Shawn Chacon Quotes (73 Quotes)

I've said it since I've been here. If you keep this lineup close, good things will happen.

I have a belief that things happen for a reason. There were a lot of skeptics that said I couldn't make the transition to New York. But I know what kind of person I am. It's just a matter of taking advantage of the opportunity you're presented.

I see what lies ahead, ... It's win or go home.

Two or three called me up and said, 'Man, they're trying to take money out of your pocket,'

At the time, ... the way the other guy is pitching, you're like, 'It's going to be one of those games where it's who cracks first.'

You could say nobody's really looking forward to a six-hour flight to California. But I think everybody is now.

Everybody knows that each game is huge, ... Our playoffs start now. They probably started a week ago, so we have to make the best of each day.

I don't make the decision so I'm not thinking about it,

Over here is a different mindset from them. You know you're getting ready for a championship season, and a season where you know in your heart that you're going to the playoffs and that ultimately your realistic goal is to win the World Series. And if you don't, then it's a failed season.

At the back of the rotation, they're not looking for guys to go out and throw shutouts, they just want us to keep them in the game, ... I understand that, especially coming from Colorado, where keeping the team in the game was all we hoped for.

I'm trying to eliminate the get-yourself-into-trouble part. That's not fun, but it happens. I've been compensating so far.

I had pretty good stuff. I had command of all my pitches and I kept them off balance. Our offense put up runs early and that made things easier.

The righthander was shaken afterward but not before, he insisted. I probably haven't faced a lineup like theirs. ... To me, I'm not scared of anybody. They're baseball players just like I am. They put their uni on the same way I do. It's about executing. Today I didn't execute. There's no other excuse for it.

I see opportunity here. I want to stay here.

I stunk. I got behind in the count early all night long and made it hard for myself. I didn't make the pitches when I had to.

For Torre to have the confidence in me to get out of critical spots, that's big.

When it came time to go out and pitch, I realized why I was here,

I had a pretty good spring. I don't think I hurt myself at all. We'll see what happens.

I'd love it, but nobody's told me that will happen, ... But yeah, I'd be ready.

I'm just trying to eliminate putting guys on base. That is the biggest concern for me. I always want to go out and pitch well. You don't want to get in those kind of jams all the time.

Todd Greene told me, 'Man, it's going to be the best experience you ever have in baseball,' ... 'It's all about winning there. It's literally like a business and the business is winning.'

I threw strikes and was able to go late in the game. And the defense was outstanding.

This isn't fantasy baseball.

It's great following him. He told me to watch the hitters to see if they change their approach. I mixed it up and kept them off balance.

In my last start, I kind of got in trouble by falling behind early in the count. I tried to go ahead with strike one, and then try to make them hit my pitch later in the count.

Everything leading up to this (start), it matters, ... But it doesn't when you're in the playoffs and it's win or go home. Nothing else matters. You don't want the last thing people remember you by (is) you lost the playoff game and your team got sent home.

I was able to throw everything for strikes, ... I was able to make pitches when I needed to. It was a good day.

There's a competition in this camp, and I don't take anything for granted. It's unspoken (among the starters), (but) it's not as if you want somebody to do bad so you can look better. Competition makes you better.

I was sort of just floating around. You're disappointed, but at the same time you understand the situation. I just wanted to pitch.

I went through some tough times as the closer last year in Colorado, booed off the field some games, and that's at home, where I grew up, in front of family and friends. I came over here, with a chance to be in a playoff race, something I've never been a part of, and I'm thinking, what have I got to lose

Just getting ahead. I watched Smally do it all day yesterday, and I saw how that turned out for him.

I was behind all night, ... Usually I can throw my breaking ball for strikes, but tonight I couldn't.

I get nervous, I'm human, ... When I get out on the mound, that's where I'm supposed to be. I'm in control and nobody can bother me.

Giving up a two-run homer in the first inning is not what you have in mind. But you don't give up, you don't think too much about it. You just concentrate on keeping the game close from that point on. That's what I did and I was rewarded for it. We put up a lot of runs. It's no secret what we're going to do. We're going to pound people.

It was one of those days. The sixth inning was scary but we got through it. Today was a grind. I didn't feel I had anything as far as command of my pitches.

You have an inning in a game when you battle with, whether it's your control or getting the ball down or whatever. They made me pay for it, but I wouldn't take back anything I did out there tonight.

With one of the breaking balls, backdoor, I thought I had him, ... It was borderline. I guess you don't get those calls. In a perfect world, I'd like to have those pitches. But they can't call them every time. They're not going to. There's no use crying over it.

I felt good to the last pitch. That's all I'm looking for.

He's talked to me about having that personality that's got to match your stuff, ... He said, 'If you've got electric stuff, you've got to have an electric personality. Hitters don't have to fear you, but they have to be leery of you. When you come in they have to think, O.K., this game is over.'

I felt good. I just left a couple pitches up.

I think getting out of there, ... and having an opportunity to pitch every day in a decent pitching environment, it helps. I'm not going to lie.

Especially his personality and the way he can relate to you, not necessarily in a serious way, but kind of joking around, it was a tremendous help. For me, as a catcher, he's the best one I've ever pitched to.

That's the way we've played the last three weeks or so. Everybody has the attitude that we have to come out and win every game, no matter what situation we're in. Tonight showed some of the character of this team, the fight, and now we have one more game.

It gets kind of monotonous doing this over and over again. But once you physically feel good, you get anxious for the season to start.

I take all the confidence in the world knowing that I did get out of those jams.

The Bombers struck for another run in the second and two more in the third before knocking Zito out with a pair in the fourth. There's no doubt in my mind this team has a chance to do something good, ... To be a part of it is a blessing.

After the second run scored, I still had Vladimir Guerrero coming to bat with a guy on base, so all of that was out of my head, ... The guys came to me and said, 'Keep it right there, because we have to score anyway.'

I haven't ever seen a pitcher leave Coors Field and become a worse pitcher.

Man, he is in a zone. You hope he stays that way for a long time.

I wouldn't say I needed it desperately. But after struggling the first couple of times you put more pressure on yourself.