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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: 2ND ROUND POOL F

March 15, 2017

Adam Jones

San Diego, California

United States - 4, Venezuela - 2

Q. Adam, congratulations on a really great game, and doing so in front of your friends and family here.
ADAM JONES: Thank you.

Q. I've heard some rumors that the title "Captain America" is starting to be applied to you. How do you feel about taking that over from David Wright here in your home park?
ADAM JONES: I don't mind it one bit. I'm the leader of the Orioles, and I don't mind being the leader of this team. We have plenty of leaders who are leaders on their respective teams. The beauty of this tournament is you come together with a bunch of great guys, great leaders on their own teams. We all have our own niches and things that we add to the game. I just add intensity, passion, and the guys just feed off me.

Q. When you're at home, you're representing Team USA, it's crunch time and you're the guy that sends it out of the park. How does that stack up for you in your career? Can you take us through some of the emotions of that home run?
ADAM JONES: Well, I mean, I tied the game up, so I think I gave us a little more life.

Q. It was a spark?
ADAM JONES: Yeah, it was a little bit of a spark, and then Yeli and Hosmer finished it off with that two-run home run. But this ranks up high. I've been in the postseason a couple times, but I haven't won it. But I've had some hits in the postseason, so it ranks up pretty high.

Like you said, to do it in San Diego, a military city, representing the United States, my brother and my father, and countless friends of mine represent the United States in the military, it's pretty special. And I'm just glad that, first off, we were able to get the win, but I'm glad I was able to be a part of it.

Q. Those of us that don't see you play every day, after the home run hopping past home plate, doing some chest bumps, is that normal or are you taking your cue from everybody else in this tournament having fun?
ADAM JONES: Well, I think everybody's saying that Team USA lacks emotion. We just go out there and play a bland type of baseball. But we're emotional guys. We just handle it a little bit different. Big home run, a lot of guys, we still weren't at the home plate. We were still in the dugout and all that.

But you've got to show some emotion. Big spot, bottom of 8th, you've got six outs left in the game against a very tough bullpen they have in Venezuela. So, hey, we showed some emotion. Ain't nothing wrong with that. I think that people kind of liked that Team USA showed some emotion.

Q. In this city, your hometown, where does this home run rank as far as just hitting it in the city of San Diego? Have you had any bigger?
ADAM JONES: In my career? I've had some big home runs for the Orioles. Here in San Diego?

Q. San Diego alone.
ADAM JONES: Oh, San Diego alone? Oh, I mean, when we came here during the season, I've been here in 2010, 2013, and 2016, I've hit home runs in each of those series, so I was able to show my family, showcase my talent to the city of San Diego.

But to do this with Team USA, it's a bit different. It's country versus country right now. It's not Orioles versus Padres or Orioles versus anybody else. It's country versus country. But to do it in front of a massive military city is pretty, pretty -- I don't really even have the word for it.

Q. Could you just take us through at-bat, your mindset going up to the plate? What you saw and what he threw you.
ADAM JONES: I think you know what it was, I think you just need it for print. That's true (smiling). I mean, he got a hit, two fastballs, 96 and 97. I faced him once before in Chicago, I think in '13 or '14. He's aggressive with his fastball. Then he threw two pitches off the plate that I just took.

Then I was able to get on top of a 98-mile-an-hour fastball. These are things that I can't just say, tell you exactly how to do it. These are things that are just reaction. When you're in the batter's box, you're trying to score something. Especially down 0-2, you're trying to put the ball in play. I fought back to get into a little bit better count, and I was able to get on top of that fastball and drive it out of the park.

Q. In such a game, especially the later half, every time when you are at-bat the relief pitchers are changing. So in such case, which do you target the ball, kind of the high-speed ball or breaking ball or controlled outside? Which do you make your concentration to prepare for the ball?
ADAM JONES: Well, late in these tournaments, the bullpens are going to come in throwing predominantly 95 plus. With Dominican, they were throwing 95 plus.

So I think I'm looking for fastball. It makes no sense for me to look for anything else when he's throwing upper 90s. It makes no sense to look for a slider. If I'm ready for the fastball and I'm able to see the slider up, best of luck with that. But I'm looking dead red. Especially with the bullpen. Obviously, they're changing so many times. They changed for Yelich, and then the lefty. I think it's Castillo came in. He's pumping 94, 95, 96. So I think that guys throughout the league, they know when the bullpen comes in, there's guys that throw some fuzz. So they're going to predominantly look for that.

Also, we have scouting reports. We know the tendencies. And the thing about most of the guys on team Venezuela, most of those guys play in the Major Leagues, so there is a lot of information up and down the lineup of guys who faced them. Just like right before that bat, I was talking to Lucroy, because he's faced him a lot of times. I talked to McCutchen and Harrison, because they're in the Central and these are guys that face him. So you can obviously look at the paper and scouting reports, but you have to talk to the people who have actually stood in the box with him and can tell you exactly how that ball's going to look.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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