WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL C - GREAT BRITAIN VS MEXICO

March 14, 2023

Benji Gil

Chase Field

Team Mexico

Postgame Press Conference

Mexico - 2, Great Britain - 1

Q. After you expressed, when you played versus the United States, that take a break. They motivate them on. We deserve a win for today, and tomorrow is a life-and-death game. Are all pitchers available for this last game? And it's basically a final for you guys?

BENJI GIL: Yes, we are conscious about what we have ahead of us. We have a great rival. We're not going to seem like the little ones, a small team. Canada, it's a country that year by year has stars in the MLB and also competes very well in these type of tournaments.

So, like I said yesterday, and I told them, rest. Today there's no party. Today there's no party. Rest, sleep, focus from this moment on Canada and only Canada. And that's what we're focusing on, Canada. We're rivals, the pitchers, the hitters, the batters.

Our pitchers focus on their batters, their hitters and just focus on the game for tomorrow. We would have enough time after the game to celebrate and also on the flight since we have a free day.

Q. Does Urquidy start tomorrow? And the rest of the bullpen available tomorrow, even Julio Urias?

BENJI GIL: Julio is not available tomorrow for no form. He's not available. I believe that maybe he would want, but I have to protect his career because, yes, I would love to win this tournament.

I'm not going to -- I'm not going to trouble his career for no reason at all, even though he's one of the greatest Mexican pitchers. If he would come out, I would tackle him to stop him.

Giovanny, maybe. Joey Romero, probably he's not available. He did 20 pitches. And yes we want to win the tournament. But we all agree, Mexico agrees that our players are able to be successful in their careers in the MLB and also put the name of Mexico in the highest places, day-by-day, week by week, month-to-month. And it's more important than winning the tournament.

Q. No one wants to lose the first game of pool play, but it put you in a position backs against the wall and really having to win out. Did that help motivate your team to play the way you guys have the last two?

BENJI GIL: It could be perceived that way. But I really don't believe that's the case. I think our team was going to show up the way it has the last two days or the last two games, I should say, regardless.

They have tremendous character. They have tremendous heart. They're warriors. And they're in it physically and mentally to have a great tournament and bring some more exposure to Mexico baseball.

And they're just proud. They're proud. They really are proud to be representing the country, representing their ancestors, the people they represent. Even the ones that aren't born in Mexico, they're just so, so proud to be representing the people that they love that they know came from Mexico.

Q. When Kirk had to withdraw from the tournament, I think a lot of people maybe thought it was a big bat you were losing in the lineup. Then elevating Alexis to the position that he was in. You were saying he was in there tonight because you didn't want Austin to catch three games in a row. What can you say about Alexis's preparation, how he went from bullpen catcher to driving in both runs tonight?

BENJI GIL: Alexis is awesome. Alexis plays for me in Culiacán, in winter ball. I don't want to tear up. But he had a really difficult year this past year offensively, especially. And you guys have seen a little bit of his skills. And he was out of organized baseball as of a year and a half ago.

I really don't see how. I do not see how he is not in organized baseball. Not because he got two hits today, but because of what he can do behind the plate when he catches the ball and throws it. He should be in organized baseball somewhere.

He can help a team win. He can help an organization compete at the Major League level. At minimum, go to Triple-A and show that he can be worthy of helping somebody, even in an emergency.

And there's no doubt. I mean I'd be a liar to say that I wouldn't rather have Alejandro Kirk. Even now, Alexis had a great game, I'd be a liar to say I wouldn't rather have Alejandro catching than Alexis. I mean, it would be nonsense if I said that.

But it was an easy decision. I just looked at it as Alejandro has been playing and maybe he tweaked a hammy, and that's why he's not there. I didn't like what happened, the way everything went down, and we don't have an All-Star Silver Slugger catcher. I think he would be the best catcher in the tournament as far as his accomplishments last year.

But I knew that we would have somebody really, really solid behind the plate, especially in a game like today with a team that has the speed like Great Britain has. I was comfortable there.

Could I have told you that he was going to drive in the only two runs for our team? If I could say that I need to be purchasing lottery tickets.

Q. Why did Adrian Martinez not pitch today? And we have left 25 men on bases. Should we worry about this?

BENJI GIL: We won, yes, we worry, but we've been telling our players the only thing that you can do is hit the ball. You saw how many hits, how many times that we swing and it was 95, 100 miles per hour.

Rowdy hit, he hit 102, 115 miles per hour. Our outfield didn't move. I going to say, don't hit it too hard; just hit it to where they are.

No, sports is not that way. The only thing you can do is hit it as hard as you can. And obviously, particularly I would have loved four bloopers and nobody would have doubted.

And that's not the objective of the game is to get the ball and try to do it as hard as you can. And maybe they don't do a great play on you. I'm at ease with our offensive. Let's remove our hats.

Great Britain pitched the best that they have pitched in the other games. They stayed through strikes, the velocity. There was a big variety of their pitching. They didn't have a bad inning when it comes to pitching. It's not like any other pitches were out of control, no.

And that was a report that we had. They were telling us their pitchers have little experience and they have problems with control. I didn't see any of that today.

So they were nasty sliders, curves, in the corner, they were pitching in the corners. And let's remove our caps for them with the level we had. I said this yesterday and before the game, it's a rival that we cannot take easy.

And if something that I did not make a mistake, they didn't play like they're just learning starting to play baseball. They played like they're a big, great team today. They would have given any other team problems.

Q. And about Martinez?

BENJI GIL: About Adrian Martinez, we decided, we went with Manny because of the good things, because Manny threw very little pitches, and they're both available tomorrow, as well as Cesar, possibly Cesar. But, again, Martinez, he's ready after Urquidy and Barrera and the rest of the bullpen.

Q. How do you feel, first, Joey Meneses? You give him the first chance to play professionally. Now, Alexis Wilson, that he was criticized as a catcher. How do you feel, like, both of them are getting you the wins. And you have the most trust on, and was this the initial plan since he caught Taijuan in the exhibition game?

BENJI GIL: Yes, the decision was that Walker would throw today and then Alexis was going to catch for him. That's why he was catching for Walker in the exhibition versus Colorado.

And I talked to Walker -- I told Alexis talk to him, talk to him while the other games that go on, how he likes to work, what would he do so that he would have a little bit more of a chemistry.

And then just throughout this week -- and I think that -- I don't know if you spoke with T-Dub, but I think that Walker, he felt at ease, again, with the catcher that has only caught for him two innings before.

That's why they say they were together, unity, and Walker threw a great game today. He was very dominant, even though when they had the double, one of the innings, he was dominant afterwards.

Alexis, for me, he's a great catcher. Today his opportunity was given to him to be a hit 2-0, and he was able to do it, unstoppables, and that was the difference through our offensive. And we're very happy for him. Very happy for him. Like I said earlier, he had a winter season that was very bad, very complicated. And now I'm very, very happy for him.

Q. We know the capacity and the reach that your baseball players can have here and in their teams. But you also mentioned that they want to belong and be proud to have that history and also the closeness with the fans. Also the closeness that we don't see in other Mexican representatives, in futbol, in soccer, feels they're distanced, they can have the contact with the people. Now this team, it feels like it's special with the fact that they feel very close with the fans, that nearness. It's one of the main fortitudes, obviously, with also the capacity of your baseball players.

BENJI GIL: Without a doubt the players feel it. They feel loved. They feel the love that the fans have been given. They feel it. And they feel the commitment with them, something very beautiful.

We have not heard any bad type of comments. There haven't been, like, tabloid-type of news when we didn't win, there was none of that.

Obviously there was a few maybe they spoke badly about me, but that is normal. But one understands this. But I am at ease when the fans, Mexican fans of baseball, or just sports in general, it's because after each win we are transcending to not only be just fans of this -- but the fans of sports in Mexico, they're becoming fans of these players and this team and this sport. That is our motive why we do this tournament to increase to make baseball bigger in the world. And this representative of Mexico is doing that.

And to be honest, I am grateful with the players and we applaud the fans, Mexican fans, because they've been able to be here present and also those who are distant, we do feel the good vibes from you guys and also the trust and the cheers.

And I say wholeheartedly that I appreciate it. It's going to be a little while since I can return to Mexico, but believe me, when I return to Mexico I'm going to say thank you to all of the fans of states and towns that I step on.

Q. What have you seen from Canada that piques your attention? Do you already have the rotation?

BENJI GIL: No, coaches, we're going to have the smarts and we're going to speak with them. We're going to talk, obviously, with Austin. He's going to catch tomorrow, Austin Barnes.

And maybe (indiscernible), he would be on second. It will be the same lineup that we see the first two lineups, and maybe the most -- it's going to be that type of combination that were going to be in the lineup.

And I'm just very happy that Canada is a great rival and we're preparing as if Canada was the best team and the hardest rival that we are going to face. So just totally focus.