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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES VS ASTROSOctober 11, 2019Michael BrantleyGeorge SpringerHouston, Texas - Workout Day Q. We all know what kind of a series it was two years ago when you played the Yankees. Can you talk about how you see these two teams and yourself. They've added Stanton to the bomber they already have. Just talk about the differences you see in the team since that. GEORGE SPRINGER: I think, one, they're healthier. They have a full lineup, between Judge, Gardner, Stanton, Torres. I could name them all. It's not an easy lineup to face from a pitching standpoint. I'm not a pitcher, so I don't really necessarily have to deal with that aspect of it. But they're a complete team. A full team. They've got starting pitching. They've got the bullpen to match it. So it's going to be a grind. Q. What are your thoughts about the quality of the Yankees bullpen? GEORGE SPRINGER: It's a good one. And it's going to be a grind. Again, they can control the zone. They all throw very, very hard. Have good secondary pitches and they're smart. So it's not going to be an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. Q. It seemed inevitable all year that these two teams would match up in the ALCS. What's the feeling like now both teams took care of business and are in this position? MICHAEL BRANTLEY: There's always that possibility. We have a lot of respect for the Yankees and the season they had. And it's going to be a fun series. We're in here today preparing. We're going to be prepared tomorrow and hopefully get started off on the right foot. Q. You guys played the Rays to five and get one day, they swept the Twins and get four days off. Who do you think that benefits more? GEORGE SPRINGER: I don't know. I honestly don't know. I guess there could be good and bad for having some time off, letting your body rest a little bit. That's always big at this point in the year. Everybody's been playing since early February. So any time off is a good thing. But, again, I don't really know if there's a correlation between having the three or four days off or 24 hours. I honestly don't know. Q. What is going through a series like that against the Rays do for your confidence moving forward with the quality of pitchers they threw at you and the type of at-bats you had to face, what does that do moving now to this series where you're going to be facing some good guys, talented guys, as well? MICHAEL BRANTLEY: This is playoff baseball. You don't get to the postseason as a team without good quality pitching and being a good team. We knew going into the Rays series, they have a lot of good quality arms and that we needed to stay kind of short and simple and not try to do too much at times. We have a lot of respect for what they did as a whole pitching staff. They're one of the best pitching staffs in the League for a reason. We did a good job of just relying on one another and playing as a team. Q. Obviously you guys are going to have to play in the Bronx. What was the experience like playing in 2017 and what do you expect that environment to be like? GEORGE SPRINGER: They expect their team to win, and there's no doubt about it. That's why it's very, very hard to play there at any time of year, let alone October. It's a crazy atmosphere. I'll never forget when Gary Sánchez hit a, I want to say it was a bases-clearing double or close to that, and I honestly thought the stadium was going to fall over. It was loud. They're into the game from before the first pitch until the game ends. It's a tough place to play for anybody. Q. How valuable is home-field advantage to each of you? MICHAEL BRANTLEY: To play in front of your own crowd and the support and energy we feed off means a lot to us. We play really well at home, it's not a secret. Our record dictates that. And just feeling comfortable here and enjoying it with the fans, they deserve it as much as we do. They come out and support us throughout the entire season, so it means a lot. GEORGE SPRINGER: This place is loud. The fans are close to the field and it's a loud, fun place to play. And I really think there's a big thing to say, any team that plays at home you're comfortable there. You get to go home to your own bed. You get to kind of do things the way that you want to do off the field. And I really think that that makes a big difference. And I think our fans are outstanding. They're extremely fun to play in front of. The energy from the start is always fantastic. So, yeah, I mean, but being able to play at home for anybody is a big factor. Q. Like you said a moment ago, you don't have to face these guys, you're not a pitcher, but as a guy that's behind the three pitchers that you have going the first three games, what does that mean for you guys, and knowing that if this series does go out they'll all get two starts? GEORGE SPRINGER: That is huge. Anytime you're handing the ball to Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke, you believe in yourself that much more. Those guys are the ultimate competitor. They're so smart. They understand the game. They understand the opponent. Now they still have to go execute the pitches, which is not an easy thing to do. But it's always a very positive thing to know that I'm going to go out there behind those three. Q. Zack was here a few minutes ago talking about his opening Game 1. He's a person with small words, doesn't like to talk a lot to the media. I wonder with the players, is he more open or is he equally as quiet as he is with us here? GEORGE SPRINGER: What you see is what you get. He's a great teammate, one. He wants to win. It's all right if he's quiet, it's really not a big deal to us. He's into the game so that's pretty much all that matters. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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