WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL D - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC VS ISRAEL

March 9, 2026

Geraldo Perdomo

Sandy Alcantara

LoanDepot Park

Team Dominican Republic

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Perdomo, you didn't play against the Netherlands because you were sick. Are you okay today? What did it mean to you not participating in that game?

GERALDO PERDOMO: I'm a player that plays no matter the circumstances. I was not feeling all right on Saturday. I had a fever, ache all over my joints, et cetera. So Erik played for me. We have very good players, and we trust everyone. Everyone can do their job here. Erik did a great job on defense and also on offense.

Thank God. I was feeling kind of jealous, but I was not ready yet.

Q. Sandy, on Wednesday you will have the possibility to have a kind of revenge against Venezuela. Do you see it like that, even when you have great friends such as Luis Arraez? Personally speaking, do you take it as revenge?

SANDY ALCANTARA: I don't think so. I don't see it as revenge. This is a very short tournament. We lost the previous Classic. We did our best, but we couldn't be successful on Wednesday. We will be able to go out to the field and fight from the very first pitch, and may the best team win.

Q. Sandy, I asked the same to Pujols. Venezuelan players speak a lot about you. I asked Avila who's his favorite player, and he said you, Sandy Alcantara, and Estevez. And you are facing Venezuela. Who's the Venezuelan player in the Classic that you like? And the same question for you, Gerardo?

SANDY ALCANTARA: Venezuela has many, many young talented players. Miguel Cabrera, who is a Hall of Famer, is one of my favorite players. I played together with Arraez for a few years. Arraez is a great human being. He is on my list. He's a great teammate.

But if I have to choose my favorite from Venezuela, it's Miguel Cabrera, and we hope that he's a Hall of Famer.

GERALDO PERDOMO: For me, they are all great players and teammates. But I admire Acuña because he's at a different level, as well as Eugenio Suárez. We played together for one or two seasons, and I learned a lot with him. Yeah, I admire him as a player. This is something beautiful from them.

Q. The expectation of the game against Venezuela, there is a lot of rivalry, but what do you think about that game?

GERALDO PERDOMO: You know how the fans are. We are here to compete, to play aggressively no matter who the rival is, no matter the country they are from. We proved that against Detroit in the DR when we played against the Netherlands, and we are going to do the same against Japan, the United States, or Venezuela.

We are here to give it all.

SANDY ALCANTARA: Let me answer that question quick. You know, the fans can kill each other. There will be always fight between fans, if we are friends, if we are not, if we are good teammates, if we are not. But speaking of revenge, something that you read on social media, Dominicans against Venezuelans and vice versa. They can kill themselves, but we're here to represent our country and to play.

Q. Perdomo, your cousin Guillen who died, how important was he for you as a child? And today in the WBC when you think about him, is there a tip that he gave you and that you take into consideration during this Classic?

GERALDO PERDOMO: Especially the way he used to play. He used to be a player that worked hard, and I think that because of him, I play like this. I loved Pedro Martinez when I was a child; I liked pitching. After his death, I started playing shortstop. So his main tip was to respect the veterans and that I had to play always aggressively no matter the situation or no matter my rival. I had to respect the game.

Q. Sandy, you have been on this stage before. Can you tell us what it means to you to play at the Marlins stadium with the Dominican Republic with all the expectation about the game, Venezuela and Dominican Republic? We are rivals in baseball. Can you tell us something about that with your experience? You mentioned Pedro Martinez as a leader yesterday, celebrating at the clubhouse. Could you tell us something about David, Beltré, Encarnación, and Pedro Martinez that have joined the team as the advisory committee? Can you tell us something about the work they are doing?

SANDY ALCANTARA: The past is the past. The past is in the past. It doesn't matter to us anymore. We lost. But today we are focused on this goal, which is to win. We have great vibes in the clubhouse, Vlady, Caminero. All the players are excited. And the pitchers, we are doing a great job, as well, and our goal is to do our best.

I think that it will be possible.

GERALDO PERDOMO: In the case of Beltré, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Encarnación, et cetera, you have seen the work. We went to the DR to play there. You've seen how Beltré was helping Caminero on defense, talking to him. We appreciated that a lot. I have seen Pedro Martinez talking to the pitchers, speaking with them. Those tips are valuable. They are veterans. They have vast experience, and they have been playing for so many years. They have been in World Series.

So the help, the tips they give us is great. Grateful to Nelson Cruz for doing that for us and the federation, as well. Having them around is great, and we have to take advantage of that situation.

We don't know when we are going to have that team of legends working at the same place at the same time.

Q. 24 runs in two games, walk-off by Soto yesterday, six homers in these games, it is insane. How did you receive the energy from the fans on the field when they called your names? Sandy, you as a pitcher, how do you see the support of the fans and the job done by Severino yesterday? And you, Gerardo, on offense, how do you receive that energy from the fans with every hit and those homers by Caminero that have the fans excited?

SANDY ALCANTARA: Severino did an outstanding job. He had great preparation in the DR and here. He was focused, and he had a great performance. We all thanked him because of his effort, and the vibes, the chemistry starts with the coaches and from the players.

Pitchers, hitters, we are happy to transmit that joy, and the fans transmit that joy. When you see your flag all over the place, that motivates us to continue doing this great job.

Caminero has always been very aggressive, and Soto yesterday, he told Pujols not to remove him from the game, and he hit a homer after that. We are very proud. It's a pleasure to see those fans in the stadium.

As a player, that's everything you want to see to receive the vibes, the energy. No matter the score, we are here for them. They are enjoying the games. These guys are now warming up. The hitters are ready. Maybe we can score 20 runs today. We have to continue working the way we have been doing so far.