AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ASTROS VS RED SOX

October 19, 2021

Dusty Baker

Fenway Park

Houston Astros

Postgame 4 Press Conference

Astros 9, Red Sox 2

Q. The at-bat by Castro and the single, how clutch was that, and how badly did you guys just need someone to come through with a big hit right there?

DUSTY BAKER: Well, we had a big hit before that when Altuve tied up the game. You got to tie it before you can win it, and that was a huge hit. There was two strikes. Then we start first-ball hitting. That was a huge base hit by Castro to give us the lead, but we knew with this team that we're playing we wanted to pad the lead and pad the lead we did, you know what I mean? That one run might not have stood up, especially in this ballpark.

I'm just glad that we didn't quit. What a job our bullpen did. Greinke just gave up that one hit, and it was 2-1 for a long time. And then Javier, the job that he did, that was a great job. He just ran it. We took him as far as we could. He ran out of gas there and went to Graveman. You know, a great job by Raley. Just a great job overall by the whole team.

That was a huge win. To tie that up, to guarantee us to go back home and have some more games at home, so we got another big game tomorrow.

Q. Just two real quick: Who is pitching for you tomorrow?

DUSTY BAKER: Tomorrow is Framber.

Q. Castro has been coming through with pinch-hits for you all year. What about his approach or what about just his acumen that allows him to be so good in those spots?

DUSTY BAKER: That's a veteran job to come through, you know, to pinch-hit. I've been around some quality pinch-hitters in my life, in my career both on my team as teammates and guys that I've played with, and, you know, it's a mental approach that you have to take. We try to give him plenty of time to go down in the cage and get loose and get his mind right and get -- you know, to stay ready.

Maldi is doing a great job in game calling and throwing, and then that's a great combination, and then I can hit for Maldi later, you know, with Castro.

It's been a great combination. You know, whenever he pinch-hits for Maldi, Maldi is the guy that's the loudest and cheering for him to come through.

Q. Given how much your bullpen has had to work during the series, were you surprised at all by how well they managed to hold up tonight?

DUSTY BAKER: Not really. You know, we had a fresh Javier. That helped a lot. Then the other guys -- and we had a fresh Graveman. You know, the other guys have been pitching a lot, especially our left-handers. Both our left-handers and also Stanek. That was good to give Stanek a day off tomorrow -- I mean today. So we have a relatively fresh Stanek, relatively fresh Pressly, and so hopefully we can call on them late in the game and Framber can take us deep in the game.

Q. I think a couple of weeks ago you said that this team makes you feel like you're 15. What did you feel like and what did that dugout feel like in that ninth inning to where the runs were tacking on? You guys silenced the crowd, tied the series, and you were constantly enjoying and celebrating this with your team.

DUSTY BAKER: I mean, this is enjoying baseball as if you are a child. You know, this is one of the great things about baseball. You know, when you're dead in the water and things aren't going good, and then all of a sudden, boom, boom, boom, and you got seven runs, and that's what they've been doing to us this whole series, and we're capable of doing that as well.

But I'll tell you, that was a huge home run because it looked like this game could have ended 2-1 by Jose Altuve. We had some big hits. None bigger probably than Carlos's lead-off double. This guy keeps coming through. You know, this team is close and getting closer.