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AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX v ANGELS

October 9, 2009

Mike Scioscia

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Two

MATT McKENDRY: Questions for Mike Scioscia.

Q. It seems like patience at the plate has become sort of a big part of the way that you guys do things. Is Bobby a big contributor to adopting that?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Well, patience, I think has to be part of any hitter's -- in his toolbox if he's going to be a good hitter. But it goes in certain levels. Some guys are patient getting into a hitting count, and then when they get a ball to square up, they get very aggressive in hitting counts.
Some guys take patience a little further where their work counts a little bit more. Bobby's certainly in that category. Chone Figgins is in that category.
I do think that Bobby's gotten a lot of young players just from the way he goes about his business of thinking about, you know, why is this guy so good, and what part of his game that makes him so good? And I think it's had a positive impact on some of our younger players. Not just leading into walks, but getting leading in the hitting counts and understanding it's giving the hitting count right back to the pitcher on a pitcher's pitch. And that's certainly had a positive effect on our production.
It's not, when you talk about patience, it's not like we're sitting there just trying to draw walks. But there's always been a strong priority in our organization on getting into hitting counts and then key holing and understanding what a pitcher is doing in putting a good swing on a ball in a hitting count.
Bobby takes that a little bit further in his game. But some guys have, I think understood the importance of more patience at the plate by just watching Bobby go about his business. So, yes, he has had a positive effect.

Q. Can Tim come back today, or do you think he's going to be out?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: No, he's shut down. We talked about Tim and his stamina. It's been a concern of ours. You know, his pitch count got up there a little bit yesterday, and he's not available today.

Q. He said he's going anthem today. A little something different every day before the game?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: That's what he might be doing it. He might be doing it.

Q. Are you talking about possibly having the instant replay expanded for base calls sometime in the future?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Base calls are just fine.

Q. That's a theoretical question?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: No, I don't think -- I don't think it's practical. I don't think it's needed. These guys are as much as you see us argue, and you see players argue I won't even say most of the time, it sounds like it's 51%. 99% of the time they're correct with their calls. And that's something that shouldn't influence the outcome of a game.
I know two teams that are equally matched it's going to have more of an influence. But if you're playing at a certain level, you should be able to absorb a call that doesn't go your way. A bloop hit, an error that maybe somebody in the field makes. And still play at a high level to absorb that and come out on top. So I don't think it's anything that should be expanded in baseball, no.

Q. If the Angels had something like a shopping list of free agents at the end of last season, where was Bobby on it? Was he at the top?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: There were three guys that we had -- well, Mark Teixeira, obviously, was our priority last year to sign Tex. But if you looked at guys like Raul Ibanez, Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu, there were a lot of guys that were out there that were certainly going to be a fit for our club as they were fit for a lot of clubs.
As the off-season went on and as, you know, Tex went to sign with the Yankees, there was certainly a plan B that Tony Reagins had in place, and Bobby Abreu was always on our radar. But as the off-season moved on, he became much more prominent, and we're obviously we were able to sign him. You can look back on the impact he's had on our season, it was a great signing for our club, and hopefully he'll be with us in the future, too.

Q. Back on the subject of veteran pitchers. Darren Oliver, what has he meant to your staff? Not just this year but since he's been here?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: You know, D.O. has probably had an impact on a lot of guys in our bullpen, much like Bobby Abreu has on the offensive side. Darren's been around. He understands his game. He understands coming into situations, what you need to bring out of the bullpen, what you might need to establish focusing a first pitch and making it a good one.
A lot of things that D.O. does that have been important to some of our younger relief pitchers. I think the biggest impact D.O.'s had is the production. If you look at this guy's numbers over the last couple of years, they're terrific. It's something that we've really needed, especially this year with our bullpen being in such a state of flux and really not getting into some roles until we moved on to probably the second half of the season.
Darren's been there for the whole time. He's been as steady as anyone.

Q. I thought that some of Figgins' defensive plays got lost in the shuffle last night. I thought they were very important. Can you talk about that?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Two key plays. Probably the biggest one was on Kevin Youkilis, and a ball he hit with the runners running the 3-2 count. That's not an easy hop at all. The point of the game is they're getting into a point where they can start bringing that tying run on deck with as much power as they have. It's certainly a situation that you don't want to see happen.
That was obviously a key play to get out of that inning. And even one that didn't seem as big as the time the ball that Casey Kotchman hit, which was not an easy play at all. A tough short hop into the 6-hole, and Figgie smeared it and made it look easy. And that's a big, obviously, a big on out at that time to on just get one out that inning, and you know, that was John's last hitter.
But Chone Figgins has played gold glove caliber third base the whole year for us. I don't think there's any question the guys that have seen him play every day, sometimes you take for granted what he does. But on the baseball field, our defense, and in particular the way Chone has picked up his game and feeling comfortable, third base has been as big a factor as anything for any success we've had this season.

Q. Can you talk about the new start time on Sunday east coast time? How much of an effect, if any, does that have?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Breakfast is going to be a little bit of a rush, I guess. But I know I'll overcome that. I'll work through that.
You know, you play the games when they will you to show up and play. The schedule is not easy during the season. The schedule is not easy during the playoffs. We'll work around it. We were aware of the 12:00 o'clock start probably found out a couple days ago about it. You know, we'll work around it. We're going to be ready to play, and that's the bottom line. That's what you have to do.

Q. As a former catcher yourself, can you appreciate the career like a Varitek had, has had, and being at his age and what he's gone through?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Yeah, I mean, I think it's incredible when we look at Varitek and you look at not only what he's achieved during the season, but I mean big games he's played in the postseason. He's been there day-in and day-out for such a long time and had a major impact on what they've accomplished in Boston.
This guy is certainly a leader. I think he's just a prototypical winning catcher. The guy that goes back there and understands the importance of calling 150 pitches. Having a pitcher execute the 150 pitches, and making anything you do offensively secondary to that.
He'll have an ugly at bat and put that mask on and all of a sudden he's an All-Star catcher back there again. I think there's an important lesson for a lot of young catchers and something we certainly try to pound into our youngsters about the influence that you're going to have on a game. Even when he's not swinging the bat well, he's had as much of an influence on Boston's success in the last six, seven years as anybody over there.
I know that they've appreciated what he's done. Certainly he's a catcher. Looking from afar, because until you're in the dugout with a guy, until you're in the meetings, maybe you don't get a flavor for it. But I'd be very shocked if there is anything different than the perception I have for Jason, what he's done. He's a heck of a catcher.

Q. With the flight tonight and the early start time, there is nothing gained by working out tomorrow? Is that what you figure?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: We're going to workout here before our flight.

Q. Not at Fenway?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: No, we won't get to Fenway. We did that last year, waited an hour and a half for our bags. We finished the workout about midnight. So we're going to workout here tomorrow before our flight, and then we'll get into Boston and get a good night's sleep and get ready to play.

Q. In all the years you've been going out to the mound and taking Lackey out of the game has he ever said, yep, Skip, you're right, I'm ready to come out?
MIKE SCIOSCIA: Never. And I think the first time he would, I'd really start to worry (smiling). John Lackey, he I think like most pitchers that are those quote unquote big game pitchers or competitors. They do not want to come out of the ballgame. They're probably the last ones to even think about, hey, I might be losing a little bit out here. They feel they're still throwing the ball as well as they ever have. They don't give into the situation. They don't give in to maybe feel the fatigue. They don't give into it. So they still mentally think they're focussed and throwing the ball as well as they ever have.
You know, pitch counts to John are meaningless. He doesn't even care. He doesn't look. He wants to win. He wants to get to where he throws the last pitch of a game, and he's never happy to come out of a game. I wouldn't expect him to be. I think that's just kind of a residual effect of what a competitor is, much like a lot of pitchers that we're going to see in this series on both teams. These guys are all competitors. They want to stay out there, and they want to get it done all the way.

End of FastScripts

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