NL DIVISION SERIES: METS v DIAMONDBACKS

October 6, 1999

Todd Stottlemyre

TODD STOTTLEMYRE: We didn't have any conversation. I think after the 6th he asked me how I was doing. That was really the first and only time. You know, coming into this game, I guess regardless of, you know, what people think, my arm feels good, and you know, I consider myself healthy, although, medically, there's -- I have two tears in my shoulder. But I'm throwing the ball as good now as I ever have any time in my career and I have no pain. I'm pitching without pain. You know, I felt like coming into the game I was just going to try to stay back and let it fly.

TODD STOTTLEMYRE: Well, I've had some horrible ones; I've had some good ones, and nothing in between. But this is a special one, the fact of sitting on the DL for three months, going through rehab not knowing if I was ever going to pitch in the big leagues again. And just to sit around watch this team day-in and day-out, watch them perform and realize how special, you know, our teammates are, and then to be able to be the winning pitcher in the first Diamondbacks' postseason games, this is a big one for me.

TODD STOTTLEMYRE: Well, on Cedano, I believe I had two strikes and I threw a slider but hung it down the middle and he hit it back up. The only way to be successful it seems like at this level is to be able to concentrate one pitch at a time. I had numerous innings where I had guys on base; matter of fact, every inning. But I really just tried to take it one pitch at a time, forget what happened at the at-bat before and just keep pitching.

TODD STOTTLEMYRE: I don't know. I think that -- I think that there's certainly -- you guys have put a lot of pressure on Randy Johnson. And what team seems to be forgotten is this team won 100 baseball games. For me personally I have been a little extra nervous before each and every game but I look at each one as a gift because of the fact there was so much time of uncertainty during the periods of the season whether I would ever pitch again. Kelly did a great job behind the plate, did a great job handling my emotions and intensity and calls the games and Steve Finley and some of the guys came up huge and had many great at-bats against Rogers and it was just a great team win.

TODDY STOTTLEMYRE: I think the first five weeks after my injury from the day I came out of the game in San Francisco until I was able to pick up a ball again, I think there was certainly questions whether I would ever pitch in the big leagues again or whether I'd be able to pitch out, and not have pain; so I would feel very fortunate. The trainers, the doctors, Mark Connor, everybody in this organization, our players had great patience with me, and it's probably a miracle and I look at it that way, and God willing, I just keep going.

TODD STOTTLEMYRE: I guess that's probably a possibility. I didn't do it on my own. I had great support from the doctors. The trainers worked hours and hours with me on a daily basis. They came to the ballpark early with me. It takes a lot of dedication, and all the guys in this organization really dedicated a lot of time to helping me get back. So I hope -- I hope that maybe because I've been successful through it that maybe there is a possibility that somebody else will have the same -- the same tears, possibly and be able to battle through it. I know that I look back and it's really what ended my father's career, and to think back that he was 32 at the time and if he had the same support that this organization has given me possibly he could have pitched another five or six years; so, I'm really thankful.

TODD STOTTLEMYRE: I feel great. I have no pain. I feel as good now as I've ever felt at any point in my career. I know that people probably find that hard to believe, but that's okay.

TODD STOTTLEMYRE: I have Dr. Zeman, Dr. McCoy, Dave Edwards put a program together with me, and as I continued and made progress, they changed and updated and we just kept going and kept going for it.

End of FastScripts….