Braves quotes (and one from the Mets’ David Wright) after Monday’s 5-3 win in the home opener at Turner Field:
**PHIL GOSSELIN
On getting the game-winning hit
“It was a lot of fun. The first four at-bats weren’t too good, but going up in that situation, nothing else matters except the one in front of you. So I just tried to have my best at-bat of the day there. Montero finally missed with one out over the plate. Made a mistake, and I put a good swing on it.”
On team’s fast start and getting to contribute in his first start
“It’s great. Everybody’s contributing right now. Guys are getting a spot start here, coming in and pinch-hitting, pinch-running, whatever. And that’s going to really serve this ballclub over 162 games.”
On all the little stuff team did, taking extra bases, Gomes tagging up and going to second, the Peterson play, etc.
“It just sets the tone. Baserunning’s big. Now when other teams come in, they know we’re going to run hard and maybe they’ll bobble a ball because of that. Or they’ll kick a ball, we’ll get an extra base, whatever. That really sets the tone, and Jonny’s right at the forefront of the baserunning. He’s busting it down the line every time, taking the extra base. That’s really been a big improvement this year, I think our baserunning’s been good so far.”
**JACE PETERSON
On getting to third on the big play, avoiding tag
“There’s more than one way to get a runner over, and we work on that all the time. If the third baseman has to charge a ball or go back on a ball, or if he leaves third open and I think I can get it, I’m going to take it. It worked out good tonight.”
What are you thinking when he fields the ball and you’re running to the base?
“Oh, I knew I had it. Once he went up, I knew I could get it. Like I said, it worked out good.”
You still had to get around him, though
“No doubt. It wasn’t too bad. He was looking at first, and by the time he saw me, I was by him.”
Worked out well with you pinch-running, and Gosselin getting start at second tonight and getting the game-winning hit
“Oh, yeah, Gosselin is clutch, man. That’s what he does. Did it all spring. We knew that to get it started we had to make a play, and it happened.”
“Bases loaded, two out, to come up with a knock like that and get a couple of runs, give us an extra run for some cushion, is nothing but what ballplayers do. He’s a great ballplayer.”
You ever make a play like that before, avoiding tag like that?
“Yeah, couple of times in minor league ball. A few times. But to be able to help the team win, man, you do anything you can do. That’s what matters, winning. So it worked out good.”
**CAMERON MAYBIN
On starting off home season with home run
“It was good. Great way coming off the road with some run, get Stultsy some early run support. He did a good job of battling. We did a good job as a team to keep grinding when they got those back-to-back homers. Good team win to start off the home series.”
On what he was looking for in first at-bat
“A good pitch to hit, a good pitch to drive. I’m an aggressive guy. I got a good pitch to handle, put a good swing on it. We’ll take it.”
On if 4-0 start was expected
“That’s a good question. I think we believe in what we have here even when everybody else might not. We like what we have. We are athletic. We’ve got great team chemistry, a good group of guys. We believe in each other.”
On his first game at Turner Field with the home team
“It was fun. I saw a lot of familiar faces out there from home. It was exciting. I felt comfortable. I felt like I was in the right place.”
On if he heard fans chanting his name with bases loaded in the eighth
“Absolutely. It’s fun. I battled. He (Rafael Montero) made a good pitch. There were some pitches I couldn’t quite put in play. But I love the energy in this park. It was great.”
On if good team chemistry is unusual because of so many new players
“I think that says a lot about how cool everybody is in there. A bunch of cool guys. What else can you say?”
**JASON GRILLI
On the game
“It was a good win, man. We pulled it out. A great team win. We had some big plays today. Timely hitting. It was great.”
On how the bullpen has been so strong
“Everybody just wants to win. We are jelling pretty quick. Everybody knows their role. We are seizing the opportunity. Hometown crowd, hometown ceremony. Everybody is pretty fired up for it. It was good to not disappoint tonight.”
On rookie relievers Brandon Cundiff and Cody Martin in big situations
“I’m proud of those guys. That is always something that fires you up where guys are put in that situation where their families are here, they are getting the opportunity. You are pulling for these guys and they are doing a hell of a job.”
On being embraced by the crowd when he entered the game
“Yeah, I got caught in the riptide. It was kind of a longer inning for me. I don’t warm up with too many pitches. Tonight I was just going on guts. I probably had my foot on the gas too much down there. But like I said everybody was revved up for this crowd and I just wanted to get those last three outs and secure this win.”
On how much input he had into his entrance video and music (Fall Out Boy’s “Light Em Up”)
“I didn’t hear it. It wasn’t Pearl Jam, which is my thing. I don’t know. I didn’t really care much about it. I wanted to get the last three outs with the home crowd. They can figure that stuff out later.”
On his entrance music previously
“’Whipping’ by Pearl Jam. It’s not about an entrance song. This isn’t WWF wrestling. This is major league baseball. They can play whatever song they want. To me, it was about getting those last three outs.:
On being fired up when he left the field
“It’s unscripted stuff. I don’t have any rehearsal for that. It’s the only release I can get off of my chest. When you are pitching that ninth inning I feel like it’s a responsibility to secure what everybody has done before me offensively, defensively, the bullpen, the pitching staff. You just want to make sure everybody can go home happy.”
On the bullpen so far
"It's been awesome. Everybody is coming into their own. Everybody is accountable for what they are doing. The confidence is high. Everybody has their roles defined, figuring it out."
On the blue flames on the scoreboards for his entrance
“If I look over my shoulder and pay attention to WWF I am doing the wrong thing. Maybe I will see it later on. I’ve seen it from the opposing side when (Craig Kimbrel) came in to do his thing. I’m just happy we secured the win tonight.”
** FREDI GONZALEZ
On winning the home opener
“It was a good ballgame. Great at-bats. (Cameron) Maybin had a great at-bat with the bases loaded and then Goss (Phil Gosselin) did the same thing. A lot of good at-bats, a lot of good things. Bullpen did a great job covering four innings. We got what we wanted out of Stulty (Eric Stults). He did a nice job. We continue to scrap out some runs. We made some great defensive plays. Right now it’s really fundamentally sound baseball we are playing. It’s good to see. You see guys going first to third. It doesn’t go in the box score, but Jonny (Gomes) getting in position to score on a fly ball to right field. (Andrelton) Simmons going to second base when nobody was covering there. (Jace) Peterson going to third base on a ball that was (hit to third). There was a lot of good stuff that was happening on the base paths. I am really happy and pleased with the way we are playing baseball.”
On the ability to mix and match lineups
“You feel like you always have the advantage if you choose to do so. You have the advantage pinch running—Peterson doesn’t play but he pinch runs for C.J. (Chris Johnson), stays in the game. (Alberto) Callaspo you put him there and he can stay in the game and play third base for you. Tomorrow will be a little different lineup we will run some left-handers in there. But it is fun. It keeps everybody engaged sitting on the bench. You always have the counterpart of the guy who is playing on the bench you can pop in anytime you want.”
On building up a core of five regularly used guys in bullpen with two rookies a big part of it
“It is only four games into it but we are trying. We are really trying to figure out the formula with (Brandon) Cunniff and (Cody) Martin. We had the luxury of using Martin in the sixth inning because we were planning to use Cahill as the long reliever. We will see how that materializes as it goes on because Cody is the only guy that can give you multiple innings out of that bullpen.”
On Simmons throwing out Travis d’Arnaud with a superlative play again
“I know what d’Arnuad was thinking. ‘This is the second time this guy has done it to me.’ Maybe we should ask Travis how good he thinks Simmons is.”
**CHRIS JOHNSON
On winning home opener
“Lot of fun. Great crowd, too. Especially with all the rains and the delay. So kudos to everybody that came out and supported us even with all that.”
On swinging the bat well
“I feel good. Just trying to get a good pitch to hit right now. I think everybody’s just trying to get their feet wet and get locked in at the plate, and I’m just trying to get a ball out over the plate and get a good swing on it.”
On how it worked out well having Peterson pinch-run for him
“Yeah, because I don’t think I have the athletic ability to make that move he made. That was nice for us. I don’t think I move that quick laterally.”
On what he said to Simmons after The Play made by the shortstop
“I don’t say anything to him anymore. I’m just going to stop diving. I thought I was going to get the ball. I didn’t get the ball (on the dive), and I was like, oh man, a base hit.”
What’s your thought when it goes by, do you feel like he can get to almost anything back there?
“Yeah, that’s what I said, I’m done diving. I’m not diving. He’s that good. I mean, it’s unbelievable. Not only to get to a ball that was that far away from him, but to throw it and then not have the ball even bounce? What are you going to do.”
**ERIC STULTS
On struggling in fourth after three perfect innings
“I think throwing out of the stretch for the first time, that could have been part of it. But they just did a good job of hitting. They kind of changed their approach, where the first time through the lineup they were letting me throw strike one and get ahead. That inning they were a little more aggressive early in the count, and I just didn’t make any pitches.”
On play Simmons made
“It’s unbelievable. That was one of the things coming over here guys just raved about him. I’ve seen him on the other side, just not very much. Guys would say, he’s going to take away a lot of hits. That was a pretty impressive play.”
On the bullpen’s 15 scoreless innings to start season
“Bullpen’s been great. They’ve done great this year so far. I mean, that’s the biggest reason why we’re 4-0. We’ve had some clutch hitting, but the bullpen’s done a good job shutting the door.”
**CODY MARTIN
How much fun was it to contribute to bullpen’s continued success, and do it in the home opener?
“That was so cool. I mean, I was more jacked up for this than I was in Miami, which I didn’t think was possible. Especially having my family here as well; they didn’t get to see me down in Miami.
“This one was special. First time I’ve ever been to Turner Field. Never saw a game here. Pretty good for your first day.”
On having Simmons behind you
“Oh, my gosh. In the pen, that backhand play he made – I thought it was a hit for sure. And then all of a sudden he had the ball and made a strong throw to first. Seeing that gives you all the confidence in the world that you can just let them put the ball in play and let him do what he does.”
**METS 3B DAVID WRIGHT
On the play where Peterson avoided tag
“You have a split second to make a decision,” Wright said. “I made a decision. It turned out to be the incorrect one. You go field the ball, and obviously you want to get that runner out of scoring position. I thought I could make a tag on him. He made a nice move to the outside and I just couldn’t catch up with him. … I caught it in the baseline and went to plant, and he just made a nice move right around me.”
