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MLB ALL-STAR GAMEJuly 13, 2010Brian McCannANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA Q. We have all been talking for decades almost about the American League dominance; what does it mean as a National Leaguer to finally win, was it on your mind and was that something that your team really wanted to finally come to an end? BRIAN McCANN: Yeah, we've had to answer that question for the last, you know, five times for me, and to be able to come through in a big spot was something I'll never forget. Q. Can you go through the at-bat, it was a pretty tough at-bat? BRIAN McCANN: Thornton has got one of best left-handed fastballs in the game. You know, I sat on the fastball and tried to get my hands going a little early, and I got a pitch to handle, and luckily I didn't miss it. Q. You've been in a few of these games and this is your first base hit. How did it feel to break that streak? BRIAN McCANN: It felt great. This is something you dream about, I mean, to be in a situation like that, just to be in a game, to share a locker room with these guys, as a kid, this is what you dream about when you play baseball. It's a moment I'll never forget, and you know, tonight was just -- I was lucky enough to be in a situation to come through. Q. On pitch before, you hit a fly ball right down the right field line and just barely made it into the seats; what were you thinking on that one? BRIAN McCANN: I just put my head down and prayed that it got into the seats; that I would get another shot. I saw the first pitch he threw pretty good. I just came around a little bit. You know, I got lucky and got a pitch that I could handle. Q. We talked about you not having a hit in your first few games; is that the kind of thing that's even in your mind that you're thinking about, gee, I don't have one of these yet? BRIAN McCANN: I've faced B.J. Ryan, guys like that, when you're facing quality guys, I had three at-bats before that, so I wasn't even thinking about that at all. Q. You talk about how this game meant a lot to you and the victory that the National League had today; could you at least give us a little bit of a mind frame, the kind of pressure what you went through before coming out here today, just explain to us like how much pressure it was on you before the game? BRIAN McCANN: Pressure-wise, as far as, I mean, coming to an All-Star Game, there's not much pressure as far as coming here and being, you know, rewarded for your first half. I mean, you take it all in. That's what this whole experience is about. You share a locker room with the best players in the world, and I'm lucky enough to be one of them this year; and like I said before, I was put in a good spot tonight and I was able to come through. Q. Why do you think there was only no runs through the first four innings and one run through the first six, was it pitching or was it the twilight conditions? BRIAN McCANN: No, it's the pitching. You see the quality of arms that both teams are throwing out there on a nightly basis. I mean, that's why -- it's the year of the pitcher. These guys, I can speak for my division, you have to face Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson, and so every single night you're going out you're facing quality arms. Everybody knew it was going to be a low-scoring game. Q. We talk a lot about the winless streak, but how personally do the players take it, if at all? Does it matter to you guys? BRIAN McCANN: I mean, the game counts. It means for to me, a little bit this year than years past because we are in first place. You think about it more when you're sitting in that position instead of coming here ten games out, 12 games out. It's something that home-field advantage is exactly that. It's a home-field advantage. Q. Did you think about it as a kid, too? This thing started when you were junior high school. BRIAN McCANN: Oh, when it counts? I mean, everybody knows that it counts. Q. I'm talking about ending the National League's winless streak. It doesn't matter to you guys, or you're personally invested. BRIAN McCANN: We don't come out here just to play for, you know, oh, it's okay to come out here and lose. Everybody is competitive and that's why we are here. We have been like this our whole lives. We want to win, whether it doesn't matter or counts or not, we want to come out here and perform and we came out to win tonight. Q. You talked about it means more to you guys because you're in first place this year, are you really thinking about that coming into the game, is it in your thought process? BRIAN McCANN: You just come and play, you think about it afterwards. I'm sitting here now and reflecting on it, and it's nice to be in first place and it's nice to have a chance to hopefully play in the playoffs and go further. So right now, this is a good feeling. Q. You also had the bat a couple of innings earlier where you stranded runners on first and third. Was there any more motivation because of that to be in sort of a repeat situation? BRIAN McCANN: Tonight I was lucky. I came up in two shots and both my at-bats I had a chance to, you know, tie the game or give us a lead. So I was able to come through on a second at-bat. Like I said before, you're facing Justin Verlander, I mean, that's not an easy at-bat. You know, he beat me on a fastball at 98, 97 up in the zone, so I was just glad I was able to come back on my second at-bat. End of FastScripts |
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