Luis Sojo Quotations

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.

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 want the ball. But we've got to make a decision and tonight it was the right one.

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

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.

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

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 win it all.

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.

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 gets to the ballpark it's all about baseball. These guys don't talk about anything else.

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 home and forget about it.' It's one thing about this game you've got to be strong mentally. If you're not strong mentally, you're done.

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 mad.

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.

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.

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.'

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. So, hopefully you end up winning four or five world championships.' We've got a great team. Hopefully, they keep it together.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

We wanted to take 15 pitchers. It was tough. He wasn't the only one. Luis Rodriguez with Minnesota led the league in hitting in winter ball. But we wanted to keep 15 pitchers. I left a message to Alex and I talked to Luis. With Alex, it's his first year with Boston and I know that's important, too. We just didn't have any choice.

We wanted to take 15 pitchers. It was tough.

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

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.

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 thing. I don't do anything, thank God. I just write the names down.

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 us back in '95.

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

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

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 you don't follow rules, you have to leave the team.

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

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 to miss him, that's for sure.

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 of the game. You're in and you're out. You've got to move on. We're going to miss him, that's for sure.

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

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.

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 title. I hope the best are available.

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.

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

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 we never have any pitching. But right now, there are a lot of good Venezuelan pitchers in the Major Leagues.

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 Venezuela.

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 of the order.