AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 20, 2022

Aaron Boone

Minute Maid Park

New York Yankees

Pregame 2 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up to questions for Aaron Boone.

Q. What went into the decision to put Peraza out there instead of IKF and just how difficult was it to make that decision?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, it was difficult. It was one I kind of wrestled with all morning before deciding on it. It just felt like matchup-wise against Framber, who is obviously a great pitcher and a guy that puts the ball on the ground a lot, I just felt like maybe Peraza is a guy that could take a shot at impacting the ball.

Q. Small number of starts at short at the big league level, first postseason start. What have you seen from him that tells you the moment won't be too big for him?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, just been impressed really the entire month he was up with us there at the end of the season with his work, with his preparation, with his performance when he did get his opportunities. So excited to see him go out there and play.

Q. Do you mean that you like Peraza's ability to make hard contact on the ground, is that what you're saying?

AARON BOONE: No, I mean, hopefully, we get it in the air. But Framber is a guy that typically is -- and he's faced Izzy a lot in his a career and put him on the ground a lot, so just taking a shot matchup-wise there.

Q. Remembering back to that June start that Valdez had against you guys, you guys had a good first inning. I think Stanton homered and then he settled in. Your approach against a guy like that that throws that great sinker, do you remember if that was just more him settling in and he was lacking command early, and then he settled in, or was there approach out of the gate that you guys had that you would want to have again against him?

AARON BOONE: I mean, obviously, we're going to have approach against him, but the pitcher and execution dictates a lot, and Framber's obviously had a great year for them and creates that challenge with the sinker and the curveball that is about as good as you get at inducing weak contact and putting you on the ground.

So I think the challenge is to not leave the bottom of the zone as best you can and try to take advantage when you get something elevated.

Q. Severino was really open and honest yesterday about some of the tough feelings of coming into this building, given some of the heartache and setbacks that have come here. Is that something you feel like that you kind of have to overcome with the guys who have been through that, particularly in the context of trying to even this thing as opposed to going down 0-2?

AARON BOONE: Well, we have to overcome it in that we got to beat this team if we want to go to a World Series, and they're the best team in the American League this year and they're obviously very difficult here. It's a really strong and complete team. So we got to overcome it because they're in front of us right now.

But I don't worry about that from the standpoint of our focus and our, that's not going to get in the way of it. It's going to come down to two really good teams and who plays a little bit better.

Q. I'd ask the thinking with Bader at leadoff, but what he's doing with four home runs in the past six games, he's doing a pretty good Judge impression at that point. What have you liked from where you've watched him? He doesn't talk about it being a hot streak or anything. He just kind of talks about the same approach.

AARON BOONE: Yeah. Yeah, he does a really good job of that. I heard him say that, about not being a hot streak, just each new at-bat is a new opportunity and really lock in and try and win pitches and focus on the next pitch.

We talk about it all the time in the playoffs, the next play, the next pitch is the most important. And he's done a good job of compartmentalizing and not letting something that just happened, good, bad, or indifferent affect the next thing. He's had a really good focus on that point.

And then just with the lefty being on the mound, just felt like it made sense to get him at the top there.

Q. I know a big day in terms of Gold Glove finalists being announced. You have five on your team. What does that mean and maybe just some reflections about the way that's impacted your club during the course of the year?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, it's certainly been one of the strengths of this team is defense. It's a priority of ours this winter and heading into this season, to get better defensively, and I think we went out there and did that. The guys did a great job of, really across the board, and I think we got five guys that, like you said, as finalists. I think that you can make a really strong case for a couple more that probably should be in that mix.

I know J.D. wasn't in the finalists there. You could make a case for IKF. I think Judge splitting time between right and center probably hurt his chances of being on in one spot or the other. So we've been a really good defensive team all year and hopefully we can continue that.

Q. In your estimation, when you look at Peraza's tools, what is his up side as a Major League player? How good can he be?

AARON BOONE: I think he can be a good every day Major League short symptom. I think that's what, he's got real natural, easy actions at shortstop. He plays the position with some ease, you know, easy arm, like, looks like a shortstop when you watch him move around out there and take ground balls and play the position, and then runs really well, is a base stealer, but runs well on the bases, and can impact the ball a little bit at the plate. So he's got a chance to hit for some power too. So he's got a chance to be a really all-around good Major League shortstop, I think.

Q. Gleyber in the middle of the order, do you think that's a better spot for him or is that move just solely because you want to put Harrison Bader in that leadoff spot.

AARON BOONE: Yeah. With a lefty going, it felt natural to slide Harrison up there. Yeah, I like Gleyber in the middle of the lineup. We haven't had that prototypical leadoff hitter. With DJ and Benny being out, Judge has kind of been the guy with obviously as much as he's got on base. So I've kind of pieced that spot together.

But with the lefty going, I feel like Bader is a good matchup there, and then I do like Gleyber in the middle of the lineup.

Q. Do you think he feels more comfortable there than the leadoff spot?

AARON BOONE: I think Gleyber really likes hitting leadoff. He's always, I'll lead off. He's always up for it. But when he's going well there's a number of good spots for him.

Q. I was watching closely just the communication between Bader and Judge in game in the outfield. What stands out to you about how they communicate in game and also just the way that Bader tracks balls. It seems like he really gets behind it and likes to really do that and takes a lot of pride in it?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, drops his hips and gets his hips around the ball. Yeah, we always talk about it in the dugout. We actually have a lot of fun with it. I mean he's very meticulous. Very athletic out there first and foremost. But he's very fundamentally sound and takes a lot of pride in being great out there.

Works really hard at it. He puts in a lot of time out there. And he's invested a lot of time in his teammates and stuff. To see him and Aaron communicate the way they are, it's been good to see those two teammates really come together.