"As soon as a I hit it I thought it had a chance. But I didn't know it would go out. But the ball was carrying big time today." 
     -- after his home run against the Orioles in June
 

"To me, it doesn't matter. Wherever I get, I get in the lineup every day." 
    -- Ramón's response when asked if it mattered to him that he batted at the end of the order (in a postseason interview) 
 

"Yes, I was happy excited, a bit excited. It's like a dream coming true. It is my first season in the big leagues, full season and just living this right now, we're in the playoffs. It's unbelievable for me. So I just trying to be as relaxed as I could and thinking about just another game like the regular season, I guess." 
    -- describing how he felt during his first playoff start
 

"You know, the count was 3 and 1 and I was looking at a fastball right over close to the plate, what I wanted, and I think he threw it left-to-right, in the middle and I just took advantage, I hit it and got it down the right field line." 
    -- recalling his game-winning double in the first game of the Division Series
 

"Ramón's our secret weapon at the bottom of the order.  You need hitting throughout the order to win. We feel good about him being down there, because there's not an easy touch anywhere in the lineup."
      -- Manager Art Howe's comments after Game 1
 

"The biggest part is the mental mistakes. That's how you learn. This is our first playoff. Maybe we tried to do too much." 
    -- Ramón's comments after the A's lost to the Yankees in the Division Series
 

"He really did everything he had to do. He was getting ahead of the hitters, and he had his slider working today. He was throwing in and out for strikes, and when you show the hitters you can throw your fastball in and out, it sets everything else up. That's what he did today." 
    -- Ramón's description of Hiljus's solid performance on the September 22 game vs. the Mariners 
 

"I'll never say I'm always going to come through, but I try to stay more relaxed and give myself a chance to hit with two outs." 
    -- Ramón's reply when asked about his remarkable ability to come through with the game on the line (August) 
 

"I hit it in the right spot, but back-to-back home runs for me in two nights? I am getting razzed but I am not a home run hitter. 
    -- referring to his home runs in two consecutive games against the Orioles in August 
 

"I'm just comfortable up at the plate right now," Hernandez said. "I'm swinging at pitches that I want to swing at. And I'm getting better pitches to hit. I'm getting more confidence up there with the bat with each hit I get. Every time the game is close I'm just certain I can get a hit."

"He's getting hits," Oakland manager Art Howe said. "He's swinging the bat better and he appears fresher. He's just good when runners are on base, we've always felt he could become one the top hitting catchers in the league. His key is that he uses the whole field."
     -- comments from Ramón and manager Art Howe after the July 16 game against the Rockies in which he hit two home runs 
 

"I saw Magnante. I just threw and it hit his (Palmeiro's) foot. He (Magnante) took off for the plate with the pitch and when I saw the ball was behind the hitter, I took off for the screen. I tried to make a low throw to get Palmeiro."
     -- Ramón explains what went wrong in the A's loss to the Rangers on June 29
 

"It was a pretty good pitch that was in the middle of the plate. It feels good. Everybody's supposed to feel good, no matter if it's the first or the last or the fifth or the 10th. Everybody feels good after a grand slam." 
    -- describing his 1st career grand slam on June 27 in Seattle