Jose Contreras
Jose Contreras
José Ariel Contreras Camejois a Cuban professional baseball pitcher for the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican Baseball League. He has played in the Cuban National Series, Major League Baseball, and internationally for the Cuban national baseball team...
hear heard pitching roger watch
Even when I was in Cuba, I hear of Roger Clemens, and I was a big admirer. I'd heard so much about him, and then I got to see him pitch. Everything about his pitching is perfect. You watch him and you see nothing wasted.
correct cuba fastball helped roger taught thank throwing time wrong
I have to thank Roger very much because in Cuba I was throwing a two-seam fastball and he taught me how to throw a four-seam fastball. Every time I did something wrong with my mechanics, he helped he correct my errors.
aggressive coming throwing
I'm being aggressive and throwing strikes, ... Finally, it's coming together.
ball comfort confidence level passing past strikes throwing walking zone
The comfort level comes from throwing strikes like I have in the past and passing the ball around the strike zone and not walking as many people, and that comes from confidence, ... When you have confidence you have success, and that's when you have wins.
believed confidence gives language manager since speaks walked
Since the first day I walked into the clubhouse, everyone believed in me and had confidence in me, ... Even the language barrier. The manager not only speaks Spanish, he's my friend. He gives me a lot of confidence.
extra stands support wife
It's a big difference, ... You have that extra support when you look into the stands and see your wife and kids.
call might stepped
You might call it lucky, you might call it great, but we stepped it up.
kept paid process sending struggling
Even when Jose was struggling we kept sending him back in there to get over it. It was a long process and it paid real well,
clean cuba difficult followers hard invited leave lives places players relatives revolution stay taken uncle worry
The invited are young players who are followers of the revolution and have a clean background. If you have relatives who live in other places in the world, it will be really difficult to be taken out of Cuba on that team. For example, if you have an uncle who lives in Miami, it's going to be real hard for you to leave the country. They worry that you will stay there.
bad face facing good honor mostly pitch wish
We pitch mostly the same way, and just facing him is an honor. As good as he is, I wish I had him on my team, but too bad we have to face him.
bad chicago dedicate deserve fans game great pitching stood waited
Today's game was a great one and I dedicate it to Chicago and the fans of Chicago who have waited for so long. I know they deserve this because they stood by me when I was pitching bad and now that I'm pitching great.
language speak talk
We get to talk because we speak the same language,
country government people
The government is one thing and the country of Cuba and my people are something different completely, .. It's like the United States government and your country. You don't have to agree with the policies to be proud of your country.
cuban
I'm Cuban and I always will be.