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MLB WORLD SERIES: PHILLIES v YANKEES

October 28, 2009

Cliff Lee

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game One

Philadelphia Phillies 6
New York Yankees 1

Q. You exhibited a lot of cool tonight, not only pitching this well against the Yankees, but also some of the defensive plays you made, like behind your back. Is your confidence just top of the world right now?
CLIFF LEE: I don't know how I caught that ball. To be successful at this level, you've got to be confident. You've got to go out there and think you're going to get everybody out and think you can. I definitely do that. I try not to go over the edge and rub things in and be cocky, but I definitely have confidence, there's no doubt about it.

Q. Can you just talk about how comfortable you felt there tonight, because everyone is just praising your performance in both clubhouses. How good did it feel out there tonight? And secondly, can you talk about what this game means, to take Game 1 here at Yankee Stadium?
CLIFF LEE: I mean, winning Game 1 is huge. You want to get off to a good start. It's a seven-game series, getting that first one out of the way is big for us. At worst we can split here in New York and go back home and really have the home-field advantage. Yeah, winning at least one of these first two is huge, the first one especially, so now we've got a chance to take both of them and go into Philly in a real good spot.
Yeah, and about being cool or whatever, I've always been that way. This is the same game I've been playing my whole life, and this is the stage that I've wanted to get to from a little kid. Now that I'm here, I've already put all the work in, there's no sense in being nervous and worried. It's time to go out there and let my talents and skills take over and execute pitches. I've already done everything I know I need to do to prepare for it, so there's no reason for me to be nervous. That's kind of how I look at it.

Q. We talked yesterday about how you're going to handle Alex Rodriguez. He's been red hot in the playoffs. You handled him well tonight. The second at-bat, the 3-2 change-up, talk about your mindset with him and getting him out because you were very effective with that tonight.
CLIFF LEE: Yeah, I don't know if there's any one way to get him out. Really this whole lineup, you've got to be unpredictable, you've got to show them stuff they haven't seen before and just kind of be unpredictable, mix speeds, mix locations, and don't get in patterns. That offense is pretty potent, and if they get a clue on what you're trying to do and you actually do it, they're going to make you pay.
Same thing goes for getting behind in the count, you get 2-0, 3-1 too much with a team like this, you're going to get hurt. So I did everything I could to stay away from those situations and work ahead in the count and make them swing their way on base, and we made plays.

Q. You talk about definitely not giving them any clues and definitely trying to basically be unpredictable in everything that you're doing. Do you think that with the games against the Dodgers you had enough time to rest and you had enough time, probably like seven days to rest before the first game of the World Series? Do you think that helped you a little bit to prepare you? You were well-rested as compared to CC Sabathia tonight?
CLIFF LEE: Honestly going into it I thought I felt too fresh. I thought that the first couple innings I was going to be a little rusty, I was going to be a little erratic and it would take me a minute to get back to executing pitches, but it didn't turn out that way. Yeah, I was thinking the opposite of what you said. But yeah, who knows. I have thrown a lot of innings this year, and you know, it didn't really hurt. But once you're used to throwing every five days for the whole season, then all of a sudden you get three or four extra days, it kind of makes you feel different, and this is definitely a game of feel. You're comfortable with going every five days. So it was kind of a little different. I didn't know how to -- I had to adjust my routine, basically. This is a routine-oriented sport, so I thought it was going to affect me the other way, but come to find out it worked out just fine.

Q. You talked about how you've done all the work so there's no need to be nervous. But really not nervous at all going into Game 1, World Series, Yankee Stadium?
CLIFF LEE: Not nervous at all. It's been a long time since I've been nervous playing this game. It's what I've been doing my whole life. Like I said, I put all the work in. You do everything you need to do to prepare, and I try not to leave anything to chance. So what's the point in being nervous? I've already done the work. It's game time; time to go out there and have fun and execute and let your skills take over.

Q. Have you thought at all about your kind of odyssey here in New York? You start the last All-Star Game at the old place, you win the first game here, you win the first World Series game here. How do you explain all that success in the same place in such a short period of time?
CLIFF LEE: I think it's just ironic. It's my first All-Star Game. It's not like I was going to every one and then all of a sudden we had one in New York. It's ironic that we had it there, and the timing of it actually being my turn to pitch when we come to New York for the first game here. It's ironic. Yeah, winning the -- the Yankees had to win to get here, to get to this spot, so that's ironic, too. Whether it's the Yankees or it would have been the Angels, I'm still going out there and trying to put up zeroes and giving the team a chance to win.
I just think it's ironic that I had two firsts and one last at the old Yankee Stadium and then here. I think it's just more irony than anything.

Q. Two things: Safe to say that the weather wasn't a factor tonight? And second, with the way your first couple starts in the post-season went, how nice was it to get all 27 outs tonight?
CLIFF LEE: Yeah, that's what you want to do every time you take the mound, or at least I do. I want to go out there and pitch until the game is over. I've never been happy coming out of the game early. That's just competitive nature, and that's me having confidence in what I do and expecting to be successful. Fortunately tonight I was able to do that.
But every game I pitch, I always want to go nine innings and put up all zeroes. But that's not reality and that's not always going to happen, but that's what I'm expecting to do every time I take the mound.

Q. Have you thought yet about the possibility of pitching Game 4 on short rest?
CLIFF LEE: No (laughing). I was thinking about Game 1. Now I'm trying to answer questions about that. I really haven't looked forward to whatever. That's a better question for Charlie. He's the one that makes those decisions. I'm ready to pitch whenever they'll let me.

Q. Was there a point in the game where you kind of felt that everything was working for you? And if so, when did that happen?
CLIFF LEE: I don't know if there was a point where I was like, wow, this is it; I've got them. With a lineup like that, I don't think I ever really had that feeling. But I knew when the first three or four innings that it was going to be a good day. I didn't know that I was going to be a complete game and go the way it was, but I knew that I had my stuff and was locating pitches. But with an offense like that, you can feel that way and make a couple mistakes, and it's going to turn south for you quick.
I try not to think like that. I try not to think, wow, I've got this figured out, because usually when you start thinking you've got something figured out, it's going to blow up in your face. So I try to stay away from those kind of thoughts.

Q. You said that ever since you were a little kid this was the stage that you wanted. Now that you're performing like this on it, how is that experience for you?
CLIFF LEE: It's surreal. I mean, like I said, this is what you dream of as a baseball player growing up, as a kid. This is the stage you want to play on. You want to pitch in the World Series. I'm here and having success, but it's not over yet. We've still got work to do. It's one game. There's potentially six more games, and I'm not about to start patting myself on the back and thinking I got it figured out now. I have had success so far in the post-season, but like I said, it's not over until it's over. It goes back to the previous question; whenever you think you've got it figured out or whatever, start having those kind of thoughts, it's going to blow up in your face. So I'm trying not to sit here and think, "Wow, this has been an easy post-season or anything like that," because that's far from what I'm thinking. I'm going to try to keep going and doing what I'm doing and making sure I'm doing all the work in between to prepare for each start. I feel like if I do that, there's no reason why I shouldn't be successful.
I'll pat myself on the back when it's over hopefully, but until then I'm going to keep grinding and do everything I do each day to prepare for my next outing and leave it at that.

Q. Please tell us about that basket catch. Was that just an extension of the overall cool you exhibited tonight?
CLIFF LEE: Yeah, it was pretty cool. (Laughter).
I don't know, it's 15 feet in the air and came right to me. It was a pretty simple catch. Whatever. I don't know. I caught it, he was out, so that's all that really matters.

End of FastScripts

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