NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: MARLINS v CUBS

October 11, 2003

Carlos Zambrano

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: Well, I don't have to change anything. I think the last time pitching against the Florida Marlins, I just made a couple of mistakes, and I paid for that. You just throw my fastball and use more of my slider and my offspeed and trying to get the hitters out. It's a lot different in this ballpark because it's hard to hit in this ballpark. And the ball was flying the other day, and forget about that and be ready for tomorrow.

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: It's great when you feel the support of your teammates and when you have a bad game and are struggling. It's good when you feel that and somebody gives you a hand, like Dusty. He's a great manager. He helped me a lot. And you feel the support from him. And I was reading the paper the other day and I was feeling good when he said in the paper that he came here with four pitchers, and the four pitchers have helped him to be here in the postseason. So it's great to see that in the paper, to hear that from your manager.

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: Well, we are just friends, really good friends. We live close in Venezuela, like 20, 30 minutes. We see each other in Venezuela in the winter ball. He's a good guy and just a friend.

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: Yeah, I faced him a lot of times in Venezuela. I know him since he was playing baseball. Since he was playing baseball and became professional player, too.

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: No, I was feeling good. My fastball was good and my other pitches, too. Like I said before, I just made a mistake and I did pay for that. I'll try not to make the same mistake in tomorrow's game. I feel great. This is the postseason and I'm glad to be here and we just have to give thanks to God for being here.

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: Yeah, it's kind of a little bit different because every pitch counts here. You have to go out there and be aggressive, throw the ball good. And there's no mistake in the postseason. A little mistake you make out there

and you will pay for that. I don't feel like the papers said that I'm nervous or scared, I don't feel that. I feel comfortable. After the game we will talk and hopefully I have a good game tomorrow.

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: He has the ability to play at this level. He has good tools and that doesn't surprise me, because he's a great player. And when I saw him in Venezuela, everybody said, everybody talk about Miguel Cabrera in Venezuela. Last year, two years ago, everybody -- when you see somebody that can hit the ball like he was when he was 18, 17 years old, you can realize what kind of player he would be in the future. We have no surprise seeing this guy, Cabrera, hitting the ball well and making the adjustment. He's going to be good. And tomorrow you just have to go out and make your pitches and be aggressive with him and with everybody and just throw a good game.