AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GUARDIANS VS YANKEES

October 14, 2024

Giancarlo Stanton

Yankee Stadium

New York Yankees

Postgame 1 Press Conference

Yankees - 5, Guardians - 2

Q. Giancarlo, what makes you so lethal come playoff time? How do you explain it?

GIANCARLO STANTON: Just hyperfocused. I understand how important each pitch, each moment is. I understand that you're not always going to be successful in those moments, but anything I can do, any bit of information or video or swings, anything I can do to be in my best spot during this moment.

Q. What did you think of how Rodón bounced back from that start in Game 2?

GIANCARLO STANTON: He's great. He was the driver tonight. Juan got us going on the offensive side, but Carlos was holding them down and giving us a chance to score and add to it.

Q. In the hours leading up to tonight's game, did you see any difference in Carlos in just the way he was kind of focused or prepared? Was there anything different about his demeanor today?

GIANCARLO STANTON: I can't say I saw him before the game. I was in my own focus. But regardless of his pregame, he showed how prepared and focused he was, so that's all that matters.

Q. You mentioned Soto starting it off. He's been swinging well all postseason, but he gets his first Yankee postseason home run there. What did that do for you guys to start the table?

GIANCARLO STANTON: It's always great to score first, and with a homer, it's always a little extra buzz. So, yeah, we just needed to add to it and capitalize on mistakes and not try to do too much and get it done.

Q. Have you seen anything like that sequence where there were like four wild pitches in a span of four batters and you guys were just kind of going around the bases?

GIANCARLO STANTON: I can't really say I have, but that's baseball. You show up to the park, there's always going to be something that you've never seen before, a chance of something you've never seen before, whether it's playoffs or Opening Day.

Q. This is not a question that anyone would ask of you in a midweek series in April or May, but in October, best of seven, do you think a performance like this by Carlos and the team can set the tone for the rest of the series or send a message?

GIANCARLO STANTON: Getting the start off win is big. It's a message in its own. But there's still three to get. So we know this is good, but in our eyes, we haven't done nothing yet. We've got to win three out of six, and we take that as three out of three.

Q. Understanding this is a disciplined team to begin with, just how much have walks been a weapon for you guys this postseason?

GIANCARLO STANTON: Big time. They are huge. We can't emphasize that enough. Not forcing things. So in the biggest moments, you want to maybe try to do too much, expand a little too much, and we've done a great job so far of taking what they give us, and we'll continue to do that.