(Santana) pitched well today. But Jake was even better, because he was able to be a little more efficient. |
[Third baseman Aaron Boone sees the focus the Indians have exhibited this season.] I think we've taken the next step, ... One of our strengths is, we're really good at turning the page each day and coming to play. |
a veteran leader with championship experience. |
Absolutely there are guys who have a knack for winning games. Cliff is one of them, and it's very underrated. All year long, if we have a big inning, he makes a conscious effort to get us back in the dugout fast. He takes a lot of pride in that. He's fun to play behind. |
Against Santana, you know you've got to bear down in every at-bat. Because if you don't, not only will he own you, but he'll make you look bad, too. |
Aw, I don't know. I just play. |
Everyone had a hand in tonight's win and hopefully it will get us going a little bit. |
For me, he really stands out as a guy I've really enjoyed playing with. He enjoys playing the game. He's a tough out, and he does things in the field like he did today. |
He changed speeds on his fastball. He had a changeup and a pretty good breaking ball and he wasn't afraid to pitch inside too. |
He changed speeds, had a pretty good breaking ball and he wasn't afraid to pitch inside either. I thought he was very good. |
He didn't make many mistakes on the big part of the plate. |
He makes tough pitches when he has to. He's been fun to play behind. |
He's a control guy, a change-speed guy. He didn't make any mistakes on the big part of the plate. He pitched his game. |
He's a good dude. I found that out right away. Obviously, he's going to be a good player, and he knows how to act, too. I want to be there to help him out. But I don't want to overkill him with Johnny Veteran stuff. We're all men here and we're all teammates here. Plus, I like him. |
He's already emerging as one of the elite closers in the game. That's pretty impressive for a guy who was in college last year. |