WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL D - NETHERLANDS VS VENEZUELA

March 6, 2026

Maikel Garcia

LoanDepot Park

Team Venezuela

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Maikel, this is your first Classic. How has this experience been so far? What expectations do you have for this team?

MAIKEL GARCIA: First of all, thank God the federation gave me this opportunity to be here. We had a beautiful experience. I have learned a lot with the guys. We hope to have a great tournament. We are going to leave it all on the field.

Q. Maikel, after the two games in West Palm Beach, people would like to see more offense. Did you speak about that to make some adjustments for today?

MAIKEL GARCIA: Yeah, we didn't have a great offense in those two games, but that's history. We overcame that. That did not drive us crazy. We are going to be focused on today's game, and that's it.

Q. Maikel, you said that you have learned from the guys. Can you share more details?

MAIKEL GARCIA: I've learned details about the players. We have different routines, and this is something that I can learn from the others, something that I can use in the majors. I'm learning every day and have been learning from my teammates, especially Victor. He gave me many tips about batting, and this is going to be very useful for my career.

Q. Maikel, Venezuelans are loved in the Dominican Republic. You are like friends as baseball players. Would you send a message to the Dominican people that support you, even when you are not from the same country, that support provided by the Dominicans is important. There's rivalry, but you are brothers, after all.

MAIKEL GARCIA: The way the Venezuelans support Dominicans, Dominicans support the Venezuelans. We're all Latinos and we support each other. Especially because we are living in a country that is not where we were born.

Q. Have you talked to other players that participated in the previous Classic?

MAIKEL GARCIA: Alcides played in the World Series and he told me the Classic is very different and Salvador told me the same in 2023 when he came back from the previous Classic. So I have high expectations regarding the atmosphere of the fans. We just have to calm down and to do our game.

Q. Lopez spoke about this team vis-á-vis the previous teams. He spoke about the unity. How do you see that within the team?

MAIKEL GARCIA: This is very important. We have a very short time to get to know each other and to know the style of everyone. It's a very short tournament. We have to use that chemistry to do our best, and we are going to be able to do things better.

Q. The experience that you have had playing with the Tiburones de La Guaira in Venezuela has been very helpful for you. You come from a baseball family. The contract with Kansas City, I know that this is important for your life, this contract.

MAIKEL GARCIA: It's comfortable for me. We're going to be able to support our family. They gave me so many tips, and my experience in Venezuela prepared me to play in the majors. I'm going to do the same today, to control the pressure, and that's it.