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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GIANTS v PHILLIES

October 19, 2010

Cody Ross

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Game Three

Phillies Â– 0
Giants - 3

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Cody.

Q. Could you take us through that fourth inning at-bat, what happened and how it happened?
CODY ROSS: Well, first off, Renteria did a great job by starting us off. And Burrell came up and had a big at-bat and drew a walk. And I was just trying to stay calm and got a pitch that probably wasn't very good pitch to hit but ended up getting some good wood on it, and luckily it got enough and it went out in the outfield and we pushed one across.

Q. Wondering if you could take us through this week, especially this first home game of the NLCS where you do so well in Philly but you come home, you've got people chanting your name the same way usually they go Reggie or Barry or somebody like that.
CODY ROSS: It's an easy name to chant; that's probably why. It's two syllables. Don't start comparing me to those guys. But it's just been an unbelievable experience for me so far.
A month and a half, two months ago I didn't dream I'd be in a situation, and you know the Giants were awesome to bring me over here and it's just been a great ride so far.
And it's nothing I can really explain with words.

Q. Can you remember the last time you felt this locked in at the plate, and how is it different than usual? Like you just feel like you were able to hit any pitch anywhere? How is it different?
CODY ROSS: I don't really recall the last time I felt as good as I do. I tinkered with a little stuff in the cage, and this and that.
But for the most part, it's about confidence, going up there and knowing you're going to get the job done or do something to help your team. If you go up there and you're thinking about something else or don't have that confidence, chances are you're probably not going to get anything done.
So I think for the most part it's just going up there with the thought process that you know that you're going to do it in that particular moment.

Q. With Matt on the mound, what does it mean scoring that first run?
CODY ROSS: This guy, he's incredible to do what he did today against their lineup going eight shutout, he got himself in a couple of jams and worked his way out of it and that's what you want when you're coming back home off a split, you want a guy like Cain who has no fear and go out there and do what he did. Don't take anything away from Cole. He threw amazing as well. He was hitting his spots and throwing well, and we just -- we got lucky and scored a couple of runs early.
And Matt held them for the remainder. And our bullpen came in, did an outstanding job.

Q. A lot of the Philly players have stated over and over that this is what they expect of you, and pretty glad you're not with the Marlins anymore. Is this a tribute to you being so calm and confident because you kind of know what to expect?
CODY ROSS: I think so. It is nice to play against teams that you have played against for years with the Braves and then with these guys. It gives you a sense of comfort knowing that you faced these guys in the past and you're not going up there, you know, blind per se.
So I'm trying to help the guys out as much as I can with scouting reports or tendencies that pitchers have. But, yeah, it's nice to be in that situation.

Q. Cole tipped his hat to you, said most guys can't get that ball up over the third basemen's head; they either let the pitch go or hit it to a third baseman. The phrase was normal guys don't hit -- do you feel not normal right now? What does it feel like to feel the way you're feeling?
CODY ROSS: To be honest with you, there's no feeling. When you go out there you don't really have any sort of feeling. You go up there and try to do your job. And he's right, it was probably a pitch that I probably shouldn't have swung out. It was down and away and somehow I hucked it down the line.
But that's what happens when you're swinging the bat well or feeling good. Good stuff happens. And that goes back to the confidence thing of knowing that you're going to try to get the job -- knowing you're getting the job done.
Like I said, he's really good today. He was at good as I've seen him in a long time.

Q. Do you think about? Did you think about letting the pitch go?
CODY ROSS: No. You don't have that long to think about it.

Q. When you came over here and it was a straight waiver claim, trade anybody for you, what do you think about that? Like when your teach just lets you go and gets nothing in return, what does that do for you?
CODY ROSS: I don't want to dwell on it, but it's not a very good feeling. When I found out the way it went down, I was pretty upset, actually, to be honest with you.
My emotions were so high at that point. I started off feeling really sad that I was leaving my buddies there, then realizing where I was coming and the opportunity that I was going to have to get a chance to get to the postseason. And then hearing that they gave me away for nothing was -- it didn't settle with me very well. But let bygones be bygones I'm in a way better place.

Q. Do you still want to be a rodeo clown?
CODY ROSS: No. I gave those dreams up about 10, 20 years ago.

Q. Do you think -- I know you don't want to dwell on that at all -- do you think that inspired you in any way having the Marlins let you go and what do you think about all this now?
CODY ROSS: Yeah, it's definitely inspired me. I'll never say a bad thing about the Marlins. I had a great experience there. They gave me a chance to play and actually be in this position right now. It was a fun time I had over there. But I'm absolutely glad to be here now and move forward now and hopefully stay here for a long period of time as well.

Q. You've been batting eighth throughout the postseason, come in and you're in the No. 5 spot. Is that more of a comfort zone to you, does it change things at all for you?
CODY ROSS: Doesn't change anything for me. I mean, I don't care where I hit in the lineup as long as I'm in the lineup. That's kind of the way I've always been. Through my whole career, from the Minor Leagues on, I've hit 1 through 8. So it doesn't matter. It only matters the first few innings and it keeps going around and around.
And it didn't change my approach today that I was hitting fifth as opposed to hitting sixth a day before and eighth a couple days before that. So I stick with the same approach no matter what.

Q. You were saying that you had made a couple of adjustments. I was wondering, can you trace what's going on with you right now to one event, one decision you made?
CODY ROSS: I just was at a point where I was really scuffling early on when I got here, or even before I got here, I just wasn't feeling right. I went back and looked at a bunch of video from years past, and I just opened my stance up a little bit. And exaggerated getting my foot down and getting in a good position to hit. And that allows you to see the ball. When you're not getting your foot down and you're not ready to hit, everything's going a million miles an hour. You're swinging at everything.
So I think I contribute it to that.

Q. I would imagine that for every guy who comes straight up from the Minor Leagues there's probably, two, three, four, ten guys in your position, they bounce from the Triple-A to Majors, go from team to team, maybe they play in a stadium with a thousand people. But they get their break somehow. How sweet is it for you to have all that as a preface to what's happened this week? And have you heard from guys who were in those kinds of positions that say, yeah, yeah, I love it, you're inspiring me?
CODY ROSS: It's kind of crazy the way my career has kind of ended up, starting off with the Tigers and then moving to the Dodgers and the Reds and the Marlins and now I'm here.
I wouldn't change any of that, because I think that's kind of made me the person that I am today. Never give up. Try to play as hard as I can every single day for whether it's in front of a thousand fans or in front of 44,000.
So that's just me and that's who I'll continue to be for the remainder of my career.

Q. The pitch from Oswalt in Game 2 looks like it had no impact on you at all, just as hot before -- as you are (indiscernible) the one that knocked you back, did that have any impact on you?
CODY ROSS: No. I know how Roy pitches. I mean, he's one of those guys that he throws up and in a lot. I didn't take it personal. As a pitcher I know what you're trying to do; you're trying to move guys off the plate and get them to chase sliders away or whatever.
And more than anything, I mean, when you get buzzed up and in, you try to dig in even harder because you know they're going to try to get you away, and I didn't take it personal or anything. That's how the game is played.

Q. I'm sure this doesn't get old at all, but has some of the newness worn off on this just in the day to day being in the caldron of the postseason battle and how are you doing with that day to day?
CODY ROSS: It's been awesome. It's been like -- nothing that I've ever experienced and the biggest grind is being up here answering questions. But obviously the fun part is going out there and playing.
And it's been an unbelievable ride, and hopefully it will keep going. We got a lot of business to take care of still. I mean, we've still got these guys, this is one of the best teams in the league. And we've got to keep that momentum going and not let up, because these guys will come back and bite you if you don't.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Cody.

End of FastScripts

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