NL DIVISION SERIES: METS v DIAMONDBACKS

October 6, 1999

Omar Daal

OMAR DAAL: We try to do the best to get their support, you know, in Venezuela. But we try, we just go and try to do the best we can to, you know, for me to win the game, because right now, we're in a situation like yesterday with Randy Johnson, and we just want to keep, you know, try to win the game and go to the next step. But, you know, I feel sorry for Galarraga that he haven't play this year. You know, this thing is, you know, he's still alive. That was the question we had, you know, because he had a cancer and that was real bad. Right now, he's healthy, and we're just going to try to do the best to make him feel happy.

OMAR DAAL: Really doesn't matter about how -- that's going to be, the weather. I've been pitching in hot weather, cold weather. I've just got to be prepared mentally; what am I going to do. I just don't think the weather is going to affect me at all. I've been pitching like that the whole year. I don't have any kind of problem.

OMAR DAAL: I know him pretty well because I've been in Venezuela for eight straight years. His team and my team were in the playoffs in Venezuela, and I know what kind of hitter he is. And right now, he's one of the hot hitters for the Mets; so we've really got to be careful about him. He's a great hitter. We've just got to go and try to make good pitches and try to keep the ball down and see what happens. But, you know, the Mets, they have got a great team right now. We just tried to do the best we can and try to score some runs and see if we can win the game.

OMAR DAAL: I don't think I've got to change anything. I've just got to go and try to see what is my best pitch on the game, and that's how -- that's the way I'm working, you know. My changeup is my best pitch on that guy. I just throw a lot of changeup. If I've got a good fastball or slider or whatever pitch feels more comfortable, that's what I've got to throw more in the game.

OMAR DAAL: I've just got to try. That's the only way -- you cannot get behind in the count -- or ahead in the count every time and try to make good pitches, see if he wants to hit the pitches I want to throw. I can't get behind in the count or throw my pitches around the middle, and he can get me there, you know. If I get ahead on the count, you know he's got to go and hit the pitch that I want to throw.

OMAR DAAL: Yesterday they hit good against him, but they are different pitchers. I know he's a left-hander and I'm a left-handed pitcher, but we are different pitchers. He throws over 95; I only throw 87, 88. My game is to move the ball around. He's throws more fastball and slider. Yesterday, he threw a good game. I think he throw a good game, and I've got good success against Olerud and Ventura. I'm just going to go and try to do the best that I've been doing with those guys during the season, and try to throw strikes and try to keep the ball out of the middle.

OMAR DAAL: Well, when I worked with the Dodgers, I always was a reliever for the left-handed hitter; so I always go there and I throw my best pitch. It was a slider, curveball, and fastball. But I never use my change at all. Like when it come here last year here they give me the opportunity to being a starter. I use my change up. I use it. Luis Tiant helped me a lot. My confidence a lot better, and it's not easy when you are a reliever and you've got to face Walker or -- they can't hit against left-handed or right-handed hitter. With bases loaded or two men on base, it's not easy. If you're a starter and you make a mistake you know -- you can come back and make your plan and try to do better.

OMAR DAAL: Well, when I was with the Dodgers, he was the pitching coach in AA. One year in spring training he told me, whenever you get the chance to be a starter, sometimes you've got to go and do something different. You know, you might go and do what I was doing before, I was doing, like I turn it around my back and throw the ball. I said, well, after that, next year I went to Venezuela, because every time I go there, I'm a starting pitcher there. I said, well, I think there's a good chance to throw this pitch like that; so I started to do it. I saw it was a good success against the hitter. I get them out every time and I threw -- I had good control and I can throw -- any kind of pitch I can throw with that movement, and I saw I can throw a strike, and I can get these guys out. I said, "Well, I'm going to try and I'm going to try and see what happens."

OMAR DAAL: Some days I get him out two or three times; sometimes he's 2 for 4. He's a great hitter. You don't know what's going to happen in the game because with those kind of hitters sometimes you just get lucky, you know. But I've got good success against him in Venezuela. Since I'm here, I've got him 9 times out of 12 times. I just think about it, keep the ball down and try to throw strikes.

OMAR DAAL: More for the fans than myself. We don't really used to talk a lot about the game. You know, in the game, we are enemy. I can talk to him, you know, how many I going to do or what he do, you know because if we go there, inaudible I'm going to get mad. We're friends but at the game, we are enemies. So we don't talk about the game when we are at the stadium.

OMAR DAAL: I think they are going to root for Venezuela, for both. If I get him out, I know they are going to be happy they got a base hit. I know they are going to be happy because we are -- great players in Venezuela we try to do the best we can to keep the Venezuela, you know, to give the support for them. So I think they are going to root for both guys.

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