AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GUARDIANS VS YANKEES

October 18, 2024

Stephen Vogt

Progressive Field

Cleveland Guardians

Postgame 4 Press Conference

Yankees 8, Guardians 6

Q. Did you think about walking Stanton there in the sixth inning with first base open?

STEPHEN VOGT: No, I didn't. We got Cade on the mound. He's the best strike out reliever we have, and in that situation, I trust Cade to make pitches there. He's been doing it all year.

Q. You had him 0-2. What happened?

STEPHEN VOGT: It looked like he just didn't quite get the fastball up and Stanton got to it.

Q. Your bullpen has been so great all year. Do you think they're tired?

STEPHEN VOGT: I mean, everybody is tired. I think we've used them a lot. We've had to. It's who we are. I thought Cade showed a little bit today, but again, even when he's been tired, he's been great for us, and you've got to credit to them. They put good swings on him, made him work, and just didn't go our way.

Q. What do you make of Gavin and his start? Obviously they get two quickly, but in its entirety?

STEPHEN VOGT: Yeah, I thought the way Gavin came out, was having trouble landing his off speed and they were getting to his fastball.

He was starting to kind of look a little bit better there, but at that point in the game, I just felt like we had to go to Sabrowski there. But credit to Gavin, 25 days off is not easy, and he got some outs for us.

Q. Were you encouraged by what you saw out of Josh Naylor with two pretty big base hits tonight?

STEPHEN VOGT: Naylz has been big double was huge. That's what I love about this team. They don't quit. It would have been real easy when Cade gives up the three run homer for us to just fold and go away, but that is not what this group does. And even there in the ninth inning, we got two guys on. We got a chance to swing the bat and win the game. That's who this team is, and that's who we're going to be again tomorrow.

Q. Clase was automatic all year long. What have you seen in these last two games?

STEPHEN VOGT: Yeah, I think I haven't looked at it in depth yet. Today I felt like the ball was just leaking back over the middle and credit to them they've had a great approach off of him the last two days.

That is what the Yankees do really well. They take a really good approach against your pitchers, and then they get pitches over the middle. They don't miss them, and they really capitalized.

With Emmanuel I think the ball was just leaking over the middle a little bit, and they were able to get some runs.

Q. When Noel hits the ball into the left hand corner, did you think it was --

STEPHEN VOGT: I thought he hit off the end. I thought maybe he got enough to get it off the wall. I knew it wasn't going to be a homer. I thought it may get into that little angled wall. Verdugo made a nice play. It looked like it was about five feet short from hitting off the wall.

Q. This is the second time you've faced elimination. How do you think your team will react to it?

STEPHEN VOGT: Same way we always do. We're going to show up ready to win. That's who these guys are. Our backs are against the wall, we play our best baseball. We don't quit. This team has no quit in it. It hasn't all year long.

It doesn't matter how we played the day before, days leading up to it. This team is going to show up with the same attitude, same mindset we do every day, and that's we're going to win.