AL Division Series: Yankees vs Red Sox Sunday, October 7, 2018 Aaron Boone Yankees Workout Day center field, it's a big park. Q. Video circulated last night on social media of walking past the Red Sox clubhouse I think we do a good job, our team is kind of built playing "New York, New York." What do you think around our lefties, of course, but even our right-handed of that? hitters are very good at taking advantage of the short AARON BOONE: It's a good song. And Aaron, he's porch in right field, but not every team is necessarily one of our resident deejays, so he's got a pretty equipped to do that. Plus we have good pitchers. extensive playlist. I guess that's the one that was going. We like to hear that song sometimes when we It's not like some of those small ballparks out there win a big game. where there's no place to go. There is here.

I saw it. I think it's fun. It's something to talk about. Q. Aaron, if you don't have Hicks tomorrow night, But I think it's just a good-natured whatever. can you wait another day for him? AARON BOONE: Oh, yeah. You mean, as far as Q. What if a Red Sox player walked past your guys' making a roster decision? clubhouse playing "Sweet Caroline"? AARON BOONE: I like that song too actually. So Q. Yes. whatever. I think both teams are really good, have a lot AARON BOONE: Absolutely. Because at worst, I feel of respect for each other, and I'll just kind of leave it at like it's a day-to-day situation. So if we were going to that. make a move like that, then you'd potentially lose him for considerable time. I don't think we're anywhere Q. The fact that they're going with Eovaldi near that. tomorrow, does that impact what you do? AARON BOONE: Possibly. I'm going to talk to my Q. Does having Gardner around make that softer to coaches and just see if there's anything different we take? might consider doing if we want to get anyone in there. AARON BOONE: Absolutely, yeah. Obviously, a lot will depend on Hicks and seeing if he's good to go and all that. It's something we'll talk about Q. Aaron, Judge, after he came back from the DL, and consider if there's any tweaks we'll make at all to had just the one , didn't have a lot of our lineup, but I haven't decided that yet. production at the plate. What told you that he was going to be okay and that this kind of a start to the Q. I was just going to ask: Is there any update on postseason would be possible for him? Hicks, and do you expect him available tomorrow AARON BOONE: At-bat quality, from the get-go. Even night? though he wasn't hitting the ball out of the ballpark a AARON BOONE: Yeah, I'm hopeful he is. He's been lot, obviously, the last whatever, ten games that he got getting treatment now, feels better today, but we're not to play in, he was right away I felt like doing what Aaron going to do much with it today. I think we'll really get does; control the strike zone, good passes on balls. I after it and test it out again tomorrow and kind of make thought he was hitting the ball fine. a decision on it. But hopeful that he'll be able to go. And then even for guys that hit a ton of home runs, Q. is not really a pitcher's park, those are things that still come in bunches. Guys that but you guys have pitched better at home than on hit a lot of home runs, it will go through a couple weeks the road this year, Severino really has. What do where they won't hit a home run, and then all of a you think is behind that? sudden you hit six in a week or something. AARON BOONE: Well, there's places to go, and I think sometimes when we talk hitter's park, pitcher's park, So, yeah, I wasn't worried. I was really encouraged we always just go right to the home run, and that's not actually with what I saw from him when he did come always the only indicator. So there's places to go in right off the DL, spending that amount of time and not this ballpark. I mean, you hit the ball to left center, getting a chance to have a rehab outing, that was my

Rev #1 by #181 at 2018-10-07 20:45:00 GMT page 1 of 3 biggest concern was how is he going to be timing-wise, when you're in the midst of a great season. rust-wise, and I felt like he beat my expectations right out of the gate for that. So I would say the thing I kept falling back on and that I was at least encouraged by is I didn't see any red flags Q. Attendance here is second in the Major Leagues as far as, man, the velocity's down or just something again this year, and it's up over 4,000 a game from that leaped off the screen to me anyway that last year. What do you have to say about the suggested that he couldn't right the ship. You know, I intensity, the crowds, and the interest in Yankee felt like there were some minor things that he could do baseball over the last couple of years? from just a sharpening of the stuff, sharpening of the AARON BOONE: Yeah, I think that's something that command, missing location a little bit too much over really started last year, as this fan base, I feel like, the course of games. We saw him start to get that absolutely connected with kind of this new generation back towards the end of the season. We started to see of Yankee player, this young corps that has developed. him really turn the corner at the end of the season and, I think, kind of get that swagger and that confidence And me watching from afar last year, especially in the back that he has when he's going so well. postseason, you could kind of see that raw intensity connection that the fan base had with the players, and And obviously, we saw him carry that into the Wild that created a lot of buzz going into the winter Card game and really set the tone for us. obviously. Q. Sanchez, so different behind the plate the last Some of the acquisitions, bringing in G and others over three games. So last night also, he did something the winter, I think, created more excitement. And then that didn't happen since way back with , going out and having a really strong season, seeing the two home runs in the playoffs. Is part of that more young guys kind of come of age, and I think it's the trust you make in him, or how can you explain always evident how tied now this fan base is to this that? new crop of Yankee players. That's been fun to AARON BOONE: I explain that he's a really good witness, and I think that's a reason why there's the player. I've been, obviously, answering a lot of interest there. questions about Gary over the last month and throughout this year. I've believed what I've told you in Q. And do you feel any sort of momentum shift? that I feel like we've seen a lot of strides and a lot of It's a short series, and every game is so important. really positive things since he came back from the Do you feel a shift for you guys coming into the disabled list defensively. next two games here? AARON BOONE: I don't know. We've got to play well. Now, he was still having the occasional lapse or We know we're up against a great team. We're really mistake that would happen that would show up that excited to come back and play in our ballpark where we draws the attention, but I really feel strongly that 90, 95 feel like we have a home field advantage, where we percent of the stuff we're seeing was really impactful know our fans are going to have an impact. We hand behind the plate. He's been able to do that so far in the the ball to Sevy. postseason, limiting the mistakes. I think he's been really sharp from behind the plate from a receiving, So we're excited about a lot of things going into blocking, game planning, game calling, really on top of tomorrow, but it really comes down to we've got to go his game. out and perform and play well, and if we can do that, hopefully grab a lead in the series. And I also feel like over the last week or ten days, I feel like the at-bats have started to improve even when he Q. When Severino was at his low point, how wasn't getting a lot of results yet. We've started to see perplexing was it to you and Larry, particularly the walks happen a little bit, just control the strike zone because there was no injury issue to deal with, to a little bit better, and now all of a sudden, hopefully, a fall back on? little bit of success kind of unleashes what is a AARON BOONE: A little bit. A little bit of a head massively talented offensive player. And we were able scratcher because we were still kind of seeing the to see that in a big way last night. velocity. But you also -- I can attest to this -- it's a really hard game, and this is a young man that's still evolving, And I'm just really excited for him to have that kind of I think, as an elite starting pitcher. Bumps in the road night when I know how hard he's worked and I know happen in this sport. This game will get you. This how difficult in a lot of ways this year's been on him. game will humble you at different times in your career, So for him to get some results and a big win was pretty at different times in the course of the season, even cool to see.

Rev #1 by #181 at 2018-10-07 20:45:00 GMT page 2 of 3 4 starter, or could anything happen that might Q. Severino said he kind of knew it was going to be change your mind on that? a four- or five-inning outing the last time. He AARON BOONE: We're pretty locked in there. I guess looked almost like a reliever, just coming in and anything could happen tomorrow that throws a wrinkle emptying his tank there. Can you be that in things, but anticipate CC's going in Game 4. aggressive with the same kind of approach in this kind of a game in a series like this? AARON BOONE: Yeah, I don't know how he knew it was going to be four or five innings. But I think that's the thing we want our guys to go, as hard and as great as they can be, however long that is. So a little bit different than the regular season in that it could be three, could be four, could be -- but I'm still open to it being eight innings. I want him to go out and be himself and go out there and look to really set the tone for us and throw his game, and if he does that, hopefully, we'll be in a good spot at any time when we take him out tomorrow.

Q. Obviously, you and have been friends for a while. Have you guys spoken in recent days or weeks now that you're in this situation? Kind of how has that been? AARON BOONE: I mean, we spoke a little bit before Game 1. It's been fine. Obviously, these games mean a lot. We're playing for a lot. But that doesn't change the respect I have for him and my feelings towards him. But we're competing against each other, and we both want something precious that we're both chasing after.

So a couple text messages, congrats, things like that, and we spoke a little bit before Game 1. So it's not weird or anything. It's just two guys that, I think, have a lot of respect for each other but are playing for a lot.

Q. Aaron, your fans haven't seen this in a long time, Red Sox-Yankees in the playoffs. What do you think this place will be like tomorrow night? AARON BOONE: I think it's going to be amazing. I really do.

Going back to your question, I think the connection that our fan base and our fans now have with our players is a special one, and now you put it in the postseason, and you bring the Red Sox, who, obviously, that rivalry that's there and as great of a team as they were this season, I think the atmosphere tomorrow night is going to be special, electric, whatever you want to put on it. I think it's going to be there, and hopefully we can go out there and give them reason to keep building as the game unfolds.

I thought the atmosphere against the A's was special. I think there's a potential that it could be even more so tomorrow night.

Q. Aaron, are you locked in with CC as your Game

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