WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL C - CHINESE TAIPEI VS AUSTRALIA

March 5, 2026

Aaron Whitefield

Tokyo Dome

Team Australia

Pregame Press Conference

Q. What is the atmosphere of the team going into the first game?

AARON WHITEFIELD: I think it's an awesome experience to start Game 1 and be the first game of the WBC. I think the atmosphere in the clubhouse is some of the best it's been. We've got a lot of awesome reinforcements I think from Premier12, and even the last 2023 WBC with a couple of our pitchers like Alex Wells who is starting today making his debut and having Bazzana in the lineup makes the lineup a lot deeper, as well.

Q. Can you talk about your preparation for the Game 1?

AARON WHITEFIELD: You know, we had an awesome precamp in Fuchu city. They upgraded the infield for us there. Having a couple weeks with the boys was awesome.

And to go to Miyazaki with a lot of the other guys in pro ball meet up with us there can get to play a game against the Giants, just to gel before coming here was really good and put us in a good position to be able to go and put out our best product today and take care of business.

Q. What does it mean to represent Australia?

AARON WHITEFIELD: Any time we get to put on the Australian jersey and represent our country is a huge honor, especially in baseball, as it's not one of our biggest sports.

To be able to come to an event like this, especially the last 2023 where I feel like a lot of people counted us out and thought we wouldn't make it out of the pool. To do that and give cube a great game is just what we're going to build off.

As I said before, I think we have a deeper lineup. I think we have a deeper pitching staff to be able to do a lot of damage in this tournament and for all the guys, because, Alex Wells, he was able to pitch in the big leagues.

But to put on the Australian jersey and pitch for our country, and for myself, it's a huge honor, and every time I get to do it, making memories -- I was lucky to play in the big leagues. But some of the memories I've played with the Team Australia jersey has been up there with the highlights of my career. I hope these guys get the same experience and we get to go one step further than last time.

Q. What do you think about Fuchu?

AARON WHITEFIELD: Fuchu is awesome. We've been there the last couple years.

This year I thought one of the highlights is we did sorted of an amazing race around the city and ask foreigners -- us as foreigners ask the locals where certain places were like the racetrack and that's because we weren't allowed to use maps. It was raining. We weren't allowed to use our phones.

So you had to work with the people and try and find out where things were and see a whole bunch of Aussies running around the city with hoodies in the pouring rain. Little things like that. The people have always been awesome, and we love to go try new restaurants and just meet with the locals.

I thought the only thing, too, was in the games, the crowds we had from every other time we had at Fuchu was awesome and connect with the people and give high-level baseball an opportunity to be played in Fuchu.