Everything J.D. Arteaga, Daniel Cuvet, and AJ Ciscar Said After Miami's Win Over Alabama

Opening Statement from J.D. Arteaga...

You know, it's just a great postseason baseball game. And, we got off to a great start there in the top of the first inning and put up a three-spot. And Ciscar came out in the first and put up a zero. That's huge. And even bigger than that is when they put up a three-spot in the bottom of the fourth, I believe, or third. Now, we came back, responded right away with two, with just one. But I feel like we got our momentum back on our side. Played good defense, made good pitches, you know, good at-bats. It seemed like every enemy, we had a chance to score a run and put some pressure on them. So it's a good game all the way around.

On the Walk-off Scare from Alabama....

That was no doubt in my mind about staying in the park. It's just getting, you know, off the bat, it's you get to the worst. Right. And the thoughts in your mind and and especially when you make that error with two outs, it seems like things are kind of falling apart. That was no doubt in my mind about staying in the park. It's just getting, you know, off the bat, it's you get to the worst. Right. And the thoughts in your mind and and especially when you make that error with two outs, it seems like things are kind of falling apart.

Daniel Cuvet on his day...

At the plate, just picking up the ball. Well, the hitters. Batters, I guess you could call it, were nice. I enjoy hitting the trees in the back. So you know, just that and having the team behind me allows me to succeed. And obviously that play was big there later in the game. And I was able to pick up my there and help us get a win.

AJ Ciscar on Staring and Scares...

It was definitely a blessing to be able to get a start, especially first game of the regional against the number two seed. That is just incredible as well. That I think it was the third or fourth inning, I can't remember. You know, the command suffered a little bit when the bases people got on base, and well, JD and Laz trusted me in the situations.I mean, early in the year, I was in the pen game in Florida. Base load went out, and you just kind of go in there, you just throw strikes, make the hitters score those runs. Don't let that, don't just give it to him. And which made him work. Gave up three spots. But then later on, just trusting my stuff and coming back out there and just understanding that command wins the game, and just went out and did my thing.

Arteaga On The Team Mentality Heading into this game...

My message has always been the same. You know I'm never worried about what happened yesterday because this team just has it. You know, whether it's a game or I guess whatever. How we finish a season 1 in 6 and 1 in 7, whatever it was, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. So and even after a big win, we got to come back the next ten. It's zero zero. And let's get after it again and play our baseball and be okay. such an unbelievable knack of just putting it behind them, learning and moving on to the next game.

Ciscar on his approach against opponents...

My approach every game is the same. I really do believe my stuff is incredible, and just by commanding it, I can beat teams that dominate and work efficiently as well. I've got great defenders behind me. Danny made a couple. Nice place for Brian there in that last inning and made a lot of great plays for me. Same with Warren and the outfielders and and they're literally no flies on the ball. Everybody gets hit there. It seems like it's going to be Carson just being able to trust the defense. And also trust my stuff. It's a great combination.

Arteaga on going with Ciscar instead of Griffin Hugus...

Yeah, this is a matchup. You know Griffin is going tomorrow. He was just a better matchup today, without you know, Alabama's a very aggressive swinging team. He's got a lot of movement on his fastball. And you know, part of being efficient is throwing balls in the strike zone. And you always run into the possibility of guys scoring some up and getting some hits in a rapid fashion. Right. Which is kind of what happened that inning. But credit to him. And so he makes it sound really easy. But the comeback after a three-run inning in his first postseason start, and settle back in and stick with what he knows works for him, even though it didn't work the inning before that special. That's a special talent. That's not very easy to teach, and he just brought it on his own.

On Rob Evans going in for one frame...

He's been getting better and better. And that's one thing. All season we were kind of struggling, looking for a left-hand out of the pen and had a couple guys in a row there, and I just saw him. But, you know, Torres is a guy sitting 198 less against left-handers. He is right. But Rob was coming in for that one hitter and one hitter, only that left. And it was like 163 was his batting average differential there. And he made some great pitches and got him out. And then we had the ball over to our big at the end, and he found a way to win it

On Walters Struggling but trusting him...

Well that's a fun at bat. That's when I went out as my first mound visit this year, not taking the pitcher out. But you know, I got the longest history with Brian. You know this. He's like a four-year history. And he was a, you know, a sophomore transferring. And so, you know, and that was a mission that was a fun at bat. You know, you made a pitch, you hit a one at our guy would make a play, but that's baseball, man. And we got to go after the next game, one pitch at a time, and throw a through your spot and let's see what happens, you know? And, it worked out.

Ciscar on Battle Alabama...

It was definitely a morale boost for our team. I mean, before the game, it was hot. During the game, it was hot, and especially the turf was radiant heat. Being able to get the offense in early. I've heard it from teammates. When the offense gets in early, they have more energy. They go out, they come out swinging. They have better approaches that are better at bats and just being able to do that for them and then them actually doing in the first thing before we even took the field was huge as well. And then responding later after that fourth inning was huge as well.

Cuvet on his first time being in this spotlight...

I was super comfortable once I got here. Especially with yesterday's practice, it just felt like a comfortable batter's box and just like what I was seeing from the box, and I was able to pick up the pitcher well. I didn't feel like he had anything to really fool me on or blow by me, so I was just confident in my swing and knowing there in that situation that I needed to drive a ball probably to the right side of the field with runners in scoring position, and I was able to do that.

Cuvet on his key defensive stop....

I just had a good prep and good reaction on it. And I was able to put a glove on it, get up and make a good throw.

Arteaga on Cuvet's Improvement on Defense...

, I'm glad you brought up his defense. He talks about his bat, but that's something he puts a lot of work into it. And he's improved a lot defensively. And unfortunately because of his bat he doesn't get enough credit for it. So he's getting better and better. And then again credit to him for working on his weaknesses. Easy to work on your strength and hit all day long. He puts a lot of time into that defense, as all of our guys do, and always trying to bring our weaknesses up kind of to even playing field, you know, better, you know, closer to our strengths and he's done a great job of that.

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