AL DIVISION SERIES: GUARDIANS VS YANKEES

October 16, 2022

Terry Francona

Progressive Field

Cleveland Guardians

Postgame 4 Press Conference

Yankees - 4, Guardians - 2

Q. Tito, Quantrill obviously got caught up early on. How do you feel how well he battled here tonight?

TERRY FRANCONA: He competed like crazy. He was kind of a two-pitch pitcher tonight, fastball, change-up. Really was having a really tough time with the cutter, breaking ball. Just thought then, you know, if we're trying to go through the heart of the order another time that was asking a bit much. Probably caught a break in the 5th. Jose made that play to get the double play. Just like I said, I thought that was starting to be a reach.

Q. With that running play with Jose in the third inning, did he get caught up in between them?

TERRY FRANCONA: I think he lost track of Rizzo. If you look back the other day, Rizzo was backing up like a guy would. I think Jose thought that's where he was and lost track of him.

Q. With Civale now in the situation pitching when you take all with Game 5, how do you feel about him and how he's prepared for like this?

TERRY FRANCONA: I think he'll be just fine, just fine. I told him, I said man, you go pitch your heart out. I said don't you worry about when we take you out. Just keep pitching until we take you out. He seems like he's in a good place.

Q. Hope you didn't answer this already, but the Ramirez play when he made the throw from his knees, just, you know, he had that saving play against the Rays. What have you seen from him defensively in the playoffs?

TERRY FRANCONA: Talking the double play?

Q. Yeah.

TERRY FRANCONA: At the time, it saved us a chance to win the game because they break it open and, you know, we're having a tough time. We kept it where we kept getting somebody on and kind of teasing a little bit. And, you know, the object is always to win, but if the next thing is to try to make them use their pen and us not use ours, I thought Cody and Zach did a really good job.

Q. You kind of answered it, what do you say about Cody and Zach especially late in the game giving you long innings of relief?

TERRY FRANCONA: You're right. I did just answer that. I don't know how to answer it differently. I thought -- Cody -- that was Cody's first time pitching in the playoffs. I mean, helping us win the game, it was important, but developmentally for him, that was huge.

Q. The fourth high-stakes game in fours days is a challenge, a puzzle. Do you at least take solace knowing that you have your main guys in the bullpen lined up for tomorrow?

TERRY FRANCONA: You know if you would have told me back in, I don't know, March we just signed up to play Game 5 in New York, to go to the ALCS, I would have jogged to New York. I mean, this is -- I'm excited.

Q. With Eli Morgan tonight and the inning was kind of tough, bad breaks there, I mean, for him to battle through that, kind of limit the damage, really impressive?

TERRY FRANCONA: I agree with you. I agree with you. I know that's not a question. I'm agreeing he did. He did battle. If he -- you know, if he gets in there, they start putting up crooked numbers, we're in a lot of trouble. He really did battle.