WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL C - COLOMBIA VS MEXICO

March 11, 2023

Benji Gil

Chase Field

Team Mexico

Postgame Press Conference

Colombia - 5, Mexico - 4 (10)

Q. Very emotional. Your impression of this loss?

BENJI GIL: They all hurt. If you lose 1-0 or 30-0 it's the same. In this type of tournament, any loss you have a bad taste in the mouth.

But Julio in the first four innings, he was untouchable. And then there was some adjustments by them. Alfaro started with a double, and then another hit for a single to left and then a home run from Reynaldo. It was a good hit. It was a very strong hit.

When the hit came out, we wished that it had a little bit of a curve. But he managed to catch it fair and it hit the post. There was a curve of the ball.

And who knows what happens there with Crismatt. He had exceptional innings. We could score one, like Julio was going. He had like 45 pitches after four innings, we felt that he could throw the fifth inning without a problem, but unfortunately it didn't happen.

But it was a good game. We fought. We tied and then they went up and we tied it. It was a very well-fought game.

Q. At the end of the day, there was a lot of withdraws with the Mexico -- unable to win. We are frustrated. He was throwing a very good game. Then he had the doubles and the home run. Then frustration for you and the team?

BENJI GIL: Yeah, it's frustrating. There was two errors. We both had very good defensive games by both teams, but it cost us at the end.

One play, (indiscernible), they hit him 100 times and he does that play 99 times. That ball I just thought -- what I want to think is that it had a lot of rotation on that ball so he was unable to catch it. He wasn't able to control it.

So at the end of the day, it's frustrating, but you don't have to be unbeaten to advance. So this game's over. Now we're thinking about the United States. Let's win the next game and we'll see each other tomorrow.

Q. So we're talking about this, about forgetting this game. What is the message for the team since, yes, we had a good game with the analysis that you gave us. And also with the people, the fans because the stadium was full?

BENJI GIL: At the end of the day, apart from being a coach from the team, I'm also a fan of baseball, globally, and especially of Mexico. The players, they fought strong today. They gave everything for the fans. They had a very good game.

But we have to give credit with Zuniga. He did a very good job. He was able to stop us. But the team, the message -- the message is if we keep playing the way that we do, like we did today and eliminate that error, then it would be a totally different thing.

And the first inning, Joey missed a double by half a meter, by left field. And also then the liner from Rowdy. If it was foul, it was foul. But if it was half an inch, an inch -- but if it gets marked fair, because they said it was fair, that it was fair instead of foul, then who knows?

If it was a fair ball they would be upset like Colombia. But with us we were confirmed it was marked that way, and we were 1-0 at the time. And then we could have had 2-0 for tomorrow.

Q. Talk about the adjustments that happen because there was a lot of productive outs, so the players can tie the game. And that's what helped to score. This is something that is going to be done tomorrow and in the future?

BENJI GIL: This is what tells you the players are not thinking about themselves. This tells you that we fought until the end. Duran, he stole the third base just to give us a chance with extra forms of scoring.

But like I tell you, it was a game very well played from our part. The "would have" does not exist, but we did have bad luck. But with the play that I keep thinking about is Isaac Paredes in the tenth inning, it was a very great play so that third base wouldn't score. And if Rowdy, I hadn't seen the repetition, but if Rowdy -- it could have been marked as a fair ball; I'm not criticizing the umpire -- but they could have marked it as a fair, but obviously they went for foul. If they would have marked it as fair, we would have won after eight innings and a half.

But the message is let's not hang our heads. We played well. Let's just say we were half an inch or an inch of winning in nine innings.

Q. There was a lot of expectations about Arozarena. What were your expectations?

BENJI GIL: He had a very good game. He opened the game with two doubles -- with a double. He couldn't score. In the first inning it would have been very favorable. Let's give credit for Nabil Crismatt for not letting him score, but we were a foot basically or a half a meter of having three doubles. Joey, could have been Rowdy and obviously that would have been a lot of pressure for Colombia. But the things did not occur and then here comes Randy.

Then when they were ahead 3-1 and he hits a very strong hit. The only thing I would have liked to have see how fast that ball came out because it had to have been over 110. They told me it was 112, because that hit was very well impacted.

It's rare to see that line and that's not going to leave, going to be a homer, but it was a very good game.

Austin Barnes had a very good game as a catcher behind the plate, even though he had a hit near the thrower and a foul with the bat, and then a swing and then he had two hits, a double, to give us a chance to win the game as well.