AL DIVISION SERIES: INDIANS v MARINERS

October 10, 2001

Jamie Moyer

JAMIE MOYER: I think initially when my kneecap was broken it was difficult to swallow, and difficult to deal with, difficult to handle. But a break is a break. So I think after I found out the following day that it was broken, I realized that I needed to try to find another way to try to contribute, if I could and just try to be supportive.

JAMIE MOYER: I think not necessarily just the way I pitched, I think the way we played as a team. I think that it helps everybody's confidence. And when you win that helps a great deal with confidence. And just trying to be a contributing factor to that. I think it also helps confidence, as well. But again, I've said this many a time during the course of the year, and I'll continue to say it, I don't think we would be where we are as the Seattle Mariners or as a club, unless we played together as a team from day one. And I think we really have exuded that. And I think that's why we are where we are, and have had the success that we've had.

JAMIE MOYER: I would say initially, yeah, when it initially happened. It was very difficult. Our generation or our age group probably has never dealt with anything like this before. We've heard about it, we've read about it, we've studied about it, but we've never really lived it. And now we're living it. And I think we've had an opportunity over the last couple of weeks to try to deal with it as a group and as individuals and as families and officially, yeah, it was a little difficult for me. I think as I've been able to experience it the last couple of weeks, I feel like I've been able to find ways to at times block it out and try to concentrate on what I'm trying to do or what I need to do when I'm here at the ballpark.

JAMIE MOYER: I had a lot of great opportunities during the course of my career, and they haven't all worked out probably to my liking. But getting another opportunity in Baltimore was great. I think we all in life need opportunities. And I got a great opportunity in Baltimore, and was able to -- I felt like I was able to take advantage of that. And then going to Boston was somewhat of an opportunity. If anything it was a learning experience. And then getting traded here was an outstanding opportunity because it was -- I felt like I walked into a situation where it was an organization that was in need of pitching. Was I the answer? No, I was not the answer, but I was hoping that I could be a piece of that puzzle. I felt like coming here I got a great opportunity from Lou and the organization to go out and pitch on a consistent basis. I think a lot of things I've learned in my past, whether they've been good experiences or bad experiences, positive or negative experiences, have helped me and helped propel myself to learn more about myself, learn more about the game. And I really feel like I've been able to benefit. Once I came here I felt very comfortable with the players on the team, they allowed me to feel very comfortable. The opportunities were there every fifth day. And I've played on some pretty darn good ballclubs here in Seattle.

JAMIE MOYER: That's this year. I don't know. I really can't explain it. I probably haven't pitched as well against Cleveland as I have against some other ballclubs as I have in my past. This year I've pretty much tried to stay the same and just tried to be aggressive and pitch my style of baseball. And again I've been very fortunate to be on a good club that's played very good defense, that's had timely hitting, and I've been able to fit into that and do my small part and pitch effectively. So there's not really one thing that I can tell you, I don't really have an answer to why that happened.

JAMIE MOYER: I think they're all special. Injuries are unfortunate. They happen. I was talking to somebody earlier today, and they happen for reasons. What those reasons are, I haven't figured them out yet, but they happen for reasons. And I think there's a greater appreciation for the opportunity to pitch in the postseason. It's the postseason, you know, injury or no injury. I think it's just a great opportunity. It's a reward for having a good season as a team. I take that and try to use it in that direction and try to make the best of the situation.

JAMIE MOYER: I think all the games are important, one through five, whether it goes five games, whether there's four games, three games, regardless, they're all important. If you don't win the series, you're done. Whereas, during the season, if you don't win the series, you can move onto the next series. So they're important, but personally I'm not going to put any added pressure on myself. I can tell you that right now. I'm not planning on doing that or acting in that manner. I feel it's important just to prepare and be myself and stay in my own character and be aggressive and pitch to my style, not try to be Freddy or Aaron or John Halama or anybody else. Just try to be myself and go out and give my best effort.

JAMIE MOYER: I think the latter was -- you hit it right on the head. I just really feel like I've found myself being comfortable in the strike zone, in and out of the strike zone. And I've just hit that spot and I feel like I've been able to stay there. And I really haven't -- I really can't say I've had any major mechanical flaws this way. I don't feel like I fell into any huge ruts. We as pitchers and as players, you go in and out -- you find yourself falling in and out of ruts during the course of the year. But I never felt like I went into a deep rut. It's just a matter of just trying to stay consistent and trying to stay focused on the task at hand, and that's to be effective and throw strikes.

JAMIE MOYER: Actually it's kind of a little running joke. I haven't run into Mark McGwire the last couple of years. When he was with Oakland he kidded me that he was going to take batting practice with Nerf balls. I keep kidding with him and tell him I'm going to send him a Nerf ball set when I'm facing him. I think everybody likes to joke and be lighthearted about it. I don't really mind. My style is my style. I would find it -- I would think that people would find it very difficult to pitch the way I pitch. And I think people would find it very difficult to be a power pitcher, too. I think each style has its own positives and has its own negatives. But I think as a pitcher in that particular style you have to learn what you can use and how to use your abilities and your stuff to get people out.

JAMIE MOYER: I think verbally it's very difficult, but I think physically what you do is you go out and put up results. And I think people that are educated in baseball, that are actually baseball people that know the game and know how difficult it is to pitch will respect what you do, whether you're a power pitcher or whether you're a finesse pitcher. I think the people that can understand that will respect that and you'll get the opportunities to pitch. The people that don't realize that or don't understand that won't respect it and you'll find that your opportunities are fewer and far between. That's what I've learned over the course of my career.