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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: 2ND ROUND POOL EMarch 15, 2017Hensley MeulensJurickson ProfarWladimir BalentienTokyo, Japan NETHERLANDS 14, Cuba 1 Q. That was a big win. From the manager's eye, how do you think about today's big win? HENSLEY MEULENS: Thank you very much. It was a must-win game for us, and we met this morning with the players in the locker room, because we couldn't play yesterday because Cuba had to play a night game. We did our meeting today in the locker room and everybody was ready to go. All I asked was not to take anything for granted. Just come out and play hard like we did against Israel, and that's what we did, and we got great pitching from Markwell and great hitting from Coco and Jurickson and the rest of the team. It was a total team win today. Q. Like yesterday, Coco, the guy sitting next to you, he hit a huge home run. How do you evaluate him? How do you think he did? HENSLEY MEULENS: Well, his first at-bat -- we just jumped in (laughter). He's just a great player. Great player. Q. You have a big, huge step to go for the semifinal. How do you feel about right now for the result? HENSLEY MEULENS: We feel great. We felt great all tournament. We could be 6-0 right now. We could have beaten Israel in Seoul and we could have beat Japan the first game here. But the guys have played well. We have pitched the ball extremely well, and the guys are hot right now with the bats. So we feel great about our chances. We'll be feeling a lot better if Japan can win the game tonight. Q. You have to wait for the result of tonight's game. Do you think you will be watching the game at the hotel? HENSLEY MEULENS: Well, we already planned to watch the game as a group. I asked the players to stay at the hotel and watch the game as a group, and they can bring their families and friends, and we'll have some drinks and some food and watch the game, and hopefully celebrate at the end of the game. Q. You hit two home runs and that could help Team Netherlands a lot. How do you feel about your two home runs? WLADIMIR BALENTIEN: Well, this was a much-needed game, so I focused every AB, tried to put all my AB together like a great AB like it's my last one. I need to give credit to those guys who got on base early to give me the chance to put us on the board. So I think if it's not for those guys that started, I don't think I would be able to hit those home runs. Q. After you played against Cuba, do you feel that Cuba has a strong swing? And do you think that scoring early in the innings is important for the game, especially you play against the Cuban lineup? WLADIMIR BALENTIEN: Yeah, of course. Every time you score first, you take a little pressure away from the pitcher, and we have that kind of team that we can score the first inning. So I think we've been doing a great job, and I hope those guys continue to do that, and if we advance to the next round, we continue to play hard, try to give everything we've got from the first pitch of the game. Hopefully we make it all the way to the finals. Q. As Team Netherlands, you're hitting clean-up, but first spot, second spot, third spot, they are all like major league players. But you are the clean-up hitter, as well as for team Yakult Swallows. How are you proud that you are the clean-up hitter for the Swallows and Team Netherlands, representing the country? WLADIMIR BALENTIEN: Well, I need to give this guy the credit right here (Hensley Meulens). I know we have a lot of major leaguers, but he's said if I don't hit fourth, I don't play (laughter). No, we have a lot of major league players, a lot of great hitters. But I mean, he believe in me and know what I can do, and to have my bat in the middle of those major league was huge, so we have to give Hensley all that credit. Q. Today's win is a very big win for Team Netherlands. How do you feel about it right now? JURICKSON PROFAR: We're feeling great. It was a must-win for us, and everybody came to the field ready to play. We got a great pitching from Diego, and we put some runs on the board and we came out with the win. Q. As a hitter, you are the third-shot hitter and you drove in some runs and you hit an extra-base hit and you played a very difficult position. As a third hitter of the Netherlands, how do you feel about your job role? JURICKSON PROFAR: Feel anywhere I hit in that lineup, I will be feeling the same. We have great hitters in the lineup. It takes pressure off anybody. I don't feel like I have to get ahead. I have Coco behind me. I know if I don't do it, we will doit. If he don't do it, Didi will do it. I feel the same anywhere I hit in the lineup. Q. Coco had the most home runs record, and as of your view, clean-up hitter, how big -- what does Coco hitting clean-up mean for you? JURICKSON PROFAR: That means they are going to pitch to me and that I'd better be ready to hit (laughter). Q. Hensley mentioned that you told Hensley that you're going to hit a home run in your first, second at-bat. When did you mention that? And as of my view, you're hitting very hot. How do you keep your condition so hot? WLADIMIR BALENTIEN: Well, first of all, to keep my condition hot like this, like I said before, I have to give those guys the credit. They make it easy for me. They get on base. Every time as a clean-up hitter, you want to be in the situation where you can drive in runs, where you can help the team do something, and if you don't have those guys get on base for you, you wouldn't be able to do that. So I need to give those guys the credit. And about the home runs, I really mean it, but at the time I just was joking with them then. But inside me, I was really meaning that I want to hit a home run. Q. Four years ago, you didn't have Jurickson for the first two rounds. You had him just for that semifinal game. With how much he's hit in this tournament, how much has it meant to you to have him on the team all the way from the start this year? And Coco, you've played quite a while in Japan right now. Do you think this tournament maybe opened some eyes, people remembering in the major leagues what you can do? HENSLEY MEULENS: I remember when he walked into the locker room in San Francisco, he says, "Hey, we're going to win this game today because I'm here." You know, that's the fire he plays with, and you can see him, every time he steps on the field, he does something good to help you win. Even if he doesn't get a hit, he's playing outfield, center field for the first time in his life. He makes great breaks to the balls. He catches the ball. He's got a great mentor in Andruw (Jones) helping him out every practice, every day out there with breaks and how to read bats and stuff like that. But you know, what can you say about his hitting: Both sides of the plate. You know, this guy goes up there with a plan. He's confident. He is ready to do damage, or he's moving guys over by bunting. I switched him off with X. X has been putting a lot of pressure on himself, just to take pressure off X and hit him third. And like he said earlier, he don't care where he hits. He's actually better off, because Big Boy is behind him, so he's going to get pitches to hit, and he's ready to hit. We missed him dearly those first two rounds last time, but this time, we had him early, and he's proven to the world what kind of player he is. WLADIMIR BALENTIEN: Well, for me, playing in this tournament, like you said, playing a lot here in Japan, but I think to play this tournament for my country is something that I always want to do. You know, I'm going to show everybody that I still can be that player that I am when I was younger, and at least now I'm getting better as a hitter. You know, I'm getting older and I'm understanding more the batting. I think playing this tournament, having success, probably hope it opens a couple more doors for me, maybe, coming back to the States, who knows. But I'm happy; I'm having a great tournament right now. Q. 2013, there may have been some people that were surprised the Netherlands made it to the semifinals but because of that this year, you weren't sneaking up on anyone and you were probably one of the bigger games or other teams. With that in mind, with teams gunning to do well against you because you were a semifinalist, how proud are you of the way that you have responded and the run you've been on, because like you said, you could have won all six games. HENSLEY MEULENS: I'm a little starstruck just like most people in our country. Just to see all these guys together on the same field, trying to win something for the motherland, and I get to manage them. It's pretty exciting. Just to see these guys grow into stars in front of our own eyes: Jurickson, who was one of the top prospects in baseball a couple of years ago, and to see him have the success on the field. Bogaerts, he was 19 last time and playing third base for the first time in his career. Ended up playing third base in the World Series and winning the World Series that year for the Boston Red Sox. He applied the experience he had in the Classic playing third base, and that's the reason why he was ready for that and the big stage at the World Series. And we have guys like Simmons and Schoop, and Coco who is now older, and they keep going on and on and on. Our pitching: Our pitching doesn't get mentioned much, but these guys, they are the reason why we're winning games. You're trying to score runs, but you've got to stop the other team from scoring, as well, and our pitching has done a great job from stopping the other teams from scoring. A lot of credit goes to the entire team, the staff, to get these guys ready, the training staff, the medical staff, to get these guys ready to play and keep them on the field. This kind of success, like you said, it's not a secret anymore. These guys are proven major league stars, and hopefully we can win a few more games. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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