AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS v YANKEES

October 5, 1999

Joe Torre

JOE TORRE: Well, I'm sure he went around and talked to a number of them. He beat all of them here today. He was here before any of us were here. But it is a boost, I know for me, because I've been trying to get Yogi to come to this stadium for years. I'm just pleased that all that stuff is over and done with and that he's a part of the Yankee family again, because that's where he belongs.

JOE TORRE: Well, we're going to find out. There's no question that any kind of weakness is magnified in the off-season -- I mean in the post-season. The bullpen, the thing about the bullpen is the fact that you can't hesitate to go there. And if you hesitate, that's what normally beats you up. So having confidence in all parts of your game, I think, is very important. But the bullpen, there's no question in today's baseball, getting from the starter to the closer is probably the key element in the ball game.

JOE TORRE: No question, those things are tough. Especially in Shane's case where he had such a great September last year, and then a terrific post-season, especially against Texas, where he hit a couple homeruns. It is tough. Again, you still have to do what you think is the right thing to do. I went to Shane, he was the first one I went to yesterday to explain that he wasn't on the post-season -- which didn't surprise him, he understood. It does help when a player understands what the manager does go through. I know that, you know, I've been associated with a number of players who shake their head and then still couldn't understand why they weren't playing. But Shane, you know, I think was sort of playing along with us and understanding as the season was winding down that, you know, we were looking for a pinch runner in a situation and that was the reason he wasn't on it.

JOE TORRE: Well, there's no question when Darryl was diagnosed with colon cancer last year and during this Division Series, it was a blow to everybody. It was a very tough emotional blow for the players trying to concentrate on what they were having to do, especially when surgery was pending for him. And, you know, they had him in spring training, felt good about that. Of course we saw him at the parade last year, I think everybody felt good about seeing him there. Then having the turbulent spring he had and then the hiccup he had in spring training after the season had started, but everybody genuinely was concerned about Darryl and they're certainly pleased that he's made the comeback he has and put all that stuff behind him.

JOE TORRE: Well, Pudge, no question, he's an intimidator. He's like having somebody on the mound that throws 98 miles an hour. You do alter your aggressiveness a little bit. You still like to think you can move runners in hitting situations, but it's -- he's not someone you freely try to steal and put pressure on the opposition on because of, first of all, he delights in throwing to all bases, and he has had such an incredible run at throwing people out at second base that, you know, you have to pick your spots for sure.

JOE TORRE: Usually, the pitchers would rather have this weather than the hitters. It's a little bit of a lift, especially after a long season and pitchers have been pitching every four, five, six days. I think the cool weather, although this may be more than cool tonight, has a big lift effect. It keeps you strong. Case of a David Cone, that's a different story because of his history of staying loose in between innings. So, you know, I think otherwise, the pitchers -- unless they have to sit for a long time in a dugout or maybe have long innings, this is usually a pretty good lift for them.

JOE TORRE: Well, when you've clinched something, we clinched a playoff spot a while back, the players are very inconsistent as far as just the intensity of the game. And you sense, because you've gone through it before, that they were a little anxious to get to the post-season. And I noticed yesterday during our workout we were very relaxed with a nice, quiet way about us, like we're happy it's here. So, hopefully, that bodes well for us.

JOE TORRE: It is to do it again. And it's -- you know, you're right. '96, it will never be duplicated the first time, it will always be memorable. Last year what we did during the course of the year, then to carry it through -- last year was a lot more pressure, I think, involved than this year. You didn't want people forgetting completely what you accomplished during the season. But to get to the World Series a third time and, when I haven't done it for 35 years, is -- you just -- once you've been there, the hunger is that you want to get back because there's no greater high for me than knowing that you're on the field with the other team that's the best team in baseball. And it's just a great feeling, and you never get tired of it. I can see the players, when we go to spring training, even when we start these Division Series, you know, they're thinking in terms of winning eleven games. They need to win eleven games. Not that they're looking to the World Series, but they understand it's the one-game-at-a-time process.

JOE TORRE: I think it's probably what they've done the last 80 years. The Yankee championships, 24 world championships is pretty impressive. That happened before the last few years. But you're right, when you wear this uniform, you're thinking in terms of World Series, and it's a nice feeling because the player doesn't feel like, say you win this division or -- I'll go back to last year. You win the Division and then you win the League Championship Series, it's like we still haven't gotten to where our goal is. So it definitely has something to do with wearing the Yankee uniform because of all those flags that are waving, that are flying.

JOE TORRE: Well, there's no question, here you are right now and, you know, someone had asked me last week wouldn't you have rather had Pettitte have a better last outing or Clemens, sure. Here we are. These are our guys. It would be unfair to myself, it would be unfair to my team unless I felt 100 percent secure and confident in their ability. They've done it. And the reason they're picked as the four starters is what they have done over the years. So this is basically, you send them out there, they know what time it is, they know what day it is, and I assume that I'm going to get the effort. Again, that doesn't guarantee you're going to win. But I know we're going to go out there and do the right thing as far as preparation and energy.

JOE TORRE: Well, I hope he has added confidence. You know, there are times when you started the season, it was like it was completely foreign to him after having a great World Series, and I know the ability's there. I know that he's won some big games for us and he's done some good things for us in the outfield. But, you know, to me, he's still a kid. I look and learn and hope during this post-season that he gets off to a good start to sort of, you know, to sort of get it under his belt a little bit and give him the relaxation and the confidence.

JOE TORRE: Well, there's no question this year Pedro Martinez has been the pitcher that everybody's measured against and nobody has really measured up; there's no question. But, again, if you think in a short series that you're going to face him twice, that means there's going to be a Game 5. That's not a bad scenario, just like last year when they were talking about facing Kevin Brown three times. If you're facing Kevin Brown two times, we're going to have a fifth game and it's in Yankee Stadium. That's not a bad situation. There's no question, Pedro right now. They're playing Cleveland tomorrow, Boston, because of Pedro, has to have the edge because he can dominate. I watched him on a Friday night out here. I wasn't aware of how many people he struck out, but I knew just about everybody laid their helmet down when they got back to the dugout and shook their head in amazement at what he has accomplished.

JOE TORRE: My understanding is that Suzyn Waldman got both Yogi and George Steinbrenner together. I was in Hawaii vacationing at the time and I had a call to tell me that. I immediately called both of them to congratulate them. But I think Suzyn was directly responsible for that. And Jim Leyritz probably, basically a pinch-hitting role for him. You know, if I -- you know, the only way he would start in this series, if we have an injury at this point, this short series.

JOE TORRE: Well, it would be unfair if it was a seven-game series because he would pitch three times. That would really be unfair. I just think a five-game series is very tough, basically because you play all year 162 games and then you have to face this Russian Roulette to start with. And I know that it's going to go to the end of October if we go to the seventh game of the World Series, and that's a long time. But five games, it's still scary. But that's all right. Just leave it scary. Pitching is what dominates the game; there's no question. I mean I think the All-Star Game was, you know, was a good example of that. You had Sosa and McGwire and Walker. It didn't matter with Pedro; he just went out there and mowed them all down.

JOE TORRE: Well, you know, it was easy for me to be supportive of him because I never played in post-season, and I always respected the guy who would go out there and perform in post-season. After watching him in '96 and even leading into the '96 post-season, how well he had done, it was easy for me to support him. Andy claims that trade deadline had nothing to do with it. I don't necessarily agree with that. I think it was a combination of things. I think he bottomed out in a game in Chicago where he pitched very badly, the trade deadline plus Mel worked with him, as he constantly does with all pitchers between starts in making certain adjustments in his delivery. I think once he had two starts under his belt, it just became a mind game with him and he had that confidence back. Every once in a while he'll stray into that tentative-type pitcher, but he seems to be able to right himself now where before it took a little work between starts.

JOE TORRE: I think he's loving this opportunity. I know I walked by him earlier today and I didn't say anything to him and he said hello to me, just to see if I was nervous, I think. But, yes, I think he really gets caught up in this attention and it gives him an opportunity to show people what he's doing. He's pitched some big games for us. Unfortunately you go back to last year when we were playing the Mets at Shea Stadium, that's a big game in this city obviously, he pitched his tail off in that game. I remember when we wanted to take him out after eight or nine innings, he was still pumped about staying in the game. He loves the challenge. I look forward to that tonight.