MLB WORLD SERIES: YANKEES VS DODGERS

October 25, 2024

Aaron Boone

Dodger Stadium

New York Yankees

Pregame 1 Press Conference

Q. With the lineup, what made you more open to putting some of the lefties together?

AARON BOONE: Just where I think we're at right now, where G's at. That was kind of one of my bigger deliberations over the last couple days before ultimately deciding on it last night.

Yeah, I just feel like that's where we're at right now, that's what we need to go with.

Q. Do you have to feel out a little bit with Nestor like how you can use him in terms of how he recovers, consecutive days, things like that? Do you go into that a little unsure until you see how he bounces back?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, no question. Because ultimately I want to protect him and make sure he's in a good spot. We'll see day to day just where he's at and how it's going.

Q. Do you think going in, if he comes in and faces a few batters, you might have him a day after that, or is it too early to say?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, probably too early to say.

Q. Aaron, obviously you come from a long line of baseball men and your father and grandfather both played in the Big Leagues. As you start out managing your first World Series, are there any lessons or moments that you look back on that maybe you're leaning on as you enter this?

AARON BOONE: I don't think there's anything specific, no, but I think I'm a product of my life experience in this game. So I think you're constantly in the moment -- when you're making decisions or making different calls, like the experience you have all plays a factor in that.

But I don't think there's anything specific, I'm saying, oh, I remember this.

Q. Aaron, you guys integrated a lot of new players into the clubhouse this year, Juan, Alex, Trent; Jazz at the trade deadline. How did you see the dynamic evolve over the year within the clubhouse to get to this point with these guys?

AARON BOONE: It's something that we pour a lot of energy into and take a lot of pride in in being able to integrate different people, whether it's star players from other organization, trade deadline guys, waiver guys that you pick up, guys coming up for the first time from the Minor Leagues. Our room does a great job of making those guys feel comfortable.

I think it's a credit to our leadership group. And our captain, Judgey, and G and Gerrit and Rizz and all those guys just do a really good job at making a place that you want to be. It's probably as good as I've seen this year. It's a really tight group, but it's a credit to them and kind of the environment we work to create starting day one in Spring Training.

Q. The followup, you mentioned Judge. There's not a ton of homegrown players on this team, but he is one. He's been up through this system and knows everything about the Yankee way. How instrumental has he been in helping those guys get integrated?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, he's the best. He really is. For being one of the faces of the sport and the best player in the sport, his teammates love him. And he's so approachable, and he's easy to be around and he makes the last guy on the roster feel important. That's just a credit to the person he is. He's as good as I've seen at that.

Q. Coach James is one of those guys who's integral in keeping some of those bats together in terms of approach and so forth. Tell me about the job he's done.

AARON BOONE: J-Row been awesome. J-Row has worn a lot of hats in his career. He came to us, having been in the organization obviously before in player development. So he's got a lot of experience, a lot of coaching experience, a lot of leading department experience.

So I was really excited, I knew him a little bit, but getting him back in the mix and just kind of the tone he set from day one in Spring Training with our hitting group and just kind of creating the hitting culture and leading that every day, he's been great. He's organized. He's created a very consistent way in which they prepare and approach every game, every series. And it's paid off and the players have appreciated the hitting culture he's led.

Q. What have you seen out of Jazz's at-bats in October, and what gives you confidence that he can break out?

AARON BOONE: What gives me confidence is how good and talented he is, and I feel like he's a guy that plays with a lot of confidence. He expects to do really well, even when he goes through it a little bit.

I think he kind of goes into the playoffs with the Yankees and now you're going through rounds, and I think he always expects to do so well. So when he doesn't, he has a few days where he doesn't have great at-bats or whatever, he's a little surprised, probably caught off guard a little bit. Biggest thing with him is less is more in these situations, especially as talented as he is.

I think it's one of those where, man, he has one good at-bat, and he's the guy that can -- has that capability of taking over a little bit with just his power and his speed. But right now just want him to kind of think less is more, kind of focus pitch to pitch, having a good at-bat, and not worried about taking over the game, so to speak.

Q. Then with the depth and the health of your starting rotation, do you look at that as an advantage you guys have over the Dodgers who are planning on having a bullpen game at some point?

AARON BOONE: I don't know. They've had some success with that, though, in the postseason. I feel a lot of confidence with our group in things that we do well. I know the Dodgers feel the same way about their group and how they piece things together. I think it's two outstanding teams going at it. I don't know if I look at it advantage one way or the other. It comes down to who plays the best.

Q. With that last roster spot, you had to drop Berti, I guess. What was the thought why he was the odd man out as opposed to somebody else, Grisham or somebody?

AARON BOONE: Berti's hurt. He hurt himself in Game 4 when he scored that one. He wasn't even going to be available to us in Game 5. We were hoping to kind of get him through. It's a hip flexor.

Unfortunately, kind of time ran out for him to be ready. So that's a blow for us. I feel like he plays a really important role for us. Not something I necessarily would -- definitely didn't want. But I feel for him, though, right now because he, I think, was playing a really important role for us, especially in those first two rounds. Unfortunately, just not enough to get back for this one.

Q. Going into managing your first World Series, obviously it's all about winning. You have a lot on your plate. As you're going through, are there any things you're telling yourself, like advice to yourself, hey, slow things down, along that realm. If so, how is that all going?

AARON BOONE: It's going all right. I got my family here and try and enjoy it with our team. And understanding what an important time of year this is for all of us, trying to enjoy that journey a little bit, exciting to have -- for a lot of us, not just me, but the rest of the staff and the rest of the players, having their family part of this makes it all the more meaningful.

As far as slowing it down, yeah, you try to do that all day. Spend time in prayer and just trying to know we're prepared and go out there. And once 5:08 -- or I heard it's 5:11 -- now we let it rip. We're ready to go, and you get to game time, and that's the fun part.

Sometimes the lead-in I found in the previous two rounds, like that -- especially when you get into the series, and it's kind of like, all right, there's not much more to look at and turn over and whatever, you kind of just sit there and your anxiety leading up to the game. And you get in the game, and it's kind of -- that's the fun part and getting to do it with these guys.

Q. Bullpens are so volatile, and both units have been so great this postseason. How do you feel about your guys coming into this series? And is it challenging to stay proactive in spotting maybe slippage in guys or anything like that this time of year as opposed to maybe being reactive after something unfortunate happens?

AARON BOONE: I feel great about our group. I felt that way really for the last -- I feel like it's really started to come together down there for us over the last six, eight weeks. The way I've kind of said it is it's a really complementary group. I feel like we have a number of guys down there with different strengths and different looks that hopefully serve us well in different parts of the lineup on given days.

You try to be ahead of things as much as you can and prepare for a situation hopefully. It doesn't always work out, but you try to get guys in positions where they have the best chance to succeed. I feel like we have a number of guys, even against a great lineup like the Dodgers, that have a chance to do that.

Q. How do you look at approaching and matching up against the top three of the Dodgers lineup with your bullpen? Do you look at handedness in certain situations, because it's left, right, left, or do you want to try to find opportunities to use your lefties for Shohei?

AARON BOONE: Not necessarily. You want to give them different looks. And that's what I mean we have complementary pieces down there where, yes, we have lefty looks, and we have some righties that are really good at getting lefties out. So hopefully being able to mix that up a bit throughout the series serves us well.

I do feel like -- look, it's Shohei. You never feel like you have a great matchup, but hopefully you have a handful of guys that have a chance to neutralize him a little bit.

Q. Over the couple months that you've had him, how have you seen Tim Mayza sort of right himself after a difficult season and get himself into being a factor for you?

AARON BOONE: It's been exciting because obviously competing against Timmy over the last few years, he's been one of the core pieces to the Jays' bullpen now for a number of years. He's had a lot of success.

This year was a struggle for him that first half. Velo was down a little bit. So when we got him, kind of taking a flyer on him when he got DFA'd, he went to Tampa and worked a lot with our pitching group and in the lab and trying to get some of that stuff back that's been a hallmark of his success. We saw some of that stuff tick up. Really when he got the opportunity and got called up with us, he did a nice job. He's become an important member down there.

Q. Does being the Yankees help with this as far as just because of the pressure and the attention that you guys have all year, or does coming to the World Series leave you a bit awestruck just because it is the World Series?

AARON BOONE: I'd like to think it serves us well. We talk all the time, we play 162 biggest games of the year. Every game with the Yankees is a big deal.

So hopefully that serves us well this time of year, and hopefully that serves us well going into the World Series where guys are used to having a lot of attention, a lot of eyes, a lot of noise around them. So I'd like to think that serves us well.