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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: 1ST ROUND POOL AMarch 6, 2017Scott BurchamJosh ZeidSeoul, Korea ISRAEL 2 Q. Take us through that at‑bat in the tenth a little bit after you guys had so many opportunities. How did you make sure just not to try to get too big or do too much in a situation like that, when you guys had left so many guys in scoring position throughout the game? SCOTT BURCHAM: Well, the previous at‑bat, Oh kind of blew through fastballs by me, so I came into the at‑bat, two fastballs by me, and I knew they were coming, another fastball. Tried to widen up, choke up and put the ball in play somewhere and luckily I found a hole. Q. Overall, what do you think about the Korean pitchers and who was the most impressive pitcher? SCOTT BURCHAM: I found they were all really, really good pitchers. A little different than I'm used to seeing in the Minor Leagues in America. I can't pick out one particular pitcher who I think was the best but I mean, all of them had good stuff and obviously it was a pitcher's battle, 2‑1 game and all the pitchers made pitches when they needed to. Q. Josh, I saw the emotion after the last out there. Talk a little about three innings, Goose Gossage save, and win, in your case. What does it mean for the team, the pride that you bring into the game? JOSH ZEID: I've been a part of Team Israel since 2012. We've been through a lot of ups and downs. Me personally I've been through ups and downs with Team Israel. I love the group of guys that I'm with. We have some of the best guys in baseball, whether or not they are all stars, doesn't really matter. We've got great people on this team. We've all heard this in the past, we all come from a common bond and we all have a lot in common. But beyond that, we all want to be successful and we want to have fun, as well. I went out there and I gave everything I had. I know Scotty, I think he was in A‑Ball last year and he's out there competing against the best players in the world, and that's why we're out here doing this, to see where we stand in the world, and we're just out here trying to be competitive and have fun. Q. After an emotional game like this, you guys have to turn around awfully quickly. Josh, you're not going to pitch tomorrow, so maybe Scott, do you want to take this, just in terms of how do you hit the reset button so quickly? Maybe those morning games in the Minor Leagues may come in handy for experience for you now. SCOTT BURCHAM: We're all pretty exhausted right now. Stressful game. But you can't get too high on your wins. You can't get too low on your losses. So once we get back to the hotel, think about it a little bit more, go to sleep, it's a new day, and we'll have the same energy we had this game. Q. You stopped many batters, so what was your focus in your pitching? And to Mr. Burcham, in the tenth inning, you stopped with good fielding, but in the early innings, you used the shifting. Was that a sign from the bench? Was that the decision among the fielders? SCOTT BURCHAM: Yeah, we decided to shift up early in the game, and then Min, I think three times, he slapped the ball the other way. So we took it, learning from the pitches and learning throughout the game, Ty and I, Tyler Krieger, made the decision to stop the shift and play him more to the 6‑hole. JOSH ZEID: So my goal when I go out to pitch is to throw strikes. Ryan Lavarnway, our catcher, has been back‑‑ he's played a few years in the major leagues, he's played a long career. He's really good at reading batters, at reading the situation, at controlling the pitchers's emotions. And my goal was to go out there, throw strike one, which in my first inning, I didn't do so well. I let the emotions of the situation get to me. It's an unbelievable environment here. The Korean fans, the South Korean fans are some of the best in the world. I've never heard cheering like that. I've never heard the excitement in the stands like that. Just trying to breathe and focus and throw strikes and let the game play itself. I got lucky, threw a couple balls right down the middle. This game relies a lot on luck sometimes, but in the end it worked out in our favor and I look forward to seeing Corey Baker pitch tomorrow and seeing what happens next. Q. Scott, I believe this is the first game in this stadium, and I was impressed by your fielding, so what was your preparation? SCOTT BURCHAM: We practiced here since March 1st, played a couple exhibition games. The coaches have done a great job at helping me out, the older guys. I mean, I'm one of the younger guys and I like to talk to Ike and Nate and Ty Kelly. They have been so helpful with me throughout this whole process, and telling me, you know, where to play and where not to play, read the pitch. The field is fast but that's something that's not new. Every day we play on a different field, and you just have to make adjustments in baseball. I think we were really well prepared for the quickness of the field. Q. Where do you rank this win in your career? JOSH ZEID: This has to be it. This has to be the top, top win as a team I think in my career. I've been lucky enough to be part of a couple championships in the lower levels in the Minor Leagues and in high school, but nothing compares to this stage. Obviously we still have a lot more games to be played in this tournament, and each of us have a lot more games to be played in the rest of our lives. But I mean, like I've been saying, you bring together this group of guys. We haven't been playing together for six years. We've been together for a couple weeks. And to come out here and show the world what we're capable of‑‑ this really mattered to me a lot. I was really excited when that final out was made. Like Scotty said, we've just got to take a deep breath, enjoy this win tonight. But tomorrow is a brand new day, and you know, we just have to play a new day. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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