AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: INDIANS v YANKEES

October 10, 1998

Chad Ogea

CHAD OGEA: It was very disappointing at first, but, you know, as soon as we started playing games you put that out of your mind, you work hard and hopefully something will happen for the second round. That is where you have to put your selfishness aside and root your teammates on during the divisional playoffs.

CHAD OGEA: No, I don't think so. I'm going to prepare like I always do. Going to look at the way they are hitting, where I want to throw them and mix it up and throw strikes and get ahead.

CHAD OGEA: Officially learned today. They handed me the pitching chart to keep the pitches tonight, so that's how I knew. My reaction was good. You know, it doesn't matter who's pitching, just so we win. That's the bottom line.

CHAD OGEA: I don't know why or how it's come about, but I've always seemed to be playing in postseason play since I was a little kid. I just try to go out and have fun and play like I'm playing in my backyard. It's always that scenario, it's 3-2, 3-2 on a hitter, bases loaded, 7th game of the World Series. You put that type of atmosphere in your head and you go out and you just have fun.

CHAD OGEA: It definitely helps as far as experience-wise is concerned. As far as confidence goes, always have confidence in my ability or I wouldn't be out there.

CHAD OGEA: They always say we don't have that No. 1 guy, like a Roger Clemens or a Randy Johnson or somebody like that, but I would rather have a lot of guys that are real good than to have one guy that's real good and a bunch of guys that aren't so good. You look at the guys we have, like a Charles Nagy, David Burba who brought in the beginning of the season, Jaret, Bartolo, those guys are pretty good. Even though Jaret and Bartolo are young right now, they're going to be as good as Roger Clemens down the road. It's just going to take time. I view our roles as you go out and do the job it doesn't matter what role you're in.

CHAD OGEA: We didn't -- Jaret and I didn't talk about it. Jaret understands and I understand it doesn't matter who's starting. Just so we win. You know, you put selfishness aside when you get to the playoffs and through the year. Something Orel Hershiser told me when you first come to the Big Leagues you're a little jealous of other guys and you put that behind you and once you find out the types of teams you're playing, the type of guys, once you figure it out, you've got to spend eight months a year with these guys, I don't worry about whether they're taking your job or your taking their job. You just have fun and play and you back your teammates no matter what happens. In my backyard, yeah, I always get them out.

CHAD OGEA: You never let your guard down. They are a great team, won a lot of ball games this year. As well as they know and we know, you can throw records out the window when it comes to the playoffs, but you don't ever let your guard down against a team like the Yankees.