WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL D - NICARAGUA VS PUERTO RICO

March 10, 2023

Sandor Guido

LoanDepot Park

Team Nicaragua

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Sandor, what would make you happy about this tournament when you think about this? What would make you happy about this experience in the World Classic?

SANDOR GUIDO: Well, first of all, I'm already happy. We are here in the World Classic. Nicaragua is competing here, but I would like to win every match to go on to compete and to do our very best.

We are going to try to do a great job. We are not favorites, of course, compared to the powerhouses we're going to face, but we are going to do our best.

Q. Greetings from Puerto Rico. Since you are not a favorite, what are you expecting from the game tomorrow versus Puerto Rico, the first game? Can you tell us about what you want to do against the Boricuas?

SANDOR GUIDO: Well, we left Nicaragua, and we're here to compete. We'll try to do a good job. We have young players and experienced players as well, and they are hungry to put Nicaragua's name at the highest level in baseball.

We know the quality of the PR team, but no matter the teams we are going to face, we have obtained many victories against Puerto Rico.

Now they have a different team. That's okay, but we'll try to do our best in order to win.

Q. First of all, I would like to ask you, what did you like about team Nicaragua after these two wins you had? The second question is about the lineup for tomorrow.

SANDOR GUIDO: Is it complete? Well, what I liked about the team, I liked the team as a whole. We had positive results. We were able to try out all the young players. That was the main objective of trainings. We wanted to see our level, and we achieved our main goal.

No one expected that. Actually, no one expected what we achieved in these couple of games. However, we had that expectation from the staff. We were sure that we can do something. They we'll say that, okay, that was training, no one takes seriously, but, for example, in Nicaragua we don't want to be treated like that. If you win, they will say that the other team didn't play with all their stars. So we are very happy, satisfied.

And the lineup for tomorrow, I could have it, but because of the rules, I'm going to complete it according to the game.

Q. The DR, Puerto Rico, and even Israel named their starting pitchers. Can you tell us yours?

SANDOR GUIDO: The starting pitcher is Carlos Rodriguez. He plays for Milwaukee. We assessed the pitching staff, and we made that decision he will be the starting pitcher tomorrow.

And after that we are going to make some decisions. We're going to make a plan with our coaches.

Q. Is Jonathan with you already?

SANDOR GUIDO: Yes, he is.

Q. Good morning. Venezuela, I wanted to ask you your opinion, what are the main points of Venezuela that you can exploit in order to have a positive result, and who would be the starting pitcher versus Venezuela?

SANDOR GUIDO: Nicaragua doesn't have the characteristic to say, well, my first starting pitcher will be Rodriguez, the second one is Erasmo, the third one is Jonathan. No, we are going to play game after game. We want to use them all. I cannot tell you who my fourth starting pitcher is because I'm not thinking about Venezuela. First, I have to think about Puerto Rico.

We recognize the quality of the Venezuelan team. They're highly competitive, but those small mistakes that they can make, this is something that we're going to take advantage of. We're a relatively small team, but we do big things. I always tell my players that I have dreamed, I have thought, I really believed that we are going to do big things in this tournament, and we're going to win all the games.

Q. My question is, you just said that no one expected the results against the two MLB teams. Did you expect those wins?

SANDOR GUIDO: I did believe in that, yes. I had faith that we were going to win, and I told you, the media who asked about that, I really believe in my team. If I don't believe in my team, no one will. If I'm not optimistic about my team, no one will be. That's why, thank God, I have been successful.

Once it 5-0, we left the stadium, we were champions. Why? Because I believe. I have faith. Baseball is unpredictable.

The Dodgers won a world series versus Oakland, and no one expected that. Anything could happen.

Q. How is the team different even when you said you expected those results? What's different between before and after the two games? Another question, is there an additional pressure for what could happen with the fans from Nicaragua here in this stadium, in this park tomorrow?

SANDOR GUIDO: We are now more optimistic, more willing to win. They are very positive. We have met a lot to speak, to talk, and to say that we can do big things. This is for our families, for the people that believe in us, for the federation that has been supporting us.

For all the people that supported us, my family is here to support us, and it is for them that we are going to do our best.

And the pressure? No. On the contrary, if the Nicaraguan fans are going to support us here, this is something that we really love. We have to be happy. We have to be with the fans against and for us, but the team should feel that we are playing in Nicaragua.

Q. Good morning. After the two positive results these Spring Training games, you have assessed the players of this team. Are you happy about the team you have for this World Baseball Classic?

SANDOR GUIDO: Of course, I'm very happy about them. These are the players that we picked, the best players we have. We wanted to have Munguia, but he is not with us. But because of his situation with the organization, he couldn't. Vientos as well. Great players for our team. But we're happy with the team we have today, and we're happy with the results achieved until now, and we are expecting better results.

Q. Are have you thought about keeping this rotation to play versus Puerto Rico? We know that in the training games with the Mets, you rotated two innings each pitcher. Is that a possibility to play like that, adjusting the pitching to the teams?

SANDOR GUIDO: Maybe yes. Maybe no. Depending on the situation of the game. The game is going to dictate our moves, how we're going to use our pitchers. However, the best pitchers are going to be ready. Juan Carlos, Jonathan, and the others. If we have a positive score, we are going to that rotation.

Thank you very much.