He just said, ‘I’m sorry, guys,’ that’s all, … We said, ‘It’s not your fault. Get out of here, go home and forget about it.’

He went into the coaches’ room to say he was sorry. He felt like he let us down. He said ‘I’m sorry guys.’ But it’s not his fault. I said, ‘Get out of here. Go...

He has to focus more on the game, concentrate more and anticipate things. He’s young, and he’s going to learn that, but that’s the only concern I’ve had all year long.

They’re fastball hitters and they’re very aggressive. They jumped on the fastballs.

When it first happened, people wondered why you needed to add an extra team, and they didn’t like it. Now it’s totally different.

He’s got to suck it up. He’s the best player in baseball and he’s used to doing good. It’s a shame, though. You can see how much this guy wants to win. Every time he...

We have Carlos on the mound tomorrow and Freddy comes next, and we’ll have to work hard to get to San Diego.

My guys didn’t come through. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do about it because pitching was a big factor in this game.

Of course everyone is thinking about Venezuela. We’re one of the favorites.

They’re men and they know what they have to do. You can’t watch over these guys and try to control their social lives. Of course, when it comes to the clubhouse and the dugout, if...

To end the way it [did], he blames himself. This is a team effort. Everybody’s got a lot of expectations and he’s supposed to better than everybody else. It’s not going to work like that....

I’m very happy at the appointment, and now we have to put together a team that puts Venezuela’s name high up there. But I think in Venezuela there are enough quality players to win the...

We were coming from behind until Miguel hit the top of the fence. We thought it was a home run. But the umpires, you know, thought different.

As a manager, you want your guys to do well. But you can’t put a gun to their head and say, ‘Get a hit.’ They’re trying. We haven’t hit the ball well. So we’re going...

These guys are proven hitters in the major leagues. There really wasn’t much to do. They’re our best hitters and I wasn’t going to sit them on the bench or put them at the bottom...

On paper we are the favorites along with the Dominican Republic and the United States, but things are not predictable in baseball. Every country has their best players on their squads and have plans to...

They did a very good job against our hitters. They threw a lot of strikes. When we were behind, they threw a lot of breaking balls and changeups.

You have an accomplished hitter like Moises Alou behind him. He’s quite capable of delivering a big hit.

We didn’t come through when we needed to. But the most important thing is we came out with a win.

He felt like he let us down. It was not just Alex. It was everybody. It’s a team effort. We were supposed to accomplish something and we didn’t do it.

The pitching worked very nicely today, as expected. Freddy [Garcia] pitched very strong innings, and Carlos [Silva], you saw how intense he was.

I think he took it personal. We talked a little bit that day. I said listen, ‘It’s over, come back next year. You’ve got a long way to go. You’ve got seven more years here....

This is the Venezuelan team I wanted to see. I want some more. We came through when we needed to.

The Venezuelan reporters, they don’t interview you, they want to tell you their way, ‘You’ve got to put this guy here, play this guy.’ But it was great. I got to manage all those [top...

My guys knew it was going to be tough, no matter who we played. Now we go to the second round and it’s going to be tougher and tougher.

The pitching has been great. They all want the ball. It’s making it tough for me when I get to the ballpark, because I see all these guys going to my office and they all...

This guy, … he knows what to do. He’s been around, so he knows how important he is to the teams he plays for. He’s as important for the Yanks now as he was for...

Whoever is on this team requires a lot of responsibility and discipline.

It’s a shame, … because all he cares about is winning. He comes to the ballpark and all he talks about is baseball. He’s got a long way to go here. [Rodriguez is signed through...

That’s one thing in this game, you have to be strong mentally. If you’re not strong mentally, you’re done.

It puts more pressure on us. We just have to put it behind us.

These guys, they want to be honored. They want to play. We have a good pitching staff, and we have a good lineup, too. In Venezuela, people are always talking about a dream team, but...

He hates mental mistakes. Errors, you’re going to make those mistakes every day. But the fact that you make a mental one was really bad to him. In 10 years, I’ve never seen him that...

He blamed himself. I think he took it personal. … He said, ‘I’m sorry, guys.’ … He felt like he let us down.

Clutch hitting has been the missing ingredient for us. The Cubans are very good fastball hitters and they showed they were ready whenever they got that pitch.

Santana wants to pitch against the Dominican. I’m telling you, these guys are making it easy for me. All I have to do is write out the lineup. Carlos Zambrano wants to do the same...

For 10 years, they’ve been a winning team, and Mel was a big part of it. It’s going to be tough, but that’s the name of the game. You have to move on. We’re going...

These guys enjoy the competition. They are baseball players — that’s what they do. Because they are representing the country makes it more special. I expect good things. There is a lot of pride for...

It definitely gives you an edge to be the wild card. You feel like you’ve already been in the playoffs.

Unfortunately for Carlos Hernandez and the Venezuelan team, he left a pitch there for a great hitter. That’s why the great hitters always take advantage when a pitcher makes an error.

It’s going to be hard, … I’ve been with these guys for 10 years. They’ve been a winning team, and Mel’s been a big part of it. It’s going to be tough. That’s the name...

We’ve been quiet offensively and today we came through when we needed it. It’s not a secret that our fine pitching has kept us afloat in this tournament.

If they don’t come to practice, they don’t want to be on the team. This isn’t about individualism, it’s about putting together a team that can represent us with honor.

We wanted to take 15 pitchers. It was tough.

Unfortunately, we didn’t hit. We couldn’t come through when we needed.