I was throwing mostly fastballs and had pretty good location. I was able to keep the ball down and work quickly. |
I'm sure it's going to be a challenge for him. But the way I look at it is, last year, we went through seven catchers. That was a challenge in itself. If I can get through that challenge, I don't think this year will be too bad. |
If you make decent pitches to him, you give him respect because you know he'll swing at anything. You know he's going to put the bat on the ball. And if he can reach it, he will. The pitch was probably not necessarily where I wanted it, but he just as well could have popped it up, too. |
If you make decent pitches to him, you give him respect because you know he'll swing at anything, ... You know he's going to put the bat on the ball. And if he can reach it, he will. The pitch was probably not necessarily where I wanted it, but he just as well could have popped it up, too. |
In meetings, I don't recall someone speaking to him in Japanese, which tells me he's understanding what's going on. |
It almost felt like it was my dad back there. My dad was the same way in the driveway. |
It felt like I was throwing to my dad. |
It makes you focus harder. I was aware of it. |
It seems like we've faced him 10 times, ... and he always pitches like this. |
It was all right. It's a starting point. You can find out where you are and where you need to address things. |
It'll be a shame not to see him in uniform anymore after this year. But we'll see him around. He will always be part of this organization and this community. |
It's a crapshoot. You're dealing with kids, 17 to 21 years old. That's a lot of pressure. Think of all the pressure -- and the money that is bet on it, legally and illegally. It's amazing. |
It's a playoff atmosphere. It's an excitement. |
It's feedback. I was trying to see how many times in a row I could get him to say it. |
It's meaningful to me if it's meaningful to him. A great way for him to go out is to catch. That's what he's done his whole life. He's caught me most of my career. I've been here nine-plus years and he's caught me eight-plus years of that. If we can do it together, it would be great. If he can't, I understand that, too. You're dealing with an injury here. |