You’ve read all the stories on WFAN.com over the last two days, and heard Aaron Boone on Carton & Roberts Tuesday afternoon – so how could there be more to learn about the Yankees’ plans and feelings heading into the Wild Card Game?
Well, between Boone’s two pressers and WFAN appearance and three interviews (Gerrit Cole, Kyle Higashioka, and Anthony Rizzo), there are still a few great quotes that didn’t make it into written form…but that’s where tonight’s Wild Card Game quotebook comes in.
BOONE on telling Andrew Velazquez he was starting a Yankees playoff game: “I mean, I think you guys have got to experience at least a little bit of his personality. Bronx kid. He's a gamer. He's living the dream playing for his hometown team. And, obviously, he's had some big moments for us this year. He's played well for us. So I didn't even necessarily have a conversation with him to tell him. He knows he's on this team and part of this team and ready to go.”
COLE on Giancarlo Stanton’s tear in Boston in the last series: “Boy, that was exciting for one fan base, I guess, and one group of players. But it was pretty awesome. Just a guy that's really special, really unique. Like I haven't quite seen anything of it. I don't believe the Statcast readings, frankly, like 451 or whatever on that one. That's a bit light. They might want to recalibrate that. He wants to win. He prepares extremely hard. I really enjoyed getting to know him over the last two years and love him as a teammate. From that perspective, I love watching my friends and teammates succeed, and so it was a blast for me personally and it was obviously pretty majestic moment in an important game, which always intensifies the magic of it, I guess. Hopefully he can bring it out again.”
BOONE on why Rob Brantly and Greg Allen are on the Wild Card roster: “With Brantly, this is unique in that it's not a series, it's one game. So obviously gives you a little more possibility of adding a position player or two, more than you would for a series, say. So having the third catcher, some value there just as far as if you want to be aggressive pinch running in a situation or pinch hitting, you kind of have that coverage. And Greg Allen is a guy obviously that when he was up with us this year played really well with us, has had a really good year in Triple-A, just does a lot of things well. Outstanding defensive outfielder, runs the bases really well, switch hitter to gives us some protection there. So just a good player that deserved to be here and could fill a lot of potential roles, especially late in the game.”
HIGASHIOKA on the Yankees’ dominant bullpen down the stretch: “I think the thing that stood out is everyone's ability to cope with a high-leverage situation. You know, especially the younger guys or guys who haven't been so used to coming into ultra-high-leverage situations, they never lose their ability to throw strikes and attack the zone. I think that's the most important thing as a reliever is making sure you don't fall behind hitters and give away free bases, and that gives the other team a chance to keep the line moving. These guys attack hitters, so that's what you want.”
BOONE on how Anthony Rizzo’s 2016 experience can help in 2021: “It is another tool. He has that way about him, that presence. I've loved having him here. Obviously, he's a really good player, but he's just a really good presence about him. He's a low maintenance gamer, likes to play, likes when it's big, you know. But you'd never know. Like, he's kind of himself all the time, kind of funny and laid back and makes some comments, look around, enjoy this. But also has a lot of confidence, and I think like a lot of our guys really likes playing when the stakes are high. So I think there's no question that he's had a positive impact outside the lines in our room with our group and has really been entrenched in our culture and with our guys. I feel like the conversations they have amongst each other and how they prepare, he's right in the middle of all that.”
HIGASHIOKA on Aroldis Chapman’s recent surge: “I think he looks really good. We have all the confidence in the world in him. Last several outings have been good. He's been throwing a lot of strikes, getting guys out. He's been rock solid. We trust him 100 percent.”
BOONE on a “more normal” postseason in 2021 and the COVID-19 pandemic still looming: “I mean, last year was so challenging on so many fronts. Just learning as all of us were, learning on the fly, and it was tough. You know, I think the way I put it was a heavy year, especially dealing with things that were going on in our country, pandemic, social issues. It's a tough, hard, you know, in a lot of ways, sad year. We are fortunate to be able to get to play a season. It was a privilege to do so. But it was hard. You know, this year on that front's been way better, and I think we know how to handle it and survive in it and live in it, while also being way less restrictive than obviously last year. So I don't know, I think we're kind of just conditioned to kind of handle it and deal with it now to where it's not too much of a distraction to what we're trying to do between the lines.”
And finally, BOONE on how excited he is for his team to experience a game like this: “I think we have a group of guys that love playing when the stakes are high. And I feel like the last couple of months have prepared us pretty well for this. Whatever happens tonight, I feel like we're going to walk out there and play our game and play with confidence. And that's because I think these guys do relish playing in this rivalry, playing with everything on the line against a really good team. I think they're all really excited to do that.”
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