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NL DIVISION SERIES: BRAVES VS DODGERS

October 4, 2018

Manny Machado

Los Angeles, California - pregame 1

Q. Manny, how do you think the adversity that you guys went through towards the end of this season better prepares you for this post-season run?
MANNY MACHADO: Makes us a better ball club, obviously. I've been on the other side watching them for the last couple of years, and definitely it was a little easier for them to get to where they were. And this year, we had to deal with a little more -- there was a lot better teams in our division. We were fighting with Colorado. They were giving us a hard time, so it made us a stronger team, made us a better team. Going through that last month of the stretch definitely made us a better ball club, and those are definitely things that we learned from it and we can continue to thrive on those.

Q. They acquired you before the nonwaiver trade deadline for this reason, to be able to help them get to the postseason and go deep into the postseason. What does it mean for you to be able to have come to a team that was in contention and now you get to taste the postseason for the first time in many years?
MANNY MACHADO: It's awesome. This is what we play for. This is what we always imagine. Going into every season, every ball club's goal is to make it to the World Series. Obviously some -- it doesn't happen as easy as it does for others, but I was fortunate to come to this ball club, try to help them whatever way I can. Came in here, everyone opened arms, helped me as much as they could, made the transition as easy as possible. And Kemp coming over here, a lot of young guys trying to pick my ear in whatever way they can. And me teaching them the little that I know, and what I could.

At the end of the day, it's just to win games. Once I came over here, I put my stats aside and it was just about winning ball games and trying to get here to this position. Once we got here, I'm confident that the 25 guys that we're putting out there that we're going to go out there and perform at a high level. We know everything we need to do, and we're prepared for this.

Q. Manny, how did Matt specifically help you with that transition?
MANNY MACHADO: Well, Matt's the type of player, he's been doing it for a lot of years. He has a resumÃ© that not a lot of guys have in the clubhouse. So to come here -- he's been in the postseason before. He's had MVP numbers. So to learn from a guy like that, going out there every day, day in, day out, learn how to -- certain pitches, the pitchers kind of pitch the same in a way. So we have a communication in that standpoint that we can kind of just talk about hitting.

And you know, just going about the business, how he goes about the business, is always his main goal. And whenever you have a guy like that next to you, it makes a lot of things a lot easier. And he can bring you up and he can bring you down at the same time. But in good ways. So we're lucky to have him on this ball club. He's a big key to it. He's helped out a lot of the young guys, not just myself, but a majority of the team. So he's going to be a big key to this ball club.

Q. Manny, just kind of wondering, as a kid watching playoff baseball, were there any players, any teams, any moments that kind of resonated with you?
MANNY MACHADO: I mean, all playoffs are always exciting. I mean, you can't really just pinpoint one. Every year there's always something that goes on that you always remember. So we live for these moments. Every time you step out on that field, you put on this uniform, you try to leave it out on the field. And I think that's what everyone does in every postseason, which is the best thing about it, that everybody is going to go above and beyond to do whatever they can to help their team win, to bring a champion to their city.

So that's the most exciting part about it. It's just the excitement of seeing the guys getting excited for a base hit, for a pitcher making a pitch, a guy getting an out or, you know, a guy getting a walk with a certain situation or moving the guys over. I think the majority of it is -- just watching the baseball game is the best part of the postseason.

Q. I just wondered as much blood and sweat as you left in Baltimore over all these years, just your reaction to the Orioles housecleaning yesterday letting Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette go, what you thought?
MANNY MACHADO: Obviously they've been there for a very long time. They brought me up as a young kid, and it's sad to see them go. Obviously there's always a business side of things, but I'm sure they'll do pretty fine. They've had great careers and great resumÃ©s, so it's sad to see them go, but I know they're moving onto better things.

Q. When you came over you were hitting in the two hole a little bit, three hole a little bit here and there, now you found yourself in the cleanup spot. You are hitting there today in Game 1. Where have you found comfort in that cleanup spot knowing it's such an important role, particularly with the protection ahead of you as well as behind you?
MANNY MACHADO: Honestly, it's been moving around a little bit. I mean it hasn't really been two -- I've done in my career, hitting two, three. Never hit fourth until this year. But this lineup is so deep with the production that we have one through nine, even on our bench, guys coming in, we're so deep that we have protection in front of you, behind you, behind you behind you. I mean, it's just we're lucky to have the ball club that we have, not only that they're great players, but they know how to do their job at the same time.

And coming into this postseason everybody has a goal, everybody has a mindset into it, and I believe in all the 25 guys that we have on this ball club to move forward and do the job that we need to do.

Q. Manny, you talked earlier about winning championships for their city, our city. And I'm wondering where you are in that process of sort of just getting here, what part of LA is beginning to speak to you? Are you enjoying it? Are you finding it difficult to get around? Where are you in your relationship with LA today?
MANNY MACHADO: Well, I mean, the fans, I mean, they've been awesome every time I come to a ballpark they've been nothing but amazing. They've gone above and beyond, even on the road they're coming out and giving us that support. I mean, the city has showed nothing but love. The organization has as well. And I'm here to play baseball. And we've gotten here this far by doing it, and we're going to continue to do that. And once I put on that uniform I'm a Dodger blue. I play for the Dodgers and I want to do everything possible to bring a championship to the city.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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