NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: MARLINS v CUBS

October 10, 2003

Matt Clement

MATT CLEMENT: I believe over the last month or so it's steadily improved. It feels great right now. I threw my side. I think the extra rest has helped it. I don't feel it at all until maybe after the game now. So for me I think it's a thing where it's definitely improved and I'm not expecting it to bother me tomorrow.

MATT CLEMENT: Not so much so. I think if I didn't have a bad groin or not, that would be a concern. That's their game and they do it now. That's what makes the Marlins so expensive. I know playing with Castillo, how hard he is, and you've seen how good Pierre is this year. It's part of the game plan, regardless. And this time of year the groin gets a little sore. I've had it a little sore over the last month anyway, and been relatively effective with it at times. I'll see what happens. It's a big concern. I'm going to do my best, and my guys will help me out.

MATT CLEMENT: He's been pretty special at the plate. I haven't really went over the hitters and pitchers yet. Obviously he's somebody you have to watch. I noticed that when we faced him earlier in the year. Extra motivation, you know, not really, because there's enough motivation here already. We're in the playoffs, we're trying to get to the World Series. The fact that -- if it was the Padres or Marlins or somebody I played for in the past, I'm motivated, because I want to win, not motivated because I'm playing against the Marlins or pitching against a guy who was in a trade for me or anything else like that. I think you'll probably hear something similar from Dontrelle. For me it's a big game and I'm excited to go out there and pitch.

MATT CLEMENT: There's a couple of ways to look at it. First off, I don't pitch for -- I don't want to say this the wrong way, because I am with the media, but I don't pitch for media praise. I pitch for my team and my family and for myself. If I'm praised or the paper has it a certain way, whatever else, that's great. But I guess when you're under the radar you can kind of lay in the weeds and sneak up on people a different way. All four of us starters have done a pretty good job this year. Obviously when every playoff you've won is by Wood and Prior, they deserve the accolades. When you struck out 20 guys in the 5th start of his career, and won the Rookie of the Year and had the success he's had, he's going to get a lot of attention. And when you have four starts in the Minors, and come up and take on the Majors by storm, he's going to get a lot of attention. I don't expect that attention, nor do I care if I get it. I also believe if you ask Mark and Kerry, they'd say that without Estes, myself and Zambrano, we wouldn't be the same kind of team.

MATT CLEMENT: Well, something that Larry kind of preaches, and I was a believer of it before I got here, you know, I don't watch films where you don't do too well in parts of the film, just because why get a negative thought in your mind to start off with? I think it was more one inning where I struggled in that game. So to do that wouldn't be a big thing. I'd watch a film to see if I was struggling in an area, if one of my pitches was struggling bad, to see if I could pick it up mechanically, and usually Larry sifts through the film first. He might show me something. I think everything went fine. I went about my normal routine. More I'd watch a film of facing the Marlins, because I faced him twice this year, than to watch a game I just pitched in and had struggles in the last inning I was pitching in.

MATT CLEMENT: I'll probably have less warm up, because it's warm here, compared to being cold in Chicago. Prep work, I guess you have a little more information because the games are so magnified right now. I've thrown more on the side because I've had more rest. The way my starts have went, I've pitched every Saturday for three weeks. So it's been a thing where I've had the rest and the time, because it's good, because I've been able to get off the mound two times, which I was only doing once the second half of the season, because the season was wearing on. But as far as side time and all that stuff, my arm and everything feels great. I feel like it's still April right now, actually.

MATT CLEMENT: Well, to do what he did for Game 1 and Game 5 against Atlanta was inspirational to me. Us as a rotation, we kind of rally around each other. When he was out there on Game 5, I think we felt like we were right out there with him. That's how close we've become as a staff. Obviously it's a huge game. Anytime the series is tied, to get the upper hand is huge. And Kerry's had success against these guys. But this is definitely not a lineup you look past. I know Redman pitched well, I know firsthand, because I lost the game, but he pitched real well against us the first time also. Obviously it's a big game. But, again, if something would happen where we would come out on the losing end, I don't think it's the end of the season that we lost. We're going to throw out a quality pitcher like they are, but they had -- who would have thought Brad Penny would have gotten hit that good the first game. I feel that they're sitting on the other side thinking he's going to bounce back, hopefully like Zambrano and I can from our last starts.

MATT CLEMENT: I've been asked about this trade a lot this week. And I guess if you would have interviewed -- I imagine nobody interviewed myself and Dontrelle after the trade. And now it's turned into me. That's the way it should be this year, and that's the way it's going with us facing each other. I think it's been great for Dontrelle and myself. He's on a team where -- he brought the baseball back to life down here, which is great. I commend him. I got to go to a team where I'm in a rotation with -- having fun on a team, been successful for two years. I think it's worked out great for both of us, which is how trades should go. Obviously if you want to grade the trade, Marlins might be ahead, because he's so young and he's left-handed. I think that both teams got quality out of what happened. Who would have thought Antonio would have got hurt before the season, that put a damper on it. Technically we were traded for each other. But if you look at the trade individually, they traded Alfonseca for (Julian) Tavarez, and got rid of my salary, and threw three prospects out. I think the Marlins would agree, if they knew Dontrelle was that successful that quick, the rest of baseball would be in trouble, because they have some good scouts.

MATT CLEMENT: I love pitching to this ballpark, just like I love pitching at Wrigley. I've really liked pitching at all three teams that I've been on there, unfortunately the Q (Qualcomm) is not going to be there anymore. But I think in this ballpark, I think too much can be made about pitching to the ballpark conditions. At Wrigley, trying to pitch if the wind is blowing in or out, I think you end up hurting yourself. And obviously this is a fair ballpark, very fair. I think the ball can get out to leftfield pretty easily, but centerfield is obviously big. The park plays fair. I think just the fact, for me, I'd rather like the mound that it be a band box, than worry about the conditions in the outfield and see what happens. I enjoyed pitching here. I've had success here over my career, and hopefully tomorrow will be the same case.