|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: ROUND ONEMarch 5, 2006Sadaharu OhIchiro SuzukiPOOL A: TOKYO, JAPAN Q. After the second inning, Japan's batting order wasn't doing so well, what do you think about that? And the pitcher, Sugiuchi, was changed to Ishii, and what was your intention there? SADAHARU OH: Well, firstly, we couldn't get the points because their pitchers were good. We had our chances but we could not quite get the points, and so I don't want to accuse my batting order; it's just that the Korean pitchers were good. We were anticipating that, but they really were good. And the right fielder made a beautiful play and that made the difference. We had a chance to score but we couldn't really make the best use of it. That's the reason we could not win today. If you ask me why did I switch to Ishii, well, that was the plan I had. Even if I knew he could get a home run, I wouldn't do that, but I didn't know that. I think he did his best. He just turned out to be the one who provided the home run. I think the batter was too good against Ishii. It was the eighth inning and the batter came up with a great home run, and Korea also had a great right fielder. They had two heroes, and that's the reason we could not win. Q. After the three games in the Asian round, please comment on your current team. SADAHARU OH: Yesterday and the day before our batting order was doing very good. But today the Korean pitchers were very good today. And after Kawasaki hit a home run, the pitcher who is appeared on the mound after that were very, very good. All I can say now is that, well, some people might have expected that we would get an easy win again. But if we did that, maybe we might hope for easy wins again in America. So now that I've got this kind of result, I feel very motivated that I should have a very good game in America. Q. You will play Korea again on March 15. That game, which will have a lot more meaning, did that enter into your thinking or your planning today? SADAHARU OH: Well, I know we both can't get too many points. We get very few chances, and we have to make the best out of it. We used bunts, we tried to get runners to third, but we still couldn't score. Looking back at today's game, both Korea and Japan will use a lot of tactics and a lot of pitches that can be anticipated. We were defeated today, so on the 15th, I want revenge then. Q. Today during the middle of the game, I thought your batters were really swinging big. What are the points that you think you should improve in today's game? SADAHARU OH: Well, yesterday and the day before, I think it's only natural that batters want to swing big, because they were doing good, so we have to fix that. We have enough time to fix that. And after the training camp, we didn't have enough time off. They were pretty tired. And after we go over to America, I just want to change the atmosphere and do good again. In America, I don't like the expression about we might do something like small baseball, which is pretty significant for us. So when we have to play a game like the one we did today, I know we can't be swinging big all the time. In a game like this, a game like the one we had today, I'm sure we'll be playing games like that more in the States, so we have to cope with whatever we have to cope with. Q. You were favored to be the No. 1 seed, and now that you're the No. 2 seed, is it maybe an advantage that you might not have to play the United States, and what do you think about the United States team? SADAHARU OH: Well, we were going to be the first seed, but we couldn't make it happen. If I think about it from the other side, it's not like we lost the game and we can't go to America. We can still go. So all I have to do is improve what I have to improve. I want to use the experience to improve my team for the upcoming games. We failed to pass the Asian round as the No. 1 team, but although we are the No. 2, we can still play. All I can say is that we will still do our best after we go over to the United States. Q. Have you had a chance to look at the U.S. team, and what is your opinion of them? SADAHARU OH: I haven't analyzed any of the data yet because I was very focused on playing the Asian round. I was so determined to get the right to go over there, and our goal until now was to win the Asian round. After I go over to America, I will get a chance to see the American teams actually play so. From there onward, I will observe the team and analyze the way they play. Q. It might be a natural thing, but all of the pitchers you used today, I can't say that they were all at their best. Some pitchers were good, some pitchers were not as good. Are you going to take a closer look at your pitchers and decide who is very effective and who is not? SADAHARU OH: At this moment, I am not thinking about doing that. I think that we will go on playing the way that we have been playing until today. Now that we got the result that we were defeated, we'll have six days until the next game. During those six days, we'll think about a lot of things, and maybe we'll adjust a few things. But I'm not thinking about changing the members of our team. Q. One of your main pitchers, Shunsuke Wanatabe, how was his performance today? SADAHARU OH: Well, I was surprised he threw three hits, pitches. Other than that, I think he was doing good. We had a lot of pressure to get through the Asian round, and I feel that all of the players were feeling this pressure. But after we go over to the United States, we do not have such pressure that we have to go through the Asian round, so things will be a little different. I think once we go over to the United States, the players will feel less pressured and will feel a little more free to play the way they usually do. Q. As for Ichiro, he is not at his best yet; please comment on that. SADAHARU OH: Yes, he's been doing a lot better back in the United States. Some people think he should hit like 50 percent. All of the pitchers of the opposing teams have Ichiro in mind, so it's hard for him to bat. And his current condition, he's not at his very best, yes, I think so, too. But he has a lot of experience, but not too much experience with this actual team. Once we go to Arizona, I'm sure he will have a chance to change the atmosphere, and I'm hoping that he will do better over there. Q. In the bottom of the seventh, Ichiro was hit by the ball, I thought you might let him bat the way he wanted to; what do you think? SADAHARU OH: Well, I didn't give him any signs. He batted the way he decided to bat. So it's not like -- so please don't ask me a question without confirming that fact, please. Q. Well, the tournament isn't over yet, what is the atmosphere of the team right now? ICHIRO SUZUKI: Well, we have a bad atmosphere after today's game. It's not good. I feel I should be ashamed of the defeat. Q. You have six days until your next game. How are you going to control your emotions and improve for the next game? ICHIRO SUZUKI: I can't tell you how I'm going to control it, but whether we bring out something positive or not, it's up to each individual. Q. There was only a one-run difference; what do you think caused you to lose the game? ICHIRO SUZUKI: During the game, we had some chances. But we want to make the best result out of the most chances. There were moments that we had to get some runs in, but we failed to do so, and that made the difference. But the Korean team made some brilliant plays. And even after that, we still had another chance, and if we were able to get some runs over home plate, that's the kind of game the game of baseball is. If you lose a chance, you lose a chance. Q. Do you think the difficulty you're having is having to do with your timing, or is this just ordinary phase you go through this time of the year? And second, the atmosphere in your final at-bat was quite tremendous with everybody cheering and roaring. Is that one of the reasons you came to play for Japan, to experience that here? ICHIRO SUZUKI: For the first question, I can't answer that. But yes, it's good to play in front of all of the supporters. But I have this Japanese banner on me, and it's a tournament to decide the No. 1 team in the world. This is the purest motivation that I participated in this team. Q. Well, this is not a tournament, this is not full-season play, do you feel this tournament is very difficult to play in since it's difficult from your usual league? And you won two and lost one, how do you feel about that? ICHIRO SUZUKI: Well, I guess it is difficult. If I get a run, it doesn't feel like it's enough. If I lose one, it feels so big. That's the different part about this tournament. As for the result, if I were satisfied with my current result, I should be quitting baseball. Q. You have to play the United States in Anaheim; what is that going to be like for you? ICHIRO SUZUKI: For me, I usually play with American people, American players, so I don't know who the players will be, but like Park Chan Ho, the pitcher I faced tonight, I will be playing those players who are in the same league, but only they will be representing their own country. I think it's a wonderful thing. I felt that today, too. Since this is going to take place in America, I'll get more chances to have this moment. They are opponents, but they are representing something else. That's going to be quite different? Q. After you go to America, you'll be playing Korea again. What is your impression about Korean pitchers after facing them today? Can you comment on their ability to pitch? ICHIRO SUZUKI: Well, they are Major Leaguers and many of them are Major Leaguers. They are very confident as they get on to the mound; I felt that. And also, they are representing their own country, and usually they are just playing for a club, a professional team in America. Sometimes they are very lonely, but in this case, they are playing as a representative of Korea and they are united as a team. They have a better chance to bring out the best out of themselves. I imagine they were very aggressive and imagine that's something that it was, yes. Q. After you go to America, you have tougher games ahead. Can you comment on the good part of the Japanese team and the room for improvement for the Japanese team? ICHIRO SUZUKI: Well, we always have to improve something, as long as we are playing the game of baseball, we are never perfect. But for today, we were defeated, and we experienced this defeat, and after the game, everybody was so disappointed and so motivated to win the next time. Q. You had a great audience at the Tokyo Dome, did that support you? ICHIRO SUZUKI: Well, if they supported me, I ended up with such a poor result. Yes, I did feel some energy coming in. Would not come out otherwise. I got really burning hot inside for the first time in a long time. It's like, gee, I'm playing baseball, and I got this feeling today. Today, this will be my last game in Japan because we are going over to the States. There were a lot of fans at the stadium and a lot of fans in front of the TV, and I would like to thank them all very much.
End of FastScripts... |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|