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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES v RANGERS

October 20, 2010

Joe Girardi

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game Five

RANGERS Â– 2
YANKEES - 7

Q. CC gave up a whole bunch of hits, but what did you think about his performance overall, being able to limit that damage?
JOE GIRARDI: Well, that's the one thing that CC is very good at usually is limiting damage. He got some double play balls when he needed, he got one in the first inning and he got one on Josh Hamilton. And he didn't walk anybody today.
The other day in Texas, I think he had 20 balls in the first inning and I think he went through four and had not thrown 20 balls yet. He was pretty sharp today.

Q. Robinson Cano today, I know you appreciated him all year but what level has he taken this to?
JOE GIRARDI: It's as good as it gets. Robby has been big in our lineup all year and he has been big in the post-season. He's swung the bat extremely well, and it just seems like he's getting the barrel of the bat to the ball all the time.

Q. You played Kerry Wood well, but when you picked him up, did you envision him playing this kind of a role for you at this point in the season?
JOE GIRARDI: Well, when you look at the numbers he's had with us, I mean, he's been so good. It's hard to say why we knew he would do that. I felt that he would pitch well here, I did. But he has been so good for us.
Today, two innings, gives up a hit and then picks Andrus off, he's picked him off twice in this series; Kerry has been so good for us.

Q. Did you know what you were getting or were you just hopeful?
JOE GIRARDI: Well, I felt that he would pitch good, but I don't think anyone, you know, ever says when you're going to get a reliever, that for two months, he's going to have an ERA under 1.00. Some of the best relievers of all time don't do that. So I don't think that you can imagine that he's going to be that good, but I thought they would help us a lot.

Q. You said this afternoon that you saw something looking into the players's eyes today. What did you see and how did that play itself out today?
JOE GIRARDI: There was a determination. We have not played extremely well in this series. There was determination that we were going to go out and play our game today. I saw it during BP, the mood during BP was very businesslike, and we knew what we had to do.
The guys went out and did it.

Q. It's understandable why Posada didn't play the other night, but when he plays like tonight and gets it started with the first run, is it something about him being whole in the team and starting it out and coming out as a leader?
JOE GIRARDI: We all know that Jorge brings a lot of intensity to the game every day that he plays. He got us going. In his baserunning, he put pressure on them and that's not something usually talk about from a catcher, putting pressure on the opposing club. But he did it and it worked out. He was very, very good today.

Q. Can you talk about the determination you saw with your players, understanding what your faced going into today, having to win three in a row, two in Texas, etc.; were you looking for it, or were you positive your team would look like that and feel like that today?
JOE GIRARDI: No, I felt like we would. You know, I talked about how resilient this club is and how this club has been through this before. This club has been through a lot of difficult games, difficult losses, frustrating at times, and then bounced back. There's so many characters in that room, that you know, I get to see every day.
As a manager, you really appreciate what you have in there.

Q. You mentioned the sequence with Posada scoring, and obviously the couple of missed plays on their part. In addition to the lead that gives you, does that sequence, do you think, relieve any tension?
JOE GIRARDI: Maybe a little bit. There was some giggles on the bench when they saw Jorge running and running; it's not something that you always see. Yeah, it probably did a little bit.

Q. Once again, I'm quite aware of how reluctant you are to tell us things that go on in your clubhouse, but can you share a little bit about what you said to your team after last night's game and what you said before today's game?
JOE GIRARDI: I didn't say a whole lot before today's game. I talked to them a little bit last night, and I just talked to them about, we have won three games in a row before, we have bounced back a number of times. We are a talented club, just go out, play your game, be aggressive and do what you do.
That was basically the message. Before we lost the three games in a row, we won four in a row. And I said, just look at tomorrow. Win a game tomorrow. And that will be our approach on Friday.

Q. What was Berkman's deal, neck, back?
JOE GIRARDI: You know, I actually thought he hit his head on the ground, but he didn't.
It's more, I guess you'd call it his lower back or upper glute that he hit hard. The concern there is always a concussion. And he seemed to be pretty -- he seemed to be coherent. I imagine he's going to be pretty sore tomorrow. He's probably going to need some treatment and we are going to have to get him ready for Friday. He hit the ground pretty hard when his feet went out from under him, and he gutted it out today for us.

Q. What does it feel like now going to Texas?
JOE GIRARDI: Well, the feeling is, you know, it's a lot better than after you lose a game, I can tell you that.
But it was just, go out -- it was nice to go out and play a good game for our club. And as I said, we have won games before in a row. And the feeling is that -- there's a feeling of confidence, and I'm sure there's a feeling of confidence on the other side.
But you don't get to this point in the season if you're not confident in your club and in yourself.

Q. You have been involved in a lot of talented and experienced clubs. What are your thoughts on the concept of momentum in general? Do you think too much gets made of momentum?
JOE GIRARDI: I think it can. I think it starts with your starting pitcher, putting up zeros and getting a couple of runs early. I think that's momentum.
Because when you look at both of these clubs, there's a lot of talent out there. And if you don't make your pitches, or you don't hit the pitches you should, no matter what kind of momentum you have, you're probably not going to win the game.

End of FastScripts

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