contemplating chris

After last night's awesome pitching performance from Chris Waters, players and coaches had a lot to say:

Torii Hunter: "He was making adjustments and that’s what the game is all about. He didn’t throw off speed until the second time around. He threw all fastballs and one changeup the first time around. The third time around he brought the slider out. He knew what he was doing. He didn’t want us to see all his pitches. He’s kind of bright."


Kevin Millar: "He did a great job throwing strikes, man. From the first inning on, he was pounding the strike zone. He had great movement. He reminds you a lot of Kenny Rogers. He changed speeds, big sinker and he fielded his position. He was an athlete on the mound. He knew what he was doing. It’s a perfect example of if you can throw strikes and keep the ball down, you can have success in this league."


Melvin Mora: "I know you have to give credit to the guy, but you also have to give credit to the guy behind the plate, Ramon. He called a great game. He knows those guys. If Ramon called the best pitch and he threw it the way he wanted, I think he was going to be fine. That’s what this kid did. Whatever Ramon called for the spot, he hit the spot. No problem."


Dave Trembley: "I watched the body language is what I watched. I watched his body language, I watched his eyes. And I watched him on the bench in between innings and I watched his body language on the mound after he threw the ball. He just looked like he had tremendous poise. He was under control. He didn't walk around. He got in a rhythm and a tempo. He just kept throwing."


Aubrey Huff: "He just took out nine years of frustration on the best team in baseball. How great is that?"






Ramon Hernandez: "You have somebody's career in your hands. I was trying to make it a success so he can be in the big leagues for the rest of his career. He was throwing strikes no matter what. It didn't matter who was hitting. He wasn't scared to get hit. That's the main thing about young guys coming in like that."



Chris Waters: "It's been a bumpy road. I went through surgery in '04 and it's taken a while to get everything back. This year is probably the first year that I really felt like I was before I got hurt. I came in knowing that they were probably going to take on me because a rookie coming into a big stadium, I was just focusing in on really trying to find the zone."