	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS v RAYS

October 6, 2010

Bengie Molina

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Game One

Texas Rangers Â– 5
Tampa Bay Rays - 1

Q. Did that pitch hit Carlos PeÃ±a?
BENGIE MOLINA: To tell you the truth, I couldn't tell. I know it hit something. I wasn't sure if it hit him or it hit the bat. The guys went in and said that it hit the bat in the replay, but I was sure that it hit something.

Q. Just following that up, do you think that turned the game at all, if it had been 3-1 instead of 2-2?
BENGIE MOLINA: I don't believe in that. I think the game could be turned around by anything through the whole game. You cannot say in the first inning, even if they would have scored one run and we came back and scored five or something like that, I don't think you can say that.

Q. Can you talk about your offensive output today compared to what you've done during the season?
BENGIE MOLINA: I just got lucky today. I guess I saw pitches up in the zone, and I got hits. I don't like talking about my hitting so much, even if I do good. I don't like doing that. But today I got lucky. I got three hits and see what happens in the next game.

Q. Can you just talk about Cliff Lee today, what was working and how you two were working out there?
BENGIE MOLINA: He was amazing. He is amazing, period. He's one of the best pitchers in the game, and he's a lot of fun to catch, man. He's unbelievable. He controls the fastball so well. He throws the cutter wherever he wants to, outside, inside. He put the ball up whenever he wants to. He throws that curveball. He's as good as anybody. We didn't use the change-up too much today, but he was on today.

Q. How big a deal was it to get out of that first inning without giving up any runs?
BENGIE MOLINA: It was huge. It was huge, and you never knew what was going to happen after that. It doesn't mean we were going to lose or win the game, either way. But it's huge. I mean, we want to stay 0-0 the whole way, I'll take that, but it was huge us getting out of that jam.

Q. In that first inning was Cliff -- did he just not have good location or were they hitting good pitches? What was going on there?
BENGIE MOLINA: I think that lead-off guy got jammed and got a blip over the second baseman. I think Crawford got jammed, hit it up the middle. Those two were good pitches. Longoria hit the cutter away, and he hit it pretty good. You know, they earned their way on, so it's fine, you've just got to work your way out.

Q. Was there a particular pitch or series today that you really enjoyed? You said it's fun catching him. Was there anything today that was especially special coming from Cliff?
BENGIE MOLINA: I think the whole game. You know, I've always been a defensive catcher first, so I enjoy every pitcher, but he is amazing, man. He can go cutter in, curveball away, and he'll get it there. It's a lot of fun just being back there. I don't want to take any credit; he did all the work, man. He's a special man.

Q. Bengie, how did you feel when the trade went through, the Giants sending you to Texas?
BENGIE MOLINA: At first I didn't feel so well because I had a lot of friends on the other side, and I took care of those pitchers and they took care of me good. We were very like a family out there. But then once I came here, you've got to turn the page. You've got to say they didn't want you, and these guys, they really want you. So I took it very nice. I was very positive with it, you know, and I wanted to work hard with any pitchers that they had here, make them better as much as I can, and win. Obviously they already had a great team. I came in to fill in and try to win this whole thing.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297