We have the notage and quotage from today’s Game 2 of the American League Division Series that aired on TNT this afternoon. This resulted in a 5-3 win for the Detroit Tigers and evened the series with the New York Yankees at one game apiece. The series now heads to Detroit with the rest of the games on its regular schedule through the end of the ALDS.
We have the quotage from the game that aired earlier today.
Notes from MLB Postseason on TBS/ALDS – October 2, 2011
The MLB Postseason continues on TBS on Mon., October 3 beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET with TBS MLB on Deck followed the Texas Rangers @ Tampa Bay Rays, Game #3 (5:00 p.m. ET) and the New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers, Game #3 (8:30 p.m. ET). The night will conclude with the post-game show Inside MLB.
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TBS MLB on Deck
Matt Winer (host) and Dennis Eckersley, Cal Ripken and David Wells (analysts)Eckersley on Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer pitching in Yankee Stadium for the first time since giving up four home runs there in April: “Certainly he knows about the four home runs, are you kidding me? Now he’s got to go out there and he’s never been in a playoff situation. The pressure is intense…it’s in your head. I gave up five home runs (in one game) in Yankee Stadium and I can still remember it today. All you can think about, if you make a mistake, is ‘how many guys are on and if this ball is gone…how many runs is that?’ That’s what you’re thinking about and don’t tell me this kid isn’t thinking about it”
Wells on Yankees veteran starting pitcher Freddy Garcia: “(Garcia) can’t get away with mistakes like he used to. But he’s a gamer and he’s not going to give in to you. He’s going to give you his heart and soul out there on the mound.”
Ripken on how Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson handled the decision for Ian Kennedy to pitch to Prince Fielder in Game #1 which resulted in a Fielder home run: “What I like about it is that (Gibson) said it was a poor decision. He took the blame for it and he’s going to move on. It’s not time to dwell on it. A strong leader says, ‘That happened yesterday, we have to play the game today. Let’s not let that affect today.’”
Eckersley on St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter: “A couple of years ago, everybody used to talk about (Chris) Carpenter the way they talk about (Roy) Halladay now. Nobody remembers that. At the start of this season, he didn’t pitch very well but he turned it on in the second half. Everything he throws moves. He has a great curveball, a great change-up and he knows what to do with it.”
Ripken on Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cliff Lee: “The thing that he does better than everybody else is how he reads the hitters. He reads their reactions to a pitch and he makes adjustments.”
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Detroit Tigers (5) @ New York Yankees (3) – Series tied 1-1
Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Ron Darling and John Smoltz (analysts) with Tom Verducci reportingDarling on Yankees starting pitcher Freddy Garcia: “He’s a guy that has had two careers. He used to be a guy that could strike out 200 batters in a season. He’s not that guy anymore. He’s more tantalizing now in the latter stages of his career.”
Darling on how the Yankees are built around Robinson Cano: “It’s almost blasphemy to say that (the Yankees) have changed but it is changing. (Derek) Jeter almost hit .300 and he got his 3000th (career) hit, (Mark) Teixeira hits the ball out of the ballpark every year, A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez) has great career numbers, (Jorge) Posada might be in the fall of his career but this team right now, at this moment, is built around Robinson Cano.”
TBS’ Brian Anderson, Ron Darling and John Smoltz interviewed Tigers manager Jim Leyland in the fourth inning
Leyland on facing the potent Yankees lineup: “They are so deep with their lineup that it’s pretty hard. Some lineups, you can pick on one or two guys. But this lineup, they are pretty deep all the way through…so you just do the best you can. You have to make pitches.”Darling on the difference between how young pitchers and veterans handle pressure:” “The thing about young pitchers when they are pitching is they always want to add…veteran pitchers subtract to get outs. When young pitchers get in trouble, they want to throw the ball through the wall harder. Veteran pitchers will relax and take a little off the curveball or the fastball.”
TBS’ Brian Anderson, Ron Darling and John Smoltz interviewed Yankees manager Joe Girardi after the fourth inning
Girardi on Yankees starting pitcher Freddy Garcia:” “He’s pitched well for us all year long. He’s kept us in all the games. Freddy is the kind of guy who is able to make big pitches in big situations.”Smoltz on Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer making the Yankees’ home crowd a non-factor:” “He’s done a great job of controlling the momentum of the crowd and the Yankees by not creating too much tension with less than two outs.”
Smoltz on the effectiveness of Tigers catcher Alex Avila:” “He’s got a balance of young guys (pitchers) and he’s been able to hone them in and make some big pitches. They’ve been on the same page…not a lot of shaking of the head (by the pitcher). He’s had a good game plan with good execution.”
Smoltz on facing the Yankees: “You never feel comfortable as a manager or team facing the Yankees when you don’t have more than a grand slam lead.”
That’s it.
