AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ASTROS VS RED SOX

October 14, 2021

J.D. Martinez

Minute Maid Park

Boston Red Sox

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Alex was telling us when you came back from your injury and he put you sixth that it balanced out the lineup, that it made sense. Does it make sense to you? Does the lineup feel better the way it is now?

J.D. MARTINEZ: He did it at the time because I kind of told him -- I said I don't know what's going to happen with my ankle. I don't want to tell you put me in, and then all of a sudden, I don't know if I can go. Because you can't replicate swinging the bat at a 98-mile-an-hour fastball until you go into a game. So I think he kind of -- you know, he is, like, all right.

My fear was, you know, not being able to do it and then leaving either Bogey or Devers out to dry. So I told him that, and he is, like, all right. Let me think about it. This and that. So he's like, this is what we're going to do. We're going to put Dugie before you, and then put you sixth.

I said that's fine. Whatever. I don't care. Then we went out and put up 14 runs.

So then he is, like, well, I guess I got to run this one back. So then we went out and put up more runs, so he's kind of been doing it.

Honestly, I think it's better. I think being able to split righty, lefty, righty, lefty, I think it's -- especially with the team with Tampa and the team with Houston, a very analytic team, they're going to be looking for the best matchups constantly. And I think they're going to have to choose at some point if they want a righty to face Verdugo or a lefty to face either me or Bogey. You know what I mean? They've got to bite the bullet somewhere. For me personally, I think it's a better lineup for the team.

Q. J.D., with the couple of days off, how is your ankle doing at this point, and how do you feel physically? How do you feel with your swing?

J.D. MARTINEZ: Ankle is doing better. It is. It's doing a lot better. The swelling has gone down a lot. I mean, night and day from what it was. It obviously still hurts. You know, certain things, certain movements still bother it, but it's a lot better than it was yesterday and the day before and the day before. So since the first day I started playing, it's a lot better, and that's all you can ask for. The training staff has been unbelievable.

Q. What was your level of concern through that last week to ten days of the regular season the Yankees swept you at Fenway, and you lose two out of three in Baltimore? And is there any surprise that you guys have managed to rebound to what we have or is that just baseball?

J.D. MARTINEZ: I think it's just baseball, honestly. I mean, this team has a -- for some reason, I don't know, every time it comes down to the wire, last game, they always find a way to step up. I mean, you know, we got swept early on in the year by Baltimore. Then we turn around and sweep Tampa, so it's just ball. You never know.

I mean, this game is crazy. We have a good enough lineup where -- and a good enough team all around where we can go out there and compete with anyone.

Q. J.D., can you talk about the impact Kyle Schwarber has had on your lineup since joining it?

J.D. MARTINEZ: Like I said earlier, about going whole lefty-righty, he is another lefty bat that is in the lineup that besides Devers really has that power. He can shoot you to all parts of the field, and he is a threat. He does a really good job of getting on base, working counts, making pitchers work, and he is not an easy out.

I mean, that was a big pick-up for us. Obviously, when we got him, we didn't know what we were getting just due to the injuries, but ever since he has been healthy, he has been a huge pick-up for us.

Q. Alex announced that Chris is going to pitch Game 1. Even though he has kind of struggled the last couple of times out and he is coming back from the Tommy John, how much confidence do you have that he is going to go out there and get it done for you in a big spot?

J.D. MARTINEZ: If you told me Chris Sale was pitching in the ALCS first game, I think there wouldn't be a manager or team out there that wouldn't feel confident with him going out there. I mean, yeah, he has had some struggles. You know, he has kind of got thrown back into things due to his injury. The last couple of months he has been thrown into it, into a pennant race, so it's been a lot of a task for him, but it's Chris. You know? He can go out there and go seven blank, and would you be surprised? Just because he struggled a bit doesn't -- to me, I don't hold a lot of weight to that.

Q. J.D., you just mentioned something that you play on a team now that always seems to find a way. Where does that come from with your group and how much of that do you see in the Astros as you look at what they've accomplished as well?

J.D. MARTINEZ: Yeah. I mean, I think that comes from the characters within the clubhouse. We have a lot of guys that are hungry. A lot of guys that want to prove things. You know, a lot of young guys too and a lot of veteran guys, but I think the common thing is everyone on the team is trying to prove something. Everyone is out there either trying to prove that they deserve a contract or that they're for real and they want to stick around in the Big Leagues. That's a really good combination to have versus players that are more comfortable.

You know, the Astros obviously, they have a great lineup. They have a great team over there. You know, they're a team that could do exactly what they've been doing the last month. Just go out there and rally off wins, and their offense is very potent. One through eight or nine, I don't know, I mean, they could go out there and hit you. That's going to be a tough challenge for us, but I think our lineup is pretty good too, so it should be an interesting battle between us.

Q. Obviously, Alex has been a significant topic all year since coming back from the suspension and particularly coming back here. How have you seen him handling the issue of what happened with the Astros in 2017 throughout the year, and how have you viewed the way that he has handled the season?

J.D. MARTINEZ: You know, he has been the same Alex for me. I mean, when he came here in 2018, I would have never known about the 2017 thing. Never once did he ever, like, pressure us into doing any of that stuff or anything, so to me it's the same Alex. When I heard that stuff, it kind of caught me off guard just as it caught everybody off guard, you know. But it is what it is, and he has paid the price for it. I think he has demonstrated that. It's one of those things where he gets emotional about it with his kids and his daughter and stuff. So I mean, I'm sure that hurts, and for him to come out and be how he has been this year, it's been amazing for us.

Q. J.D., it's been a while since you have played here. Do you get any motivation out of that? Is that something that you even think about anymore?

J.D. MARTINEZ: No, I don't think about that anymore. It's always in there, but it's different core. You know what I mean? It's different than what it was before. The motivation is still the same, you know? It's the ALCS. It's a chance to go to the World Series. I don't know if being mad at a team is more motivation than going to the World Series, so that's the motivation right now.