A solo un día de que comience el Premier12 WBSC presentado por RAXUS, los mánager de los equipos del Grupo A anunciaron sus lanzadores abridores para el primer día de competición en Guadalajara y Tepic en las conferencias de prensa del viernes
Por la mañana en Tepic, los mánager Juan González y Mike Scioscia anunciaron a sus lanzadores abridores para el duelo de las 16:00 hora local. Jonathan Bermúdez tomará la pelota para Puerto Rico, mientras que el veterano Rich Hill abrirá para la escuadra estadounidense.
Later on Friday, Panama’s skipper Jose Mayorga named Jaime Berria as their Opening Day pitcher. He will face the Netherlands’ Shairon Martis in Game 1 of the tournament at 13:00 local time, as manager Evert Jan ‘t Hoen announced the 37-year-old as his Day 1 starter.
For Game 3, Mexico will send left-handed pitcher Manny Bañuelos to play Venezuela while Omar Flores will give the ball to right-hander Ricardo Pinto in the last game on Saturday at 20:00.
In Guadalajara, Mayorga said Panama has unity and a lot of chemistry. «We’ve been playing in several tournaments together, and in the end, we also have a mix of everything. I think we have a little bit of pitching, defence, and batting, which will be important to get results in this tournament,» he said.
«We are here to seek a spot, to go to Japan. And our goal is simply to go out and compete in each game and get the victory in one way or another and look for a positive result for us,» he added.
Netherlands skipper ‘t Hoen trusts in his country’s programme with many players developed in youth categories and some veterans to guide them at the highest international level. «We have a great mix of players from the Federation and young talents coming through our system. We have players who have represented the national team at U-15, at U-18, and even recently in the U-23 World Cup in China,» he said. «And, of course, we have players with many years of experience in Major League Baseball. So we’re very excited to play the game and start tomorrow.»
«Every team in this group is a big baseball country. And so are we. We are going to put up a challenge against every country here. We know we can win. We’ve done it in the past,» he mentioned.
Lopez also mentioned intangible assets as Venezuela’s top strengths. «Unity, team chemistry, and the desire to bring joy to our country. These are the main three things for me,» he said. «Beyond that, it’s about execution on the field and what we can achieve in each game.»
«I think that the expectation of all the managers is to win or secure one of the two spots to go to Japan. I think there’s no question about that,» Lopez added. «But mainly my personal expectations, along with the team, are that we can control our emotions day by day and that we can perform well in each game.»
Finally, Mexico’s Benji Gil focused on the balance of the team. «I think our strength is the balance we have, in terms of offence, defence, and the desire to win. The desire to win, I think, being the host, gives you extra responsibility but also extra motivation,» he said.
«There will be a totally committed Mexican team. The expectation is that we play well, do the work on the field, and let’s see where does it takes us. And we hope it’s enough to be playing for the medals in Japan.»
In Tepic, Scioscia and Gonzalez both talked up their excitement during a press conference full of media representatives. «We are anxious to start this tournament, to play in this stadium, with great conditions,» said USA’s skipper. «We know each team that will participate in this tournament and what it represents, the great talents they have, and we are anxious to face it.
«When you have a team that is good on paper, it’s nothing,» Scioscia added. «You need to play with heart, you need to play hard, because every team in this tournament, they have a lot of talent, and you don’t have a chance if you think you are good on paper.»
Asked about his team and his pool of athletes, Scioscia said. «The United States has a great tradition of baseball. It’s true. It’s the same in Venezuela. It’s the same in Mexico. It’s the same in Puerto Rico. It’s the same in every country that plays baseball now,» he said. «I don’t think it’s important if you like this country or that country. It’s just that you like baseball. You have a passion for baseball.»
Gonzalez said he’s happy with the challenge. «It is an honour for me to be here representing my country and to be with other great managers and great teams in this tournament,» he said.
«In today’s baseball, pitching and the defence are the key. But if you face a team like USA, which is a super talented team, with very good batters and with a very experienced manager, we have to come all in,» he added. «Inside the lines, there are no small opponents. The best team that day is the one who wins.»
