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MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS VS DODGERS

October 28, 2017

Dallas Keuchel

Houston, Texas - pregame 4

Q. You guys have taken a lot of questions about Harvey over the last three or four weeks or so, but can you talk a little bit about if you guys are getting support from outside of Houston, from places like Port Arthur, Corpus Christi, places like that that were hit, as well? Do you feel that support or do you feel you're playing for all of south Texas as well as Houston?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: Absolutely. When you break it down, we represent all of Texas. I know there's two teams in Texas, but when there's so much devastation and in particular in Houston and Corpus, where we have a Minor League affiliate, it makes it feel like your home had been devastated, and that's what we had talked about playing for after everything.

It was just so weird for that three-game road trip going to Anaheim, to where we had no idea what was going on back home. And at that point when we couldn't come back home to help out in any way possible, that's when we said, hey, we're going to finish this season for all of Houston and everybody who's been affected.

But, yeah, it definitely resonates back home just because personally I played in Corpus and the surrounding areas.

Q. You didn't have all that much history against most of their hitters heading to Game 1. Now that you've seen them, they've seen you, how does it change going into tomorrow?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: Honestly it doesn't change much. And I didn't feel at my best in Game 1. So to me that's going to work in my favor, although they've seen my pitches. They've seen how certain pitches move, and the late movement and this and that, the shape of each pitch. You still have to go out there and beat Charlie Morton tonight, who has a much different repertoire than I do. So the most recent is going to be the last couple of games, which was Lance McCullers, Peacock, and then Chuck today.

That's going to be a fun Game 5, just based on I just faced this team five days ago, and we'll see what kind of adjustments they make to me and what kind of adjustments I make to them.

Q. You mentioned you didn't feel your best against them in Game 1. How so?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: I just didn't feel like the finish on my pitches were right, and that happens. Through the course of the whole season if you get 34 starts, I think a lot of the better pitchers would say you only feel at your best a handful of times. And the in-between those handful of times is where you really establish how good you are. Because if you have a four-pitch mix and only two pitches are working that day, you make do with what you have. And that's why guys like Kershaw and Verlander have done it so long, is that they're not always at their best, but they look at their best because they know they have one or two pitches in their back pocket. And all of a sudden the third or fourth pitch comes around the fifth, sixth inning, and then all of a sudden you see a complete-game win.

That's what I meant at my best. Physically I felt great. The only thing that bothered me was the sun, it was literally in my face in the bullpen. I had never been at Dodger Stadium for a 5:00 game before. Couldn't even see McCann or the plate warming up. It was kind of fuel warmup, and obviously when I got to the mound, that was when the fun started.

Q. As a guy who was here for a 100-loss seasons, and the rebuilding of the club the last four or five years, how much would it mean to you to be pitching in a clinching scenario tomorrow night?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: I don't think it would be any different because when you get to the World Series, that's the greatest feeling. To be in a position to clinch would be awesome, just because that means we're taking care of business.

But we're going to have our hands full tonight with Alex Wood, he's been tremendous for them and for what he's started, I think he was 11 or 12 and 0. He possesses a challenge in itself. But the way we play at home, how comfortable we feel here, and just how guys are able to relax in the moment instead of tense up and be nervous is amazing.

So if I were to be able to pitch tomorrow in a clinching game, that would be really cool. But the World Series is pretty cool in itself. Each day I get to go out there and pitch or not pitch, and just watch is more than I could ever ask for.

Q. What was your reaction to Yuli's gesture last night, and what was your thought on his suspension today?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: Honestly, I don't really have that much of a comment. I honestly didn't see it, it was so quick. But guys make mistakes and we need to move on. And he's very sorry for what he did, I know that. I didn't see it until this morning, actually. So I know the buzz was last night.

But Yuli is a guy that I can call my friend, and somebody that would never want to disrespect anybody. He knows he made a mistake and he's very sorry for it. And I know that Yu was very commendable and wants to move on, as well. So hopefully we'll put this past us and learn from it. I know he's going to serve his five games at the start of 2018. Hopefully he'll come out tonight and play well.

Q. Does that serve as any distraction to the team, especially it seems to have so much momentum right now in the series?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: I don't think so. Like I said, Yuli is a guy that comes to the park and works hard at his craft. And he's been very fortunate to come over from Cuba. And he knows the opportunity that he has here. And the fans love him here.

It would be a distraction, I would say, if he was a guy that was so flamboyant and always making trouble off the field or on the field, and that's not Yuli. So under no circumstance is that going to be a distraction. I firmly believe that he's going to come out and play like he has, not only in the postseason but in the regular season, as well.

Q. You guys were so adamant you wanted this roof closed. Did you get the reaction from your fans, and did you get the loudness that you expected? Was it more or less, what was it?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: Oh, it's always more than I expect. And when I think about it in my head it's one way, but then it's actually better each and every time just because we love our fans. We love the city. We like when people come out in the orange. And it's just filled.

It was pretty impressive at Dodger Stadium to see all the white and blue. And I could only spot five or six orange Astros shirts or jerseys. So to replicate that here back in Houston is amazing, as well, just because how great and knowledgeable our fans are and how much they mean to us.

Q. You were mentioning earlier every night in the World Series, even if you're watching, it's been great. I know you have great confidence when Justin has the ball. What's the confidence level you personally have when see Lance out there? Might have not had his best stuff out there, grinded through Peacock. What's your confidence level in these other guys?
DALLAS KEUCHEL: I think we had the best rotation in baseball. And when we signed Charlie Morton to the two-year deal this past offseason, it really made our rotation a whole. And that's a guy who hasn't really pitched that much the last couple of years. But he's had some success and he wants to be a guy. And that's not something that the outside world can see, only inside the clubhouse is where you can see it. So when I say that, I'm not just blowing smoke. I firmly saying that because I believe that.

Confidence level is always high with everybody. And I'm a fan of baseball first and foremost, not only of my own craft, but watching everybody else. And that includes all of our starters, all of our relievers, and extends to other pitchers in the game.

But whenever our guys are on the mound, it's pure joy in my mind because we have the guys who want to get it done in crunch time. I said the other day there would be no other guy that would be better for the moment, coming home for our hopefully our first World Series win at home than Lance McCullers, because he thrives off this situation so much, he feeds off the fans. Like you said, he didn't have his best stuff, but his mediocre stuff is very good.

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