Placido Polanco Says He's Pain Free
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- After a strong first two months of the 2011 season, Placido Polanco's production was limited by injuries. He hit .398 in March and April, then ran into a back problem and a sports hernia. He wound up hitting just .277 with five home runs. He hit .105 in the Phillies division series against the Cardinals.
In 2012, the Phillies need his production, and he says he's ready to go. "I feel pretty good actually. I've been hitting and running and taking ground balls. I haven't felt any pain," Polanco told 94 WIP's Michael Barkann and Ike Reese on Wednesday.
Polanco said he wasn't the only one in the clubhouse hurting in the playoffs last season. "It was very hard. Sometimes you're a 100 percent, and it's still hard. Imagine when you're hurt. I looked around, and everybody had some pain. And they just kept going. I think now that everybody's 100 percent, or close to 100 percent, I like our chances," he said. "Our goal is to win the World Series. Not to make it to the playoffs."
Listen to the entire interview with Placido Polanco:
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Though Phillies fans have come to expect a World Series every year, Polanco knows what wins over Philadelphia fans, and that's effort. "You just go out there, and throw your body out there, and play hard. That's all they ask for."
