NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: MARLINS v CUBS

October 12, 2003

Josh Beckett

JOSH BECKETT: No, I felt it right away. I felt I had good stuff and felt my mechanics were coming together. It's a little easier when you have a good bullpen. So I think it all starts there. And I felt like I threw a good bullpen.

JOSH BECKETT: He overreacted a lot. I don't know really what else to say. I don't know what he was trying to do; trying to pull a Boston Red Sox-Yankees thing. I don't know. I was so surprised I had to shoot something else back at him. It was kind of baffling to me, really.

JOSH BECKETT: Yeah. That would be my throw day anyway, so why not?

JOSH BECKETT: I got this stuff called Stan's Blister Ointment. And I guess I should probably be sponsored by them, everybody is asking me this question all the time. I'm always promoting this stuff. I put it on between my starts. I haven't had to do it in the second half. It's kind of taken care of itself.

JOSH BECKETT: It was big. We needed a good outing from our starter. And I knew that going in that they roughed us up quite a bit. We needed to pitch better, that's all there is to it.

JOSH BECKETT: No, they told me in I think -- after the 6th, they said this is your game. I only had like 80 some pitches at the time. I didn't have to lobby for it. It's big. Like I said, I saved the bullpen, not because we needed that, because tomorrow is an off day. But, I don't know, it's just fun.

JOSH BECKETT: Well, it was the exact same lineup. I knew I had to make some adjustments. Like I said, they hit it at people, and I got lucky.

backing down or what went on with that?

JOSH BECKETT: No, I'm just used to having the ball in my hand, I guess. That's what I felt like I needed to do. I didn't feel like I backed down at all. I thought he overreacted, to be completely honest with you. I thought it was really stupid that we had to go through that.

JOSH BECKETT: I can't repeat that (laughter). I don't know, I just backed off. Hey, he's still one of the most dangerous hitters in the Big Leagues, so I knew I had to execute pitches to him.

JOSH BECKETT: That's a good question, I don't know. I don't know the answer to that. I really don't. I guess because it's a big state, more people get to come out of there.

JOSH BECKETT: I think I had a little sigh of relief that it was over. Like I said, I couldn't think of another guy that could have messed that game up more than Sammy Sosa if he hit a home run there. It was a sigh of relief.

JOSH BECKETT: I don't think you ever want to face him. It's like Barry Bonds, and like, yeah, I can't wait for this hitter to come up there.

JOSH BECKETT: I thought it had a chance to go foul. I was thinking -- I was actually saying probably out loud, go foul, go foul, go foul. I don't know, it was -- he hit it hard.

JOSH BECKETT: Yeah, you get a little adrenaline going. But you've got to control it. It's got to be controlled, controlled adrenaline. Like I say, more is sometimes less, and less is sometimes more. And that's when, like I said, I was fortunate enough to throw those pitches that I threw in locations where you couldn't hit them.

JOSH BECKETT: Yeah, you definitely want to be the guy that they say here, here's the ball, go given us 9, like the guys when they used to. Now you've evolved into the setup guy and then the closer. So it kind of turns into a 7-inning game at the max for your starters.

JOSH BECKETT: The same thing we've been saying the whole time. We're not going to quit. It's not over. There's still going to be a Game 6 and a Game 7.

JOSH BECKETT: I think Ray Durham started every game off with a hit in our last series. And he's pretty fast, too. Yeah, it's always nice to get that first out, especially when you've got the adrenaline. And that goes for every inning. You always feel you have a chance, if you get the first guy out, the leadoff guy. 80 percent of leadoff guys score. I think that's true. Probably the same thing goes for leadoff hits.

JOSH BECKETT: I don't know, the days are so few and far between, I guess, with where you have those outings where, hey, I can locate the ball, I can throw this pitch anytime I want or this pitch whenever I want. There's not too many days. I think you ask most starters, they'll go 8 out of 10, and they'll only have one of those.

JOSH BECKETT: Yeah, I expect a lot out of myself, just some things don't work out, whatever happens. I missed two months this year with an elbow problem. The good Lord gave me a second chance.