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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 19, 2019

Jose Altuve

Houston, Texas - postgame 6

Houston - 6, New York - 4

Q. Can you talk us through going up to that last at-bat what you saw, how it went, how it felt?
JOSE ALTUVE: Well, first of all Springer's walk was the key because it creates some momentum. He puts a lot of pressure on the other team. I was facing Aroldis Chapman, which is one of the best closers in the league. Nothing is easy with him. He just hit a homer and I hope I don't get to face him again because he's that good. But at the same time I was just thinking something I can drive, I have my game plan, I wasn't trying to hit a homer I was just thinking to hit the ball hard, get on base and keep the momentum. Thank god the ball went out and we won the game.

Q. Springer's at-bat was long. Is there anything that you noticed during that at-bat that helped you when you were at the plate?
JOSE ALTUVE: How confident and quiet he was. We all know Chapman throws a hundred miles an hour. But Georgie was so calm. And like I said, he wasn't trying to be the hero, that's the kind of thing where I will just pass the bat to the next guy. And I just tried to copy his approach by just quiet, just try to get my pitch to hit and I got it.

Q. If you can answer in English and Spanish. You've had a lot of big moments here, where does this one rank for you?
JOSE ALTUVE: I have to say No. 1 because we're going to the World Series. But we're not going to the World Series because of me. We're going to the World Series because of everybody inside of the clubhouse. For me Yuli's homer was really big. To score early in the game against the Yankees in a bullpen day when their bullpen is really, really good. But I feel happy that I could help my team. We all celebrating right now. We're not thinking about tomorrow until it comes.

Q. That was a perfectly executed obviously double play in the eighth inning. When you're watching Correa and just the accuracy of his throws, how hard he's throwing the ball, just from your perspective what is that like to watch that?
JOSE ALTUVE: It makes my job a lot easier because you don't have to give him like a perfect throw. And actually it wasn't a perfect throw by me it was a little up and soft. But he give you the opportunity to do that. He just need the ball and he's going to do the rest. It was a big double play in the inning by us. But I just caught the ball and give it to him. He did a tremendous job by a quick release and a strong throw.

Q. Just to piggyback off of that, what about the guys behind you tonight, they made some really good catches, how do you feel about that?
JOSE ALTUVE: This is a team where I don't know what direction would take the game if Michael Bradley doesn't catch the ball. So man on first and third, maybe a double, you don't know. It was big, big by Michael and stopped the momentum that he they had in that inning.

Q. Can you just talk about the fact that you guys can win any number of ways, anybody on this team can step up?
JOSE ALTUVE: Yes, that's another thing about our team, sometimes we win the game by making a defensive play. Sometimes we win the game by stolen base, by good pitching, by homer, different ways. So we have a lot of good players that they can do multiple things, like Springer, he's been stealing bases, getting hits, walking. Bregman walks, homer, defensive player. So it's unbelievable what those guys can do on the field.

Q. When DJ hit the home run to tie it a lot of teams would just be broken. What did you sense the mood in the dugout when you came to bat?
JOSE ALTUVE: Well, would it be different if this would be the first time we were in that situation, but we've been here before. We've been winning a lot of games and they tie the game and then we come back and win the game. You have to stay focused and positive and that's what we did. Georgie's at-bat for me is huge because just to put somebody on base it change the whole theme. You're not confidence about making your pitches because the ball in the gap with a runner like Springer is game over. So I think the key in the inning was him.

Q. (No microphone.)
JOSE ALTUVE: I think we all said it. I heard Justin, I heard Springer, but that's normal for us. It's nothing new. We all feeding -- we always feeding each other, helping each other, including each other, so that's our game plan. Off the field. When I say off the field, we're not playing in the moment.

Q. From last year in the Championship Series how you were physically to making yourself right, having some delay during this season until you felt like you do now, how gratifying is it to then walk off as the ALCS MVP with all you've gone through in the last year?
JOSE ALTUVE: It means a lot. I don't like talking about the past. Obviously we all know that it wasn't a hundred percent, I got surgery right after the last game. There was something wrong with my knee.

And this year the recuperation and the treatment and everything we did it got me into the point where I was healthy and a hundred percent. I thank God for that. And I just -- it's been important for me to be able to play a hundred percent because I feel like I'm a good player and I can help the team.

Q. When you're rounding the bases, what's going through your mind and especially when you're rounding third and you see everybody at home plate waiting for you?
JOSE ALTUVE: Well, a lot of things. I hit the ball, you make sure the ball is gone before you celebrate. Then I'm thinking, We're going to the World Series. And then I'm thinking -- I don't know, a lot of things.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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