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MLB WORLD SERIES: RANGERS v CARDINALS

October 23, 2011

Mike Napoli

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Game Four

St. Louis Cardinals 0
Texas Rangers 4

Q. Mike, the home run, it just had the impression that you were looking exactly for that pitch and just attacked it. Was that the way it happened or how did it go?
MIKE NAPOLI: Yeah, I mean, I know Boggs has a good sinker. In that situation he's probably trying to get a double-play ball. I was looking for something up and kind of had an idea they were probably going to try to pound me in, and I just got a pitch up that I could handle.

Q. When you looked at the lineup card tonight and saw you were hitting eighth, were you surprised? And does it matter to you where you hit?
MIKE NAPOLI: No. Wash came up to me and talked to me about it, but it doesn't matter to me, as long as I'm playing. I'm going to take the same approach as I do if I'm hitting seventh or sixth.

Q. It looked like you guys worked in a lot of off-speed pitches early. Is that something you guys had thought about doing after the last couple games?
MIKE NAPOLI: Yeah, I mean, we knew that we were going to have to mix some off-speed pitches in, and we did it early. You know, Derek did a good job getting strike one, so when he gets strike one, we can do a lot of different things and mix pitches up.

Q. Wash was saying that the big factor for Derek is emotion, and how did you try to keep that in check tonight?
MIKE NAPOLI: Well, he never got out of control, so I really didn't have to calm him down or do anything different. From pitch one he was the same, and he was throwing strikes and made his adjustments when he needed to. So I really didn't have to do too much of relaxing him or going out there and talking to him.

Q. Yesterday was a tough game particularly for you. You talked about putting it behind you. How did you sleep last night? And when you got here today, was it really behind you?
MIKE NAPOLI: Yeah, it was behind me when I left the field. I didn't really think about it anymore. I knew we had to come here and get a win, so I mean, came back today and went through my routine and let it go.

Q. You've hit 12 home runs off of high fastballs, which is I think the most in the majors this year. What do you like about a fastball at the eyes?
MIKE NAPOLI: It's a good pitch to hit. It's better than a sinking fastball down, you hit it in the ground. As a hitter you try to look for pitches up, up in the zone, and that's what I do.

Q. Joe Maddon said this was the "year of the Napoli" when you beat them in the Division Series. Is this just further indication of what it is tonight, catching a shutout and hitting a three-run homer?
MIKE NAPOLI: That was a nice thing of Joe to say. I had a good year. I put a lot of hard work in, and things have been working out for me.

Q. Looking forward to tomorrow, you've faced a pretty wild Chris Carpenter in Game 1, unable to capitalize. What approach will you take tomorrow?
MIKE NAPOLI: Get good pitches to hit, get runners in scoring position and don't push. I mean, that's all you really can do. He's a great pitcher. Hopefully we'll get some good pitching and defense and scuff away a couple runs.

Q. Yadier Molina clearly was trying to stall a little bit leading into your at-bat. I'm wondering if you stand there getting very anxious while you probably know what's happening? And two, have you always been such a severe back leg guy? Is that your natural swing or did somebody sort of get you going on that?
MIKE NAPOLI: Yeah, I mean, it's just what I do. I try to generate a lot of power with my legs and get into my legs, and I guess it's just me getting back on my backside. I think it helps me drive balls.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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