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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: TIGERS v ATHLETICS

October 14, 2006

Placido Polanco

DETROIT, MICHIGAN: Game Four

PHYLLIS MERHIGE: Tell us how it feels to win and what you think about the Oakland A's.
PLÁCIDO POLANCO: Well, this is, by far, the best moment of my career. It feels great to win, to go to the World Series. We know we still have one more to go, and without a doubt, you've got to give the A's credit. They really battled and they played hard today. They didn't make it easy for us.
At the same time you have to give credit to all of our pitchers, the bullpen, the starting pitchers. They did a great job, and I think that's why we won it.

Q. And the mood in the dugout tonight, a little tense with the tie game?
PLÁCIDO POLANCO: Same, same, everybody happy, rooting for each other. It's just great chemistry that we have.

Q. What are your thoughts about Magglio Ordoñez, who was struggling a bit in the series and came up big today with two homeruns? What was the feeling in the dugout for each of the homeruns?
PLÁCIDO POLANCO: Well, we know the kind of hitter Magglio is. It was just a matter of time before he hit one hard, and he hit two today. The last one was just to win the game. He couldn't have hit it at a better moment. I felt very, very happy for Magglio.

Q. How does it feel for you personally to be the MVP of the ALCS?
PLÁCIDO POLANCO: Well, it's hard to make it to the playoffs. It's hard to win. It's even harder to do this. So I think it's just, like I said, very special, very special. And I have to thank the hitting coach that really worked hard with me, because I was out for a month, month and a half, and then when I came back, taking extra swings.
Andy Van Slyke did a great job throwing a lot of extra pitches, the training. It's just everybody.

Q. Can you talk about the frustration that you must have felt when you were injured, and could you imagine this happening, that you would get back and be the MVP in the championship series, or were you wondering could it happen?
PLÁCIDO POLANCO: Why do we have to talk about that? We're having fun now. It's a good moment. I want to remember that.
But I know we had a shot to make it to the playoffs, and I didn't know if I was going to play again. Like I said before, you don't have this opportunity every year, and I wanted to be part of the team.
That one day that I said I was going to be off for a year is when I got the Cortisone shot. I don't know if you've ever had one before. It really hurts. You can't do anything for like two, three days. But after that you're okay to go. I guess that's why I'm here today.

Q. Do you want to say anything to the Spanish speaking audience?
PLÁCIDO POLANCO: (Translated) I think that we're here because of the chemistry that we have on the team. It's just teamwork, and everybody did what they were supposed to do to win the American League.

Q. That night that you thought you were done for the season -- I think it was a Sunday afternoon in Detroit -- what did you realize that you probably weren't -- you might have been just emotionally over reacting?
PLÁCIDO POLANCO: The same moment, like two minutes after. I knew it. I mean, it was sore, but I wasn't going to give up just like that. I was going to -- but we had lost that one game. It was a Sunday, and we should have won that game, and then I couldn't do anything.
I felt like I couldn't do anything for the team, and I'm hurt, sore, and then one of you guys asked me if I was going to play the next day, and I couldn't even lift my arm. It's over now.

End of FastScripts...

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