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AL DIVISION SERIES: INDIANS VS ASTROS

October 6, 2018

Michael Brantley

Houston, Texas - pregame 2

Q. Michael, we've talked about this before, but just two years ago you had to observe the postseason last year. You played, but maybe you weren't 100 percent. Just to be feeling like yourself, having a full season, what has this meant to be a part of this and feeling like yourself?
MICHAEL BRANTLEY: It's great. It's a lot of hard work that paid off. A lot of hard work that doctors and trainers put in for me to get here. My teammates, first and foremost, were always pushing me, being positive, being my support system, and just being back with them, a great group of guys in the locker room to compete every day. It's fun. It's a great journey. Hopefully, we'll talk about this again later.

Q. Going on the first game against the Astros bullpen, what did you guys learn after the game yesterday?
MICHAEL BRANTLEY: I don't know that we learned too much. We already knew going into it Houston has a great pitching staff as a whole. We had to make sure we used every at-bat to kind of build off of one another and making sure we had quality at-bats, not trying to do too much.

I think we went into the postseason thinking to string some hits together and get some momentum. I think that's all we need to do.

Q. Michael, how important is it for you to come back after the last couple years and hit .300 and just maybe be so consistent. I think there was a stretch of maybe like 30, 40, 50 games where your average never went below .300.
MICHAEL BRANTLEY: Just a lot of hard work pays off. I put in the time. I put in the effort day in and day out, through the good days and through the bad. I just always want to try to be as consistent as possible. I do the same thing hitting-wise every day, same routine, to try to put me in the best position to succeed for my team.

I don't try to do too much. I take what the game gives me and try to stay within myself at all times.

Q. How much of this season have you taken moments to kind of just appreciate the time with the teammates? A lot of guys could be hitting free agency, the guys that have come up together. Your future kind of uncertain. How much have you kind of just taken the time to enjoy the journey throughout this year?
MICHAEL BRANTLEY: Every day. When you go through, based on almost a two-year rehab, you don't always know that you're going to come back. Every day that I'm there to be with my teammates, that I'm healthy enough to be in that lineup where I can joke around and know that I'm going out to left field to play with these guys, I'm very appreciative. I don't take it for granted. You never know when it's going to be your last game or what could happen throughout that day.

Every day that I came through the season to be with that group that worked so hard day in and day out by my side, it's an honor.

Q. When you look back to 2016 and the postseason, just can you kind of take us through the internal emotions of watching those games and not being able to be on the field, just how much you maybe appreciate that so much more today because of that. Are those tied together at all?
MICHAEL BRANTLEY: Yes, I knew I couldn't play, obviously, but I really looked to do whatever I could do to help the team. I really looked to myself as a coach. I was talking to guys about at-bats. I was talking to them about their approach with certain pitchers. If anyone had a question of me, I made sure I was in the dugout cheering them on and made sure they knew I was there. I accepted the role, even though I didn't want to. I'd rather be out there playing with them. But I really tried to make sure I was there for my teammates, whatever they needed.

Q. Tito always says you have like a simple swing or there's not a lot of moving parts. Do you feel like that? I mean, I'm sure it's not that simple to you.
MICHAEL BRANTLEY: It's not that simple. Hitting is hard. It's not very simple. But at the same time, yeah, I don't have that many moving parts. My biggest thing is see it and hit it. So the less movement I have, the less room I have for error.

I just really try to simplify everything because, like I said before, hitting is hard. The more consistent I can be of getting the barrel to the baseball, the better chance I'm going to have to succeed for my team.

Q. As you've watched Frankie and Jose become the hitters they have, we see the performance and everything, but what can you tell us about them behind the scenes that's kind of helped them become the hitters they are today? Whether it's picking guys' brains for advice or the work they put in. Just tell us a little bit about them behind the scenes that's kind of helped them.
MICHAEL BRANTLEY: Yeah, I think it's just how they come to the field every day. They're in there laughing, joking, high energy, ready to go. I think that's very important that you have guys in the locker room that keep everybody laughing or keep the momentum going or the excitement up day in and day out because it's a long season.

They're getting better with confidence, getting better with age. They're learning day in and day out. You see the numbers they put up through an entire year and how well they did throughout this year. We don't expect anything less or more of them. They're going to be great players for a long time.

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