WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL C - COLOMBIA VS MEXICO

March 11, 2023

Benji Gil

Chase Field

Team Mexico

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Now that we're here, the emotions of knowing it's going to be a great crowd today for your team?

BENJI GIL: Yeah, we're expecting it to be a heavy Mexico crowd. And we're excited to have hopefully quite a few Mexican fans in the house, obviously extra motivation for the players and give them a little (inaudible). Yeah, we're expecting it and we're excited about it and just getting started.

Q. What do you tell your boys after all the expectations that have been generated? And now the day has come that everything, all that's happening and all the fans that are going to be in the (indiscernible), what are you going to tell them?

BENJI GIL: The message is simple. We know what we're here to do, and do what you know how to do and just enjoy and that's it.

I've been telling them since the exhibition games that it's important. And obviously we can tell it to the players in a regular baseball game, but it's important to, every now and then, to look at the fans and look at what they signify to the Mexican people.

Q. Can you talk about the rotation for Mexico? What logic did you use to see who is in the open, who you are going to be used for the other teams?

BENJI GIL: We chose Julio to start this game since he's the ace of the team and he's one of the best pitchers in the MLB. And also we had in mind that we want to start the tournament with the right foot. And hopefully, thanking God, we're going to win today and we're going to advance to Miami.

So that will be enough days for him to play today and then so that he can also open for the quarterfinals for him, give us a better chance to get to the semifinals.

And our game tomorrow, Patrick Sandoval, he also had a very good season. He had less than three runs per game without a mistake. And he likes that repertoire against the United States. I think he's favorable -- it's favorable.

And then Walker versus Great Britain and Urquidy versus Canada to close the first phase.

Q. Historically we've won some games against the United States. How can it favor us or not favor us with the statistics?

BENJI GIL: Well, I think it's heavy, it matters for the fans. But right now there's not a single player, active player that has been a part of those games. So the first edition in 2006 when we only played two games, those coaches that we were there in those games but not players.

So it's another team, another group. It's something that it can motivate us and give us maybe the confidence or confidence to the players that those other years have been great teams, from the United States as well, and historically it tells you that you have everything to compete versus a team that's so strong that's filled with superstars. And this year is not the exception.

Q. I was going to ask, by advancing to Miami to the quarterfinal out of this pool, obviously Mexico is popular and baseball is so popular in Mexico, but what would it mean to the country to go deep in this tournament if not win it?

BENJI GIL: It will be incredible. And to be honest, being that they just played the World Cup soccer and Mexico didn't have a real good showing, it would be that much more significant.

I think the hopes of the Mexican sports fan is basically, like, hey, this is our chance to kind of redeem ourselves on the world stage.

So absolutely it's important. It's important for the guys in the clubhouse. But I think for the fan in Mexico and around the world, the Mexican fan, it would be like some kind of redemption really for the sports fan, not necessarily for us as players.

Q. In what way is the story of Joey Meneses a really powerful one about how long he had to work for his opportunity and really maybe reflects the talent pool that you have in Mexico in the domestic leagues?

BENJI GIL: Absolutely. It's a great story. He was with Atlanta and he was kind of like a journeyman minor leaguer. And then he had an opportunity to go with Philadelphia and ended up being the Triple-A MVP in Scranton and then in the International League. Almost won the Triple Crown.

To me it was a shame that he didn't get called up in September after having a monster year in Triple-A. And I know the story real well because he plays for me in winter ball.

We had to have a lot of talks and say, hey, stick with it, your time's going to come.

Obviously you can just imagine how frustrating it was for him to be named league MVP, organization player of the year, almost win the Triple Crown, yet they can't give him a September call-up.

If he had done that at A ball or Double-A, then it's understandable you don't get a call-up. But being as close as you can be to the big leagues and you do everything you can and can't even make it that way.

So it really was a struggle for a couple of years. And then all of a sudden, he would sign and then the next two years he would sign like at the end of the winter ball season. I think one year it was at the end of the playoffs. Another time it was right before he went to the Caribbean series. He was really hanging on by a thread.

Last year he had a really good year leading up, and I remember even having conversations with the Angels front office, saying, hey, we've got to get him over here. People don't realize how good he is. He'll hit in the big leagues and he's versatile because he plays first, can play both corner outfields and even one winter he played third base.

So, like I said, I knew he was pretty close to getting to the big leagues because when our front office had a conversation with Washington, they said, hey, we have plans for him. If something happens at the trade deadline, he'll probably get called up.

As it turns out, they trade Soto. I think the big piece for him was when they traded Bell as a part of the deal, then it opened up two spots. It opened up an outfield spot and the first base spot. He got there and made an impact immediately.

And if I remember correctly, he hits a home run his first game. He gets a day off the next day. But then he plays again and gets a couple of knocks and drove in, I think, a run or two. They played him again and he just continued to hit and ended up being one of the better hitters in the National League the last two months of the season.

So it's a tremendous story and he's a great human being, great kid, good family. I'm extremely proud of him and for just sticking to it and working hard. And he deserves everything that he has coming to him.

Q. It's very important to have a little experience, to have some players in a tournament like this, Classic. Since we haven't had this tournament for lots of years, how does it feel about having this opening day versus regular opening Mexican League game?

BENJI GIL: It's very different. Representing your country, it's totally different from anything else. The only thing that I can compare it with, even though I've had the fortune to be in the Caribbean series, it feels different. This is like being postseason in the MLB.

If someone asked me if we managed to get our objective to get the trophy, it will be on par with winning the big leagues. I think it would be like that.

I hope I have the fortune to write about how it feels the 21st at night. It's different. I believe it's the lack of experience in these tournaments, it's not significant because most of the players and most in this edition, since it's been seven years since last Classic, if we see the United States team, they only have very few players that were in the last classic.

I think we have two, if I'm not wrong, two or four, Urias and Gallegos and Jake Sanchez that were also in the Classic. We only have four players. But I think it's the case with most teams that very few have a lot of -- they have been representative of the teams.

Q. Julio Urias, Arozarena, they spoke very well about you, that they're very happy you're the coach. How do you feel about the players have expressed this that have been playing in the MLB and seeing this new generation, that they're shining in MLB, and now that you're the coach of them?

BENJI GIL: Before anything, I'm grateful that they have good opinions of me. And I'm happy for the players, that more Mexican players are arriving at the MLB and they're having an impact, they're helping their teams to win.

And Ramon Urias, I think last year he was a fundamental player, like any others, for Baltimore had that big season. That's why they play five in the postseason. Giovanny Gallegos, Julio -- we don't even have to mention him -- Randy, even Paredes last year, Mexican players are having an impact, and they're having an impact with good teams.

So that demonstrates at the level of baseball, it's returning to what it was before the early '80s, '90s or late '90s or 2000s, or it's recuperating that level. And I sincerely believe a tournament like this with this team manages to get the objective and wins the tournament it will open the doors for more, so that more people can look to Mexico that there's talent.

Because it's easy to go see them watch because they're playing against other professional players as well and the Mexican League, there's a lot of Mexican-American baseball players that they can compare with.