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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 13, 2017

AJ Hinch

Houston, Texas - postgame 1

Houston - 2, New York - 1

THE MODERATOR: Take questions for A.J.

Q. Those first three innings it was a little bit of a pitchers' duel back and forth and then Altuve sprints out and gets an infield single and that got you started and Keuchel and all the stats. But it seemed like that was a classic Altuve move to get you guys going.
A.J. HINCH: It was. First off, that was a fantastic job by Dallas. And especially early on he and Tanaka going back and forth and nothing really happening. It was very quiet. Both pitchers were locked in, and then Jose gets on base and steals second, Correa comes up with the big hit, then later in the inning we get a two-out base hit by Yuli.

And what started out as an incredibly tight pitchers' duel, we felt like we had a huge lead at 2-0. Even though we know it's very, very small.

So not a surprise that Jose is involved and doing instinctual things on the bases, and also not a surprise that Dallas responded by continuing to pitch well.

Q. You touched on it pregame about Dallas's ability to adjust in the course of a game. What does it say about him that he got 10 strike outs when he's really known for getting ground balls?
A.J. HINCH: He got some ground balls that were pretty big too. But he was so good tonight and locked in mentally, he didn't give in at all. He was very convicted in his game plan, he controlled the bottom part of the strike zone, he even climbed a couple times, he had a good cutter, he had a swing-and-miss breaking ball, made huge pitches to end some innings, got a little bit of defensive help on some big plays and just continued to go out and got stronger as the game went on, which is an impressive characteristic when a starting pitcher can finish an outing the way that he did at a relative high pitch count at this time of year. You don't see a ton of guys get into the low 100s.

So very, very excellent performance.

Q. Marwin's defense and his arm has made a difference in these games and today it made the difference. Just what kind of impact does he have defensively?
A.J. HINCH: Yeah, Marwin is so versatile, but in a lot of ways we talk about that because he can play a lot of positions. Where that sells him short is that he plays them well. We need to talk about how good he is at every position, not just the fact that I can put him in any position. Back-to-back series now, and obviously Game 1 now, but where his defensive play is at the position that he's the least experienced at comes up with the biggest play.

So he's got a good arm, I've been leaving him out there late in games as I've gotten more comfortable with him and he's gotten more comfortable for those reasons. He really plays left field in this ballpark very well in the unique dimensions in left field. It's like having a short stop in left field, and having that kind of arm comes up big when he didn't give up on the play when Judge hit the ball to him.

Q. Keuchel had four strike outs through the first two innings. When he gets off to a start like that, does that really set a tone in a game like this?
A.J. HINCH: I think that it does for himself. I think when he knows he can get some swings and misses it sets him up to make big pitches. I'm always amazed by Dallas's ability to stay ultra focused and then dial it up just enough. I saw some 91s and 92s today. I saw some hard, hard cutters when he needed to establish that side of the plate. And then I saw the vintage movement. His ball was moving all over the place and they had a hard time centering him up. They only hit a couple balls hard. And he came up with big pitches in big moments.

So it all starts with his preparation, he's meticulous in that. And then tonight it looked like he had a little bit extra.

Q. Gonzalez, off Judge's bat, are you thinking that's a run?
A.J. HINCH: In our ballpark you never concede a run on a base hit to left because the depth that the guy plays at is just shallow enough to where if you're not in an elite runner it's hard to score on a base hit right at the guy, if he is moving one way or the other, if they're playing off that corner and the ball down the line, like where Correa hit that ball and Altuve's running.

But we never give up, never concede the play in left field, and Judge hit the ball fairly hard, it didn't come off the bat as hard as it can. But it was nice that Marwin stayed with the play and Mac hung in there to get the tag.

Q. What was your level of concern when Dallas went back on the disabled list and missed a lot of time, that you would be to this point and get to see this guy again?
A.J. HINCH: It was more about the season. I never doubted that Dallas was going to be able to get right and get back. But there was a gap in the season where when you lose one of your best pitchers there's always cause for concern. He's the anchor of what we're doing. He really sets the tone for the entire pitching staff, and to lose him during the season I was more concerned about that. I knew Dallas would find a way to get himself right and get himself ready, that was never in doubt.

But it never feels good when you're losing the guy, the guy that you turn the ball over to every five days to continue win streaks, to stop losing streaks, to set a tone for really good pitching staff that started with him.

Q. Giles, no stranger to five or even six out saves, is your confidence level giving him the ball in the 8th comparable to that in the 9th?
A.J. HINCH: Yeah, he's resilient and his stuff holds over the number of pitches. So I like that he can do that over and over again. We worked in September and he's not used to coming in the middle of the innings. I think that's the adjustment as a young closer to be able to come in in the middle of an inning, not start your own inning, you may have traffic, you might not. But he's gotten better and better as the outings have come.

But the fact that his stuff holds and the slider is good, the 97 to 99 holds, gives me a ton of confidence that once he comes in and gets the most critical out of the night, which was the Judge at-bat, goes back out, he's going to finish the night.

Q. You talked about his ability, Dallas's ability to focus. What do you see in him on days like today, like a big game before the game around the clubhouse?
A.J. HINCH: Yeah, he's pretty quiet on these days and focused on what he's doing. He studies a ton on the day that he pitches. He has a routine getting himself physically ready. He's got a very calm demeanor about himself on the day that he pitches. There's an edge to him like every good starting pitcher that it's his day. He's approachable, he's a guy that stays to himself a little bit on those days.

But it's more of a focus, it's an ability to control his emotions, to control himself and then ultimately control his fastball and that's where it starts from.

Q. I asked around to see if you had asked this question, so forgive me, along with Marwin's throw to the plate, the little things he does like moving the runner over that set up the winning run?
A.J. HINCH: Yeah. No, Marwin's an everyday player, we just don't know what position he's going to play on most days during the year. Obviously he's going to play a lot of left field in the playoffs.

But you can't overstate his importance to this team, not because he can just move around the field, that's not the hard part. The hard part is being really good and above average and being a contributor at these positions. I mean, when the season starts I'm always asking myself, how am I going to get Marwin in the lineup? As the season progresses it's a matter of who I'm moving around in order to get him some playing time because he earns it.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks.

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