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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: TIGERS v RANGERS

October 15, 2011

Jim Leyland

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Game Six

THE MODERATOR: Here we go, folks. Jim Leyland is in the interview room, and we'll take a first question for Jim.
JIM LEYLAND: Hi.

Q. Jim, earlier in your managerial career, you went through some grinding postseason series that went the distance. Have you found that the experience from those series helped you with subsequent postseason series?
JIM LEYLAND: I have been through it before. Like any other series, it's up to the players. You have to play good enough to extend this thing to Game 7 tomorrow, and we're ready. I couldn't ask for anything better.
We got behind, and we had Verlander, Scherzer and Fister ready to go. Certainly I know they feel comfortable. It's been a great series. And we're going to try to extend it.
I know the Commissioner will be happy if it goes to 7. That would be great for baseball and great for everybody else. In particular, us.

Q. Jim, you've been pretty definitive about your pitching decisions. Verlander done for the series?
JIM LEYLAND: I'm sorry?

Q. Is Verlander done for the series?
JIM LEYLAND: Yes. If you see Verlander pitch again this year, it will be a good thing because we'll be in the World Series. I hope that answers your question. He will not pitch in this series. He's done.
And if we don't go on, he threw his last pitch for the season. If we go on, obviously, if we're fortunate enough to go on, he would pitch Game 1 of the World Series. But you will not see Verlander out of the bullpen tomorrow, if that's what you're asking, and I assume that's what you're asking.

Q. Jim, Delmon, he went from having the strain, not being on the roster, then you brought him back, benched him because he was sore, played him again.
JIM LEYLAND: We have the best trainers in the history of baseball.

Q. Really. It's heroic almost that he's been able to do what he's been able to do.
JIM LEYLAND: He's a little sore today. I don't think he's going to play tonight. I'm (Expletive) you.

Q. Is he ready for Game 7?
JIM LEYLAND: We'll worry about Game 7 if we get that far. Hopefully it will be a great game. It's exciting out here for these people like it was in Detroit.
They're going to be all fired up, their fans. This is great for baseball. We're glad to be a part of it.
I really do believe it's the two best teams, I do. I believe the two best teams in the American League are playing this game. We've both earned the right to be here and hopefully we can extend it one more and then obviously win that one. That's easier said than done.

Q. Anything more about the odyssey with Delmon?
JIM LEYLAND: Delmon is a tough guy. Both teams. I'm not sure whose article it was. I was reading one of the local articles today both teams are tough, both teams have guys hurt. Both teams have guys playing through a lot.
But that's what we do. That's what they do for a living. I've always said that I never thought baseball never got the respect that it deserves, as far as some of the other sports.
You hear about football, obviously, and hockey and everything. But baseball, 162 games that these guys play and getting in all hours of the night and traveling all the time. It's pretty grinding, really.
Believe me, these guys are tough. I know we don't get hit like they do in football, but we don't get a week to rest either. We usually play the next night. Pretty tough sport.

Q. Jim, what sort of role do you envision for Porcello out of the bullpen possibly tonight? And what do you like about the way his stuff plays out of the pen in comparison to starting?
JIM LEYLAND: My bullpen tonight is -- if I was setting it up like I think we need to, it's going to be Scherzer, Porcello available, Coke, Benoit and Valverde. That's with Schlereth as a possibility maybe to get an out in a certain situation with a left-handed hitter.
Porcello is raring and ready to go. I said yesterday I probably wasn't going to use him. But I was at the park with him at that time and he hadn't done anything yet.
After he did his workout and everything, he said he felt great. His arm feels great. So I will use him.
I think -- I never like to say exactly how I'm going to use him, because something happens in the game and you don't do it like that and you say Jim Leyland messed up. He said he was going to use Porcello.
I can't tell you how I'm going to use him. It's a feel. As the game goes on, you see what is developing, you might need a groundball to get a double play you might use him. I can't tell you exactly how the game is going to play out. I can never really predict it.
I can just tell you those are the relievers I would most likely like to be in a situation to use tonight. He's one of them and I think he's throwing the ball extremely well.

Q. Jim, early on in Game 2 you guys had a number of chances against Holland and it didn't come through in those first couple of innings. Did you notice a common thread in those at-bats where the guys were maybe overanxious in the situations?
JIM LEYLAND: We always contradict ourselves in this game. We always say be aggressive but don't swing at a bad pitch. That's not fair.
You have to grind it out. You have to try to have tough quality at-bats and make him work for every out he gets. But, no, I don't think we did so much wrong in those games. Magglio hit a groundball in the first game. Magglio hit a groundball to the third baseman. Stepped on third, threw to first, double play. Took us out of an inning.
Second game we had first and second nobody out with Cabrera, Martinez -- or Young and Cabrera and Martinez coming up. We didn't get a run. That's the way it goes. The other day we hit a double play ball that hit the bag, and we ended up hitting for the cycle.
I think I'm pretty good, but I can't tell you what the hell is going to happen. I would love to, but I can't tell you. That's why it's a great game.

Q. When did you decide that being deceptive in these things doesn't matter anymore because some managers like LaRussa, they wouldn't sit here telling us how they're lining up their relief pitching like you did the other day when you said the two guys weren't going to --
JIM LEYLAND: I saw that in the National League where some people were saying they were surprised I said I wasn't going to pitch Verlander. They were surprised I said something else. You guys are all three times seven, I assume. You can figure out what's going on. I'm not trying to hide anything. That's what I got. What's the difference?

Q. I remember a series against the Reds back in the day where you brought out a pitcher for a start and then --
JIM LEYLAND: That was a little bit different situation. I was younger and smarter then.

Q. That's what I'm asking.
JIM LEYLAND: No, I think it is what it is, and there's no secrets. I can see once in a while if you were maybe thinking what you said at a press conference might -- may be possibly make a manager write out his lineup a little bit differently.
But Ron is going to do what he wants to do. I'm going to do what I want to do. I'm telling you that Verlander is not going to pitch tomorrow. What does that mean? How does that help Texas? I don't think it has anything to do with Texas. It's going to be Fister that's going to have something to do with tomorrow.
I just don't think there's a lot of secrets at this point. Maybe there are. Maybe I am dumb. I don't know.

Q. Jim, your lineup is going to see a lefty for the fifth time in six games tonight. Seeing that many lefties in a short amount of time help --
JIM LEYLAND: What?

Q. You're going to see a lefty for the fifth time in six games. Does seeing that many lefties in a short time span help your right-handed lineup?
JIM LEYLAND: That's a very good question. I would have to hope that, yes, it does. It's not very often you see that many lefties in that short of a time span. I would hope so. And the fact you're seeing the same ones I would hope so a little bit.
Obviously, Holland is a great talent. And if he's locating at 95 mile-an-hour fastball and mixing in other stuff, we have our work cut out.
But the one thing it does do is when you see that many, your right-handed hitting lineup is getting to play in a more consistent basis. If they're swinging good, it's good. If they're not swinging good, it's not so good.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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