MLB WORLD SERIES: YANKEES VS DODGERS

October 29, 2024

Aaron Boone

Yankee Stadium

New York Yankees

Postgame 4 Press Conference

Yankees - 11, Dodgers - 4

Q. Was this just a matter of Yankees are too good a team, they were going to come around offensively? With all the different arms you were facing, it gave you the chance to really make adjustments up and down the lineup. The bottom of the lineup early in the game is really what got you back into it.

AARON BOONE: Look, we just showed up today ready to play and trying to get one and trying to get the -- trying to get it to tomorrow. You don't want to get ahead of yourself and start thinking about the series.

It's like our guys were ready to play. Obviously a lot of big at-bats. Volpe with a big blow. Like you said, the bottom of the order, Volpe, Wells, Verdugo, all with really good at-bats. And then just a nice job of tacking on there. It allowed me to get Weave out of there that final inning because I was going to go with him -- if we're up two, three there, I'm sticking with him, which kind of puts him in jeopardy going into tomorrow.

So the ability to tack on there was big for us tonight. But a lot of people getting in on the act was great. A lot of pitchers did really good things, really good defense. So good night for us, and we'll get another opportunity tomorrow.

Q. Have you ever seen a team as good as the Dodgers have to resort to four bullpen games in the playoffs?

AARON BOONE: It's the war of attrition sometimes. That's how they've had to do it. They've had obviously a number of guys get hurt, which credit to them, they've gotten creative and worked some things out, figured some things out to the point they're playing for a world championship.

There's a lot of ways to skin a cat. It doesn't always have to be conventional, and they've had to get creative with some of the injuries they've had.

Q. Did you feel like there was a difference in approach overall tonight that yielded the 11 runs?

AARON BOONE: I don't know. Not really. Obviously we got results. We put a four-ball in the seats. I thought Austin had a really good at-bat, which was really nice to see.

Then just a lot of guys being able to tack on. I don't know. I think we've been close to that here in these first few games where we just haven't gotten that big hit or haven't been able to break through. Credit to the other side too, they've pitched us tough.

Q. When you do break through there, Volpe specifically, how much do you think that allowed everyone to settle in and relax a little bit?

AARON BOONE: I don't know. I've had that sense, though, all day with these guys. They're just like let's go get it. Again, these guys love playing with each other, and you kind of got that sense before the game. And obviously as the game unfolded, it kind of got better and better tonight.

It's one game. We wanted to get it to tomorrow, and we've done that. Excited for the opportunity tomorrow.

Q. How about the swing with Volpe? He was obviously frustrated with himself for not scoring on Austin's double to center. He kind of punched himself in the thigh a little bit at third base. For him to come back the following inning and do what he did, what kind of swing was that for him?

AARON BOONE: It's huge. I guess in my press conference before the game, we were talking about Anthony. More good at-bats from him tonight. Just missed a ball to center, I thought he got a really good swing off. Really good defense out there by him tonight.

The scoring on Verdugo's ground ball, we're going on contact obviously there. The jump he got to make that not really close is pretty impressive, and a good job by Dugy of just kind of battling that at-bat and putting it in play. But the jump by Anthony there, a little tack-on run, now they go home, they don't get the out. That kind of set us up to -- Gleyber blows it open there. Those are the little things that happen there that turn into big things.

Q. The dream is always like grow up and play for your hometown team, but that can be difficult, just having people around. I wonder how Anthony handles that. How would you describe his year as a whole?

AARON BOONE: I think he handles it great. He loves being a Yankee, loves it. Just as importantly, though, loves the guys he gets to go do it with every day. The bond in that room is real.

As I talked about before the game, he won a Gold Glove last year. He's a finalist this year. He's great defensively at a premium position.

He's had his ups and downs offensively. I'm convinced that some of the adjustments he made this year will serve him well in the long term. I think we're starting to see that here in the playoffs with the level of at-bats he's putting out. I think we're going to look up in a number of years and you're going to see an outstanding all around player.

Runs the bases really well, just really good athlete. And a great kid.

Q. First of all, what did you think of Gil and what was the feeling in that dugout when Freddie hits another home run right off the bat there?

AARON BOONE: I mean, everyone was talking today about you guys just need to score first, score first. Yeah, it's great, but I also don't want that to be, well, what if we don't? We can't win? We've just got to play. It's like keep playing, keep competing. That's what we did today.

So it happens. I thought Luis settled in okay. He came out, I thought, for the most part throwing strikes in the first. Freddie got him. Freddie has obviously hurt us in this series. But for him to get into the fifth inning was big. As much pen as we had to use yesterday going into today and hopefully to play again tomorrow too, for him to give us a little bit of length and in a winning game not have to overtax too many people was big.

Luis getting off to a good start and give us a chance to win a game into the fifth inning was big for us tonight.

Q. In the ninth inning they were chanting Volpe's name, the entire crowd. What was that moment like for you just witnessing that knowing what that probably means to him personally?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, it was pretty cool. I was just glad because it felt like the fans were so ready to erupt last night, and we just got behind and couldn't punch things in. It's like you finally got to see the top blow off Yankee Stadium in a World Series game.

When Anthony hits that ball, it was like fun to see Yankee Stadium erupt. It's like they've been waiting for 48 hours to do that. Then just the way the game went on and on, it was just the energy, the noise, the excitement. It was Yankee Stadium World Series game.

As for what it meant to Anthony, you can ask him. I'm sure it meant a lot.

Q. In answer to Susan's question, you said scoring first, you heard about that, what if we don't? Where were you hearing that from?

AARON BOONE: A lot of people just said, it would be nice if you could score -- just need to score first, huh? A lot of people saying that to me, maybe in my pregame. It's like, yeah, sure, we want to get a lead, but we can win if we don't too. And we've got no choice right now.

Like just play pitch by pitch. Compete, leave it all out there. And we did that really well today.

Q. Was that just your thought internally, or did you share that with the team?

AARON BOONE: No, I did not share that. You know, I -- sometimes like of course you want to score first, but I don't want it to be, well, you have to score first or what. Do we pack it in and go home now? No. Like we just got to play.

So I just don't want any situation to come up that this dooms us or whatever. It's just play.