Toronto Blue Jays players spoke ahead of ALDS Game 1. Here’s what they said.

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‘I’m ready to go, I’m fired up’: Jays’ Kevin Gausman ahead of ALDS

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The Toronto Blue Jays spoke to reporters Friday ahead of Game 1 of the American League Division Series (ALDS) against the New York Yankees.

This is the first time Toronto has met New York in the playoffs. The two teams finished the regular season with identical 94-68 records, but the Jays took the American League East after they won the season series tiebreaker 8-5.

Game 1 starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and manager John Schneider answered questions from the media on Friday.

Here’s what they said:

1:28 p.m. - Will the Jays intentionally walk Aaron Judge?

“That’s kind of his (John Schneider’s) decision, to be honest. You know, it’s a conversation that we’ll probably have tomorrow. We’ll talk about it a little bit. But there’s usually times, if there’s an open base and it’s late in the game, we’re probably going to do that. I mean, it’s just, that’s the nature of the beast. He’s a guy that, like I said, can beat you with one swing and he’s one of the best players in the game. But at the same time, you always want to go after guys. So, you know, it’s kind of that double-edged sword.”

1:25 p.m. - On his advice to Jays who haven’t yet seen the post-season

“Well, the biggest thing is, we’ve been pumping in crowd noise the last couple of days (for the intrasquad games). It’s going to be way louder than that, you know. So the guys are kind of complaining that they can’t hear. This is going to be 10 times louder than that. So, you know, the nice thing is, I have pitched here in the post-season, so, you know, I can kind of go back on how crazy and electric it was in 22 but I also think it’s going to be completely different. I just think it’s going to be an awesome atmosphere that, you know, the guys are fired up to see how crazy these Canadians are going to get.”

1:23 p.m. - ‘I guess’: Gausman on whether or not he’s growing a ‘hockey-style’ playoff beard

“I guess. I didn’t know that was a thing. But now that I’m here, everybody keeps telling me, like, ‘You got to let it grow.’”

1:19 p.m. - Preparing to pitch to Aaron Judge

“He’s a lot bigger than most guys, first off. So I mean, he can hit pitches that most guys can’t hit. You know, he can miss, hit a ball and still hit a home run. He’s just that strong. So you know, with that, you just got to kind of know that you got to be a little bit more fine when he comes up, you know, when guys are on base, you really have to be fine because he’s a guy with one swing of the bat, he can blow a game wide open.”

1:17 p.m. - Gausman admits he didn’t really ‘know what it meant to be a Blue Jay’ until now

“I was thinking about 2022 the other day and pitching here in 22 that post-season, compared to now...completely different, you know? (At that time I was) kind of fresh into the organization, still didn’t really know what it meant to be a Blue Jay, to be honest. I think, now, I understand. You know, we have one team for an entire country, so a lot of things come with that. You know, there’s extra pressure that comes with that, but there’s a lot of love that comes with that from the fans.”

1:15 p.m. - ‘I’m fired up’: Gausman on starting Game 1

“It means a lot, for sure, anytime you get to toe the rubber for, you know, the biggest game of the year up to that point, you know, kind of shows the (team’s) faith in you and that they believe in you. And so, yeah, I mean, I’m ready to go. I’m fired up.”

1:04 p.m. - Guerrero Jr. on Bo Bichette’s injury

“It’s hard to play without Bo. I mean, obviously we didn’t want that to happen, but it’s part of baseball...sometimes you got to find a way to grind as a team, to go out there, to keep winning and keep advancing. That way it will give him a chance to recover fast, and hopefully he can be with the team in the future,” Guerrero Jr. said, through a translator.

1:03 p.m. - Reaction to Gausman start

“(I feel) excellent. Definitely excellent...Every time he goes out there, he gives you 100 per cent...we have all the confidence (in him).”

1:01 p.m. - On how he spent his days off

“It definitely helps a lot, especially physically. After you play a long season, 162 games, especially for your body, but I mean winning the division, having that, it’s been great for me and for my teammates,” Guerrero Jr. said.

12:58 p.m. - Guerrero Jr. feeling ‘pretty good’ facing Yankees

“Good. I feel pretty good. I feel pretty good mentally, physically, been working very hard for that. But you know, the most important thing for me: it’s winning. We got to win. We got to find a way win, regardless of how I feel. For me, that’s only in my mind. We’ve got to find a way, a way to win games,” Guerrero Jr. said.

12:57 p.m. - Guerrero Jr. ‘very proud’ going into Game 1

“I definitely feel very proud, very proud of starting this very important series with our fans, our family. It’s very important.”

12:37 p.m. - Schneider unsure if Rogers Centre dome will be open or closed Saturday

“Have not been told 100 per cent. I know that that’s up to the league. Seems like a pretty good day for it to be open, just in terms of temperature and things like that. So I think they make that call tomorrow morning, but seems like a pretty good chance for it to be open.”

Toronto’s Saturday forecast is calling for a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 27 C.

• READ MORE: Will the dome be open for the start of the ALDS? Blue Jays manager thinks there is a ‘pretty good chance’

12:36 p.m. - ‘I want him to play free’: Schneider on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

“I want him to play free, I don’t want him to put pressure on himself, because he is the face of this team, you know. I want him to play how he plays every day. You know, I think if he does that, he’s going to find himself in some big moments, and really needs to kind of just lock into what the task is in that moment.”

12:35 p.m. - ‘Time to cook with Gaus’

12:34 p.m. - Schneider mum on Game 2 rotation

Schneider was asked about the rotation for Game 2, but wouldn’t reveal any details.

“Still working through it right now, getting pretty close, though. But don’t have that ready to announce just yet,” he said.

12:33 p.m. - ‘He’s really good’: Schneider on Aaron Judge

“He’s really good. You know, it’s not a foregone conclusion that it’s, you know, going to be a home run (every time) or anything like that. I think you just trust guys in certain spots and I think there’s a way to limit the times he does swing and potentially impact the ball,” Schneider said.

12:30 p.m. - Gausman will pitch in Game 1

Schneider announces that Gausman will pitch in Game 1.

“He’s the same guy every single day. You don’t worry about him getting caught up in the noise and the stuff that goes with a Game 1,” Schneider said of Gasuman’s Saturday start.