I swung after they took me out (Thursday), … I just wanted to make sure I could tell (manager) Mike (Scioscia) I was OK. I didn’t want to wait until (Friday).

I feel happy that today I am going to play. I am excited to be on the field today.

I’m very happy for the fans. I wanted to do it at home. During the ovation, I wanted to run out to right field, forgetting that I was the DH.

This one felt like it was more stretched out. Today it feels fine.

I always swing at bad pitches, … But lately I was swinging at even worse ones.

It’s really something that’s not new, even though I changed leagues and changed teams. If they walk me intentionally, it’s just one more runner on base. I have faith in the guys hitting behind me.

I can’t carry the team by myself,

I think it looked like I was a little more aggressive than I was, … I swing at bad pitches anyway, but I was swinging at even more bad pitches and missing. It looked worse....

It feels pretty special, because those are guys that I’ve heard were tremendous players, … To be in that company is very meaningful.

I’m going to keep my head up,

The fun thing was coming to the ballpark every day knowing I was fighting for something for the first time in my career. I was fighting to go to the playoffs and I was looking...

It means a lot to do it at home. I really wanted to do it here for the fans, … I never had a doubt that eventually it was going to come. Now I don’t...

I want to come back and do this again.

I feel collectively what everybody’s feeling — that we lost as a team, … I feel I saw the ball quite well. It’s not the series I wanted to have. We’re going to keep our...

I want to win when the whole world is watching, … I want to win a World Series in an Angels uniform.

I have no frustration,

I don’t think I was anxious, … I’ve always been a very aggressive hitter. When I make outs with pitches out of the strike zone, it’s something I’ve done my whole career.

Mickey was right, … I was too close to the plate.

I’m the same as I was all year, … I can take it.

If something looks good, I’m swinging. They pay me to hit. I look at the ball and swing.

It’s not a big game. It’s very important to win today, but just to break the streak they had.

If you see me play, that’s the way I am all year,

That game taught me my uppercut,

A lot of the talk before was suitcases and how many do you have, how many are you going to send home? … Nowadays, we don’t even talk about that. It’s fun to talk about...

I just have to come back tomorrow and try again, … I have to look at the ball and keep swinging.

I feel happy with what I’ve done after coming back from a bad injury, … I’m taking the same hacks I took before, I just feel good right now.

I think it probably seemed like I was anxious because I was swinging at bad pitches. I was thinking about it, but I’m going to keep swinging. Sometimes it looks bad and sometimes it doesn’t,...

I tried to use batting gloves at the beginning of every spring training up until 1999,

He comes into the clubhouse and says hello but doesn’t put any pressure on you, … It makes you feel good and inspires you to keep working.

I am very, very happy for the fans, … I really wanted to do it here for them because they have been very supportive. Out in right field, people kept telling me that I would...

I’ve said from the beginning that I would not play and I haven’t changed my original plan.

[Because authorities wanted results fast,] competition was strong and there was great incentive for development of the game, … Many athletes eagerly took up baseball.

This one felt more like it was stretched out. I overstretched it a little bit.