NL DIVISION SERIES: CARDINALS v DIAMONDBACKS

October 11, 2001

Miguel Batista

MIGUEL BATISTA: I believe that in spring training I was trying to throw -- I was trying to get my arm in shape. That's what you do. A lot of people believe that, I don't know, I come from nowhere. I always knew I was a good pitcher, I just played with teams that came in last. This is the first time I've played with a winning team, and numbers don't lie. I go there and do my job. I've been doing this for almost five years, and the only difference is I'm with a bunch of guys who want to win.

MIGUEL BATISTA: No. I've been doing that for six months, and that's how I got all the way to here. So I don't think there is any reason for me to change my approach.

MIGUEL BATISTA: So far I think two things. I've been blessed with a good arm and strong mind, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help my team. And the only thing I can do is pitch because I'm a bad hitter.

MIGUEL BATISTA: Well, there were a couple of times during the season when (Bob) Welch asked me if I would like to throw in the pen. Why would I waste my arm? So that's the way I look at it. Instead of going out there and working on my stuff, I can go out there and help my team with a couple innings. If we can give someone a breather, especially our two lefties, I would like to do that.

MIGUEL BATISTA: They are a good team. I mean, they have some guys that have proven outstanding numbers throughout their career, but I look at it as another team we have to beat. They have good hitters, we have ours, and it's going to be a good ball game tomorrow.

MIGUEL BATISTA: To this point? That's a hell of a question. I think the best game, most important game for me was the first time I pitched as a professional, and that was 13 years ago. I don't know. I'm a different kind of player, I believe. I don't get choked up about playoffs and stuff like that, I have a job to do, so I don't get too emotional about it. That's the way I take it.

MIGUEL BATISTA: It was a good game I got a couple of records that -- I mean, I have pitched other games in my career that were very emotional to me, like in '98 when we won the Caribbean World Series in Puerto Rico and I had to pitch the last game. Besides that, I've had good games throughout my career. But tomorrow's game I think is important to us. And it's important to me because it's the first time. It's like my team was saying everybody is going to have their eyes on me, but I don't think about those things; I want to go out there and give my team a chance to win.

MIGUEL BATISTA: Well, I think it was '98, when McGwire got the 70 home runs, when I had to pitch here every time I threw a pitch, it was like there were stars, everybody shooting pictures. It took a couple of minutes to get my sight back. But besides that, it's the same kind of game.