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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ASTROS VS RED SOX

October 18, 2018

Carlos Correa

Houston, Texas - pregame 5

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Carlos Correa.

Q. You know Altuve probably better than anybody else. Can you kind of give us a little snapshot of what he's going through pain wise and how you see him handling playing on that knee?
CARLOS CORREA: I think he's handling it really, really well. He's trying to do what's best for the team, and obviously that's having his presence in the lineup is one of the best hitters in the game. And even on one knee he's been very productive at the plate.

So we need him out there. We know he's hurting. We know he's grinding. A lot of guys are out there grinding. But he's trying to do his best to help us win ballgames.

And I have a lot of respect for that guy, but even more now, the way he's been handling all this and he's still on the field every single day.

Q. With the tough season you've had in dealing with your back, what does it mean to you, A, to have a big game like you did last night, and B, to be in the middle of the order for such a big game today?
CARLOS CORREA: Having the good game yesterday was good, but obviously we didn't come up with the win. So I'm looking forward to tonight, being able to help the team win the game. And for me that's the key, not getting a lot of hits or just having a good at-bats, but winning ballgames.

Q. You guys were 3-0 in the elimination games last year. Do you think that gives you any edge as far as mentally, just where you have to be to prepare yourself to be ready to play these kind of games?
CARLOS CORREA: Absolutely. The experience we've acquired in the postseason obviously makes us keep our cool and just go out there and compete and play to the best of our abilities. Right now we're 3-1, but we're going to go out there and keep competing, keep playing the game that we know how to play, and we know we have a great team. So we're going to go out there and try to win three in a row.

Q. A lot is made about what Verlander has done for you guys, obviously elimination games and otherwise. Can you describe the feeling in that clubhouse knowing that you're going to hand him in the ball in this circumstance or any other?
CARLOS CORREA: Well, the feeling is the same as every day he's on the mound. Every time he's on the mound we feel like we're going to win that game. And tonight we're going to go out there with that same mentality. It's a must-win game, so we're going to go out there and play as hard as we've ever played in our entire lives. We don't want to go home yet.

We're not ready for vacation yet. So, we're going to go out there and try to win these games.

Q. In the offseason, Alex Cora went to Xander Bogaerts and told him he wanted him to be more like you. What kind of influence was Alex on you last year?
CARLOS CORREA: A big influence, a big influence. I learned a lot from him, saw the game different. He obviously knows a lot about the game; you sit down with him, talk about baseball. And he knows a lot of things that before I didn't even really pay attention to.

So, yeah, he was a big contributor to our team last year and obviously he knows the game a lot. And right now he's on the other side so I don't like him that much anymore. (Laughter).

Q. For somebody from the East Coast who may not have followed your season consistently this year, can you just walk us through the physical grind of this year and how you're feeling now in the playoffs?
CARLOS CORREA: Yeah, it was a grind. And when I hurt my back before the All-Star break and I came back, it was just tough. I'm feeling good again and I'm feeling healthy and trying to get my swing back. It took me a while.

But I put that behind me already. I'm now focusing on the postseason and what's at stake right now. And right now I feel great. My back feels good as good as it's felt since coming off the DL. I'm looking forward to keep contributing to the team and try to get these wins.

Q. So many things went right for this team in 2017. Seems like if there's a big call now, it seems like some of them go against you. Not everything's going your way. Just what's the mood of the guys heading into this must-win game?
CARLOS CORREA: The mood, we stay hungry. We stay hungry every single day. We still want to win the championship no matter if we're down 3-1 or up 3-1. It's the same mentality. When we take the field tonight we're going to have that dog in us that we're just going to try to go out there and beat everybody.

And we've got to beat this team three games in a row, so be it, we've got to go do it. We'll go out there with the mentality we're going to do it.

Q. Happy about moving up in the batting order?
CARLOS CORREA: Yeah, it doesn't matter when I'm hitting. I'm just going to look for ways to contribute and be productive out there in the lineup. Right now hitting fourth, that's obviously where I'm used to hitting for most of my career. So I'm going to go out there, feel comfortable and try to do the best to help the team.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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