BRIAN MCCANN
On what he told Fernandez:
“He took exception to Gattis’ home run and you could tell that walking off the field. And he happened to hit a home run and stood there. I just told him you can’t do that. You can get someone hurt. It’s something that didn’t need to happen.”
On what his reaction was when McCann told him:
“He didn’t get aggressive. We just looked at each other and I think he realized that he messed up and I think the emotions got the best of him tonight.”
On him saying stuff to the dugout after Gattis’ homer:
“Yeah.”
On him pitching with emotion to begin with:
“I think when you watch him pitch, he’s got a lot of things he does on the field that you could do without but he took exception, then stood there and just can’t allow that to happen.”
On if anticipate benches would clear when talked to him:
“Nah it was going to…like I said the emotions of both sides, both teams, that was going to happen.”
On not matter what tone, knew they were coming:
“Yeah I knew that was going to happen.”
On the pitch Stanton hit:
“It was a curveball that was a little more up than Mike wanted and Mike’s (Giancarlo) got some of the best power in the game, so he got the head out and that was it.”
CHRIS JOHNSON
On the situation:
“Tempers high. Kids a good pitcher. He’s got some other stuff going on that upsets people sometimes and it’ll work itself out.”
On if he and Fernandez oil and water with their personalities – he’s loose, you’re serious:
“There were some guys in the dugout that weren’t too happy with all the smiling after getting people out or stuff like that. It’s fine. It’s just guys being guys out there battling. It’s all in good fun.”
On Fernandez spitting at the bag at third base:
“I saw what you saw. I was standing right there watching him round the base, didn’t say a word. He wants to be spitting at stuff and then Mac said something. I was just headed into make sure everything was all right. I wanted to be there in case something happened.”
On if exchanged words Johnson’s during flyout in the sixth or if it was when saw spitting:
“That’s when I got angry, for me personally. I know some guys, Justin crushed a ball and it got caught, and he’s watching him walk back to the dugout smiling. Stuff like that. I think that’s why Gattis was a little upset. But it’s fine. It’s baseball. Stuff like that happens. I don’t think anything’s going to happen after that. I think it’s overwith, and we’ll try to get him next time. He’s a good pitcher.”
On flyout as you got to first base:
“Probably not at him. You know me. I’m always yelling at myself and stuff like that. No the only thing that made me angry was the gesture around third base.”
On his reaction to Fernandez’s homer:
“He stood there for a while, and that’s disrespectful to Mike. That was bad. He stood there, his first career homer, but it’s fine. We’re just shake it off. We’ve already talked about it. It’s not a big deal. We’ve got other stuff going on.”
On in here meeting, talking after the game:
“Yeah, guys have already talked about it. It’s not a big deal. Kid’s a good pitcher. He’s wired up. I’m wired up.”
On you reacting to him in back and forth:
“Once it gets going, teams come out it’s everybody for themselves. Guys are intense out there. He’s intense out there. Sometimes it clashes a little bit when they’re trying to beat us. We’re trying to beat them.”
On not wanting it to take away from what Braves are trying to do:
“It is what it is. It’s over. You know Mac said something and it’s done.”
On if any problem with the trot:
“No, he’s a pitcher. He’s not supposed to be sprinting. He doesn’t want to get him hurt and stuff like that. It wasn’t the trot. It’s just he stood there for a while. But I guess that was his reaction to Gattis’ home run. It is what it is. It’s over.”
MIKE MINOR
On how many guys could hit that pitch out that Stanton did:
“One. I looked at it. As soon as he hit it, I came up here and looked at it. It was knee high, it was on the black on the outer half, and he crushed it to right center and that’s a long ways out there. Even his swing, his feet, it wasn’t like a great swing and he still just hit it, squared it up.”
On what he’ll take away from night, critique:
“Nothing really. Can’t change anything. It’s just one of those games. I feel like the Marlins always have a good approach against me anyways. So it’s not like I dominate them every time and they got me tonight. I have to change something. It was the same stuff and I think that’s the third or fourth time I’ve faced them this year and I’ve faced them plenty of times in the past. So you just have to try to mix it up every time.”
On what he heard, saw, with Fernandez homer:
“I didn’t see him say anything. I saw him around the whole bases. Obviously he stayed at the plate and watched the ball go out of the stadium, but I watched him round the bases. He didn’t look at me, didn’t say a word. So I didn’t want to start anything. Pitcher goes deep, I don’t know. I’ve liked to do that, hit a ball like that. it’s just embarrassing for the pitcher to…you’re trying to attack him because you know he’s a good hitter so I threw him a change-up and he squared it up.”
On your response on his emotions in general:
“I think it’s been said before, he’s just young. He’s good. And if somebody gets a hit off him, he smiles. It’s like you’re not supposed to get a hit off him. And that’s how he’s pitched all year though. Until something happens – until somebody hits him – I guess he can smile at you if you get a hit off him.”
On if appreciated the way McCann handled it:
“Yeah I think he did a great job. I don’t think he said anything to, I don’t think he went after him, he just said hey, tried to teach him, ‘hey, you can’t be doing that.’”
FREDI GONZALEZ
On Fernandez’s performance overall:
“I thought he was pretty darn good. He had good stuff, the fastball was above average 96, 97 mph. The breaking ball was good. I thought we had some pretty good at-bats against him. I thought Justin Upton had some terrific at-bats, drove the ball in the right inning to right field and got Schafer to third base after a leadoff double and couldn’t get that run in. Then straightaway center, Simmons had good at-bats. I thought Chris Johnson had split the gap there for a second and they had him played perfectly, had the left fielder there in that gap. We gave them some opportunities to get out of some of the jams. The kid is pretty darn talented. This is the second time we’ve seen him. Our bats were a lot better today than they were the other night.”
On if emotions running high before his home run:
“It’s one of those things that probably immaturity a little bit and he’s a playful guy on the mound and he likes to have fun, and we like to have fun too if he’s going to play that game, the playfulness game, which is fine. Then he shouldn’t get upset when we hit a home run and have fun ourselves. And then boys being boys after that. I’m going to chalk it up to a young kid that’s really talented. And he’s going to be around the big leagues for a lot of years.”
On when chirping started:
“No, what I mean by playfulness, that’s the stuff, nothing involved over that. That’s just the way he pitches. And we saw that at home at Turner. He talks to McCann after about 12 pitches and has fun out there and that kind of stuff. But that opens a can of worms when Gattis hits a home run and he wants to have a little playfulness time and maybe take a little time around the bases or stare at it a little longer, and you can’t have it both ways. If you’re going to be on the mound and have those, the way you pitch, it’s fine when somebody from the other side does something well, you’re going to have to let it go.”
On if that’s when Fernandez jawed toward Braves dugout (after Gattis homer):
“That’s correct. That’s when the whole thing started.”
On it’s about the Gattis homer:
“Yes, you know what, it’s what’s leading up to that – the way you pitch and the way you handle yourself on the mound when something happens to you, then you can’t have it both ways. It’ll be taken care of. I think Chuck Fernandez and Mike Redmond will do a nice job handling that situation. It’s a young kid.”
On the homer Stanton hit:
“It was a slow curveball out over the plate a little bit and that’s a big strong boy there. And he hit it into the biggest part of the ballpark into that tunnel and we didn’t score enough runs.”
On Chris Johnson and BMac defending team:
“I think BMac was probably telling him that’s not the way you play the game. I thought Polanco did a nice job right after the home run by Gattis. He came right to the mound. I think all those parties, it’ll be taken care of. It’s just one of those situations you learn from being out there and maturing. This is a tough game, baseball. You like to play loose, you like to have fun but it’s serious. Our guys take this stuff serious and I know a lot of guys in that team over there take it serious too and I think it’ll be taken care of.”
From the Marlins side, compliments of beat guys Juan Rodriguez and Tom D’angelo
MIKE REDMOND
On the benches clearing episode:
“Not happy with that whole inning. I think tonight showed some immaturity on Jose’s part and his youth. Not to make excuses for him. Showing another team up with a home run, that’s now what we’re doing here. That’s not what we’re trying to do. I know he got caught up in emotion. I’m not happy and it really ruined the night for me. I know that won’t ever happen again.”
On Fernandez’s reaction to his homer:
“The point is he got caught up in emotion. The way I’ve talked to these guys all year is go up there and play HARD. We don’t show teams up. We hit the ball and we run. That’s it. We respect the game. We respect the other team. We’re 30-some games under .500. Those guys are going to the playoffs. Unfortunately for him, it’s a learning experience and [a mistake] he’ll never make again.”
On how they’ll handle:
“We talked about it already [with Jose]. It’s been taken care of.”
JOSE FERNANDEZ
On the night:
“I feel embarrassed. I feel like I don’t deserve to be here because this isn’t high school no more. This is the professional game and there should be professional players doing what you’re supposed to do. I don’t think that should ever happen and I’m embarrassed. Hopefully it won’t happen again. I made a mistake and I’m going to learn from it.”
On his exchange with McCann:
“Him and I are really close. He told me, ‘Buddy, you can’t do that.’ I was like, ‘I know, I’m sorry. The game got the best of me.’ I was walking away already. He was talking to me as a friend. I wouldn’t say as a friend, I was would say as a dad teaching a kid. That’s how it felt. I don’t think it was fight kind of stuff. He talked to me as a friend.”
On if he said anything after the game:
“I talked to McCann and Minor. I said I was really sorry and I’m embarrassed and that’s something that won’t ever happen again because I make mistakes once and I learn from it. The game got the best of me today and it’s something that can’t happen again because it’s not good for baseball.”
On the end of his season:
“I’m embarrassed in front of my fans, in front of my teammates. It’s not something I’m proud of at all. I had a good year and it ends up like this on a day like today that’s really important for all American people. It’s something that’s not right and I’m embarrassed.”
On admiring his home run:
“I took the first two steps and right away my reaction was, ‘I’ve got to run.’ It was just not good. I don’t know how to explain it. I walked the first three steps and I was like, ‘What am I doing? I’m not playing high school no more. I’ve got to run.’”
