Brian Bannister Quotations

When you throw strikes, they are going to get hits.

My approach is I don't give in. I'll walk guys before I'll give them a pitch they can drive. I'll keep making my pitches all day.

I didn't really settle down until the fourth inning. It was almost a blessing that it was cold. It made me concentrate on my pitches. I made pitches when I had to. But I wasn't right early in the count.

I didn't want to stir anything up. When we went in, we went in. I was just more aware what we were doing. Once I went through the lineup, hopefully they knew I wasn't going inside and trying to hit anybody. Hopefully it would cool off.

I felt it going to second and I slowed down. I didn't think it was anything but when I got to third and planted, it grabbed. It felt like I was dragging a big weight behind me.

I felt like I was dragging a big weight behind me because I was dragging that leg along. I knew it wasn't bad because I was still walking and running on it. If it was torn, you're going down, so I knew it wasn't bad. It was very painful and I'm just glad I made it home.

I feel like I'm ready to go out there and pitch.

Whatever role they have for me is fine. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could pitch at this level.

He is one of my inspirations to keep working hard. He is extremely talented, but he has fallen on some tough times. I think about him a lot when I play.

I think you add 40,000 fans and it changes things a little bit. All of a sudden, you're in a situation where there are tons of people, it's on TV, and people are analyzing everything you're doing. Now it's for real. Everything counts. For any young guy, it's something you have to adapt to.

I was the third assistant on the shoot. We built the set and everything.

I think I've been giving these guys too much credit for being good hitters. I know they are good hitters up here, but I can't be afraid to pitch to them. When I get in trouble I am able to go after them.

I was nervous. I know what's at stake.

This whole spring has been tough because Aaron and I have become good friends. I know his preference is to start. I know I'm getting an opportunity and I'm happy about that, but I know it means he's giving up something he wants to do. I know this is about what Aaron can do in the bullpen.

Eventually, I hope they find a spot for both of us.

That's winning ugly and just staying alive out there. Sometimes I wonder what I win with. Sometimes it's just pure determination.

That's how I should have done it. If I were pitching against Cuba now, I'd attack them so much differently.

This is going to be a special team. It's a lot of responsibility, but I'm looking forward to it. That's why I've prepared the way I have the last three years in the minor leagues, to get to this point, so I can contribute and they feel like I'm ready.

This is a team that is built to win.

They took a leap of faith to put me in the rotation right away. It's a compliment and I'm just trying to take advantage of it, like I did in spring training. It's one of those things I've got to get over my own fears of being out there. Once that happens, I feel like I can be a part of this team and really just rely on these guys to win games.

It's a knack, it's a gift, and there's also a lot of hard work that goes into it. There's a reason you have a .700 career winning percentage. He always gives his team a chance. When he gets on the mound, everybody just has a faith in him. That's the best thing you can do as a starting pitcher: give your team a belief they're going to win that night.

It's not torn. It's not anything severe. It's really just tight right now. If it was more severe I'd probably be sitting down.

It's really just tight right now. I don't think it's that bad.

It was kind of a bittersweet day. My mom was having a tough morning because one child was having surgery and the other had good news.

I'm trying to take advantage of it like in spring training. It's one of those things where I'd like to get over with it now and go out there, and once that happens, then I feel like I can be a part of this team and really just rely on these guys like they can on me.

I knew my role was to come in here and to lay low, to just eat up innings, to pitch any game they needed me to pitch and to just give this team a chance to win every time. It wasn't to come in here and take over the show.

I'm pretty flexible. It's all up to Victor and how he feels. I'm still on my schedule, so it doesn't matter.

I'm very much interested in the process of pitching.

I'm the new guy. My job is to lay low and pitch whatever they need pitched. If I stay in the shadows and eat innings all year, I'll be doing my job.

I'll be ready either way. I'm on my regular routine. I'm not changing a thing.

I like the underdog. Look at me. If everybody played the way they were supposed to, I wouldn't be here.

I have to get over my own fears of being out there. Do I belong here? Once that happens, I feel like I can be part of this team and rely on these guys to win games. I think a new guy always has an advantage. Once they adjust to me, it will be my adjustment back to this league that will determine my future success.

I gave him a pat because I felt right there with him. It's tough watching those guys run around the bases and you can't do anything about it, especially after you pitch well. It's just sometimes the game comes down to one pitch. It's frustrating. We didn't have to say anything. We felt each other's pain.

I felt right there with him. I threw the same pitch to Nick Johnson - fastball up.