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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: ROUND ONE

March 8, 2006

Freddy Garcia

POOL D: ORLANDO, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: We're joined now with Freddy Garcia. We'll start again with Spanish questions using our interpreter, and then we'll have some time for English questions thereafter.
Q. Seven straight strikeouts in this your first outing and considering that it's only March 8th, I mean we're only beginning your preparation for spring training and so forth. In terms of percentage, how strong do you think you are today and especially being this is such an important win for Venezuela after yesterday's loss.
FREDDY GARCIA: Indeed it was very important for us to come back and win after yesterday's loss. We showed some intensity today.
In terms of my preparation, I think that I'm maybe 75, 80 percent in terms of physical shape. Most of my pitches were in the zone and they were swinging at those pitches and missing. And that's it.
Q. One of the things that the Italian manager said that he was impressed with was with your fastball and your slider. That he said that it looks as if you were in the middle of the regular season. Now you're saying that you're only 80 percent, and so it's hard to think how much better that you could get, as the season progresses.
FREDDY GARCIA: Well, indeed by my fastball was moving, my fastball was moving pretty well by the seams, but it wasn't that fast. It was clocked at 82-88, I mean, so it's not at full speed yet. All we hope is that we can win again tomorrow and then move on to the second round.
Q. Statistics seems to indicate that you pitch better in daylight, but today it was just the opposite. What can you say about that?
FREDDY GARCIA: Well, whatever they say about me pitching in daylight well, maybe it's true. But today pitching for your country, that is Venezuela, you try to do the best you can at nighttime as well.
Q. Can you tell us something about how you got out of trouble in the third inning. Until then you were almost entirely in control, but then things got complicated because of an error, so what did you do specifically to get out of that difficult situation?
FREDDY GARCIA: You always expect to have some difficult innings when you pitch and indeed what I did in that inning is that I came up with the right pitches. I was able to throw very good pitches to Menechino, as well as to the third hitter.
Q. Please explain I guess maybe to someone from the United States what Miguel Cabrera's, I guess, maybe rock star status is in Venezuela.
FREDDY GARCIA: Well, I think, Miguel is the best player we have right now. He's only 22 years old and he's a superstar, man, and in Venezuela. He's the hot thing there. The biggest name. He's like Galarraga, Vizquel, all those people. He has he's the best talent we have right now.
Q. Obviously Team Venezuela has to advance for this to matter, but how much does, as the tournament goes on, the fact that the pitchers can go deeper and deeper into the games, how much does that play into the strength of the Venezuelan team and pitchers like Freddy?
FREDDY GARCIA: For me it's just go out there and throw 65 pitches, you know, I'm the kind of pitcher, I start warming up in three or four innings. I would be happy if we go into a second round and we can go longer. I would like to pitch another inning and I'm ready for it.
Q. When you're in a situation like you were in in the third inning, bases loaded, one out. Is your mindset, I'm going to strike these next two guys out and try and give them no runs, or are you just trying to prevent the big inning?
FREDDY GARCIA: I was trying to make a good pitch to Menechino and I was trying to keep it down and have him hit into a double play. But like I say, I throw three pitches to him and it was perfect. But I never go to, try to strike out when I got bases loaded, I try to make a good pitch and maybe a double play and get out of the inning.
Q. As this tournament goes on how much would the Venezuelan pitching staff like to have another shot at the Dominican team after what those guys did to your pitchers yesterday?
FREDDY GARCIA: When we play Dominican yesterday, first game, you know, we lost, but we -- first of all, we're going to win tomorrow, we got to try to win tomorrow and go on to the second round. And after that, we see what happens. Dominican has a great team and we are looking forward to it. We're looking for the revenge. So we got to be ready for that and hopefully everything will goes well for us.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time and that concludes tonight's press conference.

End of FastScripts...

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