NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: METS v BRAVES

October 13, 1999

Bret Boone

BRET BOONE: Yes, it was a great play. I hit the ball. At the time it was a close game, and I hit the ball on the right field line, and it was slicing pretty hard, and I know he can run. But when I got halfway to him, and I said: "No, he's not getting it -- it's a double." And he made a great play, but that's part of it.

BRET BOONE: Yeah, I think I had a mediocre season, from what I was planning on having. But I've been through tough seasons before; I've been through great seasons. But it's a new ballgame now, and it's the postseason, and it's been fun to this point. And winning that first series against Houston was a lot of fun, pretty stressful, but we had some great games down there, and now we're off to a good start in the Championship Series. Yeah, it's a fresh start. It's a fresh start for everybody. Now is what it's all about. And guys are having a good time. We're off to a 1-0 start on the series. It's going to be a tough series. We've got a long way to go. It's been a tough year. It hasn't been easy getting to where we are. A lot of bumps in the road, and we've overcome them and played great to get where we are right now. But we're one series away from our goal.

BRET BOONE: No. The first series I just went up there and -- the postseason is a little different, bigger crowds and screaming and yelling. But I swung the bat good in the first series and got a lot of hits. There was nothing to it. Nothing I was trying to do any different than I did all year. But to this point, it's working out good, and hopefully, I can keep going, help this team win some more games.

BRET BOONE: Well, I think that's what -- this is only my second postseason, but remembering the first one, the crowds were big and loud. I think that's what it's all about. That's why you play this game. And of course, when you go to Shea, you'd like them to be cheering for you. But when you do have a crowd, it's a different feeling. It's cold and it's got a little nip in the air and you just know it's the postseason. And at Shea Stadium, those guys can be tough. You don't have too many friends in that stadium. It's exciting. And like I said, it's what it's all about; it's what you play for, and there's no place like it. It's nice to be over here in Atlanta getting a shot at the postseason again.

BRET BOONE: It will be fine. These guys do a great job here, the grounds crew here. And we've played after rain before. So it might be a little sloppy. Grass is probably going to be wet. Some balls hit through the infield might be a little wet today, but nothing -- it's going to be equal for both sides.

BRET BOONE: New York pitched me a lot different than Houston pitches me. So I don't know. I don't know what to expect. I think it's pretty much the pitcher. Through the years I've faced these guys enough that I know how they're going to pitch me. It's not necessarily a team; it's the pitcher out there. It's the starting pitcher that depending on my success against him, or my lack of success against him, what he's got me out with in the past; so that's going to vary.

BRET BOONE: I think with the caliber of season that Chipper has had, I think, of course, in certain situations they would much rather pitch to me than pitch to Chipper. So in that situation maybe when there isn't a base open, they're going to come after me a little bit more. Because like I said, when you've had the caliber of season Chipper has had and how many times he's come through with the big hit or the big home run, of course they're going to come after me if they're going to have to choose between the two of us in a big situation. But pretty much this game, it doesn't matter where you're hitting in the line-up. If you're swinging the bat good, it depends on the pitcher you're facing that day. They're going to pitch you the same way. If they've had success before, they're going to go with it. Their job is to get you out. You just have to go up there and you can't worry about that. But without a doubt, Chipper and Brian, that's a lot of damage behind me.