AL DIVISION SERIES: ATHLETICS v YANKEES

October 13, 2001

Barry Zito

BARRY ZITO: It's pretty tough. You know going into a game like this that it's going to be very low scoring, especially with Mussina throwing. And it was a fastball that should have went in and it didn't. I remember last year Posada got the only run. I have to bare down on him next time. Mussina pitched great, and hopefully we'll come out tomorrow and get some runs.

BARRY ZITO: I think so. If you make a mistake most times, it's not going to get hit out of the park. Most times they'll foul it up or pop it back. I have to tip my hat to Posada for capitalizing on my mistake. Holding them and -- it's tough losing a game like that, but then again I felt good that I had my stuff tonight and I could hold them to a run.

BARRY ZITO: We haven't really talked with each other about hitters. It's basically Peterson and his elaborate scouting reports. Hats off to him, he gets us very prepared. For us to come out and hold the Yanks to those amount of runs that we have in three games, it's a big attribute to our pitching coach.

BARRY ZITO: Yeah, the last game that I remember, I was actually talking to Mulder, I said have you ever won 1-0. He said in college. I've lost 1-0 twice now. The other time was against Stanford at the super regionals.

BARRY ZITO: Like I said the ball was supposed to get in and it didn't. The first pitch to Shane Spencer, but I didn't change anything, I didn't change my mental approach. I pretty much stuck with my game plan.

BARRY ZITO: Yeah, two of them. Well, obviously two hit baters. The one to Tino got away, and that's been a problem. Sometimes I come into lefties and it tails up and away. And the one to Jeter, I don't know how that ball got so up and in. I don't know how far in it was. But those are probably the only two that got away, a pretty good amount.

BARRY ZITO: The fastball to both sides of the plate is something that I need to establish, to make my speed work. And the fastball in was definitely a good pitch for me tonight, and I could go away when I needed to. The curveball wasn't unbelievable. Like once or twice I've had a really good one. But it was good enough. And the change-up was a good pitch tonight for me.

BARRY ZITO: I would say, if you really want to get particular I could say that I left the ball over the plate to Knoblauch and he fouled it back. But for the most part those are the ones that got away a good amount.

BARRY ZITO: I think last year I was too naive to really get excited and stuff. This year I had more butterflies and I felt more anxious, not nervous, but more anxious, and I was happy I was able to control those emotions into a positive way.