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NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS v REDSOctober 6, 2012Brandon PhillipsSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Game One Cincinnati – 5 Q. Can you talk about the play where you kind of had that matrix move to avoid being tagged out and made it to second safely? BRANDON PHILLIPS: I just know that playing second base you always want to try to not let the other team turn a double play. I just tried to wait as long as possible to get Joey try to get to first base, he reached out for me, I fell down and he didn't tag me and it kept the inning open, but we didn't score any runs that inning. But I think it gave us a little bit of energy. Q. You guys had such a short run in the playoffs a couple of years ago. How much do you relish this opportunity again? BRANDON PHILLIPS: I feel like 2010 was a learning experience. We were all young and that was my first time going to the postseason. We made a lot of mistakes and it was a learning experience. This year we're trying to go out and not make the mistakes we made our first time there and today was a great day for us. We didn't make any errors‑‑ well, they gave us an error, but I don't think it was an error but it is what it is. We got the win and honestly, you know, just getting the first win is a blessing in disguise, you know. We really didn't know how it felt to win a game, but it always feels good to get that first one. Q. You lose your starting pitcher, your ace eight pitches in the game. How emotionally uplifting was it for you to get the home run and take the lead and get the Game 1 win? BRANDON PHILLIPS: When Johnny went down I was like gosh, oh, no, we're done. Why? Why? And we were out there talking and we were like, let's win this for Johnny, and it sucks just to see the ace go down like that. I went up there and talked to him. He was hurt and it was‑‑ it sucked a little bit because he wanted to go out there and pitch and show everybody that he was hungry and he has something to prove. All you can really do is just go out there and battle. I believe in this team, that's the thing about it. As long as we go out there and keep our heads clear and try to go out there and prove everybody wrong and just go out there and have fun and get it done. I hope I answered your question. Q. When Johnny went down, like you said, it sucked. But you came out and hit a home run. Talk about the emotion of getting your team back on track during this game. BRANDON PHILLIPS: That's right. You left that one out, that's right. When I hit that home run, I don't know how I did it. When I faced Cain, he's a great pitcher and he mid mistakes and we took advantage it of and I sat on the curveball the whole at‑bat and he left it up and I was like, okay, there we go, we got momentum now and the team was going crazy. And I was going crazy, too, and I was like, I hit a home run, this feels good and everybody was in the dugout going crazy and that's what we needed to get on the scoreboard first and everybody was like, okay, we got this win, that's all it really takes. They know I'm the guy that can get things going and they knew I was going to have a good game today. They said something about me being on TV I'm going to shine, I do love the TV though. Q. Did getting no hit in that first game in 2010, did that nag at you guys at all? Did you go back and look at it and say, here is our moment and we missed it? BRANDON PHILLIPS: I still see it now. They always show it on TV. They show me on TV making the last out, and it kind of sucks, but honestly I'll glad it did happen. Things happen for a reason. We keep our head up and when we get our next chance we go out there and try to make something happen. That was a nasty pitcher that day. He was real nasty and everything that happened in 2010 was a learning experience, the no‑pinch hitter, making errors in the second game, us not coming up clutch. It was just a learning experience, that was basically it. Q. Talk about the little things on defense, and there were a couple of big things tonight. Talk about how your team played including you backing up the wild throw by Rolen. BRANDON PHILLIPS: Offense sells tickets and defense wins championships, that's the thing about it, you have to catch the ball, you're out there with 8 other guys and you have to play fundamentals. I'm a flashy player, but I do the fundamental things, too, like backing up because that would have opened up the inning a lot. You never know what will happen. I'm glad I was there. Scotty made a nice play. Joey made a nice play, and our team is based on our pitching and our defense, and we did a great job together and they put a great team together and all you can do is put it together, go out there and perform. Q. You mentioned the curveball, did you see something in Cain, why would you be sitting curveball through‑‑ BRANDON PHILLIPS: The first pitch he threw me was a curveball and the way I swung at it was like one of those swings, I'm going to throw it again, and I thought okay, let me sit on the curveball again and he threw it again, and I just took advantage of it. I am the type of hitter that when I see a pitch, I go up there thinking I will sit on a pitch and if he had thrown me a fastball or a cutter, I would have been back in the dugout with everybody else. I'm glad he threw me a curveball. Q. You mentioned you like being on TV. BRANDON PHILLIPS: Everybody is watching. It's a good time to be famous, either you're going to be famous in a good way or a bad way, and I want to be famous in a good way. Some people like the spotlight, some people don't. I'm the type of person I love playing this game. When you are playing a game that you love and you get paid for, nothing beats that. Especially when you're on TV and all your family and friends and fans they watching and you want to go out there and perform for them and for yourself. Q. It's been 17 years since the Reds won a playoff game, to get this one for the fans, does it add anything to this? BRANDON PHILLIPS: It's been that long? It feels good, shows the fans that we will be playing more games in Cincinnati. You never want to go home 0‑2, especially that's a long flight, you get in at 7:00 in the morning, I'm not looking forward to that, but it is what it is. All you can do is win for the city and for your teammates, and we all have the same mission, to get the ring and I want to deep on doing that until I get the ring. Q. You mentioned the long flight, but you have Madison Bumgarner tomorrow, against him what's your mind‑set for Game 2. BRANDON PHILLIPS: See the ball, hit the ball, hopefully you can hit the ball whether or not. That's all you can do. Hopefully he makes mistakes, hit his mistakes and the best team will win. Q. I wanted to ask you about tapping your helmet with the bat. Is that something you do frequently? BRANDON PHILLIPS: Tell you the truth, it's just something that happened. I became the helmet man or something like that. I just decided to‑‑ it's some of my swag, just basically something to do. I just hit the top of my hat after every base hit and it shows me that I make sure I stay through the ball and I tap my hat, like congratulations, something I do. I'm out there having fun. I'm a big kid. Got to go out there and play the game. Some people like it. Some don't, but my teammates love it. That's the best thing about it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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