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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: YANKEES v RANGERS

October 20, 2010

C.C. Sabathia

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game Five

RANGERS Â– 2
YANKEES Â– 7

Q. Do you need to make introductions?
CC SABATHIA: Cyia and Jaden.

Q. Do you feel you were sharper today? And the hits that you gave up, was it battling through every inning?
CC SABATHIA: I think I was just trying to battle. I felt a lot sharper today than I did in Game 1. I was able to make some pitches when I got in trouble. In Game 1, I really had no clue -- like I said, I didn't know that I needed to make adjustments like that, but I was able to make adjustments and make some pitches when I needed to.

Q. You mentioned a few times that you've been impressed with Andy Pettitte, that he never looks nervous or acts that way. Were you nervous today, given the stakes and if so, how were you able to maintain your poise?
CC SABATHIA: I wasn't nervous. I felt good and I felt good about my bullpens and the way I've been throwing, leading up to the start.
So I felt like I was more prepared today than in Game 1. You know, I gave up 11 hits, but you've got to give those guys some credit. They have a good lineup and they hit some good pitches.

Q. Joe said he spoke to you guys after last night's game, that you've won three games in a row before and one game at a time; what impact did that have on the team?
CC SABATHIA: That was huge. Just having us be able to relax and not panic. We have a lot of guys in the clubhouse that have been in a lot of situations, and especially in the post-season, when you see how they go about their business, you just try and relax and go out and do your job.

Q. After the team picked you up in those first two starts, do you feel that same sense of urgency?
CC SABATHIA: I just felt like I wanted to keep them in it and give us a chance to win. The first two starts of the post-season, I just felt like I wasn't able to do that. We ended up winning the games, but you know, tonight I just felt like I made some pitches when I needed to.

Q. Could you run through the last batter you faced, it was a long at-bat with Moreland, kind of take us through that.
CC SABATHIA: He was battling all night. Put some good at-bats together and fouled off a couple of pitches. I threw some strikes at him and couldn't put him away. Just threw a cutter that I was trying to throw for a strike, and you know, ended up backing him up where he didn't swing at it, getting the strike.

Q. Is this a situation that you savour with absolutely everything on the line?
CC SABATHIA: That's what you play for, to have the chance to win a championship. Our backs was up against the wall today and I just wanted to fight, no matter what the situation was, no matter how many runners were on base in any given inning, I was just going to try to make some pitches to make sure I got some outs.

Q. What kind of adjustments were you able to make specifically?
CC SABATHIA: A couple of times, I was able, right in the middle of the game, Jorge came out a couple of times, and was able to stay tall and make the adjustment to stay tall and get over the ball and make sure I was throwing the ball downhill.

Q. Were you aware of what your pitch count was, and did you know that Moreland was probably going to be your last guy?
CC SABATHIA: I really didn't know what my pitch count was, but given the situation in the game, I felt like, you know, he's possible my last hitter, him being a lefty and I just wanted to try to be able to make pitches to get him out.

Q. Was there something sort of like Yankee-like about the Rangers at-bats, because they had so many long at-bats? Kind of reminded us of Yankees of post-seasons past.
CC SABATHIA: That's really what they have been doing all post-season, putting together good at-bats. When we make mistakes, they really don't miss them. Today they kind of did the same thing, but like I said, I was able to make the pitches and get a double play a couple of times and make some pitches to get out of some tough innings.

Q. Can you go through the Hamilton at-bat when you got the double play, what you were trying to accomplish?
CC SABATHIA: Trying to do exactly that. Trying to get the double play. I didn't really want to give him anything to hit, because he's swinging the bat well the whole series, and just trying to make a pitch down and way and ended up getting a roll over to second base and they ended up turning the double play.

End of FastScripts

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