NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS PHILLIES

October 20, 2023

Jose Alvarado

Chase Field

Philadelphia Phillies

Pregame 4 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions for Jose.

Q. You only needed three pitches to get out of that inning to pretty much turn off the fire. And also how much did it help you to play winter ball with Tiburones de La Guaira?

JOSE ALVARADO: That inning last night, when I only had three pitches to get out the inning was incredible. It was honestly an incredible moment for me.

I feel that adrenaline fuels me. I get something really good out of the moments that give me adrenaline. When I'm on the mound, I only focus on hitting the target. I focus on hitting the catcher's mitt. I do not care who is hitting, what the situation is in the game.

You know, when I was in Tampa, I was the starting pitcher early in my career. Velandia was the GM for Tiburones de La Guaira in Venezuelan winter ball. He called me and said he needed a reliever for that particular year, so I went just to help the team out as a reliever.

I love playing baseball in Venezuela because it's that Caribbean flavor, that Caribbean way to play baseball that brings a lot of intensity. And, again, that adrenaline that you feel in Venezuela is something that is hard to find somewhere else.

Q. As we are all aware, there is a situation with your family. Is there an update in that regard? Can you tell us something about that?

JOSE ALVARADO: This is something that I touched on already publicly. This is something that hurts me a lot. Right now I'm just focused on the game, on today's game.

We can talk about it some other time, but right now I would rather just focus on today's game.

Q. What have you seen from Cristopher since he came up this summer, and how has he grown as a pitcher in this clubhouse?

JOSE ALVARADO: I met Sanchez back when we both were with the Rays. He's like a brother to me. I'm very happy to see where he is today. I'm very happy to be back together with him. We're on the same team. We play for the same team.

A piece of advice that I always give him is that I remind him that he is ready. He is ready to compete. He is ready to show the type of pitcher that he is, what he is capable of.

I don't want him to forget that. I tell him to keep his confidence up. He is showing good results, and we all trust him. We all have plenty of confidence in him.

I honestly wish him the best. I want him to have the same mindset as he did when we started in Spring Training. Something that I firmly believe in is that when you are united, you find that strength. You get extra strength when we're all united, and that's what this team has.

We're a family. No one thought that we would be here in the NLCS, and look at us now. We're one of the favorites now, and we're going to keep playing hard. We're focused on today's game, and we're going to take it one step at a time.

Q. How impressed have you been by Jeff Hoffman's ability this year to come into dicey situations and get out of it without allowing runs?

JOSE ALVARADO: I'm very happy with the bullpen that we have right now. Honestly, I think it's the best bullpen so far this season.

We have a lot of miles, meaning that we throw really hard. We throw fire. When we come out of the bullpen, the opponent team has to get ready because we're going to throw really, really hard.

Something I said to Kerkering last night was, hey, this happens to anyone, don't worry about it. Just flush it. One day it could be you. One day it could be me.

At the end of the day what I tell every single guy in the bullpen -- Dominguez, Soto, Strahm, Hoffman, Kimbrel -- all of them is one day I'm not going to do well, and I'm sure, I am 100% confident that you are going to pick me up.

We're here to help each other out because at the end of the day, we're a family, we're a team, and that's what we're here for.

And for Hoffman, he has done an excellent job. I could not be happier for him. Everyone really, everyone in the bullpen has done a tremendous job. What I ask God is to keep us healthy because if we're healthy, we're going to get good results.