[This was not vintage Roger Clemens , and David Eckstein frowned when asked if this was a winnable contest, knowing his club squandered too many opportunities against the old ace.] We had our chances, ... I think his hamstring was bothering him. There was a play when he didn't run to cover first base. There may be something there. |
All I wanted to do was face him again. I was hoping he would hit me in the back with a fastball. I really was. Just so I could run down to first base, to show him that I could take it. We did face them in the loser's bracket. And he hit me, and I ran to first. And it was his last pitch of the game. |
Anyone, you want to try and put pressure on him as early as possible. He threw very well throughout Spring Training -- his last outing was his toughest. |
Because if he's up we've got at least two guys on and we have a chance. |
Being in a situation where we were both coming to a new (place), we got to hanging out together. We're seeing the dividends now. |
By starting up the action with the hit-and-run and making him swing the bat and try to hit the ball to the right side, that might have gotten him going. It takes a little while, but his swing looked a lot better tonight. |
Don't turn the channel, ... no matter what the score is. |
Double plays are key to winning championships, ... No matter the situation, we try to turn everything. |
Everybody talks about how great it is, but you don't really realize it until you get to come fresh to this city (St. Louis). It's amazing, ... Now you know why when someone comes in, they don't want to leave. |
Everybody talks about how great it is, but you don't really realize it until you get to come fresh to this city [St. Louis]. It's amazing, ... Now you know why when someone comes in, they don't want to leave. |
Everyone has always told me, 'Oh, you're going to wear out, you're going to wear out. I've never really thought about it. If I go home and get my rest, I'm ready to play. |
For some reason, with Albert coming up to the plate, you just felt good about the situation, ... You can sit there and end your season on saying, 'Hey, he got him out' or 'Albert came through.' Fortunately for us, Albert came through for us and it was, 'Hey, we knew the game wasn't over yet either.' |
Getting guys on base in front of the big guys, that's the key to this club. |
Guess what, if we're going to be a champion we've got to come back. The bottom line is we still have life. |
Guess what? If we're going to be a champion, we've got to come back. We might not be able to sleep tonight, but that's normal. |