America's League

Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

News

Post All Star Game Interviews

07/29/2012 10:51 AM

Article By: CCBL Public Relations Office

Sean Manaea (Hyannis, West Starting Pitcher)

On the rest of the starting pitchers for the West…

“They were pounding the zone and if they gave up a couple hits or a couple errors, they just calmed down, stepped off the mound to collect themselves. And went to the next pitch and got outs, got a couple double plays and that was huge for them, so just stepping off the mound when things weren’t going there way, and stepping back on.”

On Slania….

“Some people were saying he was like 26-26 throughout Notre dame and here so far this year. It was just one ball that was hit kind of hard, but it’s alright. I know we faced him in San Antonio and he shut us down. He’s really good, it was just one hit.

On having his teammates start out on the field with him…

“It’s a lot of fun because Mitch has caught me pretty much every year and he knows exactly what I want to pitch in the count I don’t really have to shake him off and I know he’s going to catch the ball. He’s a really good catcher. I had a lot of confidence in him.”

 
 
 Daniel Palka (Wareham, West MVP)

On facing pitchers of such a high caliber…

“I knew the pitchers here come with their best stuff in the zone and pretty much all of these pitchers handle their stuff. They’re the best pitchers up here so they’re all hitting the zone.”

 

Jacob May (Cotuit)

On the passed ball he scored on and the running play…

“I mean they’re really similar as far as their coaching styles go. He told me just to look for anything in the dirt, be aggressive I’m fast. I was pretty excited when I saw that ball pass.”

On seeing a different pitcher every inning….

“It’s tough. In a regular game you’re going to see a pitcher maybe two or three times, so you’ll get comfortable. You know what he’s going to throw, when he’s going to throw it, but with a new pitcher every inning you need to really pay attention when you’re on deck and see what his stuff’s doing, how it’s moving and make sure you’re ready when you’re in the box.”

On the atmosphere in the West dugout when they scored…

“It was awesome. There was a lot of fans out here, even though it’s an All-Star game everyone wants to win. It’s fun to win so we were excited and wanted to take the lead some more.”

On the game ending in a tie…

“It’s tough everyone wants a winner and a loser, but we’ve got to make sure we save these guys arms. I think it really displays the kind of talent that we have in each division. It really showed that the pitchers are great, the hitters are great, it’s pretty even.”

 

Aaron Blair (YD Red Sox, East Starting Pitcher)

On the low-scoring game…

I mean, everybody gets to throw one inning so everybody is going to be better than they normally are, I guess so that’s kind of what I expected. That’s what I expected this summer to be like.

On pitching in front of so many scouts…

After the first batter, 1 pitch 1 out, everything kind of settles down. You just pitch your game, I guess.
 


Alex Blandino (YD Red Sox, East MVP)

On the low-scoring game…

It’s tough when you only get one at bat versus a pitcher. You can’t really pick up on tendencies or how he’s trying to approach you. Pretty much, I think all the hitters were just going out looking for a fastball in the zone and all these pitchers did really well tonight throwing hard and sharp stuff. I think the result was a good representation of the talent out here, the arms that we’re facing every night.

 

Jacoby Jones (Harwich Mariners, Home Run Hitting Contest Winner)

Does this give you bragging rights?

I don’t know about bragging rights. I’m a competitor so … There are a lot of great players out here, future big leaguers; it was fun.

Were you concerned that (Conrad Gregor of Orleans) would catch you?

I was kind of nervous. But I kind of wanted him to tie me so I could get back out there and hit again in a tie-breaker.

Have you competed in home run contests before?

No, this was my first one.
 

How do you get ready for a contest like this?

You don’t prepare; you just get up there and have fun. You just try to hit the ball hard.

Any concerns that a contest like this, where you’re trying to hit a home run on every swing, could foul up your swing?

No, I’m not concerned about it. I just try to hit the ball hard.