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AL DIVISION SERIES: ROYALS v ANGELSOctober 4, 2014Eric HosmerMike MoustakasKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: Workout Day Q. A question for each one of you: How many times did you hit those home runs as a kid in your backyard, and what was it like doing it for real? MIKE MOUSTAKAS: You know, it's something you always kind of dream about as a kid, hitting a big home run in a big game, playing little league, running around the bases and all that stuff. It's something you always think about when you're younger, but to actually do it in a stage like that was an awesome feeling. Words couldn't really describe what I felt like running around those bases. ERIC HOSMER: Yeah, similar to what Moose said. You always dream about situations like that. We've had plenty of guys that have been in plenty of situations and have stepped up for us in that moment. You know, up to this point it's been a lot of fun, and like Moose said, those are definitely moments you dream about as a kid in the backyard. Q. Comment on coming home up 2‑0 in the series. ERIC HOSMER: Yeah, to go into a tough environment in LA, and they've got the best record in the American League, to take two wins from there and come back home and have our ace on the mound, it's definitely a good feeling. But at the same time, we realize how dangerous that team is, and we realize we haven't done anything yet as a team. We've just got to come take care of business, and when you've got teams like that on the ropes, you've got to take advantage of it and put them away. MIKE MOUSTAKAS: Yeah, exactly what he said. We're happy we went into Anaheim and were able to come out with two wins, but this next game is the most important game of the season. We've got to go out there, got to be able to finish them off at home in front of this great crowd. Again, like Hos said, it's a dangerous team over there, got a lot of great players. We've just got to go out there and play our game, play our brand of baseball and take care of business. Q. Talk about the home crowd, given the way they were on Tuesday night. ERIC HOSMER: Yeah, the game with Oakland, there was a lot of energy. We feed off that energy, and they feed off our energy. That's why we never count ourselves out. Every time somebody would get on base and everyone is at their feet, it brings energy to us. It's definitely going to be a fun environment. A lot of people have been waiting for this for a long time. It'll be a fun environment whenever the next game is. MIKE MOUSTAKAS: Yeah, playing in front of these fans here, it's awesome, unbelievable. This crowd is electric. When we get a guy on base, everyone is on up on their feet and we feed off that. We feel that and we're able to kind of gain a little bit more from what the fans are giving us. They've been electric in that Wild Card Game, and we know they're going to be just as electric if not more in this game coming up. We're real excited to play in front of these fans at home. Q. I know you want to win the game, of course. You want to win the series as soon as you can.  But if you could close it out in three, would it be beneficial to have a couple of extra days' rest, kind of rest your nerves and rest your bodies? MIKE MOUSTAKAS: I think the nerves are kind of out of it after that Wild Card Game. We battled, we scratched, we clawed all the way back in that game, and we're just going out and playing baseball right now. As far as the days off, it would be nice to have a couple days off and maybe set up that rotation or do whatever Skip does and all that, but we just want to go out and win a ballgame. This game is important. That's a dangerous team over there. You can't give them any leeway. You've got to go out and get them while they're there. We're up two right now. It would be nice to finish them off with one game here. Q. It's almost as fun watching you guys in the dugout as it is watching the game. The enthusiasm you show, and you two are the ring leaders. Big Game James, everyone kind of follows their lead. You guys, how much fun are you having right now? It just seems like‑‑ you talk about‑‑ I was here in '85, and it has been a long time. I hope you realize how much everybody in the city, the community, the metro area is enjoying this, but how much fun are you guys having right now? MIKE MOUSTAKAS: This is the most fun playing baseball I've ever had. There's nothing like the postseason. You dream about getting to this spot as a kid, as a high school player, as a minor league baseball player, you dream about playing in October. It's awesome, and as far as the enthusiasm, I mean, we just believe so much in each other, and we're pulling so hard for each other that if anybody does anything good, gets on base, gets a walk, any one of those little things can start something, and we know how important that is. Salvy is in the dugout cheering his head off, me and Hos are the same way. Even the dugout, the guys that weren't here all year, they're up there screaming, cheering us on, and that's kind of how this team is. It's how we're built. It's one big family in here. When you see your brother get a hit and you see your brother hit a two‑run home run to win a game, excitement just kind of overtakes you, and you really don't know what's going on, you're just out there cheering. Q. Do you think one of the keys to this series so far has been that you've been able to set the tone and the games up to now have been more Royals'‑style baseball than Angels' baseball? ERIC HOSMER: Yeah, I think obviously our pitching has kept us in it. They've been coming in in some tough situations, especially the bullpen, and they've been coming in in some do or die situations and they've been giving us a chance. The first couple nights we got off to a couple leads and they bounced back, but couldn't respond and really do anything until late extra innings. But that's all the pitching and the bullpen right there. They put us in that spot. They gave us an opportunity to come up with the big hit. It's been a complete team effort from everybody, from the defense to the pitching to getting the timely hits and the big home runs. It's definitely our style, and when we're battling bullpen to bullpen in late innings right there, we definitely feel confident with the guys we're rolling out there. Q. This might be a hard thing to pinpoint, but was there a point in time this year when you guys really started to feel comfortable playing this type of baseball, these close games? MIKE MOUSTAKAS: I think it really dates back to when we first got called up. I mean, we played a lot of one‑run, two‑run ballgames when we first got called up and we weren't winning many ballgames. We were losing those one‑run, two‑run games, and as the games progressed and as we played more, we were able to find ways to win and find ways to get one run and get to that bullpen, and I think starting from then and learning how to win those one‑run games, it's important, is finding ways to win. We have guys on this team that can do all sorts of things. You get on first base in the eighth inning and you've got Jarrod Dyson or Terrance Gore coming outs there to steal third, all it takes is one hit to win a game. We're finding ways to win and we learned how to win those one‑run games earlier in the season and even last year. I think it helped us relax in those situations. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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