Venezuelan director's determination revealed! "Three MLB teams contacted me to save the pitchers."→ Negotiation is over well

*This content was translated by AI.

"As soon as I woke up this morning, I got messages from three different clubs. It was a pressure not to throw our pitchers back-to-back."

Ahead of the final match of fate, Venezuelan national team coach Omar Lopez (49) revealed that he had been contacted by Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs. The content was to prevent the overwork of pitchers on his team.

Lopez was asked about the pitcher's management plan at an official press conference held just hours before the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) final at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida on the 18th (Korea time).

In response, Lopez said, "I received text messages from three clubs this morning asking us not to throw our pitchers consecutively. It was the most unbearable moment as a coach ahead of the final, which is a single game." MLB clubs ahead of the opening of the season seem to have put indirect pressure on the operation of the national team for fear of injury to their players.

However, Lopez did not back down. He said, "I checked the message, lay down for a while, and then I woke up again to reply. I had to fight for my players," he said, revealing that he had held fierce negotiations with the club. "In the end, we found an agreement after persistent negotiations, and if the pitcher is needed to win tonight, we will be willing to throw back-to-back pitches," manager Lopez said.

Analysts say that the U.S. schedule is more advantageous than Venezuela in terms of pitcher management. Venezuela played a semifinal match against Italy the previous day (17th), so most pitchers are caught in consecutive pitching. On the other hand, the U.S. took a day off after playing against the Dominican Republic on the 16th, so it is not a consecutive game.

On the previous day, Venezuela's Major League Baseball bullpen pitchers included Lu Yinzander Aviya (Kansas City Royals), Angel Gerva (Milwick Brewers), Edouard Bazardo (Seattle Mariners), and Daniel Palencia (Chicago Cubs). In particular, Palencia, who finished the match against Italy, is also in the closing position at the Cubs. He made 22 saves in the 2025 season.

Among the bullpen pitchers who took the mound on the 17th, Ricardo Sanchez (29, Algodoneros de Union Laguna in Mexico) and Andrés Machado (Orix Buffaloes in Japan) are not members of the Major League Baseball.

Lopez has already said there was a limit on the number of pitches requested by the club on the mound of Enmanuel de Heysus, a former KBO league player who was named on the Detroit Tigers 40-man roster.

Finally, manager Lopez said, "Baseball is a game of mistakes, and we prepared thoroughly to reduce them," adding, "There was pressure from the clubs, but our players were ready to give everything for their country. Tonight, Venezuela will unite to create a miracle," he stressed.

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*This content was translated by AI.