AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS VS ORIOLES

October 9, 2023

Bruce Bochy

Globe Life Field

Texas Rangers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. It's been quite a two-week journey since you guys left home a couple weeks ago. Talk about the process and how the team's gotten on a roll.

BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, it has been a journey. Rough at times too. Go to Anaheim, night game. Got in Seattle early in the morning, trying to win a couple games there. Couldn't quite get it done so we end flying to Tampa. That's about five and a half hours. Got in late there. But the boys found a way. What a great job they did.

You know, you talk about your goals and things. But you have to enjoy the journey too, the ups and downs, I guess. Which they did. They did a great job of putting, again, a tough series, tough loss behind them. Played well in Tampa. Played well in Baltimore.

It's good to be home. These guys haven't seen their families in a couple weeks. I'm sure they're excited about being home, playing here in front of the home fans, being in our ballpark. So it's a good feeling when you walk in this ballpark.

Q. I know you weren't here a couple years ago, but this stadium hosted a lot of postseason games that the Rangers weren't in and a World Series that the Rangers weren't in. To come in and host the first postseason game in this building in Arlington, how big is that?

BRUCE BOCHY: Well, for me, I'm looking forward to it, I think. For Ranger fans, hopefully they're really excited because it's been a little while. It wasn't all that long ago when they were having a lot of postseason games. So to have the first one here, I'm honored to be part of that. And to be part of, you know, what's going on right now.

Like I said, it's a tough journey getting here. But it's good to be here, and I'm looking forward to just seeing the atmosphere. Nobody has seen it yet, so I think the players are too. It's going to be an exciting time tomorrow night.

Q. Bruce do you expect -- my understanding is the Baltimore crowd was really loud. Do you expect that sort of thing here? Do you feel like this is built up here at this place now that this fan base believes in this team?

BRUCE BOCHY: It's a great question. I'm new here. It's my first year. It's a hard one for me to answer. I certainly hope so. We are. And I know where I'm living, the fans want to talk baseball. So I'm seeing some excitement.

We've been gone for two weeks so I really can't tell you the mood, the tempo or spirit of what's going on around the city. But we certainly hope we'll have a similar atmosphere that we saw in Baltimore, because they were really excited about their team.

So I'm looking forward to it, seeing exactly where we're at with all this. But I'll say this. Before we hit that road trip, you could feel it here. You could sense it, the excitement, enthusiasm, electricity in the ballpark. So I think the guys are looking forward to seeing it too.

Q. Do you believe in that kind of thing?

BRUCE BOCHY: I do. I do. Not to just talk about Tampa again, but with the year they had, you know, it was a little bit of a downer, to be honest, for them. But on our side -- I think they had 19,000. But I get it. You know, you get rounds now. When you're used to postseason, sometimes it's got to be the next round or World Series or whatever.

For us, I think it's big. I think the players feed off it. No question about it. They're so important. And part of their enthusiasm is that's adrenaline we run on too because it's been a tough grind. These guys have gone through a lot. It certainly does a lot to help pick them up.

Q. You played across the street in 2010 with the Giants. Do you remember the atmosphere then?

BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, yeah. It wasn't that long ago. Come on. Sure I do.

No, it was great. It was great. The fans were great. They were really into it. You could feel it. It started in San Francisco, but we came here and it was packed. Same type of atmosphere we saw in the other ballparks before that.

Q. Mitch said something yesterday that maybe not winning the division was maybe a blessing in disguise because you had to get your minds straight right away. And then you jump right back into games and have been playing since then. Do you see any credibility to that idea?

BRUCE BOCHY: That gets asked a lot. I'll be honest. If I had my preference, we win the division, have a few days. I get it because you've got to keep going. You've got to stay in that playing mode. It's hard to have that switch go on and off. Not that you're going to turn it off. Just four or five days of not quite being on the same competitive level, I don't care what kind of workout you're holding. Is that an advantage? It's hard to say.

Guys can wear down a little bit too, the pitching. There's something about it. I've gone at it both ways, through the Wild Card route and having some time off. And if I had to pick which way, yeah, I'd take the time off. There's a little bit more of a guarantee on that next round.

Q. Through these first three or four postseason games, the bullpen has bent but not broken. What do you see from these guys and how they've come up in these situations?

BRUCE BOCHY: Our bullpen has really done a nice job. To be honest, yeah, it's been a challenge all year. Mike and I have discussed this bullpen on a daily basis, trying to keep things in order. At times, we've had it in order. Other times, you know, we've had to try to patch it up. But lately, we have not just one or two guys that we can go to. So we have some really good options. Guys that we're comfortable using in high leverage situations.

And, really, there's nobody down there I wouldn't feel comfortable using. You saw us bring the kid in yesterday. Really, we'll bring in anybody. So I think we're sitting as well as we have been in the bullpen all year with the health and how they're throwing the ball and their confidence.

Q. How impressed have you been with Evan Carter and Josh Jung's start to the postseason?

BRUCE BOCHY: You have to be impressed with these two young kids, how they're carrying themselves, handling the intense games that we're playing in. You wouldn't know it with these two. I love their focus. They're not afraid of anything. These guys want to be out there. They want to be in the fire. You can see it. And you don't know, really, how a young player will handle a playoff-type situation or atmosphere.

But these two do. And, really, I felt that way even before we got to the postseason. These two would be fine. They are. They're really, really good players, but they're mentally tough. They want to be out there.

Q. Apparently, Marcus said something when asked about Corey Seager, and I paraphrase: He's always been impressed with his work ethic and how he goes about things. Seeing postseason Corey was an eye opener to him. There's a different level, apparently, that he goes to, which is interesting to imagine. I'm not sure how much access you get to that, but is there something you can tell us about postseason Corey Seager?

BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I'll say this. I think great players have a way of just raising their level of play. It's what they play for. Talking to Corey last winter, when I first took the job, that's all he talked about. He wants to win. That's why he's in this game. I'm sure last year was a difficult year for him, especially when he's used to winning. This is what he's about.

And he's as excited as anybody, trust me, about being in this situation. So I think you're just seeing a really, really outstanding player that, as most of them do, they get better in postseason. Their focus gets better. They're just fired up about it.

And I'd say the same with Marcus. These guys, this is why they play, and they've been around, they understand it. And this is what's great for the young players, to see what's going on. You go to Baltimore, you see the atmosphere. Now, they really get what we're talking about, why you play the game. That's to be in the postseason.

Q. You talk about encouraging your players to appreciate the moment. Do you have a new appreciation for this, given the fact that not that long ago, you had reason to wonder if you'd ever be in this position again?

BRUCE BOCHY: Oh, no question. Have a deeper appreciation for where we're at. Three years, you know, I was sitting on the couch, doing a little fishing, a little golfing, watching baseball mand missing it more and more. So to be where I'm at, I've said I'm blessed, I'm grateful. CY gave me a call. Where I'm at and to be with such a great ball club, front office and ownership, with Ray doing what he did to help us get the resources and tools that we needed to be in this position.

I know it's not that easy. I've been fortunate. I've been doing this a long time, I think 25 years before this. It's just not that easy to get to the postseason. So I'm really, really grateful.

Q. With Corey, how do you balance his desire to use the bat as a weapon in the box versus Baltimore pitching around him and the benefit of getting on base five times with a walk? Do you have to talk to him? Do Tim or Donnie talk to him? How do you kind of approach that?

BRUCE BOCHY: No. We don't need to talk to him. I mean, it's a pretty simple game. If you don't get a strike, hey, don't expand. Pass that baton to the next guy. I don't care how good you are, it's hard to hit a pitch that's not in the zone hard. Corey gets that. Mitch came through yesterday. We got Garcia behind him. So.

You get it. You're going to be careful with the great hitters. So we don't want to get to the point of diminishing return on what he can bring on trying to expand or anything. Hey, you know, take your walk. We'll keep things moving.

Q. Seems like Creed is becoming a big thing for this team, listening to Creed, the band, before games. I'm curious if they're high up on your favorite bands list and if you have a favorite Creed song?

BRUCE BOCHY: I don't know a lot of their songs, to be honest. I do know we're playing a lot of Creed. That's not my lane, to be honest. But no. I don't know who's the DJ here, to be honest. So I don't know where it's coming from. It could be Hedges, though. I'll find out for you.

Q. Bruce, what has it's been like to have Mike Maddux along for the ride with you?

BRUCE BOCHY: Been awesome. For me to have him along my side, I'm lucky. I know it. Great way about him, great sense of humor, wisdom, guy I rely on, talking about the pitching, bullpen, things like that. Somebody my age too. Well, I can't say that. He'll get mad. He's younger than I am.

Anyway, no, it's been really good. And when he was available when I first came over here, I said, man, this couldn't have worked out better for me. So it's been a good year hanging around with Mike.

Q. Garver did a pretty nice job in the third spot yesterday. Are you close to settling and maybe that he would stay there, or are you still going to adjust, depending on what the match-ups are?

BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I'll say this. If you hit a Grand Slam, you're in there the next day. So that's a rule I had. I came up with it about ten years ago. But I think you'll see Mitch get more playing time. And I said this to Mitch. I want to get him in the mix a few days ago.

I know two different type hitters. Robbie's done a great job too. We saw what Mitch can do and he's swinging the bat well. So to answer your question, yes, he'll be getting a lot of playing time.