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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: TIGERS v RED SOXOctober 12, 2013Clay BuchholzBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Game One Q. During all the months that you were rehabbing, how much was this your focus and goal just to be back here ready to contribute now? CLAY BUCHHOLZ: You know, this is definitely an important part of the season. Obviously you want to be out there fighting, battling with your guys throughout the whole course of the season leading up to now. But as I said a couple of times now, all the guys they brought in to fill in some holes in the pitching staff or bullpen came up and did a really good job and made it a little bit easier to sit and watch while your team is doing good, rather than struggling and you not being able to help. Yeah, this is what baseball is all about. This is where you want to be. And it's been fun so far. Q. Was there a lull in your rehab where you doubted you could reach this point or did you always think that you could get back? CLAY BUCHHOLZ: That was the tough part about it, this was the first time I've ever had to deal with an injury that's arm‑related. And not knowing how to feel about throwing with discomfort that hasn't gone away in a span of two or three weeks and not really knowing what to do. Not knowing if I'm going to make it worse by throwing. So, yeah, there was definitely a point where it was right before I went and saw Dr. Andrews that obviously didn't feel right. And to have felt that going through this whole scenario it was a little disturbing, just for the reason that I wasn't feeling any better after the rest that I took a little bit. And the throwing program. So there was definitely a point that it was ‑‑ didn't know if I was going to be able to be, so to speak, like I was at the beginning of the season. But from the point I went and saw Dr. Andrews to now it's been ‑‑ he was basically on point with everything he said. Q. You talk about the impact that John Farrell has had on this team, maybe specifically the pitching staff. I know he's had a relationship with a lot of the guys previous. What kind of an impact did he have this year? CLAY BUCHHOLZ: Going into Spring Training knowing the year we had last year it wasn't near what the Red Sox are about. And it's the first time I've been a part of something like that with this organization. And knowing him getting the job this off‑season, whenever he called me it was just ‑‑ just more of a sigh of relief in my point of view just for knowing him in the past and having a prior relationship to Spring Training and knowing what you're getting. We basically have a guy that's the manager of our team that knows just about all of your pitchers. And Juan is one of the best I've been around as far as pitching guys, and we basically have two of those guys now. John has to have his hand on the whole team and manage the team, he's not in particular with the pitchers, but he's definitely somebody for me I can talk to if I need another opinion about something. So it's been good. Q. Talk about the challenges that this Tigers lineup presents, specifically in Miguel Cabrera. CLAY BUCHHOLZ: That's why he is who he is. He always finds a way to extend an at‑bat and make you feel really uncomfortable in big situations while you're throwing to him. He's that guy, I think you would get the same answer from any starting pitcher in the League. He's a guy that everybody seems to watch all the time, taking BP out in the field, he's always got a smile on his face and having fun. That's the time you need to be afraid of what he's going to do when he gets up at‑bat. When he's loose he feels good. I don't think there's one way to get him out, you have to mix up your pitches and hopefully he's not sitting on the pitch that you throw, and basically gets himself out, I think. They have a lot of guys up and down the lineup that can hurt you. But him and Prince back‑to‑back are pretty big time. Q. Can you speak to the general progression that you've made throughout your career, and did you ever think that you'd put up the numbers that you put up this year? CLAY BUCHHOLZ: Yeah, that's the frustrating part about this season, knowing that never really dreamed of having a year to start that well in my career. It's not high school or college. This is ‑‑ everybody out there is getting paid to play this game. And there's only 750‑some‑odd guys that are getting to do it. From that outlook, no, didn't think I'd ever be that good. The frustrating part was I couldn't go out and pitch and try to keep it going. So it was definitely a fun first half for me, which I would have given a lot of it up to pitch throughout the season. That's the way it goes sometimes. But now I feel good and I'm ready to go tomorrow. Q. You obviously look at scouting reports before games. Do you also look at scouting reports on that nice home plate umpire and his tendency on called strikes? CLAY BUCHHOLZ: You know, that's something that can change from game to game, just like the pitch that you feel the most comfortable throwing in one game, it changes for me every game. If you try to mold around what the umpire is going to call and you don't get the benefit of the doubt on a couple of pitches, that would be more frustrating than just taking the ball and throwing it to a location. So I've never looked at umpires' charts. It's more what the guy is doing, the first pitch at‑bat, if he's a swinger or stuff like that, like out pitches two strikes. Umpires, you can't really look at the umpires. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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