Month: October 2019

October 25, 2019 Will Harris Washington, D.C. – postgame 3 Houston – 4, Washington – 1 Q. AJ was just discussing how this reestablishes you guys in the series. From your perspective coming here, down 2-0, losing both those home games in Houston, how does it feel not just to win this, but it’s 2-1 and things can change if you guys carry through this? WILL HARRIS: Everybody in that clubhouse is well aware of where we were sitting coming here; playing Game 3, down 0-2, losing two games at home. Obviously it’s not the script you’d want to write to start out a World Series. We believe in each other in there. We know we have obviously a very talented, capable team. It’s just a matter of us finding a way to score more runs than them today. We played a good brand of baseball today. We made really big pitches when we needed to, flying around the bases, kind of Astros baseball that we’ve all become accustomed to watching. It was a lot of fun. A lot of energy in our dugout today. And we expect to carry that over to tomorrow. Q. You guys clearly recalibrated. Can you kind of take us through the players-only meeting, who called it, and what it accomplished for you guys? WILL HARRIS: Yeah, I mean, I got asked about it today. I don’t really like to talk about that kind of stuff. It was some guys said some things that, you know, I think a lot of us maybe were thinking in our head but it’s sometimes nice to hear them out loud. And the biggest thing was we didn’t want anybody feeling sorry for themselves coming here, because that’s not going to accomplish anything. That was the message. And we showed up today and from the get we were putting a lot of pressure on them. And we kept it going for nine innings, so it was good. Q. They’ve scored throughout this postseason so many runs, say, seventh, seventh inning on. How much of a factor was tonight in not allowing that to happen? Does that bode well for you guys going forward? WILL HARRIS: Well, I wasn’t aware of that, that a lot of their runs were being scored during that portion of the game. I know in Game 2 obviously it kind of got away from us in those innings. For us it doesn’t change anything. As a bullpen, as a starting rotation, we’re just looking to make pitches, as many as we can in a row, and work our way through a lineup. See what they’re doing, how they’re going to make adjustments. A seven-game series is a long series to face a team. We’ve done it before, obviously, so we kind of know what to expect. They’re a really talented team. Their lineup does a lot of different things. They’re very athletic. Those first two guys in their lineup really set the tone for them. And it’s a matter of keeping those guys off base and making your pitches to the middle part of that lineup because they can obviously hurt you. Q. With the players-only meeting, just the players in general, did you guys view what happened with Brandon Taubman and all the fallout from that as an obstacle or hurdle that you had to push aside and overcome? WILL HARRIS: No, I specifically haven’t talked to anybody about that. That has nothing to do with really anybody in our clubhouse. That was a completely isolated incident that didn’t involve a player or anything like that. So none of us are, from my point of view, are really concerned with any of that kind of stuff. Q. With the longer outing for you tonight, was there anything in particular you used to grind through one plus like that, and was there anything that that changes for you tomorrow? WILL HARRIS: Yeah, it’s difficult. I mean, the postseason, like, you kind of know that those are coming. I knew in Game 6 against the Yankees that I was going to have one plus that day. When Zack’s pitch count was kind of getting a little up there, I pretty much figured today was going to be another one of those days. In a must-win situation, AJ was going to lean on some guys. And so I wasn’t caught off guard by it. I got a little TLC after my outing, I’ll get some more before I get out of here. Get a good night’s sleep, get here early tomorrow, and do what I need to do to be ready to pitch tomorrow. Q. Bullpens are funny, because they’re always sort of changing and there’s a ebb and flow through the season. AJ was just talking about how right now it’s kind of reached a point where he can throw a different look at different parts of the game with everybody throwing well. Do you guys in the bullpen sort of hit that stride where you kind of realize where everybody is playing off of each other and things are going well? WILL HARRIS: Yeah, I think that’s kind of been a mark of us since I’ve been here. We’ve always carried a lot of guys that do a lot of different things and gives a lot of different looks. And this year is no different. We’ve got guys that can throw 98. We have guys that throw 88. We have guys that cut it, sink it, we’ve got guys with big curveballs, we’ve got Peacock throwing a slider. I think it allows AJ to kind of mix and match how he sees fit, and knows that we’re not just carbon copies of one another that are kind of rolling out there. I think that helps. I think when you’ve got me throwing cutters and curveballs followed up by Joe Smith, a completely different arm angle and stuff like that, I know people talk about us not having a left-handed reliever, but I think that variety he has allows us to do that. Q. Congratulations on the win. I got here late, but I want to know, do you feel the team felt pressure? Did the team understand the historic aspect of falling behind 3-0? Was that part of the mindset? WILL HARRIS: Yeah, I mean, “pressure” is I don’t think the right — we understood the situation we were in, obviously. This is postseason baseball. A lot of guys in that clubhouse have been here. A lot of us were in that series when we went and got swept in New York in 2017 and came back home and knew we had to win two. Game 7 in Dodger Stadium in ’17. A lot of us have been through this. We understood where we were coming in. We understood today we needed to play our best brand of baseball. And hopefully that was going to be good enough to get a win, and today it was. And then tomorrow it’s just a matter of doing that same thing. Every man in there was aware of where we were and understood that today was an important — to do your job today as well as you could was very important. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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SAN JOSE SHARKS (4-6-1 – 9 Points) 1 vs. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (6-4-2 – 14 Points) 4

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2019

1 2 3 OT FINAL SAN JOSE 1 0 0 – 1 TORONTO 0 1 3 – 4

ON THE SCORESHEET

• Jake Muzzin put the Maple Leafs on the board at 19:58 of the second period. Muzzin has five points (1-4-5) over his last five games.
• – Morgan Rielly scored Toronto’s second goal of the night at 14:31 of the third period. Rielly has three goals over his last four games. He has recorded nine (3-6-9) of his 12 points on home ice this season. The Maple Leafs are 5-0-1 when he records a point in 2019-20.
• – Ilya Mikheyev collected the secondary assist on Muzzin’s second period goal and later scored the third Toronto goal into an empty net at 19:11 of the third period. Mikheyev has recorded four of his five assists on home ice this season. He leads NHL rookies in even-strength points (3-5-8). Tonight’s game is his third multi-point performance of the season.
• – Auston Matthews scored the fourth Maple Leafs goal of the game at 19:30 of the third period. Matthews led the Maple Leafs in shots on goal (6). He has recorded six or more shots on goal on four occasions this season and has recorded five goals in those games.
• – Jason Spezza registered the primary assist on Muzzin’s second period goal. Spezza has two assists over six games played this season. Both assists have come on home ice.
• – William Nylander had the lone assist on Rielly’s third period goal. Nylander has recorded at least one point in eight of Toronto’s 12 games this season. He has six assists in five career games against San Jose.
• – Mitch Marner recorded the lone assist on Mikheyev’s third period goal and later had the lone assist on Matthews’ third period goal. Marner has five assists over his last four games. Tonight’s game is his third multi-assist and fourth multi-point game of the season.
• – Frederik Andersen stopped 15 shots to earn the victory.

SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd OT TOTAL SAN JOSE 7 (7) 3 (3) 6 (4) – 16 (14) TORONTO 8 (7) 8 (7) 10 (8) – 27 (22)

SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd OT TOTAL SAN JOSE 12 (11) 8 (8) 14 (10) – 34 (29) TORONTO 18 (15) 18 (13) 22 (16) – 58 (44)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Record at Home 4-2-2 (8 Games)
All-Time Record vs. San Jose 24-21-5-2 (52 Games)
All-Time Record vs. San Jose at Home 15-9-2-2 (28 Games)
Record vs. Western Conference 2-1-0 (3 Games)
Record vs. Pacific Division 1-0-0 (1 Game)
Tonight’s attendance 19,102

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
Shots 6 (Matthews)
Shot Attempts 8 (Muzzin)
Faceoff Wins 8 (Nylander)
Faceoff Win Percentage 89% (Nylander – 8 won, 1 lost)
Hits 2 (Ceci, Holl, Kapanen)
Blocked Shots 5 (Rielly)
Takeaways 2 (Marner)
TOI 26:02 (Rielly)
Power Play TOI 5:51 (Marner)
Shorthanded TOI 1:07 (Kapanen, Rielly)
Shifts 29 (Ceci, Muzzin, Rielly)
5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage 78.6% (Marner – 11 for, 3 against)

RECORD WHEN…
Opponent scores first 4-2-2
Trail after 1 3-3-0
Tied after 2 1-2-0
Do not score on the powerplay 3-2-1
Do not allow a powerplay goal 4-1-0
Outshooting opponent 4-1-0
Friday 2-0-0

OF NOTE…

• The Maple Leafs went 1-for-1 on the penalty kill and 0-for-5 on the power play tonight.
• – Toronto’s line of Frederik Gauthier, Nick Shore and Dmytro Timashov started 25.0 percent of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Maple Leafs skaters.
• – Auston Matthews and William Nylander were on the ice for a team-high 23 Toronto shot attempts for at 5-on-5. Matthews finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 69.7 percent (23 for, 10 against), while Nylander had a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 76.7 percent (23 for, 7 against).
• – William Nylander was 6-for-6 (100%) in the faceoff circle when taking offensive zone draws.
  UPCOMING GAMES:
• Saturday, October 26, 7:00 p.m. at Montreal Canadiens (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
• – Tuesday, October 29, 7:00 p.m. vs. Washington Capitals (TSN4, TSN 1050)
• – Saturday, November 2, 7:00 p.m. at Philadelphia Flyers (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
• – Tuesday, November 5, 7:30 p.m. vs. Los Angeles Kings (TSN4, TSN 1050) – Thursday, November 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. Vegas Golden Knights (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)

HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK

On tonight’s win: Yeah, I mean, I thought we had a – I mean, our first five minutes was unreal, we could have had four. It was five grade A [scoring chances] in the first and we come away with nothing. What I liked about the game was we had a turnover, they scored, but instead of getting crazy we just stayed with it, stayed with it, stayed with it. We didn’t give up much tonight, which was positive, and stayed the course, got the break there at the end of the period and then just stayed patient in the third too. A lot of times you look at scores after games you think a team blew another team out, it’s 4-1. Well, you’re at the game – everyone gets their points, just stay patient, just do your thing. You get an empty netter, you get another one, everything’s good. You get what you wanted, points-wise and then you get to score a goal and get an assist as well. So, I thought it was a good lesson for us tonight and I thought our guys did a good job.

On what he liked about the win: We just didn’t play as much in our own zone. I mean, you can’t play in your own zone. I don’t care how good you are in there, if you spend too much time there, you take penalties and you get worn out. I thought we had good line changes, I thought we used everybody, I thought our players were engaged. Now, they played last night, you know, so it’s a different program for them too. They won last night, I thought they started real well, we probably got better as the game went on.

On the hit on Matthews in the second period: Yeah, I mean, one thing with that is we’ve got lots of people in League to evaluate it, so I don’t need an opinion.

On if he was concerned Matthews wouldn’t return after the hit: No, I couldn’t understand why he’d leave and then when I saw the hit — because I didn’t see and then I saw the hit in-between periods. So, I said, ‘Okay, I guess that’s why they made him leave.’

On if Dermott or Hyman are available for tomorrow’s game: Not that I know of.

AUSTON MATTHEWS (1 GOAL)

On Muzzin’s equalizer with two seconds left in the second period: That’s huge, gives you momentum going into the [third] period. And, I mean, we felt like we were doing a lot of things right. Obviously, giving up the first goal but, you know, I think we just kept chugging along and obviously a big goal.

On the team believing it would score after generating quality chances: Yeah, we had a lot of good chances, a lot of good looks. I thought our line played pretty well tonight. Great opportunities for the most part, not playing too much D-zone. So that’s always a good sign and when we’re carrying speed and moving the puck together, you know, positive things usually happen.

JAKE MUZZIN (1 GOAL)

On his decision to drive the net at the end of the second period: Yeah, I figured why not? I mean, there’s five seconds left, so, even if they get the puck it’ll be tough to get down the ice and score or have a chance, anyway. So, I just kind of went there and [Spezz] threw it there. It just came to me and sent it in. I mean, kind of lucky, I guess. But yeah, a little time and awareness for the clock and I was allowed to get one. I think it was a big goal for the team to get us going.

On his goal as a relief for the team: I think we felt in here that we had a good period anyways, no matter if we had the goal or not. You know, we did a lot of good things. It was a better game, better start from us, and we built off it so it was nice to – I mean, it’s always nice to score – but I think we were fine in here either way.

MORGAN RIELLY (1 GOAL)

On what the team did well tonight: You know, when we turned the puck over, I thought we did a good job of breaking out, we didn’t spend long periods of time in our D-zone. I thought the forwards did a good job of coming back and, you know, tracking back and not giving up on rushes. Just an all-around group effort. I think it’s important that we focus on that moving forward. And try to do it again.

On Nylander setting up his goal: Yeah, great player. You know, he likes to turn up like that in the offensive zone and he’s got great vision. Great play by Willy.

On the team working to bounce back tonight: Well, I just, you know, I thought that we were motivated. I think that, you know, we wanted to come out and have a good effort. I think when you look back at our past couple games, there’s room for improvement here. And, you know, we’re aware of that, we talked about that and been pretty open about that. I thought we came in and I thought we had a good attitude this morning. You know, lots of energy and I thought it carried over. I thought the guys showed up and did well.

TORONTO: 21/28/33/24=106

BOSTON: 22/28/20/36=112.

Raptors: Pascal Siakam 33 points, eight rebounds; Kyle Lowry 29 points, seven assists; Serge Ibaka 13 points, eight rebounds; OG Anunoby nine points, eight rebounds; Fred VanVleet eight points.

Celtics: Jaylen Brown 25 points, nine rebounds; Jayson Tatum 25 points, nine rebounds, Kemba Walker 22 points; Gordon Hayward 15 points, eight rebounds; Marcus Smart, 10 points.

October 25, 2019

Patrick Corbin

Washington, D.C. – pregame 3

Q. I don’t know if you feel the strain of the extra workload with the relief appearances or you’re in such a zone in the playoffs that you’ll worry about that later?
PATRICK CORBIN: This time worked out pretty well for us being able to throw Game 1 and then having three full days off. Being available for 2 but kind of worked out great not being able to get in there. I didn’t throw at all. So I was able to do my same routine, everything that I would have done. A little ways from my last start, too.

Everything feels great, ready to go.

Q. Understanding that you’re still in the moment here, do you anticipate adjusting your offseason throwing program just to account for all this extra work?
PATRICK CORBIN: Yeah, I guess I haven’t really thought about it too much. But I’m sure I’ll probably push it back a little bit.

Q. How has Dave helped players relax and try to keep the pressure off throughout all this? Have you noticed any change in his demeanor at all since he came back from the heart procedure?
PATRICK CORBIN: I feel like he’s been the same guy for us all year. A leader for us. Somebody who really has trust in his players. And we truly believe that.

Beginning of the season when things weren’t going right, he didn’t panic, he didn’t do anything differently. We just continued to try to get better every day. And pretty much the same thing now. I feel like everyone is relaxed and even at this highest level of…

Q. (No microphone.)
PATRICK CORBIN: I don’t know, he’s just kind of himself, really. Every day is the same. And that’s how I think we all treat it here, we try to, at least. He doesn’t panic. He doesn’t make us do more or less. He just tries to put us in the best position to do our job well.

Q. Over the weekend the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center played the Baby Shark song. You see it in the stands, you guys do it on the bases. What has that done for the team to have that type of gimmick, for lack of a better word?
PATRICK CORBIN: It’s blown up pretty big. Everyone seems to be doing it. People are wearing shark outfits. It’s like Halloween out there. It’s great.

I’ve gotten to play with Parra before, and having him back here I knew he’d be an energy boost and somebody that would have fun. You could see what he’s doing with other guys on the team who maybe aren’t so — with Stras, giving him those hugs and everything else he does for him. Just brings the energy to this team. He’s great to have.

Q. How difficult was it for you not to get something done with the Yankees and could you ever have thought that it would turn out like this coming here?
PATRICK CORBIN: I honestly haven’t thought too much about it. No regrets. I obviously loved every second here. I always tell everybody I feel like I’ve been here longer, just such a great clubhouse, great people to be around every day. Really enjoy it here.

The big reason was to come here and make it to the World Series and win a World Series. I knew the guys in here were capable of doing it. It’s a great team and we’ve just put things together really well.

Q. I know you try and treat all your starts the same, every day the same, but you’re going to start the World Series game tomorrow. Is it possible to still be that way or is it any different the way you’re thinking about it, waking up tomorrow?
PATRICK CORBIN: These are games I want to pitch in. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to go out there and help us win a ball game. This is what you prepare for all offseason, to pitch in these games and just to have the opportunity to go out there, give it my best.

I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to try to keep everything the same. I’m sure I’ll be excited. But I’m really looking forward to it.

Q. When you and Zack were together in Arizona, is there one thing that he taught you or you take away to this day that has helped you become the pitcher you are?
PATRICK CORBIN: Yeah, Zack’s preparation is probably the best in the game. There’s a couple of guys here, too, as well, with Max and Stras and An�bal, those guys as well.

That’s the big thing with some of these older pitchers, Zack doesn’t throw as hard as he did when he first came up, but he knows how it to pitch. I think that’s huge being able to learn myself how to do things better out there.

Q. Have you been able to talk to him since the World Series started?
PATRICK CORBIN: Yeah, I talked to him a little bit in Houston. A lot of guys who I’ve played with, we’ve gone through a couple of levels here and being able to play against somebody else, it’s great.

Q. This starting rotation, how much do you guys push one another? How healthy is that? And what does it say about the success you’ve had coming down the stretch and especially in this postseason?
PATRICK CORBIN: Yeah, it’s great. We all root for each other. I feel like that’s something that’s not always easy. Guys might seem like it but we really do. We try to help each other, when we’re pitching or when we’re not pitching. And I think it’s pretty special to be on a team that does stuff like that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

October 24, 2019

AJ Hinch

Washington, D.C. – Workout Day

Q. Jeff was just in here for 20 minutes, and obviously you guys are in the middle of the World Series, we asked you about this a couple of days ago, what impact has everything going on had on your team that’s trying to win games in the World Series, impact on you and just everything surrounding what’s going on?
AJ HINCH: Yeah, I appreciate the question. I think a lot — people have spoken on this. I’ve spoken on this, I addressed it right away. Jeff just spoke.

I don’t know the answer. I think anything that I say, I don’t want it to be construed as taking away what the Nats have done – they’ve outplayed us, that’s the bottom line in this.

We’re very sensitive as a club to everything that’s gone on. But I would like — we’ve got our hands full getting to Game 3 and getting a win in this series and getting at least two out of the next three in order for us to get this series back to Houston. So I don’t think we’ll know until we get well into the offseason and kind of process all this.

But I continue to be disappointed and just sorry that it happened.

Q. On another topic, how are you weighing Alvarez in the outfield, home plate versus the outfield?
AJ HINCH: Yeah, that’s always hard. And I remember getting this question in the middle of the season when Yordan came up and we went to a couple of National League ballparks, I played him in left field. And there was always this question about, Hey, if you’re in the World Series you’re going to need him in the outfield. I’m like, Hey, just give me that problem, and now I have that problem. Be careful what you wish for, but it’s a good problem to have.

I do like the at-bats he’s had specifically in the last game or two. The balance of where to play defense, where to keep your weapons on the bench, playing a National League game where you anticipate a few pinch-hits, having some resources on the bench in order for a big at-bat. I put Tucker in that at-bat yesterday with first and second with Strasburg at the end of his outing.

I’m weighing all of that. This is a really big left field, and I’m taking into consideration that. So we’ve talked about it a little bit. I can probably talk myself in and out of every scenario.

I don’t think we play all three games here without him seeing the outfield. I’m not sure that will be tomorrow. Right now I’m kind of leaning against it. But I’ll make that decision when I have to.

Q. How tough is it to take his bat out of the lineup given how well he’s been hitting in the series?
AJ HINCH: Look, I think it’s always important to balance that. It’s important as it can be unless we don’t make a play in the outfield and I’ve got two guys out of position and we give up runs that way.

Again, those are the nature of tough issues or tough problems. While I think we need as much offense as we can get, certainly with runners in scoring position. I think it also is smart when you’re facing a team like the Nats that put the ball in play, that challenge you with an up-tempo, fast style of play, there’s the other side of the ball, as well.

So I’m valuing how much defense — if I’ve got to play three to six innings of defense in order to get those two at-bats that you’re referring or do I wait for the big at-bat and have him pinch-hit. That’s the nature of managing, I’ll have to make that decision.

Q. Whether it’s base running or hitting with runners in scoring position, what are the areas that you think you guys just absolutely need to do better here in Washington?
AJ HINCH: I’m not sure I would drag base running into it. I think we’ve made a couple of aggressive mistakes, but not necessarily see that as a problem.

And I think winning the at-bats when the game can turn is critical. They’ve done a good job of making contact. They’ve done a good job of finding holes. I think we’ve put up some competitive at-bats in those situations, but not always coming through with the big base hit.

What to do more or what to change. We’re competing. We’re trying to win the at-bat. And I remember early in the series when Michael Brantley smokes a ball down the left field line and he makes a running catch, that’s not bad hitting, that’s not necessarily even plus defense, that’s just baseball.

It’s hard unless you go through every single scenario where you feel like you have to maximize your opportunities. I just think we’ve got to be better across the board in putting more pressure on them and maybe separating ourselves a little bit and having them feel what it’s like to have a big inning put up against them.

Q. Correa said last night there was a players-only meeting. What do you think the benefit could be of that in the aftermath?
AJ HINCH: I think the players-only component of that is a touch aggressive. I think they were just players talking in a group. I asked the guys about it, because I heard about it. Guys trying to pick each other up. I think guys are trying to fight for the season. It’s a seven-game series, four you have to win. They’ve won two and a lot of questions are coming our way as if — yes, it’s an uphill battle, but it’s not impossible. Not when you have the best record in baseball over the course of 162 games.

I assume that was a little bit more of what it was. In talking to a couple of the guys I would temper a little bit of the players-only dramatic meeting that everybody loves to ask about whenever we lose a couple of games. I think it was the players picking up players.

Q. Do you think there’s an element of shock with the group, 100-plus wins and getting to the World Series, lose both at home, giving up 12 the other night?
AJ HINCH: I don’t think shock because we respect the Nats and what they bring. And we faced Scherzer and Strasburg. We battled them pretty tough. We had about a hit or two away from the things you guys have to talk about, and ask about, and write about, being completely different.

So I think we’re still optimistic. We understand that we missed a couple of opportunities to win at home, certainly with our big boys pitching.

But to be around our club is to know that our club has a lot of confidence and we have a lot of resilience. A week ago we lost Game 1 to the Yankees and they were going to sweep us. We have to bounce back in this ballpark similar to how we did at Yankee Stadium, and put pressure back on the Nats to have to try to close it out.

Q. Last time Greinke pitched he was hit with both trash talking and trash throwing over his social anxiety. Are you concerned that will resurrect itself tomorrow?
AJ HINCH: I hope not. There’s no place for that. We’ve talked this week about there’s no place for a lot of things in our game, and that’s certainly another thing that we could be better as a whole and an industry to avoid piling on anyone’s issues.

And Zack is terrific at handling it. He compartmentalizes all that. It was unfortunate that he’s faced that before. But I have no fear or concern, like you asked, that the environment here, while it will be pro Nationals and very enthusiastic toward rooting against us, that’s not a problem. But I would like everybody to keep it clean, sure.

Q. You talked about aggressiveness, because you’ve won so many games playing loose, free, and aggressive. Any indication of pressing at all from your guys?
AJ HINCH: Dramatic pause. Zero. (Laughter.)

Q. What type of feel did you get around your guys getting on the plane, getting here, just kind of getting that read?
AJ HINCH: We’re ready to play. This is a group of guys that have won a lot of games. And I understand that everybody wants the pressure put on us. That’s great. We’ve responded great to pressure. I understand they have a 2-0 lead. Their view of the finish line is a little closer than ours.

But I wonder what everybody will feel like if we can win Game 3? And all of a sudden it flips a little bit. And all of a sudden we put up a few runs. And all of a sudden you can write that we’re back in it.

I sense our players will be ready to play. It won’t be easy. An�bal S�nchez is throwing the ball well. This lineup has found a way to catch momentum and be really tough at putting them away.

So it’s the World Series. It’s two of the best teams in the League competing to try to get to four wins. I understand that. But there’s no gloom and doom with us. We’ve got to try to do better. We’ve got an opportunity to do it in Game 3 and absolutely flip any sort of perceived momentum in our direction.

Q. Is there any level of concern with Ryan Pressly? Do you think his struggles are related to the knee at all?
AJ HINCH: You know what, no concern because I trust him and I believe in him. Execution’s always key. I actually thought he made better pitches the other night than he did even prior to that in the postseason.

So I’m not sure which one of you put out there, but I got to read — all those hits were pretty low contact, low velocity. And so I don’t think — he wasn’t beat around the ballpark. They found some holes. They put up good at-bats. They made contact. And they put up a couple of runs.

This is not a time to hang your head. This is not a time to abandon your players or have fear or concern. I’m going to try to put him in a better position to be successful. But we’re going to need him to pitch well for us to win four games.

Q. When you guys were playing the Yankees, I noticed that there was more pressure, more of that sense of pressure on the Yankees’ side than on the Astros’ side even in that first game. What is it about this team that helps them to stay in that calm mentality and just enjoy the game?
AJ HINCH: Well, we’ve been there. I think I get asked a lot about experience. We’ve got a lot of guys that have been there. We’ve got great leadership in the clubhouse. We’ve got some experiences to draw from whether we’ve been questioned or whether we’ve been beat.

It’s even funny, go back into this season, we won our franchise record number of games, but we still had a number about of losing streaks where I would sit in a chair similar to this and ask what’s wrong with this team. That’s just the way it is. So I think our guys are used to having questions like that with anything that’s gone wrong at all.

You win the World Series, the next time you lose a game you get asked, is everything okay? And the more experience you get with that the more you feel comfortable in your own skin. I think our players believe in themselves. I think they believe in the teammate next to them. We have a good process in place to game plan against the Nats. Now we have two games to learn from where they’ve played pretty well. And our guys believe we’re going to win the World Series.

Q. What are the different ways different guys go about alleviating the pressure at times like this?
AJ HINCH: That’s assuming we have pressure. I didn’t even admit that we have pressure.

Q. It’s mostly self pressure.
AJ HINCH: You telling me I’ve got pressure. I don’t feel that guys have to alleviate anything. If anything I’ve got to figure out a way to get these guys to 8:00 Eastern tomorrow night without bouncing off the walls in the hotel room ready to play. These guys are real guys in there.

Funny, last time I was here I was managing the All-Star Game. And then I look in our room and I look around and a lot of those guys were here. I’ve got a room full of All-Stars. And All-Stars that have played well in times of winning and times of losing. I don’t think there’s a lot of pressure for us to alleviate. I think we have to win Game 3.

Q. I know you’d rather have the DH. Does Zack’s ability to swing the bat a little bit, does that change the way you might manage a situation?
AJ HINCH: I’m glad that Zack’s here. We put him in Game 3 mostly because he’s behind JV and Gerrit. But it does help that Game 3 here is in the National League city and he’s familiar with the bat and he can move things around.

That dilemma — it’s a little different in the playoffs. In a regular season game you would say, Hey, that helps me in that 5th and 6th inning decision when a guy can handle the bat, maybe squeeze a couple innings out of him.

I’ll have to determine whether that’s worth it at the point — at that juncture of the game given that it’s a World Series game. I can move guys a little bit. We can hit and run. He can bunt. He’s a very, very smart baseball player.

So I guess we’ll see if it changes how I manage his at-bats and where we are when he gets up to bat. That fifth-, sixth-inning, seventh-inning dilemma when the pitcher’s spot comes up, it’s still the same dilemma whether Zack can hit or if I have a guy up there, to remain nameless, who can’t hit.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

SAN JOSE SHARKS (4-5-1 – 9 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (5-4-2 – 12 Points)

OCTOBER 25, 2019 ▪ 7:00 PM EST

SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET ONTARIO ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus SAN JOSE

ALL-TIME RECORD:	23-21-5-2 (51 Games)
ALL-TIME at HOME:	14-9-2-2 (27 Games)
2018-19:	2-0-0
LAST FIVE:	3-2-0
LAST 10:	3-5-2

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus SAN JOSE

GAMES PLAYED:	Jake Muzzin (29), Jason Spezza (22), Nick Shore (16)
GOALS:	John Tavares (7), Auston Matthews (6), Jason Spezza (3)
ASSISTS:	Jason Spezza (14), John Tavares (12), Jake Muzzin (8)
POINTS:	John Tavares (19), Jason Spezza (17), Jake Muzzin (10)
PENALTY MINUTES:	Jake Muzzin (31), Four players tied (6)

MAPLE LEAFS – SHARKS TEAM STATS

	TORONTO	SAN JOSE
GOALS FOR (Rank):	40 (3rd)	28 (t-16th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):	38 (t-28th)	34 (23rd)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):	8/32 [25.0%] (t-9th)	9/35 [27.5%] (8th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):	30/38 [78.9%] (20th)	32/35 [91.4%] (1st)
SHOTS (Rank):	367 (4th)	287 (22nd)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):	483 (1st)	361 (20th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):	52.9% (6th)	49.5% (19th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):	53.0% (5th)	51.8% (7th)

MAPLE LEAFS – SHARKS NOTES

FIRST MATCHUP:	November 4, 1991 (Toronto 4, San Jose 1)
ALL-TIME RECORD:	23-21-5-2 (51 Games)
ALL-TIME RECORD AT HOME:	14-9-2-2 (27 Games)
ALL-TIME RECORD ON THE ROAD:	9-12-3-0 (24 Games)
LAST WIN VS. OPPONENT:	November 28, 2018 in Toronto (Toronto 5, San Jose 3)

MAPLE LEAFS MILESTONES vs. SHARKS

Frederik Andersen:	100th game as a Maple Leaf (Jan. 4, 2018 vs. SJS)
Cody Ceci:	100th NHL point (Dec. 1, 2018 (OTT) vs. SJS)
Nick Shore:	First career NHL point (Jan. 21, 2015 (LAK) at SJS)

MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER
GOALS	8 (Matthews)
ASSISTS	9 (Marner, Rielly)
POINTS	12 (Marner)
POWER PLAY POINTS	6 (Marner)
SHORTHANDED POINTS	2 (Kapanen)
PIMs	12 (Johnsson)
SHOTS	43 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%	59.4% (Shore)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %	62.5% (Petan)
BLOCKED SHOTS	25 (Ceci)
TAKEAWAYS	14 (Marner)
HITS	25 (Moore)
TOI PER GAME	25:01 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME	2:58 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME	3:42 (Ceci)

MAPLE LEAFS NOTABLES

–      Frederik Andersen has made 15 career appearances against San Jose and posted a 5-8-1 record with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. 

–      Tyson Barrie is one of four NHL defencemen to have been on the ice for over 190 shot attempts for. His 28 shots on goal are tied for the 10th-most among NHL defencemen.

–      Cody Ceci is tied for seventh in the NHL in blocked shots (25). He is fifth among NHL skaters in shorthanded time on ice (40:44).

–      Frederik Gauthier has started 5.0 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the second-lowest mark among NHL centres who have appeared in multiple games behind teammate Nick Shore.

–      Andreas Johnsson has recorded seven points (2-5-7) in seven games on home ice this season. He has recorded 41 (20 goals, 21 assists) of his 53 career points at home.   

–      Kasperi Kapanen is one of three NHL right wingers (Rickard Rakell, Reilly Smith) to have recorded multiple shorthanded points this season. He is the only NHL right winger to have multiple shorthanded goals.  

–      Alex Kerfoot had three assists in three games against San Jose in 2018-19. The Maple Leafs have a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 52.9 percent when leading with Kerfoot on the ice, which is the highest percentage among Toronto centres who have appeared in each game this season.   

–      Mitch Marner is tied for sixth among NHL skaters in power play points (2-4-6). His 19:53 time on ice per game average is the fourth-highest average among NHL right wingers. His six primary assists are tied for the eighth-most in the NHL.

–      Auston Matthews is third in the NHL in goals (8) and is for second in the NHL lead in even-strength goals (6) through 11 games in 2019-20. He is tied for third among NHL skaters in shots on goal (43). He has won 57.9 percent (62 won, 45 lost) of his even-strength faceoffs.

–      Ilya Mikheyev ranks third in points among rookie skaters (3-4-7). He leads all rookies in shorthanded ice time (29:31)

–      Trevor Moore leads NHL rookies in hits (25) and is tied for sixth among NHL rookies in takeaways (6). He is one of four rookies with over 20 shots on goal (21).

–      Jake Muzzin is averaging 30.3 shifts per game, which is tied for highest average among all NHL skaters. He has been on the ice for the most 5-on-5 shot attempts-for among all NHL skaters (207).    

–      William Nylander has taken his shots from an average distance of 24.2 feet from goal, which is tied for the 13th-closest mark among NHL skaters who have recorded at least 20 shots on goal. 

–      Morgan Rielly is tied for third among NHL defencemen in points (2-9-11). His 25:01 time on ice per game average is the eighth-highest mark in the NHL He sits third in the NHL in shifts per game (30).

–      Nick Shore has the fourth-highest defensive zone faceoff win percentage (61.3% – 38 won, 24 lost) among NHL skaters who have won at least 30 defensive zone draws.

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

Kasperi Kapanen	Has goals (2) and points (2-1-3) in two consecutive games.
William Nylander	Has points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games.

RECENT MILESTONES

Frederik Andersen	200th game as a Maple Leaf (Oct 21 vs. CBJ)
Kevin Gravel	First game as a Maple Leaf (Oct. 22 at BOS)
Dmytro Timashov	First career NHL goal (Oct. 19 vs. BOS)

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Tyson Barrie	Five games from 500 games played.
Michael Hutchinson	Four wins from 50 career NHL wins.
Auston Matthews	Three assists from 100 career NHL assists.

INJURY REPORT

Travis Dermott (Shoulder)	On injured reserve.
Zach Hyman (Knee)	On injured reserve.
John Tavares (Finger)	Sustained broken finger on Oct. 16 at WSH.
	Man Games Lost: 22

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

None

October 24, 2019

Anibal Sanchez

Washington, D.C. – Workout Day

Q. The Astros have a history of picking up tipped pitches and sort of being able to get an edge on pitchers in various ways. How much do you have to adjust how you go about things when you know the team on the other side is particularly good at picking up on those things?
ANIBAL SANCHEZ: I don’t try to pay attention too much about that. I think they pretty smart on those situations.

Cover your signs or protect your pitching is part of the everyday pitching situations. So I don’t want to say if you tip your pitch, it’s something that they’re going to pick right away and they’re going to do some damage. But if you protect all the kind of stuff, you don’t have to worry about it.

Q. It’s been a while since you last pitched in a game. How do you need to adjust or do things differently, if you do, when it’s been nearly a two-week layoff between starts?
ANIBAL SANCHEZ: Back to the outing when I threw against Dodgers, was the same amount of day that I didn’t pitch before that day. I threw against Phillies two weeks before that game so now we understand the same amount of days.

I just think most of the time, like right now probably you need to rest because I’ve been throwing baseball since February, probably January. So right now it’s not something that’s going to affect you.

So for me, I’m fine with the rest.

Q. When you struggled with Detroit in ’16 and ’17, was there ever a point that you were worried about the state of your career that you would even get a job in 2018?
ANIBAL SANCHEZ: Yes. Those years wasn’t easy for me, wasn’t a great moment. Something that, I don’t want to say I don’t want to remember. I working hard those years, too.

But you know what, the result wasn’t there. And for me, I just taking one more year was last year, 2018. And they give me the opportunity to be here right now. For me, my offseason ’17 and ’18 was, I don’t want to quit if I don’t try my best.

So I remember I sign with the Twins and I got released, and after that I say, Okay, whatever happens is going to happen, I don’t going to force anything. I got an opportunity with the Braves and show that I can still pitch on this level, and now I’m here.

Q. Some Latin players throughout the Major Leagues at times have taken issue with the Trump administration’s policies. With President Trump’s announcement today he plans to come to Game 5, do you have any issues or do you think any players will have any issues with that?
ANIBAL SANCHEZ: He’s the president of this country. If he want to come to the game, it’s something that he want to do. Of course everybody has to respect that situation.

I don’t want to attack him like I got something against. I’m following the president, like you say, I’m from Venezuela, I’m out of this country, but then I respect all those situations. And like I say, he’s the president and if he want to come, why no?

Q. When you pitched in the third game of a series, how much does it help you to see the Astros live in Houston? Does that help you prepare for the third game as it would maybe in the regular season?
ANIBAL SANCHEZ: For me always baseball is really hard especially because it’s no, like, you spend three days watching this guy. I think I spend like a month watching like everybody on the playoff situation to see who is going to be the matchup.

It’s not about a specific day. Tomorrow is another day. Everything is going to be different; weather, field, many games, end of October, pressure, exciting. All those situations it’s really hard to control every single day but tomorrow it’s going to be my day. I just prepared like big — like focus and try to execute every pitch to give a good game for the team.

Q. You’re coming back from tough times, and finally you are going to the mound in the World Series. What do you think of this opportunity?
ANIBAL SANCHEZ: Blessing. I feel really, really blessing. Thank God that I got this opportunity. Without him I don’t think that I was here. Yeah, it was tough moment of my career but most of the people think for me 2016 and ’17 was tough for me. Before that like ten years I go after ’16 and ’17 for me I wasn’t on the top situation of my life. And it’s no compare. Lose a game. Win a game. It’s part of the pitchers. It’s part of the game. Some you have to lose, some you have to win.

You carry for a year, so you see what the adjustment you have to make for getting better. But at the end, yeah, thank God that I got this opportunity right now.

Q. You’ve obviously played for a lot of managers, just wondering what’s maybe the strongest skill that Davey has. Also he’s a guy that learned Spanish later on in life. How impressive is his Spanish? Is it good?
ANIBAL SANCHEZ: It’s good. It’s really good. He’s got really good Spanish. He can communicate in that language perfectly. I think he can express better than in Spanish than I am in English. He’s really good. He’s really good. Dave, he’s special. He’s special.

Q. Were you and Max Scherzer aware of the history that you were repeating going deep in a postseason game with a no-hitter intact. I’m curious how you were watching his start the other night gutting through in Game 1, if that puts extra pressure on you or anything you were thinking about in the dugout?
ANIBAL SANCHEZ: Like am I going to feel pressure for tomorrow? I answered that question the other day. I don’t feel pressure right now. I don’t know what going to happen tomorrow. Tomorrow is a day when you’ve got a game situation, like a game plan and everything. Everything change so much.

Right now I’m anxious to get on the field. But at the moment the game start it’s another thing. You focus on what you have to do, what pitch you have to execute. What hitter you’re going to face. And back to the way the check Scherzer you pitching back-to-back games, no-hitter for six-plus innings, is something we’ll talk about that later after the whole situation. But we didn’t imagine that we’d done that.

So at the end for me has to pass a lot of things back to this situation, like I’m in the Game 1 and he in Game 2. Because if I don’t remember — if I don’t mind — if a reliever was a reliever on the Game 2 on the Dodgers, I don’t pitch the Game 3. So he going to pitch the Game 3. So everything change after that. So I don’t think it’s coincidence. I think it’s something between Scherzer and I on those kind of games.

Q. We talked about ’16 and ’17, but this year didn’t start exactly how you wanted it either. And you land on the IL. What was your mindset when you hit the IL and what has allowed you to have such a successful rest of the season?
ANIBAL SANCHEZ: If you watch the whole game that happened early in the season when I was pitching, everything was there. Everything was the same, until I came to the IL. Couple of errors, couple base hits, couple situations, couple running on base. Those little things change a lot. Like I remember that I lost four games, 2-0, 2-1, so those games. But I got like an injury with my leg. I remember I didn’t pitch for like 10, 12 day before my first game of the season. I got hit on the leg. A lot of things going on on the team early in the season for me to compete harder for the second half. But I didn’t do something like special, like I try to figure out what I had done before the IL and after. Everything was the same.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports