If I get two strikes, I'll go to a pitch maybe that will help induce that a little bit.

My main concern is when it's 2-0, I've got to keep it at 2-0. It gives us a little more of a chance. To give up four more runs, that isn't going to get it done. I don't care who you're facing or who you're playing, it's not going to get it done.

It's pretty simple, the way I look at it. I became a Hall of Famer here (in New York), with my numbers here and what I've done here, and hopefully three-hundred will be another big part of that. When (former Red Sox general manager Dan) Duquette said that I was done, if I'd have taken his advice and went home, I wouldn't have been a Hall of Famer. So it's a no-brainer. It's definitely pretty easy. Reggie (Jackson) spent five years here, and this will be five for me.

Some of my finest memories are from my time at the University of Texas. College baseball, I love it.

If I put my mind to it, and I put the work in, I have no doubt I could do it (pitch 4-5 additional years), but I made a promise to the people who've supported me for so many years. It's time to give back to my family.

But I'm not looking forward to trying to strike out a lot of guys

I'd be cheating everyone here, the staff and rest of my teammates, if I wasn't able to stay on top of my work. It was almost like therapy, to come back and get in an environment I'm comfortable with.