Shawn Chacon Quotations

When I was on the mound, I was pretty relaxed. I was focused. I don't know what it is, but I'm more nervous before I pitch and then after I come out of the game. When I'm in there, I don't feel any of that.

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

Through five, I did exactly what I wanted to do with most of the pitches. In the sixth inning, just made a couple bad pitches to some good hitters. That was it.

We heard the cheers from the back field. We didn't know what was going on.

When I'm able to throw my breaking ball for strikes, I'm going to be successful,

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

Obviously, I'm excited now that I know I'm going to start. I wouldn't say relieved, but that's where I know I want to be. But I also know it's game-by-game here. I know what the situation is here, so I'm not taking anything for granted.

Obviously the big hit was the home run, ... That was a situation when I didn't want to throw a strike and it caught a little too much of the plate.

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 wouldn't get into it with that dude. He's huge.

I don't know, but I'd guess he'd be pleased with what we did tonight. It says something about this team that we can not listen to all the stuff the media and fans are going on about and just do our thing.

I didn't get the pitch where I wanted to. It wasn't that bad of a pitch, but he's a great hitter.

I don't figure anything. It's a decision I'm not making. All I can do is pitch.

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

I don't know what it is, but I'm more nervous before a game and when I come out of it, ... The mound is the one place I'm supposed to be. I'm in control and once you make up your mind that you are, nothing can bother you.

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 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.

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

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

I feel great. I just need to get a little stronger.

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.

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.

Today I could locate all my off speed pitches for strikes, I wanted to keep the White Sox off balance, ... I know they are a good hitting fastball team.

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

I would've like to have finished, but it was a lot of pitches.

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

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

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 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?

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

I was able to throw everything for strikes,

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

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.

I still made pitches when I had to.

I think everybody understands that we have to win every day. The more pressure we can put on them, obviously the less pressure there is on us.

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.

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.

It didn't start well. Coming out and giving up a two-run home run.

I thought I pitched decent, not great. It's tough to come back against a team like that, with their pitching staff.

I'm happy. Being in a race and helping the team, I don't think I could have written a better script.

The amazing thing. Is that he has got one pitch, to do all that with one pitch. Watching him, he looks like he doesn't even break a sweat.

That was the worst three-inning shutout I've ever thrown. This was definitely one of those days.

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.

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

Most of it just comes down to being aggressive.

You don't ever want to give up the ball as a pitcher, ... especially after the mess you'd left out there the inning before. Each start I've shown him I can go deep into games and I'm just glad to have this opportunity.

You don't ever want to give the ball up as a pitcher, especially when you've got that mess out there you made yourself. Having the confidence in me to be out there and get through it, it's big, it's huge.

You like the pressure but you don't add any,

When you watch him play, you see what he does on the field. Off the field, when you get over here, you see it's not about him getting on people and being that loud kind of leader. He leads by example. His energy, his positive attitude is contagious. He's just always trying to pick guys up, whether he has a good or bad night.

We were right next to an Air Force base out there.

With a team like this, you don't panic. I got rewarded for keeping the game close.

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.

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

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.'

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.'

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.

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.

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

I see opportunity here. I want to stay here.

I've been getting ahead of hitters, throwing all my pitches for strikes and really just staying aggressive, letting the defense play. That's something they've been doing is playing outstanding defense.

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

I've never been in a situation like this, ever.

So now I feel like I've actually graduated to the point where it's not because I'm a homegrown kid that I was in the major leagues. I think that's what some people thought sometimes. But now, I don't have the Monforts backing me. There's not any excuses. I'm on my own out here, and I sink or swim by myself.

Some days it's going to take the starting pitcher to come out and dominate, and you might win, 2-0. But for the most part, we're going to score runs. With a team like this, you don't panic.

As an outsider you're kind of like, 'Everybody has those problems, why are they making the Yankees a big deal?'

As a whole group, I think that's how the team felt. 'Well, what's going to happen today?' As opposed to coming over here, it's like, 'There's no doubt we're going to win today.'

They told me when I came over here that we were trying to piece it together until we could get over the injuries, ... Between Small, myself, even Proctor making that one start, we've done a pretty good job. If we get Randy back to being himself and Jaret pitching the way he can, we'll have a solid rotation.

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.

There's a lot riding on it no matter what I'm doing. I can be anywhere in the league and there's a lot riding on the next start. That's how I take it.

Absolutely, you don't panic. As powerful as this lineup is, you don't know when it's gonna happen, but you know eventually they're gonna score runs. Not only does that take a lot of pressure off me, it adds to (opposing pitchers).

It's just unbelievable for me. I still can't really explain it, ... It's kind of a crazy road you take to get where I am.

It's just big not only for myself, but for the team.

It wasn't that bad. I'd much rather pitch in these conditions than be a hitter. At least as a pitcher you're constantly moving.

It wasn't like, 'Oh, my God, I'm scared,' You take it like a man and move on,

It's an honor to be part of all this history. You want to put your own mark on the Yankees organization and the history.

I tried to go back in there with my two-seamer, and it seemed like he was waiting for it, ... He made me pay for it.

It just happened where I'm the guy that has to get skipped. I'll be ready to pitch Saturday.

It's funny to say, but it's easier to focus on a team like this, ... You want to do well, not that you didn't when your team is struggling, but you can get in a lull. Your focus isn't as high as it is here, knowing you're in a pennant race. Every pitch counts.

It's funny to say, but it's easier to focus on a team like this.

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.

You tend to get nervous and excited before and after,

Everybody around me was a Yankee fan, ... We grew up watching them win year after year.

It's disappointing. I felt like I had good stuff when I warmed up, and I didn't think I pitched badly. I didn't want to come out of the game.

Not giving up two-run homers in the first inning, that's always a bonus.

It was a bad day to have a bad day,

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.

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'm not nervous when I face anybody. I'm extremely nervous when I'm sitting down watching a game.

I'm getting an opportunity to show that I can pitch in big games, and all you want as an athlete is a chance. You want a chance to be able to do big things, and I'm getting it. This is everything I've asked for, and you've got to take advantage because you never know when it will come again.

I'm getting an opportunity to show that I can pitch and pitch in big games, ... That's all you can ask as an athlete, a chance to do big things.

I'm thinking, 'Without this team, I wouldn't have done as good as I have.'

In Colorado, we knew how to play hard,

I knew coming in it was either going to be one of those days where I struggled, and I was going to have to sit out there and eat up innings or I was going to pitch good,

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.

I'm proud, but not too proud because we did lose. Throwing seven strong innings, I'm always going to be proud of that. But the bottom line's winning, and we didn't get it done tonight.

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