NL DIVISION SERIES: BRAVES v CARDINALS

October 3, 2000

Placido Polanco

PLACIDO POLANCO: This is a very important game, you know, I got to relax, and try to take every bat like a good one. And we all did that, I think. We took a lot of good at-bats, and we came out winning the game, you know. I think we did a good job staying back, behind the ball, taking it all the way. I think that helped us a lot, too.

PLACIDO POLANCO: Well, like every day, I didn't know I was playing until today, so when I saw my name in the lineup, I said, here we go, let's go. Do our best, like every day.

PLACIDO POLANCO: Like always, this is a guy, a pitcher that we have a lot of respect for. We keep watching his videos, I think, like I said before, we all took good at-bats. We did not try to do too much. The ball moves a lot, we tried to take them the other way. I think that helped us a lot, like I said before.

PLACIDO POLANCO: Like every ball he throws, moves. I guess it was a fast-moving fastball, like a sinker, it stayed there. I was looking for a pitch like that, to drive it, you know. I was staying, trying to stay away from a ground ball. I think he left it there and I took advantage of it.

PLACIDO POLANCO: I would say, you know, he knows that I am a young guy, coming here and he said, I would rather pitch to Polanco than Carlos. Any other manager would have done that, too. I say, here I am, let me take a good at-bat, try to get the best out of it.

PLACIDO POLANCO: Oh, yeah, any hit you get, is a good feeling, especially in that situation, yeah.

PLACIDO POLANCO: Oh, yes, we are happy, we won the first game and all that. We know this is just the beginning, we have to come out tomorrow and play harder than today, you know, we have to take one game at time. Take it from there.