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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: 2ND ROUND POOL E

March 15, 2017

Jerry Weinstein

Tokyo, Japan

JAPAN 8, Israel 3

Q. You just played three games in the second round. What was the impression overall for the second round?
JERRY WEINSTEIN: No. 1, we're disappointed, because we lost and we won't be moving on. That's No. 1. But we lost to two really good teams. We lost to an excellent team today. You people should be proud of your team.

Japan is extremely well disciplined, outstanding pitching and they play well in every phase of the game. But more than anything else, they are a true team and they don't give anything away. Every at-bat is a tough one. They compete. A lot of admiration for the Japanese team.

Q. Today's game until the fifth inning, it was a 0-0 pitching game, but in the sixth inning there was big differences. What was the turning point of today's game?
JERRY WEINSTEIN: Well, I would say timely hitting on the Japanese part and really good pitching. The left fielder crushed that ball, and then we walk a guy and then they get a jam-shot hit to center field, and they just got a little momentum on us. And this is a game of momentum, and you get on the wrong side of that momentum stream and it becomes a problem.

We had a couple, not errors, but defensive situations that we didn't turn into outs and that led to a five-run inning.

Q. Top of the ninth, you scored three. How do you feel about it?
JERRY WEINSTEIN: Well, I feel good about that, because you can really see the character of our team, as well. We didn't fold up our tents. Maybe that's an American term, "folding up your tent." But we didn't quit. We competed.

We respect the Japanese team. We owe them the responsibility to not only to our dugout, but to the other team, to compete for all 27 outs, and I'm proud of our team, as well, for battling for nine innings the.

Q. Team Israel is the eye of the storm for the tournament, what is the overall impression of you as skipper?
JERRY WEINSTEIN: I'm not sure I understood that question. Could you repeat that again?

Q. Sure. The Team Israel, a lot of guys thinking that Team Israel is the eye of the storm in the tournament. How do you feel as the manager?
JERRY WEINSTEIN: I feel good the people feel that we had a good team and that we competed, and we surprised some people. We didn't surprise the people in that locker room or in that dugout. We knew that we had a competitive team. Maybe we didn't have the best ability people, but we had the most competitive people, and I appreciate the efforts that those 28 guys gave us and Israel.

Q. The second tournament, your record is 1-2, but close games. What's your next goal for the future?
JERRY WEINSTEIN: You'll have to ask Peter curse that, because this was my last official act at manager of Team Israel. Now I'll go back to spring training with the Colorado Rockies and get ready to manage 140 games in the Eastern league.

My hope is that by virtue of playing in the World Baseball Championship and doing well in the World Baseball Championship is that it heightens awareness worldwide, but especially in Israel, so it can get more government support, build fields, hire staff.

And also in the United States; there's a lot of American Jews that follow baseball, maybe more so than in Israel, and maybe they will sign up to support and donate money and help in many different ways so that we can grow the program in Israel so that some day -- and I said this before in this room; that the next time a manager sits in front of you, he'll be talking about Israeli national players playing in the WBC, and not a group of American Jewish players who are certainly identifying or connected to Israel; but it will be true players that were born in the State of Israel and compete in this tournament.

And I think that certainly by participating in this tournament and heightening awareness worldwide, that certainly that is not an unrealistic goal.

Q. You're obviously very familiar with, we don't know which two teams will come out of the other pool, but you're familiar with all the major league players on those teams and you talked about the two teams you lost to that advance out of this group. How do you feel these two teams, their chances will be next week in Los Angeles?
JERRY WEINSTEIN: I think any one of the four teams that end up in Los Angeles can win it. It's baseball. I think with the offensive firepower that Netherlands has, and the pitching depth and kind of the funkiness that the Japanese team has, I think that they will be extremely competitive.

But they are going to have to be, because whoever comes out of that bracket over there, whether it's the United States or Dominican Republic or Venezuela or Puerto Rico, I shouldn't forget Puerto Rico, because maybe at this point they could be the odds-on favorite.

I think they have got their work cut out for them but I honestly believe that any one of the four teams -- I know these two teams, Japan and Netherlands, will be able to compete with the two teams that come out of the San Diego bracket, but it won't be easy. It will be a great tournament, and I wish I didn't have to work and I could see the tournament. I'll watch it on television for sure.

Q. You touched a little bit on the impact this team has had, dollars and cents, raising awareness of the sport. I was wondering if you could maybe talk a little bit more about how much more sped-up the process might be because the team did as well as it can? And also in terms of inspiring a new generation of players, both in Israel, but also in the United States, kids who maybe thought they shouldn't play baseball or told that they are not good enough to play baseball, and seeing this group, by a lot of accounts, overachieving, maybe inspiring them to keep trying.
JERRY WEINSTEIN: I think that's a great question. I think that there are Jewish kids in the United States that maybe wouldn't play baseball, but as a result of seeing this Jewish team, who are made up mostly of Americans, they will they more -- there's some real role models out there.

I think this team captured the hearts of not only the youth, but especially the baseball youth in Israel, but also in the United States, and I think that will help these people. I think there are kids out there that want to be Sammy Fuld; that want to be Ryan Lavarnway now that maybe before had no idea.

I think it will help give them a model and a goal, not only in the United States, but certainly in Israel. I don't think it's just the financing of the facilities and staff and so on, so forth. I think it's just now, they can see that these Jewish athletes are put on a pedestal worldwide, not just here or in Tokyo or in United States or in Israel, but worldwide.

I think everybody has recognized what they have done and I think that will inspire all young kids, but especially young Israelis and young Jewish kids in the United States, as well, or around the world, for that matter.

Thank you. Love Tokyo, love your team, love the way you guys love baseball.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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