AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: INDIANS v YANKEES

October 11, 1998

David Wells

DAVID WELLS: I got a second wind after that inning and just -- I told him to get somebody up just in case in the 8th I think, just go with me. After the first couple of pitches to Omar, I just, wow, I felt like I did in the second, third inning. Just when you get caught up in the game, you refuse to want to come out.

DAVID WELLS: Not a whole lot. Just wouldn't give him the ball. Tried to pry it out and it was something that I just -- I told him just let me have one more hitter at least. That's how good I felt. It's not like that all the time. Last game, I pitched, I was dying out there and I told Mel if I get -- somebody gets a hit you just kick me out of there and then Manny ends up hitting a homerun. One of those things where I just got good tonight and I wanted to stay in.

DAVID WELLS: No, the first inning I was a little disturbed because of some reactions I got out there when I was warming up. I felt good, focused going in there and when you get a bunch of clowns out there that start talking about your mother and not knowing that my mom passed away a year-and-a-half ago, it really bothered me. What got me more was some little kids out there starting to do the same thing. So I was just -- I was in awe out there because I couldn't believe that could happen. Low-lifes come out there and try to be cute. I don't care what they say about me, that's fine. I can deal with a lot of negative crap out there, but when it involves my mom or anyone of my family members, it's just -- it was really -- it really bothers me, so to those idiots out there, this one is for you.

DAVID WELLS: In the bullpen.

DAVID WELLS: Yeah, so that's what really just kind of got me out of focus and it took a while and I was out there fighting myself and it just -- I said, I got a job to do. I got to go out there. Jorge came out and he just gave me a breather and I got out of it coming out 3-2. So I settled down after that and had to focus on what I had to focus.

DAVID WELLS: Well, it's -- I've played against the Yankees for a long time and I've never heard anybody get personal with my family members and they can be crazy, can be wild and that's part of the game. That's fine, they're entitled. But I think it's -- it's only fair that you talk about that individual instead of bringing other people into it. This is not the first time it's happened in Cleveland with me, so I don't understand it and I don't appreciate it. I don't think anybody in the game of baseball should appreciate somebody talking about family members. I think they should just focus on trying to rattle you up and not get personal with other people than that individual.

DAVID WELLS: Yeah, apparently, because I forgot who told me before the game, he says, they said that somebody mentioned from on the other side that Wells is going to be throwing out of the tower, from the shadows. But I said, no, that's a trick. They're just trying to trick me there and it didn't -- I knew it was something going on out there, but it didn't make a difference. Those guys were locked in, they really were.

DAVID WELLS: Yeah, I was. I'm like, one of those thank you type things. But sometimes that's what it takes to -- I've pitched very well against Cleveland and I think that when you try to change the lineup and throw different lineup at you, it's something that -- it can have it's positives and I think it happened in the first inning. Despite what I was going through and the pitches I was making, it was something that I didn't expect. But I guarantee you, man, I don't take any one of those guys lightly because they've got one fine ball club here.

DAVID WELLS: I had it working right out of the get-go. Right from the first inning. The fastballs were up. But the curve balls I was throwing for strikes. So I relied on that a lot more than I did my fastball. Last game I relied more on the fastball and not the curve ball. You can't pitch any of these guys in a pattern. If you don't have a certain pitch, you've got to throw it out because you never know when you might get that pitch. Bless the baseball gods for that curve ball I had today.

DAVID WELLS: Damn right, man. This is what it's all about. We've got to go out there and fight and get pumped up. It's a lot of fun. I think it brings out the best in every individual when you get to the playoffs. This is what it's all about, fighting all year to get here and it's been a lot of fun during the season and now it's a lot of fun. Win or lose, you still got to go out there and have a good time. What we did is we went out there and played hard, but still had fun doing it.

DAVID WELLS: Well, I had to -- I had to wake up. Obviously. And it was something that I just went back to basics. I got focused and just moved the ball around. Used the breaking ball and the fastball, just mix it up. Try not to go in pattern and that's basically what I had to do. Threw a good curve ball to Mark that he was late on and it was something that -- it wasn't a strike. That was a blessing itself. I think if you leave anything in the zone with Mark, he can hurt you. So it was fortunate that I did not get that pitch the first strike because it could have been the other way.