WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL C - MEXICO VS UNITED STATES

March 12, 2023

Benji Gil

Chase Field

Team Mexico

Pregame Press Conference

Q. After that complicated start, you told us this yesterday, what are the expectations, where are the adjustments your team is making so that we can get the first wins?

BENJI GIL: The expectations are to win the game today. Adjustments would be individually, like yesterday. We went with the strongest lineup that we could have, but that hasn't changed.

We still are firm with the players that started yesterday. They're going to open the game today. The only adjustment is Joey at first and Rowdy as designated hitter.

Q. Do you talk a lot with the baseball players, because there's professionals, because if you don't do adjustment you try to do -- do you call them, adjust mentally? Do you talk to them? It's not impossible to talk to me about these hours since the game finished yesterday until today that you arrived --

BENJI GIL: I just try to make them calm. We have a big team. I have to say it. If that ball didn't hit Tellez in the feet we would have won that game in nine innings.

I'm not thinking about saying or making or doing adjustments on the lineup when we don't really need it. There's going to be days that we will miss. There's going to be days that we will be able to execute. There were two or three opportunities that we had, a man at third and then we didn't have any outs and we were not able to complete it. But it doesn't mean that they're not able to do it. It just means they were not able to do it at that time.

I'm not going to change the third bat, the fourth bat just because of the game. Why? Because it's not necessarily -- there's no guarantee that if we were changing that the substitute is going to have three hits.

If I knew who was going to get the hit, I would always play somebody every day. If I knew beforehand that somebody was going to miss I would make the adjustment. Maybe some people, I saw commentaries, like, oh, well why would you let Julio pitch in the fifth?

There were comments -- these are people that do not know about the sports. He dominated the four innings but only 45 pitches thrown. But they just pressure us when there's someone that -- yes, when there's someone that you really can see they're out of form, you can make adjustments.

But from what I saw yesterday, we were very close to winning the game. We can just say that the ball that hit Rowdy, I said this yesterday, that ball, Rowdy, if they said it was a foul, I think it could also be called as fair. If it was called fair we would have won 4-3 in nine innings.

Q. You're there obviously. How did you see Luis Urias? He was not able to do that last play. Out of 10 he does it nine times. Yesterday he was unable to do it. Did you talk to him, talk to him? Was he sad? How did you see him? What report about Martinez, the opener for the United States today?

BENJI GIL: Nick Martinez, he's a very good pitcher. He has a very fast ball. His main throw is a changeup and also a cutter and curve.

With Luis, yes, I did speak to him obviously. It's normal. He's a human being that he was upset because he wasn't able to make the play. After watching the replay, the ball did bounce. It was rotating toward the glove.

It was going backhand normally that hits and it goes with the rotation and then it flips, so that's why he had to put the glove in that form.

It's unexplainable the way that the ball bounced. Sometimes there's just weird bounces. There's nothing we can do about that. It's not trying to say anything bad about Colombia. They had a great game yesterday. But it's just that that was bad luck on our part.

Q. Playing against the United States is something special for you? Is it just like any other game because of the rivalry that both these countries have?

BENJI GIL: It's special because they have great stars, superstars. It's a hard rival, enthusiasm. It's just all about winning the game today. Our focus is winning the game that we play baseball, whichever the rivalry is, our focus is winning. Doesn't matter their name, where they're from, we're just here to win.

Q. Does Mexico depend on the tournament today? Does Mexico depend on winning today from this tournament so that they can advance?

BENJI GIL: All games are big opportunities. If we won, it obviously would be the easiest route. If we were to win today then they would put us on the, in the -- if we win today we'll have control for our future, basically. If we win today and then winning the upcoming games, too, then we can finish 3-1.

Then definitely it would put us in more control. Then obviously there's still a form that has three teams that could advance. So it would be three teams that could end 3-1. But we can't worry about -- it would give me a headache and I couldn't sleep if I thought about this.

The important thing is the rival you have today. It's the United States today and we have to win today.

Q. You saw the game yesterday, the United States game. What are your impressions, expectations that both of these teams had? Did it change? Did your expectations for the United States and Great Britain change from what you saw yesterday?

BENJI GIL: No, from Great Britain, what it says is that we cannot rule out. We saw them yesterday. They were able to create an offensive versus the United States. And then the game they just finished, you could see they were able to score eight runs against Canada.

So I reiterate, after winning today, then we can start thinking about Britain. The United States, we saw what they are. They're a tremendous team with superstars. They're all MLB superstars. But what I did see is that it's a team that can be beat.

Q. In 2006 and 2013, we were able to beat the United States. What do you remember about this victory against the United States that ended 2-1?

BENJI GIL: It was a tremendous game. It was a game that we didn't have any aspirations to advance, but we could still beat the United States and then we removed the opportunities for them.

We all remember the last out. We remember the home run from Mario Valenzuela. The ball still had the yellow stripes, and they said that it was hit on the wall. But that's what I remember the most, and also the celebration at the end.

They're beautiful memories. And the other one, the home run of Adrian Gonzalez, what I'll remember the most. But we hope that we will give you other good memories for all Mexican fans, not just today but the rest of the tournament.