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Q & A with Scott Proctor
Even without his best stuff, reliever worked out of jam
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Scott Proctor admittedly didn't have his best stuff on Tuesday
night, but he got the out when he and his team needed it the most.
The Yankees reliever entered Game 1 of the American League Division Series
against the Tigers with two outs in the seventh inning, his team leading,
7-4. Placido Polanco and Sean Casey hit back-to-back singles against the
right-hander, bringing Magglio Ordonez to the plate, representing the tying
run.
Ordonez flied out to center field on a Proctor curveball, allowing the
Yankees to hold the lead. New York went on to record an 8-4 victory, taking a
1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Throughout the 2006 postseason, Proctor will take part in an exclusive Q&A
with MLB.com, sharing his thoughts after every Yankees game. On Tuesday,
Proctor talked about watching his offense go to work in Game 1, seeing his
first action of the postseason and what to watch for on Wednesday in Game 2.
MLB.com: We talked before the series about this being your first postseason
series with a meaningful role in the bullpen. What was it like to be out
there in a close game?
Proctor: It was good. The advantage that we have here is that we basically
play postseason games all year long. It was nice to get in there today,
because I didn't really feel like I had great stuff. I was able to trick them
and get out of there.
MLB.com: Can you take us through the Ordonez at-bat?
Proctor: The biggest thing was trying to not press; just make my pitches.
That's the key for any at-bat. I was glad that I could make the pitch with a
curveball when I needed to and got him to pop out.
MLB.com: What was it like to sit out in the bullpen and watch your team break
out for five runs in the third inning?
Proctor: That was nice, especially to put up as many runs as we did to give
Chien-Ming Wang some breathing room. You can't always count on that, though,
because five-run innings are hard to come by. It was nice in Game 1 to get
some early momentum, give us a little bit of relaxation.
MLB.com: How important is it, especially against a young team like the
Tigers, to make a statement like you did in that third inning and not allow
them to gain confidence?
Proctor: You could tell when we turned that double play [in the top of the
third], it was a big turning point in the game. If they draw first blood, all
of a sudden they get a little confidence and things can change. Getting the
five-run lead, it put all the pressure on them.
MLB.com: What did you think of Wang's outing?
Proctor: I thought he looked good. At the beginning, his slider wasn't where
it needed to be, but like Wanger always does, the more pitches he throws, the
better he gets. Once he gets that sinker moving, he's tough to hit.
MLB.com: Joe Torre has said that he doesn't plan on pitching Mariano Rivera
for more than one inning at a time. Does that put more pressure on you and
Kyle Farnsworth?
Proctor: Not at all. If we do our jobs, he shouldn't have to pitch more than
one inning. You shouldn't put more pressure on yourself, so I'm not looking
at it that way.
MLB.com: Are you happy to get the first one out of the way?
Proctor: You got that right; especially on a night when I didn't have my best
stuff. It was good to get it out of the way, get my feet on the ground.
MLB.com: What are you looking for from the Mike Mussina-Justin Verlander
matchup?
Proctor: The biggest thing is just to come out and put the chokehold on them.
Hopefully we can go out, score some runs early and try to throw as few
pitches as we can, get some quick outs.
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