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AL DIVISION SERIES: ROYALS VS ASTROS

October 7, 2015

Dallas Keuchel

Kansas City, Missouri - Workout Day

THE MODERATOR: Bring in last night's winning pitcher and Sunday starter, Dallas Keuchel.

DALLAS KEUCHEL: Do I get to pick which seat I want?

Q. Can you just kind of put into words the last 48 hours? You guys have played a baseball game, thrown champagne on each other, played another baseball game, thrown champagne on each other. What's that been like for everybody?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: It's been fun. A lot of guys are chalking that first champagne shower up as practice for after the Wild Card. What a 48 hours it has been.

I wasn't able to go to sleep until about 8:30 this morning. Took a small nap on the plane just because I was exhausted, but it was still rowdy on the plane, coming to KC, and I'm hoping to experience some more fun after this Division Series.

Q. Just asked your manager about the home and road splits. Yours are somewhat similar. Doesn't seem to make sense that a pitcher in a hitter's ballpark has such incredible numbers that are so much better than on the road. Your numbers are good on the road, but microscopic at home. Do you have any explanation? Do you try to pitch to the bigger part of the center of the park? Is there any rhyme or reason?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: Absolutely not. I think I've just made more quality pitches at home, seems like. Made some quality pitches last night. I don't think I have an 8.50 ERA on the road. It's just a little bit higher than home. So I feel like I'm a quality pitcher on the road, and I think last year I had better numbers on the road.

So it's just one of those years where everything goes right at home and just the bigger, I guess, the bigger miscues are on the road.

Q. That being said, is there a comfort level in your park?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: Oh, always a comfort level at home just because of the fans supporting us and showing up.

So any time you can play at home is welcomed. It was very -- it was a very weird fan base yesterday. It was -- they were pretty bad on me, and although I didn't like it, I really did enjoy some of the stuff they were saying to me and what a great atmosphere.

Q. Dallas, is it hard to imagine 110 losses two years ago with the way this team's played this year?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: Yeah, I think about it every day. I mean, my first year in 2012 and 2013, 100 losses. So that's something I don't forget and that's something you'll never forget just how bad it was and how quickly we've turned things around.

Never want to go back there. So I'm always thankful every day I get to put this uniform on with the "Astros" on the front and enjoying winning.

Q. What do you think turned it around so quick?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: Well, I think some of the guys that -- some of the younger guys who were the core guys are maturing, brought in some true veterans who have had winning experiences in the past, and I think that just kind of mixed together real nicely right out of Spring Training and has just taken off from there.

Q. Dallas, you and Collin are obviously very different pitchers. What do you enjoy about watching him pitch and what do you think of the season he's given you guys?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: I like Collin just because he's had to fight for everything he's achieved. Kind of like myself. We've had to make a lot of adjustments throughout the course of our careers, and he's one of the better pitchers that I've seen in a very long time.

His command of that little cutter he's had, and I've seen that curveball for a number of years. I played one summer in the Cape with him and that curveball is one of the best curveballs I've ever seen.

So when he started getting command of that little cutter, along with that curveball, it just kind of rocketed him to an elite status.

And I know the advanced metrics like his spin rate on the curveball so those guys gush over that. But I see it every day, and he's a fiery competitor, but he's also calm and collected. I think Feldman likes to call him a hipster, drinking coffee and stuff like that.

But, man, he's done everything we've asked of him, and more. And I think he expects a lot out of himself just like I do, and it's a good combination.

Q. Couple questions for you, Dallas. You talked about enjoying this moment and enjoying where your career has come to. There were reports in New York and people, different media people and just people around town and New Yorkers saying they're seeing people with your beard walk around Times Square and all over the city for the last couple of days. When you think of that, what do you think when you hear something like that?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: Well, it's probably just their own beard, but it just looks like mine.

Q. No, no, these are the Keuchel ones. Keuchel's Korner made it to Times Square.
DALLAS KEUCHEL: It's nice just because this franchise has come a long way in the last three or four years. And if I can get some support from the fans, it just means that they're supporting the team overall.

And I'm very grateful to be in this position to help out this team. This is where I want to be, and we appreciate all the support we can get.

Q. And those 100-loss seasons you got to play for a couple of different managers. What specifically is so unique about A.J. and what he brings to the table?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: Well, he's very open with a lot of the guys. He's a former catcher. I know a lot of managers have been former catchers, but his communication to us, he really doesn't hold anything back. I think that's what separates him from everybody else that we've had.

Very open door. First day of Spring Training, it was calling me in. Just talked for like 10, 15 minutes about what the schedule's going to be like in Spring Training. And that's really never -- at least in my view, it's never happened before.

So that was kind of the beginning. I met him when he first got the job in Houston very briefly, but nothing major until Spring Training. And it's been that way ever since.

So if you need to go into his office and talk to him, he's there and he just lets us play.

Q. Two starts against the Royals this year, one was great and one rough start, but you kind of settled down after that. How about matching up with them and what kind of team they have and approach they have?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: They're a great team. They're very fun. They're fun to watch, and they're fun to pitch against, just because they have so much talent up and down the order. They've got table-setters. They've got power guys. They've got scrappy guys.

You name it, they've got it. They've got speed. As a competitor standpoint, I like facing the Royals just because I have to bring my very best each and every time out.

And it's a team that you have to get ahead of, because if you get behind, they can sit on location or a pitch and do some damage against you.

They did a good job the last start here of taking advantage of early pitches in the middle of the plate. So I'll have to clean some of that up. But what a joy, what a joy it's going to be to pitch Game 3 against them.

I mean, they were in the World Series for a reason last year. They were the most fun and the best team overall. I know they got hot, but they showed some signs throughout the course of last year that they were for real, and they made sure they did that in the postseason.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks for coming in, and that concludes the interview room for tonight.

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