Q. CC, when we left here Friday night after the terrible loss for you guys, you stood in the hallway and in the clubhouse, you sounded very confident that you guys would make it back here. And here you are. What gave you that confidence that you guys --
CC SABATHIA: Just knowing these guys and the way we responded all year. This is a team that I felt like every time, whether it's in a game or coming up through the season, we had tough times or backs against the wall, I felt like we responded really well. So I didn't see why we couldn't go home and play well and end up back here.

Q. CC, just wondering, did you get to a point where you thought you wouldn't be pitching in games this big just because, you know, you didn't have the same stuff and you had to figure out how to do it in a different way type of thing?
CC SABATHIA: No, I never thought about that.

Q. Why? You always had that confidence in yourself, but you knew you were going to have to change the way you pitch, right?
CC SABATHIA: Yeah, it's just something that I never thought about. Just always been confident in my ability to get people out, no matter what the stuff was. So being able to come out and have a good season makes me confident. But I never really thought about that, pitching the big games or anything like that. I just felt like if I got to the spot then I could show up.

Q. CC, as you take the ball tomorrow, what is your comfort level with this mound, this ballpark, this city just in terms of confidence and stuff like that?
CC SABATHIA: I've pitched here a lot. Like I said before, played here parts of almost eight years. So very familiar with the city, a lot of the fans, a lot of who I am as an adult, as a male, as an adult man, Cleveland kind of shaped that. Three of my kids were born here. I have a lot of history in the city.

So it will be a lot of fun to be able to take the game in Game 5 tomorrow and hopefully get a win.

Q. CC, pitching in a game like this, what appeals to you about it? What gets your blood going?
CC SABATHIA: It's a helluva lot of fun to be in it than to be sitting on the side. I'm just glad I get the opportunity to participate and not have to watch, because watching these games, you'll get an ulcer. But pitching in them is a lot more fun.

Q. CC, some of your teammates last night were saying that they don't think the moment's going to affect you. There's no moment too big for you. Where do you think that comes from? Where did you really turn the corner for that?
CC SABATHIA: I don't know. I think just with age, pitching for so long, been in pretty much any situation you can be in. So being able to go out and take the ball and just be myself, I'm looking forward to that and hopefully that results in a good outing.

Q. CC, you've been on playoff teams and championship teams, as well. Is there anything that you see in this team that kind of reminds you of that? Like you can have talent on a team, but there has to be something a little extra there, whether it's confidence or whether it's character that a team has. Do you see this team with the same kind of stuff and how do you think it came together for this crew?
CC SABATHIA: For us, I think it came together right away. That's why I think you seen us get off to a good start. It's a clubhouse mix of veterans and young guys. It's a good mix. Sometimes that don't work. Sometimes it takes you longer to gel. But I feel like this team gelled, meshed right off the bat. And we got off to a good start, and it's just been a lot of fun.

We all pull for each other. I keep saying that. It's a close-knit group and I think that goes a long way when you get into games like we did, 0-0, and Birdie hitting a homer off Andrew Miller, or being down 2-0, going home, getting back here just shows you a lot about what we think about each other in the locker room and it kind of spills over to the field.

Q. CC, did you learn anything the other night that will help you tomorrow night?
CC SABATHIA: No. I mean, I learned that they're a really good team and they make you throw a lot of pitches. They put tough at-bats on you. I want to go out again, try to be aggressive in the strike zone, try to get some swings early in the count and have some quick innings.