WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: QUARTERFINALS - AUSTRALIA VS CUBA

March 15, 2023

Armando Johnson

Yoelkis Guibert

Tokyo Dome

Team Cuba

Postgame Press Conference

Cuba 4, Australia 3

Q. You just won a tremendous baseball game by 4-3 and what's in your mind right now.

ARMANDO JOHNSON: Yes, it was such a great baseball game. That was difficult game. It was a close game. We were just ahead one run thanks to Martinez. Two relievers did a great job, two of them, they pitched in Japan, as well as our starter did a great job as well.

Q. Talking about Australia, they are a solid team. What do you think was the key point of this game?

ARMANDO JOHNSON: Yes, well, I would like to show my respect to Team Australia. They are so great and we don't know the exactly until the last moment. They have a great starting pitcher and bullpen. But also at the same time, two of our relievers, Romero and Martinez, they did a great job, too. Once then, they pitched in Japan.

Q. Now you step forward to Miami for the WBC tournament. What's in your mind right now and what's the plan for Team Cuba?

ARMANDO JOHNSON: Yes, we are ready to move on. All the players are so happy. The dugout -- well, this tournament started from the we lost, but then we qualified and then we just clinched the quarterfinal. Our aim is go to the final and now we have a chance to challenge to go for the final. So we don't know the result yet but we do our best in Miami.

Q. What is your feeling right now?

YOELKIS GUIBERT: Thanks to God. Thanks to my God. I am having such a wonderful time, grateful time. Now we are ready to go for Miami for the semifinal round.

Q. Your third at-bat, bases are loaded, bottom of the fifth. What was in your mind?

YOELKIS GUIBERT: Yes, I was hitting sixth, and yes, the order worked well. I was trying to make good contact and try not to have a double play.

Q. Now you are flying to Miami. What is your role of your team and what's the team's goal? What's the?

YOELKIS GUIBERT: My role is the same. Always try to do my best and make an effort for the team. So I'd like to keep the same mentality as whenever we play, and whoever we may against.

Q. Rodriguez, and the starter, especially these three pitches, what are these good points for them?

ARMANDO JOHNSON: The pore thing is the two relievers and the starter. Of course Romero and Reyes as well. Everybody has an extremely good focus on the game. Some of the bullpen pitchers have a tough situation but they did a great job. They have a strong mentality and without having these experiences, this might be difficult. So thanks to Japanese baseball, Romero and Martinez got many difficult situations, so this experience helped us a lot.

Q. Cuba is known traditionally as a strong baseball country but you've never won the World Baseball Classic. What does this mean to Cuba and Cuban baseball to get to the semifinals?

ARMANDO JOHNSON: The Cuban baseball fans are so emotional right now. They have been waiting for a long time at the moment. Everybody loves baseball so much and they cheered us so well. So this is the new page, new chapter that we could go forward. This team, we had a lot of hard workouts and we succeed in moving forward to the semifinals.

Thanks to all of our supporters, coworkers, I'd like to thank everybody who worked for us every single day. They worked hard, cheered for us, pushing our back. Without their help, it couldn't have happened here tonight.

Q. You have an ex-major leaguer on your roster. How do these players add to your team?

ARMANDO JOHNSON: Yes, it was some certain point we have but difficult situation to adjust because we have to make a lot of connection -- I mean, a lot of contact. Some of them did not want to play for us but some do. The 3rd of March, some players decided to play for the WBC. Some of them just arrived into the team but as time goes by, along with the team to others. The team bonding worked well finally.

YOELKIS GUIBERT: Yes, joining and having ex-Big Leaguers on my team, I thought Team Cuba is getting stronger. I'm not saying that they did a great job from the beginning, from Game 1, but everyone has a very solid quality, so they lift me up. They lift us up, and I'm so pleased that we had them on the roster.

Q. After your big hit today, and most of the game, there's a lot of dancing and banging in the dugout. How much fun are you guys having after winning three in a row starting in Taiwan and how confident are you going to Miami coming up?

YOELKIS GUIBERT: For us, the first couple games of the Taiwan round it was difficult tough, difficult to play, but to get through it and we clinch the semifinal -- the quarterfinal berth, we finally got winning. Now that we are looking forward to move to the next stage, too.