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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 17, 2019

Aaron Boone

New York, New York - postgame 4

Houston - 8, New York - 3

Q. The first two innings Tanaka was cruising, the third inning he kind of lost it. I'm just wondering what happened there. And overall how you think he did.
AARON BOONE: I thought he battled well. They made pretty good contact with him, he didn't have a lot of strikeouts. The fact that he got as deep through their order as he did I think kind of speaks to his guile a little bit. I didn't really think he had his split tonight. But he made some pitches.

They squared him up a handful of times right at some guys. So I thought he battled well and made some pitches when he had to, and obviously made the big mistake on the split that turned into more like a two-seamer, which it seemed like how his split was working a little bit tonight.

Considering, I thought he battled well. And I thought they took some pretty good at-bats against him.

Q. You're disappointed with the team's hitting with hitters in scoring position and defense?
AARON BOONE: We played poorly tonight, there's no other way to explain it. And we need to flush this immediately because -- we talked about it as a team, we need to get over this in a hurry and come put our best foot forward tomorrow.

And now stranger things have certainly happened, a lot stranger. And we need to play a cleaner game, obviously, if we're going to beat a team like that. But we did not get it done tonight.

Q. You just talked about it with the guys in there?
AARON BOONE: Yeah.

Q. Does the way your team played, as you put it, as poorly as they did, make it more difficult to bounce back quickly?
AARON BOONE: No, our guys are studs and I think they embrace the challenge. Obviously we've got our backs against the wall now and we've had it there in many ways from the adverse situations we faced all year. And I know these guys will come focused and ready to go tomorrow, and I can't wait to see them go out there and play our game.

Q. How disappointing is it to have this kind of a poor performance on this stage?
AARON BOONE: I mean, I think I just said it. We didn't play well tonight and it's frustrating. But in the playoffs you need to get past it. You need to flush what's already happened in a hurry because tomorrow's too important.

Q. CC, what's his situation?
AARON BOONE: Yeah, we've got to see more about it, but not good with the shoulder.

Q. I think fifth inning you guys had bases loaded, two outs, and Encarnacion coming up, he's been struggling a bit. You talked before the game about if you had the right situation you would send Stanton up. Did you consider using him there?
AARON BOONE: No, no.

Q. Why not?
AARON BOONE: That wasn't the situation I was considering.

Q. Is it a lack of sharpness that you see there or what?
AARON BOONE: Well, I mean, I think Hicks has had really good at-bats in both of his days. Edwin started out swinging the bat really well in the Twins series, had a few games here where he struggled a little bit. Gary finally got into one tonight, which was nice to see.

So I mean, if you're asking rust, I don't know, I feel like they're good and solid, have played enough and have accumulated and seen enough pitches that they're in a position to be successful.

Q. As this game went along obviously your team was playing worse. Do you think your team gave into the frustration of the moment in this game and that explains what those last few innings looked like?
AARON BOONE: I don't think so. We didn't make a couple of plays and that's frustrating, obviously, and I think our guys are frustrated over that. But, again, it's imperative that we not dwell on it. And we need to get past this and I know our guys will.

Q. A lot of strikeouts tonight in big moments. You guys scored the most runs in the game but you did strike out a lot. How hard is it sometimes to execute when there is swing and miss in your game?
AARON BOONE: Well, I mean, that's one of the differences right now is these last few games it's just having opportunities. And I feel like we've done a pretty good job offensively of putting ourselves in position to have that breakthrough inning where we can throw a crooked number up there or get that big hit to kind of get us rolling. Part of that is they've pitched us tough and that's part of it.

And then the other thing is when you have a couple of games where obviously it's magnified and you don't get a couple of hits, that's part of it, too. The strikeouts for us are going to happen. It's a matter of us taking good at-bats.

Q. Kind of following on what Tyler just asked, that first inning you have Greinke on the ropes, Gary strikes out and Greinke settles in. Do you think Gary gets a hit there, there's a chance Greinke is out of the game?
AARON BOONE: No question, that's an opportunity. That's also taking a two-out hit. Chances are you're not going to get a two-out hit.

But if we're going to break through and have success, we've had our chances here these last few days, we've got to come up with a big hit in a big spot.

Q. In the fifth inning, Gleyber's check swing, did you think he went?
AARON BOONE: I haven't looked at the replay. I thought he did from the side.

Q. You go to Ottavino, he gives up the double to Bregman. What are you seeing from him, and do you see his role changing this series?
AARON BOONE: I think it kind of in a way changed a little bit. He's been hurting different cases. He walked the leadoff hitter the other day. Obviously he gave up the first hit homer to Springer over in Houston.

And then today with two strikes there to Bregman where I thought he was having a good at-bat with him, just makes a two-strike mistake, a slider that looked like it just caught too much of the plate. And then he was able to get the ground ball that we're not able to turn over.

So obviously frustrating for him right now, but it's about execution. So that's been the bugaboo in some different situations for him.

Q. Do you envision a roster move with CC and do you know who it would be to replace him?
AARON BOONE: We'll talk through that. I do think there's a chance of it. We'll kind of go through that process and I'll get with C and see where he's at, and we'll talk about who that would be.

Q. Second of all Paxton, his biggest start as a Yankee, what do you hope and expect from him tomorrow night?
AARON BOONE: He's got to go out and pitch well and set the tone for us. Because we want to get on that plane to Houston now, and that starts with Pax.

Q. What did you see from Ryan Pressly in that fifth inning and how was he able to neutralize you guys?
AARON BOONE: I think we got a couple of guys on on him and again put ourselves in position. I thought he made some good pitches, mixed in both his curveball slider and threw some good fastballs in situations, too. I think he did a good job of settling in and buckling down. We've had a little bit of success against him in this series, and then he made some pitches there to get out of an inning.

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