MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS v WHITE SOX

October 21, 2005

Jose Contreras

JOSE CONTRERAS: Me and Roger Clemens had a very good relationship and he taught me a lot of things. He taught me a couple of things, a couple of pitches. We pitch mostly the same way, and just facing him tomorrow is an honor, just as good as he is. I wish I had him on my team, but too bad we have to face him.

JOSE CONTRERAS: For me nothing has changed, I just kind of worked more on my mental and physical health. That game in Cleveland that I won 1-nothing, it helped me a lot with my confidence and my pitches.

JOSE CONTRERAS: Ozzie and Cooper have helped me very much in the mental statement, with the Yankees, I have no pressure with the White Sox, and the confidence is very good. Also with the players, they gave me a lot of confidence and I have to say thank you for that.

JOSE CONTRERAS: Me and El Duque have a very good relationship. He's a great pitcher. He's taught me many things. You've seen his numbers in Cuba and also here. And he's taught me a lot of stuff about just going forward and fight for what you want and also helping the teammates in the clubhouse. He's very good about that.

JOSE CONTRERAS: I have to thank Roger very much because in Cuba I was throwing a two-seam fastball, and he taught me how to throw a four-seam fastball. And Roger, every time I did something wrong with my mechanics, he helped me correct my errors.

JOSE CONTRERAS: My family is back in Cuba, my wife and my daughters. My wife's brother and my best friends are here but the rest of my family is back in Cuba. I'm worried about them. I've always worried about them, every time there's a hurricane, and I've been trying to communicate with them, but I have to worry about pitching right now.

JOSE CONTRERAS: After the All-Star break, the trade rumors were bothering me, but Ozzie and Cooper gave me the confidence, they took pressure away from me, and I tried to work as much as possible with my stuff and my mental state. But I'm just trying to win the game for the team and do my best.

JOSE CONTRERAS: The reaction was that I was mad because I had a lot of friends in New York. But I had to just step through that, go through it, and when I got here I wanted to thank the organization for just giving me the confidence, and especially Ozzie. And I'm happy that I've put up these numbers, and I can pitch game No. 1 in the World Series.

JOSE CONTRERAS: When I was with the Yankees, in Cuba, everybody was a Yankee fan, then when I got traded to the White Sox, everybody became a White Sox fan. Regarding the players back in Cuba, you have seen what we've done in the Olympics and what they're capable of. I hope more players get a chance to play here.