What the Indians are saying about their matchup with the Red Sox
As the Red Sox-Indians series draws closer, players and coaches from both teams have expressed their excitement to get the playoffs started. For Cleveland, an underdog mentality is certainly taking shape as the Red Sox are heavily favored.
Here’s what the Indians are saying about their upcoming matchup with the Red Sox:
Jason Kipnis:
“We’ve been looking forward to it. I know a lot of guys have been saying we’re going to be the underdogs in our own ballpark — guys on ESPN and MLB Network. They’re talking about teams tanking to play us. All we can do is use that as an advantage and say, ‘Be careful what you wish for.'”
“We’re pretty similar. We’re No. 1 and No. 2 in offense. We’ve got good bullpens and some quality starters. It’s going to be a fun matchup.
“We’ve been looking forward to it.”
Fransisco Lindor: “I like when people doubt us… That’s what makes it fun, looking back and telling people …”
Josh Tomlin: “It’s cool, really cool to be playing Boston. It’s going to be special for some of the guys who have never played in a playoff game. For that game to be in Fenway Park, it’s pretty cool. It’s a great place to play because of the history there.”
Trevor Bauer: “We’re here to win ball games. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that and hopefully that continues.”
Andrew Miller: “I doubt any other bullpen is more prepared for that mentality of going out there and expecting to have to cover seven or eight innings. Ideally, our starters pitch well and pitch deep. But, there might be some days where we have to use everybody out there.”
Mike Napoli: “It’s like you’re in a bubble. You don’t really hear the fans. You’re going out there and letting your talent go out there and work.
“It’s going to be a fun time. A time a lot of the people (here) haven’t had before. But it will be fun to share it with them.”
Terry Francona: “[John Farrell] will never be an enemy. We are about as close as you can get, but when the game starts that never takes the competitiveness away. I guess I wish it wasn’t against him, but it is. I know him well enough to know that he’s about as competitive as there is, so you go and you compete, and it won’t get in the way of a friendship.”
“I don’t think I’d want to ignore it. There’s a lot of history there, a lot of people I really care about. But I’ve been here four years and you get every bit as close to . . . it’s not a bad thing when you move on. Sometimes it’s just time to move on.”
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