AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ASTROS VS RED SOX

October 15, 2021

Xander Bogaerts

Minute Maid Park

Boston Red Sox

Pregame 1 Press Conference

Q. Xander, just a thought on what starts tonight and how big of a task, challenge is it for you guys and maybe facing Valdez too. A little bit on that?

XANDER BOGAERTS: Obviously, he is a good pitcher. They're playing at home, so I bet the crowd will be pretty into it. We are playing really good baseball right now. You know, the ending of the season, the Wild Card game, ALDS, I feel like everybody is contributing. It's the offense. It's the defense. It's the pitching. Just making a lot of right decisions at the best moment possible.

Q. Xander, how comfortable do you feel in the playoff game? I mean, you've been playing in them since you were 20 years old.

XANDER BOGAERTS: I do. I do. I might get a little nervous in the beginning of the game. I kind of get like that every game that I've played in my Big League career so far, so I'm kind of used to that right now. But, yeah, as I said, I've been in the playoffs since I was young. I was definitely way nervous back then, so I feel like all the experience I've had throughout the years being in the playoffs has played a big part in just being comfortable at this point.

Q. Xander, can you talk about just the journey you guys have been on? There have been multiple injuries, the COVID outage. The same way with the Astros. And how this is such a long, sustained effort you have to do, and health is so important at this point.

XANDER BOGAERTS: Yeah, I mean, we went through a rough stretch when we had that COVID issue going on throughout the clubhouse. You know, a lot of guys went down, and a lot of guys stepped up because we could have not been in the race if guys didn't play at their best, and the guys that we called up at that time didn't help out the way they did. So big credit to those guys for just keeping us in the race at that point until the other guys came back that were on the COVID IL.

Right now I feel like we're really healthy. Obviously, we have a couple of the big boys that are dealing with some stuff, but I feel like the off days we had in between has been huge for those guys.

Q. Understanding, of course, that you don't play against Carlos Correa, we understand that, obviously, but in this golden era of shortstops, what similarities do you see in what you bring to your team and maybe what do you respect about what Carlos does for the Astros?

XANDER BOGAERTS: Oh, man, he is a great player. He is a great player. He has done it in the regular season. He has done it in the playoffs. He's had huge moments. He has a World Series ring. I mean, they've been to the World Series a couple of times. That's a good team over there, man, and I feel like I'm pretty much the same. We're big shortstops. We both came up young. A lot of hype around us. I wasn't drafted first overall, but at one point we both were top prospects in the organization. I think we both did a good job just maintaining the same and helping our teams win as much as possible and leading them to victories.

Q. Xander, your lineup had the fewest amount of ground balls of any team in the American league this year. I'm wondering how much of an emphasis it is for your hitters to get the ball off the ground and into the air.

XANDER BOGAERTS: I don't know if that speaks for me. I feel like I hit a lot of ground balls. Yeah. I mean, this is a tough guy we're going against tonight. Tries to keep the ball on the ground. Has a good defense, good infield. All of those guys play pretty solid, so if you can try to not hit the ball as much on the ground, it will be huge tonight. Because that's what that guy feeds off of, you know, when mixing his pitches and trying to keep that ball down for some ground balls, double plays, and stuff like that. So it's going to be a challenge, but, I mean, we got to get the job done.

Q. To follow up on that question about Carlos, do you think the two best shortstops in the American League are in this series?

XANDER BOGAERTS: Definitely we're in the conversation. I feel like we've done it for a while now. We've been really consistent. I mean, I know he has been dealing with some injuries throughout the years, but this year he has played a lot of games, and he has been really, really productive for that team over there. I mean, I'm definitely a fan of him, but obviously right now, we're just trying to go out there and beat those guys. But he has had a great season.

Q. And at this point in your career, do you judge your season only on whether you win a championship or not, or do you look at other things?

XANDER BOGAERTS: No, I wouldn't say it like that. I feel like you got to be productive throughout the season to try to get to the playoffs. You know, that's the first goal. Once you are there, anything can happen. I don't think anyone had us in this position to even be at this point right now. So whenever you're hot at the right moment, that's the one that's going to win it all the way.

But I feel like this year has been really inconsistent for me personally. I had a lot of ups and downs, just not being as consistent as I want to be. And it's been one of the best years I've had, and it's pretty weird to think of it that way. But right now we just got to continue doing a good job and helping the team because we got four more wins until we get to the World Series, so every game matters.

Q. There's been a little bit of a surprise with Chris Sale starting for you guys today. What is it like to play behind Chris Sale, and how much trust do you have in your ace?

XANDER BOGAERTS: We obviously always have trust in him. Before Tommy John and even after Tommy John. Sometimes I feel like it's a little unfair for us to expect him to go out there and throw nine shut-out innings after going through 12 or more months without pitching baseball. And coming in in a pennant race and being in the playoffs and stuff like that, I mean, he has had to deal with a lot, to be honest with you. And sometimes the expectation might be a little unfair for him, but if there's one guy that can overcome all of that stuff, he can.

He has been an ace throughout his whole career, one of the best pitchers on any team that he has been throughout his whole career, so if there's one guy that can do it, it's him. Obviously, we have a lot of confidence in him to win that first game.

Q. How similar or different is Alex compared to who he was as your manager prior to the suspension?

XANDER BOGAERTS: I don't think there's much differences. I feel like we went through some adversity this year, but for the most part we've been pretty solid as a team. Giving guys rest when they need it, trying to keep guys healthy as much as possible because sometimes us players feel like we run into a wall, and he is really good at recognizing that. Open communication I think has been a huge part with him and the staff and with the players. Especially the guys that got over here for the first time this year. I know most of them feel very comfortable with him at this point for sure especially going throughout the whole year with him.

Q. Do you think it took some time to regain that bond, or do you think the minute he came back --

XANDER BOGAERTS: Yeah. The minute he came back. I'm speaking personally. For me it was pretty much the same. I mean, we talked a lot throughout the pandemic season when he wasn't here. I don't think anyone imagined that it was possible that he was going to be here after all that happened, but we're definitely happy that he's back, especially with him wearing that new stripe for the first time. He is awesome to just be around and the conversations you have with him, he has so much knowledge of the game.

Q. Xander, we talked about how you would wake up Monday mornings and look at the power rankings and text Alex. Do you think that you guys naturally have gotten the respect finally?

XANDER BOGAERTS: I think so. I mean, throughout the whole season, there are more times than not that we were on the power ranking. So it's not always you're going to be top five, top two, top three, but I mean, being there is better than not being there. It's all for funs and giggles, you know. But I mean, I think the people respect the team that we are and the talent that we have. And we're at this point right now that we're just a couple wins away from writing something pretty special this year.

Q. As the Spanish media, we talk a lot about the great work that Alex is doing with the team. Can you elaborate a little bit more about that as a human perspective? Not as the manager, but he getting closer to you guys.

XANDER BOGAERTS: I can't even imagine what he had to go through. It had to suck a lot for him and his family. You see the way he speaks about it after the last series that we won. As I said, I talked to him a lot throughout that season. Obviously, he wasn't the manager. We had Roenicke as a manager. I still talked to him because, obviously, our communication never left. It maintained the same.

I think a lot of guys that came here for the first time this year, the guys that were acquired at the deadline, for him to make them feel comfortable and trusting what we have going on here and just believing. Maybe we don't have the stacked names like some of the other teams have, but in some way he just makes us believe that this is possible.

Q. (Question in Spanish)

XANDER BOGAERTS: (Answer in Spanish)

Q. Xander, is it easy to focus on the task at hand? Obviously, a lot of the talk is going to be on the suspension that Alex went through and the sign-stealing scandal with the Astros and what one of your coach's involvement is. Is it easy to fix on the ALCS at this point, or is there a bit of distraction because of that stuff?

XANDER BOGAERTS: I haven't had any feel or type of distraction like that. I mean, what happens is in the past. I don't think it benefits any of us to just dwell on it. But, I mean, making up stories, it will be good for a lot of people to read and maybe the people that didn't know about it. But in that clubhouse I don't feel like anyone has that type of distraction. We're just going out focusing on one game at a time, and as I said, our goal is obviously to win both games here.

But it's a tough task to do. Hopefully we can split the series and go back home where we feel much more comfortable and better, and we play our best baseball there. What's happened in the past, it's over with, and I really don't even think about that.

Q. (Question in Spanish)

XANDER BOGAERTS: (Answer in Spanish)

Q. Just from afar here in Houston, Alex's playoff style managing has been described as attacking, and we seem to see that. How do you feel about that, and how does that kind of translate into the way you guys go out and grab these games and win these games?

XANDER BOGAERTS: You know what, I have noticed it a bit this year compared to the other years that he has been here in general. Like making those bold moves, taking out Chris Sale the other day in the first inning and just going at it. Whenever he feels like it's a moment that we need to or that he feels like there's a good chance that there's a turning point in the game, he just goes out and do it. I felt that more this year compared to any of the other years.

2018, we obviously had some great starting pitchers also, but those guys for the most part went five, six. But I was definitely surprised when he took out Chris Sale in that game against Tampa, and also in Washington I think it was, right? Was it Washington? He took him out a little early.

I mean, he has a feel. When he has a feel that it's a turning point in the game, he just goes out and does it. Chris Sale is one of the best pitchers in the game at this point, but not every day you're on your A game. Same for a hitter.