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MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS VS DODGERSOctober 26, 2017Alex BregmanChris DevenskiHouston, Texas - Workout Day Q. Chris you've had a couple of outings here in the World Series. A.J. just spoke how he has a lot of confidence in you, even though you had struggles. What does it mean for you to get out there and be on the mound when the game ended, especially that game and all the things that happened? CHRIS DEVENSKI: It definitely meant a lot for me. I'm glad he's had my back throughout the whole year, through my ups and downs. It was very special. And I felt like I built up some momentum and will keep it rolling. Q. Alex, you've played for A.J. for a while, what makes A.J. the right fit for this group? ALEX BREGMAN: Just that example right there, he just believes in every single one of us. And he shows that he has confidence in everybody on our roster. He's a motivator, and he's a guy you want to play for. A guy that you want to go run through a wall for. Q. With a night to reflect, can you just maybe put in perspective what that was like last night, maybe what kind of lift that might give you forward, coming back and winning a game like that? ALEX BREGMAN: Actually when I was getting off the plane with Beltran, I was talking to him, and I was like, what was going through your head when Altuve hit the homer? He was like, "We were going crazy in the dugout." Then I was like what about when Correa hit his, what about they theirs, and they hit theirs (laughter). We were just going back and forth. And it was an incredible game. It was just fun to be a part of. And it gave us a little bit of momentum, and we're happy to be home, play in front of these fans in Houston. CHRIS DEVENSKI: There was tons of emotion, up and down. Definitely a game for the memory books. It will never be forgotten. A game like that, in Game 2, that shows that this is going to be an exciting series, especially being back in Houston now, and doing in front of the fans in Houston. Q. You've had some big hits against lefties all year for this team, especially in the postseason. Why do you think your swing is built so well to hit the left-handed pitchers? ALEX BREGMAN: Last year it was the exact opposite. I think I hit .210 off left-handed pitching and .300 off right-handed pitching. But I think that one change that I made this year, against left-handed pitching I'm not trying to force the ball the other way, I'm not trying to guide it into the four-hole. And my whole life I always thought, a lefty is pitching me, I better hit the ball the other way in the four-hole. And this year I've actually just said, I'll hit the ball where it was pitched. If they throw me away, I'll try to go to right-center. If they throw me in, I'll try to go to left-center, and I think it's paid off. Q. Alex, you're still so early in your career, you performed well this postseason, especially defensively, too. Just how are you handling everything and making sure the moment doesn't get too big, and just keeping everything sort of even-keeled? ALEX BREGMAN: Yeah, right before the postseason started I talked to Carlos Beltran and asked him a few questions. And I said, "You're one of the best postseason players in the history of the game. I want to know what makes you successful in the postseason." And he said, "The biggest thing during the postseason is to stick to your approach. Stick to what you're trying to do. Don't let the moment get too big. And if you're a guy who is a line-drive hitter, be a line-drive hitter. You don't need to be anything extra in the postseason. Just stick to your plan, what's worked for you." And I think really that's all I've really tried to do this postseason is just try and be myself. Q. You guys are 6-0 at home in the postseason, you have three games where if you take care of your business you could close this thing out. How confident are you coming back home? And also could you address whether you roof, whether you want it open or closed? CHRIS DEVENSKI: We want it closed. We've got to have it closed. I feel the electricity when it's closed is so much better. And we love playing here. We have so much excitement being here and the electricity and the vibe. And I feel like we feed off of it. Q. Can you talk about what Harvey has meant and how this team has helped the city rebound since then? CHRIS DEVENSKI: Yeah, I mean, you know, it's no secret that this city has endured a lot throughout the whole year. This being our home city and us being on the road at the time when all that tragedy went on was -- it touched me, and you can ask everyone in the clubhouse in different ways. And all we wanted to do was get back and lend in a hand. And we weren't able to, we had to go play those games in Tampa. When we did get back and we helped the way we could with the resources we had. It made us feel pretty special. And then to do this for them is going to be even more special. ALEX BREGMAN: First, we want the roof closed, no doubt about it. If we had the choice we'd say roof closed. But no matter if it's opened or closed, we're going to take it one pitch at a time, and we're happy to be playing in front of our home fans. And there's something special when we play at Minute Maid Park in front of Houston people. Q. Last night with the eight home runs, it's kind of an example of what went on all through the season. Have you noticed the change in the way the game is played with the home runs the last three years? CHRIS DEVENSKI: I haven't really been paying attention to that. My job is to focus on executing my pitches and going out there and holding the lead for my team when my name is called upon. I'm very happy that offensively our team was able to hit those home runs. They've been doing that all year long. That's what I notice. I notice what my team is doing. It was super exciting. Q. If you could look back to when you were first called up to now, how much do you feel like you've grown and developed in that time? ALEX BREGMAN: I think a ton, just being around this coaching staff, these teammates. It's hard not to get better, with how much knowledge they have for the game. If you're willing to put in the work and put in the effort every single day with the knowledge they have, you're going to get better at the game. And I feel like just feeling like you belong in the Big Leagues is a big thing. And once you start contributing and helping the team win, you really feel like you belong, and it takes the pressure off of you to just play like you know how. Q. Give us an idea what McCann does for you. Last night, high-leverage situation, it looked like Puig went around, called a check swing. Give us an idea, you don't have to tell us exactly what he said. CHRIS DEVENSKI: From day one I met Brian he's believed in me and has seen things in myself that I haven't really seen in myself, which has been huge and helped me progress this whole year. We've been on a good page lately. I told him -- I've been struggling sometimes here and there, man, and that wasn't the best of my performance. But he told me it really wasn't that bad, and kind of gave me a good perspective. Last night he came out there, and we were on the same page and he was telling me I've got to beat them with my best stuff. And I have so much trust in him. And from what he's done in this game and the knowledge he knows. I was able to execute that pitch. Q. How much does that help your confidence, saying we can pitch around this guy, do this, go at him with your best stuff? CHRIS DEVENSKI: It gives me a bunch of confidence, knowing the defense I have behind me also can make great plays at any time. And also, in that situation, it was throw my pitch, throw what I was going to do to get him out. Q. As a player-to-be-named-later five years ago, what's the journey been like for you to get to this point, and winning a game in the World Series? CHRIS DEVENSKI: It's been a lot of ups and downs. Steady, steady work, continually trying to get better, and learn as much as I can along the way. And I'm very thankful for the people I'm surrounded by. I've learned from every single guy on this team and every single person in this clubhouse, coaching staff included. And it's been fun. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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