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AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX VS INDIANSOctober 6, 2016Jason KipnisAndrew MillerCleveland, Ohio - Postgame one Cleveland - 5 Boston - 4 Q. Andrew, the first inning you were in, guys on first and second, the 2-2 pitch, you got David Ortiz, could you go through that? ANDREW MILLER: Yeah, not the situation we wanted to be in. I think I'd like to come in and execute a little better early on. But found a way. I think a little excited, a little overamped for the situation. I think, just like I said, trying to settle in. I think I was a little overexcited. My breaking ball was not close to the zone, I'd like to execute better. Buchholz is a really good hitter, and I know it's a lineup with perennial All-Stars. Names we recognize as being some of the best in the game. He may not have that same recognition, but he deserves it. I fell behind the count, he hit the ball hard. I thought there were a couple of good pitches off the plate to Mookie, he laid off them, didn't want to get hurt there, and unfortunately found myself facing David in that situation. But just trust it. I'm prepared. I can make a pitch and get out of it. Q. Jason, on that three-home run inning, on the third one you were hanging off out of the dugout. What was it like watching that? JASON KIPNIS: After the first one it was exciting. After mine it was even kind of getting nuts in there. And the third one our dugout was kind of losing it. We played with a lot of energy. We played with a lot of emotion. That's the way our team goes. We've got up and down the lineup, 25 guys who are baseball players who love to compete and we ride the waves. And that was a pretty high one, starting with Roberto with a great at-bat. Q. Jason, as a hitter, what's it like when you have to face a guy like Andrew Miller in the fifth inning? JASON KIPNIS: Miserable. Especially as a lefty hitter. I know what those pitches look like, I've faced them, I've walked back to the dugout with my head down after every time seeing him. And it's as much confidence as I have on defense is as little confidence I have hitting against him. You really have to pick your spots against him and kind of get lucky. You have to guess right. And after guessing right you kind of have to execute. It's not a fun at-bat for lefties or anybody. Q. Andrew, since you've gotten here you've prided yourself on being able to pitch in any situation. And then you go out and throw 40 pitches. Is that an indication of how much these games mean and what you're trying to accomplish there? ANDREW MILLER: Yeah, I think at this point we're all ready to go every day. We'll find a way. You prepare yourself, you try to take care of yourself. This organization, it's unbelievable what they provide us to kind of go through what it takes to feel good. You've got to take advantage of that tomorrow and find a way to get out there. This is a selfless team. This win sums up who we are. Trevor was awesome. We grinded out at-bats, took bases, the bullpen stepped up, and that's the way we win games, and a lot of fun to be a part of. Q. Andrew, did you and Tito talk about you potentially coming in as early as the fifth and what was the earliest you would have come in? ANDREW MILLER: He didn't put a number on it. But I knew to be ready early. I think everybody is at this point. These games are a little bit different. We have more off days. We just had a few off days, we have one coming up. It's the way the schedule works. Like I said, there's so much adrenaline in these games you find a way. It's a little bit of a different animal. And these games are important, we'll find a way to be out there. Q. Andrew, is it difficult to be ready at different intervals of the game, going in? Is that hard to adjust to? ANDREW MILLER: I don't think so. I think every reliever outside -- there's 30 closers, and most teams have a setup man. There's 7 guys for most teams. The other five guys have to pitch from the first inning to the 9th every day. That's the role I've been in in the majority of my career. I had one year where I had that nice role. Ultimately I think most of us just find a way to go out and pitch when called upon and do the best we can. Q. Andrew, what you just did was kind of unprecedented. For a reliever as good as you to come in the fifth. It's asking you to look too much in the future, but could you see that being the way things go in the future? ANDREW MILLER: I mean, I think that certainly bullpens are kind of being adjusted right now. They're certainly something everyone talks about. Everyone wants to talk about the Royals the last few years. I saw what Boston did in '13. I was part of Baltimore in '14. Maybe as more and more stats come out, we realize there's bigger moments in the game than the eighth and ninth inning, and that can be appreciated. But the playoffs are a different animal. And it's something that whenever Tito asks anybody to pitch, we're all going to be ready to go. That's the reality of the situation. It's going to be the same way on the other side for the Boston guys. We'll find a way. Q. You were here in '13, how did the atmosphere tonight compare with what you felt? JASON KIPNIS: It was just as good. They came with it. I think it was different for me than it was for the crowd. The crowd was fantastic both times out. I think in '13 the first time around I might have built it up to be a little too much -- made it too hard on myself, I gripped it too tight and the nerves got the best of me. This time around with just the way the ballclubs played, I was able to settle in. Having a series instead of a nine-inning game, you don't have to press as much. It's the next series on the schedule. And I thought we did a great job of treating it that way. In terms of the crowd, the red towels were out just like last time, and they were loud when they needed to be, and loud when they didn't need to be. And that's just exactly what you want out of a hometown crowd. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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