WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL C - GREAT BRITAIN VS UNITED STATES

March 11, 2023

Nick Martinez

Chase Field

Team United States

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Does your presence in here mean that you're starting tomorrow or is that just conjecture on my part?

NICK MARTINEZ: That's right, yes. I'll be starting tomorrow's game.

Q. You've got so many teammates playing in WBC in Miami. You get a chance to check them out or are you texting with those guys?

NICK MARTINEZ: I was watching closely. I was watching Nabil throw today and saw Georgy out there. It was nice to see those guys. And I'll be watching some highlights of Manny and those guys over there.

Q. Because of the limited pitch count at 65 in the first round, how does that affect and influence your preparation?

NICK MARTINEZ: Really that's what I'm built up for right now, Spring Training. To me 65 pitches is a full game. It's a full-go. I treat it like I'm pitching nine innings and stopping whenever they take the ball from me.

Not much is different in terms of preparation. It's just with the timing of this tournament, 65 pitches is really all I'm built up for. I don't really try to go out there with the mentality I have to stop at 65.

I like to treat it like tomorrow's my game and whatever my pitch count is at, whenever they take the ball is whenever they take the ball.

Q. It's like the middle of Spring Training at the time that pitchers get to be (indiscernible) out will this be a -- the fact that we're kind of like in the middle of Spring Training, the normal is 60, 65, to stretch pitchers out. So this would be a normal outing or normal number of pitches at this part of Spring Training in preparation for the year?

NICK MARTINEZ: Yeah, I was very fortunate, actually, when the decision came down for me joining this team and kind of mapping it out, it lined up almost exactly to the day of what my pitch count was going to be whether I was with Team USA or the Padres. It lined up real nicely.

Just the time that we're at in Spring Training is right around 65 pitches. Kind of lucky in that aspect.

Q. You mentioned that your pitch count lined up. Have you known since you got here that this was going to be the day that you start against -- tomorrow against Mexico?

NICK MARTINEZ: Yes, I've known.

Q. Watching Mexico live today, obviously a lot of these guys have Major League track records. Are you able to pick up on certain things that affect kind of your game plan when you're getting to see them up close so soon?

NICK MARTINEZ: Yes, we're watching closely, definitely. And this style of tournament play, every game is like a playoff atmosphere. And everyone's kind of going in with that win-or-go-home mentality even though we're in pool play right now.

So I feel like everyone's going to be watching closely every game. It's just the excitement of a tournament and the excitement of playing, of pool play, knowing you're going to play everyone.

Q. You're talking about playoff atmosphere like you mentioned. You were in the playoffs last year. How is it similar or how is it different? Obviously it's a completely different tournament, the stakes are much different. Would you say playoff atmosphere more in the stands or within the players?

NICK MARTINEZ: Well, both, really, because the atmosphere definitely plays a part in how we feel out there as athletes. What's different is maybe just the timing of it.

Obviously in the playoffs for the season, there's, A, a ton of more information. Obviously you're built up, or you're exhausted, depending how you were used that season. So you're definitely more prepared given you've had a full season to get to.

And here we're still in Spring Training and still tuning up, but I think a lot of guys knowing that the tournament happened this year, some guys may change their offseason plans to be ready for this tournament. So the similarities really come from just the atmosphere in the stadium and what we're playing for.

Q. Did you change your plan at all?

NICK MARTINEZ: No, I worked out. I like to come to camp ready. I like to come into camp -- I usually face hitters right before camp anyway. So I like to come in ready to rock.

Q. Tomorrow have you looked at scouting reports, video on these guys, the guys you're not familiar with?

NICK MARTINEZ: Yeah, there's a lot of guys on that team with big league time. There's definitely information out there. And there's information on me out there. I'm sure they've been doing their homework also.