AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: RANGERS VS ASTROS

October 14, 2023

Jose Altuve

Minute Maid Park

Houston Astros

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. I know you didn't want to be hurt the first couple of months, but do you feel fresher because of some of the timing?

JOSE ALTUVE: I feel good. I don't know how to compare how I feel versus like last postseason. But I feel really good. Probably the best I can feel right now.

Q. How would you compare Peña's defense this season to last season?

JOSE ALTUVE: He won a Gold Glove last year, and he's playing really good defense this year. So I'll say the same or better, which is really good. He has some good plays the last few games, which is really important. Have to give him a lot of credit.

Q. You've been around for a long time, and you've seen the evolution of the rivalry with the Rangers. What do you think about the back-and-forth between you guys and how it's evolved in the time you've been playing?

JOSE ALTUVE: Yeah, they're a great team. We won the same amount of games in the season. So I think it's going to be a great series. A lot of respect from this series, a lot of good players on both sides. Probably one of the best series we're about to play.

Q. You played in almost a hundred postseason games now. What do you think allows you to take your game to another level this time of year?

JOSE ALTUVE: You know, just -- I think always the thought about winning. But the season you have 162 to make a lot of adjustments, versus now you have to win today and the next day. And just almost like no tomorrow. So I think the whole team focuses on winning, focusing on keeping advancing and get to the World Series.

Q. What are your thoughts on Jordan Montgomery, their left-handed pitcher starting Game 1?

JOSE ALTUVE: Yeah, I've faced him a couple of times. It's a team we have to use a good approach, get on base, and just win the game. Like I said, he has good pitches, two-seam change-up, curveball. So basically find a way to hit him.

Q. Sometimes when you watch your left-handed hitters go up against left-handed pitchers, are you amazed how effective they are?

JOSE ALTUVE: Yeah, Yordan is probably the best -- one of the best left-handed hitters in baseball. Yordan has been good. And he's been really good and to the level to me he's an MVP type of player. I'm really happy that they're on my team.

Q. You have pretty huge offensive series the last time you played the Rangers in Arlington. Do you take any of those positive thoughts into this series, or is it a blank slate?

JOSE ALTUVE: I don't know what the rest of the guys are going to do. It's like a new whole team, playoff is different. Different atmosphere. And just focus on winning. The regular season is over, now we start -- everybody starts from zero.

Q. Along those lines, what has stood out to you about their pitching?

JOSE ALTUVE: The Rangers' pitching? They've got Eovaldi, Martín Pérez, Montgomery. They have good guys in the bullpen. So I don't think it's going to be easy at-bat or easy to win a game for any of the two teams. We just have to -- like I said, it's a team approach. If we get our pitches to the hitter, I think it's going to be good for us.

Q. You and Marcus Semien are different style of players. Is there anything in particular that stands out to you about his game?

JOSE ALTUVE: He's really good. He's been very consistent the last, you know, five years. He's always out there in the MVP conversation. So we've got to -- he gets, what, 20-something homers in the season. We have to find a way to keep him quiet, not let him get away. Because if he does, with Seager hitting behind him, that might be a little bit of trouble.

Q. You've seen 300-win teams out of the playoffs already by now. What do you think it is about the Astros that allows you guys to keep winning as frequently as you do in October?

JOSE ALTUVE: In playoff, anything can happen. It doesn't matter if you win 150 or win 80. It's just about winning now. There's no tomorrow. So the teams are out of the postseason, I don't think that means anything, the Diamondbacks, Phillies, the Rangers are playing as good as they can be playing.

So we've got to just focus on, like I say, winning. It doesn't matter, numbers, stats, anything but winning.

Q. Talk about the difference in the playoff atmosphere. Facing a division rival you are so familiar with, the fans are familiar, what do you expect the series to be like?

JOSE ALTUVE: It's been a lot of fans coming to the ballpark, obviously, from Dallas and Houston to Dallas. So there's going to be a lot of noise, a lot of pressure and a lot of fan support from their team.

I think it's going to be a good one. It's going to be one of the biggest series we play, and our team is really excited.

Q. Ryan Pressly, what do you see in him that allows him to excel as the pressure gets greater?

JOSE ALTUVE: Yeah, the experience he has. He goes there, he seems like he's playing a Spring Training game. He's super calm. He's comfortable. Obviously he knows how important is a game in the playoff. But he's so calm. He doesn't let anything bother him or get in his head. He just goes there, executes his pitches like he has done in the past for us and make us win a lot of games.