MLB WORLD SERIES: MARLINS v YANKEES

October 20, 2003

Mike Lowell

MIKE LOWELL: I think, especially with a guy like Juan Pierre, if he lays down the perfect bunt, I don't think you can play defense on it. I mean, you saw the shift that they had with Soriano playing way in and Nick Johnson as well. But it's just that one spot. Most guys just can't do it the way Juan Pierre does. So I think he adds a different kind of pressure on the defense, but he does work on it every day. I think that's the reason why he executes it so well and he's not afraid to do it, even when guys are playing in.

MIKE LOWELL: Well, I think it's human nature to look and see the team and picture yourself, just because I came up through the organization, and see all the rings they've won. You obviously would want to be a part of that. But at the time of the trade for me, it was actually something pretty good. They just signed Scott Brosius to a three-year deal. He was coming after a good year. I didn't want to go back to Triple A. I welcomed the trade. It was nice for the Yankees to realize I was ready to play in the Big Leagues, just not on their team. I was fortunate to get started here with the Marlins.

MIKE LOWELL: I hope we have. I think we've definitely generated a positive buzz around the community. I think a lot of people are rallying around us. But we do have a lot of guys on one-year deals. So it's -- there's gonna be a lot of decisions to make this off-season. But I hope our management is capable of keeping this team together.

MIKE LOWELL: Sure. I think when you have the highest payroll, the ability to get big-name free agents, even when you're a big team that goes to the playoffs every year, I think the expectation is definitely high. I think if they don't win the World Series, it's somewhat of a disappointment because they're expected to do it every year. They actually made it seem so easy, winning three in a row in, I guess, four out of five years, that they kind of raised the bar themselves. I don't think that takes away the fact that that's a good team. They have a lot of professionals on the team, and they come to play.

MIKE LOWELL: I'd say that's an understatement (smiling). I think when I was first diagnosed, I really didn't care about baseball, you know? I was kind of scared for my life. So I think I put baseball on the back burner. But once I was educated about what type of cancer I had and how treatable it was, I don't have a problem with the title of being a "cancer survivor." I just don't want it to be something that, I don't know, describes me. Since I was six years old, I wanted to play in the Big Leagues. I'd rather be known as a baseball player than a cancer survivor.

MIKE LOWELL: Well, we can't lose the rest of the games like the Twins did (laughter). I mean, it's gonna be a battle. I think we have a great matchup tomorrow with Beckett against Mussina, I believe. I like our chances. I mean, Josh has been pitching great. We play pretty well at home. I know it's gonna be a large crowd. They're gonna be cheering for us, for the most part. I think Game 3 is important and after Game 3, I guess Game 4 is the most important.

MIKE LOWELL: I definitely think we're gonna get a nice ovation, especially when they call out the team. We deserve it. But I think it's probably gonna be similar to the Cubs series. There's gonna be a lot of Yankee fans here. The Yankees have a following around the whole country. Here, in South Florida, I think there's a lot of New Yorkers and a lot of people with ties to New York. It's not gonna surprise me that we're gonna hear some cheers or "Let's Go Yankees" talk. For the most part, I think they're gonna be on our side.

MIKE LOWELL: I think a lot of people aren't familiar with the players on the team, since we're young. It's tough to identify with guys that haven't been with the organization for a while. I still believe you have to win to win back the fans, and I still think after '97, I guess the fans had an attitude of, "You got to prove us wrong before we start giving you our money to watch you play." But I think when fans watch our team play, we're a good product. I think we're an exciting team to play and to watch. Sure, there's been a little bandwagon jumping, but I think that's only normal. If we don't fill it up in the World Series, you can probably put a grenade under Pro Player Stadium. But it's a good feeling. It's much funner playing in front of 65,000 than playing in front of 6,000. Hopefully, there's a big carryover effect next year. I think people are excited about this team, and I think we're gonna have a good product beyond just this year.

MIKE LOWELL: I mean, we saw in spring training that he had something special. I think the fact that he was so young, he came into spring training and he didn't seem fazed by anything and he was having quality at-bats. But we knew he was still gonna go to Double A. I don't think anyone could sit here and say that he could be a guy that would be hitting cleanup in the World Series for us. But I don't know, in special years, weird things happen. Last year, Francisco Rodriguez was a big story. He was a young guy that no one knew how he'd pan out. We actually have two guys with Dontrelle and Miguel doing the same thing. When you see him play, there's a different sound off his bat than most guys. He's got something special, without a doubt. What I'm most impressed with is his ability to play the outfield, which he really has never played. He plays it well. So he actually saved a few runs playing rightfield in Wrigley Field that last game, so he has great instincts as a ball player. I think those are the intangibles that you can't teach.

MIKE LOWELL: I don't think it hurts his recognition because I think he had a lot of hype coming up, being such a big draft pick and signing a big deal and coming from, I guess, the long line of Texas starters that are destined for greatness. But I think being in a small-market kind of helped him along. You don't have the ridiculous pressure from day one. He's a competitor. I think he has tons of confidence in his stuff, and he's unique in a sense that he has three legit pitches. Hard throwing right-handers don't throw to many changeups to other right handers. That's something special he has. Plus a nasty curveball. Everything's been clicking for him, especially lately in the playoffs. I kind of hope it stays that way.

MIKE LOWELL: Yeah, I think it was a Sunday. We were playing the Blue Jays. There was like 55,000 there. I just read the line-up card and I was hitting. I hadn't played in about seven days, and Kelvim Escobar was on the mound. I knew his 95 would probably look a little harder. I mean, I crushed a broken bat single up the middle, and blooped in. It was as cheap a hit as it can come. I was 1-1. They put up on the big Jumbotron that was my first hit, my first Big League at-bat, I got a great ovation. Jose Cardenal was the first base coach. I told him that I had goosebumps. I told him, if I retire now, at least I'll have 1.000 batting average. I guess I continued and it steadily dropped from that point on.

MIKE LOWELL: I do. I actually gave the bat to my grandfather, the ball to my dad. It was great. Especially with Cuban culture, there were so many Yankee fans, it was something extra special for me to do it with the Yankees. It was really nice.

MIKE LOWELL: I think it takes a toll. I think what gets lost in this is the travel. Especially this last round, you play prime time. People think we have a day off, but we got in at five in the morning. It kind of messes up your clock. It's no -- there's no rhythm like during the regular season. This is totally different and games are being played at different times, basically because of the TV and getting everyone on, I guess, on the national level. But, sure, might be a little bit more draining, but if you're gonna be spent playing in the World Series, you got a problem. I think everyone's pumped up and I think when it's all over, both sides are gonna want to relax for a while and just try to soak it in. I think both teams are pretty focused right now. But I do think that extra round does take a toll, if not by pitchers but by -- if not for that extra round, we wouldn't even be in the playoffs. So I welcome that.

MIKE LOWELL: I think extra base hits come in cycles. I think it's overrated in any sense. I mean, that one game in Chicago, I think both teams started with 10 extra base hits. I mean, that doesn't make Chicago any easier, any harder to hit in. So I think that comes in cycles. I think when you face tough pitching, you're not just gonna be launching balls all over the place either. For me, I think Pro Player takes away from me the least amount from our power hitting guys. I'm more of a pull guy. Most guys with power to center and to right center, that's where it gets deep. Once you pass that left center, where it starts jetting out to that 434, it's huge. The ball really doesn't carry that well in this park. There's a lot of balls that are stung pretty well the other way by right-handed hitters that actually sometimes don't even get to the track. Some guys come back saying, "I hit that ball as good as I can hit it." So it's tough, but the gaps are big. So I think you can squeeze out some hits that way. But I don't know, it's the elements you got to play with and both teams got to deal with the same thing.

MIKE LOWELL: I don't think that pitch was a big turning point in our view of Josh. I think he's shown that he's not afraid to compete the whole year. I'm not big on one pitch or one sequence or one game turning everything around, I just don't believe in that. I think baseball, it's more of a marathon. I think you gain confidence playing well, day in, day out. I think Josh's confidence gets better as each inning goes by and he has quality starts. So I just don't buy into the fact that that one pitch really just changed a lot of things.

MIKE LOWELL: Well, I don't think he's afraid to execute any of his pitches. Sometimes he's actually maybe too confident, you know? He's facing a guy that's -- can't really hurt you with the bat. He wants to throw 2-0 changeups just because he knows they can't hit that pitch. But I think he's learned a lot, especially in the second half of the season, on how to use his pitches, how to mix up his pitches, and his stuff is so good that I think when you see the way that you get guys out easily, it gives you confidence. So I think in that sense, he's riding a good wave right now. He's executing his pitches. He's not afraid of the situation. He's never been, I don't think he's ever been scared of the situation that he comes into. His first start I think was against the Cubs. He was going after Sammy and all the big names even then. He's not fazed by that. I think when you execute your pitches and you see how well you can dominate, I think that gives you confidence and makes you want to do it again.

MIKE LOWELL: Yeah, we had a rain delay one time, I think with Pittsburgh or something three years ago. Our field soaks up pretty good. So the fans are definitely gonna go home before the field's ready -- we had a long delay. There might have been about 600 people here. We actually heard the radio guys doing their broadcast while we were hitting. It felt like A-ball, where you have to hope the radio guy shuts up in between pitches so he doesn't distract you.

MIKE LOWELL: Well, he's very important. I think he's a guy who is very consistent in the sense that you know what you're gonna get out of him. He's had big RBIs, especially in the month of September when I guess there were -- they were looking for guys to step up on that home stretch. He hit big home runs. He's a tremendous athlete. I've never seen a first baseman as big as he is and that moves around as well as he does. If he doesn't win the golden glove this year, I think it's a little bit of a joke because I think he's hands-down the first best first baseman in a league. Offensively, he can beat you at any time. He's confident. He actually has a pretty good eye at the plate. His on-base percentage is high. For being as big as he is, he can steal some bases. He brings lots to the table for us, for his size, being such a good athlete, that's a huge asset for us.

MIKE LOWELL: I think it's a combination of the three. I think you definitely run into good pitching from the sense of the pitchers we face coming back from a long layoff. I think it's easier to face guys that throw 86, 87. I didn't have that luxury with Zambrano, Prior and Wood those last three games in Chicago. I felt like I was in a better rhythm at the plate. I actually think I've hit the ball pretty well sometimes. I've lined out a couple times. That's the way it goes. You can't put a steering wheel on the ball once you hit it. So I felt like yesterday I actually hit the ball -- I thought I had three pretty good at-bats. Only had one hit to show for it. I feel like the rhythm is there and I really don't think about my hand or anything. I feel like I'm recognizing pitches pretty well. I'm just hoping it turns out more hits tomorrow.

MIKE LOWELL: Yeah, I'm a big Dolphins fan. Yesterday, I wish they would have won the coin toss. Might have changed things. I know they don't like the dirt, but we don't really like the grass. Third base is right by the goal line. I have 22 pairs of spike marks going through the infield. So hopefully we win the World Series, they win the Super Bowl and everyone will be happy.