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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: MARLINS v CUBS


October 6, 2003


Carlos Zambrano


CHICAGO, ILLIONOIS: Workout Day

Q. Carlos, at your age, how do you keep from getting nervous in a game like tomorrow night?

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: Well, you know, you're going to be nervous but as long as you can control being scared -- be nervous, you can control. Being scared, it's hard to control. Right now I feel relaxed. It's another game that you have to throw and you pitch the game and go out there and have something that you have to do.

Q. You have one playoff game under your belt now against Atlanta; do you think that will help you starting Game 1 here?

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: Well, yes, of course. Atlanta for us was a hard team to beat. I don't think the Marlins is easy. We consider them a more dangerous team than Atlanta. We have to play kind of like the same that we did against the Braves. We had to keep those little guys off the bases and face carefully Pudge Rodriguez and the other players.

Q. They don't have a lot of left-handed hitters; is that an advantage for you?

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: Oh, yeah, for me it's okay. I like the players who are lefties and if a righty comes, it's something that you have to be in control and you have to pitch the game be it left-hander or right-hander. I have some pitches for left-handers and my sinker for righties. Just mix your pitches and go out there and try to have the more relaxed game and the most easiest game possible and get high in the count. If they don't have a left-hander -- I like to pitch against both hitters, lefty and righty.

Q. When you make a mistake and you get emotional with yourself, how would you rather someone calm you down, in Spanish or in English?

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: Well, sometimes I do it in both. Sometimes I talk to myself in English. Most of the time I talk in Spanish, my language. You know, it's no time to be that kind of emotion on the mound. This is not a game for a baby. This is a game for a man and that's already in the past. I leave that in the regular season. You don't want to see it this time, how Carlos Zambrano throwing a glove off the mound, kick the dirt. You don't want to see Carlos Zambrano in that situation. They get a hit, they get a soft hit, a broken bat hit, that's part of the game. We're already here and we have to take that as a part of the game. Like I said, you don't want to see that kind of Carlos Zambrano on the mound again.

Q. How much have you learned during this past season about pitching in the Major Leagues, and also, how much have you learned from your teammates in the success of a Kerry Wood or a Mark Prior; watching them pitch on a daily basis?

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: I learn a lot from those two special guys. They are star pitchers; great, great power. Every time when I go out there, I like to go watch the TV the first four innings, three and watch where they locate their fastball or slider. Not only I watch them, I watch Martinez, Kevin Brown. We know from the other pitching all of the mistakes they make; I try not to do that. I try to keep myself on the same page with the catcher and go aggressive and do kind of like the same they do, but in my own opinion and my own job.

Q. Mark and Kerry do get a lot of the press and publicity and whatnot but even in spring training Dusty Baker said he thought you would be the unsung hero or dark horse of the staff. How has his belief in you helped you progress and develop this year?

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: They have more, like you say, publicity than me, because Kerry Wood is like the baby and Prior is the other baby. I think they are better than me. I just try to do my job and just in spring training, I try to give a good season like I have. I am glad to play with those two pitchers. They help me a lot on anything that I don't know. They taught me about the game.

Q. When you guys got back to Chicago last night, can you talk about, were there fans that greeted you or what was it like when you got back here last night?

CARLOS ZAMBRANO: Well, I didn't come here to the ballpark. I went separate to my house. I had my car at the airport. But I saw the news on the TV. You know, like I say all year long, we feel good about our fans. Everywhere we go, Arizona, Atlanta, they are there for us. It's good when you feel the support and you feel more comfortable that you have somebody to wait for you to do something for them. That's why we play hard and that's why we play good baseball for them.

End of FastScripts...

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