NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS v BRAVES

October 2, 2002

Kirk Rueter

KIRK RUETER: Oh, this means a lot. This is what you play for all year. This is what you want to help your team accomplish, trying to get to the World Series. I didn't get to start. I got to pitch in Game 2 of the 2000 series when Shawn Estes was injured. I got to come in. But being a starter all year, you want to get out there and start a game and help your team win. So, tomorrow will mean a great deal to me.

KIRK RUETER: I don't know if it helps us. It feels like we have been playing playoff games for the last month to month and a half. We had the -- the Dodgers had a four, four and a half game lead on us at the end of August and we felt like we had to get on a good roll to get in the playoffs, and every game meant a lot to us. Especially, we played the Dodgers seven games within a week coming down the stretch. I think that helped us prepare for a playoff atmosphere. The Giants against the Dodgers is definitely a playoff atmosphere. It can do something but help. Like I said, I think every game was a playoff game. I think if you ask any of the starting pitchers, we felt that little extra pressure going out there, just because we knew we were trying to hold off L.A. .

KIRK RUETER: This has been, you know, one of my most consistent years in the big leagues, getting to spring training, a lot of my success is on location of all three of my pitches. For some reason, I felt great in spring training, locating both of my fastballs, changeup and curveball and I just carried that over into -- April is usually my worst month of the season for some reason, I don't know why. This year, I just carried that success in spring training over and tried to just limit mistakes. And when the offense that we have, keep our team in the game and give them a chance at the end to win games, and it was a good formula that worked all season.

KIRK RUETER: Yeah, I mean probably, as far as being consistent the whole year. Usually I went through some years where I had good stretches, but then I'd have two or three games in a row where I would get knocked around and not give my team a chance to win the game. As a starter, when I take the mound, that's my main goal is just to help the team win at end of the game; that we get a W in the column. And this year was by far the most consistent that -- I think when I went out there -- that we had a chance to win at the end of the game, you know, most of the time, and I take a lot of pride in that.

KIRK RUETER: I don't know if it's disappointed. I think we have the utmost confidence every year that I've been here in all of the starters on the staff that go out and win games. I don't think you could make a wrong choice with anybody since I've been here, to go out and pitch a playoff game. Definitely, like I said earlier, definitely excited get this opportunity this year after missing out on 2000.

KIRK RUETER: I don't know. I mean, I don't read too much about how other people see me. I don't put myself, you know, in Tom Glavine's class. He's done it for so many years and been such a great pitcher for the Braves that I probably would have to do it another ten years what I've done here in San Francisco. You know, he's a great pitcher and I just try, you know, if you're a left-hander and you don't throw 95, 96 miles an hour, you would be a fool not to try to take some things from Glavine's game, because it's incredible the way that he's done it for so many years. At that point, you look at how he goes about trying to get hitters out and I just try and let my defense work for me, field my position and try to do the little things that are going to help me win a game. That's the way I try to go about it. I can't, you know, help what other people, if, I'm underrated or what other people say about me.

KIRK RUETER: Yeah, when you go into the playoffs and you know you're going to face the staff that they have got, you don't want to go out and give them a big lead and then say, oh, my team is going to come back. I think we've had experience. We've had to face Johnson and Schilling with Arizona a lot of times this year, and go up against them. You go out, and like I said, you try to minimize your mistakes and give them a chance, and that's what I think everybody is going to try to do in the playoffs, is try -- you want to give your team chances to come back if you do get behind.

KIRK RUETER: The Shed Boys, no -- (laughing). My brother is coming in. He'll be in tomorrow night, but that's about it. It's about an eight- or nine-hour trip, by car driving down. They are not going to take off -- they might be in the shed but they won't be down here. (Laughing). Tomorrow night, they probably will be.

KIRK RUETER: Not really. I mean, I don't really worry -- I've got to get their hitters out. I can't really worry about who is pitching against me. I'm just more focused on getting their hitters out it. Won't make that much of a difference.