AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES v MARINERS

October 20, 2001

Lou Piniella

LOU PINIELLA: It relaxed us. We got those two runs in, and all of a sudden, we started really swinging the bats. Knoblauch almost made a great play on that ball. I didn't think he had a chance. But we got fortunate, it fell out of his glove when he hit the ground, and then we started swinging the bats really well. Hitting is a contagious things, as everybody knows.

LOU PINIELLA: I didn't say anything to him. I just put him in the lineup like I have all year and let him play.

LOU PINIELLA: No, not with me. With our hitting coach. He checked his balance a little bit up at home plate and a couple other things. But Johnny hit that ball off that foul pole; it was a big home run for us, and then we added a lot of runs that inning. But, you know we need John to hit, no question. He's been there for us all year.

LOU PINIELLA: There's a lot of ballgame to go. El Duque was throwing really well, though. He had six or seven strikeouts in the ballgame, really dominating, but all of a sudden, the base hit, it falls in short left field. Then McLemore had just a huge at-bat with the bases loaded after they walked Ichiro and drove in three runs, and then we kept adding runs.

LOU PINIELLA: Javier is a professional player. He made a great play out in left field. He knows how to play. Positions himself well. He's a good outfielder. He puts the bat on the ball and gets us base hits.

LOU PINIELLA: Moyer, again, he gave us seven great innings of baseball. Gave up that two-run homer in the first inning to Bernie, and then settled down and really, really pitched well. He threw 105 pitches. And he's been pitching that way the whole second half of the season. It's been fun to watch him, the way he changes speeds and pitches to both sides of the plate; he makes the other team put the ball in play.

LOU PINIELLA: We are fortunate, we are happy that we won today. Tomorrow we are going to come out and play hard again. I said the things I said because I have confidence in this baseball team and I believe in them.

LOU PINIELLA: You know, you can say a lot of things, but you have still got to get it on done the field. And tonight, our team went out and got it done. You know, we played a very good ballgame tonight, and now what we need to do is follow it up with a couple more here in New York.

LOU PINIELLA: I don't think so. I really don't. We took our regular batting practice like we do every game. You know, hitting, it's a funny thing. When you start getting a little base hit here, a little base hit there, all of a sudden, everybody starts getting confident and starts swinging the bat. It's very contagious. And when we got that base hit that fell in there, for a second I thought that the outfielder was going to come up with it. It was a heck of a play by Knoblauch. But, boy, once that ball fell in, the guys perked up and started swinging.

LOU PINIELLA: Well, it was a combination of things. You know, I carry my emotions on my sleeve from time to time. But, you know, at the same time, a manager should deflect that aspect of it.

LOU PINIELLA: I think it makes anybody relax. You can be swinging good and hit balls right at people or you can be swinging not as good and a few things fall here or there, and all of a sudden you come to life. Same thing with a pitcher making great pitches and they are blooping them in, or they are making bad pitches and hitting it right at people. It's the result that counts more than anything else.