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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 13, 2017

Jose Altuve

Houston, Texas - pregame 1

THE MODERATOR: Take questions for Jose.

Q. You talked the other day about how basically you're starting with zero hits, like what happened last series doesn't mean anything. Is that an important mindset to have, to not worry about what you've done so far as you start this game?
JOSE ALTUVE: Well, that's kind of like my plan, like my mindset. I got a couple hits my last series, but they don't count for this one. So I'm at zero right now. I have zero hits.

But then team-wise, it's really good to know that you played good against one of the best teams in the big leagues, the Red Sox, so you get a little confidence. You start humble about your team, but you go, okay, we have been playing good, this is good momentum. So I think if you can have a balance of humble with confidence, I think we're going to be good.

Q. When the Astros acquired Justin Verlander, did you think about the postseason? Was it one of the first things that crossed your mind was that, We got this guy who has more postseason experience than our other pitchers? Was postseason something that after the trade you thought about?
JOSE ALTUVE: You know, I remember I was at home that day and my brother told me, Hey, we got him, and I was like, No, we didn't. And then he was, Yes, we did. I remember I saw my phone and MLB At Bat said, Okay, Astros acquire Justin Verlander. And I couldn't believe it. I remember we had a day off the next day and I was like, I don't want to have a day off, I want to go play now, I want to see Justin with the Astros uniform.

So I think that that was my feeling, but I know that the other 24 guys in the team felt the same way about getting Justin Verlander. I was so excited and I was like, Okay, here we go. It's not a secret that we had a good team before him, before trading for him, but after we did that it's like, Okay, now we go, now we got everything we need. And I was really happy we got him.

Q. You mentioned momentum. Kind of a two-part question. How important is that for you going into this series? And number two, how confident are you whenever Dallas takes the mound?
JOSE ALTUVE: Like I said before, it's good to be, to feel that you played good in the last series, but as a team and as a player, the momentum it's, Okay, we're doing good. You want to keep helping your team. And those guys are there, they only talk about winning. They don't talk about, Okay, I want to hit a homer, I want to do this. No, no, it's okay, whatever happens we have to win this game, and that's what I like. That's what I like about this team.

The other one about Dallas, hey, I woke up this morning and I was like, Oh, Dallas pitching tonight, this is great. And I love when he pitches. He goes out there and he plays a hundred percent every time. He's very professional and he likes to pitch and we like to play behind him.

Q. Two quick questions. What can y'all carry into this series that maybe y'all learned from 2015, the guys that experienced that? And the second question, if you can talk about the development of Bregman throughout the season, going into postseason play, kind of the confidence he carries.
JOSE ALTUVE: Yeah, I think 2015 playoffs for most of those guys out there were their first playoff, including me. So I remember the fifth game we were winning by five runs, I think in the 7th and we lost that game. So I think that now we learned that we have to complete the 27 outs to win the game. You have to win three games to advance for the second series. Now you have to win four complete games, not like three and a half; you have to win all of them.

So that's what we learned, we stayed very humble, like I said, but we know we have a great team. And talking about Alex, he hit two homers last series but they were two important homers, like clutch homers. The first one he hit here was to get, to set the tone and to get the team going and the other one against them to tie the game. And then Josh, with his base hit, and Carlos Beltran with his double to finish it off.

So Alex is one of the best players that we have in the clubhouse, he's very young, but he also likes to work hard every single day. And I like the way he is because he's always looking for more. I'm really happy to have him on my team.

Q. When the Astros had the first pick and they took Correa back in 2012, you were already in the big leagues, how closely were you paying attention to that draft? And when did you know he would be a superstar?
JOSE ALTUVE: Well, the first of all, I think that in the big league team you know that the draft is coming, you kind of like have an idea who they're going to draft, but when they told me we drafted Carlos I was kind of like expecting to see how he was. He came here, he took a really good BP, it was kind of like surprising. But then he went to the minor leagues and started doing everything he did, put up some good numbers and played the game the right way, we called him up in 2015, right? Yeah. 2015. And I was like, Wow, this guy is amazing.

For me now, Carlos is like another level. He's one of the best players in the league. He's so young and he has accomplished things that are really hard to believe for just being 23 years old.

Q. A lot of people look at this series as one that features two MVP front-runners. Aaron Judge spoke very highly of you after they won the DS. What about Aaron Judge do you see impresses you and what makes him a good player?
JOSE ALTUVE: So, obviously, he's really strong. He hits the ball way farther than anybody in the big leagues, all his homers. He plays good defense, he did everything to win the MVP in the regular season. But what I like the most about him is how humble he is. I met him in the All-Star Game and he couldn't believe he was there. He was like, Wow, this is awesome. And I was like, Yeah, but I came here to watch you hit, you know, and I'm happy to be with you. And he was so humble and was like, No, no, no, I'm happy to be here with you guys. And if he wins the MVP, I think that it couldn't happen to a better guy, because he works really hard and I like the way he plays. He hits all his homers and he doesn't even -- you know, never enjoy it. And I was like, Wow, this guy is so good and he's so humble about it. And maybe another life I want to be Aaron Judge and hit all those homers.

Q. As a baseball fan, I know you're busy and intent on your series. Do you get a chance to watch the other series and if you have, what have your impressions been of the postseason this year?
JOSE ALTUVE: No, crazy games. The one yesterday, it was 9-8 and the 8th inning finishes out with a pick off to first base and then ground ball for double play. Kris Bryant beat it out to first base, and that was the key run right there.

So it's been crazy. I think the game, the other game, I don't remember which one, the Dodgers with the Diamondbacks, so it's been crazy playoff games, I love it. But I think I would rather be playing playoff games than watching on TV because watching I get too nervous.

Q. If you had a vote who would you pick for MVP?
JOSE ALTUVE: Probably him. Judge, yeah.

Q. Why?
JOSE ALTUVE: Because he hit a lot of homers, a lot of RBIs, he got on base a lot, and I like the way he plays. If I was a GM I want him on my team because he plays the right way and he's very humble.

Q. You talked about what you and the other players in there learned after 2015. What has Carlos Beltran helped you guys learn with all of his playoff experience?
JOSE ALTUVE: A lot. Carlos has been in the league for 20 years and he knows a lot. He goes beyond just hitting and defense, he gives you, like, little details that really help you to keep getting better and develop into the game.

Q. Can you give an example of that?
JOSE ALTUVE: No, I can't, because we are about to play a good series, so they're going to find out.

Q. The Astros will face Luis Severino tomorrow night, he has had an interesting postseason. In the Wild Card game he seemed to be nervous, he had a short outing. In the last round he pitched masterfully against the Indians. The Astros have played well against him, he's a guy who throws a hundred miles an hour. What are your thoughts about him as a pitcher and your chances against him?
JOSE ALTUVE: It's not easy to face Severino, he throws a hundred miles per hour and he has a very hard slider. So I know he's been through a lot this postseason, he pitched the Wild Card game, short outing, but then he came back to pitch against the Indians, he pitched seven strong innings. So you never take anything for granted, you got to go out there and try to do everything you can to hit it, because like I said, you're going to see a hundred coming out of his hand, and if you try to cheat maybe he's going to throw you a slider. So you got to be ready and just hope that you hit the ball for a hit.

THE MODERATOR: Jose, thanks so much for coming in.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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