MLB WORLD SERIES: CARDINALS v RED SOX

October 26, 2004

Jason Marquis

JASON MARQUIS: If anything I think it has to do with the good. That day was a normal bullpen day for me, which I didn't throw early in the day, so it acted as a bullpen; it got my feet wet and let me know what type of atmosphere I was dealing with. It was good. I worked on a few things at the same time, obviously trying to get batters out.

JASON MARQUIS: I think it definitely helps. The less you know what you're dealing with, with the atmosphere, and how the crowds are going to be and the magnitude of the game. Tony has been doing a great job all year and his whole career, and the little things he does helps why this team is so successful.

JASON MARQUIS: I don't think it's a matter of the type of pitch I throw, it's a matter of executing it and doing what I want with the pitches. If you make quality pitches down in the zone and don't give them any mistakes to hit, you're going to be successful with these hitters.

JASON MARQUIS: It's tough to say. You don't know what they're going to be like until you go out there and start warming up for a game. What I try to do is when I'm warming up for the bullpen, I try to slow everything down in my mind and slow the game down. Once you get out there it's going to be pretty quick. You're going to have to make adjustments on the go. When I warm up in the bullpen is when I try to create my tempo of what it's going to be like in the game.

JASON MARQUIS: Well, obviously inside the clubhouse, I don't think we feel that way. Whether that's how they propose it or show it with the media or on TV, so be it for the fans. But in our own minds we know we belong here. We know this is our series to take, even though we're still in the hole 0-2. But we have a positive frame of mind, and we have the positive attitude we had all year.

JASON MARQUIS: Physically I feel great, mentally I feel great. Obviously hopefully we'll have some good weather tomorrow, but on the whole I feel great. Sit down and come up with a good game plan, and try and execute it, and there's going be no physical attributes that are going to affect that game.

JASON MARQUIS: I tell you, I don't think walks beat you. I've always learned that from a young age, more so when I was in the Atlanta Braves organization that walks aren't going to get you in trouble. Obviously you have to make a good pitch. And sometimes the situation calls for a walk. There might be a situation with men on base or a hitter that can beat you and you're better off putting them on. It's a matter we've been struggling with so far with two-out runs, two-out hits, we've got we've still got some work to do.

JASON MARQUIS: I think the situation dictates what type of pitch you throw and the way you throw it. It depends who's up, who's on base, what the situation is, whether you want to give in and throw a strike, but most of the time you don't want to give in; you want the hitter to hit the pitch that you throw. And if you go out and get the next guy out, being around a lot of veteran pitchers throughout the game that's what I learned. You let the hitter try to hit the pitch you make.

JASON MARQUIS: I definitely take pride in every asset of the game, whether it's hitting, pitching, fielding, bunting. And it's something that I love to do, something I've done my whole life. I was a hitter in high school, I didn't hit much in the Minor Leagues; it doesn't call for it. Anything that will help me win the ballgame I work on it. We take it seriously, but have fun with it during the season. I make it like I'm a hitter out there. I'm not going up as a pitcher with a bat, I'm going up as a hitter.