home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: CARDINALS v GIANTS


October 19, 2012


Bruce Bochy


ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI: Game Five

San Francisco Giants – 5
St. Louis Cardinals ‑ 0


Q.  How does it feel knowing what Barry went through two years ago and to come to this point where he throws probably the best game of his life for you guys in such a crucial situation tonight?
BRUCE BOCHY:  Yeah, I couldn't be happier for him.  He's done a great job for us this year.  I don't know how many times we needed to win this year, he found a way to get it done for us.  Not quite the same game that he pitched tonight, what was at stake.  But we've won 13 straight with him on the mound now.  Earlier in the season when we'd get in a little skid there he'd find a way to win a game for us and get us back on track.
He's been through a lot, I know.  You go back to 2010, but this guy, he is some kind of tough.  And he's always been a standup guy with anything.  He's been getting it done for us.  We were comfortable with him out there on the mound.  He had it all going tonight.  He really used his fastball, located it, but had all four pitches going, and good command of all of them, very aggressive in the strike zone and laid down a great bunt.
He put on quite a show and just great focus, had tremendous concentration you love from your pitcher, he had it.

Q.  Actually, first part of my question is:  You ever seen Barry lay down a bunt, not like for a sacrifice but for a base hit?
BRUCE BOCHY:  I've seen him try a couple of times but not quite a bunt like that.  He couldn't have put it in a better spot.  He's not real fast, but he laid down a perfect bunt and really, I think, surprised a lot of people there, including us, how well he got that ball down.

Q.  Second part is, I was just curious in Game 3, I believe it was, against Cincinnati you scored on the Rolen error, and it kind of got you going, and tonight you get the error with the throw from Lynn.  Any similarities?  You've got, again, a new life heading back to San Francisco.  Can you build off of that as you now go forward for Game 6 and possibly Game 7?
BRUCE BOCHY:  Well, hopefully.  We got a break tonight on that throw.  You take that.  Last night we made an error and got a bad break on that.  But we've been looking for a big hit and Crawford got that for us.  But that helped set up his hit, get the rally going.  And it's always good to put a crooked number up there to make life a little easier, take some pressure off your pitcher.  But in this game it's always good to get a break, but what's important is you need to take advantage of it and tonight we did.

Q.  You're right, Barry has been very professional about the way he handled things the last few years, ups and downs.  Those of us on the outside wonder how much discussion there's been between you and Rags (Righetti) and him, helping him mentally through these last few years to where he gets to this point where he is.  Was there a lot of that?  Did you give him advice, did Rags give him advice or was it something he fought through on his own?
BRUCE BOCHY:  I think you have to give him credit how he's handled everything.  Sure we talked to him.  I know Rags talks to him quite a bit.  And he's really relentless with trying to get better, improve as a player, a pitcher.  He came in this spring and had a rough spring.  He was trying some things.  But he got on track.  We lost the first three games of the season and here he is coming off really just a terrible spring for him and he goes and throws a shutout in Colorado and really has been consistent all year.  And like I said, there's so many times we needed a win and he's found a way to get it done for us.
But it's a credit to Barry, this off‑season I know he worked hard on getting back on track and throwing the ball the way he knows he can.  It's always an adjustment.  With your stuff, when it changes, you need to change.  And I think Barry's done that.

Q.  Did you ever notice it getting to him, what had happened two years ago and so forth?  Could you ever tell?
BRUCE BOCHY:  Again, he was so stand‑up about what ‑‑ his tough outings or whatever happened to him and very professional how he handled things.  I can remember when I had to tell him that he was not on the postseason roster in 2010.  I think he went out and threw a bullpen right away.  He understood and he was disappointed.  But he kept working and throughout the playoffs he kept himself ready in case something happened and he never got down.  And that just shows a lot about his character.

Q.  Sandoval looked like he might have been shaking that off for a couple of innings, is he okay?
BRUCE BOCHY:  He's fine.  I think the one slide he bumped his knee and it was pretty sore there.  And then he fouled a ball off his toe in that first at‑bat.  But he's good.  He's fine.  He'll be all set to go when we get back.

Q.  Just following that up, he's been coming around and starting to be pretty productive with a couple of home runs in the last couple of days.  What's going on with him?
BRUCE BOCHY:  Well, I think he's been swinging the bat well.  He's seeing the ball really well right now, he's getting some good swings off.  He's a good hitter.  And I think the time from his surgery has helped him, has helped build some strength in his hand there.  He missed some time this year, going on the DL.
But as the season was getting close to postseason here he really started just throwing out some good quality at‑bats.  I like where he's at right now.  This is a talented guy.  He's hitting in the heart of our order.  And when he's seeing the ball, he's swinging well.

Q.  I know it's a rematch of Game 2, but, again, what are you seeing when it's Vogelsong versus Carpenter coming up on Sunday?
BRUCE BOCHY:  A great matchup.  You have a guy that has a tremendous strike record in postseason and Vogey is throwing the ball well now.  It's going to be a great game.  It's going to be a battle and we are just excited that we're going home and still playing ball at this point.  But we have a good one going and so do they.  So it's going to be a great game and we look forward to it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297