WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL D - NICARAGUA VS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

March 6, 2026

Junior Caminero

Julio Rodríguez

LoanDepot Park

Team Dominican Republic

Postgame Press Conference

Dominican Republic 12, Nicaragua 3

Q. Junior, you have spoken about the importance of wearing the Dominican Republic jersey. You hit a home run that was so important. What did you think at that point in time when you were running the bases? And, Julio, how did that resonate in the team to see this young guy with the energy that he plays with?

JUNIOR CAMINERO: Yeah, I was very happy when I was running the bases, a dream come true. It's beautiful. When I was running the bases, I didn't hear the people screaming. I was kind of blocked, and I cried a couple of tears when I got to the dugout.

JULIO RODRIGUEZ: I'm a super fan of him, the way he plays. He's a young guy, and the way he plays, it's huge. He's very talented. Every time he goes out to the field, he tries to do his best. I admire that. When you've been playing for 10 years in the league or five like myself, if it's a rookie, we have to respect that.

Q. Junior, when you hit the home run, everyone was saying that you saw the Nicaraguan team blue --

JUNIOR CAMINERO: That was huge. The moment that I left there, it was beautiful. But this is a different place. The atmosphere is different. We are in the United States. You know?

Q. Junior, you have had great achievements in your career, home runs that were so important that made the difference in the Dominican league, now representing your country, it made a difference to you rounding the bases in a very good way. Looking at those achievements, how would you define your career? Is this important for you? How important is this for you? What did Pujols tell you after the home run?

JUNIOR CAMINERO: This is a great achievement for me to represent the Dominican Republic. It's something different. Grateful to God, first of all, for my career. Even when I'm so young, it's been beautiful. I have been working a lot for this. You all know that.

I am doing my best. I want to have the confidence of the coach. This was incredible.

Pujols, before I was at-bat, he said, think clearly, and I was able to hit that home run.

Q. In the Dominican Republic we see in the last couple of years you are doing everything well, and you start the Classic with great success. When you look back, what would you say to the Junior Caminero that was dreaming about this as a child?

JUNIOR CAMINERO: I would tell him it's a matter of discipline. Last year I sacrificed a lot. I stayed in Tampa. I didn't go to the Dominican Republic. I was able to work my physical. And thank God, I continue getting these achievements, just like the previous year. I had a great achievement, and I'm very proud of myself, and I have to thank God for that.

Q. Julio, when Juan Soto talked to you for a while, what did you tell him? And, Junior, you had that great play by Manny Machado. What did you tell him?

JULIO RODRIGUEZ: Soto, I told him, calm down in this kind of tournament. I made a mistake the last tournament. I told him, calm down, just do your job, be aggressive. He is Juan Soto, you know; he can make a mistake. But we all know that he's a great baseball player. I just told him that, to stay focused.

JUNIOR CAMINERO: Machado is incredible. Those plays were, wow, amazing.

JULIO RODRIGUEZ: He's the minister of defense, right? Incredible. Incredible. The first play was with a ball that was higher and the other one was with the ball lower.

Q. Manny said earlier and Vlady said yesterday they have been participating in World Series, and they said for them it is more important to represent the Dominican Republic than playing in a World Series. You are still young and you haven't been in the World Series before. Do you have to play there to know that this is better than that? Julio, can you tell us about the camera? How many gigs does that camera have?

JUNIOR CAMINERO: No, I haven't had a chance to play in a World Series. I played in 2023, the Playoffs against Texas. We played two games, I believe, and Texas was the champion that year. I had some experience in the Dominican Republic. We cannot compare that. We have a great league back home, but I have lived a lot here, something that is unprecedented. I would have to play a World Series to tell you for sure.

JULIO RODRIGUEZ: To me, well, I have good experience in the Playoffs. Last year, for example, we almost made it to the World Series. Of course, I work in Seattle, and I try to do my best every time I go out to the field. But every time that I wear the Dominican jersey, I'm representing my country, my neighborhood, my city, my culture, and that's priceless. That's priceless.

I believe that if I go to the World Series, 90 percent is -- I would say 99 percent. But this Classic is 100 percent. This is what I feel.

And the camera, how many gigs? No, I won't say that. I won't say that. That's limitless. I'm recording all the time.

Q. You are almost the youngest players in the team. Did you have to struggle? Did you have to fight? Did you have to motivate the team to get this first victory knowing that Nicaragua went out performing very well, maybe unexpectedly? And how are you going to face the next game on Sunday?

JUNIOR CAMINERO: Well, first of all, we have to give credit to Sanchez. Full bases, and they only scored one. The credit is for the bullpen, you know. They were great.

We had our heads up. It's only three innings. We have to fight inning after inning, out after out, and that's why we were able to stay in the game and get a win.

JULIO RODRIGUEZ: There are no small enemies here. We went out to fight. The first innings were tough, but thank God it was a battle that we were able to win.

The next game is another game. This game is history. We are going to be off tomorrow, and then we are going to play against the Netherlands, and we are going to do our best as a team. This is our characteristic. We go out to fight, and there are no small enemies in this tournament.

Q. Julio, you didn't have any hits in the previous Classic. You hit a home run today, et cetera. How do you deal with that feeling? And for Caminero, many Dominican players with great careers in the majors have never had the chance for any reason to represent their country in a World Baseball Classic. You are so young. You are dealing with so many emotions in the last week. Are you aware, Julio, of the importance of you as a player in a country for baseball lovers?

JULIO RODRIGUEZ: I do remember I hit a couple of hits in the previous Classic. I just didn't hit a home run. But I do remember I scored a couple of hits. But I am very happy. Like I said before, to me it's very important to be able to wear this jersey to represent the country and to help the team on offense and defense, running bases, whatever. You name it, the way I can help the team, I'm going to be very happy.

Q. Talk about the impact you have created in the Dominican Republic.

JUNIOR CAMINERO: Well, you always try to stay focused, to avoid distractions. It's difficult. But considering my career, it's beautiful but tough at the same time. We have to avoid those distractions, to control emotions and to know how to behave off the field.

Thank God, and we continue working.