WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL A - PUERTO RICO VS COLOMBIA

March 6, 2026

Yadier Molina

Willi Castro

Seth Lugo

Hiram Bithorn Stadium

Team Puerto Rico

Postgame Press Conference

Q. Good evening to all three. Congratulations for this important victory. I would like to quickly start with a reaction to that victory. You guys are starting strong, as you wanted in this tournament. What do you have to say?

YADIER MOLINA: I'm going to tell you the glory is God's. I'm very happy with our victory. Of course we started slow offensively, and Lugo set us off with the pitching. We played good defense. The bullpen was really good.

What can I say? I'm really happy with the victory.

Q. The hit that started everything, it was an interesting position that it's lefty versus lefty with one of the strongest lefties in the Big Leagues. He started the rally before the game and said that Eddie Rosario was an important man, and Carlos Cortes has risen in the lineup several times. Talk to me about the decision.

YADIER MOLINA: The guy Carlos has a discipline in the batter's box that is enviable. He has a good eye, makes good contact. He fights for at-bats. If you see his at-bats, he gets six, seven pitches per turn, and that's what you want as a manager, quality at-bat.

We trust these guys, and that's why they're in the Big Leagues. He controls his bat.

Q. Yadier, after starting with a victory, tomorrow we are facing Panama that was defeated. How are you going to face this game knowing that a second victory will give you a step into the second round? And another question for Willi. Willi, your first game here in Puerto Rico. What was that feeling for you?

YADIER MOLINA: I'm going to tell you, we are concentrating one game at a time. Every day is Game 7 of the World Series. We respect, and we understand that it is a good team, Panama. We will always respect them, but we are very concentrated on our game, and we have Eduardo Rivera, and Eduardo Rivera has a good projection.

We are going to go game by game, pitch by pitch.

WILLI CASTRO: To me, it was a privilege to be here, to be here with the guys, to have a chance to be in this great event. It's something that I'm never going to forget. My first game here in Puerto Rico, and Vazquez asked me how did I feel in this first game? And like the Boricuas say, this is something else.

We're going forward, and I believe that the chances in the first innings were a little not like we wanted, but we fought. And in the fourth and fifth, that's when we started -- the bats started to make noise, and we're here.

Q. After six years you got the win from 2017. How sweet was it to get the win, full crowd, first time here in Puerto Rico?

SETH LUGO: That was awesome. Every inning you could feel the fans. Go out there and get the W. It was really special for me, something I won't forget.

Q. Nothing like when you played in 2017, now you played in Puerto Rico. Can you talk about how different it is having the crowd here and the standing ovation they gave you after you went out of the game?

SETH LUGO: Seth Lugo. Yeah, that was really cool. I got goosebumps. I get goosebumps now thinking about it. You come off, and the fans are chanting your name. That doesn't happen all the time. That's really, really special.

Q. Hi, Yadier, you mentioned in the beginning that the offense started a little slow. Can you explain more today? What did you like about the team, and what adjustments can be expected for tomorrow, for Saturday's game?

YADIER MOLINA: Yeah, a little slow. We're facing José Quintana, who is a proven pitcher in the Big Leagues for many years. We tip our hat to him.

Then we were able to make adjustments. Got guys on. That's what we're going to do from now on. We're going to get good at-bats, get good hits. We're not big on home runs and the guys now, but the thing is to get more quality at-bats and try to see more pitches, and that's what we did in that fifth inning.

Tomorrow's adjustments, well, obviously we're trying to do the same thing, win the game. Tomorrow we're facing different pitchers obviously. We'll try to make the adjustments, and we tried today.

Q. How cool was it to see Edwin Díaz come out in Puerto Rico to the trumpets and to see him bounce back like that from the last Classic?

YADIER MOLINA: Unbelievable. Unbelievable moment for us to see Sugar coming in from the bullpen and to hear the crowd, not only for him but for his family to be here and that moment for him. I'm excited for him. But yeah, it was a great moment.

Q. Diaz came in in the ninth inning, ahead by five. Was it anticipated to have him in the ninth inning for Colombia?

YADIER MOLINA: When you have a Game 5-0, you think you're comfortable, but if you get one run and another one, you get guys on bases. We tried to save Fernando Cruz in the eighth, but obviously the game tells you what moves you have to make. When you are up 5-0 and you have a closer like Sugar, you've got to use him because we need to win. Anything could happen tomorrow. We need to win this game.