Joe Torre
Joe Torre
Joseph Paul "Joe" Torreis an American professional baseball executive, serving in the capacity of Major League Baseball'schief baseball officer since 2011. A former player, manager and television color commentator, Torre ranks fifth all-time in MLB history with 2,326 wins as a manager. With 2,342 hits during his playing career, Torre is the only major leaguer to achieve both 2,000 hits and 2,000 wins as a manager. From 1996 to 2007, he was the manager of the New York Yankees, whom...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth18 July 1940
CountryUnited States of America
When you're down to 20 games left, it's hugely important. Knowing we still have control of things with the last three games against these guys, we just have to work very hard between now and then so those games will be significant.
I'd like to say we're experienced enough that that's not going to happen. But the whole thing about hitting and pitching is the feel you get and the psychological edge you think you have. Unless you've had success, it's hard to latch onto that.
With how hard he works, how many pitches he throws, what we see, we'll decide if Thursday is an option or not. He's anxious to get in a game.
The only thing you hope doesn't happen is that we start and then stop. That would be a hardship we'd have to deal with.
That kid's not easy. He didn't have great command tonight, but that makes him even harder to hit off of. As a hitter, you like to zero in. When he's missing spots than making good pitches, it makes him tougher to hit.
When you start talking about right-handed hitters for the Yankees who hit 40 home runs, there are only two of them. That's hard to believe, and the other guy is named DiMaggio. You know he's special.
I know the players were all happy for him because for a long time, he really wasn't getting it done, and they knew how hard he was working. So I'm just very pleased for him.
And it's been work for him. I think I discovered over the years how hard it is to do what he does because he doesn't have the instincts a lot of these players have.
(In) Game 6, the way he came into Yankee Stadium and pretty much dominated us - that's a memory that will be hard to lose. That had to be one of the most pressure outings you'll ever see in that situation.
We just want to get home, ... Not many guys have had their families with them the entire time and we want to get back.
When a guy like that goes out there you feel you have the edge.
We had them on the ropes early and couldn't put them away. That's our fault.
We certainly need him in the lineup, whichever way he's better for us. Whichever way is easier for him, that's the way we'll have to go.
I've talked to him all year about thinking small, and big things will happen. When you're fighting for a pennant, everybody here will remember that at-bat (on Saturday) rather than a two-run home run when you're up by six runs. I don't think he would have done that last year because he would have been trying to do something bigger.