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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: TIGERS v RANGERS

October 8, 2011

Ron Washington

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Game One

THE MODERATOR: We're going to take the first question for Ron.

Q. Hi, Ron. The Tigers are now dealing with something you dealt with a lot this year, a key player is out of the lineup. What is the key when you're missing somebody that important? How do you keep going?
RON WASHINGTON: Someone step up. I'm almost certain Jim has someone to step up. That's all you can do. He's certainly been at this longer than Ron Washington. I know you miss your guy, but that's why you have a team. That's what this is about, team. And someone will step up.

Q. There are a few players that have had to endure the same kind of challenges that Josh Hamilton has over his career. Can you talk about how once again this year he's been able to endure everything from the broken arm to the tragedy in the stands to even working on being able to correct his vision to hit during the day? Seems like he's had so many things, but yet he continues to get through.
RON WASHINGTON: He's blessed. You know, when you have a heart like Hamilton has a heart, he's always giving, you always get things back.
That's all I can say about Hamilton. He shows up every day to try to be the best player that he can be, and he's giving. Because of that, he's blessed. He's blessed with talent. He's blessed with a beautiful family. He's blessed with great teammates, and we're very fortunate to have a talent and a blessed person to be a part of what we're trying to accomplish. And that's Josh Hamilton.

Q. Last year's run to the end of October, beginning of November, what of that do you carry with you now?
RON WASHINGTON: The last game against San Francisco. You know, it's not easy to get back to this point. Each year is different. There was an attitude and a commitment that those guys made in November of last year, and they took on the challenge. And now we find ourselves back in the situation to defend the American League. And that's what we wanted to do.
When Spring Training started, we were the defending American League champions. Now we get that opportunity again.
Hopefully things work out. But that's where we are. We're relaxed. We're ready to go. And we're certainly ready to go out there and play baseball. And then we'll see what happens.

Q. Ron, beyond what he's done for you at the plate, what has Adrian Beltre meant in terms of off the field and how hard he plays and how he goes about his business?
RON WASHINGTON: Leadership. His leadership in the clubhouse. His leadership in the dugout during the game. Michael Young made a statement about Adrian that's true about him also. He not only shows up to the ballpark to do his job, but he shows up to the ballpark to beat his opponent. And that's what Adrian Beltre brings. And he brings that out the rest of his teammates.
That's a part of being a part of 25 guys that are in the trenches for as long as we've been in the trenches. And now we have this opportunity to go further. Adrian epitomized that.

Q. What's the difference between Derek Holland a year ago and Derek Holland now? What are the things that he has developed over the year?
RON WASHINGTON: Maturity. I think early in the year when things went wrong, he didn't know how to put a stop to it. Now we understand that when things go wrong, the one thing that every pitcher want to do in those situations is minimize the damage. He's done a good job for quite a while now of minimizing the damage.
What goes with that is maturity. He's matured. He's turning into a quality pitcher. Right now he's not a total thoroughbred. He's just a little pony, but he'll develop into a thoroughbred.

Q. On a similar note with C.J. Wilson, has he become that thoroughbred that maybe in the past he's been the pony, but especially having the experience he did last year in the playoffs?
RON WASHINGTON: Well, you know, C.J. was a closer out of the bullpen. He had gotten used to getting in trouble and figuring out a way to get out of trouble. Now as a starter he doesn't panic when things aren't going right. He figures out a way to get out of it. And that's maturity also, because his maturity came as -- since I've been here -- out of the bullpen.
Going through who he went through last year as a starter and having the tremendous work ethic he has and having the ability to believe in himself deeper than anyone else will, all of that comes into play.
He's certainly been our No. 1 thoroughbred, because he's pitched in 100 degree heat, and constant. It seemed like every time we have to play in that heat, there's C.J., he figures out a way to get through it. He'll figure out a way to get through tonight too. He is a thoroughbred.

Q. Much has been said about Justin Verlander. Can you comment a little bit about the rest of the Tigers rotation as well?
RON WASHINGTON: Very tough. I think we all know what Justin Verlander is, one of the best pitchers in the game.
Doug Fister, I've always thought he was a tremendous pitcher when he was with Seattle. He just had trouble getting runs. But he's a competitor, he can use all his pitches, he hits his spots.
Scherzer, what an arm. It's unorthodox, doesn't throw anything straight, and for some reason when he face us, he finds the strike zone with more consistency with all his pitches.
Porcello, we've only seen a couple of starts with him, but you can see that he's a diamond in the rough. He has the ability to shine on any given night.
So they have a quality pitching staff. They're a quality team. That's the reason they are right here now getting an opportunity to play to go to the World Series.

Q. Ron, with all the right-handed pitching you're going to be facing, how important is a guy like David Murphy in this series and how do you plan on using Endy Chavez?
RON WASHINGTON: I think every single guy in our lineup is important. Just because you hit on the left side doesn't mean anything. If you have a right-handed pitching hitting his spots and changing speeds and doing what pitching dictates that you should do, you can hit on any side and it won't matter.
I think David Murphy would like to do very well for the team and for David Murphy, but we expect David to go out there and do what we want every one of our hitters to do, get balls in the strike zone and put a good pass on it and see what happens.
I didn't get an opportunity to put Endy in any of the games earlier. I hope that opportunity presents itself. But right now you are at the point you are trying to put the best nine out there you possibly can. And it's all about getting a W. That's all I can say about that.

Q. Ron, with the huge left-center field at Comerica Park, what thought if any was there to lining up your three left-handed starters to each pitch in Detroit?
RON WASHINGTON: Well, you know, if we happen to go into Detroit and -- all the ballgames are going to be tough, but we had Colby throwing three in the first round, and this way we got him throwing three in case we go seven, he can get the last game instead of me having one of my young kids out there.
So it just lined up that way. C.J. threw the first game of the Division Series and Holland had the second, and it worked, so we stayed with it. I certainly didn't have any secret as to how I put it together. I don't think I'm that smart.
They all have been successful for us this year, and whomever have the ball, we feel very confident. So this way Colby will get 3 and 7, C.J. will get 1 and 5 and we'll go from there.

Q. When a pitcher like Scherzer has a track record of pounding the strike zone against you guys, do you consider changing your approach, maybe more aggressive than normally you would be, because you know the pitchers will need that?
RON WASHINGTON: Once again, we're a very aggressive-hitting club anyway. We will be aggressive against Scherzer. If you get overly aggressive, he can get you swinging at balls out the zone. He has that much movement. So you have to be a little more patient, and you certainly have to make sure that you get him in the zone, because if you don't, he's at his best when he's getting you out of the zone. Some of those pitches he threw to those Yankees in that inning he threw, they were nasty. I just hope if he throw those same pitches we lay off him and get him behind the count, then he has to throw the ball over the plate.
THE MODERATOR: Okay, thank you very much.
RON WASHINGTON: Thank you, guys.

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