NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS VS DODGERS

October 11, 2021

Evan Longoria

Brandon Crawford

Dodger Stadium

San Francisco Giants

Postgame 3 Press Conference

San Francisco Giants - 1, Los Angeles Dodgers - 0.

Q. Evan, we've been asking you a lot about your offense here the last couple of weeks. How are you able to kind of keep all that out of you mind and keep your focus knowing that you had some good at-bats and you've been hitting the ball hard and not getting a lot of luck up until now?

EVAN LONGORIA: I mean, it's definitely in my mind. I'm not keeping it out of my mind. But, like you said, I mean, I've hit some balls pretty hard that haven't fallen and just obviously trying to stay as positive as I can and really not take my at-bats to the field, just try and keep playing defense, keep us in the game out there, and just trying to believe that at some point a hit's going fall in.

Q. Brandon, you've been making leaping catches like that all your career but in that moment with Mookie Betts and the situation, what goes through how you make that play?

BRANDON CRAWFORD: There's not a whole lot of time to for anything really to go through my head. Just catch the ball. That's all I'm thinking. I think it had a little bit of top spin on it, fortunately, so I was able to just, and it was right over my head, so I was able to just jump and hope that it goes in my glove.

Q. Evan, take us this through that at-bat, and then with the wind being what it was, like when you hit it you got it pretty good, but did you know you got all of it, given the conditions tonight?

EVAN LONGORIA: I mean, I knew I got every bit of it as far as how hard I could hit a baseball. But, yeah, I mean, I wasn't quite sure that it was going to go out. I mean, the conditions tonight were crazy. I mean, we were talking about it coming over. It's like, I don't think I stepped out of the box as many times in my career as I have mid-at-bat tonight. A couple times I felt like I was going to get blown over by the wind, a lot of dust in the eyes.

And so it was definitely a little bit more difficult environment to hit in and play in tonight. But, yeah, I was thinking, if that ball didn't go out tonight, I was, I might have just cashed it in.

(Smiling.)

Q. For either of you, for the bullpen to cover as many innings as it did and for Rogers and Doval to really get stretched out, how impressive and important was that in tonight's game?

BRANDON CRAWFORD: I mean that was huge. That was what helped us win the game, for sure. I mean, Alex had a great start, but then Rogers to come in and throw two-plus, which I don't think he did all year, Doval to throw two innings, I don't know if he did that all year, and then put up zeros is, obviously we only scored one run, so that's what helped us win that game.

Q. To follow up, both of you have had a pretty good view of Doval this year, being left side of the infield. Just what do you make of what he's done since he's come back up in August and also what he did tonight.

EVAN LONGORIA: I mean, obviously his stuff is electric. We saw that when he came up early. Didn't have as much success. I mean, didn't, he didn't really have many innings early on.

Then to be able to like step in the way that he has and basically just solidify a closer's role like kind of out of nowhere. You know, we were mixing and matching Rog and McGee for quite awhile, and then when McGee went down, we had a couple different pieces there with Dom and a couple other guys.

But for him to just basically step in and take over that role and then do what he did tonight was, I mean, pretty special. Like, for a young guy that doesn't have a whole lot of Major League experience, like it's what he did, I mean, cannot be understated, especially in, given the circumstances.

Q. Brandon, of all the games you played here, were these the craziest conditions as far as the wind?

BRANDON CRAWFORD: Yeah, not even close. I was talking to a few guys. I mean, I hardly even remember light breeze here most nights. So the wind was definitely pretty crazy tonight and, I mean, it was a factor in the game, for sure.

Q. The ball that Lux hit, did either one of you guys think the ball was going out?

EVAN LONGORIA: I think both of us did.

BRANDON CRAWFORD: I think we both did.

EVAN LONGORIA: My stomach pretty much sank when he hit it. I couldn't believe that it didn't, but I guess just our night tonight.

BRANDON CRAWFORD: There were a few balls that were hit hard tonight. I mean, I think Taylor hit one pretty hard in the 7th, I think, or something like that, 6th or 7th.

And then Yas hit one for us earlier in the game that I think barely made it to the track. So, I mean, it was a factor, but obviously a factor for both sides.

Q. Evan, your team has been holding off the Dodgers all season long. They have been chasing you down. Now they're the defending champs and you're a game away from putting them out for the season. What's the feeling going into the fourth game?

EVAN LONGORIA: I mean, it's really no different than it's been all year. I mean, that's a really good baseball team. They bounced back after our Game 1 win and the offense showed up.

So we definitely know that they're not going to roll over. They have been down before and figured out ways to come back and they have definitely got the players to do it.

So again, hopefully tomorrow as a group we come out and try and kind of get on top and silence this crowd here a little bit. But it's not going to be easy.

Q. Evan, what did you see on Brandon's play? It looked like you got up almost as high as he did.

EVAN LONGORIA: Yeah. That's just, I think a habit. I feel like I always try and jump with the guy next to me. But I saw the same thing.

Q. Just in case?

EVAN LONGORIA: Yeah, I mean, I was thinking the same thing. I mean, it top spun, I think, just enough to where he was able to get up and have enough time to get a glove on it.

But the biggest defensive play of the game, without a doubt.

Q. Evan, were your kids here by any chance? Just because right before you hit your home run, I could square like right below the press box, I could hear "Let's go, Daddy."

EVAN LONGORIA: Yeah. Yeah, they were. One of my friends got a video of it too. I don't have many videos of my kids from the stands on a camera phone, but for some reason, somebody got one this time. And, yeah, they were here, so it's a pretty special moment.

Q. Was it your daughter that was chanting that?

EVAN LONGORIA: Might have been. I'm not sure.

Q. Brandon, were you always a good leaper on those types of plays? I mean, before the big leagues, I mean, is that stuff you did in high school and college and what is your dunking history?

BRANDON CRAWFORD: I think I dunked a couple times in high school. I mean, I think that the only -- the thing that goes into a play like that is just timing it right and obviously being able to get up high enough. So fortunately I was able to get that one.