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MLB WORLD SERIES: TIGERS v GIANTSOctober 24, 2012Bruce BochySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Game One San Francisco Giants – 8 Q. Obviously you've seen Pablo over a few years. Anything surprise you with the power tonight? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I mean, to hit three home runs, I mean, that's always a surprise. But the guy can hit. He's got a great ability to get the good part of the bat on the ball and threw out some great at‑bats. He's swinging it very well and he's been seeing the ball very well, and that was quite a performance by him. We're not known for our power, but it's nice to get three home runs. He's been locked in for a while, and the home runs really where he hit them, too, it's not easy to hit them where he hit them. Just a tremendous night. A night I know he'll never forget. Q. The swing is one thing, but do you think that Pablo has elevated his game with the intensity of the situation? BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, I'd say that. Really in previous games, too, against the Cardinals, he swung the bat very well, and that's what it takes, somebody stepping up to win these ballgames. Scutaro had a big at‑bat in that game, too; Pagan and Scutaro, they did a good job of getting on base, and Pablo just had a huge night for us. Those guys in that 3, 4, 5, 6 hole you're counting on them to come through for you, and he did tonight. I just like where he's at at the plate, and he's been playing great ball for a while now. Q. Coming into tonight the way Zito had pitched, you seemed confident that he was going to come out and give you another solid night. That's kind of where he is now as far as locked in and confident on the mound, do you think? BRUCE BOCHY: I agree. He's been throwing the ball very well, and I was happy and glad to tell him that he had the start tonight. He was excited about it. He's kind of been our lucky charm, too. 14 games now we've found a way to win his ballgames, and he's just had great focus out there and concentration. He started getting the ball up there in the 6th, but that's a tough lineup, and he really located well both sides of the plate, changed speeds, and he's been throwing like this for a while. Really to win 15 games, you have to throw the ball well all year, and he's won some big games for us. I mean, we know the game in St. Louis, but to get here, he's done a remarkable job of stopping losing streaks and finding ways to win a ballgame for us. Q. Two years ago Pablo didn't play very much in the World Series. From a personal standpoint how pleased are you and happy are you that he had a chance to get involved obviously in a very big way in this one? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I'm happy for him. I'm sure he looks back at that time, that experience he had, and I'm sure he wasn't too happy with how it went there in 2010. He looks very determined to show that not just us, everybody, what a great talent he is. We've always thought a lot of Pablo, but at that time we had to make a change. But we need him. I think the time from his surgery, he's gotten stronger the last month and is swinging the bat the way we know he can. Q. How much does Blanco mean to the pitchers, to have Blanco out in left field with the plays that he's making? BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, our defense can win games for you. You can help win a ballgame without getting a base hit. He's one of those players with the defense that gives you, we're more athletic and faster in the outfield, and those guys do a great job of covering ground. He's one of the best. The one catch he made in Cain's perfect game we'll always remember. But he's done that all year. He's made great plays out there. He gets a good jump on the ball, and he throws well. He's just a gifted outfielder. Q. Can you talk about Lincecum's performance and also his availability now going on in the series? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, it's nice to have Timmy available in the bullpen. He's really done a tremendous job for us, helping us there, filling some innings. He could have finished the game. We're trying to save some pitches there on him. But he seems comfortable. I think he looked forward to the challenge of coming out of the bullpen. Doesn't take him long to get ready. The thing about Timmy, he's so competitive, but at the same time he's such a good teammate. And when I talked to him about this, he was all in, as I said, in the previous postseason games. He wants to do it, he wants to help, and he's ready. It's a nice weapon to have, especially in tonight's game. He'll be off tomorrow, but with the day off, first game in Detroit he'll be ready to go. Q. The last two Game 1s, last two World Series against Cliff Lee and Verlander, 19 runs. How about that? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, you know, it's hard to figure this game sometimes. You hear the old adage, that's baseball. These guys are human, and sometimes they're not quite on top of their game. We know what a great pitcher he is. I'm sure he made a few more mistakes than he normally does tonight, but what's important is we took advantage of it and found a way to score off him. We knew we had our work cut out going against Verlander, and guys did a great job. But it always starts with the guy on the hill. And Zito, again, he kind of set the tone and held them at bay for us to give us a chance to win. Q. You've been playing from behind this entire postseason, but I imagine you don't mind getting Game 1. Just your thoughts ongoing up 1‑0. BRUCE BOCHY: Well, it's always good to get Game 1. There's a lot of baseball left, but there's no question it's nice to not be behind right now and take Game 1 and get the type of pitching we got tonight and of course the hitting. This is a great game for us, and we'll have to put this behind us and be ready to go tomorrow. But this is a great way to start, but that's what it is, a start. Q. One more question on your third baseman: You've been in this game a long time. You're not new to the game. You know it's been done before; obviously Ruth, Jackson, Pujols last year, but when you see something like this, does it startle you, does it amaze you still? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I'm a fan, too, and when you see something like this, it makes you appreciate the gifts and talents that these players have, and for somebody to do what Pablo did tonight, you have to appreciate what he can do with the bat. Again, I couldn't be happier for him. With what he went through in 2010, now he's getting a chance to go out there and show what kind of player he is. But still, to watch that, I'll never forget it. Three home runs on a stage like this, that's pretty impressive. Q. Your Game 2 starter, Madison Bumgarner, struggled a lot at the end of the year and in the playoffs. Have you pinpointed what the issue is? Is it fatigue, mechanical? BRUCE BOCHY: You know what, we're confident in Madison. He's done a tremendous job all year, last year in the postseason, in 2010. Again, these guys are human. Sometimes they're going to have their hiccups. He's worked on some things in the bullpen, and I think he needs to back off a little bit and just not try to do too much out there. So I think the time that he's had to work on some things should help him. But again, we forget how young he is at 23. But he's been working to get back in sync and get his delivery back. So I can't wait to watch him tomorrow to be honest because this guy has done a lot for us. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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