WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL A - PANAMA VS CANADA

March 8, 2026

Abraham Toro

Hiram Bithorn Stadium

Team Canada

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Did you see last night's game? I don't know if you were at the stadium or you saw it on TV. What was stated in the clubhouse in terms of the energy?

ABRAHAM TORO: Yes, I did see last night's game, and you see the impact of the baseball community to me and fan base, that's to me the best. For me having Latin parents, I'm proud of coming from a Venezuelan family.

Q. In terms of how you're preparing to face them tomorrow, it's one of those things that --

ABRAHAM TORO: I'm sorry. Tomorrow we have off.

Q. The day after when you face them, facing the tenth man, having the crowd not against you, but just chanting when you pitch, does that get in your head?

ABRAHAM TORO: We're fully aware of the energy the fans are going to bring. They're going to be rowdy. They're going to be loud. We're fully aware of that. For now we're worried about tonight. We're not thinking about that yet. We've got to think about tonight and worry about that later.

Q. Abraham, yesterday Owen was talking about the pressure 1 through 9 in the lineup and what that does to the other team, obviously a big part of yesterday. What does that feel like for you when you're watching the way you stress out other pitchers?

ABRAHAM TORO: We know the importance of working at-bats, especially with a lot of restrictions pitch count. We definitely did a good job yesterday, we walked our walks, we definitely put the pressure. In this tournament form, you know how important it is to do that.

Q. With the bases loaded, what's the challenge of staying patient in an situation like that? You said not get too big.

ABRAHAM TORO: In that situation, it's not doing too much. For me it was getting a line drive up the middle. You end up getting the walk. I didn't want to come out of my shoe, but sometimes you do it more than you can, but just simplifying.

Q. Abraham, what do you think playing in such competitive ballgames, how do you think that will help you get ready for playing time in the Big Leagues, playing more regularly in the Big Leagues?

ABRAHAM TORO: Again, this is huge. I was able to do it in the last WBC. So I remember we were going to play Mexico and USA. The crowd was really loud.

So for me that experience from the last one, I remember loving it. From a lot of veterans that we have on this team, just have a good mix of veteran and young guys. We're ready.

Q. How do you feel about the experience of playing in Puerto Rico from other places compared to Puerto Rico?

ABRAHAM TORO: As I said, it's the first time I've played in Puerto Rico. We played yesterday, and it was a really good game. After today's game, then against Puerto Rico, we know that the fans are going to be really loud and they're going to be yelling all game. So we're ready for that, and let's hope that we win.

Q. Abraham, you guys have had a couple off days. Did you guys do anything outside the field, instead of watching baseball games, anything around the island?

ABRAHAM TORO: No, it was really about scouting reports and who we're going to face. We didn't take it as a vacation. We're here to work, and we have a job to do. So it's really baseball.

Q. Last World Baseball Classic you saw Phillippe also come off the farm, throw mid-90s. Seeing him do it a second time being able to dial it up, what's it like watching that?

ABRAHAM TORO: I'm very proud of him. It's very impressive what he's doing. He just comes here, throws the bullpen and does it like he never left. It's very impressive. Watching him get the last out, I was very happy for him.

Q. Just for you with your situation in Kansas City and coming to the Classic, how do the Royals look at your participation here and your status with Spring Training?

ABRAHAM TORO: Yeah, I've gotten that question before, somebody that's fighting for the team, if I should've come here, but for me it was no doubt. This experience you're not going to get it every time. If I'm going to make the team, I'm going to make the team. I didn't think too much about that. It was really important for me to represent Canada for a second time.