Spanish
Miami, Florida.– The leader of the Albert Pujols selection valued the performance of the Dominican bullpen and highlighted the chemistry that exists within the team after the victory of Dominican Republic over Venezuela in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
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Pujols expressed his confidence in the work that the team's scouting group has done and assured that the coaching staff will continue preparing for the next commitment with the same approach used so far. "We have confidence in the advanced group of scouts we have, who have done a tremendous job. Perhaps they don't know us well and we don't know them either, but we are going to continue doing the same work with the hitters and pitchers to try to get a good result on Friday," said the Dominican manager. The strategist also explained the decision to remove reliever Abner Uribe from the game, after he gave up three consecutive walks in the ninth inning. "I reacted by making the change. My intention was to try to keep Uribe in because he hadn't thrown many pitches and I wanted to have him available for Friday. He is human and those things happen; he normally doesn't lose control that way," he said. At that moment, Pujols turned to reliever Elvis Alvarado, who entered a complicated situation and managed to complete the job in the closing of the game. The leader highlighted that the bullpen has been one of the team's strengths during the tournament. "The bullpen has been doing a tremendous job throughout the championship. Alvarado came in and did what he had to do. Perhaps we would have liked to complete a double play in one of the plays, but those are details that can be improved," he explained. Beyond the performance on the field, Pujols highlighted the atmosphere within the Dominican team, which he described as one of the best groups of his career. "From the outside, you can see the unity and the vibe of the team, but if you could enter the clubhouse, you would feel it even more. I have been on many teams in my career, but this group from the Dominican Republic has been one of the best experiences I have had as a professional," he said.
