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AL DIVISION SERIES: YANKEES VS RED SOX

October 7, 2018

Nathan Eovaldi

New York, New York - Workout Day

Q. Nate, obviously, you faced them three times since coming over to the Sox and pitched well. How much does that kind of give you maybe a good idea for your game plan and some confidence going into tomorrow?
NATHAN EOVALDI: Yeah, it definitely gives me confidence just knowing that I've had recent success against them. I'm trying to do the same thing that I have been doing; stay aggressive and try to get that first pitch strike out of the way.

Q. You've done it many times, but pitching here in Yankee Stadium and the key to getting out of here with a good outing.
NATHAN EOVALDI: Trying to keep the ball in the ballpark. Try and get quick outs. Try not to let the crowd get too crazy and get behind them and get them going. Again, I feel like the key to that is working ahead and staying ahead and not really giving them the free bases and little things like that.

Q. Nate, when did you find out you were starting tomorrow? And did you expect the first two games that you were going to be available and come out of the pen?
NATHAN EOVALDI: I found out last night once we had landed that I was going to start Game 3. A.C. had already told me ahead of time, like prepare as if I'm going to start Game 3 but expect Game 4. Just the fact that we faced the Yankees so many times, if you're not prepared for them now, you're in trouble. I feel like I'm prepared for them.

And then what was the second part of your question?

Q. Were you surprised to come out of the bullpen and be available?
NATHAN EOVALDI: Yeah, I was available. I was ready to go. But they just told me I wasn't ready. I don't know.

Q. In terms of your baseball career, how does a game like this rank in terms of importance? Obviously, the eyes of baseball are on this series. For you personally?
NATHAN EOVALDI: Yeah, obviously, this is my first postseason start. I'm excited. This is what we play for, coming out of Spring Training and preparing for this moment. I'm excited, ready to go. It's definitely probably the most important game I've ever pitched in. We need to win tonight, and that way we can be ready to go for Game 4.

Q. Gary Sanchez struggled a lot down the stretch and all season long. Were you at all surprised to see him break out like that, or is that kind of what you thought he was capable of still doing?
NATHAN EOVALDI: I still think he's capable of doing that. I was a little bit surprised that he did have such a great game the other night, but, again, it doesn't really surprise me. He's always a threat up there at the plate. He's got the power. He's one of the guys you've got to be careful with at the plate.

Q. Nathan, when you traded from Tampa to Boston, you traded to a first-place team, you know that it's going to be a pennant race and you're probably going to be in the postseason with the Red Sox. Could you have envisioned, though, starting such a key game in a 1-1 series in a Game 3 in the DS?
NATHAN EOVALDI: No. Where I was at the start of the season with the Rays and stuff, I felt we had good things going over there, but with the Red Sox in the division, they were running away with it. Then to get traded over here, I'm super excited to be in this situation. Now that I'm here, I can see it, but at the time before, I wasn't thinking about it.

Q. From a personal perspective, since you did so well here in your time with the Yankees and then it all blew up when you hurt your elbow again, and then you've been through two Tommy John surgeries. What is it like to get through that on a personal basis and be here?
NATHAN EOVALDI: I feel like with those injuries it's helped me grow a lot as a player, in a lot of different ways as well. But to come back and kind of be in this situation again, I'd hurt my arm against the Red Sox, and now I'm on this side of it and back in Yankee Stadium in this situation. I think it's kind of cool.

Q. Just to follow up on that, when you were going through that rehab and you understand it can be grueling, how did you keep going? What kept you going mentally through all of that?
NATHAN EOVALDI: I feel like the Rays did a great job. They let me rehab with the team. So I was down at Tropicana Field instead of at the Spring Training facility. So I was around a lot of the guys. Just being around your teammates, getting to watch them go through their ups and downs, just being a part of it still, it helps out a lot keeping you focused and knowing that you have other guys to talk to a lot of the times, and you're not just kind of trapped and going through it by yourself.

I feel like they encouraged me. They definitely helped me out through that situation and just moving forward.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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