MLB WORLD SERIES: PADRES v YANKEES

October 18, 1998

Bruce Bochy

BRUCE BOCHY: No. No, we checked with him and he felt fine to pitch. It was obvious he didn't have his best stuff. He battled. First inning we kind of hurt ourselves there. But if we thought he was too sick to pitch, we wouldn't have pitched him, but he said he felt okay.

BRUCE BOCHY: Well, the first inning we gave up three unearned runs. Gave up three, so we were going to stick with him a little while hoping he finds it too. We needed some innings. Still a lot of game left. And he is our guy, sometimes you are hoping that it clicks in. He struggled really from the start. We know that. But, sometimes you need to get innings. That is what we are trying to get. Boehringer, we extended him, while we extended him, and sometimes it is just a case where you are trying to get him on track and get some innings.

BRUCE BOCHY: No question. I think the first inning was really the difference in the ballgame. We were close to getting three runs there and we didn't score and then they come back and they get three unearned runs. That is really a six-run difference. Turned out to be the difference in the ballgame.

BRUCE BOCHY: I think he is talking about the big inning. You always want to stay away from the big inning. You don't mind giving up a run here and there. Those earned innings, they beat you. They have hurt us the last two nights. Tonight wasn't a huge inning, but you put back-to-back three-run innings, sure it is hard to overcome especially against a team like New York. But it is something we have got to bear down on. We made a

couple mistakes the first inning that came back to haunt us.

BRUCE BOCHY: I think so. I said this before, I think first time you see somebody it is tough on the hitters. He threw well. He pitched very well. He had good stuff. He hit his spots. Hopefully next time if we get a chance to face him we will have some better at-bats.

BRUCE BOCHY: I don't know how they got sick. I don't know who the host is here, but somebody spread something around. It seems like it has hit the pitchers more than anybody. Ashby has it. Hitchcock has a touch of it. Brown looks like he has the flu. It is just bad luck. For him to have it last year and come back and catch it again, timing is terrible. These guys are gamers, they are competitors, and sometimes you don't have a choice but go out there. We felt like with Ashby he was okay to go. If he had had the flu, he wouldn't have been out there.

BRUCE BOCHY: I thought yesterday we played a good game up until the 7th inning. I think you saw the club playing very well, very hard. Today -- tonight, no, we didn't play well. You give credit to the Yankees. I mean, they kept coming after us and they kept putting pressure on us, but when -- sometimes you get down in the game. It looks like you are flatter or you are not playing well. That is what it looked like tonight. Guys are going hard, but they have got a well-pitched game, we struggled on the pitching side and it is not a case where you are not seeing the real club. You are going to have games like this. If we, you know, if we win last night we come out here with a split. We know that. But now our backs are to the wall, we have got to get back on track and play well now.

BRUCE BOCHY: He was fine the first inning, no, it didn't affect his throw. He rushed it a little bit and he is as good a third businessman I think as there is. That last at-bat, you know, he took a swing and he grabbed his groin there, so we went and checked on him. Right now I haven't had a chance to talk to the trainers and the doctors to see what happened there.

BRUCE BOCHY: Well, they do a good job their hitters. They don't chase a lot of pitches. You have to throw strikes and go after them and they have very good discipline. So you give them credit, they wait for a pitch you can't make mistakes on them, and -- Ashby just didn't have his good stuff. Bottom line is he wasn't on, that is going to happen, but we know they are good hitters, and we have heard about how they can wear down a starter. But you have to throw strikes, go after them, and today

we struggled.

BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I mean today we used up the pen quite a bit. But with the day off tomorrow, I think we are fine, the one concern is this bug going around. It hits the pitching staff and that does affect you so. Hopefully Brown is going to respond here shortly, Hitchcock, I hope he is fine. I think the pitching staff is fine. I mean, Wall came out. He threw well. Boehringer he had to come back and throw a lot of pitches. I think the staff is fine. They are healthy.

BRUCE BOCHY: I know Brown. I don't know about the rest of them.

BRUCE BOCHY: Sure. Sure, I mean, we may use him Game 4 and with the score with what it was, I wasn't planning on using Joey tonight.

BRUCE BOCHY: He is fine there. He has got a nice knot, bruised up pretty good, but he says the leg it is not going to be a problem at all.

BRUCE BOCHY: That is what I said, that first inning hurt us. Ashby was throwing well at that point and Myers couldn't hold onto that pop up. They had a hit and run. Jeter missed it and Myers's throw was off to the right. We almost had -- had Knoblauch out three times in that inning then the error. He went back out and he didn't quite have the same stuff. I am wondering sometimes if the pitchers that he had to throw that inning caught up with him already.

BRUCE BOCHY: Well, we are glad it is the best out of seven right now. When you are down 0-2, you know, this is not the situation we were hoping, but hey, it has been -- it has been overcome before and this team, they will bounce back. It's going to be good to go home, but we were hoping to at least win a ballgame here.

BRUCE BOCHY: He is a definite right now unless, you know, tomorrow he turns for the worst, but I think Hitchcock, he is going to be fine. I don't think he has the flu. Hopefully not. If he does, then we do have Hamilton ready.

End of FastScripts�.