AL DIVISION SERIES: ATHLETICS v YANKEES

October 11, 2001

Tim Hudson

TIM HUDSON: Well, he just asked me how I felt and how much gas I had left in my tank. I told him I felt fine. I felt as good in the seventh and eighth inning as I did in the third and fourth. I got in a good rhythm and felt strong. I was making some quality pitches, and that's about all he needed to know.

TIM HUDSON: I wasn't surprised, I was making some pretty good pitches in that inning. He asked me in the bottom of that inning how I felt, if I had another one in me. I felt strong. I felt really strong the whole game.

TIM HUDSON: Well, it's exciting. Coming into Yankee Stadium and winning any game isn't an easy feat. And to come in and take two from these guys, we totally -- we didn't expect to. We were just trying to win and we would have been very happy with a split in this series here. They are such a professional team. The hitters, they go up there with a purpose. We were able to go up there and make some pitches and keep them off balance for the most part, and our guys from the offensive side, they have done just enough to get us a couple of wins.

TIM HUDSON: I've been pitching inside for the whole year. Against these kinds of ballclubs you really have to establish that you're going to establish that fastball inside. I was just trying to keep them from getting their hands extended, changing their eye level at times. Trying to change speeds and not fall behind in the count so much. For the most part, I was able to do that.

TIM HUDSON: It was a great at-bat. He was battling me pretty tough. The crowd was into it. They were going crazy and that's usually when the Yankee magic comes out. They were behind their guys, and I was loving it out there. It was really exciting for me to be out there and battling Paul O'Neill for the game and I was able to make some pitches. He fouled off some pretty good pitches; he took some pretty close pitches. I was able to just make a pitch when I needed it.

TIM HUDSON: I felt pretty confident out there. Yankee Stadium is a tough place to play. Like I said, the fans are in your ear from the first pitch. You have a team full of Hall of Famers coming up there battling you. You really have to stay focused. You have to stay right there with your catcher and be on the same page and concentrate on making quality pitches. If you mess up with those guys and leave something out over the plate, that's probably all they need to win the game for them and you really have to concentrate and bear down.

TIM HUDSON: Not really. Last year, I really didn't know what to expect for the most part. It was the first time for most of us and we came in here and we handled ourselves pretty well. We played them with a lot of respect. They are world champs and they are a great team. We came in pretty much the same way. We felt like we were a better team coming in this time. We had Mulder on the staff this year; he wasn't able to pitch last year. We had the additions of Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye. We felt like we were a better ballclub but they probably felt like they were a better ballclub also. We were able to bear down and do some things when we needed to.

TIM HUDSON: Obviously we didn't expect to come in here and win two games in Yankee Stadium against that club. To come in and win any game at Yankee Stadium is pretty tough. It's usually a battle, and like I said, this place is -- this is a special place to play. We did what we needed to do. We battled. We stayed poised and we just found a way to squeeze a couple of runs across and luckily, myself and Mulder, was able to bear down and keep those guys from scoring so much.

TIM HUDSON: Yeah, I'm usually a groundball pitcher. If I pitch up in the zone, it's usually just for effect. Early in the game, I was trying to change their eye level a little bit. For the most part, if my sinker is up in the zone high, it's not on purpose; it's because I'm not nailing my pitches. For the most part was able to stay down in the zone. My sinker was sinking and change speeds and stay away from the center of the plate.