WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: QUARTERFINALS - AUSTRALIA VS CUBA

March 15, 2023

Dave Nilsson

Tokyo Dome

Team Australia

Postgame Press Conference

Cuba 4, Australia 3

DAVE NILSSON: Right now I'm very disappointed. You know, we had a chance, we had opportunities to win that game and we just couldn't get it done. We did a lot of things very well, played very well and a lot of areas and it caught up to us. You have to at this point your hat to Cuba, they took advantage of our short falls. We played a great game and just couldn't get there.

Q. At the quarterfinal in the Tokyo Dome, we have more than 35,000, it's packed, although it's a non-Japanese game. Looking back at the fifth annual WBC tournament, what does it mean to the team Australian baseball?

DAVE NILSSON: It feels very rewarding. It really felt like the fans were behind us tonight. I felt like the Japanese people really embraced Team Australia. I'm very proud of that and I'm very proud of the way my players have acted over the last three or four weeks, not just here in Tokyo but the other cities we've been so. Very proud.

Q. Today, although you are defeated by Cuba, Cuba is going to the, so do you have any message for Team Cuba?

DAVE NILSSON: We wish them the best of luck. All the teams that are still in the WBC, I hope they play well and I hope they compete well. They have done a lot to get in this position, and you know, they played good enough to beat us tonight. I wish them the best of luck. I like their manager. Nice guy. We spoke before the game.

Yeah, just they played a good game and I wish them the best.

Q. How can Australian baseball build on what you've achieved this week?

DAVE NILSSON: I think that we have a lot of belief as a country now. We know what we are capable of now. We know that we can continue to improve and play on the big stage. So I think the takeaway for this team and for all the people in Australia and all the kid playing baseball in Australia, there's a lot of hope for the future.

Q. In the top of the ninth, Martinez had a 1-2-3 inning. Martinez pitches for the Dragons, where you used to play. Do you have anything specific to say about him?

DAVE NILSSON: Wish he was there when I played in Chunichi. He's very good. Threw very hard. Had a very good slider it looked like. Again, I think they are lucky to have him on the team.

Q. Usually in a setting like this, in a national team setting -- you're probably not going to have the same group again exactly. You'll have a lot of the players maybe but you'll not have this exact same team. Given what you guys went through from camp to making it farther than any other Australian team has made it in the WBC, what from this particular team are you going to remember?

DAVE NILSSON: I think one thing where Team Australia is very unique, we have a very small player pool, so we actually will have a lot of players in the next WBC. You know, that's one of the strengths of Australia is that we have a really small playing group, so we can build a program and already kind of identify who the players are going to be over the next three to five years.

And unlike other countries who have who have hundreds of players to choose from, if not thousands, I can really map that out over a three or four year period. That's part of my role with Team Australia is not just playing good now but making sure in 2026 when we come back that we are playing good there and that I have all the pieces right.

Q. You played against Cuba tonight. They have an ex-major leaguer on the roster. What is your strength, after you just played against them, nine innings?

DAVE NILSSON: They are very athletic. They play with a lot of passion. They make you work for your outs and I think probably their hitting tonight, they drew a lot of walks is probably the difference in the game is we put too much pressure on ourselves and that's probably a compliment to their hitters for being patient.

Q. You are supposed to have shown up before the Cuban press conference, or if you have like a players meeting, if you have a comment, what kind of conversation did you have, if you had a players' meeting?

DAVE NILSSON: Yeah, I met with the group. I met with all of the staff and all of the players and everyone that's been involved, and I congratulated them for the display that they have put on of not just the last week but the last month and the last six months. It takes a lot of people who go unrecognized to have a performance like we have had and we have had a lot of people in the background doing a lot of work. So my message is one of congratulations to everyone and you know, the disappointment will eventually go away.

I think we have built a very good platform for the future in Australian baseball.

Q. Team Australia is as of my view, Team Australia is already I think ready to advance to the semifinal level for the WBC tournament. How do you predict and how do you see in the future as well?

DAVE NILSSON: Thank you, I agree with you. I've shown that we are capable and we are really close, so thank you for saying that.