Bob Melvin Oct. 5 postgame interview
Q. Obviously Stephen was the hero for you tonight, but did you consider a pinch‑hit situation when you had second and third?
BOB MELVIN: He has been giving us good at‑bats. Callaspo was the next thought, but even though he had strikeouts, we ultimately had faith in him and he came through for us.
Q. Being a catcher you can appreciate the walk‑off single.
BOB MELVIN: That's why we have three. If I could have ten here, I would have ten.
Q. You like depth. Explain the strikeout that takes away their chance to score.
BOB MELVIN: Sonny is usually really quick to the plate, but that particular pitch, he needed to make a pitch and was probably as slow to the plate as he was all game. And Stephen got off unbelievable throw and Sonny was about 1.4 and Stephen needed to get a 1.8 down there to get the runner.
It looked like there was interference or obstruction in front of him and had to throw over, but your instincts tell you to throw the ball.
That is a huge play in the game. Now it gets forgot about a little bit based on the fact that the game went so long and there were zeros. But at the time, that's as big of a play as ultimately the hit he got.
Q. The way this played out, I would imagine with tension as the zeros are going up, did it feel like this might be a larger than one‑game moment, this may be a series turner?
BOB MELVIN: Well, you know runs seem to get tougher to come by when you go deeper and deeper into the game. You had two starting pitchers that were electric tonight and they were going to put up zeros. They were going to make big pitches when they had to, but it felt like a game that was going to be a battle of attrition. If you have bases loaded and you get a strikeout and a double play, you end up with not getting the score in. But our guys were battling all night and luckily enough we're even at 1‑1 now.
Q. Do you think about Coco possibly bunting with a runner on second to get the runner to third?
BOB MELVIN: No.
Q. You touched on it, but talk about the composure Sonny had on the mound today and what he did to accomplish what he did on the mound.
BOB MELVIN: His composure is excitement, really. He loves to pitch. He's excited on game day. He goes out there, you can tell he's excited about it. He's not one of those guys that's stone‑faced out there and you can't tell his emotions. He's into every pitch and he really enjoys doing it. That has worked for him over his career and still is at the major league level.
Q. The way you do things collectively here is legendary. How much of the metric guys and you, what part did that play in consideration in pitching him here tonight and Parker in the next game?
BOB MELVIN: I don't think it had anything to do with numbers. We just wanted Sonny pitching in a place that he was comfortable pitching and had pitched before. And Jarrod started the game last year in Detroit, it was as simple as that.
Q. It was your decision?
BOB MELVIN: No, it was a club decision, yeah.
Q. I think there has been one game between your two teams that has been decided by more than two runs, what is it about these two teams?
BOB MELVIN: They fight hard. They have good pitching, and typically don't beat themselves. Simply put. You expect more high‑scoring games based on both offenses, but pitching can rule the day.
We swung the bats really well over there last time and now these guys are on it here. So I think both teams have a lot of will and a lot of fight and don't beat themselves.
Q. The gun made it seem like Verlander was getting stronger as the game went on. Did it feel like it from your vantage point?
BOB MELVIN: He always does that, he will start out 92, 93, and in the later innings, he's throwing 97. And I think that's by design. He can throw it up there when he has two strikes, but that's all part of what he does and he does it very well.
Q. Candidly, what are you seeing from Miguel Cabrera's swings since this groin injury has been the least kept secret in baseball?
BOB MELVIN: I thought he moved around better today, to tell you the truth. When he got the pop‑up by third base, he was moving better than he was yesterday. I'm not going to break down his swing. The guy is dangerous regardless, and no matter if he has his legs under him or not, he hits the ball hard up the middle as he has both games. And you're always thinking about where he is in the lineup and potentially a walk waitin' to happen.