Baseball Guru
10-14-2006, 04:29 PM
Billy is currently writing an article each day during the post season as an exclusive for the New York Post.
October 14, 2006
Billy Wagner, the Mets' fireballing lefty closer, offers his exclusive insights to Post readers throughout the Amazin's postseason run.
I came on in relief last night with the same emotion and adrenaline I had all year long. The results were drastically different. I let my teammates down and blew the game.
Closers are supposed to come on in relief in tied games in the postseason and perform well, and I didn't. What was sickening was that we had the lead, battled all night, and Carlos Delgado hit two home runs in one game. Jose Reyes had a great night defensively as did my batterymate, Paul Lo Duca. The team did it all as a whole.
It was the ninth inning and it was up to me. I came on with the same positive attitude and felt as good as I had in the past. I felt the same, physically and mentally, as the previous nights, only the results differed dramatically.
Facing So Taguchi, I had a game plan. I wanted to be aggressive and go after him. I made my pitches to Taguchi like I planned. Nothing changed except the results. I wanted to get him to pop the ball up and I threw him a fastball. It got away a bit and I missed my location and he took me deep, plain and simple.
Albert Pujols hit a vicious double off me, and then it went on and on. It seemed as if everything I threw they hit harder than when I threw it.
My game plan never changed in that I wanted to challenge Taguchi because I knew that Pujols was coming up. Jim Edmonds grounded out and Scott Spiezio doubled, proving what I said before - that on any given day an opponent can beat you up and down the lineup.
The Cardinals are a good team. They didn't get to the NLCS not winning big games. It was a hit parade and I was the server for the table. The same emotions run through your mind like when you were a kid and blew the game. I felt sickened leaving the field, having ruined our chances to go up 2-0 in games. Instead, we head to hostile territory tied at 1.
The only thing I can offer fans is the fact that I plan to go out and try my best like I've done my whole career. Obviously last night's weren't the results I wanted to give Mets fans.
October 14, 2006
Billy Wagner, the Mets' fireballing lefty closer, offers his exclusive insights to Post readers throughout the Amazin's postseason run.
I came on in relief last night with the same emotion and adrenaline I had all year long. The results were drastically different. I let my teammates down and blew the game.
Closers are supposed to come on in relief in tied games in the postseason and perform well, and I didn't. What was sickening was that we had the lead, battled all night, and Carlos Delgado hit two home runs in one game. Jose Reyes had a great night defensively as did my batterymate, Paul Lo Duca. The team did it all as a whole.
It was the ninth inning and it was up to me. I came on with the same positive attitude and felt as good as I had in the past. I felt the same, physically and mentally, as the previous nights, only the results differed dramatically.
Facing So Taguchi, I had a game plan. I wanted to be aggressive and go after him. I made my pitches to Taguchi like I planned. Nothing changed except the results. I wanted to get him to pop the ball up and I threw him a fastball. It got away a bit and I missed my location and he took me deep, plain and simple.
Albert Pujols hit a vicious double off me, and then it went on and on. It seemed as if everything I threw they hit harder than when I threw it.
My game plan never changed in that I wanted to challenge Taguchi because I knew that Pujols was coming up. Jim Edmonds grounded out and Scott Spiezio doubled, proving what I said before - that on any given day an opponent can beat you up and down the lineup.
The Cardinals are a good team. They didn't get to the NLCS not winning big games. It was a hit parade and I was the server for the table. The same emotions run through your mind like when you were a kid and blew the game. I felt sickened leaving the field, having ruined our chances to go up 2-0 in games. Instead, we head to hostile territory tied at 1.
The only thing I can offer fans is the fact that I plan to go out and try my best like I've done my whole career. Obviously last night's weren't the results I wanted to give Mets fans.