Coach Pujols was miffed at repeated questions about Dominica's ceremony, saying, "Stop asking me → What everyone can celebrate in their own way."

*This content was translated by AI.

Albert Pujols (46), the coach of the Dominican Republic, expressed his firm belief in the outside world's eyes toward the team's spectacular ceremony.

During an official interview at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida, on the 13th (Korea time), Pujols drew a line to the exhausting debate with the nuance of "I don't have any problem with that" when asked about the players' home run celebrations being too long and colorful.

The Dominican Republic and the South Korean national team will play the quarterfinals at 7:30 a.m. on the 14th at the venue, where tickets to the 2026 World Baseball Classic semifinals are at stake.

At the official press conference held a day before the game, the topic of the Dominican team was none other than a home run ceremony. Dominican media and other overseas media came to the home plate shortly after the Dominican team hit a home run, taking selfies with each other and questioning about the ceremony.

Coach Pujols emphasized the peculiarity of the competition, saying, "A competition like the WBC is different from a normal regular season and is a special opportunity that comes every three to four years on behalf of the country." "Dominica players consider it a great honor to wear national uniforms. The players just do their best for the logo on their chest and express their passion," he explained.

In particular, Pujols emphasized that the ceremony should be viewed from the perspective of "cultural identity." "Puerto Rico, Mexico, even Italy and the U.S. players are all celebrating their victories in their own way," he said, adding, "Our team may be a little more passionate, but that doesn't mean we don't respect the opponent."

In fact, the Korean national team also showed an "Airplane Ceremony" to wish for Miami, where the second round will be held, in the first round schedule at Tokyo Dome, Japan. The ceremony was decided under the leadership of Hanwha Eagles' Noh Si-hwan, and even a balloon with an M letter, Miami's front letter, was mobilized for the home run ceremony. Of course, the scale of the ceremony was smaller than that of Dominica.

On the other hand, when Dominica hits a home run, all the players in the dugout pour toward the home plate, dress them in special costumes, and take a selfie as a group. It is pointed out that the ceremony takes a long time due to the fuss.

Asked repeatedly about the ceremony, Pujols said, "I don't think there's a problem at all (as the commander of the team). If you have any questions, I think you can ask the players additionally," he said.

Finally, coach Pujols made it clear that he would support the players to express their emotions to their heart's content on the field, saying, "We have no intention of changing our image or culture just because it's a competition."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.