WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL A - CANADA VS PUERTO RICO

March 10, 2026

Cal Quantrill

Hiram Bithorn Stadium

Team Canada

Pregame Press Conference

Q. I imagine the last time you pitched at the WBC you would like to forget all together. I'm curious how you think you've changed as a pitcher in the three years since you last appeared in this tournament.

CAL QUANTRILL: I think more experience as a pitcher, more prepared for this type of tournament this early in the season. At the time, I was coming off a ton of innings and probably wasn't where I needed to be.

I'm ready to rock this time. I got started earlier. I know this is a big opportunity for baseball Canada and want to put our best foot out there. Ready to go, and it will be a blast.

Q. You mentioned the opportunity at hand in the game tomorrow. For you, prepping for that start, knowing the stakes, what goes into that, how does that maybe compare to getting ready for a playoff game that you've done? Describe a little bit of it.

CAL QUANTRILL: This tournament is a little like the playoffs. You really can't afford to take a game off. That being said, there's all these rules about how much you can pitch. So it's kind of a blend.

In terms of preparation, it doesn't change much. You have a routine. It's the same routine as it is for a playoff game, as it is for a Spring Training game, as it is for the WBC.

I'll go through my regular approach, and I think that's the best you can do to be prepared for something like this.

Q. Can you maybe describe a little bit about your prep process, how much you like to scout and game plan?

CAL QUANTRILL: I think it's really a five-day or a six-day thing. I'll do some game planning, especially today, a little bit tomorrow morning. I haven't pitched against a lot of the guys on that team. So I'll be relying on some of the data we're able to provide. Then get a good night's rest and go through kind of the same mental and physical exercises I go through in the 24 hours leading up to a start.

I think the only thing that changes is the first pitch time, right? So you just work your way back from there. Otherwise keep it standard.

Q. When you made the decision to come pitch in the tournament, I'm wondering how the Texas Rangers talked about the opportunity for you there and how you thought through the potential impact on your situation with that club.

CAL QUANTRILL: I think you only have so many opportunities in this sport to represent your country. I've played in the Big Leagues for a long time now. I think that they're well aware of what I'm capable of. Any risk of coming here, I think is outweighed by the joy of to get to wear that "Team Canada" on my chest.

In the end, this is extremely competitive baseball, and in a lot of ways, it's far more competitive than Spring Training. It's not like they're not able to watch and see. We can talk about how the outing went later on.

I wasn't going to miss this opportunity, and I think the Rangers were understanding of that when they signed me. There was no problem.

Q. Now that you've had some time to play with your fellow countrymen, what's your impression of how Canada baseball has come along, especially in the last few years?

CAL QUANTRILL: I think we're in a great spot. Really good participation this year. We're missing a couple of guys that would have been nice, but for the most part, the guys came out. We can field an entirely Big League team if we want to. I think this sport is in a great spot in Canada. There's more talent coming.

I think we're finally in a spot where we're having to make tough choices on our roster and who's going to take which roles. We've got guys on the bench who started at the Big League level. I think we're in a great spot. We're only getting better. We're certainly sitting on the shoulders of some giants who came before us.

I think, if you look at depth of our talent, it's grown. It's exciting to be a part of that, and it's exciting to have seen it grown in my 10, 11 years of professional baseball. I think we really want to make this next step on the world stage and do something the country can be proud of.

Q. Tell me a little bit about your expectations about the crowd tonight, what you've seen about the ambience so far in this tournament. Obviously you're playing against the host tonight, so what are your expectations, and how do you think that plays in your favor or against you?

CAL QUANTRILL: Yeah, it's awesome. I think the fans have come out for all the games but certainly the games Puerto Rico has played in. I think our guys are excited to play under the lights and have a loud crowd. I think it only adds to the excitement of the game. I don't think it adds any pressure. We all know why we're here and what we need to do.

Yeah, it's awesome. I think it's great that we get to come here and see a place so invested in baseball and cares so much. Obviously they've got a good team this year. It would be fun to perform in front of all these guys, even if they're probably not rooting for us.

Q. Back home in Canada, in Ontario, it sounds like this year the Intercounty League is professionalizing into the Canadian Baseball League. Just wondering if you had any thoughts as far as what that might mean for baseball in Canada and maybe what are some other ways to build baseball in Canada.

CAL QUANTRILL: To be honest, I don't know probably enough to speak super professionally on what's going on in Canadian baseball right now. What I do know is that we're just having more and more young players getting opportunities both in college and in the states, but also getting drafted out of high school.

In terms of what's happening at the older level, I'm sure there's people on this team that would be more informed, but I would say just in general, the fact that baseball is growing at home, specifically in Ontario, is great. I love it, and I look forward to opportunities to help give back towards the end of my career.

Q. To be able to represent your country and have your dad alongside of you to share this kind of experience with him, how often do you guys talk about the experience that you have, and how much does that mean to you?

CAL QUANTRILL: I think right now it's -- I don't think there's any legacy or something that we're thinking about. We're here to win baseball games. He's a very good coach, and I think I'm a good pitcher. We might look back in 20 years and say, oh, that was pretty cool.

Right now we both have a job to do, and I think we're keeping this professional. If there's a time later that we can have a beer and talk about it, we will, but for right now it's business as usual. The fact that there's two Quantrills out on the field is just a bonus honestly for my mom more than anyone (laughing).

Q. Cal, you saw Owen had some nice moments at the last WBC. Wondering when you see him step into the batter's box and run an at-bat the way he's running it right now, where do you see some growth from him and maybe some difference that's will allow him to have success this year?

CAL QUANTRILL: Owen, I think he looks great. I think we all knew how talented he was. It's just about finding opportunity. It's tough. There's only so many jobs out there, and I think this year he's going to have an opportunity at the end of this tournament as well. He's certainly showcasing what he's capable of here against pretty good competition.

The sky's the limit for him. He can do a little bit of everything. I think that we're probably just seeing the beginning of what's going to be a pretty special hopefully year and career.