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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: 1ST ROUND POOL A

March 7, 2017

Seoul, Korea

THE MODERATOR: We've got with us Israeliborn Team Israel player Shlomo Lipetz and Ty Kelly, back at it bright and early this morning.

So we'll kick it off with just a question, if each of you can talk about what last night's win meant to you and what you feel like it meant, Shlomo, specifically, for your home country, and Ty, what it meant to you personally.

SHLOMO LIPETZ: For me it was all about the journey. You know, even before the game, just walking into the field, to the stadium, and then seeing the stadium being filled and realizing what a big and long journey we had with Israeli baseball since I started the age of ten.

You know, it was a big win. It was great way to start the tournament against a great local team. Environment was really unparalleled last night. Reminded me of a soccer game in Barcelona. It really brought everyone together. So it was, again, great way to start the tournament.

TY KELLY: Should I answer in Hebrew, or should I just do English? I'll do English I guess, don't have to translate it. [laughter]

Personally it was a big deal because we've been planning for this for a long time, and everyone has kind of predicted who is going to come out of the pool and how we're going to do, and some people think we're going to do well and some people think we didn't have a chance to make it out.

Everyone in our clubhouse was very confident coming in. We kind of like being the underdogs and getting to play that role in this tournament. It was nice to just get out there, after four hours of battling back and forth, finally taking it home.

Q. First thing I want to ask, there are a lot of people, especially kids, who are following you guys. I mean, Ty, when you were in Israel, you saw the kids in Israel, but even for Jewish kids back home who didn't necessarily know before seeing this team that there were role models for them to follow. What does it mean to maybe inspire another generation of Jewish kids to play this sport, I guess both in the States and in Israel?
TY KELLY: It's a really cool thing that we're kind ofÂ we're representing a lot of people while we're here. I saw a lot of Tweets last night of people, just intense pride in being Jewish; intense pride in Israel. All the kids that are out there watching, it's awesome that they get to look up to us as role models and that we get to be role models to them.

But yeah, it's just an amazing experience and opportunity that we're here and able to put this on display in front of the world.

Q. National pride is kind of common for Israelis, and you've had to show it, wearing a military uniform. Can you speak a little bit about the pride you feel, being able to represent Israel and wear Israel across your chest on an international sports stage like this?
SHLOMO LIPETZ: Sure, every time you get to represent something that's bigger than you, it's a great honor and something special. The kind of bonding that you get with a team like Israel, where you don't only have toÂ you don't only have the flag to kind of bring everyone together; but you also have an identity, right. That's something that I think is really unique to us more than any other team that's in this tournament.

It's not just we're looking up there and we all are playing for this one team. We all are carrying this identity of being Jewish, and that's something that really has helped us bond together from day one.

To be able to play for Team Israel, being an Israeli, it's a feeling that, again, it's the best feeling you could get.

Q. You made it up to the big leagues last year for the first time after a long road. I think there were a lot of people that say, common sense says you should be back in big league camp trying to compete for a job. Was there any hesitation in terms of joining this team, and how do you think playingÂ this is an amped up level for early March; how much do you think that will help you long term in terms of trying to stick in New York for longer?
TY KELLY: I think personally, well, it was a nobrainer to be able to come and play in this. It's baseball's Olympics, basically. There are only so many people that get this opportunity.

Personally, I don't know how it will affect my career, the rest of my career with the Mets. But I know that personally, this is an unbelievable opportunity, and I'm going to be a better baseball player from it individually.

But how that translates to when I get back, I'm not really sure. I mean, I'm hoping for the best. I hope to play well here, and make a deep run here, and then see how things turn out from there. I mean, definitely a nobrainer coming out here and just all hoping to keep this going as long as we can.

THE MODERATOR: One thing that was very popular last night on social media was the decision to take off your caps and put on kippah for the National Anthem. Whose idea was that, how did that come to be, and can you talk about that moment for you guys?

SHLOMO LIPETZ: It was a defined decision. It's symbolic more than anything else. It looks good on camera, I guess. It's, again, a way for us to incorporate us being Jews by taking off our hats, but putting on a yarmulke, but also honoring and doing the baseball thing, which is basically taking off your cap for the National Anthem. I think it may have been Peter's decision or Peter's idea.

Again, something that putsÂ brings us together and sets us apart.

TY KELLY: Yeah, I don't know whose decision it was or anything like that, but like I sort of referred to earlier, I read some tweets of someone saying that it brought them to tears just seeing that; that it was such an amazing gesture and an amazing moment. You know, it's the first time that we're on this stage, and that something like that is possible.

It's amazing and like Shlomo said, it's bigger than us, and it's awesome to be able to be part of something like that.

Q. You were recognized as an underdog, so was that a motivation to the players? And one more question. Yesterday, you played with the Korean team. So can you explain about your impression of the Korean team?
TY KELLY: Yeah, like I said earlier, I enjoy being the underdog. It gives you an extra edge. It gives you a chip on your shoulder, something else to play for. We're trying to prove ourselves and we're trying to fight against the odds, and at least personally, that's something I've been doing my whole life and my whole career. I take a little extra motivation from that.

And then, the Korean team, was a very good team. They are hosting this, this pool for a reason. They are very good. It was just a hardfought game. It went back and forth and really could have gone either way at any point. It just ended up that we got that extra hit in the tenth inning that pushed us through.

SHLOMO LIPETZ: I think the common theme with all underdogs is they have this delusional way of thinking that they belong. We felt all along that we belong and that we're not the underdog; that we can compete. And yet we don't have much history in the World Baseball Classic, and it's a group of players that have really never played together.

But again, if you would have talked with anyone in the clubhouse before the game or leading up to this, we really felt that we could compete. So for us, it was just kind of going about our normal game plan and playing.

As far as the environment, I'm just glad we have a lot of players that have been playing baseball for a lot of years, because it is a very, very interesting environment to play in. It's almost impossible to ignore what goes on in right field with the drumming and the crowd and the whole hype that goes on with having Korea being the host team and playing the first game of the tournament.

So everything here has been great. The hospitality has been great. Staff here has been great and it's a great team. I'm very, very happy that we were able to pull this win off.

Q. Yesterday after the game, I believe you had a very short break and you had another game this morning. Are you tired and do you think your condition will affect the game?
TY KELLY: Yeah, we're tired, I guess, but I mean, we're still riding the highs from last night also. We've got a lot of momentum from last night and doesn't feel like it was too long ago. We're awake, and we're going to be out there ready to go. I think once you get on the field, instincts take over and you get the adrenaline going. You know, we'll be ready to go when we get out there.

THE MODERATOR: You've obviously gotten to this point now and you've seen the peak of Israel baseball. Can you think of a moment, as somebody who has been there from the very beginning, kind of the funniest moment or the thing that made you wonder in the last 15, 20, 30 years, why are we doing this; is this ever going to become anything.

SHLOMO LIPETZ: I'm just taking great pleasure reading all the comments on social media with all the folks I played with. I've been playing Israel baseball for 28 years now; since I was ten years all old. And hearing these comments with people that have family who have been not playing the game for a long, long time and being able to represent that kind of old generation that, first generation, that played baseball means a lot for a lot of people. And it's not just current players. It's players that played for Team Israel for a long time.

So again, another thing, kind of generational gap that's coming together, and I'm just glad that at the old age of 38, to still be able to considered a player on this great team.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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