AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 19, 2022

Aaron Boone

Minute Maid Park

New York Yankees

Pregame 1 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with questions for Aaron Boone.

Q. Two very quick questions, sir: In the middle of September, you guys had a rough moment and then it turned around. You remember the slap and everything, and everything came upwards. Other than at that press conference, what did you, what was the secret to turn things around for the Yankees and to make it all the way to the LCS? And It'll be criminal journalistic from my sense if I don't ask you regarding the 2017 the Astros, the controversy, blah, blah, blah. Is that within your guys' radar or gones be gones?

AARON BOONE: Well, we started playing really well, I think, at the start of September. We had our struggles in August, even a little bit in July. So it was kind of that six-week stretch and more specifically a two- to three-week stretch where we really struggled. We struggled to score runs. A lot of it was we were injured. We were really beat up at different points in that.

But also weren't playing great baseball. I think this team is, again, we talk about it from day one of spring training, all the things that are coming our way. So we're prepared for struggles, good times, bad times, adversity, great moments, whatever. You know it's all coming for you in a long season, especially playing in the American League East.

So I think the guys did a really good job of weathering the storm, like, okay, we know -- there was an underlying confidence, I believe, with our group that we were going to get through those tough times, and they played really well down the stretch and in September when we needed to. And I think it's a tribute to the makeup of that group, but it's also we started to get a little healthier and we got guys back in the mix that were real important contributors.

As far as 2017, I don't think it's really, we know we're up against a great opponent, and we're going to do all we can to put our best foot forward and try and beat 'em and move on. I understand that's a focal point fan bases and all that, but we're focused on trying to beat a great team.

Q. Did you give any consideration to starting Cole in Game 2 and -- No?

AARON BOONE: No.

Q. Would he be considered a candidate to come back on short rest potentially if the series went longer?

AARON BOONE: Yes. Oh, yeah.

Q. How do you expect to use Montas during the series?

AARON BOONE: As a reliever. He's not that built up. We'll see, hopefully he pitches well and gets in there and starts having an impact, and it starts to become more than that.

But I was really encouraged by what I saw in his live outing over the weekend in Tampa. I felt like, he looks really healthy to me and strong and I felt like the ball was coming out really well. So excited to get him in the mix and hopefully he can play a little bit of a role for us at some point in this series getting some big outs. But I feel like physically he's ready for that.

Q. With the scheduling stuff and the last few days and everything like that, how much of a skill is it to develop nimble players, guys who can deal with that stuff over the course of a season to be ready for anything?

AARON BOONE: Again, we talk about it all the time, right? I mean, the 162-game season with spring training and the playoffs is a grind. It's the ultimate grind. You got to be prepared and able to handle a lot of things, not only physically, but mentally, emotionally. You've got to be able to deal with failures and successes and weather the storm.

I feel like our group is in a really good place from a focus standpoint and playing with confidence and having a lot of trust in each other. I think it's a group that really enjoys playing with one another. So whatever comes our way. We thought we were ready to go play a game the other night at 9:30. Like, the guys were ramping up and I got guys beating down my door as I'm doing these Zoom calls about the weather. Judgy's got his eye black on, like, with his glove on, here we go, and then all of a sudden it's, like, all right, let's go win a game at 4 o'clock tomorrow, now they just told us.

So they're uber-focused on the task and we know we got a big task here with the Astros and we're excited to take the challenge.

Q. IK-F back in the lineup. What went into that decisionmaking process?

AARON BOONE: Well, Giancarlo being in the outfield. So Carp's a DH. It just felt like more the righty lineup against Verlander is kind of the way I wanted to go. Obviously, I mean, he's probably going to win the Cy Young, and he's great against both hands, but especially tough against lefties. So I liked the righty lineup. I feel like Isiah when he's playing at his best is a guy that's really tough with runners in scoring position down at the bottom of the lineup, and when he's playing well defensively, he has a real impact. So I feel like for us to be at our best we need to get him rolling in this as well.

Q. Is that an every day decision for you or is he your starting shortstop the rest of the series?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, it will be an every day decision. We got Peraza. We got, obviously, Cabrera, who can play short. So it will be just kind of matchup and game to game. But I feel like Izzy's going to play a big role for us.

Q. What was the reaction from Jameson when you told him he would be starting this game and was it anything out of the ordinary being that he's from here?

AARON BOONE: No. When we got rained out, the first thing did I was check with Nestor, make sure he was good to go, and then I grabbed J-Mo and just said, Nestor is going to go tomorrow. You got Game 1. He's like, Let's go.

Q. After near misses against Houston in 2017 and 2019, what makes you think this team can get over the hump this year?

AARON BOONE: I felt like we were going to get over the hump in 2019. I feel like we can do that now. Playoffs are hard. This is a great team we're up against. I trust our group. I believe in our group. A lot of things happen over a seven-game series, so hopefully we go put our best foot forward and are able to move on to a World Series. But nothing more or less than anytime you walk into a series. I've never walked into a playoff series that, since I've been here, that I didn't think we could win or should win, and nothing changes now.

Q. Being able to use Stanton in the outfield obviously helps you guys a lot, lineup flexibility. You have Carpenter at DH today. Was this -- you had kind of stayed away from that with his health issues. Was this the kind of spot you always, not had penciled in, you didn't know if you were going to get here, but was this kind of the goal that once you did get here, that was a time to give it a shot?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, maybe. It's something that I started really putting on G's board a few days ago. I actually considered it for Game 4 in Cleveland. I talked to him a little about it the night before after Game 3, and then ultimately decided, kind of told him the morning of Game 4. I just said, Let's do it Game 1 in Houston. That kind of makes the most sense, ballpark-wise and everything.

So started to get him mentally prepared for that the next few days. I checked with him after the game last night. He said, Let's go, and then I followed up with him late this morning just to make sure we're good to go. He's eager to do it. But we also spoke about it in the layoff between the regular season and the start of our division series. He even came to me about it, like knowing that Carp was getting going, understanding the situation that -- so I think it's been definitely in his mind here over the last week or 10 days that hopefully this could be an option for us.

Q. Do you see him as an option in left field here or would that be a potential --

AARON BOONE: We'll see. We'll see. I mean, here makes more sense, but I wouldn't rule it out when we get back home. But here more so.

Q. A few days ago it seemed like Marinaccio was on target to be part of this. What happened with him?

AARON BOONE: Nothing. It was a very, one of the toughest decisions that I had last night, that we had last night, kind of debating it. I feel like he's not a hundred percent. He's obviously had a great year and been a really important piece for us, and I trust, I really trust his makeup and I know he wants to be out there and wants the ball and I know he's cut out for this.

But I do feel like he's less, just a little bit less than what he needs to be. That said, I could still see him making it on the next round. If something were to happen in this round, I would go to him. I feel good enough about putting him out there and like that it's not a reckless -- I just feel like he's a little less than certainly a hundred percent.

Q. Verlander's had such an influence on the series over the years. How important will it be for you guys to make him work tonight and eventually get one off of him at some point in this series?

AARON BOONE: We got to get four, so hopefully we start with one tonight. Obviously he's an all-time great pitcher, certainly one of the greats of this generation, and still great this deep into his career. Probably going to win the Cy Young award this year. So he's always a challenge. We got our work cut out for us. We'll have a game plan for him and hopefully we're able to get to him a little bit and grab one. But we got to get four against this team. So hopefully that starts tonight with Justin.