AL DIVISION SERIES: TWINS VS ASTROS

October 6, 2023

Jose Altuve

Minute Maid Park

Houston Astros

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Jose, I know you guys have faced Correa before in the regular season, but to face him at this level, what do you think that's going to be like?

JOSE ALTUVE: I think it's going to be fun. Obviously he's a good player. He has a lot of experience in playoff games. We are aware of that. So we've got to be careful the way we pitch him and all that stuff.

We've just got to go out there and beat him even though we like him a lot.

Q. Jose, you played with Correa for seven years. How did he grow as a leader over that time? Was it pretty apparent early on he was going to be a key leader on this team?

JOSE ALTUVE: Yeah, we knew early on he was that type of player that he likes to be a leader. He was a great leader for our team when he was here, and I'm pretty sure he is the leader in the other side now with the Twins.

Like I said, we've just got to be careful with him. We know he likes to play in big games and come out clutch, but we've got to find a way to stop him.

Q. Jose, are you surprised at all by the reaction you still get on the road when you come to bat? Does that serve as any motivation for you when you step up to the plate?

JOSE ALTUVE: Just try to focus on the game everywhere I go, even here. Just get my pitch and swing the bat.

Q. You make it sound so simple. You've done these playoffs many times. What is the feeling? Is it a different kind of pressure in the postseason, or do you just treat it like it's not?

JOSE ALTUVE: I think it is. It's a different pressure, different atmosphere. Obviously during the regular season every game matters, but you have 162 to try to win and make it to the playoffs, like we did. We just won the division the last game, versus playoffs you only have five games to win three and anything can happen. So it's like a different atmosphere.

Q. Jose, as I'm sure you guys know, a lot has been made about your team's home struggles. How do you guys see this opportunity now that it's a clean slate on a big stage coming back with an experienced team?

JOSE ALTUVE: We're starting from zero. No stats matter now. Regular season is over. We've got to go start -- doesn't matter what type of season you had, good one, middle, or bad. We have to start from zero tomorrow. I don't think any numbers matter now. We've just got to win somehow. I think that's the team mindset right now.

Q. Back to Carlos, Jeremy had some pretty huge shoes to fill when he took over for him. Did that necessarily surprise you how well he seemed to take on those expectations judging from what he did last year around this time?

JOSE ALTUVE: I think it was a lot of pressure for him early last year trying to fill Carlos' spot. But I think he did amazing. The fact he won ALCS and World Series MVP can tell you a lot about him. We don't expect anything less than being a good player like he is for these playoffs.

He's very excited. He talks about it, and he wants to win bad, too. So we're really happy with Jeremy as well.

Q. I just want to ask you about the experience factor that you guys have. Obviously, a lot of experience in the postseason. But a lot of people go through experiences, and then they kind of take it for granted and they don't have the same fervor to win and that type of thing. How do you guys keep it so fresh through the one postseason after another?

JOSE ALTUVE: Definitely I don't think that's the case in our clubhouse. We really talk about winning a lot. We're really excited about doing it again. And every single guy out there just wants to win. And when you want to do something, we find a way to make it happen.

Obviously, we've got Jeremy and Yordan, and they did a really great job for us last year. But they don't want to be any type of heroes. They just want to win. I know it's a lot of time since a team win back to back, but the fact that we're here, we have a chance to do it. Like I said, we're going to play as a team and make every play possible and try to win it again.

Q. Have you and Carlos exchanged any messages since they beat the Blue Jays?

JOSE ALTUVE: Not yet.

Q. Do you think you will?

JOSE ALTUVE: Probably not.