Oct. 25 Terry Francona postgame interview

Q. Terry, Corey Kluber, what is it about him in pressure situations? He just seems to rise to the occasion and not blink.

TERRY FRANCONA: Well, I think he’s a good pitcher all the time. I mean, I think for the last three years he’s been pretty good. But to your point, in these playoffs he’s been about as good as — and we need him and we’re going to need him more. But he prepares so hard and we’re talking about before the game his routines and his work ethic. That’s why, here late into October, and the needle on the gas tank doesn’t point towards empty.

Q. You mentioned you’re going to need him more, did that go into the thinking, especially because you have Miller, to take him out after 88 pitches? Hey, can I have my cake and eat it too kind of situation?

TERRY FRANCONA: I don’t know about that. But it was definitely — he knew it too, when I was coming out there. Because I thought he had more in him. Didn’t want him to — you know, you start getting up towards 90, he was going through the middle of the order, that’s when you really have to exert. And because we had Miller hot, I thought well, I guess, yeah, you could have your cake and eat it. I guess that is true, yeah, because we’re planning on bringing him back. So I didn’t want to overextend him.

Q. What can you say, first of all, about Roberto what he brought offensively tonight, I mean, out of the nine hole and what he’s done, given the way the season’s gone? And on top of that, once again, just his pitch framing? There were so many called strikes, it seemed like he played a pretty good role in that.

TERRY FRANCONA: His hands are so soft, and I think he’s confident to boot. That’s a …

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