AL DIVISION SERIES: MARINERS VS ASTROS

October 13, 2022

Scott Servais

Minute Maid Park

Seattle Mariners

Pregame 2 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions for Scott Servais.

Q. I'm curious, we just talked to George a few minutes ago and certainly you didn't have a lot of deep history with him going into this year because he had been in the minor leagues, but came up in May, and I'm just curious some of the traits and things that you've learned about George. I think you've talked about what a strong competitor he is, but anything beyond that that's really stood out for you?

SCOTT SERVAIS: Personality-wise it always takes awhile to get guys to get comfortable and get to know a little bit like how they're wired. It didn't take me long to figure out how George is wired. I think the first spring training outing he had this last year -- and George is a strike thrower. He prides himself on that. And when he didn't get a couple calls from the umpire in his first outing of spring training, the first time he's ever pitched in big league camp, and he's staring down the umpire and yelling at him as he walks offense the field, I'm like, hmm, this guy's pretty comfortable. He knows he belongs.

So he's obviously had a fantastic season, but getting to know him and how he's wired, very competitive, we talk about it all the time, not just on baseball field, in everything he does. Very competitive on the golf course with his teammates, whatever it is.

He has fit in perfectly with our club. I know people early on wanted to compare him and Logan, but they are total opposites personality-wise and how they go about it, and that's the way, that's great. That's what makes a team is the differences in personalities and makeup.

But, yeah, that's what sticks out to me just the competitiveness that he brings in no matter what he's doing.

Q. Could you talk about Dylan Moore. This is a guy that's basically done everything you've asked for him. He's in the lineup today. What's meant to this team?

SCOTT SERVAIS: He means a lot to our team. The versatility he brings on the defensive side, and he's made some really nice adjustments offensively this year. He's done the best job at any point in his career of controlling the strike zone, swinging at the right pitches, taking walks, just being a part of our offense. The real nice year during the COVID year in 2020 where he really swung the bat well, allowed him to kind of work into more playing time last year in a starting role. He struggled. He did. But never really got down about it, understood that he would get other opportunities again.

He's been huge for us this year, filling in at shortstop, second base, anywhere in the outfield. He's started games in center field, right field, left field. Really comfortable putting him anywhere on the field other than pitcher or catcher. And he takes that. He takes a lot of pride in that. Not just being adequate at all those positions but being really good at it.

So those guys are invaluable, and certainly this time of year, having movable pieces. And he runs the bases extremely aggressively and well on top of it. So perfect fit on our ball club.

Q. I don't mean to make us old here, but almost 30 years ago I organized an Astros caravan visit to Sam Houston, and you all came out to the baseball field there. Do you remember anything about that and what it meant to be part of the community? And I remember you working with our catchers and everything else like that as well.

SCOTT SERVAIS: Yeah, the old Astros caravans. I made it all over the state of Texas, and that was back in the day. It's usually the young players that got roped into doing it, jumping on a bus and meeting fans and young players and doing different things. So that's part of the deal. I think it helps young players mature a little bit in dealing in that environment. We were all young at the time when I first started with the Astros. We were in a rebuild too.

I remember a lot of those things. I don't remember every visit to every ballpark I've ever been in in the state of Texas. But like I mentioned earlier on, I started my career here, bought my first home in Houston. Sugar Land. My two older kids were born here. So there's a lot of ties to this area.

Q. Yesterday you mentioned how the guys were, just wanted to got out there ready to roll. Another playoff opportunity today. How were they feeling when you talked to them this morning?

SCOTT SERVAIS: Our team looks about as normal as it ever has coming into a game. Doesn't surprise me at all. You're going to have ups and downs throughout the course of a season. We've certainly lived both ends of the spectrum here in the last week or so.

But today's another day. You got to get out, figure out how we're going to compete, how we're going to beat the Astros today. And handle Valdez and what he throws up there.

So great pitching matchup today. Can't say enough about the two guys on the mound. How good they are, how deep they can work into the game. They have got different weapons, different ways to get you out through the course of the game. So it will be a good challenge for both sides.

Q. Curious, with George Kirby making the first start in Seattle, a postseason game for the first time since 2001, why do you like him in that position and what makes you confident he'll handle it well?

SCOTT SERVAIS: I don't think the moment gets too big for George no matter where you throw him at. Saw a little bit of that in Toronto, how he handled that situation.

George is George. He knows what he's about and who he is on the mound. And that's throwing a ton of strikes. And he's added pitches to his repertoire. He's become a better pitcher here over the last, I would say, two months than he's ever been. Understands that they need to make adjustments throughout the course of a game and whatnot.

But with everything that's going to be thrown upon him you got to lean on young guys. Those are the guys who got us here, you know, why not. Ton of confidence in him. Our whole coaching staff does. Our whole team does. He's not wavered. He just takes ball, gets up there and keeps filling up the strike zone.

So love having him out there whenever he's out there. Take that with being super competitive and he'll be just fine.