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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: 1ST ROUND POOL BMarch 10, 2017Alfredo DespaigneCarlos MartiRoel SantosTokyo, Japan CUBA 4, Australia 3 Q. Today's game, the game was behind until the middle of the game, and Despaigne hit a home run and you head up the game. What's in your mind right now? CARLOS MARTI: Yes, first, I'd like to mention that I'd like to say hello to all the press people, hello. Today's game was very nice, and we were so nervous. The game is so close. Our opponent, Team Australia, pitched very well, as well as they swing the bat very hard. Our team knows how good Team Australia is, but fortunately we could get a win, and that's very important. ALFREDO DESPAIGNE: Yes, I'd like to mention that this victory belongs to the national people of Cuba; that we could clinch and advance to the second round. That means a lot to not only me, but also the fans in Cuba. Our team had a good rhythm, and we are very focused on today's game. That's why our team work worked very well, and that led us to winning. ROEL SANTOS: Hello, everybody. Good afternoon. That was a fantastic and a very nice game. Yes, we are very happy that we could get the win. I'd like to show my respect to Team Australia, as well. They are a very good opponent. Our pitcher threw hard and our hitters did the best. That's why we get the win, and we'd like to keep continuing for the second round, too. Q. What is your team condition right now? You played three games in your first round. CARLOS MARTI: Yes, we are well prepared. We were in Korea and we play against Chinese Taipei, and we spend some time in Kagoshima, too. We had a lot of younger players on our roster, so this kind of qualified very high level, solid tournament means a lot to younger players, too. So even though our team is very young, but young and talented, but they are progressing step by step, and we made a good adjustment for the environment, too. So we just keep going and try to keep going for the second round. Q. In the second round, you play against Team Japan again. What is your game plan for the second round? CARLOS MARTI: Of course I know that we have a game against Team Japan. They are very solid and always tough to defeat. But we trust our players and we tried to do our best. Team Japan is very solid players. Everybody recognize that and everybody knows that. But no matter who we play against, all I can say is, we play 100 percent. Q. I'd like to ask you the same question for both Mr. Santos and Mr. Despaigne. What's your game plan for the second round? ALFREDO DESPAIGNE: Yes, Team Cuba has always tried to have that same momentum, try to keep the same emotion as the Team Cuba National Team to keep playing, and always try to win the game. Our aim is nothing but winning. ROEL SANTOS: Yes, like the manager said, we are a very organized team. When we play against Team Japan, we don't do anything special. The first game, second game, third game, it's all important and try to work out and try to have the same mind set. Of course our aiming is always to win with a better quality. That's our aiming. Like Despaigne mentioned before, we always are trying to go to the final in Los Angeles. That's our next goal. Q. The roles are going to change for the second round. How are you going to decide your starting pitcher? And also, I have a question for Mr. Despaigne. You are always the team leader; what's your game plan for the second round? CARLOS MARTI: Yes, I have to talk with my coaches, who is going to start for the game against Israel. We just played a hard baseball game against Australia. We used a lot of pitchers in today's game, so we have to talk with the pitching coach. Q. Is this your responsibility to be a leader of the team or to win the ballgame? ALFREDO DESPAIGNE: Yes, I have a huge responsibility to be a leader of this National Team. One of the most biggest jobs for me is to try to compete and try to get the win, playing against the opponent. Not only that, but I play with my manager and my coaches and my players, and so in order to be a leader, I have to pump up and I have to motivate my teammates. Q. You played a long career for baseball. What does today's game mean to you? Do you have any best game before, or is this one of your best highlight games of your career? You are the home run leader of the WBC tournament; how do you feel about that? ALFREDO DESPAIGNE: Yes, I'm not playing I'm not swinging the bat to be a home run king. I have to play 100 percent always, and I have to I'm always trying to score runs for teams. So being a home run leader is not something I deserved. Talking about the home run, well, when I was in college playing against USA, that was one, something that I will never forget. And probably today's game, had a was a very key home run, so probably another milestone for my career. Q. You've had the chance to play for Cuba for a long time, and play in many games. A lot of other guys have left. You stayed. Is it moments like today that make that worth it; that you get to participate and hit home runs like this and win huge games like this? ALFREDO DESPAIGNE: Being a National Team of Cuba, a lot of my friends play with goals to go to the USA. Where they go, where they play, they are still part of Team Cuba National Team. I, myself, have a lot of games played at National Team Cuba. I have a very long history. So what I feel is I'm so happy to contribute to my team, National Team Cuba. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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