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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GIANTS v PHILLIESOctober 15, 2010Roy HalladayPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Workout Day Q. Have you tried to imitate or had a similar workout plan as you did from the end of the regular season to your first post-season? The days off were pretty similar in days, I think. ROY HALLADAY: Obviously I knew last time a little more in advance. I was kind of preparing to pitch the second game in Cincinnati, so it was a little different. But once we won the game and kind of knew when we were pitching, I tried to back everything back and take it like I would a regular start, do my stuff in between as I normally would. But it was pretty easy at that point. I had five or six days, so it wasn't a lot different. I was able to prepare a lot the same. Q. This is normally the time where you start to zone us all out for a start tomorrow. Is this the most difficult part of the post-season for you, changing your routine? ROY HALLADAY: Yeah, it's definitely tough. I think the hard part for me has been you have so long in between, the anticipation kind of gets to you. But the media part's definitely -- you know, it's something I enjoy. But I think it's important, when you're doing it, to keep your agenda and to keep your focus on what your plan is and what you want to go out and do. But it's definitely different. But it beats the heck out of fishing, I can tell you that. (Laughter). Q. Everybody is all excited about the matchup with you and Lincecum. Do you allow yourself to appreciate at all, the uniqueness of it? And also did you watch the game Lincecum pitched last week? ROY HALLADAY: Well, yeah, I think I obviously saw his game. Tremendous job. I think I watched it as more as a baseball fan than a student at that point. But at this point in the season, you know, you expect to play the best, and that's what makes it fun. It's a challenge. As far as the opposing pitcher, obviously there's not a lot of focus, pitcher to pitcher. There's not much of that, other than facing them a couple times, hopefully. You know, there's not much you put a lot of emphasis on as far as that goes. So you do try and keep your focus on their lineup, what you're going to do. But, yeah, you expect to go against the best at this point, and it makes it exciting. It makes it fun when you do. Q. I have to ask you another Tim Lincecum: The only time you faced off against each other was the All-Star Game last year. What about him impresses you? Is there anything in particular that you enjoy watching or impressed about how he goes about his job? ROY HALLADAY: Well, I've seen very good tempo. Works quick. He's got two or three pitches that he can put guys away with. And he's not a one-pitch guy that is going to rely on one pitch the entire game. He's got two or three different options. So anytime you see guys that can have that, that can do that in any count, you realize they're going to be good. And I think other pitchers enjoy watching those type of guys go out there. I think we all want to see well-pitched games. You hate to see the hitters dominate all the time. So it's fun to see that sometimes. Q. Jack Morris was on a conference call earlier talking about you, but also they had John Smoltz and him talking about '91. I'm figuring you're 15, and you are a baseball fan as you said, you probably watched that game. Your memories of that and if there other games you remember that were like those kind of games? ROY HALLADAY: I don't know if I can remember one as good as that. You know, to have two guys go out and hearing Jack's side of it, wanting to go out for that extra inning, not to be outdone, that's pretty impressive. That's definitely a special, special type of guy. But I think those are things that you never know when those games are going to happen. And that's the beauty of it. You can build up, talk about things as much as you want but you never know when those good ones are going to happen. That's what makes this game fun. You can't ever predict how things are going to work out. But as far as the player's standpoint, it's fun to have the challenge of going out there and trying to compete, trying to do the best you can. But I don't know if I've ever seen one as good as that. Q. The first time you faced the Reds they beat you; next two times you faced them you didn't allow a run. And the Giants beat you earlier this season. How much time do you spend looking at those games when you're facing a team that has beaten you? Do you spend more time or are there particular things that you look at in those games? ROY HALLADAY: No, I prepare the same. I spend the same amount of time as I normally would watching. I think if it were -- if you had pitched to them recently, you know, they had a lot of the same guys, I think that you could take more out of it. When you're talking four or five months and half the team is different guys now, you know. It makes a big difference. So you may take a couple things out of those previous starts, but other than that, you're kind of starting fresh. There's new guys you have to go over. And obviously guys are going to be swinging the bat differently at the end of the season than they would four or five months earlier. So it's kind of a different ballgame. I think you prepare as if it were the first time you're facing them. Q. Having waited your whole career basically for these couple of weeks and done what you did in your first start, had a few days to think about it, is there anything different or unexpected about what you thought it might be when you've never played in the post-season and now that you are? ROY HALLADAY: The champagne's colder. But it's been as much fun, if not more fun, than I anticipated. I think going in, you kind of wonder what it would be like, how it would feel. And really it's been more of an exciting challenge for me than I haven't felt like I'm dealing with pressure. It's more of an exciting anticipation. And that's one part I didn't expect. To get to this point has been so much fun, but going out and pitching these games, you know, you look forward to it. It's definitely been exciting. But I've been surprised how much I've actually enjoyed and looked forward to the challenge. Q. Clearly starting to spoil a lot of folks around here with a perfect game, the no-hitter, and all the pressure that you already have upon yourself. Do you feel any additional pressure to outperform even like your last outing, the no-hitter, in Game 1? ROY HALLADAY: No, that's the beauty of it. I don't look at it as pressure. I look at it as a challenge, you know, something to look forward to. Getting to this point, you put in so much work to get here that once you do, you know, it's been nothing but excitement. And you don't feel like there's a certain standard you have to live up to. I feel like I need to go out and pitch the way that I normally pitch, execute pitches, and be aggressive. But I think it's all in how you look at it. And for me it's been nothing but a challenge and something I've looked forward to. I just haven't felt the pressure of having to live up to something or do something. It's been a tremendous opportunity, and I think that's the way you look at it. Q. In the NLDS, obviously you Roy and Cole were lined up to face the same opponent and the same is true in at least one or two series in September. How much are you three at the beginning of the series game-planning or talking in the dugout? How much have the three of you collaborated on scouting reports and preparing? ROY HALLADAY: Well, last time, yeah, we definitely -- I think you're sharing as much as you can. Obviously Roy and Cole have faced some National League guys a lot more than I have. So as much as I watch and study, it's always nice to be able to hear their thoughts on different guys. So you'll definitely take anything you can get. And if you find a way to put it in your game plan, you'll use it. So it's definitely been good. It's something, I think, all pitchers should do. But at this point, yeah, definitely you go over different lineups with guys, talk about what you think, what you see, and what feelings they might have about how to approach them. Q. As the level of pitching raises up in the post-season, do you and Carlos spend a little more time focusing on controlling the opposition's running game? If so, how do you do that? How do you amp that up, because as we know runs are at a premium all the time. ROY HALLADAY: I think that's always something you're aware of. I think first and foremost, for a pitcher, obviously, is executing a pitch. But there are a lot of ways, I think, that you can help control that part of the game. There's going to be certain guys that are going to steal bases, certain guys that are going to run the bases well or do things well. But if you can control the mistakes and make things harder for them, I think you're doing your job. Obviously, we have a tremendous catcher, great throwing catcher. So a lot of that he's been able to pick up. You try and do little things to minimize as much as you can. There's going to be times where they do things right and get those things done, but if you can eliminate it from happening all the time, do the best you can to slow it down, I think you're definitely helping yourself. Q. Roy, what's it say about the game that you and Lincecum, two different body types, two different styles, can be so successful at what you do? And if he's the freak, what would you call yourself? ROY HALLADAY: (Laughter) Yeah, I don't know. That's a good question. Yeah, I think you see it a lot over time. Looking at Ron Guidry and a Randy Johnson, you know, there's never a guarantee of whether a guy's going to be good or not, or how good he can ever be. It just kind of happens. I think there's a lot of internal makeup that's involved. But it's a great part about this game. You don't have to be 6'9" and 280 to be a defensive lineman. You can take all different shapes and sizes and do the job. So that's what makes it fun. But I couldn't tell you what I call myself. Q. There's a chance the winds could be a major factor tomorrow night. Having pitched here for a year now, do you envision yourself maybe having to change your game plan for certain hitters because of that, or will it not matter? ROY HALLADAY: No, it won't matter. I think if I'm doing my job, you know, I'm doing the best I can to keep the ball down and keep the ball on the ground anyway. So it's not something I'll try and do differently because of that. If you're getting the ball up, then, you know, it could be a factor. But for me it's always been a focus to try and work down. I think most pitchers would say the same thing, that they're more effective when they're down in the zone. So that's always a focus. Q. Charlie mentioned after your second or third start here he corralled you in the weight room and you guys had a 45-minute conversation, where he thinks he got to know you pretty well and it helped him handle you throughout the year. Do you recall that conversation? What are the high points, if you do recall it? And did it help you, do you think? ROY HALLADAY: Yeah, he's been great. I've got a chance to, over a couple of different times, and it's been more in the weight room. He's in there early getting his stuff done, and it's been fun to talk to him. But I think for me early on, letting him know that my emphasis wasn't always -- regardless of what the numbers said -- you know, it wasn't always trying to pitch a complete game. I had no pride in getting all the way through. Obviously it's a great feeling. But I wanted him to know first and foremost, I wanted to win the game as a team. Whether that meant letting me stay out there or he felt like there was somebody better that could get the job done, that became first and foremost. And I think there were a couple games where I was hitting in the 8th or something, and down by a run, and I just wanted him to know that I had, obviously, confidence in him and it was his call to make; that I would do what they wanted me to do to help us win. And I think that kind of helped break the ice for us, that I had no agenda, other than to help the team win. And ultimately he's the one that gets to make those decisions. Q. Obviously there's been a lot of talk about the matchup tomorrow night between you and Lincecum, but there are also some pretty good matchups throughout, pitching matchups throughout the series. Do you kind of look forward to seeing pitching being the talk of the series? And how good a matchup overall do you think this is as far as pitching is concerned? ROY HALLADAY: Well, I think pitching really is -- I mean, obviously it's a big part of the game. But I think you can't ever overlook everybody else that's involved in the game. And I think that ultimately that's where games are decided. The little things that are done on the field, the things that are done defensively, or the things done at the plate, those become big parts of the game. So as much as you do look at the pitching matchups and how good they could potentially be, you know, you can't ever forget about the other guys that are playing the game and how they could change how the series goes. So for me I think that's important to keep that focus on their lineup and what my job is and let our guys offensively take care of their business. I think that becomes a big part of it. But, you know, it could be close games; they could not be. You can never really predict how it's going to come out. But I think as much emphasis as there's been on pitching, there's a lot of really good players on both sides that are going to be taking that field, and I think those guys are going to be factors. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Roy. End of FastScripts |
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