AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ASTROS VS RED SOX

October 15, 2021

Luis Garcia

Minute Maid Park

Houston Astros

Pregame 1 Press Conference

Q. Luis, how do you feel right now in comparison to your first half of the season just with your pitches and kind of your endurance level?

LUIS GARCIA: I feel way better than the first half season, I think. Yeah. I'm feeling ready right now and I'm grateful.

Q. Luis, why do you think you've pitched so much better at home this year than on the road?

LUIS GARCIA: I don't know. Maybe because of fans or because I feel good. All that kind of stuff, I think.

Q. Luis, how important was it for you to have guys like Brent Strom and Martín Maldinado here at the Big League level? How helpful were they to help you learn the ropes of being a Big Leaguer and help you with your final bit of development here?

LUIS GARCIA: They try to help us a lot. As a rookie, they try to help us in motivating us. Try to push us to try to look good.

Q. What's the importance for the opportunity of being able to pitch for Game 2. What does it mean potentially being able to take advantage of a 2-0 lead going back to Boston?

LUIS GARCIA: It's really important. I'm happy to be able to have the opportunity to throw in Game 2 and just thank God for the opportunity and God-willing, we can win today and tomorrow, and then maybe be able to take a lead to Boston.

Q. What does it means as a Venezuelan and have an opportunity to pitch in a game like this?

LUIS GARCIA: Yeah, I feel really proud to be able to represent my country every time I take the mound out there. For me it is an honor.

Q. Luis, you have talked about this during the regular season, but during these nationally-televised games, more and more people see your maneuver as you wind up. Can you explain that, and why it was so important to keep that and why the Astros organization didn't try to change it and it was so important to keep that.

LUIS GARCIA: I mean, that movement I started to do it myself since years ago. I tried to update and try to make it perfect and feel better every time that I do it. But I think it's really helpful for me and what I'm doing. I think it makes me throw good, I think.

Q. Is it a rhythm?

LUIS GARCIA: Yeah, rhythm thing.

Q. What were your thoughts when you heard that Lance would not be on the ALCS roster?

LUIS GARCIA: Nothing. I mean, I don't know what's happening with him. He is feeling bad, I think. I don't know. But I hope he recovers as soon as possible and gets ready.

Q. He has had an outing already against Boston which he only gave up one run and struck out six. How important is having that experience taking that in tomorrow?

XANDER BOGAERTS: It's important to have that experience. They have a little bit different lineup, a couple of players I haven't faced. It's the same mentality to go out there and trying to do the best job that I can, and hope that the results follow.

Q. What's your relationship like with Framber and Urquidy, and how much do you think that the three of you make each other better?

LUIS GARCIA: We have a good relationship. We try to stay together. We try to stay together and help us and get better. I think we try to improve every time.

Q. Without Lance on the roster, is there any sense of extra pressure or if he feels like he needs to do more without having him on the roster?

LUIS GARCIA: Yeah, it's a big loss, unfortunately, but, you know, we have the capability of doing the job as well, and we just need to follow his example and to do the job just as he would.