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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: TIGERS v RED SOXOctober 17, 2013Mike NapoliDETROIT, MICHIGAN: Game Five Boston – 4 Q. You've had some big hits in the postseason, the World Series a couple of years ago comes to mind. And so far a couple of big home runs here in the ALCS. Do you feel like in the postseason that you almost expect yourself that you're going to come through with a clutch hit the way you have so far? MIKE NAPOLI: I mean I'm confident. Coming to the series I was feeling good, had a little rough start. But my swing felt good. I'm always confident when I'm in the box. Q. What turned you around? MIKE NAPOLI: I've been feeling good all series. I can't really put my finger on it, just going up there trying to give a tough at‑bat every time. I got some pitches that I could handle. Q. Over the offseason, with the physical problems that came up, what was your level of concern about how you would be able to perform this year, have you exceeded your own expectations? MIKE NAPOLI: Once I got through Spring Training and the doctor said I was going to be all right. I took the MRIs and everything was fine. I let it go and went out and played. I don't ever think about it. It's something I never felt. I just go out there and play. Q. Also, as Jonny said, or somebody said, you were big in that 2011 World Series, but you guys just missed winning it. How much do you still think about trying to get back there and getting over that hump like you almost did with Texas? MIKE NAPOLI: Of course I want to get back there, but I'm not getting too far ahead of ourselves here. We take one game at a time and try to win that day. We're in a good position now but we've still got business to take care of. A big game coming up. We'll go out there and just play, play the way we do. Q. Can you talk about the difference between what you saw from Sanchez tonight and in Game 1? MIKE NAPOLI: I don't know, just probably a couple more pitches up. Seemed like he was leaning on the corners, and got us to chase some pitches the first game. Me, personally, I was just trying to get something up in the zone and see pitches, like I always do. And I was able to get some up. Q. Can you take me through scoring on the wild pitch and what was going through your mind, as soon as you saw it bounce, were you going or waiting for something, when did you know you were going to go? MIKE NAPOLI: I'm always ready. It's a weird play. Some of that rarely happens, but you've always got to be ready for it. Butter is always in my ear to be ready for a ball in the dirt. We were talking earlier about 90 feet can win you a ballgame. And that definitely helped us tonight. Q. I know you probably don't keep an ongoing record book of your home runs, but 460 feet, Mike, is where that thing was measured. Do you think you've exceeded that in a big league game? MIKE NAPOLI: I don't know. It really doesn't really matter to me. It can go in the first row, for all I care, you know. But, yeah, I was in a hitter's count, I was looking for a fastball. And I got a pitch I could handle. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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