WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL C - GREAT BRITAIN VS MEXICO

March 14, 2023

Jose Urquidy

Chase Field

Team Mexico

Pregame Press Conference

Q. You have thrown in a World Series. You have had a very important openings in 2019 when you started your career. Talk to me about the day you're going to have tomorrow. You'll be basically playing for Mexico to pass, where does this signify?

JOSE URQUIDY: It's very emotional. I remember those games 2019 for World Series and 2021, also last year. They're very similar scenarios. There's a lot of people, a lot of adrenaline and energy from the fans and those scenarios I know them. It's going to be very beautiful to live it again. And tomorrow it will be interesting tomorrow, there will be a lot of people, a lot of emotions and I'm anxious to experience this and also trying to compete 100 percent like I always have.

Q. What have you seen from Canada from the lineup and Freddie Freeman, he's injured, I believe, this morning.

JOSE URQUIDY: Yes, it's something interesting. I saw some games yesterday or the day before. It's a very impressive lineup, very fresh. I have to be cautious with some of them not to leave the pitches in the zone for them, not too comfortable. I have my plan just tomorrow I'm going to see the analytics against them. I'm going to make my plan tomorrow and I'll base from that before my game I'll do it mentally and attack them with my strengths that I have.

Q. This question has been made to you in the World Series. Everything that happened in your career, highs and lows, very complicated especially with injuries. You have been a champion. You have thrown a World Series. Now you're going to throw with Mexico. Thinking of all these --

JOSE URQUIDY: It's based off my work. I'm very happy, like you said, I've had highs and lows in my career. I had an injury in 2021 with bad movements. But I came stronger. Thank God I had a postseason last year where I felt good. The doctors have been checking me. I feel very good at this point in my career. I'm strong. I've worked a lot for this.

To be honest, I'll be here representing Mexico as a professional. It's my first time. It's very emotional. I hope to live it to the max without pressures, anxious. I just want to enjoy.

These are unique moments for me. And hopefully I can keep represent Mexico like I'm doing today, and I hope to enjoy with my family, with my partners. Some of them I still haven't met very well. And I was trying to build up a friendship and that makes me happy. And I feel really good with my career, with my family and all the fans that are rooting for me.

Q. How does the locker room feel for this tournament versus the World Series, especially talking about the pressure and friendships?

JOSE URQUIDY: It's a little bit different. In the World Series, we're all there together, 162 games that we do all year. So we create a very strong bond amongst each other, the Latin Americans, the Americans in the Astros. There's a lot of friendship. There's a lot of harmony amongst each other. We're always asking each other how are you doing. We're always, on the day off, we go out for dinner. We always try to do everything together.

So at the moments that we get to the finals, we already know each other, we know what we can do. We're in union. We all talk to each other very well. We can compare it with right now because right now we have to be more of a unity together so we can go and advance to Miami and go to the finals. Something similar, yes, there's a varied group with a lot of energy.

Q. What does this signify, the responsibility beforehand that you were told that you were going to be the opener for Game 4, which is a definitive that can give us a pass for Mexico. What does this signify to give you that responsibility?

JOSE URQUIDY: Yeah, they told me for a while that I was going to be for the last game, for the series, with Canada, was in talks with this since I was at home. The plan was already written.

So there's no pressure. They're just scenarios I've lived before where there's a lot of energy, a lot of people, a lot of adrenaline during the games. So something that I took it happily, it's going to be a good challenge for me.

But I try and enjoy it the max, try to do a good game, compete at 100 percent, be here with my teammates and be healthy.

Q. Let's talk about the hour. So you're going to be resting, but your teammates are going to be playing, but they're going to be playing tomorrow. How does it feel to be playing today in the evening and then you have to wake up earlier -- eating habits, drinking? Does it change, your for preparation tomorrow?

JOSE URQUIDY: No, I'm going to leave after this. I'm going to leave in the first inning, I'm going to go to sleep. That's something normal in Major League Baseball, that's how it's done.

When it's the weekend, if it's a Saturday, if it ends late, 12:00, 1:00, they send me to the hotel in the third, fourth inning so that I can rest. They send me my dinner. My chauffeur takes me so I can rest, whatever I need. They give it to me in my hotel.

So I'm going to follow that plan to rest because I know, I'm sure that the game is going to end late because last game it ended at 12:00 to 1:00. To wake up at night is going to be very hard, so I'm going to leave early today to be fresh for tomorrow.