WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL B - CZECH REPUBLIC VS JAPAN

March 11, 2023

Hideki Kuriyama

Tokyo Dome

Team Japan

Postgame Press Conference

Japan 10, Czech Republic 2

Q. Can you give us an impression of tonight's game?

HIDEKI KURIYAMA: Yes, including today's game, all three games, it is such a difficult -- because it's an international match, and we felt a lot of pressures on. Fortunately, we won, but at the same time, we re-recognized that baseball is such a hard sport to get a win.

Q. Let's talk about Sasaki, the starter. He's got eight strikeouts with 66 pitches. How did he pitch?

HIDEKI KURIYAMA: First of all, he pitched every single pitch with his soul, and his performance gave us a lot of energy. I'm not talking about his velocity. It's not talking about the speed. It's hard to explain but to me, as if he is throwing his soul, not the baseball.

Q. Murakami, your clean-up hitter, he probably got a base hit in his very last at-bat. I think it's a positive base hit.

HIDEKI KURIYAMA: Yes, me as a hitter, hitters have struggled at times, and also have hot times. All I can say is I'm trusting him all the time.

Q. Now you have won three games, and in previous games, you scored double digits in the score. What's for the next game?

HIDEKI KURIYAMA: Yes, we are trying to correct a lot of informations, when we as a professional baseball league, we have a lot of scouting report, but in such an international match, so I cannot say our team is in good condition or even bad condition.

So even though we won three games in a row, I'm not for sure if we are in the good condition. All I can say is, every single day we put all hundred percent effort, and let's focus for tomorrow and let's work as one team.

Q. If you can mention tomorrow's probable starter.

HIDEKI KURIYAMA: Yamamoto is our starter. He's got tremendous -- he's a super pitcher with his ability. Tomorrow is an important game, so I am trusting him to pitch well.

Q. Let's talk about the Czech Republic. Although in the Czech, baseball is not a major sport but what's the impression playing against the Czech Republic for nine innings.

HIDEKI KURIYAMA: Like I said before the game start, the environment that we could play, we have to thank a lot of players. By watching them playing, we felt all the players are eager to improve their skills, and they play hard, and so we felt a joy playing against them. We recognize something we never forget through the Czech Republic's attitude.

Q. We are worried about the infielder, Genda, the shortstop. Is he available for tomorrow.

HIDEKI KURIYAMA: Yes. I am talking to him and it's a day-to-day situation.

Q. What are you looking for in your offense for tonight?

HIDEKI KURIYAMA: Yes, we play a different team every night, so we have to readjust. And Team Japan is, well, if we put the different lineup, the approach will be also changing, and we have some speed in our lineups for tonight. So the approach was changed and that was our game plan, and throughout tonight's game, we have a wide variety of approach for the offense. I'd like to have the option to expand more.

Q. Tonight it was 3/11 Memorial Day and in the Tokyo region, there is a big public building. While Sasaki pitched well as a starter, how do you feel about that?

HIDEKI KURIYAMA: Yes, before the game start, I just said at that time I was a reporter, and at that time I couldn't do anything personally. And still, we do not -- we have nothing to do for them but throughout playing baseball and if some of the players living in Tokyo got hurt by the earthquake, I wish we could suffer them a bit by watching us playing baseball to make them happy, make them smile. If that happened, I am more than happy than anything.