AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 19, 2022

Frankie Montas

Minute Maid Park

New York Yankees

Pregame 1 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions for Frankie Montas.

Q. Can you just give us an update on how you're feeling and what you've done the last couple weeks to be ready to be on the active roster?

FRANKIE MONTAS: I feel pretty good. I've been throwing bullpens and threw live BP last Sunday. Everything went well, and just ready and excited to show what I can do out there and just be ready to go.

Q. Have they discussed with you a specific role, how they see using you in this series?

FRANKIE MONTAS: I think I'm going to be out of the bullpen, but I told them whatever they want me to do, if they want me to be an opener, a starter, whatever, a reliever, whatever they want me to do, I'm willing to do whatever just to help us win.

Q. How stretched out are you? Could you give 50 pitches? 60? 70?

FRANKIE MONTAS: I don't think I'll be able to get that far, but probably like two innings-plus, something like that.

Q. Does the success that Wandy and Clay Holmes had, they didn't have any rehab games. They just went right into the playoffs. How hard is that to do and does that give you some hope that can you do that as well?

FRANKIE MONTAS: Well, they didn't miss as many games as I missed. They were down for like a week or something like that.

But, no, just to see them being out there and how they handled themselves under pressure and everything, they have been doing a really amazing job. Just hoping to continue to kind of like do what they doing, go out there and try to do my best.

Q. Aside from the 30 pitches, do you think you can pitch more than once this series or is it once and you're down a few days?

FRANKIE MONTAS: I feel pretty good right now, so if they need me to pitch back-to-back games, I'll be ready for it.

Q. Harrison Bader was saying that it's tough when you come over and you're not at your best right away and you have to show yourself. Obviously you saw what he did in the division series. How much do you want that personally, the chance to really get to show that yourself?

FRANKIE MONTAS: I mean, I was really excited just to be on the roster, and didn't have a first good impression when I got here of the Yankees, but I'm just excited to go out there and show them that like I can do really good things. I can go out there and get outs. I feel like that's all about, as a pitcher, just trying to go out there and do your best and get people out.

Q. You've had good success against Houston this year. Not a lot of people have. What's your secret to attacking that lineup?

FRANKIE MONTAS: They're a tough lineup. Everybody knows that. They can hit. I feel if you go out there and hit your spots and make good pitches, stay around the zone, they're going to swing, they're going to put the ball in play. You got nine people behind you, so they got to hit it somewhere.

Q. From spending time in the American League West, who are your friends on the Houston side of this rivalry and have you been texting any of them the last 24 hours now that you have a chance to play them?

FRANKIE MONTAS: I wouldn't say friends (laughing). I know, like I know a lot of them just for like for facing them over the years. I know Altuve and all those guys. If I see 'em on the field, I say, What's up, you know, but it's not like we're like that close.

Q. Are you interested to see how your stuff might play out in short spurts outs of the bullpen?

FRANKIE MONTAS: I pitched out of the bullpen before, that's not new for me. When I first came up I was in the bullpen. I remember back in 2020 when we made the postseason with the A's I pitched out of the bullpen. So that's not a new role for me. I feel like I'm familiar with it. I just want to go out there and compete.

Q. You have really good career numbers in this ballpark too. What do you like about this environment? What do you think it brings out in you?

FRANKIE MONTAS: To be honest I don't know. I feel like I have the same mentality every time I go out there and pitch. I had success here, but I feel like if I'm on my A game if I'm throwing strikes and I'm hitting my spots and I'm throwing the pitches I want to throw, pretty much I'm going to have success.

Q. It's rare to see a player as explosive offensively as Altuve at that size. What makes him so difficult to pitch to?

FRANKIE MONTAS: He's a tough guy. He's a tough guy. He's out there swinging. He's a contact hitter. He puts the ball in play. He can run.

But I feel like if you make good pitches and you stay into your plan you can probably have success against him.