Akinori Otsuka Quotations

I'd like to be in Japan and celebrate with my teammates and the fans, but I have to practice here now. These are my teammates. I have to get ready. Because of this experience, I have more confidence than I have ever had. I feel stronger. My mind. My body.

I'm always excited, ... Pitching in the eighth inning, in games like this, it can't get any better than this. I like to show emotion; that's my natural style.

I feel stronger than I have felt in spring. My mind. My body. I feel prepared. I have more confidence than I have ever had.

I always thought the best players in the world were in the major leagues. This tournament shows that this is not true.

I was a little nervous coming into a tie game. I knew it was my job to get three outs, keep the game tied, and give us a chance to win. I had a good slider, and I was able to do that. These are very important games. I'm glad I could help.

I was throwing fastballs, fastballs, fastballs. It was a good feeling.

I stopped by Rangers camp for just two days and only pitched one of those days. I have not faced any batters, but in the bullpen, my fastball and slider look good.

Manager Oh is the one who invited me to be on the team. So it means a lot to me personally to win for him tonight.

This time, as a country, we couldn't lose it. The United States lost and we got a really good chance, so we had an unusual power inside us. That was a great game.

The whole team is going to Tokyo and I'm stuck flying an economy domestic flight. Seriously, I'm pretty sad.

Striking out two hitters like that, and helping us win the game, brings a lot of confidence.

Doesn't matter. He will get better. He will finish the season at .300-something. Ichiro is a genius.

It's important to establish communication with my new teammates.

It's wonderful. That's the only thing I can say.

In history, Cuba has always been a really strong team. I realize how strong the baseball system is in Cuba. Probably everybody knows about Cuba.

I couldn't get a grip and hooked it a little too much.

I asked him if I could use it, because San Diego was home base for me, too. We were teammates, and Trevor is such a great pitcher, so I asked him to use his song. I think it gave me his power.