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NL DIVISION SERIES: BREWERS v PHILLIES

October 5, 2008

Pat Burrell

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Game Four

Q. Longest-tenured Phillie, just the emotion of the moment and what you're thinking right now about finally getting to the NLCS.
PAT BURRELL: I couldn't be more thrilled. You know, I don't think it's actually sunk in all that much yet. You know, in the situation we were in, up to coming in here, we knew it was going to be tough to win here. You know, you've got to give a lot of credit to the fans here. They really packed it in and made it tough for us, which is why it was really important for us to get a lead and why it was really difficult yesterday being down, too. They just didn't let up on us.
For Jimmy to come out and lead off the game with a homer, you know, calmed us down a little bit, and then we were able to tack a few more on.
But getting back to what you said, to be in this situation, as long as I've been here with the organization and to see where we've come, you know, to get to this point and have to have gone through, it makes it all worthwhile.
People have been talking about Jimmy and I being in the organization so long, but we actually knew each other a lot before that when we were 16 years old. I've known him for a long time. So this has just been a great experience, and hopefully we'll keep going.

Q. I wanted to ask you, on that I think it was a 2-2 pitch, they had a little conference. Jeff seemed a little concerned about --
PAT BURRELL: Yeah, see, who knows what they said. I don't know. But there was a -- you know, for me, in that situation when they pitch around the big guy, you know, the pressure is on. That's the situation you want to be in as a player.
The way he's been swinging the bat, I mean, you can't blame the other team for pitching around him, especially in that situation there. The goal there is just to try to get something to hit. Up to this point I didn't think I could have hit any of the strikes he was calling.
Fortunately I hung around long enough to get a good pitch to hit.

Q. You did come into this game scuffling a little bit. You probably weren't a lock to be in the game. When you show up and you see your name on the board, did you think it was 50/50?
PAT BURRELL: You know, I wasn't sure. This is a time of year where you've got to go with who's hot, and I understand that. You know, the bottom line is you've got to find a way to win. I don't doubt that they know how much -- how important this is to me and how much I want to win, but at the same time if guys aren't swinging the bat well, you've got to go with the hot hand. I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I got here early and got a lot of work in trying to get some things together. Fortunately he kept me in there.
I mean, I've got to give Charlie a lot of credit for that.

Q. Did he say something to you or just put it on the board?
PAT BURRELL: No, he didn't say anything. I mean, that's pretty standard. I think I'd have known if I wasn't. But when I saw I was in the second group in batting practice, I knew I was in the game. That's what you want as a player.
Like I said, I was scuffling, wasn't getting any hits. I didn't think I was swinging the bat that terribly, just wasn't getting any hits. That can start weighing on you, especially with our lineup, with the guys that are hitting in front of me. There's going to come a time when they have to pitch around people to get to you. You just hope at that time you've got it together.

Q. What was the pitch that Suppan threw to you and what was going through your mind as you were going around the bases there after the first home run?
PAT BURRELL: Well, it was so quiet, I knew something good was happening (laughter).
It was a 2-2 fastball there. I'm not sure, like I said, where it was supposed to be. But I hit it, and I thought, oh, man, it's got a chance. Like I said, for me, I've got to put my head down and run because if it doesn't go over, I've got to get to second. By the time I looked up, it was dead quiet and I couldn't find the umpire. Fortunately it was over the fence.

Q. Charlie, it's a clichÃ©, but he's been preaching, we have to take it one game at a time. We have to worry about tonight, can't worry about the next one. How important has that been for this team?
PAT BURRELL: The funny thing is we came here yesterday after the day off, rested, ready to play, and it just didn't seem like we had the intensity that we should have. And I don't know for whatever reason that was, but it just didn't start off the right way, even with the game.
Jaime had some trouble getting out of the first inning, and from then on it was just a grind. And today was a lot better. We got here -- the circumstances weren't great after a night game and then a 12:00 o'clock start. You just hope everybody has got enough rest to be able to be fresh.
And then it starts with Jimmy Rollins starting the game with a homer.

Q. I was just wondering what you think this day does for you and your relationship with the fans in Philadelphia?
PAT BURRELL: Well, hopefully they were watching (laughter). You know, the fans have been great with me. You know, I've had some years where I haven't played very well and some stretches in the same manner. But overall they've been very supportive.
You know, I wish I could have done it at home, but it's more important that we won here and we're going to the next round.

End of FastScripts

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