AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX v INDIANS

October 9, 1999

David Burba

DAVE BURBA: Basically, it's been a problem for about two weeks, if that. I've had a little soreness, just something that I've had to deal with and have been getting treatment and trying to get, you know, get the problem worked out, get it back to 100 percent. But it never has gotten there and I felt that I could still go out and pitch and I did last Sunday and I didn't have any problems, but today, about the third inning, I threw a split or something and there was some pretty serious pain in there. And then it started stiffening up on me a little bit. Fourth inning, I went out and was facing Mike Stanley and threw him a split and it grabbed pretty good. I didn't know if I was going to be able to throw another pitch or not, and I finally got the feelings back in my hand and arm, and I didn't want to give in to him there, and I decided that I was going to go ahead and throw another split and I knew, in my heart and in my mind, that it was going to hurt. So I went ahead and threw the pitch anyway. Got the ground ball back to me. At that time my whole arm was numb. I didn't know if I was going to be able to throw the ball to second base, but somehow I got it done. After that, you know, the pain was so bad that I was -- that was it.

DAVE BURBA: Naturally I'm concerned. You know, I'm -- I feel that, you know, I want to help my team win. And naturally I want to be out there just like I went out today. I wasn't 100 percent, but I wanted to go out and give my team a chance to win and do what I could. Hopefully I can get some treatment and get back and get out there and pitch again. But right now I don't know where I stand or what the doctors think. They think that they can get me back, so that's what I have to look forward to.

DAVE BURBA: No. What was frustrating for me was that I felt I let my team down. You know, I'd go out with the intention to pitch nine scoreless innings to win the ball game and I have to leave the game early. I felt -- these are just my personal thoughts, but I felt I let the air out of the balloon. Nothing against the rest of my teammates or anything, that's just how I feel. Everybody kept telling me, you battled, you did your best, we appreciate that. But personally I feel that I let my teammates down.

End of FastScripts….