MLB WORLD SERIES: METS v YANKEES

October 25, 2000

David Cone

Derek Jeter

DEREK JETER: We're one win away from where we want to be. This Mets team isn't going to give up. In my opinion, they're the best team we've played in the five years I've been here in the post-season. A few of these games could have gone either way -- all four actually. They're not going to give up. We still have to come out here and play.

DAVID CONE: Well, that's not exactly true. But... (Laughter.) He told me to get ready for Piazza. I wasn't sure I would definitely face him. Then when Denny got two quick outs in the fifth, I wasn't sure at all. I was probably as surprised as Denny was when Joe made the change with two outs in the fifth.

DEREK JETER: Well, I mean everyone seems to want to ask me if I changed my approach when I'm batting leadoff. But Mr. Torre tells me I have the same approach, I'm aggressive. I've been known to swing at the first pitch. So when you're playing these types of games, when runs can be kind of hard to come by, you want to score early. So I got a good pitch to hit, and I hit it well. Fortunately, it carried out.

DAVID CONE: Well, I don't know if I was looking around. I might have been. I don't know. I knew I was facing probably one of the best hitters I've ever faced in Mike Piazza. I was just kind of worried about that. But I was a little interested to see what the reaction would be. I haven't pitched here since '92 when I was traded. It was a pretty firm "boo." So I know where I stand now. (Laughter.)

DAVID CONE: Yeah, I have a whole new perspective, obviously, for the plight of the reliever. Being a starter all these years, you know what your routine is. You have a set routine. But in the bullpen, it's completely different. You don't know when your name's going to get called. You get a tremendous adrenaline rush when you do get your name called. Yes, I did hear the cheering when I walked off, mainly from the box right by our dugout, which included the Mayor. So, yeah, it was nice. It was nice to get one out. Every out's a commodity in the post-season.

DEREK JETER: We're playing at Shea Stadium. There's a few Yankee fans here. You want to take the crowd out of the game. They never give up. We wanted to give Neagle a little comfort zone, and we were able to come up with the three runs early. But they battled back. Piazza hit the home run. Then it seemed like it was just a battle of the bullpens. Fortunately, our bullpen did a great job, starting with David. And then you got Nelson and Stanton and Mo for two innings. It was huge for us. Anytime you're in a post-season game, you know it's tough to score runs, and you want to come out and score early.

DAVID CONE: Well, the inning that I pitched in the LCS in Seattle really helped. I felt a lot better physically. I'm much more confident now than I was at the end of the year when I was hurting with my left shoulder dislocation. I was ready. I was surprised, to answer your question. I was surprised that Denny got two quick outs and Joe went ahead and made the move. I was told by Tony Cloninger to get ready for Piazza. I assumed that would be with a man on base. But this is a World Series. Joe manages to win. Every out, as I said before, is a commodity. It's only one. I don't know if I got the win in this game or not, but it took me four months. I didn't smell a win for four months. I don't know who got the win, but if I got it --.

DAVID CONE: Nelson got it, okay. I don't deserve it for one out.

DAVID CONE: Not exactly. I'm still kind of what they call a wannabe, a wannabe reliever. Whenever you're a starter, they're slow to accept you. I kind of figured that Mike traditionally takes a strike, usually. I was a little careful with the first pitch, Up-and-in. Then I threw a fastball away for a strike he took. Then I threw two straight sliders. One, he missed; and one, he fouled off. Jorge called for a fastball in. We tied him up; he popped it up.

DAVID CONE: Yeah, I am. Obviously, I've been very anxious the whole post-season. As I said before, the one inning in Seattle really helped, regardless if it was kind of a mop-up-duty type game. But this one, surely, it means something. You get one big out, you contribute to the win, everybody's happy. It means a lot. But when this season's over, I'm going to have a lot to look at, a lot to think about.

DEREK JETER: You said "his age." I didn't say that. Well, Paul's intense to say the least. He's someone that really helped me out through my career. He's always telling me not to give the bats away. Everyone here knows that he feels as though he should get a hit every time up. That's a good approach to have. He wasn't swinging the bat as well as he would have liked to towards the end of the year and the first couple rounds of the playoffs, but he's gotten hot at the right time. We're a much better team when Paul O'Neill is hitting his way.

DEREK JETER: I was looking for a fastball down the middle every pitch I think. It was right there. I think it was inside a little bit. I put a good swing on it. But I haven't hit many home runs this year. I don't consider myself a home run hitter. But every once in a while I get light.

DAVID CONE: I'm in no position to ask for anything more. Is it enough? Yeah, I would love to get back out there again if I can. But nonetheless, it's gratifying to be able to do anything at all at this point.

DAVID CONE: Well, I thought this was a huge game for two reasons. One is it's the middle game of the three games on the road. Secondly, the rotation turns over. We see their top two pitchers again. Leiter and Hampton are tough. That's why I thought this game was huge. So I don't think the Mets feel like this is over by any means. They have their two best pitchers going -- two tough lefties, who have traditionally been tough on the Yankees. This is still very much a series.

DAVID CONE: No. More of a practical joker than anything. Just trying to keep the guys loose. Things can get tight down in the bullpen in tight games. Just trying to be a good teammate, trying to talk to my teammates, keep them loose, say what needs to be said at the right moment, and continue to be ready for that one spot that maybe comes my way.

DAVID CONE: Well, I don't really recall what he said to me on the mound. It was brief. Something about, "Here it is. You got two outs, we need one more." Secondly, I said it at the end of the season. Then when the regular season was over, my ERA went from 6.90 to 0.00. We started over. That's the mentality you have to have in the post-season. I think more about what I did last year in the World Series as comparatively as opposed to what I did in the regular season. This is a different time of year, that's the way I view it.

DAVID CONE: It is ironic. It's kind of where I learned how to play the game, at Shea Stadium with guys like Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter. I've kind of come full circle, so to speak. So, yeah, I do see the irony in that.

DAVID CONE: Well, this year, especially, yes. Towards the end of the year, I was really struggling with it. There were times where I thought I can't help this team. I'm probably not even going to be included on the playoff roster. As far as next year, down the line, I need to really get away, figure out what happened this year and why, and decide what I might do in the future.