AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ASTROS VS RED SOX

October 20, 2021

J.D. Martinez

Fenway Park

Boston Red Sox

Postgame 5 Press Conference

Astros 9, Red Sox 1

Q. J.D., can you talk about, first, the Red Sox' situation and what can get your offense going again?

J.D. MARTINEZ: The situation is simple: You know, we're down 3-2, we got to go to Minute Maid now and go over there and play good ball, but that being said, I'm not doubting our offense. You know, you see what we've been able to do.

So you got to give credit to them. They've been pitching really, really well. Valdez came out today, and he was unbelievable. I mean, going through my at-bats, and I was thinking I don't think I got one pitch that I could have did anything with, and that's credit to him and his execution. They've been pitching really well.

And their offense got going a little bit these last -- late last night and today. So kind of knew this was going to happen. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. Not with a team like that over there. We got our work cut out for us going back to Houston.

Q. You guys have had some difficult stretches this season. In a way, does that help you guys have something to draw on to turn things around?

J.D. MARTINEZ: Sure. I feel like this is a team that this is our story. We've been written off all year. Nobody, I don't think anyone in here either, thought we were going to be here. To that we know what we're capable of, and I think no one is not believing in themselves or not believing in our team that we can go out there and go off, you know?

We split. We won two in a row. They won two in a row. You know? So it's very possible.

Q. Alex had said that in the last two games they've made some adjustments. Can you talk a little bit about what they've changed?

J.D. MARTINEZ: I don't know what adjustments he is talking about. I just know from my standpoint, from the hitting standpoint, they've just honestly been executing pitches. Been really executing pitches. They haven't left anything over the plate, just nibbling. Some calls go their way, some balls land, and it's just a different series.

Q. You've been through the postseason several times, but how do you deal with it emotionally? Last night you got pretty close to taking a 3-1 lead. Things were going great. All of a sudden now it hasn't been so great. How do you deal with that sort of whip-saw of emotions?

J.D. MARTINEZ: That's why I try to tell everybody, don't get too emotionally high, emotionally low. I mean, that's kind of the way I play. I kind of take pride in that because the emotions is what wears you out. That up, that down. Try to just maintain the same -- that equal presence every time you go out there. You never try to get high when we're going out there putting ten a night, and also the other way around. Don't get too low when we're getting our butts kicked.

To us it's just another game. We got to go out there. It's a must-win, like the Wild Card Game. It's a situation our team is familiar with, so I don't know. You know, it should be fun.

Q. To kind of follow that up, what are some of the common traits that have allowed you guys to have the confidence in these situations? Like you said pretty much you guys have been written off, but have it all year long to be able to do what you've done?

J.D. MARTINEZ: I think it comes from the guys. The guys -- everybody here has something to prove, it feels like. Everyone from all the guys that came over here to the new guys. Everybody wants to prove. You have guys -- young guys that want to show that they belong, and I think it's just the energy has always kind of always been like hungry. Everyone is hungry for their own reason, in a sense.

I don't know if that answers your question at all.

Q. Yeah.

J.D. MARTINEZ: All right.

Q. Christian talked a little bit about attacking early and maybe last night against Greinke that things could have been different in that realm. What are your thoughts on that? And how do you beat good pitching in a situation like this where you mentioned Valdez was nearly unhittable tonight, but you obviously have a job to do, so how do you go about trying to do that job where it seems like it's difficult?

J.D. MARTINEZ: They go out and pitch like that again, you know, you're going to tip your hat. It's nothing -- can't do it. You know what I mean? A guy goes out and pitches like that, you got to tip your hat. It's very tough to have success given those pitches that he is throwing in the areas that he is putting them in.

So it's one of those things where you just got to stick to our approach. Nobody is that perfect. It's very hard to go out there and have those repeat performances, you know. But we're going to Houston, and we got Nate on the mound, and I'm excited about it. I think it's going to be -- I think it's going to be a fun game, a fun last two games.

Q. I know you're worried about what you are trying to do at the plate every time you go up there, but when you have a guy, a teammate like Hunter, who has had some struggles in the series, in the postseason, how do you keep him up and tell him to keep going? How do you try to keep him even-keeled as his teammate?

J.D. MARTINEZ: We talked after the game a bit, and I was sharing my ideas of what I see with him. I think Hunter has been even-keeled all year. I don't see him down at all. You know, he is still going up there. He puts tough at-bats. Yesterday he squared that ball up and Bregman made that nice play. Could have changed the whole game. Then he comes today, and rolls over two balls. It happens. It's life. No one is perfect. He could have easily hit the ball off the wall, hit a home run. You saw Altuve was 0-for-12, something they were talking about, and then he hits a home run, a big one.

It's the playoffs, man. It doesn't -- at the end of the day it's, are we winning? That's it. Whether you are 0-for-10 or going 10-for-10 is, did we win? That's all we care about. Getting on base and kind of just keeping the train moving.