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MLB WORLD SERIES: NATIONALS VS ASTROS

October 29, 2019

Anthony Rendon

Houston, Texas - postgame 6

Washington - 7, Houston - 2

Q. Obviously you've had the kind of series that is frustrating for you offensively. Was there anything about going into tonight's game that felt differently, enabled you to loosen up or was that par for the course for you?
ANTHONY RENDON: First I want to say welcome, because you didn't show up the first five games. Where have you been?

Definitely frustration. I think it's frustrating for all of us. Kevin Long was talking to a few of us before the game, saying that we barreled up. 50 percent of our baseballs or whatever might have been over 95-plus off the bat. And so I think we've been trying to put up quality at-bats, trying to put the barrel on the ball, we just haven't become successful out of it.

The first inning where I had the little dribbler 12 hopper to second base, that's a hit. We definitely take it, but I think that's just how crazy baseball is.

Q. What is so different about playing here at Minute Maid than playing back at home, because you have won all three games that you've played here?
ANTHONY RENDON: We don't know, but we're going to continue to try to ride this wave as long as possible. Maybe they enjoy our park and maybe we enjoy their park. We're not going to ask questions, we're just going to try to go out there and just have some fun.

Q. Walk us through your frame of mind as the Trea play is happening and the long delay and replay review, then for you to come up there and hit the home run?
ANTHONY RENDON: I didn't actually see the play happen. I was sitting in the dugout getting ready to go on deck. And then once they showed the replay on the big screen, then I was like, Oh. I was a little bit more surprised than I guess I had anticipated.

But it is what it is. We're all human. We're not perfect people. So we've got to take our punches and just continue to go out there. No one is going to feel sorry for us. So we've just got to keep on playing.

Q. When all that chaos is going on, how are you able to stay so Zen and locked in to hit a homer like that?
ANTHONY RENDON: I think -- I really don't know. You can't let any outside elements get into the game. No matter if it's the crowd. You've got 40,000 people cheering against you. Or whether it's the weather or if we're in DC and it's 40 degrees, whatever it might be.

No one is going to feel sorry for you. They're going to expect you to go out there and just perform as best as you can, and they're going to expect the best out of you. Because I feel like people put professional athletes on a pedestal, where they say, Oh, who cares, they're making millions of dollars, they're playing a game for a living so it's easy. They should go out there and be successful every day.

We try to just keep our head down and keep playing.

Q. How impressed were you with Strasburg tonight and the fact that he went so deep in the game?
ANTHONY RENDON: Oh, man, super impressed by him. Not shocked, to say the least. I've been watching him for a long time now. He's had plenty of games like that. I think it's just been heightened since he's doing it in the postseason now, especially on the run that we're on.

So for everyone else to appreciate what he has in the tank and what he has accomplished, I think now everyone's maybe noticing what he can do.

Q. Can you speak to the approach you had against Verlander? That one inning where you and Eaton had 17 pitches against him and both drawing walks. How much did that play a role in getting him out of the game in the 5thinning?
ANTHONY RENDON: Yeah, I think we were just trying to be aggressive in the zone, kind of the same approach that we've tried to have all season. Try not to fish too much at baseballs, at sliders in dirt, off-speeds or whatever it might be. If we try to stay within ourselves and try to swing at pitches that we can put a good swing on and not give in, not give in any strikes, I think that we could try to knock around any pitcher. And we just happened to get to him a little bit today.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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