MLB WORLD SERIES: GIANTS v ANGELS

October 23, 2002

Jarrod Washburn

JARROD WASHBURN: I don't. (Smiling).

JARROD WASHBURN: I don't think I really learned anything new. I knew going in if you make a mistake, the guys you have, a good veteran line-up like that, is going to make you pay. That's -- I learned that quick in the game I did pitch. But I knew that going in, so I don't think I learned anything new. I knew pretty much what to expect going in. They didn't come out with any surprises. Make a mistake to Barry Bonds, Reggie Sanders, J.T. Snow, any one of those guys in that line-up, they're going to hurt you. So, don't make mistakes.

JARROD WASHBURN: Well, I think it was good to get Mo out, just simply because I think he made it well-known to everybody that he didn't want to be there. I don't think we really wanted a guy on our team that didn't want to be on our team. So, any time you can rid yourselves of a problem or a possible problem like that, I think it's good for a team. Adding a guy like Appier is just an extra bonus, when you're able to get rid of a distraction and add a quality guy like Kevin Appier, I think that was a great move for us. I don't think anybody expected Spiezio to step in and do the job he has done, but he has been unbelievable over there at first base. Obviously, it's a very big improvement defensively. Offensively, I think he's exceeded all expectations of him. He just seems to keep getting better. So who knows what he can accomplish in the years down the road. But I think as of right now, I think our team as a whole is very pleased with how that turned out.

JARROD WASHBURN: No. No, I don't go out and approach games differently because of parks. If I did, I'd be scared to death to pitch in the Metrodome because I'm a fly ball pitcher. Everyone knows what can happen when the ball goes in the air there. So, I'm very confident in my abilities. I know that if I go out and hit my spots that most of the time I'm going to be successful. Hitters still hit good pitches sometimes. But my goal is to be aggressive and go out there, try to get -- make them put the ball in play and let the defense do the work. It works pretty good for me, and the guys play great behind me. I just try to keep the team in the game. No, I really don't change my style because of where I'm pitching.

JARROD WASHBURN: Well, I hope I am in that position. We have business to take care of tonight. But, yeah, hopefully, that's the situation I'll be in. I'm looking forward to it. If I'm not, I'm still looking forward to it. Either way, it's a big game. Every game in the World Series is big. I'd like to be the guy that's out there when our team has a chance to clinch it. But I'm not going to approach it any differently just because we're up 3-1 or tied 2-2. Regardless, it's a very important baseball game.

JARROD WASHBURN: I would be if I wasn't facing somebody throwing 98 (laughing). No, I always enjoy it. I think it's kind of fun to get out there and do something new. But being that it's the World Series, I kind of want to concentrate just on pitching. So it's kind of a double-edged sword there. It's fun to go out and hit, but I know my job is to go out and get guys out. I don't know if I'm really looking forward to facing 98 miles an hour. I've never seen that in person. I'll be lucky if I catch up to it, I think. But -- I'll do my best.

JARROD WASHBURN: Actually, this year, with the way the balanced schedule has been the last couple years, it's happened quite a bit. I know I've faced Oakland a couple times in a row this year, Seattle a couple times in a row, I remember facing the White Sox a couple times in a row. With the schedule, it seems two teams will come to your place, then you'll go right back to their place. So, it happens once in a while. I'm not sure if there's an advantage for the hitters or pitchers. I've been successful the second time around sometimes and sometimes I haven't been. I don't mind it. They're fresh in your mind, so you don't have to do as much homework before the second time. That's good, I guess. But everyone's in the same situation. Schmidt's going against us for the second time in six days, too. So it's the World Series. This is fun. I'm not going to complain about any of it.

JARROD WASHBURN: Actually, the Yankees. My dad was a Yankee fan and his dad was a Yankee fan, so I was brought up a Yankee fan. Yankees weren't very good back then, but I followed the Yankees. If it wasn't the Yankees, I was rooting for the Brewers.

JARROD WASHBURN: I know they discovered me. They were just down the road about an hour from where I went to college. My college coach was friends with people in the Brewers' office at the time, they said that they were going to plan on drafting me if I was available in the second round. But I was gone before I got -- the Brewers got a chance to pick. I really didn't care who drafted me. When I was in college, being from a real small college, even smaller high school, it was a dream to play professional baseball. I didn't care who gave me the chance; I just wanted a chance. I was happy it was the Angels. I would have been happy if it was the Giants or the Yankees, whoever. It wouldn't have mattered to me.