of the order to do so, definitely felt like a right fit.

Q. What have you learned about how Daniel Espino got to the big leagues, like the stuff he went through on and off the field? And what do you make of the way he's contributing for you guys now?

JO ADELL: He's been unbelievable. And obviously piecing together some of his history and everything that he's had to go through to kind of get to this point where he has that level of comfort and he's backfilling like the guy that he is and the player that he is. It's explosive.

And really for us, we're glad to have him and any which way that he can be out on the mound, it's been electric stuff and cool to watch.

Q. You mentioned that José play, stealing third there, what's going through your head in the batter's box when you see him take off? Did you talk to him or ask him about it afterwards just to get his perspective?

JO ADELL: It was kind of one of those things where I got a pitch that I knew I could hit hard, a well-placed pitch. The change-up was placed pretty well. I'm a low-ball hitter, and to hit the ball hard and hit it on that side of the field was probably going to happen on that particular pitch.

After I got in, we just pointed at each other and laughed because we knew how great of a baseball play it was. Him just knowing the count and knowing what's going on. It made everybody better, even on that singular play.

Q. Another question about José. Since you only played in another division, maybe you saw him six, seven games a year, what do you know now about him that maybe surprised you that you didn't know about him as a person, as a ball player now that you're in the same locker room?

JO ADELL: Yeah, I think one of the things is he's one of those guys where, how he plays and the excitement and the energy level that he brings to the field, and being on the other side and playing against it, you hope that when you're sharing a clubhouse with a guy like that, you're assuming that he's the same type of way. And that's how José is.

Every day he comes in here, he's bringing the spirits of everyone up. And just been a really good motivator. And like I was saying, in all aspects of the game, on and off the field, he's the type of guy that you want in your clubhouse.

He makes the younger guys better. He makes guys that aren't feeling too good about their game snap out of it and get back. He's an example of baseball, for sure.

Q. As you continue to go through the postseason, how does what you thought it would be like in the playoffs compare with what you've actually experienced thus far?

JO ADELL: Well, I'll say the excitement of the playoffs and every game mattering and kind of putting your own numbers and how you're feeling as a player, all of it gets pushed to the side, which is a really cool feeling because a lot of times during the season, you start thinking about your own stuff and your own stats, your own performance.

And we'll get out here, you never know when a small moment can change the outcome of the team, could change the outcome of, do you continue to play, do you not?

So just fighting with a group of guys that are trying to play to not go home is pretty special, and it really embodies full team play and the sport.

That's one thing I really got out of this, being in it so far.

Q. We've seen you wear Donovan Mitchell's jersey. He's worn your jersey. Just when did that bond begin and that relationship start to form itself?

JO ADELL: I'm originally from Louisville, Kentucky. Obviously everyone knows Donovan back home. I was always a huge fan. He was into baseball and all sports, his dad being involved in baseball.

We just kind of had that kind of relationship from afar at that point. I was a Louisville baseball commit.

When I got drafted by the Angels, was in Triple-A in Salt Lake City -- and obviously with the Jazz, there was a connection there.

So throughout, my career to this point, we've kind of been in passing of that connection. And obviously being here now in Cleveland and getting the opportunity to rep the jersey and kind of rep a little bit of that hometown feel and that feeling of we both are kind of in the same city again playing our sport and doing our thing. It was a pretty cool moment.

When he wore the jersey through the tunnel, that was pretty cool stuff. So I had to return the favor.