JULIO TEHERAN
On if felt in command from first inning on:
“Yes. I felt good today from the first inning I could tell. I was mixing. I had good communication with Laird and we mix all the pitches good.”
On how he kept them off-balance:
“I was using more of my slider. They maybe were looking for my two-seamer that I’ve been throwing a lot but I didn’t use it that much today. I just kept them off-balance with my slider and fastball.”
On when aware of no-hitter:
“From the fifth inning, but I was trying to put out of my mind that I was throwing. I was trying to do what I did the first five innings.”
On regrouping after the hit:
“I was just trying to get the next guy out and try to shut out but they didn’t let me go out.”
On if slider good in the bullpen:
“The slider was good in the bullpen and my change-up too but I didn’t use it that much because I was keeping them off-balance with my slider.”
On pickoff in the sixth, maybe it’ll happen:
“When I got the walk and hit by pitch I was trying to make a pitch for a double play and I got to pick him off.”
On pitch to Inge:
“A fastball up that I missed. I didn’t want to throw the slider again because I threw it too much in the game. I didn’t want to throw it again.”
On biggest difference this year:
“My confidence is the best thing that I have this year. I feel good out there. All my pitches are working good and trying to do my best every time I go out there.”
GERALD LAIRD
On Teheran:
“His slider was really good today and his fastball, he was moving it up and down. He had a little cut to it. But those first two innings are those innings where you can give up some runs but he settles in. After the second inning I thought, man this could be a good day today. He had everything working.”
On if later in the game, trying to communicate certain things:
“No, just let him do his thing. I was just trying to put the right fingers down and he was just making pitches and hitting the location. He had a good down-and-in slider to lefties today and he was spotting that slider down and away to righties and just kind of moving the fastball in and out. He definitely had good enough stuff to throw a no-hitter he just left one pitch. Ingy put a good swing on it, but other than that he was terrific today. He’s doing everything right. He’s working hard off the field. And doing his stuff and it’s showing on the field now.”
On Inge being a former teammate:
“Yeah. Those veteran guys on the bench are tough outs. They come out and have a good idea, a plan what they want to do. He had a good fastball today. He blew some fastballs by the first two guys and we started with two breaking balls and thought we could get a fastball by him and Ingy put a good swing on it. Other than that Julio did a great job today. He’s showing me a lot. He threw a lot of great pitches, 3-2 couple breaking balls he threw in the zone to get some pop-ups in key situations. He’s commanding every pitch when he wants to throw it at any time.”
On if ever caught a no-hitter:
“No, I haven’t caught one in Detroit. The most I’ve gone is eight (hitless) and today would have been right there. I figured if he could get through this eighth inning we had a really good chance. He pretty much was doing what he wanted out there. And it was all him today. It was just fun to be back there for him.”
On changes from early on:
“Just the confidence and the work. People don’t understand this kid puts in the work in the weight room, in the film room. Every outing he goes out there he wants to do better, he wants to be good. Every start he’s getting better and better. You can see that confidence settling in. He feels like he belongs here now. I just try to go out there and put the right fingers down. He executes the pitches. Every start he’s getting better and it’s just fun to watch.”
On who had the eight hitless:
“It was Scherzer back in the day a couple years ago, other than that I haven’t really been close. But it’s hard to do. He definitely had the stuff to do it today, just one hit found a hole. Two-out hit it was tough.”
On moment in the game thought it would happen:
“After six innings I wasn’t really thinking about it, but I was like ‘gosh this guy was just so good today.’ He was really good. He was throwing his backdoor curveball. He was throwing his change-up, he was throwing his slider down and away, down and in and mixing in offspeed when he was behind in the count. We didn’t always have to go to the fastball. And then he was moving the fastball up and down, elevating and keeping his down. He had hit all working today and you can tell, look at his line. Eight innings, one hit, 11 strikeouts. It was fun to catch. This kid had it all going today. That’s a good sign.”
On if went in wanting to use slider today or good in bullpen:
“That’s that pitch for the lefty. They have some good lefties in that lineup, the power-hitting lefties, and you can’t just keep coming with fastballs with them. That slider and the curveball today were the two pitches that we were going to to get outs. That’s the thing that’s taking him over the hill is that slider he’s got command with down and in and then he was able to backdoor that curveball to lefties so it gives us a couple options to get lefties out. It’s getting better and better every outing.”
On Teheran since Colorado:
“It’s just confidence. He’s gaining more and more confidence. Once he goes out there and has a good game it seems like he wants to do better. The last six, seven outings he’s been right there, going six, seven innings every time.”
On the home run:
“I’m just trying to get hits when I’m up there. It’s tough when you don’t play every day. I think it was 10 days between my last start. Just try to go out there and put good swings on the ball, lucky I ran into one.”
FREDI GONZALEZ
On Teheran:
“He kept throwing zeros up there. It was a shame that Inge there, the pinch hitter got a hit off him. He was good. He mixed up his pitches real well. Gerald did a terrific job. For a guy who most of the game was a 1-0 game, kept pitching, he did a heck of a game. He really did. Got to tip your cap. This is the second time he’s gone out here at home and given us eight-plus shutout innings. Nice going on his part. Good homestand.”
On if offspeed stuff was as good as seen it:
“Yeah he mixed it up real well. His curveball his change-up he commanded his fastball. He did a heck of a job.”
On the starters in general:
“Our starters have been good, giving us quality start after quality start. And today was nice after an extra-inning game yesterday to give our bullpen a rest.”
On if facing a pitch-count quandary in the ninth:
“No, if he still had a no-hitter going I would have run him back out there and given him an opportunity. But other than that, the shutout for me, his pitch count was 107. That was enough. If he had a no-hitter I would have given him the opportunity to a certain point. You don’t want to run a young kid to 135 pitches just to try to get a no-hitter but he did a heck of a job.”
JASON HEYWARD
On understanding expectations like Teheran has faced:
“I’m really happy for him. I know it’s tough to play or pitch when you’re trying to figure out if you’re going to be on a roster, how long you’re going to be here. I’m happy this year he was able to settle in, get the job out of spring training, and work hard and grow into himself a little bit. Today he really pounded the strike zone with all of his pitches. He was aggressive.”
On difference in Teheran last few starts:
“He looks comfortable. It’s not going to be a great start every time, it’s not going to be a win every time. I feel like he’s comfortable. He’s not trying to pitch him way onto the team. He’s going out there competing as a part of the team. I’m happy for him.”
On keeping their hitters off-balance:
“Gerald has caught a lot of good pitchers in this game with Texas and Detroit. That’s what he brings to us. Not only timely hitting but a veteran mindset to put down a lot of good fingers and keep guys off-balance. And that’s what you saw today with he and Julio working together.”
DAN UGGLA
On celebrating with Teheran:
“That was awesome. I was so excited for him, man.”
On if felt like you were going to be a part of something special today:
“Oh yeah. That was still an awesome game, fun to be a part of. He really showed his maturity today. Never tried to do too much, made his pitches and didn’t give in. We’re already kind of seen him come around like this the last month, month and a half. I think today he probably opened up some eyes across the country. Let everyone know that he’s for real.”
On not trying to throw his fastball 98:
“Yeah, he was pitching. He can run it up, 93, 94, 95 when he wants to but he was pitching today. Hit his spots, his offspeed was awesome today. He worked fast. He was feeling it.”
ANDRELTON SIMMONS
On Teheran:
“It was fun. It was nice to see him show what he’s able to do. He’s been doing it in the minors for a little bit. It’s nice to see him do it here in the major leagues. He knows what he’s capable of doing.”
On what was working for him:
“He has his slider working, his fastball, everything was moving good. He was spotting up. He was filthy today.”
On thinking about no-no from early on:
“Everybody knows. You know what’s going on. You don’t want to jinx it. Nobody wanted to say a word or talk to him. Just let him do his thing. That was pretty fun, seeing everybody ignore him and play the game.”
BRANDON INGE
On breaking up the no-hitter:
“It not a personal thing that you go and set out to break up a no-hitter, as far as to damage someone else’s thing. He pitched a great game. The thing is for someone like me sitting across on the other side, I get to basically scout him for eight innings. I didn’t see exactly what he was throwing but I could see what he was getting guys out with. It was just a great game he pitched. I don’t think any team ever wants to get no-hit. Just glad I could get a hit.”
On what the pitch was:
“Fastball and he was trying to elevate the fastball on a lot of guys and they were swinging underneath it. So I just tried to get on top of it. That’s all.”
On if he was looking for it:
“No not really. I was looking for whatever he threw up there that was going to be up in the zone because he was keeping his breaking down throughout the game. And his fastball he was elevating it. so anything that started up – I didn’t care if it was going to be at my eyes, I was going to try to get on top of it. About your only chance when a guy is throwing the way he was today. Like I said I tip my hat to him. He did an excellent job, handled it well too.”
