I think everything comes together. I think it's me being more comfortable with what I am trying to do in terms of how I pitch, in using the curveball and stuff like that. It all brings the package together.

Bobby Cox had the biggest influence in my career and probably the second- or third-biggest influence in my life.

There is no second baseman in the game who can turn the double play better [than Mark Lemke]. Why are people always looking for offense at that position? What's more important is getting outs, and turning the double is a huge factor in getting outs.

As much as you love to finish games and all that kind of stuff, at the same time as a starting pitcher you hate to come out of a game where your closer has no margin for error, ... So at least with one guy on, Braden's got a little margin to make a mistake.

You can't tell me what we're doing right now is not working. The perception is, well, it's not. I don't deal in perception. I want to deal in reality. The reality of the matter is that the percentage of guys who are taking has gone way down.

I think everything comes together. I think it's me being more comfortable with what I am trying to do in terms of how I pitch, in using the curveball and stuff like that. It all brings the package together.

There's nothing better than a team that comes out of nowhere and finds themselves in the World Series.