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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROS

October 14, 2017

Greg Bird

Houston, Texas - pregame 2

THE MODERATOR: Take questions, please.

Q. Do you guys take some degree of confidence being down 0-1 just because of what you went through so recently in the last series, being down 0-2 in that one?
GREG BIRD: I think we take confidence in the fact that we played good baseball yesterday. Whichever one, for sure. We have been there, but I think just the fact that we played a good game yesterday. I think that game could have went either way, really, so I think we're confident in that.

Q. How much did you look back at that play again last night and think about whether it was the jump, turning third, other than just being faster, was there anything else you thought that you would have been able to do there?
GREG BIRD: It is what it is at this point. Yeah, I would have liked to have been safe, to be completely honest, but what are you going to do? I can't really, other than that, I don't know. I didn't beat myself up over it.

I was running and I got out. He made a good throw and I was out. So got to move on.

Q. Joe made it pretty clear in here last night that he was pretty sure you were out but after what happened in the first series he was going to challenge to make sure. Was that meaningful to you guys, all right, let's give this a shot?
GREG BIRD: Yeah, that's a big point. Like I said last night, you never know. If it looked like one thing, sometimes on the instant replay in the Slo-Mo it could turn out another way. So that's a big run. Every run matters.

So, yeah, I mean, I thought it was a good replay.

Q. I know this is tense and it's intense, how much shear enjoyment, how much shear joy do you take in these postseason games?
GREG BIRD: Yeah, I enjoy playing in general, so just to be able to go out and keep playing this time of year where it's intense games and a lot of people in the seats, it's a blast. It really is. I think everyone in there would tell you that. It's a fun time of the year.

Just to be able to be one of the teams still playing is exciting for all of us, yeah.

Q. How is it different from regular games?
GREG BIRD: Every little thing matters. But I mean, my mentality in the season is every little thing matters. I try to pay attention to the details and learn everything I can. So now I guess that's more magnified but I enjoy that. I think everyone should. The spotlight's on us and it's really just a blast to be able to go out there and play right now.

Q. What do you think about your approach to left-handed pitchers this postseason and do you think you're seeing them better?
GREG BIRD: I mean, I've always, and I said this, I want to be in there no matter who is pitching. I think that when you get consistent at-bats it helps for sure. I think towards the end of the year I started to, so that helped. But like I said, I knew I could hit either way, and I knew I would. It was just a matter of time, and I mean, I'm confident in that.

So yeah, I mean, you could call it reps or whatever, but for me it's just hitting.

Q. Kind of related to that, just the way your season went and kind of not until September where you really kind of got rolling a little bit. What did it mean to you to just be in the lineup yesterday against a left-hander?
GREG BIRD: I was excited to play. I mean, really, that's what it is. I expect to be in there every day, that's just how I am. I get ready to be in there every day and I want to be in there every day. So yesterday I was ready to go out with my teammates and try to win that game and that's my mentality.

Q. You debuted in 2015 with Severino, obviously played a little bit with him in the minors. Can you kind of just say what you've seen from him from the times in the minors to what he's become?
GREG BIRD: The thing that's always impressed me about Seve is just how intelligent he was as a player and a person. He spoke good English. He knew how to pitch. And I just felt like those are things you didn't see from young guys and that impressed me. He was a mature kid and he seemed like he learned quick. So it wasn't just a fire, you know, a flamethrower out there; it was a guy who knew what he was doing, had an idea.

And I mean, obviously we all learned along the way and come a long ways, but from the beginning I just felt like he was a smart pitcher and someone obviously who had good stuff, but you match that with the intelligence that he has, and that's a good combination.

Q. What have you noticed through seven games of at-bats during the postseason, not just yours but the rest of the team? Do you find pitchers just tend to make fewer mistakes? Is there a different type of intensity?
GREG BIRD: Yeah, I think one of the things is their focus, their level of focus. Obviously, every pitch matters, and they know that. But I think on top of it too is you got the best teams here, and good teams have good pitching. So you're seeing the best arms go out there and give it everything they got with all of the scouting backing it and all the mental preparation and focus behind it. So you're seeing the best of the best out there. Which is fun. It's fun. It's tough. It definitely makes your job tough, but every little thing matters and you got to pay attention.

Especially playing longer series, that's what I noticed is that. You're going to see these guys two, three, four times maybe, and you got to learn as much as you can in the at-bats.

THE MODERATOR: All right, Greg. Thanks so much for coming in. Appreciate it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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