NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ASTROS v CARDINALS

October 13, 2004

Pete Munro

PETE MUNRO: I would say so. I mean, but I'm nervous in any type of game atmosphere. I believe that's normal. I've asked some big game pitchers - David Wells, Clemens - they all say that they still get nervous. If you don't, there's something wrong with you.

PETE MUNRO: It has been a long time, I think 13 days now. But I just continue to throw a lot of side bullpens. Just work on my location, which I've got to say is my strength. And it could be a good thing. My arm's rested. It could be a bad thing for some guys but I don't think it's going to be a problem with me, because that's my strength, is location, so.

PETE MUNRO: (Smiling) I would say that I'm in a position in my career where I have to be okay with that (laughter). But, I mean, I'm a competitor so, I mean, I wouldn't say that I enjoy coming out that early. I believe that a couple of times it has happened we ended up producing some runs and it ended up working out. Any time that you can do that, and a long-man, spot-starter type of guy is supposed to keep you in the game, if I can do that for three innings, four, five innings, I'm doing my job, so.

PETE MUNRO: It was definitely a positive thing. I mean, I guess me and Jose kind of have similarities in the way that we pitch and our stuff, the way he changes speeds and has to locate. So we are looking at some tapes, and Lima is on one of them.

PETE MUNRO: I was in Triple A with the Twins in Rochester. I had an out in my contract, if I thought that my situation, I'd have a better situation somewhere else. I was throwing pretty well with them, I had a good spring training, but I guess the railroad I'm on has taken me somewhere else. I took my release. I thought I had a better opportunity somewhere else, I had no job opportunities in line. Gerry Hunsicker called my agent. He said, "Listen, we'd like him in St. Louis on Friday." I believe that was the last time we were here, in June. I wasn't expecting all the injuries to happen in the rotation, I was just expecting to be a long guy, maybe an occasional spot start, but I've been in the rotation ever since. That's how God works things.

PETE MUNRO: I believe that after the beginning of the season, when there was so much hype about the lineup and the rotation, that after we started losing for that pretty long time - I can't even say brief, it was such a long time in the middle of the season - but we were underdogs in everybody's eyes. I believe that where we came from and where we are at right now is an incredible achievement. I mean, we're used to being the underdogs from like June or May or whenever it was, when we started to decline. We're just used to that. The atmosphere in the clubhouse is, "Listen, we just got to win. No matter how it is, whether it's taking the starting pitcher out in the second inning, third inning, bunting a guy over, moving him over to second with no outs." That's how you do it. You can't play American League baseball here because sometimes it just doesn't work out. We've been the underdog before. I think we enjoy that. You got nothing to lose, you know...

PETE MUNRO: What I draw on is I believe what I've been through. I'm not a high school football star or whatever. I played baseball, but the journey that I've been through in this game, being released and traded a couple of times and, you know, just keep on having to prove myself. I think this is just another step in the railroad. It's been a good journey, but I don't think it's over yet.