WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL D - NICARAGUA VS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

March 6, 2026

Erasmo Ramirez

LoanDepot Park

Team Nicaragua

Pregame Press Conference

Q. You and Carlos are two of the veteran players on this team. How is the team preparing? Your baseball is improving. You are getting better and better. How did you prepare to face the Dominican Republic and Venezuela which are the powerhouses here in this group?

ERASMO RAMÍREZ: Preparation is very important, no matter the sport, practice is. The most important thing is to have a positive mindset, to know that yes, you can. You are here now, and we are humans, and we can fail, but we can be successful as well.

Bottom line, it is important to play with passion.

Q. You will be opening tomorrow against Venezuela. Is it difficult to prepare a game against a lineup such as the Venezuelan, knowing that -- sorry, you are facing the Netherlands. How difficult is it to prepare for the game tomorrow knowing that you saw something today and maybe you will see something different tomorrow? Is that complicated for you as a pitcher?

ERASMO RAMÍREZ: With some years of experience, you have to be focused on the personal stuff, so the day you have to pitch, you've got to be ready for that. That's the only thing that really matters.

The lineup is going to be in favor or not or both. When you pitch the ball, there is nothing you can control. I'm focused on the execution. The better I execute, the better chances I will have.

Netherlands, for today they had many opportunities today. It didn't go well for them. They'll try to make our lives difficult, and may the best team win.

Q. As a captain of the Nicaraguan national team, what do you say to the guys as a captain? What do you tell the guys?

ERASMO RAMÍREZ: Well, there is a very important thing when you are a captain. It is not what you say but what you show. If you're going to be in time, you're going to be in time as the leader of the team. And together with the manager or the coach, we have to walk the talk. We have to walk the talk so they believe in you. If you are scared, the others will be scared because the captain or the coach are scared. No way. We have to have a positive mindset, good vibes.

We are here to win no matter what. We are going to do our best. We have vets, the coaching staff, the young players; we have to be positive. If we are positive, they will be following us.

So thank God I try to be as positive as I can every day, and I'll do all my best.

Q. Does Dusty Baker have a special conversation for this game tomorrow? Not because it is the Dominican Republic but because it's the first game, and no matter if you win or lose, you have to have a good performance.

ERASMO RAMÍREZ: He's been working our mental stuff ever since he came to Nicaragua. He's been focused on bringing that vibes to us to show us that yes, we can. The final score can show something good, something bad, but the execution during the game is the most important thing.

And he says, well, if you have to run the bases, you have to do it right. If you are going to swing, wait for your pitch. So execution, running, hitting. That's the team that is going to win.

But if you play with passion after the swing or after the pitch, we will be winning today. So he's been working on that, to show that there are no small enemies and there are no huge enemies. So we are on the same field, we are playing on the same level, and we just have to go out, play, execute, and to focus on your performance.