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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: ROUND ONEMarch 3, 2006Tsuyoshi NishiokaSadaharu OhKoji UeharaPOOL A: TOKYO, JAPAN Q. During the first four innings, I think you were having a tough time, how were you feeling back then? And also, then you had a two-run home run from China, what was the advice you gave to your players after that? SADAHARU OH: The first game today, the first half of the game, there was not much movement. I think they felt the pressure of the international game. For our pitcher, Mr. Uehara, his control was not as his best after the first half, but after the third inning, he kind of settled down. That home run was unpredicted. That was fantastic. For a moment, I was surprised, but we were still tied 2-2, so we didn't really have to panic. The players really started to do their best, even our batters, they weren't doing so well at the beginning of the game. After the two-run home run by China, they started to bat better; that was good. Q. After the two-run homer, once the bases were loaded when the pitcher was on the mound, all of the Japanese players had pride, you still let throw -- you really thought you let them -- maybe you should take good care of players to keep their pride; what do you think? SADAHARU OH: Well, back then the bases were loaded but it was not like it was a good, clean hit. I didn't think that the pitching was bad at all. So I was going to let him do the rest at that moment. After the third runner got on base, I thought I wanted to settle him down. I wasn't really worried about the pitching of Uehara. I think he was good enough to handle our first game. He's been doing good in the past, and he's been pitching in the Olympics. I knew he was capable and that's how I was looking at it on the bench. Q. After the fourth inning, the score was tied and your team just basically took over after that. Do you think it was good for your team to have that moment of temporary uncertainty? Obviously you guys were still tied, as you pointed out, but still, you had not come out and obliterated them yet, was that good for your team at all? SADAHARU OH: Well, it was a great home run by the China team. Even Mr. Uehara was a little amazed. We were all surprised. I think all of the fans were surprised, and the members of the Chinese team were maybe surprised. But like you just said, we really started to show what we've got from there onwards. It's like that home run kind of put on the switch for us. Q. Before this first game, did you give your players some special advice since this is the first game of a big event? SADAHARU OH: Like I said, we are prepared. We are well-prepared and we are at our best. I said, let's think that way, let's think that we are at our best, so let's do it. You have your pride, we have pride that we are the best in Asia, and I'm sure all of the players feel the same. So I wanted everybody to have self-confidence and play the way you normally would. Q. Yesterday you were hoping your batters would do good today, and they did and you won. Tomorrow we hope that your batters will do just as good as today, what do you think? SADAHARU OH: Yes, after the first game today, our batters did pretty good, and this makes us feel good as we play the next game tomorrow. Chinese pitchers don't have that depth. They are good pitchers but not so many good pitchers. The first three pitchers were pretty good, but the fourth pitcher, fifth, sixth were not as good as the three pitchers. They were good, but, well, technically and experience-wise, they are not as good as the first pitchers. We did good today but that doesn't automatically mean that we can do the same tomorrow. I'm sure our opposing team has seen our game today, and I don't want to take it easy. I want to be very motivated as we play the game tomorrow. Q. As for the batting order, everybody was doing good today, do you think this is the basic batting order from the second game onwards? SADAHARU OH: We played games in Tokyo and our condition with some of the players of our team, their condition is getting better. So I thought today's batting order was our best for the first game today, and that's how I decided the order for today's game. The first half or the beginning of the game today, our batters didn't do so well, but gradually they changed and they started to do better in the latter half of the game. I will discuss with the coaching staff and we might think about some changes in the batting order, but I'm sure whatever change I'll bring to the batting order, I'm sure they can do good. Q. I wanted to ask, there's been much attention focused on the fact that you guys are about playing small ball and the power numbers maybe are not as important, but you guys came out and obviously produced some really good power numbers tonight. Is that something you expected would eventually happened and now that it's happened, how much do you think you can keep it up? Well? SADAHARU OH: Well, I did mention small baseball. I didn't think too much about the Asian round when I mentioned small baseball. In Asia I think we have the most powerful team. But once we go over to the United States, I thought we should do something like small baseball after we go over to the United States. I didn't mean to do the small baseball from the Asian round. But right now, in this Asian round, I think we are strong and we are speedy. And today we were able to perform that to some extent and tomorrow our batters will do the performance like the one they did today. Once we go over to the United States, we might have to change our tactics maybe. Q. Congratulations for the victory, Mr. Uehara. You threw exactly 65 balls, I'm sure maybe you had in mind about the 65-pitch regulation rule. Did that worry you? At the fourth and fifth innings, you had the bases loaded, were you worried about the 65 ball rule? KOJI UEHARA: To be honest, yes, it has been on my mind all the way. Our team was doing pretty good and I was hoping I could throw until maybe until the sixth inning. During the fourth and fifth inning, I threw too many strike balls and I should have done better. Q. In the fourth inning, the score was tied. On the Japanese bench, did the batters of the Japanese team talk to each other, or did you have any change of mind? TSUYOSHI NISHIOKA: Well, no real change of mind. Ever since the game started we were doing our best and I was trying hard. We knew when the score was tied, we just can't leave it like this. We had to come up with more hits, we knew that. But after the score was tied, we did turn on our switch, yes, we did. Q. You tried the squeeze play and you also had a home run, you were very smart and you were -- what do you have on your mind? TSUYOSHI NISHIOKA: Before I get into the batter's box, I thought, if I could hit one here, I could become a hero. I took a big swing and I do not hit the ball, and I said to myself, this is not good. So I thought I would just roll the ball because Mr. Kawasaki is a fast runner. I tried to do a bunt. But then I thought I can hit it over to the outfield, and that turned out to be a home run, and that's all there is to it. Q. About the pitching regulation, this is a big victory for your team, what do you think about that? KOJI UEHARA: After the score was tied, to be honest, I was wondering what's going to happen next. I was thinking a little bit negatively and that I shouldn't have done that. But after that, our batters did so good, and my feeling right now is that, oh, I'm glad we won. After the fourth and fifth inning -- at the fourth and fifth inning, my pitching was not that good at all. I'm here at the press conference, but in my mind, I even feel like crying, that's was how bad it was. Q. Your next pitcher, Mr. Shimizu, I know you're good friends, but when you're coming off the stage, did you tell him something and also, Mr. Shimizu mentioned that if possible, they want to finish the game with just the two of you, and that happened. What do you think about that? KOJI UEHARA: Yes, we were hoping that it would only take two of us to finish one game and we could make that happen, and I'm happy about that. When I'm getting off the mound, I told him maybe he should throw more balls inside because I was throwing straight balls to the outside. I should have thrown more pitches inside, that's what I thought, so I did tell him that, yes. Q. You did the base run, but it was unsuccessful, did you start well, or did you not? TSUYOSHI NISHIOKA: I was going to run by my start was not so good. With the movement of the pitcher, I think it was a balk, according to Japanese rules. But since I was out, it's my fault. The ball from the catcher was good, my start was bad, so I could have stopped. That was a big lesson I learned today. Q. Your next pitching will be in America, since you have the pitching regulation, do you want to improve something in terms of your own pitching? KOJI UEHARA: Yes, I should pitch the way I usually do, but for today, I threw too many strike balls. I should improve on that. Next time my regulation will be more than 65, so I will throw more various balls and pitch the way I would usually do. Q. In the past you played in the Athens Olympics, do you have a lot of pressure since this is the first game of this tournament compared to the past events? KOJI UEHARA: Well, this time I was more excited the previous time compared to this time. I was more calm this time. I was not so excited before the game, and I got my spirits high immediately before the game. The result was not the best, but I think I was more calm, and, well, that's what I just said, yes. Q. The umpire was American, was the strike zone very different from your usual pitching? You did mention you threw a lot of pitches to the outside, and will that tendency be for today only? KOJI UEHARA: The second batter of the Chinese team, I threw two balls to the outside, but myself and Mr. Satozaki also felt that I through a lot to the outside but it was still a strike. But for the inside, it's much the same as what we know in Japan. And also, I think I should not use too much more to the outside; I should use the inside, as well, because that's the lesson I learned from today's pitching.
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