Bobby Witt Jr. sounded like a postseason vet as he fielded questions from reporters in the press conference room at Yankee Stadium on Friday. The 24-year-old was one sleep away from the biggest test of his young career — a showdown with the Yankees in his American League Division Series debut — and he was saying all the right things.

As Bobby Witt Jr. talked to a room full of reporters at Yankee Stadium on Friday, a larger-than-life Derek Jeter, pictured in a blown-up Sports Illustrated cover hanging on the wall, smiled in the young shortstop’s direction.

The Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees will begin the American League Division Series on Saturday. Bobby Witt Jr and the Royals swept the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card Series to set up the matchup.