Quotations

«They can't leave me out there. I'll lose the game, ... We have guys out there that are fresher.»

«This is one of the few times when I haven't missed Cuba. I know after this I'm going to feel a little sad because my family hasn't been able to share this victory with me, but later I'll talk to them on the phone and they'll enjoy it, too.»

«I feel very proud of being part of the staff, ... It never crossed my mind once, though, to throw a complete game because when you face such a great offense as Anaheim you never think this.»

«If Cuba wins, it is expected. If they lose, there will be a lot of explaining because baseball is the top sport and if you don't win, it's a problem. The pressure is going to be double for Cuba. You have the government watching and you are playing against the best players in the world. This will be the best competition Cuba has ever played against.»

«I want Cuba to win [the World Baseball Classic]. I know some people associate the worst things in the world with Cuba but I support the baseball team, the players and my friends. ... I'm Cuban and I love my country and the people, but I can't play with them because of politics.»

«The invited are young players who are followers of the revolution and have a clean background. If you have relatives who live in other places in the world, it will be really difficult to be taken out of Cuba on that team. For example, if you have an uncle who lives in Miami, it's going to be real hard for you to leave the country. They worry that you will stay there.»

«On the team, there are probably 10 players who work like spies. They see you doing something that is suspicious, and they go tell on you. Players [from other teams] will talk on the field. I know that, but you can't talk anywhere else. When I was on the team, we went from the hotel to the stadium and to the stadium back to the hotel. People see you talking to people, you will be in trouble. I know some players are going to ask the Cubans to go eat or go get a beer. The Cuban players will be scared. They will run away because of the fear. That's how it is in Cuba.»

«Everybody knows the quality of players from Cuba. All of the championships we won -- you have to be one of the best in the whole country to be one of the 25 who are coming.»

«I felt fine after having such a long time off. No problem.»

«By the third inning, I felt like I could go forever. For having such a long time off, I felt real good. No problems so far.»