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MLB WORLD SERIES: RANGERS v CARDINALS

October 27, 2011

Tony La Russa

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI: Game Six

Texas Rangers 9
St. Louis Cardinals 10

Q. This team has just come back all year long, hasn't given up. But come on, tonight, unbelievable.
TONY LA RUSSA: Yeah, you know, we had some in that rush there, to go from way back, to get closer, and we had -- but that one, we had some like it but not like it, you know what I mean. What happened today, I just think it's -- you had to be here to believe it. We never quite trying. I know that's kind of corny, but the fact is we never quit trying. The dugout was alive even when we were behind, and sometimes it works.

Q. So you're ready to name Chris Carpenter as Game 7 starter?
TONY LA RUSSA: Just barely started to think about tomorrow, but actually it'll be fun to think about it now because there is a Game 7. Might just roll Jake back out there, who knows.

Q. You've been managing for 31 years. You're closing in on 70 years old. Have you ever seen anything remotely close to that?
TONY LA RUSSA: Well, I feel like I've managed about 50 years, but I feel like I'm only about 40. After a game like that you feel like just show up at the park some day and you won a game and you enjoy eating pizza or something.
Yeah, they asked me right away, I said something about Edmonds' home run in the Championship Series in '04. But no, when you're thinking -- in fact, I had to remind a couple times, they wanted us to say thanks to the fans if we got beat before the Rangers did the rings, so there was a couple times in the ninth and tenth, I was forced with two outs, I was forced to say, go down to the bullpen, I told some of the guys, we've got to do the fans right. So we went from that to celebrating. That's a big emotional change.

Q. You've never had the opportunity to manage a Game 7 in the World Series. With having such a deep appreciation for the history of the game, what does that opportunity mean to you?
TONY LA RUSSA: Well, when you're a kid -- I had the very good fortune of being in the Championship Series, Game 7 against the Mets, and it's not the World Series, but believe me, it felt just as good. But when you dream, you dream about seventh game all the heroics.
There's a lot of reasons I'm really pleased. For one thing, even though it didn't look good, we competed better than to get bounced out in six. It's been an even series and now it's winner-take-all. There are a lot of guys in our club that are really enjoying the World Series, especially the first timers or second timers, and the experience of Game 7 is something they'll never forget. It's just as exciting as it's supposed to be, and I'm sure they'll represent, but we will represent ourselves well.

Q. Twice the game was within one strike of Texas celebrating the World Championship. Did that ever creep into your mind that perhaps you guys weren't going to be able to do it this time?
TONY LA RUSSA: Well, I thought when you're down two runs to their closer in the ninth, I mean, this guy is a legitimate one, two, three, and they're shaking hands. But what you try to do is get something started. You don't try to hit three-run home runs. Our club does a real good job of just trying getting something started, and once they get something started, the other club worries. Another mistake, this and that, I mean, we've been in the same situation ourselves. Once it got started it's much more fun to think, hey, we can do this, and then think, oh, (expletive), it's not going to work.

Q. The first part of the game Garcia struggled, you guys had errors all over the place on very makeable plays. It just seemed like it was not going to be your night. At what point did you realize, maybe we can pull this thing out?
TONY LA RUSSA: Because of the score. The one thing with Jaime, he didn't have his normal stuff. There was no use to push it. But what was the score all along? It wasn't a perfect game defensively for both of us, and sure, we botched a couple of fly balls that led to runs, but as long as the score is -- it was close until they scored the three. But as soon as the guys came off the field, I heard it ten times, nine outs. So I mean, the guys were into it. That's what happens when you give yourself a shot. Hard way to go, I would prefer not to do it this way.

Q. Any update on Holliday?
TONY LA RUSSA: Well, we thought at first he had fractured it, but I was told by the trainer Greg later on that it's not a fracture, but I think it's swelling, and he's got a pretty good bruise there. So it may be we need to replace him for tomorrow.

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