Harmon Killebrew Quotes

I made the varsity team as a freshman at 15. Then, I tore a tendon and never fully recovered. I was a shortstop, then third baseman, then second baseman.

Pop flies, in a sense, are just a diversion for a second baseman. Grounders are his stock trade.

I can't very well tell my batters don't hit it to him. Wherever they hit it, he's there anyway.

I don't worry about infield shifts at all - you play where you're gonna play. I'm just gonna pitch my game.

There is no second baseman in the game who can turn the double play better [than Mark Lemke]. Why are people always looking for offense at that position? What's more important is getting outs, and turning the double is a huge factor in getting outs.

When you allow stolen bases, that changes the game.

Once I get completely right mechanically and with command, maybe I only use two or three pitches to get through seven innings.

Every single pitcher is making changes every single start. You can talk to any pitcher about this.

The defensive phase is about the team, so it's about balance.

Teams quickly find trends in ways you get out. If you get out in similar fashion on three or four occasions, teams will be using that as a weapon to get you out.

What I want is to recover the ball as near to the other box as we can, and when we have the ball, play.

I want to know what coverage it is every single time. I want to line up and be able to read what the defense is trying to do to me so I can get open.

I got Neil Walker now as my new second baseman. He's great. He looks comfortable there. He knows what he's doing. That's the second baseman you want to play with.

When I move to second after playing right field, I feel like my action has gotten too deliberate, and I have to switch back into that quicker, boom-boom infield mode.

If all you ever play with a cornerback in there is man to man, it is a disadvantage.

Tackling and playing well in space against any spread offense is very important.

You have more time to make the play at second base than shortstop. That's why the game's more quick.

With a runner at second base with nobody out, you're trying to punch somebody out. You understand when there are guys in scoring position; hitters like to be aggressive early.

Remember, a receiver can motion wherever, run wherever he wants to on the field, you can't get your hands on the guy and there is a lot of room. When you are a corner, you are playing to the boundary, which is your friend.

There's nobody on my ball club that doesn't go from first to third on a base hit, or from second to home. Every time you steal a base, you're taking a gamble on getting thrown out, and taking the bat out of the hitter's hand.

If there's a man on second, I'm trying to get him in with a base hit. The doubles and homers will come. Sooner or later they'll go out naturally. I'm just trying not to do too much.

Problem with (John) Wockenfuss getting on base is that it takes three doubles to score him.

What you have to do in certain situations, that's called situational hitting.

We've got to learn how to stay out of triple plays.

I want to make guys put the ball in play. If I give up ten hits, then I give up ten hits. But I want to work on making them earn it.