AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS VS ORIOLES

October 10, 2023

Bruce Bochy

Globe Life Field

Texas Rangers

Postgame 3 Press Conference

Texas 7, Baltimore 1

Q. What did you see today from, really, everybody? I mean, everything was really good.

BRUCE BOCHY: I saw a team that was really motivated. The fans, they were so into it. They came out swinging. But the story is Nate, the job he did out there on the mound to help set the tone. But the offense, everybody was doing something to contribute.

I mean, that's such a great club over there, and I want to compliment them on their year. Just tremendous year, what Brandon Hyde did there. For us to play the kind of ball that we have been playing since we went to Tampa and, of course, against Baltimore, I just told the guys, it's incredible how well they've been clicking in all facets of the game.

Q. From the time you talked to Chris about this job, which is a while back, would you have ever conceived to take a 68-win team to the championship series in, basically, less than a year?

BRUCE BOCHY: I got to be honest. When we sat down and we talked in Nashville there for quite a few hours, this was CY's vision. He wanted to get this turned around. He wasn't talking about two or three years from now. I knew this was a really good ball club. I mean, very talented club. You look at the position players. We needed some starting pitching and CY said we're going to go out and get it. I thank Ray Davis for doing that to make this club even better, to give us the tools to be in this position.

So even though you talk about it, to be here, you realize how fortunate, at least personally, I am to be sitting here and be part of this and be part of that team. Again, I can't say enough of what they did here the last week and really all year. So to be part of it, I'm blessed.

Q. Can you tell us who you would have started tomorrow if you'd had to?

BRUCE BOCHY: Heaney would have had the start.

Q. So how will the rotation run now in the ALCS?

BRUCE BOCHY: We haven't sat down, to be honest. We're going to enjoy this, celebrate a little bit, and we'll huddle up and go over the game plan on what we're going to do in the next series.

Q. Would you say it's possible that Eovaldi might have put himself back at the top of the rotation?

BRUCE BOCHY: We'll see where we're at. But you look at what he and Montgomery have been doing. Those guys carried us here this past week. Of course, Andrew and Dunning, the start that they had. Pitching's been there. I got to say something about Mike Maddux too, the incredible job he's been doing to go against these good clubs and the way we've been pitching. Tremendous job on his part.

Q. What can you say about the poise that Nate has pitched with in these last few playoff games. Seems like we've talked about Corey levelling his game up. Seems like Nate has too.

BRUCE BOCHY: You guys have heard me talk about maniacal focus. He's been here and he's done it. I think he thrives on it. He wants to be the guy out there and just has a tremendous focus. Built himself back up to where he had the strength and stamina to go out there and throw about 100 pitches today. You could see it coming.

We saw it in Seattle. Got bumpy there in the 3rd and 4th. You could still see the stuff. He carried that into Tampa, and he carried that into tonight's game.

Q. What was it like to see him get that curtain call, especially after the injury he went through, working his way back, to see him kind of get that moment, I guess, out of the dugout?

BRUCE BOCHY: Really just a special moment. I enjoyed it. I thank the fans for doing that. They were into it. It fired the boys up from the get-go, the way they came out swinging and the way they played today. I know they were excited to get back.

It's the first postseason game here. Not sure what it's going to be like out there, and it was electric. So they could feel it. They fed off their energy. It was pretty cool.

Q. Don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. Were you guys even thinking about an ALCS matchup, potential rematch with Houston?

BRUCE BOCHY: I haven't been thinking about anything but trying to win this series. I'm a game at a time, series at a time. That's as far as I can go. But could happen. You don't know. But I'm just excited to hear we're in the championship series.

Q. Going to get ahead of myself one more time. Max, talked to him in the clubhouse. Seems like he's excited for the potential to help this team down the road in the next series.

BRUCE BOCHY: It's great. We're excited. Hopefully, that is the case. We've got a little time here. See where we're at with Max. We've missed him. He's been throwing well. I thought he threw well to hitters not too long ago, but didn't want to risk putting him in this series. Give him time to build up. We'll continue to do that and see where we're at.

Q. A lot of big hits in this series came with two strikes. Just what does that say about your team approach, mentality, and their relentless offense.

BRUCE BOCHY: I agree with you. Their approach was outstanding. They stayed with the plan. Donnie Ecker and Tim Hyers did a great job of having these guys prepared. They stuck with it, showed patience and did a nice job of two-strike hitting. We were putting the ball in play and good things happened. These guys really, just like Nate, they were very focused up there at the plate.

Q. Each postseason, there seems to be a team that's given the moniker or "that blanking team." Have the Rangers showed that, 5-0 in the postseason?

BRUCE BOCHY: I don't know what they're saying about us. We had our work cut out going on the road against Tampa and Baltimore. Just shows the toughness with this ball club and the deal with having to fly to Tampa. Because trust me, they wanted to win one more game in the worst way. Didn't happen.

They put it behind them. I said the disappointment will be there. Once they get to Tampa and get that postseason feel, they'll get over it and be ready to go. And they were.

Q. Bruce, what did you think of the way Nathaniel Lowe reacted to his home run. Trying to get better at the plate, dealing with a lot with his family. Seemed like he was excited.

BRUCE BOCHY: We were excited for him, happy for him. He's dealing with a lot right now, been battling it at the plate. To hit the home run, I think you could see a sense of relief. Okay, like, I'm back. But he felt good before the game. He said I feel really good. Sure enough, goes out there and hits a home run.

Q. Speaking of Nate, that at-bat that he had in the 2nd, the 15-pitch at-bat, how did that set that inning up for you?

BRUCE BOCHY: That's a good point. I thought that long at-bat, that can wear a pitcher down a little bit. He did a great job. Sure, he made an out, but to work the pitcher that much, I think it made a difference in that inning. I really do. He had to work hard to try to get Nate. That's what long at-bats do. Good for Nate. I felt good about that at-bat. I said that's going to take a toll. I think it did a little bit.

Q. You had to go through the two winningest teams in the American League and you had to do it on the road for the better part of this series as well. Have you ever had a team that had this type of a row to hoe and come through it so well unscathed, 5-0.

BRUCE BOCHY: It would be hard to find. We had our backs to the wall one year, facing, I think, six times elimination. I go back to that team, and the heart they played with is what this reminds me of, how these guys were just so relentless to find a way. It's a tough group. This group came together. The road trip brought them together even more. That was some trip we had to go through.

Q. You've done this a lot. You've won a lot of postseason series. Winning this one, is it any different? Are they all kind of the same, the feeling?

BRUCE BOCHY: They're all different in their own way, but they're all special. This is why you play the game. This is why I came back. You have your moments, ups and downs. But to see those players celebrate, I couldn't be happier for them, especially the ones that were here last year. That was a tough year for them, the last two, three years.

To see their faces and the celebration, that's what really made it special for me, of course, front office and ownership. That's the cool thing about this game, makes it all worthwhile, you know, getting in at 3:00, 4:00 in the morning on some of these trips. Here we are celebrating going to the championship series.

Thank you.