WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL D - PUERTO RICO VS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

March 15, 2023

Yadier Molina

LoanDepot Park

Team Puerto Rico

Postgame Press Conference

Puerto Rico - 5, Dominican Republic - 2

Q. Congrats, even though it's bittersweet. Any update on Díaz's situation?

YADIER MOLINA: No, we still don't have the update. He's undergoing some tests and later tonight I believe that we will have an update of what's going on. But right now we don't have anything.

Q. 2017, second place, now you are a manager. What kind of strategy did you apply in order to dominate the Dominican Republic team? Eight pitchers combined in such a spectacular way.

YADIER MOLINA: The effort was preparation, heart, mind, all those factors mixed. You can do a good job with that.

Q. The number of pitchers you used, knowing the restrictions they have, and now with the semifinals in a couple of days, how did you do something so risky for you?

YADIER MOLINA: It is not risky. We have preparation, we trust the organizations, we spoke with all the teams and they authorized it. There was no risk. Of course we are not going to put any pitcher, any player in risk. I don't know why you say that it was risky. Everything was a very well executed.

Q. In the third inning it looked like you guys did your homework against Abreu - Kiké and Lindor, they were sitting on breaking balls. What was your plan or was that your plan going in to face Abreu? And then Maldonado, I don't recall the last time he's bunted. Was that his call or your call?

YADIER MOLINA: I mean, we have a good plan against their pitchers. We executed, we tried to put a bunt play and we know in this ballpark, it's a big ballpark. And if you want to beat those guys, they have really good pitching over there. But we put the bunt play, we put the bunt play and good things happens.

Q. The situation with Edwin, what did he injure and is he being seen or treated here in the ballpark?

YADIER MOLINA: Actually, I don't know. I think it was the right knee. And he's being treated or seen here in the ballpark. After that, we don't know, we don't know yet.

Q. You should revise how to celebrate those victories. This could cause injuries or even heart attacks. The same when you are warm, some people pour some cold water on your bodies, this could cause some spasms.

YADIER MOLINA: That's God's will. If anything is going to happen, it will happen. Celebrations exist ever since I was born. It's God's will. I just hope that Edwin is going to be okay, that his family is okay and we are praying for him, for his family. But that's God's will.

Q. What goes through your mind when something like that happens in a celebration? And also what would your response be to somebody that says that this tournament shouldn't happen because of an injury like that?

YADIER MOLINA: I mean, I don't see it that way. I was hugging our coaches in the dugout. Then when we looked up, Edwin was on the ground. I didn't know. I didn't know how to act, I didn't know how to -- what to say. I mean, I didn't know. It got me for a surprise.

Like I said in the dugout, it sucks, sorry, but when you see a guy that works so hard like Edwin, I mean when you see him on the ground like that, I mean it just is sad.