AL Championship Series: Astros vs Red Sox Wednesday, October 17, 2018 A.J. Hinch Astros pregame 4 since coming over from Cuba? And he's only 34, THE MODERATOR: Questions for A.J. Hinch. he has a couple of more years on his contract. What have you seen that suggests to you that he Q. Could you just run down the advantages of might continue being steady for a couple more having Alex lead off? years? A.J. HINCH: You know, I can't wait for him to hit first. A.J. HINCH: Yuli is very experienced. And we see it And really it's tough because George is doing with guys that come in the middle to latter parts of their everything you ask out of the leadoff spot. It had professional careers. A lot of guys from Japan, guys nothing to do with him. It's a different look for our from different countries, when they join us they're not lineup; he gets the most at-bats. He has Springer really rookies, they're first-timers when it comes to the behind him. Big Leagues. So Yuli's been through some of the highest pressure-packed baseball before he got here. I'm not sure if that changes their approach with him -- maybe in the first at-bat they have to go after him a He was the best international player in Cuba for a little bit. But why not? I think the first three guys are number of years. He was a high-profile guy. So when pretty interchangeable. he got here he didn't lack confidence, he didn't lack experience, he didn't lack really anything other than If Jose was running a little bit better I might have put comfort in our country and comfort in the major him in the lead-off spot and sandwiched Bregman with leagues. Springer. There's so many combos I could do. Generally I haven't done that. I've left George at the What I've seen from him is great adjustments. We top. But we'll do it a little bit different, give it a little asked him -- he played shortstop and third base and different look. Maybe they have to game plan a little second base in his career -- and we asked him to go to differently, we'll have to see. first base because it fit on our team. Q. The matter-of-fact way that your guys approach I walked him work tirelessly to get better at it. Ironically losses in the playoffs and quickly turning the page, with Alex Cora as the manager now -- when he was the is that just about the players themselves bench coach here and it's continued with Joe Espada individually or is that something organizationally and Alex Cintron -- that openness shows me a lot that you guys instill in your team? about his character and his competitiveness and a lot A.J. HINCH: You don't have any choice this time of about the fact he'll do anything. year. You've got to play the next day and you've got to play quickly. You might have an off day here or there. As far as moving forward, he's a really good player. But you were doing a total disservice to the postseason He's calm in the big moments. He hits well with and to your club if you bring that baggage the next day. runners in scoring position. He hits the ball as well as We don't know any other way. anyone on our team and really does a good job navigating around the bases. He's not as fast as he In my time here we've been in the playoffs three out of used to be and he's aging and things like that. But the four years, and maybe that experience has fostered because of his baseball smarts and his IQ, his baseball that a little bit. It's certainly the culture we have. Our feel, I think he can play well past his contract. players are all on board. Q. Obviously a lot has been made of the Astros in I'd be significantly disappointed if our guys were play -- who was looking into the Red Sox dugout. bringing a loss into today. Because today is the most What do you view as the state of the game when it important day of the year. And then I'm going to say comes to the use of teams using technology to the same thing tomorrow. kind of examine the practices of other teams? Do you think that the game is in a healthy state with Q. Two questions about Yuli. What do you think regards to mutual -- has allowed him to be as consistent as he has A.J. HINCH: I think there's some unintended Rev #1 by #188 at 2018-10-17 21:19:00 GMT page 1 of 3 consequences that come with the advancement of can all have different signs and different sequences. technology. And I certainly think it's a league-wide That's why you see catchers go to the mound all the conversation that needs to happen in time. I mean, it's time in between innings when it's allowed, when a new happening right now during a really important series pitcher comes in. and I just think it's bigger than us. It's bigger than any team. It's bigger than any series. It needs to be So it's very complicated, and, again, you know the corralled because of the state of the concern over it. games that it affects are the games where we see a lot of those visits and a lot of the cross-ups, the balls to Obviously, you know, I'm sure it's going to be the back stop, the balls being dropped -- things that I addressed. I know Major League Baseball had their don't know that you can put your fingerprint on it as statement. I know our GM, Jeff Luhnow, had his brief across the board in every game in 15 games a night for media session, and they speak for the situation as of Major League Baseball. But the games you feel it, you right now. But the game is so ultra competitive and can blame it on that sometimes. there's so small margins between really good teams and really good players and there's a lot at stake. So Q. Obviously Major League Baseball cleared you of we do have to find a healthy place for everyone to be any wrongdoing, your GM already spoke about it. comfortable moving forward competitively because it's But does it concern you that there could be this a bigger topic than even one instance. perception of you guys cheating even though the focus should be on what you're accomplishing on Q. When you hear that some teams think that you the field? guys are really good at that, picking up signs, in A.J. HINCH: Not tonight, because it's Game 4. We've whatever fashion, do you take that as a compliment got to get our minds towards the game on the field and or do you not like to hear that? the competition between us and the Red Sox. We're A.J. HINCH: Today I don't feel like it's a compliment. trying to win a series here and advance to the World (Laughter) I think you always have to be cognizant of it. Series. I think the competitive edges nowadays are so narrow. You're trying to find everything you can. And whether So that's why I say it's a bigger conversation over time. that's pitch tipping, pitch sequencing, changing your I don't think it's something that's going to solve itself in signs, changing your location of your defenders -- 24 hours. And we're not going to focus on it in our again, this is a bigger topic that's going to take a lot clubhouse. And I'm not going to talk up to our team more time than an overnight story and concern and about it. We're not going to get to Red Sox, 7:39, like I people's curiosities. told you yesterday, we'll be ready to play. That's why I say it's league-wide. It's a conversation Q. Justin Verlander recently talked about preparing that's been had largely behind the scenes as far as for the second half of his career, which if you do when a guy hits the ball well, was I doing something the math is kind of scary. Do you see him as being with my glove, was I -- did they have the signs. one of those guys who could pitch well into his Obviously they try to corral the visits to the mound 40s? And if so what is it about his mindset, which were out of control last year in the World Series preparation, mechanics that would allow you to to now. Even in these playoffs you're seeing a lot of think that? teams going down to one and two visits left before the A.J. HINCH: I think his body has to hold up and his arm game ends. In the regular season you don't see that has to hold up. His mind will be able to do whatever he as much. wants to do.