AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 19, 2022

Luis Severino

Minute Maid Park

New York Yankees

Pregame 1 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Luis Severino.

Q. When you look at the Astros lineup and compare it to the Cleveland lineup that you faced in the division series, how much of a different challenge is facing Houston?

LUIS SEVERINO: I think they're similar, but with more power, I would say. You know, a team that doesn't strikeout that much. They put the ball in play. Like I say, they have power.

So I think it's around the same team that we faced since 2017. They got a couple different guys, but I still think they're around the same team.

Q. How much is still lingering from 2017 and do you see this as a revenge spot for you guys here?

LUIS SEVERINO: I mean, not as a revenge, but we need to play. We need to win. They have a good team. We have a good team. They know our team very good, and we know their team very good. So we just need to go out there and compete and try to win.

Q. You were here in 2017, 2019. When you walk into this building, a lot of heart break happened here, what are your feelings, what do you think about?

LUIS SEVERINO: I mean, I think about that we lose here. That's the only thing that came to my mind. I think all the guys that have been here since then they have to remember that. They have to remember that feeling and try to not feel the same way this year, try to be better, try to go out there with that mentality and win games.

Q. I think it's fair to say that Astros fans don't like the Yankees so much. What do you think about the hostile environment you'll encounter tomorrow?

LUIS SEVERINO: I mean, everywhere we go we're not liked, so it's not always, it's not here, it's everywhere, so it's going to be the same. You know, if we go to, I mean, Boston, every year is the same. We go to -- the only place that they really likes us a little bit is Tampa because they don't have a lot of fans there.

But, I mean, it's like that everywhere we go, so I think we're used to it and we embrace that. They just don't like us because they think we're good and we can win.

Q. It's pretty rare that you get to celebrate and then have to play such an important game right after. How was it? Did guys pretty much switch from party mode to business mode fairly quick last night? How did that transition work? Because you guys deserved to celebrate after the win, but it was kind of tough to know when to switch it back.

LUIS SEVERINO: Yeah, I mean, the champagne is terrible, so I think that helped a little bit. Nobody likes that thing. So I think after 10, 20 minutes everybody was tired. We went to the plane right away.

I think everybody is ready. I think I didn't see nobody drinking much. Like I said, the champagne was not great. But I think everybody's ready.

Q. You said earlier it's not about revenge. Have you personally gotten over what the Astros did in 2017, and if you have or haven't, how have you been able to perhaps put that behind you?

LUIS SEVERINO: I mean, of course. It's a long time ago. MLB did what they need to do to fix whatever they were doing. I think, I always think that this is the team that they don't need to cheat because they're really good. They have a great lineup. They can go to the World Series. They can play good because they have always been good.

So for me, that's in the past. We need to focus on the present right now. We have the team that beat us a couple times in front of us and we have to go out there and just give a hundred percent and play good baseball.

Q. Was there a time when you were very angry and does time heal that at some point? I know Judge, Stanton, and some other guys were, the next spring really were strong about their opinions. Was there a time when you were really upset?

LUIS SEVERINO: Oh, yes, of course, from the second that I hear about it. I mean, I was in the bullpen when I saw that homer go through my head. So when I think about all that, of course I was mad at the beginning, but, you know, we can't do nothing about it. I mean, what are we going to do? If I'm still angry, is that going to change something? It's not going to do nothing. So, no.

I think at spring training everybody was asking about that. It was just too much. So, like I say, now we got this team that's very good. They got great players. So we got a chance to go out there and compete.

Q. When people think of the 2017 Astros going forward I think the first person they think of is Altuve. What makes him so dangerous as a hitter and what's the best way to attack him as a pitcher?

LUIS SEVERINO: Like you said, he's a great hitter. So we just need to go -- for me it's whatever is good for me that day. I don't think there is like a way to go to get him out. He's a smart guy. He's been in the league for a long time. He's been hitting .300 for a long time. So for me I just need to go wherever I think is going to work that day for me.