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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: 2ND ROUND POOL FMarch 18, 2017Jim LeylandAdam JonesGiancarlo StantonAndrew McCutchenSan Diego, California USA - 6, Dominican Republic - 3 THE MODERATOR: All right, we'll get started with Team USA. Q. Can you describe for me the action when you made that catch to rob Manny Machado's home run? ADAM JONES: I'm still in kind of shock that I even got to that ball. I mean, off the bat I'm just like this ball's hit really far, so just keep going, keep going. You know this California air's going to slow it down, and just never quit. That's just the style I play with. I don't mind running into a wall or two. I just kept going after the ball, and I've seen the replay after the game, and I went for the catch, like... Q. Giancarlo, you had kind of struggled at the plate a little bit at the series before tonight. Talk about trying to maintain confidence, especially going into the at-bat where you hit the home run? But also, did it feel a little like the All-Star or Home Run Derby last summer when you hit that ball? GIANCARLO STANTON: The feeling of confidence should never be a question. It's just getting your timing and feel. So that was the toughest part without playing a couple days and understanding we've got to put the best guys out there who are feeling the best, too. So you've got to lock it in asap and just get ready to go. Yeah, it did kind of feel like Home Run Derby. Q. What is your take about the passion that you see on the Dominican team, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, do you get some of that passion and emotions of these teams? ADAM JONES: I mean, I think it's unbelievable. It just shows that this game is global. Obviously it's America's pastime, but it just shows that there's good baseball all across the world. The Caribbean, they play terrific baseball. Like I said, I said in the first round, Colombia, they're going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years, because they put out a good product. Like I said, the Netherlands, they're great. You see Team Italy, Team Israel. This game is global, and it's great to see the diversity in this game. Q. Jim, what were you feeling when you walked off the field kind of pumping your fist to the crowd? JIM LEYLAND: Well, like Adam said, some of the teams show maybe physically a little more passion sometimes than we do, but don't get that confused with really not being into it and really not caring. It was a wonderful feeling. We're going to the finals. We beat a great team. I tip my hat to all the teams we've played so far, and we beat a great team tonight, and we held down a great lineup. So, you know, you make defensive plays. I think Adam's play really charged us up. Giancarlo's homer really charged us up. These guys were ready to play. Like I said, we beat a really good team. Our hat's go off to them. They competed, they were a great team, and tonight we were the better team. Q. Jim, two things, what made you put Giancarlo back in the lineup tonight? And also, where do you rank Adams' catch? JIM LEYLAND: Well, I'll answer the second part first. Otis Nixon made a catch against me one time in the playoffs where he dug his spike into the wall and went over the wall and caught it, and this one was right there with it, and at a big time. There is no question about it. A lot of times it's not where you make the play, it's when you make the play. That just took a little wind out of their sails. I think they thought there was one on the board, obviously. I just felt that Giancarlo's a threat at any time. I put him down there to maybe relax him a little bit. I like a homer late in the lineup. Obviously, somebody's got to hit 9th on these teams, eighth and 9th. They're all really good players, but somebody's got to hit seventh, eighth and 9th. Just put him down there tonight and hoping he might run into a three-run homer. It was a two-run homer. So I'm a little mad at him. No, I'm just kidding (laughter). No, it was a two-run homer. It was a big blow for us and really picked us up. I think the key for the game a lot of times, I think people think the closer in the 9th inning. But one of the keys of the game is when they have second and third, and nobody out, and they didn't score. Q. The U.S. has a history of making it to the semifinals, is there something different about this team that's propelled them into the finals, and your thoughts on facing Japan potentially in the finals? JIM LEYLAND: I don't know what's happening in the past. Obviously, I followed a little bit. I don't really care what's happened in the past. This is a whole different team. I'm not going to start comparing teams. This team has a lot of heart. It's got a lot of talent. Joe Torre did a great job assembling this team. And it's an honor to manage this team. That's all I can tell you. I have no idea what's going to happen. But we're still play, I can tell you that. Q. Two questions, first, we heard a lot about the atmosphere in Miami for the game against the Dominican. And I wonder if you could talk to what it was like here tonight and how that compared? ANDREW MCCUTCHEN: Atmosphere was great. It was huge. Miami had a huge crowd there, being in the Dome made it a little louder. But, you know, I felt like we had more of the advantage here in San Diego. I thought we had a lot more people representing the U.S. and chanting our names as opposed to Miami. It seemed like it a little more by the Dominicans. Yeah, crowds were big, crowds were great, and they were intense. But I definitely felt we had the advantage up here. Q. For so long in the build-up to the tournament all we heard about is what this wasn't, who wasn't here, who wasn't playing. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but whatever the appropriate emotion was, relief, vindication, whatever. Hey, we're through. We're going to the semis and we don't have to worry about what happened last time? JIM LEYLAND: I'll answer that question. There were a lot of people that respectfully declined and we're not going to throw anybody under the bus. We're going to honor the people that accepted and are here. So we're moving forward and that's all we're talking about. We're not talking about people that graciously declined. We have no problem with that. That's their choice. But I'm talking about our team right now. That's the only team that I'm talking about. And right now that's the only team I care about. And these players that are here are the only players I care about right now. Q. Adam, I'm curious, your catch reminded me most of the Mike Trout catch which was in your ballpark. It must feel much better to make that catch than have it made against you. Also, have you been texted by Manny yet? He did tip his cap and all that. Has he already touched base with you? ADAM JONES: I remember that catch Trout made on JJ. It was pretty impressive, but that was the third inning of just a random game. This was on a different scale, different magnitude. Unbelievable catches, both of them. Just showing the athleticism that we both have. He hasn't reached out yet. But I haven't looked through all my text messages. I mean, we've got six months to be next to each other and close to each other, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to give him some ribbing about it. And he robbed me earlier in the first inning too. So it was just a little payback just on a different situation. Q. Giancarlo, you also didn't get the start the first two games here of the second round. Getting the start and then delivering, how difficult was it to stay patient, and then once you got the start, was there a sense of vindication or whatnot, being able to deliver like you did? GIANCARLO STANTON: Yeah, like I said, we got to put out the guys that have the best at-bats and who are going to do some damage. So I was a little back and forth not having good at-bats before, and that's what happened. So you go in, you have some good at-bats, you put the barrel on the ball, and you're going to get in there. Q. Adam and Giancarlo, I am Japanese, and we are very frightened with your great team tonight. Maybe you have special imagination about the Japanese baseball games, maybe through Ichiro. How do you consider Japanese baseball style? ADAM JONES: I mean, I've watched the WBC. I've seen all throughout the years I've been fortunate enough to play with Ichiro, with Kenji Jojima also. The style the Japanese play with is great. They play clean baseball. They're fundamentally sound. They hit behind the runners, they hit-and-run, they pitch, they play a great, clean game of baseball. I know our style here the States is a little bit different. We're more power, more power pitchers. But at the end of the day if you field and catch the ball, throw the ball to the bases, the right bases, good things happen. I've watched Ichiro over and over just put the ball right on the money. Jojima framed the ball good. They just play a clean style of baseball and so do we. That's the best part. We've just got a little more power. But at the end of the day, I respect the crap out of Japanese baseball, Japanese players and just how they carry their business. GIANCARLO STANTON: Yeah, yeah, they're fun to watch. They're a very unique style, crisp. They have unique ways of pitching and the high leg kicks and all that. It's pretty cool. That's what makes this tournament very cool. You see all different country's dynamics and how they do things different. So it's going to be fun. What does this game feel like for you having been in Pittsburgh and losing two of these type of games with those tough Wild Card losses and finally win a game, win or go home? ANDREW MCCUTCHEN: Yeah, those are two different games that I really can't compare. I can't compare a Wild Card game to this just because of style. It's just a lot different. But it was good for us as a team to be able to get the chance to play the Dominican again in a must-win, and to be able to come on top, to be able to finish, and to do it with just having our chest out a little bit and going out and knowing that we can do it, knowing that we can win, especially when the odds are against us. We were able to do that. So it feels good to be a part of that. It feels good to be a part of this team, and I look forward to us going and trying to get another W. Q. Do you know who you're going to have as your starting pitcher against Japan? Also, what do you think about going up against Japan who beat the U.S. in 2009? JIM LEYLAND: Well, obviously, we're not going to know a lot of them, you know so I'm anxious to see the scouting reports we're going to get. But I'm not prepared just yet to talk about my starter. So I'm just going to hold off on that a little bit. Q. Adam, you've said you've had some big series in this park before. How is your mentality coming in here maybe evolved over the years? ADAM JONES: That's a great question. I think I've gotten older. I've been able to stay in Major League Baseball entering my tenth year. I've been to this park in 2010, 2013, and 2016 with the Orioles. Coming back here I've had tremendous support from family and friends, so it's great to come here and play in front of the people I love and that love me back in terms of family and friends. Like I said, this having the United States across my chest in a military city, and I have military families and I'm sure most of our team does also, it's a tremendous tribute not just to friends and family, but to the military and people out there fighting for us, because at the end of the day I'm not representing the Orioles, Cutch aint representing the Pirates, not representing the Pirates, we're not representing the Marlins, we're representing the entire United States, and that right there is pretty special. Q. Giancarlo, the home run title in the National League with the Home Run Derby, you've had a lot of incredible individual success. But you've always talked about you really want to be on a winning team. Given that, how important is this tournament to you and how do you feel right now as far as where this ranks in your career? GIANCARLO STANTON: It's been great for me. Every game is something huge. A good atmosphere. We understand what's on the line if we lose. So I said it previously, I wanted to play for a lot of reasons, but one was to get that atmosphere so when I do get a chance to be in the playoffs, I'm ready. I can revert back to these times and be prepared. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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