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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ANGELS v YANKEESOctober 19, 2009Howie KendrickJeff MathisLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Three YANKEES – 4 THE MODERATOR: Questions for Howie and Jeff. Q. Just talk about the importance of this win after the two losses there, how important was this game for the Angels to win, first Jeff, and then Howie? JEFF MATHIS: I mean, it was huge. After the game the other night it was big for us to come out and get a W. To take it to 2-1 instead of 3-0. HOWIE KENDRICK: I agree with Jeff right there. To come back and win this way after we got left on the field at their place. So it's definitely good to come back and get that win, and hopefully the same thing tomorrow, come back. Hopefully, not as long of a game. Q. For Jeff, where does this rank, the obvious question, where does this rank as far as hits and moments in your career? JEFF MATHIS: I mean, obviously it's the biggest hit of my life. I mean, to come through, and for Howie to have the at-bat he did right there and get on base and put one in the gap and score to win the game, it's a pretty good feeling. Q. Jeff, who were you pointing to in the stands? JEFF MATHIS: My mom and my grandmama. Q. Apart from the 11, 12 innings, was this the game that the two of you were expecting to play early in this series? HOWIE KENDRICK: Expecting to play? Q. Like the level of performance for your club. HOWIE KENDRICK: This is the type of games that as a team, you know, we've played all year. We've come from behind all year just like the Yankees have. And I think we're in a sense evenly matched. They have a lot of guys that do a lot of things. And we have a lot of guys that wreak havoc, too, especially on the base paths. When we get guys we're always moving, and we've got guys that are good hitters. They're the same way. They've got some speed. They've got good hitters. Like with us, we manufacture more runs. We don't necessarily have to hit a lot of long balls because we steal the bases and go first to third on those singles. So we always have a lot of guys in scoring position, in the old-fashioned sense, I guess. Q. The inning before you had the runner at third with nobody out, and first and third with nobody out. And this inning you had no one on base with two outs. Can you talk about the mindset of the team with come backs like the Boston game where you had no one on with two out and scored the three runs? Just the mindset of when you have two outs of still keeping the inning alive? JEFF MATHIS: Well, I mean, how we said earlier, Howie did a good job of putting a good at-bat together and got on first. That's how it's been all year. Scrapping and clawing, and trying to stay in the game and doing whatever it takes to come back and win. HOWIE KENDRICK: I can agree with him on that one, too, on that same question. Because everybody on this team, I mean, day-in and day-out it's somebody new. So it just shows a lot of the depth that we have, and we believe in everybody. So I think that's something about our team that, you know, we have faith in everybody one through nine and even the bench guys. Q. How tough a season has it been for you? You were sent down to the minor leagues and you come back and have to platoon? With your hitting credentials isn't it kind of ironic now you're the big star of this game? HOWIE KENDRICK: Early on in the season I just got ahead of myself. You know, I was impatient. Kind of pressing a lot. And it kind of got me away from just playing the game, having fun. I put a lot of that pressure on myself. Expected to do a lot more than what I should have been trying to do. Getting sent down to the Minors opened my eyes again. It made me hungry. I came back with that fire again and just enjoyed the game. We were winning. A lot of good guys up here. I just wanted to fit in with everybody and what we were doing. You know, along with that I just had a lot of success on the way back up here. It's definitely been fun. Hopefully we can continue to have fun and just keep playing. Q. Can you talk about your struggles at the plate offensively this year? And maybe kind of the low point, and then sort of talk about the moment when your teammates ran out there and dog piled on you after the game? Maybe that swing of emotion you felt? JEFF MATHIS: Absolutely. Obviously, this year wasn't one of my best years. I battled all year. To be where we're at now and to get a hit like that and enjoy that moment with all those guys is obviously, obviously an awesome feeling. Q. Could you tell us, when was the last time you had a walk-off hit anyplace? Do you remember one? JEFF MATHIS: Yeah, it was here. It was here earlier in the year. Q. What was the situation, do you remember? JEFF MATHIS: Runner on second against Boston. Singled into left center. Q. Take us through that situation the first time you doubled. And then the bunt went down. Did you see the ball go past A-Rod? Did you think I got to get up and run? What was going through your mind? Because there was a moment there where we all thought this is going to be when you scored the winning run? JEFF MATHIS: Right. I knew Mariano was going to bounce around off the mound, and he did. He made an athletic play. And it was kind of bang-bang at third. And I dove in head first. I didn't know that Alex missed the ball. I thought he had the ball, so I was just making sure I was on first, and trying to look to see what had happened. Obviously, didn't know the ball went down the line. Just ended up staying on third. Q. Did you expect to be going to second base, and maybe he would throw Reggie Willits in to run for you? Did you think about that? JEFF MATHIS: No, I didn't think about that. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen. End of FastScripts |
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