AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX v ATHLETICS

October 2, 2003

Ken Macha

KEN MACHA: Normally with him he plays catch afterwards, and said he felt pretty good. He says he's ready to go.

KEN MACHA: I think business as usual. Guys were getting something to eat and went out to stretch, and some guys are always dragging a little bit for a day game after a night game. We do play a lot of them out here. I thought it was business as usual.

KEN MACHA: I think the media puts a lot of emphasis on yesterday's game. Before the game I was talking to somebody and said, you have the opening day of the season and you lose that game and it's like you lost the whole season. But I know the players on our team and I know some of the players on their team. I don't think there is any momentum one way or another. We're going to go out and play a good baseball game today. That's the way I think our guys will approach it, anyhow.

KEN MACHA: In that situation there were two outs and their pitcher was quite slow to the plate, so we felt like that was almost 100 percent chance that he was going to be safe. So we gave him the green light, and he went ahead on his own.

KEN MACHA: Certainly, it was. To me, if you look at all 12 innings, there were so many things in that game there that you could place tremendous emphasis on. Ruby does have great at-bats most of the time and makes the pitcher throw strikes, led our team in walks and on-base percentage, and grinding it out, and that's what he did. Tremendous matchup, Pedro wasn't giving in, and he wasn't giving in either. I'm sure Grady went out there and Pedro said, this is my game, and he left him out there. To me, that was something else, that inning. He wound up pitching out of that jam. Great competitive spirit on both sides.

KEN MACHA: The importance of the game, you're going to do everything you can to win. Grady probably felt that was his best chance right there with Derek coming in. Normally you have a couple of days before you go out and pitch a game, so maybe they'll treat it that way. Who knows what effect it's going to have on them. It's the playoffs. You have to go with the best people you have, and that's the way it felt right at that particular time. I was over there watching the Marlins and the Giants' game yesterday and they brought Willis in to pitch. That's the way it is. This time of year, you only have a five-game series, go ahead and let it all hang out.

KEN MACHA: I just spoke to him briefly, nothing about his hand. I'm sure it will be okay. Just a little cramping in there, that's all.