Quotes from catcher Brian McCann, manager Fredi Gonzalez and other players following Monday's 7-2 victory over the Pirates at Turner Field.
BRIAN MCCANN
On reaching 1,000 hits:
“It’s cool. I’m not going to lie to you. It’s a cool moment. You sit back, and when you’re a kid you never think you’re going to get a hit in the big leagues let alone 1,000, so it’s a cool milestone, and I’m hoping to get many more.”
On getting them all here, with the Braves:
“That makes it more special for me. I grew up, this is where I live, 20 minutes north – I’ve lived there for a long time and to make it up here to the big leagues and to stay for a while…to get 1,000 hits here, it’s something I’ll never forget.”
On not knowing what’s going to happen, taking a moment to enjoy with fans:
“Absolutely. That’s something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
On if you look back to first hit off Dan Haren:
“No I haven’t. I knew where I stood. They post it up on the big screen. You know where you’re at. Once I got it, it’s a milestone that I hope to get another 1,000. I’m going to keep going and keep playing well.”
On Medlen sticking it out when things not going his way on stat column:
“And the only stat column you can even look at is wins and losses, and that’s maybe a lot on the hitters. We haven’t really hit for him when he started. But you look at 3.5 ERA (lowered to 3.14 tonight), I think there’s a lot of pitchers in baseball that would take that. You say struggle, it’s only because you’re looking at his record. He stuck to all his pitches tonight. He kept the Pirates off-balance from pitch one, mixed up his change-up, curveball, bottom of the zone and when he’s doing that, he’s as good as it gets.”
On 10th time Burnett allowed three home runs in a game, doing it against a good pitcher:
“Yes we did and especially the way he’s been pitching of late. We were able to lay off the pitches that were in and we all got in some hitters counts there in the one inning and he had to throw it over the plate. We were able to capitalize on that.”
On all the fastballs he saw in home run at-bat:
“Yeah he was throwing four-seam and two-seam and I ended up, I saw both pitches and I read two-seam out of his hand, and I was able to barrel it.”
On the ejections, taking advantage:
“Freddie Free with a huge homer and yeah, we’re a tough team to beat. 1-8 we got guys that know how to hit, work the pitcher and eventually he’s going to make a mistake against one of us and when we’re on, we’re not going to miss it.”
KRIS MEDLEN
On his outing:
“I wasn’t as sharp as I was towards the end in the very beginning but every half inning when I was out there warming up, I tried to make some adjustments and I felt like I did that.”
On if felt like a year since last win:
“It’s been a while, yeah. I always try to keep our team in the game, however many runs we’re scoring, however many runs I’m giving up. I always just try to keep it as close as I can. With our offense, we’re an explosive-style offense as you saw today, and keep them close and we can win a game with a two, three-run home run.”
On if offense made his job that much easier:
“Yeah, any time you get run support like that, you’ve got to take advantage of it. Just keep staying aggressive. I always try to stay aggressive but especially when you get that kind of run support get the guys back in the dugout and it worked out.”
On what was working well for him:
“I was finally locating some fastballs. Some of the hits I gave up, I felt like they were pretty well-located but they put some decent swings on them. It’s the big leagues, guys know how to hit the ball. Some well-placed balls. For the most part, I felt like I located in and out a lot better today. Just one of those days I woke up and just told myself ‘you’re going to do good today. This is the day where everything is going to click.’ For the most part it felt like it kind of did.”
On if because felt like could adjust on the fly:
“A little bit yeah. The first couple innings I had some, they were outs, which you take all the time, but like a line drive to the outfielder kind of outs which aren’t that fun to give up. Change on the fly kind of things made some adjustments between innings.”
On getting a hit that was no fluke:
“I actually faced (Jared Hughes) in high school. CIF semifinals, I was 2-for-3 off him but they were like weak little singles. He was like an overpowering righty. I doubt he even remembers who I am or anything but it’s my third career hit off him.”
On how he’s doing vs. other pitchers:
“I’m over the pitcher Mendoza line which is at .100. I’m right at it. I’ve got to clean that up.”
On Burnett not knowing where to go after he got his hit:
“Well I hate facing pitchers. I really do. I think I’d rather face a regular hitter. It feels like you kind of let your guard down a little bit sometimes and missed location. I think he’s got two, three home runs in his career, so he’s a guy who can kind of swing it.”
JASON HEYWARD
On staying patient, having a game like this:
“It’s good to see results. It’s good to participate. It’s good to contribute runs-wise. When Medlen’s throwing the ball like he can tonight, you give him runs, you give him support, I feel like we haven’t done a great job of that for him this year. He has a low ERA and doesn’t have that many wins but tonight was a good step in that direction for us and him.”
On winning first game of series:
“It’s big. Win the first game of the series and you’re even closer to winning the series and that’s what we’ve got to continue to do is win series and play teams tough.”
On sitting Sunday, tried to use it constructively:
“I’m always using my time constructively, playing or not playing. Supporting these guys and taking care of my business always. I’ve got to make the most of that time.”
On 50 at-bats since coming back from surgery, starting to feel comfortable:
“We’re on our way. It’s going to take at-bats. It’s going to take feedback. It’s going to take doing. It’s going to take screwing up sometimes but the only way to get better at it is play. I’m 23. I don’t have over 1,000 of these, a whole lot of at-bats. I’ve just got to continue to go.”
On if felt comfortable at plate than recent games:
“I think so. Just work and work and work and playing, having the opportunity to do something.”
FREDDIE FREEMAN
On seeing B.J. show some signs and Heyward to get some results today:
“Obviously it’s great to see. They’ve been having great at-bats the past few games and finally went and got some results today. Dan was spitting on some things, hit some balls hard and hopefully he’ll start going too. The signs that it’s going to be tough 1-8 if we get these guys going too.”
On getting Kris in win column again:
“I don’t think we scored any runs for him so it’s nice to get some runs for him, and he pitches like he always does – keeps us in the ballgame and we were able to get more than then tonight.”
On saying if you stayed within yourself, homers would come:
“Yeah, I guess they’re coming a little bit more lately, but I’m still just trying to see up the middle and he just made the mistake over the middle of the plate and I was able to get it out to left field. I’m not trying to do that. I’m just trying to hit the ball hard.”
On watching McCann reach 1,000th hit:
“It’s awesome, especially with the homer (for 999) but it’s more impressive to watch him hit a lefty right down the left field line. That’s probably the coolest thing. I love to see when people go opposite field and to get it for your 1,000th hit off a tough lefty like that…I’ve only been here for three years watching him but it’s been a great time.”
FREDI GONZALEZ
On Medlen:
“He got some run support, finally. He did a nice job. He got some innings that were a little bit stressful but his last two or three innings were really, really good.”
On McCann’s 1,000th hit:
“In this organization there are a lot of big names. I will be curious to see what Hall of Fame names or guys that have been big-time players in this organization, he is going to be on that list now. Good for him, congratulations.”
On Heyward homer:
“He was close. I thought he was close the other day. He hit the ball hard. He got the home run and hit the ball hard his last plate appearance, hit a rocket through center. Maybe that will get him going to the old Jason Heyward that we like.
On opposite field single, homer, hard hit ball, everything coming together for Heyward:
“Those three guys in particular, they work extremely hard. They take pride and I’m sure that he doesn’t like to walk up to the plate and see his batting average the way it’s up there—him or Danny or B.J. But they work. They really work and hopefully that will pay off.”
On McCann good the whole time he’s been back from surgery:
“He’s been great. He’s healthy. We always talked about if we were an American League club, the way he swung it in spring training, he could have broken with us. It’s nice to catch him and nice to play him and hopefully he stays healthy throughout the year. That’s a big bat in our lineup.”
On Wood:
“You run him in there and he throws it over the plate, which you like to see in a young pitcher. He’s not really awed about the major leagues. Even though he gave up a base hit and they scored a run, he came right back up the next guy and, ‘Here, here’s another one.’ He’s not afraid of contact. If you are going to pitch out of the bullpen, you can’t be walking people. I don’t expect that out of him.”
- Compiled by Carroll Rogers and Michael Cunningham
