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The San Francisco Giants have had to deal with a lot this year. Tim Lincecum got off to a slow start, Melky Cabrera, who was having a tremendous season, was suspended 50 games for steroids and the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants’ biggest threat in the NL West, made a few blockbuster trades this season. Yet, with just 14 games remaining in the regular season, the Giants lead the NL West by eight and a half games and look primed for a postseason run after missing out last year. One of the biggest reasons for the team’s success is Buster Posey. Posey was forced to watch his team miss the playoffs last year and couldn’t do anything about it because of a broken leg sustained in a home-plate collision. He returned to his prior form this year and his fingerprints have been all over the team’s success. Buster Posey joined 95.7 the Game in San Francisco on the Drive to talk about how the team doesn’t get complacent as the season comes to an end, what the team has to get better at before the playoffs, what drives him, why he believes he hasn’t faded at the end of this year like he did in and how the team can compensate for the question marks that have popped up about the pitching staff.
How the team can prevent from becoming complacent:
“I can honestly say I think that just from the last series’ against Arizona and Colorado that guys are pushing and it doesn’t feel any different. I don’t think we’re really going to take anything for granted, especially last year after you see some of the collapses that baseball had at the end of the year. We’re in a great position there’s no doubt about that but you’ve gotta keep going and I think it’s important to take momentum into the playoffs as well.”
What the team has to get better at before the playoffs:
“I think we’re still streaky occasionally with men in scoring position. I think we’ve gotten better and (Marco) Scutaro is a big part of that. Since he’s come over he’s done a great job of moving guys, coming up with two out RBI’s. I guess the main thing I think from my experience in 2010 is you’ve gotta go in with your pitching and defense rolling. I think that’s going to be the big key for anybody to have success in the playoffs is to have good pitching and defense.”
What drives him:
“My driving force? I don’t know. I think it’s just as simple as I enjoy winning. I hate to lose and I like to win. I know that sounds a little too simple but that’s really the case. Sometimes I was thinking after we lost that game in Colorado how frustrated I was because I felt like it was a game we should’ve won. I think that’s it. Winning is fun, that’s your reward for all of your hard work and when you win you’re able to enjoy it with your teammates and enjoy it with your city. It’s not a bad gig.”
Why he believes he hasn’t faded this year:
“I think it just starts with your mindset. I think you have to buy in and believe that you’re going to go out and do it every day. I think it’s something else I’ve learned even in my short career is how powerful your mindset can be. Not buying into ‘it’s late in the year,’ I’m just going out and knowing that you put the hard work in Spring Training and throughout the year, staying on the weights, eating healthy and getting rest but you’re going to go out and be successful.”
How the Giants can compensate for the question marks that have popped up about the pitching staff:
“I don’t know. I think we’ve been playing good ball. Ultimately that is what it comes down to. You get a W and it doesn’t really matter how you do it. I know those guys would like to go deeper in the games but sometimes as a staff you go through stretches where stuff like this happens. It’s a little bit like hitting, you just have to keep going and as talented as those guys are I think we all know they will be fine.”
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