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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 15, 2019

Jose Altuve

New York, New York - postgame 3

Houston - 4, New York - 1

Q. If you go back to Correa's home run in the 11th inning of Game 2, and you get guys get that walk off. You come here. You know in '17 you lost three games here, but the series can swing. How confident were you guys coming to Yankee Stadium tonight knowing what you needed to do and what you were able to do?
JOSE ALTUVE: Well, very, very confident because the way Game 2 end by a homer. The Carlos hit. And if you go all the way back to 2017 he did the same thing in the Game 2. So that creates momentum, of course.

The team energy today was great. We attacked them early. Severino was throwing the ball really good. He just gave up like three hits, two homer, but he was pretty good. But the fact that we could get him out of the game early was big for us.

Q. Your single in the 7th, is that where you're to go with the ball, to hit right behind Springer? Also does it get easier the more times you see a relief pitcher as the series goes on?
JOSE ALTUVE: I wouldn't say it gets easier. It never gets easier. But at least you know how their pitches look and everything. To be honest with you, I don't really like facing Ottavino, I just try to put the ball in play every time I'm facing him because before playoff I think I face him three times and he strike me out all three times. That's the only thing I'm trying to do. But I think the key in the inning was Springer's walk and then taking off. It wasn't like a hit and run, it was just a steal. And then just because I put the ball in play we could create a good situation and good momentum for us.

Q. You've been so successful in your career attacking the first pitch. In the first inning off Severino you get a hanging slider. Were you looking slider or were you just looking for something over the plate, can you take me through that at-bat?
JOSE ALTUVE: Absolutely, I was just -- I think everybody knows I like swinging the bat. I don't like wasting too much time on home plate. But, no, I wasn't looking for a slider, I was just looking something that I could drive and thank God I hit the ball out because for us it's real important to score before they do, because that gave us confidence.

Q. What is it about the postseason that gets you going? You've hit in 12 straight games going back to 2018. Is it just something about the postseason that just amps you up a little bit more?
JOSE ALTUVE: I don't know. I think I get ready and I prepare myself the same way I do for a normal game. We know in this case the games are more important and more intense. People, the fans, they get into the game maybe more. And maybe that's why. I'm not trying to do anything different, I just trying to be the player I am, put the ball in play and get on base and steal some bases and in the end score some runs to help my team.

Q. The Yankees went to Houston and win one game and play very hard. Put some pressure to come here and play today. And Cole talk very nice about you. How do you feel about that?
JOSE ALTUVE: At least in the first game I would say, yes, it put some pressure on us because you have home field advantage you want to take. You want to win every single game at home. But I think the most important thing was that we lost that game but we didn't give up. We work hard and we came up right after the second game, we ended up winning the game in a crazy way, extra innings.

And then coming here, we tried to do our game. We're not trying to do anything different that we do in Houston just because we're here. We know Yankees play really good at home. This is baseball and anything can happen. Gerrit is a great guy, great teammate and he set the tone really good today.

Q. In that seventh inning with the steal -- Springer gets caught in the rundown between home and third and he's kind of killing time and trying to get you over. What's the thought process there and do instincts just take over, because that was a huge play and ended up sending up a sacrifice fly?
JOSE ALTUVE: That's a great thing he did today. He got on base, steal a base and then kind of like a hit and run. He got on third. And then ground ball, maybe a double play ground ball and it ended up being third and second for us just because what he did. He run to the middle between home plate and third base, he stopped there, he was just waving everybody. It's just easy for me to keep running. I think the hardest thing is what he did.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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