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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: TIGERS v RED SOX


October 15, 2013


Justin Verlander


DETROIT, MICHIGAN: Game Three

Boston – 1
Detroit ‑ 0


Q.  When the count goes full on Napoli, are you conscious of the possibility of a walk, did that play into your thinking at all there?
JUSTIN VERLANDER:  No, not really.  You know, you don't want to walk somebody, but in a nothing/nothing game, that can start a rally.  I felt like I had good control over all my pitches tonight.  So pretty much whatever I picked I felt like I would be able to execute it to the point of not walking them.

Q.  When the lights go out, what's the first thought that pops into your head?
JUSTIN VERLANDER:  I wasn't happy about it.  Obviously I was in a groove.  But it had no effect.  Just kind of treated it like a long inning.

Q.  Alex has said I think it was down to fastball or slider on that pitch.  What sort of swayed you guys, and how tough a decision was it?
JUSTIN VERLANDER:  I wouldn't say ‑‑ I felt like he hadn't seen the fastball very well today, either, and he took those two sliders before that pitch.  The second one I threw was a really good slider that he didn't chase.  So 3‑2 there.  And having faced him a couple of times already, I knew he wasn't seeing the fastball that great.  I decided to challenge him.  And that's ‑‑ I made a little bit of a mistake.  It was a little bit up and over the middle.  You have to give him credit.

Q.  How do you avoid not being really frustrated, pitching as well as you did and having your team lose?
JUSTIN VERLANDER:  Obviously it's tough, but you want to win every time you take the mound.  Obviously to give my team a chance to win today I would have had to throw up all zeroes and I wasn't able to do that.
I wouldn't say it's frustrating, it's ‑‑ you know, I think you kind of expect that kind of in this series.  It's just kind of the way it's going to go.  It's going to be a battle for every single out, every single run.  And it's two heavyweights going at it, and if you can't appreciate this, you can't appreciate baseball.  It's been an amazing first three games.  Tough one today, but we'll bounce back like we have all year, and hopefully win tomorrow.

Q.  Just overall how did you feel like you pitched?  Was this as good as the way you were pitching in Oakland?
JUSTIN VERLANDER:  Yeah, I think the results speak more than what I can say.  But just as far as execution and my mechanics and everything that I worked so hard to get to, I feel like I was right where I need to be.  Hopefully I just maintain that.  Hopefully I have a few more starts in the postseason.  Just stay right where I'm at.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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