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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: PHILLIES v DODGERS

October 15, 2009

Pedro Martinez

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game One

Q. I think you were supposed to pitch over the weekend and then you didn't. You said that you wanted to get back out there in a game before you'd be ready. Did the simulated game you pitched the other day serve as, I guess, a good replacement for that?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Well, I'm going to have to take that for now because there wasn't any time to do anything else. I guess I'm going to have to rely on whatever I was able to do, and I just had two innings of BP to Bruntlett and Dobbs.

Q. What would it mean for you to take the mound in this stadium tomorrow night? I don't want to make you feel old, but it was 17 years ago when you made your debut.
PEDRO MARTINEZ: It's going to be special, especially bringing back memories about my start here. I was born in this place, and I hope this is not the last one that I pitch here, but if it is, it would be a great joy to actually do it in the same place I started.

Q. In the first half of the season when you weren't playing, were you still confident before you signed that you'd be able to help a club especially get this far?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Yeah, I was totally confident. I didn't go for just any team. I said that before. I had the opportunity to go with some other teams. But I didn't consider those teams to be contenders, and I was right. None of the teams that actually probably were offering me a job from the getgo, actually in spring training, are in the playoffs right now. So I was wise in some ways to wait and wait for the right team and wait for the right situation.
You know, I'm in a team right now that offers me probably one of the best chances to win.

Q. Charlie mentioned that when you had that 130-pitch outing you had pulled a muscle in your neck or your shoulder. Can you expand a little bit about that and how you feel in regards to that injury?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Well, everybody thought it was my neck, but in reality, after seeing a chiropractor it was one of my ribs popped out when I was swinging the bat. He says that it's something really common; you can actually pop one of your ribs out actually sneezing. But it's something that never happened to me. It was the first time. Everything on the right side stiffened up, and I wasn't able to continue.
But after adjusting my rib and putting it back in place, I felt fine. I have been able to pitch, even though I haven't done it much. I was able to bounce back, and everything is back to normal.

Q. I was wondering, do you kind of have an appreciation for how hard it might be for Charlie to kind of manage a pitching staff in the postseason? He's got starters pitching in the bullpen, he's got mixing and matching for match-ups and stuff. Can you appreciate how hard that might be?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Yes, I totally understand. Charlie is going to probably go to any source he can find to actually fill up the spaces and get the best match-ups out there for the team to get a good chance to win. I can relate to that because as far as pitching, I understand, and I totally understand what he wants to do.
He's doing a great job so far. So nothing that we can say that would probably be enough to compliment what Charlie has done.

Q. What will be your feelings be like tomorrow night when Manny steps into that batter's box? You guys have had such a great relationship. What will your emotions be like, and are you the one pitcher that probably knows how to pitch him better than anybody else?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Well, nobody can say I know how to pitch Manny. Manny is such a great hitter, and he's someone that makes adjustments as he sees the game develop. You know, I have a very good relationship with Manny. We are actually like brothers. But we're both professionals, and we belong to different teams.
So we're going to have to go out there, do the best that we can to help our team win, and actually leave it at that in the field. But once the game is over, I hope he comes over and gives me the same real hug he always gives me and the same jokes.

Q. Charlie said that he thought you looked pretty good in your simulated game, but yesterday I believe you used the word erratic. What did you think was erratic about the couple innings you pitched?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Normally I have good command of my pitches, and yesterday I didn't have it, even though yesterday I felt a little bit better about it. Today I'm expecting the same thing and tomorrow even better because I'm going to get more chances to actually sleep and actually do a little bit of flat ground and flip the ball around, and now I know I'm going to go into a game. Actually the adrenaline of the game will probably help me out a little bit to regain command and concentration about the things that I have to do.
But it was a tough day today. I did the two innings. We had just landed from Colorado in Philadelphia. I only got like three hours of sleep, and you're right back into the field. The cold weather over there in Colorado, we didn't get to stretch very well. I didn't get to throw at all. It was really difficult. Everything was working against that day.
But here the weather is a lot more comfortable. Everything seems to be more comfortable. So I'm expecting better results.

Q. Just in the same way you changed teams this year for a good situation, Padilla has also gotten himself in a good situation. What do you think of Padilla?
PEDRO MARTINEZ: Padilla is a very healthy arm and a lot of talent, and I'm happy for him, and I'm pretty sure that someone like Joe and the coaching staff that they have here will help him out a lot in the things that he lacks. Padilla is full of talent. He's a guy that has a tremendous arm and very strong.
I mean, as far as stuff, Padilla is right there with anybody. I pray that he stays healthy and he refocuses his mind to playing baseball and obeys Joe Torre the way he should so that he can have success.

End of FastScripts

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