|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: RED SOX v RAYSOctober 10, 2008Daisuke MatsuzakaST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA: Game One (VIA TRANSLATOR, MASA HOSHINO) Q. In the first inning, you got some balls called outside, and it was a tough inning for you, but how did you transition mentally going into the second inning after which you seemed to settle down a bit? DAISUKE MATSUZAKA: I don't think the fact that it was a big game affected how I started into the game, but just as usual, I had a tough time getting going. As for doing better in the second inning and onward, I got a pretty good sweat going in the first inning. So I felt pretty warmed up and pretty ready to go after that point. Q. Your breaking balls seemed to have good bite today, especially on your shuto, or two-seam, and on the cutter, but how did those pitches feel to you today? DAISUKE MATSUZAKA: My strike zone wasn't that great today, so I had to rely more on those secondary pitches like the slider, the cutter and the shuto. With my fastball not where I wanted it to be, I did my best to use those secondary pitches to the corners, and I think I was able to do that somewhat effectively today. Q. Up to this point and including last year, you've had trouble going deep into playoff games, and although you might not be happy with the way you came out of the game today, you did make it through seven innings. Do you feel that you've learned from your past postseason starts that helped you get that deep today? And also, what will you be focusing on going forward? DAISUKE MATSUZAKA: Today facing Shields, I know that he's a patient and good pitcher, so I just wanted to go deep into the game like he does. I don't know if I was able to use any lessons I picked up in the past in the postseason, but some days I can pitch like that and other days I can't. Q. I was wondering why you've been so consistently effective with runners in scoring position and the bases loaded in the two years you've pitched here in America? DAISUKE MATSUZAKA: I'm not really sure myself. But it just turns out that I've been able to hold the runners with the bases loaded, and even when I've allowed runners on through walks, I've just been able to hold them there. But I'm not making any big mental changes when I get runners into scoring position. Q. In the seventh inning with runners on first and third, were you prepared to give up a run with a double-play ball there, or were you intent on holding them to zero runs in that situation? DAISUKE MATSUZAKA: The way our infield was set up, we were prepared to give up the run for a couple of outs, but I certainly didn't want to let any runs score. Against the first batter I faced, I was definitely hoping for a short fly ball or a strikeout, and that worked out. But when the next batter came up, I was definitely hoping for the double play in that situation. After I was able to get the first batter out, it certainly got a lot easier. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|