NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: METS v BRAVES

October 17, 1999

Bobby Valentine

BOBBY VALENTINE: Well, actually Robin Ventura was basically -- we were playing in wet grounds, and I didn't know if he was going to take a bad turn or come off the field any one inning and say he didn't have anything left. And I just wanted to keep the guy I thought was my best pinch-hitter for -- I guess we had some emergencies in that game, but for an emergency, but also for a situation where he would be my most versatile guy left. He also is the only position player who's ever pitched for us. So just in case.

BOBBY VALENTINE: I swear I'd have to have another profession in order to put it into words, what that's like. I have no idea. I can't put it into words. I don't remember most of the game. I can tell you that there was a lot of help. The guys were thinking; they were pulling; they were believing the entire time, and they came up big. When players come up big and do the right things, you're able to play a great team like Atlanta tough as long as we played them until they cracked.

BOBBY VALENTINE: Robin has a knee that's gotten progressively worse for the last two months of the season. And God bless him, all I can tell you is the at-bat he had against Rocker was one of those all-hang-out. He had a great swing at a fastball. He fouled off and he just missed the slider, and you could tell that there hardly was anything left. But there was something big left.

BOBBY VALENTINE: It's his left knee. It's a situation that this off-day is going to be a Godsend for him.

BOBBY VALENTINE: I can't tell you that. I guess. I guess he would.

BOBBY VALENTINE: Did it go over the fence?

BOBBY VALENTINE: He never touched the base?

BOBBY VALENTINE: I just saw it hit and I knew it was enough. I didn't know it was over the fence. There were a lot of bodies running out on the field. I saw the trajectory and I knew that was it.

BOBBY VALENTINE: I don't count them. But if I ever made more moves than this -- I don't think there could be more moves than this, because everything started in the 4th inning; we played 15. So when every pitch is a pretty important pitch, when every at-bat is a pretty important at-bat, you can't have more moves than that.

BOBBY VALENTINE: Kind of getting used to it. It seems like we've been doing this for a couple of weeks now. And the guys are getting used to it, too. And God bless them, they're fabulous.

BOBBY VALENTINE: I didn't see anybody else on the card. You mean Millwood?

BOBBY VALENTINE: He's up 3-1 in that game, there, and if he pitches Millwood 4 and doesn't get to start him -- I don't know what he's thinking, but I wasn't surprised.

BOBBY VALENTINE: My feeling is total appreciation to a group of guys who got one down in the 15th and came in the dugout and said: "We're going to do this." I must have heard that 15 times. And Shawon Dunston's at bat was the impetus. The balls he fouled off were tough pitches. And again, it's easy -- those bags wanted to get packed a few times, I guarantee you that. But these guys don't close the suitcases. They're here to stay.

BOBBY VALENTINE: Robin was going to pitch the 16th, and once I put Franco in the game, Robin said his lateral movement wasn't that good, but he felt he could throw a couple of curveballs in the black.

BOBBY VALENTINE: Todd's been a big player for us. Once it's first and second, he knew he was going to be the guy. We just looked at him and said: "You're going to be the guy, get ready," and he knew it.

BOBBY VALENTINE: We'll see again. He strained something in his left forearm on that last swing and he's pretty banged up. He could use an off-day, too.