AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 19, 2022

Chas McCormick

Minute Maid Park

Houston Astros

Postgame 1 Press Conference

Houston Astros - 4, New York Yankees - 2

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for Chas McCormick.

Q. First postseason home run for you. How did that feel?

CHAS MCCORMICK: It felt amazing. I had a feeling I was eventually due for a backside home run. But, yeah, getting the full count and then him throwing me a fastball and myself putting a good swing on it in the ALCS against the Yankees, I can't even put into words how great that felt. Just even rounding the bases and then seeing my teammates chomp at me, it felt really good.

Q. After center field has been staggered so much throughout the regular season, to get starts there in three of these four postseason games so far what has that meant to you?

CHAS MCCORMICK: It means a lot. Any opportunity I get, even if I don't play, I'm not going to pout, complain, because this team has one goal and it's to win a World Series.

But dusty believing in me, it means a lot. Just even last year platooning in center field, and even this year platooning in center field, it's a roller coaster and it's hard. It's hard to kind of know my role at times. But towards the end of the year, I kind of just silenced it out, stopped thinking about it. Whenever I got my opportunity to play, I just wanted to attack it. In the postseason, I'm happy to be playing and hopefully it can stay that way.

Q. You mentioned your teammates chomping at you. Can you explain to us where that started, how that started? Even Verlander was doing it.

CHAS MCCORMICK: Yeah, exactly, even Verlander was doing it, so it was cool. So some of the guys actually have been starting to do it. I'm not really sure how it started. I remember last year it was kind of a thing, but didn't hear it that much, and then at the end of this year, I actually spotted my eyes on the guy that does it and he was like texting my girlfriend a couple days ago saying, Hey, we're going to be wearing alligator suits and we're going to be starting the chomp Chas chant.

Yeah, so sometimes he's behind home plate, sometimes he's in right field. I don't really know him, don't know his name, but when I see him, I'm like, Oh, God. I see him on deck sometimes. But, yeah it pumps me up. I notice, if I'm playing well, you'll start to kind of hear it, but if I'm not playing that well, you won't hear it. So I always enjoy trying to play well. And then the last couple at-bats I started to hear it and it pumps me up. Fans are into it and they have my back, so I love it.

Q. Talking to you over a period of time, what always strikes me is you want to contribute. You want to help your team, and you want to help these teammates that you think so much of. How do you kind of describe that, and, again, in the context of hitting that home run and knowing that you've contributed to a team win and that they appreciate guys that you think so much of appreciate what you've done?

CHAS MCCORMICK: Yeah, I mean, it means a lot. Just even starting off last year trying to figure out my role watching Aledmys Díaz kind of platoon and be in and out, but watching him contribute right when he plays, hitting doubles, home runs, having good at-bats, and he's not even playing every day. And I kind of put that in my head and said, okay, like, even when you don't play every day, you still can get opportunities and contribute right away.

And so I kind of picked that up last year and even this year, still platooning and trying to contribute right away. But it means a lot when the guys are behind me. I love this team. I love playing for Houston. Yeah, I mean, the bottom of the order, even Yuli playing well tonight, myself, it's huge for this lineup. We have a really good lineup and it seems like if the big guys aren't going, then the bottom of the lineup can get going. If the bottom of the lineup isn't going, the big guys can get going. It just kind of talks about how complete this team is.

But, yeah, I mean, contributing in the ALCS for the Houston Astros, Verlander on the mound, playing against the Yankees, it's all what you dream of.

Q. From last postseason to now just how would you diagnosis your evolution as a hitter?

CHAS MCCORMICK: Yeah, I mean, obviously, I mean, I love playing in the postseason. Obviously, there's a lot more on the line and there's a lot of pressure. But it's the postseason. It's free baseball. So if you have that in your head coming up to the plate and playing the game, yeah, you're going to be nervous, there's a lot of people watching, you're going to be a little stressed out going into the game, but if you try to kind of think about it being free baseball and it doesn't really matter about the results, obviously, in the regular season, you're just results. You want to do well. You want to put up numbers.

In the postseason, it's team, however we can get a win. So it's somewhat relaxing playing, especially just being on a good team like the Houston Astros. It's pretty simple to settle in. And just being my second year in the postseason, I thought I played all right last year in the postseason, a little nervous. But this feels different, my second year in the postseason. I'm really happy to be able to hit a home run and hopefully I can hit more this postseason.

But, yeah, I think I just kind of learned, you know, just having a little more experience, I think, that is a huge part this year.