WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL D - VENEZUELA VS NICARAGUA

March 9, 2026

Carlos Teller

Jose Orozco

LoanDepot Park

Team Nicaragua

Pregame Press Conference

Q. How long or how many hours did you realize that you would be in the opening lineup today? What was the first person you took to once you found out that you would be in the lineup for the last game of Nicaragua and this WBC and for Carlos? What you would you say the Nicaraguan Federation to develop baseball, to develop the youth and to grow the sports in our sports?

JOSE OROZCO: First of all, thank you. Yes, today at 11:00 I found out that I would be in the lineup. I called my mom, my daughter. I'm very proud to be in the lineup today.

CARLOS TELLER: Good afternoon. Well, we would take a look at the game plan to see how we improve this sport. We have some minor categories in the WBC tournament, but we could check what to do so that the upcoming generations have a winning mindset that are thirsty to win when they are in the national team. But it's not my job, but if I could help somehow, of course I'm 100 available for that.

Q. Carlos, didn't get the results on the team that this team wanted, but what can you take from the tournament both personally from yourself and for the team?

CARLOS TELLER: Personally is an awesome tournament so everyone in my country and any country want to represent your baseball. This is like more serious for us. For a team, great teammate, everybody want to win a game, but we can, so I don't know how many times we're waiting to do that in the World Baseball Classic. So we have to go out in the qualifier again.

It's hard, but we have to continue. And especially for me I retired from the national team after 15 years and I want to win a game for the next generation telling, hey, Nicaragua going directly to the next WBC and don't have to want to stay back for the qualifier. But right now we can do nothing about it. The best for my partners and teammates and coaching staff for the next years working on it to get better for the next experience.

Q. What would it mean for you to go out with a win tonight?

CARLOS TELLER: A decision with my family that this is my last tournament after 15 years. I'm trying to do everything for win. Not a win like I wanted, but that's enough for me on the national team. I got a couple years more in the Caribbean league, but today's the last day.

We have a great team. The energy in the clubhouse was very positive, but after what happened at game against Netherlands, it was very difficult to overcome that. And you saw the result yesterday. We try hard to have a better result. We couldn't. We just couldn't.

I've been in the national team for 15 years now. What I wanted is to be successful in these major tournaments such as this to have at least one win. We couldn't, but I hope that the guys continue working to achieve that victory.

Now we have to go through qualifiers again for the next Classic and no one would like that because it's a knockout phase, you know? I wanted to leave for the upcoming generations to go directly to the next Classic. We wanted to win. Unfortunately, however, we couldn't. We just couldn't. Now we have to wait for a while to win other games for our country in the world Classic.

Q. Did Dusty have words for the team or has he talked to you guys yet?

CARLOS TELLER: Yeah, Dusty's a great person. Always he talk with us and telling positive for everybody. He's an incredible person, he's always telling positive words. He did his best to get a win, but baseball was not on our side this time. We have to continue working.

Q. How would you like to remember this last game of Nicaragua at this WBC considering that you will be in the lineup? What would you say to your family after the game today?

JOSE OROZCO: No. 1, I wish to have a victory. This is something that we have been chasing for a while. It's complicated today, but it is not impossible. That would be great for us. So we are going to go out to compete. If I had the chance to hit, that would be beautiful.