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AL DIVISION SERIES: TWINS v YANKEESOctober 8, 2009Nick BlackburnNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Workout Day THE MODERATOR: Good morning, everybody. We are going to get started with Nick Blackburn who was good enough to give up husband time. We'll take the first question for Nick. Q. Nick, you have had success in some big games last year, 163 and the last couple of starts. Why do you think that is the case? NICK BLACKBURN: I'm not real sure, you know. Even in big games like that, I'll still go out there and try to stick to my game plan and see where it goes. I can't really say why I go out and have good games. Last year was still a loss in that last game. So can't look at it as it was a great game. I don't try to do too much. I try to stay within my limits and that I think probably helps me out. Q. You guys said last night you weren't overwhelmed; you didn't feel that tired and you didn't really feel over matched. What do you think it is that explains this record that you guys have at this ballpark, this year and dating back well before your time? NICK BLACKBURN: Who knows? Every game we were in this last trip up here earlier in the season, we had a lead going into it. So it is not like we were playing bad baseball up here. We had these guys on the line and they just came back in the last innings. So it's not like we can't beat them here at this stadium. We had them beat. We just had a couple of unfortunate situations come up. Q. A lot of people describe the Yankee lineup, other pitchers, as unrelenting. As pitcher navigating through that lineup, how difficult is that and how do you remain poised and composed? NICK BLACKBURN: Yes, it's definitely a tough lineup. You know, but each guy has their own weaknesses. You just have to find a way to expose them. You can't -- I can't go and do something I'm not good at just because that hitter is not good at it. I have to stick to my strengths also, but nobody is perfect. Everybody is going to have a hole somewhere in their swing. Each pitcher is going to have a hole in his approach. So it's all about executing pitches and exposing their weaknesses. Q. Nick, you struggled a little earlier in August. What was the biggest adjustment? You're pitching better now, what was the biggest adjustment for you? I understood there was something about not throwing your curveball? NICK BLACKBURN: It was a mixture of pitch selection and also I think I was trying to do a little too much. I was trying to make pitches happen instead of just going out this and allow the movement to get the guys out. I was probably pressing a little bit too much trying to make too much -- too much out of nothing, basically. I was just pushing too much, and that happens from time to time. There's guys that do it with their swings. There's other pitches that go through it. There's just a small phase and hopefully we're done with that. Q. Nick, the Yankees are averaging about 7 runs a game. Is there anything special that you can do to try to slow down their bats based on the fact they are so stacked from top to bottom? NICK BLACKBURN: I'm not going to change my approach. I'm going to try to keep them off balance. I'm going to try to move the ball around and do what I've been doing lately. I'm going to stick to my game plan. That's what's been working for me so far. I don't plan on changing anything for these guys. Q. Do you have to fight the tendency of thinking my God, they're good? Do you have to get yourself over the fact that they're such big names with such big numbers up and town the lineup? NICK BLACKBURN: I don't think at this point anymore. Most lineups in baseball are pretty tough. Obviously, these guys have some bigger names. But like I said earlier, they're still going to have weaknesses. They still -- you can get them out. I'm just not going to go out of my way. I'm not going to try to think about who they are. That can't do any good for me. I'm just going to go out there with my game plan. Have that on my mind and try to execute it. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Nick for coming in. End of FastScripts |
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