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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: 1ST ROUND POOL C

March 10, 2017

Jose Quintana

Miami, Florida

United States - 3, Colombia - 2

Q. What did it mean for you to wear the Colombia uniform? We watched you be more emotional than in any other Major League game with the White Sox. To wear that shirt for Colombia, and Archer was here and said, I tip my hat to you, because after going only three innings in your last start in Spring Training and doing what you did for Colombia today was admirable.
JOSE QUINTANA: First of all, good night to all, and of course it is a pleasure for me to wear this shirt. I have no words to describe this moment, but I was very upset by the result. We had a lot of chances to be victorious. But as I said at the beginning, we did not come here to enjoy ourselves. We have the dream to go on to the second round. I think it's clear what Colombia is all about. We could not get the victory, but we did things the right way.

I'll be honest, I had a different feeling. When you win in the season -- I'm always a person that pays a lot of attention to his work, and I always try to prepare to give 100% every five days for each game. It is different. It is my country. It is Colombia. It is the first time I wear this shirt, especially with this turnout and each pitch was with all of my possible energy. And as I said, in the end we were not able to be victorious, but it's a process. We started by doing things right and now we are thinking about tomorrow.

Q. How upset would you have been if you had only been allowed to pitch four innings like Archer was?
JOSE QUINTANA: Well, he throw the ball well, too, so he's an outstanding pitcher. My focus was to try to go out and do what I do and go longer, the more I can do. And I think I had a chance at the top of the sixth, and I tried to get Crawford out quick, but that happens sometimes. We have a good chance in the game and Solano called a good game, but I think we had a good matchup against Archer. He's awesome.

Q. Congratulations for one heck of a job today. Colombia sent a message to the world that there is quality baseball in our country. And as we acknowledged for the international media that are covering the World Baseball Classic, also. But I wanted to ask you, your first address to the national Colombian government, to the sports authorities, to support baseball. We don't have that support now. With a greater investment of government in baseball, of course we will have a better representation in an event such as this one and our baseball will grow. Can you send that message to the Colombian government?
JOSE QUINTANA: I always have been an ambassador of our baseball, as we have all been here at the level of the Major Leagues. We have added a little grain of sand by showing all those public and private companies that we need more support; better stage to encourage baseball more. To see people such as Renteria and Cabrera, all the players that have come through the Major Leagues, it is very big, and we hope that this is a beginning and a big process that we can continue.

We almost were able to touch the sky and we still have a good opportunity, and we'll continue to show the world how great we are.

Q. I want you to more or less to give us your global vision at the level of sports in the countries where it's growing, for example, we see that in Mexico we saw that twice they have showed that they showed a good role in the Caribbean Series. Other countries have dropped a little bit, such as Venezuela, and I want to hear your opinion about the growth and the decrease, especially the growth, because what you did, despite not winning, was historic.
JOSE QUINTANA: I think that the answer to your question would be in the other countries, baseball is growing. I think that, I don't know, I couldn't tell you. I think that Venezuela, Mexico, countries such as the Dominican Republic, they have always been powerhouses in this game, and you can see now they have tried to find smaller opponents that are becoming stronger. I think that baseball is growing in those areas, and it's starting to show the world what could be done such as these great powerhouses.

We see that Colombia is a country hungry to show itself, and Colombia did a great job today. We'll try tomorrow and from now on. We came here with a big dream and I tell you again, we continue to get ahead. We did not win today, but tomorrow we'll be stronger and we'll try to continue our improving our baseball to have those athletes that other countries have.

Q. Talk to us about those emotions on the field, because it is not easy to have a stage of Colombians screaming and Americans screaming and a lot of emotions were combined. What did you do to keep the focus? In the dugout, tell us about that environment.
JOSE QUINTANA: I was concentrating the whole game about what my catcher, Solano, was telling me. My focus was only on him. So I was attentive to whatever he asked of me. But we've had a good relationship for the short time I have been pitching with him, and I played with Jhonathan on the Caimanes (de Barranquilla), we have not seen each other for a long time but the chemistry took hold quickly. And the only way to focus was to feel that country behind me clapping for me and with a big dream such as tonight, that's what gave me the desire and to try to keep the game as we should.

Q. Knowing that this was Colombia's first game in the World Baseball Classic, and as well as you were pitching, what were your emotions when you had to come out of the game because of the pitch count?
JOSE QUINTANA: Well, we have a lot of emotions here. I know it's the first round and we have a limit, a pitch limit. We want to go throw all the game if we can, but that's the rules and we respect the rules.

So, it is my first time representing my country and it's an honor for me to be here and all my teammates, especially when you face the best team in the world. So that's also nice and it's been a really good time.

Q. We are grateful for the effort you did. You made us proud of being Colombian. Going back to the game, was it the right decision to pitch to Crawford when you had only three pitches left to reach the limit? Did that limit you, do you think?
JOSE QUINTANA: I think that the decision was the right one. I was facing a left-hander, and you have some pitches left, and as long as you have pitches left, you can continue to be in the game. I think it was the correct thing. We talked about that in the dugout before coming out, and those things happen. At that moment I knew that he would be swinging. It was the second time I had faced him. The first time I got him out and then the second time I opened with a curve. At that moment he swung and got a hit.

But I think that "Pipe" (Urueta) is doing one heck of a job. He did the right thing at that time, and we tried to keep the score there. We were not able to keep the game like that. But I think that what we did was big, and I hope that we can have a rematch with those guys.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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