AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: RANGERS VS ASTROS

October 22, 2023

Mitch Garver

Minute Maid Park

Texas Rangers

Postgame 6 Press Conference

Rangers - 9, Astros - 2

Q. We talked to you after Game 2 and you said, look, that's Houston. It's a good ball club, they're going to come back. And here you are going to a Game 7. This is a true fight. Can you speak to that and how you guys pushed and got yourself to that?

MITCH GARVER: I've said it to the middle of August, it's going to be a dogfight all the way to the end. Really, really good ball club on both sides. They have pitching. They have hitting, but so do we. It's one game to settle it all, and I think everyone is excited for that.

Q. As you go up against Javier, what about that fastball is so difficult for offenses to handle?

MITCH GARVER: His location is really good and his movement is really good. Mid 90s, it has this feeling that it's riding at the top of the zone. A lot of misses are going to be under the fastball. And we know that. And he does a really good job mixing his pitches but also utilizing the top of the zone with it.

So just a matter of game planning and execution.

Q. So far for the series, no one has been able to win at home. Can you talk about what this series back and forth is and the mentality between it?

MITCH GARVER: Never seen it. I don't know that it's ever happened before. Seems a little odd nobody is winning at home. And I would like for it to stay that way.

But it is interesting. So two very passionate fan bases. Playing on the road is not an easy thing to do. But we've been doing it all postseason. And it's just one of those things. Maybe it brings out the best in us. Maybe we rise to the occasion, but it's been tough. But we're open for the challenge.

Q. What was going through your head during Adolis's grand slam, and what have you noticed about his ability to come up big in moments?

MITCH GARVER: I've seen him do that before, actually. He's punched out three or four times in a game and come up with a really big homer. He did it against Minnesota, hit a walk-off homer after doing something like that.

If there's one guy I want to play in hostile conditions, I think it's Doli, and he showed it tonight. Wasn't able to get the bat on the ball on the first four at-bats, but really put an exclamation point on that last one.

Q. You and Jonah are kind of attached to the hip now in the lineup, moving around and different places in it. And obviously you've become a big one-two punch here. Are you all comfortable, I guess, hitting one after another?

MITCH GARVER: Yeah. I mean, we love it. Anytime he's able to drive me in or vice versa, it's always good. I always have that catcher mentality, even though I haven't been catching. Scoring rungs in the 8th and scoring insurance runs in the 9th are so big for us. We love to be able to help each other like that.

It eases your mind a little bit going into those final outs in the game. I can't state enough how big Jonah has been for this team.

Q. Can you speak to the bullpen. Sborz comes in, Leclerc, with the bases loaded, and especially coming off what happened in Arlington?

MITCH GARVER: Yeah, they both did a really, really good job tonight. Sborz has been solid for us all year, really spins the ball well. And Pico came in right behind him. And I know that was a gut punch, Game 5, how it ended like that. But Pico is the guy to get the ball for us. And what he was able to do there and navigate that eighth inning and punch out Singleton there to end the inning, was huge for us. Gave us a ton of momentum. And hopefully he believes he is our guy, because he is. He's been so good for us.