CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Cuban Manager Optimistic after Losing to Japan

CUBA, March 16, 2009. Higinio Velez, Cuban baseball team manager, said he was optimistic regarding the coming matches at the 2nd World Baseball Classic, after losing to current champion, Japan, 0-6 on Sunday night.

Velez sent a message to Cuban fans stating that “you must trust and remain calm, since no one here is to win undefeated. We are ready for this kind of situations, though we don’t like losing. I repeat, have faith, we still aspire to go to Los Angeles”.

Regarding the winner pitcher, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Velez said that “he is a great pitcher. We have watched him win at the Olympics and other international events. He was in great shape and it became very hard to score against him. He always knew what to do”.

Talking about his players’ behaviour, the Cuban manager pointed out that “they didn’t have a good afternoon; it was a tough game and we lost, but it doesn’t mean we are defeated. We will go for the victory against Mexico, it is like saying the battle just started. We can fight from behind”.

When he referred to left hander Aroldis Chapman he used encouraging words and pointed out that “he is a courageous pitcher, only 21, who needs to accumulate some experience; maybe he felt the pressure of a difficult game and it was not his best performance”.

“We are aware of his potentials and how he must work to improve his control, only then he will be able to make the best out of his great qualities. He has a great future.”

Meanwhile, Japanese manager Tatsunori Hara confessed that “things turned up better than expected; I had dreamt of many variables to nullify the strong Cuban team, but Matsuzaka made a formidable work, consistent with a established big-leaguer”

“Winning the first game is very important, that is why we tried our harder for the victory. There was a lot of tension in the field, every player said so, and we could score three in the third and then everything was easier” pointed out Hara.

On his part, Matsuzaka said that he “pitched carefully. I knew the Cubans and I had to take advantage of that experience; I focused and I managed to dominate at the most critical moments, like in the first and third, but I recovered and I event struck out three, after that I didn’t have hard times”. (Cubaminrex- ACN)

<< Back