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MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS VS DODGERS

October 31, 2017

Dave Roberts

Los Angeles, California - postgame 6

Houston Astros - 1, Los Angeles Dodgers - 3

Q. Once you guys get that lead, can you take us through the last nine outs. Is it excruciating, is it tense, is it exciting? Give us all the emotions of the last nine outs.
DAVE ROBERTS: I think intense. You're just counting outs and knowing that team over there doesn't quit. And just trying to make sure that we put our guys in the right spots, trying to tack on some runs. But I guess "intense" is the word.

Q. Don't mean to second-guess you, but wonderful job with the relievers relay today. Please take us through that.
DAVE ROBERTS: I just felt that obviously Rich came out and threw the ball really well, and matched Verlander pitch for pitch. Really was outstanding. And I just felt that at that point, get a guy on base, you've got second and third, and put the guy on base and punch out Verlander. For me, I just felt that that was, with Verlander on the mound, that was going to be the game.

So a guy that we've trusted all year long in that spot, I felt that you have to use that bullet in Brandon Morrow, and I've believed in him all year long. And he came through in the biggest spot of the season.

Q. You've been in the game your whole life. What does a Game 7 mean to you?
DAVE ROBERTS: Never been a part of a Game 7. So this is when you're a young kid and you're kind of trying to play through all the heros and heroics and talking about a Game 7 in the World Series, and here we are. I know that we happy to be at home. And tonight was very energetic, exciting. I know we love being in front of our fans, and I know we'll be ready to win a baseball game.

Q. You've been talking about all series Bellinger's defense. How big a play was that pick at first base?
DAVE ROBERTS: That's the thing about Cody and a lot of our guys, where tonight the bat wasn't there, but he made some very huge defensive plays. Altuve bat was a game changer. When you get a young player that isn't there with the bat but can still have the presence of mind to still play defense and impact the game, that's what we get in Cody.

Q. A little further on the bullpen bouncing back and Morrow having pitched every game so far this postseason. Just how encouraged are you about how strong he was?
DAVE ROBERTS: Very much so. I know that the off-day did him well, and talking to him he felt good and wanted the baseball again. I think at this point in time in the season I think it's really, speaking for our guys, it's not about the workload. Every guy on our staff wants the baseball. And this is what they train for. This is what guys live for. So to see Brandon respond the way he did. I'm not surprised and obviously very encouraged.

Q. Obviously you can't win Game 7 unless you get there. But mindful in going and asking six outs from Jansen, but he only used 19 pitches, how critical for tomorrow?
DAVE ROBERTS: It's very critical. And he put us in a position where you could entertain him going out there for the ninth. When I used him, when I called on him in the eighth. I wasn't certain. I just knew that part of the order, I just wanted him to attack those guys. And if he wasn't as efficient in the eighth, then I would have been put in a different situation to call on to close that game out.

Kenley, very efficient tonight. I think 18, 19 pitches. Tomorrow is Game 7, so it's all hands on deck.

Q. Considering the give-and-take nature of this series, does it feel fitting that we have a Game 7 tomorrow? Because it feels like neither of you could get away from the other?
DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, I think it seems fitting. You've got the two best teams in baseball going head to head. Like we've talked about from the beginning, these two teams mirror one another. And the compete and fight in both teams is the most important thing I see as similarities. But, again, we worked all year long to have home-field advantage, and here we are. It's only fitting for this series, yeah.

Q. Baseball is a game of redemption and we saw a lot of it today with Joc Pederson, with Morrow, with Maeda. Can you talk about the resiliency of this team to reach this point.
DAVE ROBERTS: It's been that way all year. And I think it's not easy to kind of always have good results, but to see the fight, resiliency, the no quit, the playing for one another, we have that in our clubhouse. So when you see you get hit in the mouth and you see the guy respond by wanting the baseball again and wanting another chance for redemption or whatever you want to term it, that's a good thing. So our guys aren't afraid of the moment. And we've put a lot of time into this moment right here. So we're not done yet.

Q. How much do you think Clayton can give you tomorrow?
DAVE ROBERTS: I think part of it is how efficient he is. But I know that he was up in the pen today. So one reason I wanted to stay away from him is so we could get him a little bit more tomorrow. So when you're talking about Clayton Kershaw, Game 7, I think anything's within reason. So now when we look at what we have, we're going to go through it and think how we can kind of get through, navigate tomorrow. But knowing that we have Alex Wood, Clayton, and everyone else available, that's a good sign. But Clayton, it's hard to put a number on him.

Q. Talk about Joc Pederson adding the insurance run in the seventh inning. And does that validate having him on the postseason roster, because he's had some big hits in the World Series?
DAVE ROBERTS: I think the validation, that ship sailed. We knew that he earned it. He made sense for our roster. And so he continues to come out with big hits. And that one right there, to add a little extra cushion, and a bloop and a blast can change a game. That was a huge hit by Joc. And he continues to amaze us and put together good at-bats.

Q. How did choose to go after Altuve in a big spot?
DAVE ROBERTS: It was a big spot. There was a lot of big spots tonight. But Kenta, talking about redemption, and just to get another opportunity to pitch some big outs right there, and you've got an MVP at the plate. And for Kenta to get those outs, bridge that gap, like he's done for us in this postseason was huge. And Kenta keeps coming up big. Especially after his last outing to respond like that, says a lot about Kenta. Can't say enough about the pick that Cody made. That was huge.

Q. Your gut decision-making versus the information you have at your disposal, if you had to put a percentage on how much you lean on one or the other, where would you put that? As this series gets tighter, does that change at all how much you depend on one or the other?
DAVE ROBERTS: I know it's more gut than information, and eyes. I want to put eyes with my gut. I don't know, I'd have to think through that one. But certainly it's a combo. And right there I think that the pivotal point right there -- and Rich just gave us what he got. And gave us a chance to win. And for me, I just felt that in that one particular spot, Brandon gave us the best chance to get out the hitter, Bregman. So that was kind of my gut.

Q. Starting Logan tonight, the same thing?
DAVE ROBERTS: With Logan it was -- yeah, it was my gut. And I think that Chase, you have a chance to use him in the pitcher's spot, which we did. But with Logan the at-bats that he's taken all throughout the postseason, regardless of handedness, I liked the quality, and I love the defense, too.

Q. What do you credit this victory to?
DAVE ROBERTS: The players. The players. They came up in big spots.

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