|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NL DIVISION SERIES: BRAVES VS DODGERSOctober 8, 2018Manny MachadoDavid FreeseAtlanta, Georgia - postgame 4 Los Angeles - 6, Atlanta - 2 Q. Manny, when you were acquired, the Dodgers talked about bringing you here for this time of the year. How gratifying is it to have a big night in a clincher like this? MANNY MACHADO: I mean, just winning overall is always amazing. Coming over from Baltimore midway through the season, new ball club, new atmosphere, new teammates, new coaching staff, new front office, I mean, it's always a bit of an adjustment. But they've been nothing but amazing to us, to myself and my family. And coming here to a winning ball club who's been determined the whole way since last year to get into this situation and further. I'm just sitting here enjoying everything, enjoying the ride. And just trying to enjoy everything. Q. You had the double and the big homer, but even your outs were all hit at 100 miles an hour tonight. Did you feel before the game that you were locked in tonight? MANNY MACHADO: I've been locked in all series. I mean, obviously the results haven't shown, but you try to stick with the same approach and not try to change anything. I think you put yourself in bad situations when you try to change, and today I was just able to make hard contact and not miss two balls that were a big key to our win today. Q. Last night to tonight, were there any changes that you had in terms of routine and ultimately getting adjusted to our Atlanta humidity? MANNY MACHADO: Nothing. I mean, baseball is easy, you know. I mean, you try to make -- if you make it complicated, it's going to be complicated. So I mean, Freese can say it to everyone in here as well. You try to simplify everything, try to keep it as simple as possible, especially in big key games like this and a good ball club on the other side as well. You try to simplify things and not try to complicate yourself and see the ball, hit the ball. Q. Manny, is that what you tell yourself after a game last night, baseball is easy? I know it is. MANNY MACHADO: I mean, you take it out of context. I mean, it's not easy. It's not easy. Don't get me wrong. I mean, I'm hitting, I don't know, three for whatever. I can't even think about it. But you try to make it easy, you know, not complicate yourself, not go up there and try to overdo. Just see the ball, hit the ball. You have three hits out of ten, you're a boss, you're a Hall-of-Famer. If you go 1 for 10, you know, it's the opposite. So you just try to, you know, don't put pressure on yourself. That's how I take it, try to simplify it as much as I can, have fun, enjoy yourself. We have a great ball club. Doesn't get better than this. Q. Yasmani and other teammates said they felt like sometimes they see in you that you're trying to do more than this team even needs you to do. You guys have 13 great-hitting position players on this roster. Earlier this year that wasn't the case. Do you feel like if you can act upon that, that you can be better if you don't feel like in every at-bat you have to come through? MANNY MACHADO: Yeah, I mean definitely. I mean, my home run wasn't even the biggest hit of the game today, you know, honestly. Madson, like I said before, Madson coming in, you know, holding down the fort, not allowing any runs, giving us the opportunity to go into the next day, to the next inning. I mean, give us the opportunity for Freese, one of the most clutch hitters in the game to come in and give us the opportunity to give us the lead. So at that point of the game, everything changes. Momentum goes on us. That leads to my home run, leads to the pitcher to walk two guys, walk a guy, get a hit, get to that situation of the game. And we get the home run. So there's a lot that leads to the situation of the games that people don't see. Q. Dave, you had, I think, 14, 15 play appearances against righties since you got to LA, in that month, five weeks. How do you stay fresh when it comes to you in this spot? DAVID FREESE: You get your work in, your prep before the day even starts, but pinch-hitting might be the toughest thing to do offensively in the game. But it's mental. It's just mental preparation. I think that's key. I'm a mental guy, especially with my swing. Mechanically, you try and be set. But I feel like if I can think a certain way, I can put my body in a certain position, and that's huge. When you're feeling right, especially pinch-hitting, especially against the stuff that was coming at me, man, you're in a good spot, and if you don't try and do too much, balls can squeak through. Q. You've obviously had a lot of huge October moments in your career, but it's been a few years since you've been back here. How gratifying is it to be able to experience these moments at this stage of your career? DAVID FREESE: Yeah. It's great. I didn't know -- you never know if you're going to be in the postseason. You never know if you're going to get back. Obviously, my career is winding down. I expected to be in Pitt August 31st after the -- we were here actually. The game is over and I'm like, man, half hour until September 1st, I think I'm sticking around. And I get off the bus and get the phone call. Next thing you know, I'm on the plane at 5 am going to LA to hang out with these guys. It's crazy. You never know what this game is going to give you, what opportunities arise for you. You just gotta be ready. That's what I've learned over the years. Whether you're in high school, college, whatever, just be ready. You don't have to be the best player in the world. You don't have to make the most money, but you're going to have a shot to do something cool. I learned that early in my career, and just try and stick with it. Q. Manny, looking ahead to the next series, it's kind of a what comes around goes around thing for you. Your first series with the Dodgers was in Milwaukee, and you had your first big press conference with the Dodgers there in Milwaukee. And there was a lot of talk then that the Brewers were one of the teams that were in pursuit of you. Of course you ended up here. It's worked out well for both teams because you're meeting here at the LCS and, of course, your friend Jonathan Schoop is now with the Brewers. So what are you looking for in the next round? MANNY MACHADO: Just enjoying everything. I mean, to this day I just try to enjoy the moment, enjoy everything that comes at you. It's going to be great. Both ball clubs have worked hard to get to this situation. They're both two good ball clubs facing off in the championship. And we're just going to go out there and play baseball, be ourselves, keep doing what we've been doing all year, and hopefully we come out on top. At the end of the day, it's always about enjoying yourself, going out there and preparing for a great series, preparing yourself for the right way, and at the end of the day, we prepared ourselves to get here and we're not going to stop till we get what we want. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|