MLB WORLD SERIES: RAYS VS BREWERS

October 23, 2026

Kevin Cash

American Family Field

Tampa Bay Rays

Pregame 1 Press Conference

Q. One thing that you guys and the Brewers both do well is develop talent in players who have already established themselves as Big Leaguers and improved those players. I was curious if you had thoughts about the role that you play and your coaching staff plays as educators as well as pushing buttons tactically?

KEVIN CASH: I think it's probably a mix of both. Our staff does a really good job of understanding the players coming in, appreciating what they're good at, and trying to reinforce those messages.

On the pitching side, really just pound the table. That's what Kyle does so well, he uses the phrase pump their tires about this is what you do well, let's go maximize this as much as possible.

Maybe there's some adjustments along the way, but it's really just to reinforce the belief and that confidence that they're really good at what they do.

Q. How are your hitter and pitcher meetings different when you play a team you haven't faced in six months than during the season where you might be seeing a team for the second time in two weeks?

KEVIN CASH: They're longer. There's a little bit more information. If we're playing a team in the division, I think there's probably even some series where we don't have a meeting, just knowing we'll have a brief touch-up on who's starting that night.

But our pre-advance meetings in these series are a little more detailed. We're so fortunate that we've got such a good scouting group that's been on the Brewers for probably close to a month now watching every game they've played, everything they've done. So anything they can provide for us, we're going to take it in and see if we can put it to use in helping give our players some information.

Q. As you talk to your coaches ahead of the meeting and narrow the information, how do you draw the line between enough and too much information for the guys?

KEVIN CASH: Good question. I don't know if I have the best answer. I think that's where the relationship with the staff and the player really comes. Chad Mottola, he's going to have the best understanding of how much to give a specific hitter. Kyle, the same way with the pitching group. Certain pitchers can take more information. Certain hitters need less information.

I think that's what makes them really good and separates them for being really good at their jobs, to know that and trust they're going to deliver the right message.

Q. Kevin, just the benefit -- looking ahead to tomorrow, the benefit for Rasmussen being on the extra rest, I would assume, would be maybe some extra pitches in the arsenal? Also, your appreciation for him pitching against this organization where he started and the journey he's obviously had?

KEVIN CASH: There's a lot of unique story lines here between Rays and Brewers. Ras is certainly one of them. I feel very strongly and very confident that we're making the right decision with Ras, just given how the workload's been. We want him to be at full strength and feeling really good when he gets on the mound.

Our information tells us over many, many times of doing this that that extra day plays a huge benefit.

Q. You've worked with Erik Neander for a long time, beyond the roster building capabilities, what do you appreciate most about the way he goes about his job?

KEVIN CASH: I think the way he treats everybody, the way he treats the people in the organization. He goes out of his way to make you feel important, special, and he is so receptive to hearing all different opinions. There's some opinions that make you scratch your head sometimes, but he's going to sit there and listen and really value it, put some thought into it, follow back up with you.

A lot of times, some of those that make you scratch your head, the next day we're sitting there saying that actually makes a lot of sense.

He's such a good leader of our group, but it starts with just the way he treats the individuals within the organization and all their families.

Q. What did you guys like about Cam Booser, and how much can you appreciate the road he's been on to get to the World Series?

KEVIN CASH: I can appreciate quite a bit. I saw the Netflix documentary when Tracy called him up, the emotion that was there. Learning a little bit more about the story, being out of baseball and then getting back in baseball. I don't know where we'd be without his contributions this year. He didn't make the club in the spring. I think he came in a month, four or five weeks up.

He's pitched with so much confidence. I think he's a better pitcher now than he was in Spring Training. The velocities he's shown, he's always been able to show them, but to be able to sustain them like he has this year is really, really impressive. He's gotten a ton of big outs already, and we're going to need him to get some more.

Q. People think of you guys as such a data-heavy organization. To have that small army of scouts out and about, how much has it helped you guys preparing for this series?

KEVIN CASH: Our scouts from the DS to Cleveland and then now to Milwaukee, they have poured themselves into understanding these clubs. Any little advantage, they're going to try to give it to us. Couldn't be more appreciative of the time they've spent away from their families sitting in ballparks, not just for 7:00 to 10:00, they're in these ballparks as soon as the club gets on the field for batting practice, for ground balls, trying to see any little tendencies.

Any little edge that we can gain, I'm confident, if it's out there, our scouts have given it to them because they're really good at what they do.

Q. What did you see in Bryan Baker when you all are facing him and then after you acquired him to make you think he'd be as good of a ninth-inning guy as he's been? What's impressed you the most about how he's kind of taken on that role?

KEVIN CASH: I don't think we thought Bake was going to come in and be the type of closer he was this year. That would be unfair to put that type of label on anybody.

I think we saw a really good pitcher. Our front office and Erik saw a really good pitcher that we could help thicken up our bullpen a year and a half ago. He did come over, got some big outs, and with injuries early on in Spring Training, early on during the regular season, I think the closer role just kind of evolved, where he took it, ran with it, and it kind of made it easy.

This guy likes pitching in the ninth. He's doing about as well as you could possibly do getting the last three outs of the game, and let's not mess with it.

Q. What was the thinking behind Cleavinger on the roster and then Hopkins off?

KEVIN CASH: Clev spent -- right there at the end of the season, went on the IL, and I think it took him a little bit of time to overcome just some arm fatigue.

He threw the ball well going into the ALCS, and we made a decision, like we didn't want to rush it. Then I think you look at him being able to stay -- basically keep his arm in shape, throw to some hitters throughout the CS and definitely on the days off in between, given Milwaukee's left-handedness or potential to be left-handed, I think that can really help us.

Q. We know a lot of people have opinions about playing at The Trop. What are some of the unique or different things about playing in this building? They said the roof is going to be closed tonight.

KEVIN CASH: I don't really know. I haven't played here enough to really know what's unique. I would imagine this place is going to get really loud and rocking.

I saw the ball hit up there against the Padres. I think that probably happens less frequently here than maybe it does at The Trop.

There's some little nuances in the outfield with the wall and stuff like that, but I think our guys -- yesterday was a good day to get out there, run around the outfielders to see how the ball caroms off the walls in the crooks and the crannies and all that stuff, and we'll make the adjustments as needed.

Q. I know you touched yesterday on getting Liam, but just specifically defensively with the unique situation he was coming from where he's not a full-time catcher, they're calling pitches in a different way. How did you know kind of what to expect from what he would be able to handle at the midway mark?

KEVIN CASH: He had called pitches before. We totally appreciated the Marlins' stance on calling pitches from the dugout. With that, I'm assuming that Liam is very much under the hood on why they're making those decisions and how they're coming up with a game plan.

Then the lack of reps when we acquired him came because I think they had a young catcher come up and take most of those reps, but Liam's bat is what really stood out. We thought that, as a catcher, he was going to be plenty good enough, and with some tweaks here and there, he was going to do great for us, and he has.

He's worked really hard to learn our pitching staff. He's worked really hard to get rid of the baseball, to help on the running game side of it, and the hitter that we've seen, he's been that from day one.

Q. You just talked about Garrett Cleavinger, you just activated him. What role do you think he could play in this series?

KEVIN CASH: I think he could play a really big role. If you look at Garrett Cleavinger and what he's done for our organization over the last couple seasons, he's been as impactful as any reliever, certainly a left-handed reliever in maybe the American League. He's come in and gotten a lot of big outs for us.

I know this season there were some injuries and stuff that went down there at the end, but he's pitching with some confidence right now. I'd like to find a way to find him a little bit of a soft landing here in this Game 1 or Game 2 and then if he can come give us some big outs as we get deeper into this series.