Oct. 14 Joe Girardi postgame interview

Q. What explanation were you given for the play at second base?

JOE GIRARDI: He said that he tagged him high, and his hand got in.

Q. You obviously saw a replay before you went out the second time?

JOE GIRARDI: Yes, I did. Yeah.

Q. What did you see? He was looked out.

JOE GIRARDI: Yeah, it's frustrating. I don't have a problem with Jeff's effort, I don't, because he hustled to get to the play. But in this day and age when we have instant replay available to us, it's got to change. These guys are under tremendous amounts of pressure. It is a tough call for him because the tag is underneath and it's hard for him to see. And it takes more time to argue and get upset than you get the call right. Too much is at stake. We play 235 days to get to this point, and two calls go against us. We lose it by one run last night.

And I'm not saying if Robby Cano is safe last night that it changes the game. The outcome may be the same, but I like to take my chances. There is more pressure on the pitchers when it is 1 0 in the eighth inning and your club is hitting than 3 0. I would like to take my chances.

Q. Joe, having seen your frustration with the call, and I agree, but you guys didn't score any runs.

JOE GIRARDI: Right, but if you listen to what I said, it is different if it's 1 0 than 3 0. It's a lot easier for a reliever to relax. He knows if he makes one mistake, it is still 3 1. I am not saying we win the game if the call right. I am not saying that. And I am not saying if the call was right, last night that we win the game last night either. But in this day and age there is too much at stake, and the technology is available. That's what our country has done. We have evolved technology to make things better.

Q. You have given a lot of credit to the pitching in the playoffs with the teams that advance, but you still have to be astonished.

JOE GIRARDI: We have to make adjustments. You have to make adjustments. We know what they are doing to us. You have to make adjustments. They are not going to put it on a tee for us. We know that. We are more than capable of scoring runs, and have done it a number of times this year. We have to make adjustments.

Q. To clarify, it seems to be a dramatic turn in instant replay

JOE GIRARDI: I liked it before, I did. You know, I have been thrown out of games enough to know it would be quicker to get the call right or wrong or right on replay than for me to go out there and argue. And they talk about the flow of the game.

As I said, we work really hard to get to this point. And as I said, I don't have a problem with their effort. He hustled, he tried to get there. I understand that. But it's an easy thing. It takes 30 seconds. It's easy. You hear how quickly a crowd reacts.

Q. The last two days convinced you, before you were

JOE GIRARDI: I just think it's yeah, let's have instant replay. And not just, not just home run, fair, foul. Let's have instant replay.

Q. Joe, to be clear, when you told him you saw it and it was obvious, did he maintain he got it right? Or did he say

JOE GIRARDI: He never said anything about being right or wrong. He didn't. You know obviously he probably thinks he's right or he wouldn't have made the call. So, you know, he is trying to keep me in the game, but it's he told me let it go. He was trying to keep me in the game. It's hard to let it go, You know, when it changes the complex of the game. Possibly. That's hard. I mean, this is not a game in April. You know, I mean there are going to be things that happen in April, and a lot of times there's time. But I mean, it is the best of seven and that's a hard thing to do.

Q. Joe, you said your hitters haven't made adjustments. You don't have a lot of rookies here. You have a lot of veteran hitters.

JOE GIRARDI: Correct.

Q. Why haven't they made the adjustments?

JOE GIRARDI: I am not sure. Obviously you are going to watch. When one team attacks you and have success, you are going to watch what they do. And you are probably going to attack a lot in the same ways that your pitchers are available of doing that. And you have to understand what teams are trying to do to you. Take what they are doing to you and make adjustments.

Q. Joe, referencing the consequences and the stakes of these games, could you have a replay system in the postseason that wasn't in play for 162 games?

JOE GIRARDI: I think you have to try it out during the season. I think it's really hard not to try it out and then say, well, let's try it, because there's obviously going to be some things that you go through where there are some snafus along the way that you have to iron out.

Q. Joe, on the grounder for Detroit's first run, the play at second, is that something that Robby shouldn't be making?

JOE GIRARDI: He is capable of making it. He knows that he has to get rid of it quickly. I am not sure if he gets rid of it quickly he is safe. He knows it's going to be a bang bang, so he has to hurry.

Q. What do you make of Cano's struggles this postseason?

JOE GIRARDI: It is odd. You know this is a really, really good hitter that is struggling right now, and he's not getting a lot of pitches to hit. So it's odd to me because this guy's really a good hitter.

Q. Did you see some positives from Alex's at bats today?

JOE GIRARDI: He hit a ball hard off a right hander the second to last bat. Hit a ball hard off the left hander in his last at bat. So I mean, you know we move on and try to get some guys going.

Q. Joe, just to stick with Cano for a second, he ended the season nine games that were stunning, and he's now played seven games. It is hard to believe it is the same guy.

JOE GIRARDI: Yes, it is.

Q. Do you think he kind of beat himself up mentally where he is not able to do this right now, because he is trying to carry the team, because he is the star hitter now?

JOE GIRARDI: I don't think so. I think this off day will serve our team well, just to get away from it for a little bit. We went extremely hard five really stressful games in a sense. So I think it will be good for us. And I think you'll see a different guy on whatever day we play, Tuesday.

Q. Joe, we all celebrated Cano's ability to make a hard game look very easy. Have you had any problems with his intensity or effort, relating to the swinging bunt and not getting down the line?

JOE GIRARDI: I have not. Robby plays fine for me. And I am sure he is frustrated and I understand that. I said, you work really hard to get to this point, and you want to be a part of the winning and contributing, and it is frustrating when you don't.

Q. You are in a tough position down 0 2, Verlander on the mound Tuesday. How do you look at the team now? And what do you say to them as he head to Detroit?

JOE GIRARDI: Go win a game Tuesday. That's all you say. Just go win a game on Tuesday.

Q. Do you sense your offense pressing at all? You said adjustments, do you sense guys trying to do so much? Maybe wearing on each individually, that it is collective right now.

JOE GIRARDI: You know it could be that it will take just one hit to really get us going, and someone has to find a way to get that hit.

Q. Joe, are you still committed to Phil for Game 3?

JOE GIRARDI: He is Game 3.

Q. Joe, what do you see from Granderson? I know he hit the home run against Baltimore, but he seems to be struggling to make contact.

JOE GIRARDI: He is not swinging at strikes a lot of times, and they are making really good pitches. I saw one of his at bats, every pitch was on the outside corner. And Sanchez, I looked at it and every pitch was on the black. I mean, that's not easy to get hits when they are throwing 94 on the black, they are throwing with movement on the black, they are throwing breaking balls on the black. I mean, when he gets that pitch he can't miss it.

Q. Joe, on the replay topic, have you given a lot of thought to what format you would like it to be?

JOE GIRARDI: No, I just think it's available to us and I think it could be done fairly quickly.

Q. Joe, no workout day tomorrow. Have you spoke with any players about attending your father's funeral?

JOE GIRARDI: No, I want our players to rest. And I want them to enjoy their off day and come ready to play on Tuesday.

Q. Have any of them expressed an interest?

JOE GIRARDI: Guys have asked me about it and I told them "rest, rest."

Q. Joe, what was it like to play a game without Derek Jeter in the dugout? And could that have contributed at all to sort of a down day in terms of getting anything done?

JOE GIRARDI: Well, I mean it's strange. It was strange when in May I looked at the lineup card and Mo wasn't on the lineup card on my pitcher's card. It is strange not to see this man on any of your cards. There's days where I have given him a day off, but it's unusual.

As far as bringing us down, no. I think the guys want to do it for him. I really do. So I think the energy level was good.

Q. Joe, I understand the way your team is built offensively, but as a competitor does the lack of contact, does it bother you?

JOE GIRARDI: That's what I talked about, we have to make some adjustments. We have to take what they give us and find a way to put balls in play when runners are on, and get runners in, and get them over, and do the things that you need to do to score runs.