MLB WORLD SERIES: YANKEES v BRAVES

October 23, 1999

Paul O'Neill

PAUL O'NEILL: We didn't have too many opportunities obviously. I feel like the big run to score is the one that ties it. Jeter came through and got a big run there. With bases loaded, the pitcher gets behind, obviously, you know, you're in a good position to hit. But, you know, left-handers aren't going to make their living off of Rocker, no doubt about it. He throws too hard, throws too well. We got a break. I put the ball in play and found a hole. That's the way I look at it. It was a game of pitching. We got a couple breaks. You know, when you score with those breaks as well as we pitched tonight, you're going to win. The bunt play was, you know, misplayed and Strawberry comes in with a walk. That doesn't seem like a big walk. That's a huge play, Maddux didn't walk anybody. He took some pitches, got another runner on. Once you get a few guys on, you know something can happen. It did tonight. As soon as you get Mariano in there, it's usually good news.

PAUL O'NEILL: Well he's always tough. Obviously his control is the one thing. For some reason, he gets you guessing with him. And as a hitter, you don't want to do that. You want to look for the ball but you start leaning in or looking away, he had a really good change-up he threw to me tonight. That's what gave me the most problems. But I talked to a lot of players. After four or five days off, it's, you know, you're kind of rusty. You're jumpy, jittery because it's the first game of the World Series, obviously. He's going to use that against us, too. He's that good a pitcher. I've never enjoyed facing him. He's good. To be patient and get a good pitch, you can't really slow the game down on him. Everything happens so fast, he just keeps pitching ahead, ahead, ahead. Even if you step out, the next pitch is a strike and you're right back where he wants you. He's a tough guy to face, no doubt about it.

PAUL O'NEILL: Believe me, in that situation and during the game, no at-bat during the season enters your mind, you do what you can to put the ball in play. The breaks are part of the game. If the ball finds a hole like it did tonight, we win. If they turn two, we still might be playing, it might be tied. So, you know, we're not -- this isn't an unusual game for us. We're used to playing close games. We're used to being in one-run games. When you win enough of them, then you feel like you're going to win it again somehow. Again, once we tied it up, somehow we're going to go ahead and win another one. That's the way our team feels. This isn't an unusual game for us, to be in a close game.

PAUL O'NEILL: Well, I mean that's the key to any team to win. No doubt about it. You can't get extra outs. The way our pitching has been, obviously all through the playoffs, if we score a couple runs here or there or get a break or somebody gives us a couple runs, we're going to win the game. Playing behind our pitching and knowing that, I mean it's great to know. I mean you can't wait to -- on a night like this, for example, it's cold out there. I mean we didn't stand out there more than five or ten minutes, every inning we're back in there trying to get some runs. Those things make a difference. You can't say enough about what El Duque did tonight. He pitched great again. He gives up a home run, a lot of pitchers can end up giving a hit after that or a walk, he settled down, got the next two guys out and we were back at them again. So this was a game of pitching tonight, and our pitching, I guess, was just a little bit better.

PAUL O'NEILL: No, I feel pretty good. I really do. I've had some time, like in the Texas series, where I felt it. But for the most part, it's feeling better day by day. And right now, I don't think it's changing anything I do on the field. So I'm kind of sick and tired of talking about it, to tell you the truth.

PAUL O'NEILL: I'm as happy as anybody, believe me. I'm as happy as anybody out there. Your job as a hitter there is to put the ball in play. I did the job. But they don't always find holes like that. I mean obviously you'd like to drive a ball out in the gap, but at 3-1 you don't want to give away a swing and swing and foul it off or something. 'cause he's that good and can strike you out. You put the ball in play and hope good things can happen and it did tonight.

PAUL O'NEILL: No, he went to tag me. I'm not trying to run him over or anything. He made a good pitch and got me out. There's nothing to that. I don't really remember, but I don't remember, you know, trying to shove him or anything.