NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: BRAVES VS DODGERS

October 16, 2021

Austin Riley

Ozzie Albies

Truist Park

Atlanta Braves

Postgame 1 Press Conference

Atlanta Braves - 3, Los Angeles Dodgers - 2

Q. Ozzie, this is two straight years Austin's had the big hit in the 9th inning in Game 1. Has he just become that guy you can rely on in big spots now?

OZZIE ALBIES: Of course. He's the big boss. Yeah, once I got on, I told I'm going so I can be in scoring position for Riley. I'm pretty sure, he's been hot. He's going to do the job. No doubt.

Q. Austin, Dave Roberts was just talking about how visibly he can tell just how much more confidence you have now, how you're able to get to pitches and how defensively you've improved too. How much better do you feel about your game right now than you did, say, a year ago?

AUSTIN RILEY: A lot better. I mean, you know just continue to work with Wash defensively and our hitting guys. It's just, just continue to build that confidence of trusting my stuff and knowing that it plays at this level.

So I think just the continuing of the work and like I said the every day of putting it in has been huge.

Q. When you come up, do you want to be in that moment there in the 9th inning?

AUSTIN RILEY: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you dream of that as a little kid.

Q. For both of you, just how about the job the bullpen did tonight and specifically Matzek again coming through in that situation.

OZZIE ALBIES: I'll say, like I said before, Max really is one of the best in the game. A phenomenal job tonight again.

Q. Tyler Matzek?

OZZIE ALBIES: Oh, you mean Matzek? Matzek too. I thought you meant Max Fried. Matzek did a phenomenal job coming in from the pen. The whole bullpen did. And they saved the game and hold the game for us to win it tonight.

AUSTIN RILEY: Yeah, I mean, you just can't say enough of what they, I mean, day-in and day-out here lately they just, putting up zeros and doing, getting in spots where they may get in a little trouble and they find a way to get out of that and I think that just builds their confidence even more each time that they go out.

Q. Austin, walking me through the game winner. What were you looking for? Were you pointing to anyone in particular a half a second after you hit it?

AUSTIN RILEY: No, I wasn't. I was just super excited. But, no, you know, Ozzie was on first. Just before that, Ron looked at me and was like, hey, base hit's all we need. So he stole first pitch, got a good jump, so I auto-took and I was just trying to get a base hit and luckily it came through.

Q. I'm curious what that moment was like for you and kind of what you were thinking and just immediately after what it was like for you?

AUSTIN RILEY: It was huge. That was my first one ever. I've come up in quite a few situations earlier in the season and wasn't able to get it done, but to get it done tonight was awesome.

Q. Austin, in the fourth inning you were able to pull your hands in, hitting the home run and kind of stopped the bleeding a little bit as you guys had 11 consecutive plate appearances where you didn't have like a hit. So what did you see on that home run and how special was that to know that I kind of tied the game and also gave us the win?

AUSTIN RILEY: Trying to be short to the ball. I felt here lately, especially on fastballs, I've been a little long, fouling pitches off that I feel like I could do some damage with. He threw me two sliders the pitch before, so I just, always be on the fastball, was able to put a good swing on it and was able to, like I said, put a good swing on it and hit it over the fence.

Q. Ozzie, what did you see on Bellinger's hit and did you see Taylor going? Did you think, oh, he's rounded, he's gone too far on second base?

OZZIE ALBIES: To be honest with you, I thought he was going to be at third already once I jumped and the ball went over my head. When I turned around and I saw him halfway and he stopped I said, okay, we got him. Joc -- I mean Dansby did a great job to pick that ball that Joc through in and we got him out.

Q. Did you initially think you had a chance to catch that ball?

OZZIE ALBIES: Yeah, I mean, off the bat I went for it, but I think I'm too short, I didn't get there.

Q. For both of you, we were talking about, you guys could have lost this game a hundred different ways today it seemed like but the Dodgers dept stranding runners. Are you as players consciously thinking, geez, we're still in this game, we're still in this game? I'm just wondering the mindset about what's going on.

AUSTIN RILEY: I think it just goes to show again what this bullpen has done. Even Max, I mean, it's just, we're never out of it. I've said it quite a few times. Once we kind of got over the hill after the All-Star break and was able to kind of get that momentum going, we kind of have that vibe of we're not out of it until the very last out, and just our bullpen kept us in the game, kept us in the game, and we were able to pull one out.

Q. Austin, a couple years ago you went out there and worked out with Pujols for a few days and I don't know what you felt at that time, like are you still worlds away from being on that level, what's that mean to do this and not only with him on the field, but just in this kind of game?

AUSTIN RILEY: It's super cool because he's a Hall of Famer, in my opinion, no doubt. Like I said, you look over there and you make eye contact and give a little good to see you, that kind of thing. But, no, I mean, to just see him still doing it at that age is unbelievable. He's one of those all-time greats.

Q. This city hasn't hosted an LCS game in 20 years. Was the energy and the environment everything you thought it would be tonight?

OZZIE ALBIES: Super proud and happy how they cheer us in and out every day and tonight it was special. I'm really happy we got that W for them too.

AUSTIN RILEY: Yeah, it was really loud. (Laughing).

Q. Austin, I know every game in the postseason is important, but how much was there a sense that, like, you needed to get this one, just because the Dodgers were sort of scrambling with their pitching and they got their starters lined up thereafter?

AUSTIN RILEY: I think it was huge, especially going through to it play three. If could you get that -- that was huge tonight, to get that first one out, under your belt. Hopefully tomorrow is the same outcome and like I said you kind of go to Dodger stadium with a sense of, it's not a straight sense of urgency to, say, if you were down 0-2 going into that stadium because it gets electric there.