AL DIVISION SERIES: ASTROS VS WHITE SOX

October 7, 2021

Eloy Jiménez

Minute Maid Park

Chicago White Sox

Pregame 1 Press Conference

Q. Have you talked to José today, and how is he feeling, and what are you guys expecting him to be like today and moving forward?

ELOY JIMÉNEZ: Yeah, I talked to him. He said he feels good, ready. I don't know. He says if he does gym and feels good, and he's going to play, but I don't know after that.

Q. Obviously, you've known him for a while. How impressed have you been all year long of his ability to kind of play through everything that he's been through, all the physical ailments that he's had and getting hit so much. How impressive has that been?

ELOY JIMÉNEZ: Well, it's really impressive because when you have a player like that, that motivates the other players to be like that. So for us to have José, it's really good because sometimes you feel bad, but you see him play and he does a really good -- like kind of okay season, I'd say, because he's been like getting hit. He was like collision with -- I don't remember the name, but yeah. And the next day he was playing.

So every single day he plays no matter how he feels, and I think he's going to play today because he do that all year long. Having José is really good. He's really impressive.

Q. You were working through a little bit of struggles in September. Just how are you feeling at the plate now that you've had a couple days off to kind of work and focus on what you want to do?

ELOY JIMÉNEZ: It was a little bit, but this is new. It's new. We come from zeros, and now it's a new type of game.

Now it's just for me go out and enjoy myself, enjoy every moment and do my best.

Q. Two things: Is this a better team than you had last year at this time? What, if anything, feels different this time?

ELOY JIMÉNEZ: What can I say? We have a little bit more experience than last year. That's why I'm going to say that this is the better team, but I cannot give the credit to the other team. So for me, it's good. It's better. I think it's because we are hungry, because we experienced last year what it feels like to be in the playoffs. I think that's why we are better.

Q. Just what have the emotions been like the last couple days getting ready for this game and knowing that this is going to be a packed house?

ELOY JIMÉNEZ: It's been a lot. It's been a lot of emotions because this is the first playoffs we're going to play with fans. I think that is one of the reasons we are so emotional, and it's good to have that emotion.

Q. Eloy, how tough was it for you last year in the playoffs to deal with the knee injury, and is there an extra level of excitement for you being fully healthy and ready to go this time around?

ELOY JIMÉNEZ: It was frustrating because I just can't play -- well, two at-bats. It was a little bit frustrating, especially because I was afraid for that when that happened, but this is baseball.

Now I'm back to healthy, so I'm really excited. I'm really, really excited for that.

Q. What impact has Tony La Russa had on you guys with changes, or what have you learned?

ELOY JIMÉNEZ: Tony, like everybody knows here, he's a Hall of Famer, one. He has the most experience in playoffs, World Series. That's the second thing. And he's like a dad, like he always supports you no matter how you do on the field or off the field. He always supports you. He's always been there for us.

When you play with a guy who's a Hall of Famer, no need to prove anyone nothing, and he just gives you that support. You feel wow. You feel amazing. That is one of the things that I noticed when Tony came here, that he don't care he's a Hall of Famer. He just wants us to feel good and feel comfortable with him.

Q. Eloy, you didn't play against the Astros this year when the White Sox played. Do you feel like there's a disadvantage for you not having faced their pitchers? Or is there an advantage in their not having faced you?

ELOY JIMÉNEZ: Yeah, I don't know. Well, I don't face them, but I faced them in the past, they faced me in the past. I don't know. Everything changed from 2019. So let's see.