AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX v INDIANS

October 7, 1999

Bret Saberahagen

A. Actually, it felt very good today. I think the preparation up until this time, you know, the games that I have thrown in the past, the velocity really hasn't been there in the first inning and it felt good and the velocity was there. I mean, I just didn't make some pitches when I had to. If you look at me all year, I've given up 11 walks and I don't know how many games I threw this year and walking three guys in a game, that's not me and that is what really hurt. I walked Fryman, especially after we scored a run, we get on the board, I want to get some momentum going and I take a lot of pride in after we score a run getting us back in there. To walk Fryman and then walking a couple of other guys in the inning, I maybe felt a little, I don't know, I shouldn't say too good but maybe too much adrenaline going, a little excited. But it just didn't happen today.

A. Well, we had hoped to come here and do a lot better than what we've done. But like you said, this team has fought all year. We've beaten the Indians three straight. At times we played very well against them. So I think we've got to remind ourselves of that and take that home with us and know that we're not packing yet. They still have to win one more game but we have to win three. So the pressure is on us. We can't afford to make any mistakes, but like I said, the way this team has fought all year, I don't think we're going to go home and give up.

A. Just the opposite. I felt very good today and I think maybe the one thing that I didn't do enough was make my pitches. I threw a lot of fastballs because I felt like I had some decent velocity. I felt there were a few pitches I made that they hit. That was a good hitting team over there. You have to give them credit as well. I think that in a nutshell is probably it, not mixing my pitches as good as I should have. But, you know, I just didn't do it when I had to.

A. It wasn't frustrating. That situation, I am trying to get them to put the ball in play and get an out. I was trying to stay away from a big inning, which ended up happening, but get them to put the ball in play, possibly a double play, or get them to hit a ground ball somewhere. I'm looking for outs in that situation throughout that entire inning. I still had a chance of getting out of the inning and I thought I made a really good pitch on Baines, a fastball down and away. He's a good hitter and he deposited it in right field.

A. Comparing, you know, right now I've got a lot of other things that are going through my mind other than comparing the lineup. Like I said, they have a very good lineup and my thought process was to keep the first three guys off of base. What really hurt me today was the walks. And we as a team, we just got to kind of let this one go. I know it's going to be a long flight home. It's not going to be a whole lot of fun but we've got an off day tomorrow, we can regroup and come and get them on Saturday.