AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES v MARINERS

October 21, 2001

Aaron Sele

AARON SELE: Oh, imagine that. (Laughter.)

AARON SELE: The starting pitcher's job is to go out there and to pitch ballgames and give your team a chance to win. Whether you get the win or loss, the ultimate goal is to get your team a victory, whether it's in the regular season or the post-season. That's my basic philosophy and has been ever since I started. Like you said, I've pitched good in some games and I have not pitched good in some games, whether it's post-season or regular season. My biggest concern is getting my team a win.

AARON SELE: Yeah, the other times, other than this year, the other times I've faced them, they went on to win a World Series; so, yeah, it's a pretty good team you are playing.

AARON SELE: No. I haven't given it any thought lately. I've been kind of preoccupied. You know, yeah, we are from Seattle and we definitely have interest in Seattle, and we'll see whether Seattle has interest or not after the season.

AARON SELE: I mean, I'm excited every time I get to pitch. I'm pretty low-key, even-keeled, but any time you take the ball you get excited. It's fun to pitch in the playoffs, and that's why you work so hard during the season and spring training to get to the playoffs. As a starting pitcher you only get to pitch every five days and the day you get to play, you relish that and you are excited to do that.

AARON SELE: I think you can even go game to game. Between my two starts and looking at Moyer's starts, I think there are little things that you can take. But the game also dictates how things will go. Each game scenario, as it gets along, changes the way you pitch, and even if the scouts have said this or that about a certain situation, that situation might not ever have come up in your game, so a lot of it you just have to kind of be creative and kind of winging it out there, and I've learned a lot from pitching behind Jamie these last two years, because he creates out there quite a bit.

AARON SELE: Lou's meeting was short and kind of brief. It wasn't anything. It wasn't a great Lou meeting, you know, but I think if anything, it just relaxed us a little bit and we went out and played.

AARON SELE: Most definitely. Jamie is the leader on our staff. Even last year when he was hurt, I told a lot of the Seattle media that he was still our leader. He was in every day, talking to us, watching, he was out there for nine innings on the bench during the game, giving advice if you asked. He's definitely a leader on this club. Watching him pitch, as aggressive as he is and the way he pitches, I think really adds to the entire staff.

AARON SELE: They have got great pitching and great defense. Pitching and defense wins championships. You know, when you have the starters that they do, you know, that puts pressure on the other team because you cannot afford to make mistakes. One or two mistakes and their starter is going to hold you down and they can win the game. And their hitters are balanced, 1 through 9. Good contact guys, good power guys, good gap guys, got some speed guys. It gives Joe a lot of options.