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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POOL C: TORONTOMarch 11, 2009Henry BlancoLuis SojoCarlos ZambranoTORONTO, ONTARIO (Through Spanish translation) THE MODERATOR: Questions for the manager, Victor or Mr. Blanco. Q. Good evening. Congratulations. Looks like all the changes worked out for you. You gave the work for Blanco. He was one of the heroes of the game. And Marco Scutaro with a hit, and he brought in two runs. What else could you ask for a when you do this type of change. In terms of including Henry in the line-up, were you able to rest Hernandez, or do you think that it was because Henry and Ted Lilly were colleagues with the Cubs? LUIS SOJO: Well, Henry is a catcher with a lot of experience. He's a guy that knows how to handle the pitchers. Obviously, he has that ease to communicate with everyone. He's probably the only player that hadn't started except for Maza and Para. But I think that the experience is fundamental in this type of event. I'm really happy because the guys really are focused. Like the first day that I spoke, they came with an objective. Everyone is really committed. There's a lot of chemistry within the team. And I think everyone's bringing forward their own contribution. The great teams win because of that. And it doesn't matter where you go to play, you always want to do the best job possible. Q. This game, you know, wasn't that important in the big picture, but how important was it for you guys to make a statement after the loss earlier in the tournament? LUIS SOJO: Well, you said it. I mean, we had to make a statement. These guys are a great team. They know what they're doing. But tonight, it was a big game for us, because we cannot go to Miami and think this is not an important game for us. It was a very important game. And we did make a statement. Our bullpen was the question mark throughout the whole tournament, and they come through today. And I think that's very important. Q. Did you get a certain, like, nice problem. Because at first, basically the bullpen did a good job. Are you going to have that same format where you are going to alternate pitchers? LUIS SOJO: Well, you know, the batters are given three hits every night, so the best thing is that they know it. They're ball players that have the same features. They're both great runners. They're great first batters. And in the outfield, they're like gazelles. So, like I said at the beginning, things are going very well, and I'm going to continue with that format. Q. Yesterday, you were saying before the game in front of Italy, that you were a little bit relaxed because you were facing Italy, and yesterday could have been a surprise that the Dominican was eliminated. What's your reaction to that? And do you think that the fact that you're going to face Netherlands in the first game, is that going be an advantage to you rather than facing the Dominican? LUIS SOJO: Well, that's -- you said it, the Dominican win was surprising. But what we know from baseball, we know that everyone has to do their best job on the field. And the Netherlands showed they were better on the field in both games against the Dominican Republic, and that's why they're going to the second round. We were going to face an Italy that was inspired, and we couldn't allow them to win. The guys were aware of this. They talked about it throughout the game, and thank God, we were able to score those nine runs in the fourth and fifth innings, which maybe made us more relaxed for the rest of the game. But, listen, I don't think it's going to be an advantage to play the Netherlands. I think we're just going to be focused. We're going to give 100 percent. It doesn't matter if it's the Netherlands, the United States, or Puerto Rico. We do have a lot of work to do before we get to the finals. Q. I want to direct this question to Henry, if I may. Henry did you happen to watch the end of the Dominican-Netherlands game last night? How surprised were you to see the Netherlands win and what do you know about the Netherlands team? HENRY BLANCO: It was a surprise for everybody. I think the Dominican team is one of the best teams that was in the other pool. But you cannot think that this team, they come here for one reason, it's to win. And Netherlands against the Dominican was a big surprise. But, hey, we're going into the second round now, and we'll see what we can do against those guys and try to win. Q. Is everything okay with Abreu? LUIS SOJO: Yeah, everything is fine. I mean, we were talking before the game, with him and Magglio. We played four games on this turf. These guys are not that used to playing that many games like that. You know, their back, their legs were kind of tight. And, you know, like the guys say, maybe a lot of people think this game wasn't important, but for us it was. I had the people that can get the job done, and I gave it a break. Q. Radio National in Venezuela, Victor, you have been doing excellent work today, but you worked very well. Given that you've already played against him on Sunday, things didn't work out for you, but today you did a great job? For Henry, that decision, Henry, to throw to second and then third, I don't know third was closer. The runner had already had a pretty good head start. What made you decide to throw to second instead of third. VICTOR ZAMBRANO: It's a great opportunity. When you face a team like this one, obviously they're all-stars in the United States. The most you can use is the experience that you accumulated in the major leagues and I felt fairly confident. I was confident in my pitches, and I think that's what made the difference. HENRY BLANCO: I think in my situation, the runner at third wasn't as important. I just made the decision and both runners were very good. We had the opportunity to throw to second and, thank God, we struck him out, or he was out at second after that steal. Q. Victor, the concentration of this team and what it represents, obviously it was against the United States, you had already played against them. Did you do any major adjustments or did you check what happened during the last game? And because you changed catcher and you had to speak with Henry before, obviously he's an experienced player, did you do any special adjustments this time around? VICTOR ZAMBRANO: Well, actually what I tried to concentrate on the most was all the positives that have happened in my career in the past. Those are the things, when you put them to good use, especially mentally, it can work very well. I was speaking to Henry during the game, and I told him more or less what the work strategy was going to be. And we had a lot of trust in what we were doing. I think that's what happened, keep the game and give Venezuela the opportunity to win, which we did. Q. Henry, obviously a lot of offense at the start of the game from you. But you just about end the game with a big defensive play. That's what you are best known for here in the U.S., your defense. Do you get more pride from one over the other, the offense or the defense? HENRY BLANCO: It feels good, man. For me, both ways is fine. It's big honor. And if you can get two hits to help your team to win the game, and throw the guy out on base, I mean, it's got to make you feel good. And that's what we did tonight. I mean, everybody did their job, you know. And we are happy about that. And just trying to keep going in the second round. Q. Congratulations, Luis. Can you talk to us a little bit more about that trust that you bestowed on the bullpen when you went from Victor to Granado? I think the whole bullpen was really good except for that pitch from Moreno to Iannetta. That was spectacular offense showing that everyone can bat. Are we going to see this switch with Ramon the same way you are doing with Gregor and Endy? Or are you going to do that kind of switch for the second round? LUIS SOJO: You said it. The bullpen, that was the big question mark for Venezuela throughout the tournament, and it showed that, yes, they can pitch. You said it. That vote of confidence, that as a manager, you should give these guys is part of our work. We did it in a very important game for us, and they did the job. I think that you do have to give them a good pat on the back. And they did do a good job. Maybe if you combine the lefties and the righties, I think maybe that's what threw the United States off a little bit. I think it worked for us. And from the second round on, I think that's what we're going to do. Now that they can throw 85 pitches, I think I'm going to work that way with the bullpen. Like I said earlier, Henry is a great catcher. He has a great communication with the pitchers and he knows all the pitchers that are in the bullpen, and maybe that could be a plus for us. Ramon actually is having knee problems. Well, he says it's been awhile that he's had that problem, and yesterday, when I took him out of the game, he was a little bit upset. But, well, you know, Henry you gotta keep it up. But I think that the game is going to determine the situation, but I have trust in every single ball player. That's why they're selected to represent Venezuela. And if memory serves me well, I think on Saturday, I don't even remember what day we're playing next, but I think it's Saturday, we're going to start with Carlos Silva. Then after that, Felix Hernandez and Armando Galarraga. Q. Victor, I want to ask you, in your opinion what's the difference between how you performed the other day and today? I don't know if they've asked you that question, but I wanted to ask you that. Henry, how did you see all the guys and what do you think was the key to have such a spectacular game as this one? VICTOR ZAMBRANO: Well, reality, I think that the most important part of the game was what I spoke about before with Henry. Basically, we went over our game plan, and we tried to use the fastball and the change-up just to get a strike and the slider. That when I played against them before, I was having a lot of trouble getting to the strike zone with a slider. I think that's the master plan. And that's why we were able to get the win. HENRY BLANCO: I think that we got on base. We were always in front of the count. I think the big difference of the game before was they were always ahead of the counts. But I think that the United States came out and wasn't as aggressive this time around. Because they went up and they were down in the count this time around. So they didn't have too many options at bat. Q. I want to ask you about the trust that you are giving the guys in the bullpen. It's incredible, because they saw the same players in the first game, and this time they were able to get their revenge. And they got their revenge. And this shows that their trust isn't lost. I think that's thanks to you, right? Because you've done a lot of good work with them. How do you think -- what do you think will be on the front page of the Venezuela papers tomorrow? LUIS SOJO: Like I said before, it's part of my job. These are the guys that we have, and if I have the opportunity, I'll let them get the ball. Today was a very important game for them, because as a ball player, I think that's yourself esteem that you have, that trust in yourself. And you take advantage of it. I think that's what's going to get you a win to win the important games. And this was important for Venezuela and for the guys. The same thing with Miguel. Once he hit, the next at-bats were much better. I think that's what's awesome with baseball. Anything you can do in a game to collaborate and make sure you get the win will give you more trust. I hope that from now on, things will continue to go well. In terms of the newspapers, we know that all -- well, all of Venezuela, you know, knows we're here for one objective. All of Venezuela knows that all of those that are here to represent the country, are here with one objective, which is to win. And we have the team. We have the spirit, the mind. And if God wills, and things go well, we'll be able to maybe party at the end. Q. Luis, first of all, what skill of importance for your career and for Venezuelan baseball do you have when you win against a team like this one, the United States. And, secondly, the bullpen did what you asked them to, which was to throw strikes. What's the difference between one game and the other? Was it more mental or was it more technical, adjusting the mechanics or the logistics? And obviously, there was a very -- Henry, you had a home run and you had that out. You had a very good performance throughout. LUIS SOJO: The first question was the importance of the win. Well, you know, when you play with a powerhouse like the United States, for anyone, it's a really important highlight in your life. It's a very important win, because you're playing against a real powerhouse. I think Venezuela was always waiting for this win after they clobbered us. In terms of the pitchers, thank God they have so much experience. Technically maybe the morale, the self-esteem, I think it's very important. I think that's what we can bring to them. I think that maybe the fact that I was really upset with them, I think it was a wake-up call for them. You don't have to tell them anything. They're professional. They know what they're doing. I think today they showed it. They showed it in front of a Venezuelan fan club. There were a lot of Venezuelans in the stands. That's what we actually want to do in order to get that win, which is to win the tournament. HENRY BLANCO: Obviously I'm very happy, because any time that I can participate in an event like this, and especially against the United States team that has so many renown players, and to get your team to win, I think that you have to feel proud, obviously. With the throw at second, like I said earlier, for us the runner at third didn't mean anything, so thank God we struck him out. I think that's what we -- that's what helped us win the game. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys. End of FastScripts |
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